Lin Moyu turned his head and saw a middle-aged man waving at him from a nearby tavern window.
The man held up a liquor jug and called out, âLittle Brother, come have a drink with me!â
He wore a broad, friendly smile, his face flushed from drinking. Clearly, he had drunk quite a bit.
Lin Moyu was about to ignore him, until he noticed the emblem on the manâs clothing.
It was the emblem of Jiangning Academy.
Immediately, Lin Moyu thought of Gao Yang.
Back at Xihai No. 1 High School, Gao Yang had been the one who talked to him the most.
Even when Lin Moyu remained silent, Gao Yang would chatter endlessly, like a one-man show.
At the time, Lin Moyu had no friends. Most classmates ignored him. But Gao Yang had been the exception.
He was the first friend Lin Moyu truly acknowledged.
Later, during the entrance examination, Lin Moyu was accepted into Xiajing Academy. Gao Yang, as he had hoped, was admitted to Jiangning Academy.
While Jiangning Academy wasnât as prestigious as Xiajing Academy, it was still a solid institution, and close enough to Xihai City that Gao Yang could visit home occasionally.
âI wonder how that guy is doing now.â
It had been over a year since Lin Moyu last saw him. A lot had happened in that time, and he hadnât had much free time to reconnect.
With those memories stirring, Lin Moyu stepped into the tavern and sat across from the middle-aged man.
âSenior, are you from Jiangning Academy?â
The man grinned, âYou recognized the emblem? My nameâs Feng Ziliu. Tell me, what did you feel when you looked at Kunlun Mountain just now?â
Lin Moyu replied softly, âI felt... small.â
Feng Ziliu took a sip of liquor, âExactly. Thatâs the feeling. The first time I saw Kunlun Mountain, I felt just the sameâinsignificant in the face of something so vast.â
âYou're by yourself. Care to share a drink?â
Lin Moyu smiled, âSure.â
After a few rounds, Feng Ziliu became more talkative.
âYouâve got an extraordinary presence, Little Brother. Strange that youâre a livelihood class user.â
To Lin Moyu, Feng Ziliuâs details were obviousâlevel 42 Berserker, a high-level class user.
But Feng Ziliu couldnât discern Lin Moyuâs level or class.
Lin Moyu was wearing a Cloaking Badge. Even with Detection, nothing would show.
Coupled with his plain clothing and restrained aura, he was easily mistaken for a livelihood class user.
Lin Moyu simply replied, âI donât think presence and class are necessarily related.â
Feng Ziliu laughed heartily, âWell said! Presence has nothing to do with class. I could tell right away that youâre no ordinary person.â
âEven thought youâre in a livelihood class user, your futureâs limitless.â
Lin Moyu smiled faintly, âBrother Feng, do you happen to know a student at Jiangning Academy named Gao Yang? Heâs a Sword-Shield Knight.â
Feng Ziliu thought for a moment, then shook his head, âDoesnât sound familiar.â
A flicker of disappointment crossed Lin Moyuâs eyes.
Feng Ziliu added, âBut Iâll ask the others when they return. They should be back soon.â
âThank you.â
Feng Ziliu chuckled, âDonât mention it!â
They continued chatting casually until five more people entered the tavern, all wearing the emblem of Jiangning Academy.
Feng Ziliu waved them over, âHere!â
The group approached, and he asked, âHow did it go? Did you pull it off?â
They all grinned. One of them exclaimed excitedly, âWe did it, Boss! We hit the jackpot this timeââ
He paused mid-sentence, eyes narrowing, âWait⊠Boss, whoâs this?â
Feng Ziliu replied casually, âA new friend I just met. By the way, have any of you heard of a Sword-Shield Knight named Gao Yang from the academy?â
âGao Yang? Sword-Shield Knight?â
They exchanged puzzled looks, then shook their heads.
Lin Moyu sighed inwardly.
In a top-tier academy with thousands of students, it wasnât surprising they hadnât heard of him.
Then, someone spoke up, âActually⊠I think I have.â
Lin Moyu looked over. It was a young female Healer.
The aura of the second class awakening still lingered around her, suggesting she had completed it less than ten days ago.
She said, âSome girls in my dorm mentioned him. A Sword-Shield Knight named Gao Yang had an accident during the first-year trial by fire.â
Lin Moyuâs eyes sharpened, âWhat kind of accident?â
âI donât know the details. Just that he was badly hurt, and even the academyâs top Healers couldnât help.â
This text is hosted at NoveIê°ire.net
Minor wounds could usually be healed in seconds. Even severed limbs were restorable with a God-level Healer.
And the first-year trial by fire was normally safe, closely monitored by faculty. Serious injuries were rare.
âDid the academy try to get a better Healer?â Lin Moyu asked.
She shook her head, âNo idea.â
Feng Ziliu spoke quietly, âIâve heard a bit. The academyâs top Healer is level 85. If even he failed, theyâd need a God-level Healer.â
âBut those arenât easy to hire. There are only a few in the empire, and ordinary people could never hope to get their help.â
Lin Moyu took a deep breath, steadying his emotions, âFind out where Gao Yang is now.â
This time, his tone left no room for discussion. It was an order.
The people in the group frowned, clearly displeased. But Feng Ziliu gave them a look and said simply, âDo it.â
Grudgingly, they used their communicators and began making calls.
Feng Ziliu turned to Lin Moyu, âBrother Lin, this Gao Yang, is he a friend of yours?â
Lin Moyu grunted, âHeâs my high school classmate.â
Feng Ziliu smiled, âNo wonder you look so young. Just awakened, huh? Youth really is something.â
He didnât look down on Lin Moyu for being newly awakened, but the others were clearly impatient.
To them, a mere livelihood-class user had no right to be giving orders.
And now it turned out he wasnât just a livelihood-class user, he was also a first-year student, likely low-level.
Without Feng Ziliu backing him, they wouldnât have tolerated his tone.
Moments later, someone got a response.
âI found out. Since the academy couldnât treat Gao Yang, they gave him some compensation and sent him home.â
âIt seems his home is in Xihai City.â
After the female Healer finished speaking, a sudden blur flashed before her eyes. Lin Moyu had vanished.
His parting words lingered in the air: âThank you.â
Everyone stood frozen.
âWhat just happened?â
âDid he disappear into thin air? Is he even human?â
âThat was terrifying⊠Donât tell me we just saw a ghost.â
âCould he be the soul of someone who died on Kunlun Mountain?â
Just then, Feng Ziliu exclaimed, âI know who he is!â
âWho?!â
âBoss, hurry up and tell us!â
Feng Ziliu took a breath, âIf Iâm right, that was Lin Moyu.â
âAh!â
Gasps echoed all around. Disbelief filled the room.
Lin Moyuâs name had become legendary over the past six months. Just days ago, he and Bai Yiyuan wiped out the Black Dragon Guild in the Sakura Kingdom.
But how could someone like that appear here, and even speak to them? Wasnât he supposed to be far beyond their reach?
âBoss, could you be mistaken?â
Feng Ziliu shook his head. âIâm 90% sure. Godly General Lin only completed his class awakening just a year agoâhis classmates should still be first-years.â
âAnd didnât you say Gao Yang is also from Xihai City? Thatâs Godly General Linâs hometown too.â
âHis surname is Lin, heâs Gao Yangâs classmate, and he moves with nearly ghost-like speed.â
âWhat are the odds all of that is just a coincidence?â
After hearing Feng Ziliuâs analysis, the others began to believe it really might be him.
Feng Ziliu took a long swig of liquor, âNo wonder I felt he had an extraordinary presence earlier.â
âAnd no wonder his tone suddenly turned so commanding.â
âWe were really blind just now!â