Chapter 306: Blowing Things Out Of Proportion
Bai Yiyuan had advised Lin Moyu to keep a low profile and tuck away his military badge, but it was all in vain.
News of Lin Moyu’s exploits had already spread across the Dimensional Battlefield. Witnesses from the Chuangshi Institute who were stationed at Fortress No. 6 had carried the story back with them.
Soon, the entire world was buzzing with accounts of Lin Moyu’s incredible feats. Word spread that a level 37 godly general had risen from the Shenxia Empire, capable of single-handedly wiping out an army and defeating a level 70 Dragonkind Battle General. It was even said that the Dragonkind Battle General had been forced to self-destruct, while Lin Moyu remained unscathed.
Although Lin Moyu’s undead army was formidable, his personal strength was equally astonishing. In a matter of days, rumors grew, becoming more exaggerated—practically deifying him.
In the quiet confines of White God Courtyard, Meng Anwen spoke in his usual calm tone, "Aren't you going to do something about this? At this rate, Young Lin will soon be considered a deity."
Bai Yiyuan chuckled, "Let them blow things out of proportion! The more they inflate the stories, the better. It’s not like I’m ignoring it. I’m just taking a different approach."
Meng Anwen gave him a sidelong glance, "You... Has Young Lin been staying at the Chuangshi Institute lately?"
"Yeah, he’s been burying himself in books." Bai Yiyuan replied, "He had some setbacks on the Immemorial Battlefield, especially against the Abyssal Phantasms—he almost lost himself. The kid recognizes his weaknesses and is making up for it by learning about the Abyss."
Bai Yiyuan’s tone carried a note of pride. He fully supported Lin Moyu’s proactive approach. A great class user must understand both themself and their enemies. Even if Lin Moyu hadn’t taken the initiative, Bai Yiyuan would have urged him to do the same. Now that Lin Moyu was taking the initiative, Bai Yiyuan, as his teacher, was pleased.
Meng Anwen’s lips curved into a faint smile, "Do you need me to help fan the flames?""That would be great." Bai Yiyuan grinned, "I don’t have many friends, and I’m not exactly skilled at this sort of thing."
Meng Anwen chuckled, "Well, that’s what happens when you keep offending people."
The stories surrounding Lin Moyu continued to spiral into mythic proportions. Rumors swirled, suggesting that Lin Moyu was powerful enough to challenge a Demon King single-handedly, with some even claimed he had ventured into the Abyss itself to face off against a Demon King. With each retelling, the tales grew more outlandish, blurring the line between truth and fiction.
However, as the stories reached new heights of absurdity, some began to sense that something was off. It was as if a hidden hand was manipulating events from behind the scenes. Lin Moyu’s reputation ballooned until one day it finally burst. People gradually came to realize that many of the incredible feats attributed to him were pure fabrications. The only verifiable event was the class user competition. The rest was a jumbled mix of fact and fiction, and most began to dismiss the wildest claims—after all, how could a level 37 godly general even exist?
Bai Yiyuan smirked mischievously, "It's better to let rumors spiral out of control than to try stopping them. Once they become too exaggerated, no one will believe them anymore, and the rumors will die down on their own."
Meng Anwen responded softly, “But not everything being said is a lie.”
Bai Yiyuan waved off the statement, "Does it matter? Whether true or false, there's no need to pick apart the details. What I do know is that someone’s trying to use these rumors to harm my disciple."
His eyes gleamed with a faint murderous intent as he continued, "The Demon Worship Society... those filthy rats are stirring the pot again."
While the rumors raged on outside, Lin Moyu had secluded himself within the Chuangshi Institute's archives, undisturbed for over ten days. He immersed himself in the countless tomes, focusing particularly on those concerning the Abyss. As he sifted through the wealth of information, he began to piece together a comprehensive understanding of that cruel, chaotic world.
The Abyss was a place far more savage than the Human World, where the strong preyed mercilessly on the weak. Power dictated everything, and social hierarchies were strictly defined by the nature of one's bloodline. Demons were categorized by rank: ordinary demonic creatures, ordinary Demons, elite Demons, and lord rank Demons.
Demons were also categorized by level: low-level Demons, high-level Demons, top-level Demons, and Demon Kings. In addition, there were unique entities like Abyssal Phantasms and Abyssal Fire Sprites. The Abyss was an intricate, dangerous web of power struggles and brutal survival.
Lin Moyu learned that elite Demons were comparable to legendary class users in the Human World, while lord rank Demons rivaled the most powerful hidden class users. Take the Crimson Moon Demon Lin Moyu had met, for example—an elite Demon far superior to any ordinary Demon at the same level.
Moreover, Lin Moyu now grasped the evolutionary process of Demons. No matter their kind or rank, all Demons shared the same ultimate goal: to evolve into a Demon King, a being equivalent to the godly powerhouses of the human race. However, there was a significant difference between a Demon King that evolved from an ordinary Demon and one that evolved from an elite Demon.
This disparity was clearly illustrated in the records. The Fire Demon King, who had evolved from an ordinary Demon, was significantly weaker than the Succubus Queen, who had evolved from an elite Demon. The contrast in their strength and status was stark, further emphasizing the hierarchy within the Abyss.
Lin Moyu closed the book in front of him and shut his eyes, "No wonder that top-level Succubus was so powerful, able to stand against the Archaic Luanniao. She was an elite Demon."
Succubi were elite Demons, their bloodline growing stronger as their level increased. The Succubus Queen ranked among the top ten Demon Kings of the Abyss. Of these ten, humanity only had records of five. The strongest known was the fourth-ranked, the Darkfiend King.
Thinking of the Darkfiend King, Lin Moyu remembered the Darkfiend Prince, who had been forced to self-destruct in their encounter. He was actually a descendant of a Demon King.
Lin Moyu had a gut feeling the Darkfiend Prince wasn’t truly dead. He suspected the prince had been reborn through a soul brand. Humans had learned the method of soul brand rebirth from the Abyssal Demons. As the offspring of a Demon King, it seemed inevitable that the Darkfiend Prince would be able to return. This wouldn't be their last encounter.
"If I could kill you once, I can kill you again—and again."
Lin Moyu stood up, returned the stack of books to the shelf, and pulled out more volumes—this time on Dragonkind. He dived back into his studies, unfazed by the storm outside.
In the archives, he felt like he was taking root, absorbing an immense amount of knowledge. His level 37 Divinity Force granted him incredible recovery, allowing him to work tirelessly, staying sharp and focused.
The students at Chuangshi Institute were shocked. Since his arrival, Lin Moyu hadn’t attended a single class or training session. He spent all his time in the archives, fully committed to self-study. But no matter how diligent, many doubted that self-study could match a teacher’s guidance.
With rumors swirling about his feats, Lin Moyu had earned a reputation as an oddity—a freak.
A month later, the rumors about Lin Moyu faded, and the peoples' attention shifted elsewhere.
The Dragonkind had completed a bold move on the Dimensional Battlefield: constructing nine military bases to surround their central king city. Spanning over a thousand kilometers, the entire Dragonkind base was fortified by a massive defensive formation linking the military bases together. This territory now belonged to the Dragonkind.
Dragonkind armies moved in with an overwhelming presence, reclaiming their place after being expelled over a millennium ago. On the day the base was completed, a colossal projection of a Dragonkind King appeared in the king city. Following his command, the armies surged from their base toward the Abyss, which lay closer to their position. A fierce battle erupted at the entrance to the Abyss as the Dragonkind King himself descended to fight the Abyssal Demon Kings. Rumors even suggested that multiple Dragonkind Kings had joined the fray.
A month ago, when the Dragonkind first returned, they had launched simultaneous attacks against both humans and the Abyss. That attack, though large in scale, paled in comparison to their current offensive. The Dragonkind's assault on the Abyss was a long-awaited vengeance for events from a thousand years prior. Once they finished with the Abyss, their attention would inevitably turn toward humanity. The previous conflict was just a prelude—the real war loomed on the horizon, and tension grew as the clouds of war gathered in the skies. The world’s focus shifted to the coming clash between races.
All this unfolded while Lin Moyu remained absorbed in his studies in the archives. It wasn't until the communicator on his wrist buzzed that he was pulled back to reality. Checking the time, he realized an entire month had slipped by.
In that month, he had read over a hundred books, not just absorbing their knowledge but also synthesizing and interconnecting it. He now had a deep understanding of the Abyssal Demons and Dragonkind, building his own comprehensive framework. Though he might not yet rival the great scholars of the past, he had already surpassed most of his peers. Incidents like the one with the Abyssal Phantasm would never catch him off guard again.
He answered the call, "Dean Mo, is something the matter?"
"Godly General Lin, sorry to disturb you. Please come out for a moment." Mo Xinghe's overcast voice rose from the communicator.
Lin Moyu glanced up through the large floor-to-ceiling windows and saw Mo Xinghe standing outside the archives, waiting for him.