Chapter 173: 160, Indifference! Mental Secret Skills? (Seeking subscription tickets)
Hang Jianshe stood on the arena, his eyes fixed on Lu Lin. "You’re strong." This man indeed had the air of a genius. Though he came on stage with others to challenge, it seemed as if he was the center of the crowd, Lu Lin’s only opponent.
Lu Lin smiled. "Stop wasting time, let’s start. There are still quite a few students waiting for their turn after me."
Hang Jianshe saw that Lu Lin didn’t seem to take him seriously, and his eyebrows furrowed slightly. It seems I’ve been underestimated, he thought. Well, I’ll let Lu Lin get to know me properly in a moment.
Yao Zongheng, Cong Xiaolong, and Zhu Haolin stood behind Hang Jianshe; the other six challengers stood behind these three. After Wu Hongming inspected them and found no Prohibited Items, he stepped aside and announced, "The match begins!"
Lu Lin moved. He indeed seemed to be in a hurry. But while he was quick, someone else was quicker.
Zhu Haolin was the first to act, instantly condensing a sword with a golden glow and slashing it at the charging Lu Lin.
"A golden sword?" Lu Lin was unfazed.
His left hand covered in a layer of Stone Skin, he reached directly for the golden sword under the horrified gazes of the others. Unexpectedly, the golden sword suddenly retreated for a moment, causing Lu Lin to misjudge. His grab missed.
Seeing the opportunity, Cong Xiaolong condensed a ball of light in his hand and threw it at Lu Lin. "Light Explosion!"
Hearing the shout, Lu Lin quickly turned. His initial target had actually been only Hang Jianshe. He hadn’t expected Zhu Haolin and Cong Xiaolong to seize an opportunity before he even got close. Hang Jianshe, on the other hand, remained expressionless and motionless.
"Explode!" Cong Xiaolong yelled, and the ball of light suddenly burst open. Lu Lin reflexively activated Wearing Armor, trying to defend. But who would have known? This wasn’t an offensive Star Skill. It was... Shining.
Lu Lin’s eyes were instantly blinded, forcing him to shut them uncomfortably as he tried to recover his vision. But at that moment, he suddenly felt a stiffness underfoot. It was grass vines. Yao Zongheng, who hadn’t made a move yet, had struck with a deadly trapping skill.
Lu Lin struggled fiercely and had just broken free from the grass vines’ binding when, as soon as his feet touched the ground, more vines instantly entwined around them. Damn it!
Though he hadn’t fought many battles, Lu Lin had never experienced such a disgusting and frustrating situation.Only a few seconds had passed since Wu Hongming announced the start, yet Lu Lin hadn’t even touched his opponents. Instead, he was being pushed back by the three of them, unable to move.
"Sword, come!" Zhu Haolin shouted, and the golden sword that had paused in mid-air attacked Lu Lin again, its power now even greater.
Wu Hongming watched the four challengers’ coordination from the side of the arena, a faint smile appearing on his face. As expected of Iron Blood College’s Four Heavenly Kings this year. They can cooperate so seamlessly on their first try. With teamwork like this, I won’t need to worry about them when they go to the Exotic Battlefield in the future.
Lu Lin stood his ground, deciding not to bother breaking free from the grass vines that continuously entwined him. He was in a hurry; rather than get bogged down in a contest of Star Power, it was better to aim for a quick victory. Although Lu Lin couldn’t get to them, who said he couldn’t make them come to him?
As the golden sword attacked, Lu Lin casually reached out with his left hand to grab it. The seemingly powerful golden sword felt like a strip of paper in Lu Lin’s grasp, causing no damage at all. Zhu Haolin’s expression changed. The golden sword attack was his strongest offensive Star Skill, yet it couldn’t even break Lu Lin’s skin.
"Come and hit me!" Lu Lin roared at Zhu Haolin. The latter’s body flew over uncontrollably. Lu Lin grabbed Zhu Haolin by the back of his collar like a chick, swung him hard, and threw him off the arena.
At this moment, the other six ordinary first-level students had just finished preparing their Star Skills, ready to attack Lu Lin. What... In the blink of an eye, Zhu Haolin is out?!
"Careful, he has a War Roar Star Skill! Everyone, attack quickly!" Cong Xiaolong roared, once again releasing a Star Skill from his hand. Light Shield.
This Light Shield appeared illusory and faint, but as it formed before them, everyone felt a sense of security. Lu Lin smiled. Are they trying to stall for time with me? Or perhaps... He turned to look at Hang Jianshe, who had been silent since stepping onto the stage. Something’s off about this kid. It seems like he’s holding back a major move.
Whatever, Lu Lin thought. Charge!
Lu Lin pointed at Yao Zongheng, making him tense up. Then, with a strong push from his feet, Lu Lin broke free from the grass vines binding him. Before his opponents could react, he leaped in front of them. Ten Steps Kill. Seize the Gap.
Seeing Lu Lin charge over, Yao Zongheng and Cong Xiaolong both grew nervous. Yao Zongheng didn’t have time to release his grass vine binding. As for Cong Xiaolong, a flaw had appeared in the Light Shield he had constructed. Seize the Gap.
Lu Lin sensed it instantly. His alloy knife, infused with a trace of Star Power, slashed at the Light Shield. POP! Like a bubble bursting, Cong Xiaolong’s carefully constructed Light Shield shattered. Hang Jianshe was now directly facing Lu Lin’s attack.
However, Hang Jianshe seemed oblivious, only reacting when Lu Lin was right in front of him, about to kick him off the arena. Suddenly, Hang Jianshe’s eyes snapped open. "Block."
As his voice fell, a figure gleaming with a silvery-white metallic luster suddenly appeared, blocking the space between Lu Lin and Hang Jianshe. This is...! Terminator T-X! A metallic being that can turn into liquid!
It was the first time Lu Lin had seen such an entity. His kick felt like it had struck an iron plate. It doesn’t hurt, but this is troublesome, Lu Lin thought, retreating two steps and looking at Hang Jianshe, who stood not far away. A slight smile appeared on Hang Jianshe’s face; he seemed very satisfied with Lu Lin’s surprise.
"How about it? This is my Star Skill, the Mercury Human. Pretty cool design, right?" Hang Jianshe said, controlling the Mercury Human in front of Lu Lin to change its form. A tall male, a delicate female, an ordinary child, a wailing baby, animals, plants—the Mercury Human could transform into almost any shape Hang Jianshe desired.
From the earlier collision, Lu Lin knew the Mercury Human could not only change its form at will but also become incredibly hard at specific moments. Before Lu Lin could think of a suitable countermeasure, the Mercury Human underwent another transformation.
Arms and head detached. The single Mercury Human reformed into a short child, now holding the leashes of two massive beasts. The child adopted a fighting stance, while the two beasts flanked Lu Lin, ready to attack.
What? The Mercury Human can be used like this?! Lu Lin couldn’t help but admire Hang Jianshe’s ingenuity.
Hang Jianshe savored the shocked look in Lu Lin’s eyes. Suddenly, the mercury child in front of Lu Lin leaped up, kicking at him, while the beasts on either side rushed forward. Lu Lin faced a three-pronged attack.
Just then, Lu Lin felt grass vines coiling around his feet again. That Yao Zongheng, his timing is impeccable! But...
"Holding Shield!" A large shield suddenly appeared in Lu Lin’s hand, and he swatted away all three attacking Mercury Human constructs. At the same time, Lu Lin’s eyes narrowed slightly as he unleashed a Star Skill he hadn’t used since comprehending it. "Indifference."
Hang Jianshe wasn’t sure if it was an illusion, but he saw a flash of blood-red light shoot out from Lu Lin’s eyes. This light shot directly into the eyes of all nine opponents. Hang Jianshe felt the scene before him change.
He found himself in a burning building. A familiar supermarket, a familiar square, a familiar billboard. The Rescue Team he had waited for, the one that never came. His parents, who wouldn’t move again, no matter how much he cried.
"No!" Hang Jianshe screamed. The three Mercury Human constructs in front of Lu Lin suddenly dissipated. Beside them, Yao Zongheng’s eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the ground with a THUD. Cong Xiaolong fared slightly better; his body retreated two steps uncontrollably, his face deathly pale. He roared, "Kill!" But anyone could see it was an empty threat, a mere show of bravado.
The remaining six ordinary students met the same fate as Yao Zongheng, their eyes rolling back as they collapsed one after another with dull THUDS. The arena fell silent. All eyes were fixed on Lu Lin. What did he do?
「Saturn.」
Bai Jingwei was in the middle of an environmental protection conference when she suddenly shot to her feet. "A Mental Star Skill!"
「Alien Planet.」
Zhao Lei, who was watching the match, also showed a slight change in expression. "Lu Lin, you little rascal, you sure have a lot of secrets."
Below the stage, Zheng Yulong, who was also watching, looked utterly shocked. He muttered, "Lu Lin... Lu Lin..."
「Tianxing City.」
The Gao Brothers were also watching the live stream. When they saw Lu Lin merely squint, his nine opponents reacted as if struck by lightning. The second brother, Gao Feng, raised his right hand, making a quick calculation with his fingers. "That’s a Mental Shock Star Skill! He’s only Third Level; how could he possess such a thing?"
On the arena, Wu Hongming, the referee, was completely dumbfounded. Lu Lin, what in the world did you do?
In fact, it wasn’t just him. Lu Lin himself was utterly confused. What just happened? It was only Indifference.
Lu Lin recalled that the Star Skill Indifference had two functions: one was to reduce an enemy’s fighting spirit, and the other was to provide minor resistance to some negative statuses. But neither of those effects matched what had just unfolded.
He had only intended to use Indifference to create some openings in his opponents’ defense so he could attack directly. After all, this was an arena match; Lu Lin couldn’t resort to any and all means. Of course, he also had to consider the match’s entertainment value.
But now... The entertainment value is certainly there, but I feel like I’m in trouble.
He turned his head and saw many eyes in the Performance Martial Arena fixed on him: Long Qianli, Long Qiansu, Zuo Yiming, Luo Ling, Guan Yue, Zheng Yulong, Chen Xiran, Fang Gang, Bai Buyi... Especially Bai Buyi; when he saw Lu Lin suddenly unleash a Mental Star Skill, an unnatural flush appeared on his face. My trip here was indeed worthwhile.
The matter of Lu Lin absorbing the Kongming White Ape’s Star Power and Life Force was still unresolved, and now he had used a Mental Star Skill that typically only a Titled King could wield. Mental Star Skills were also known as Mental Secret Skills. Only after being promoted to a Titled King could one slowly comprehend them. Zhao Lei had been promoted to a Titled King for over ten days and had likely not yet comprehended any Mental Secret Skills. Who could have imagined that Lu Lin had already mastered one?