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, “Little Brother, come have a drink with me!” 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 man’s 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. 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 wasn’t as prestigious as Xiajing Academy, it was still a solid institution, and close enough to Xihai City that Gao Yang could visit home occasionally. “I wonder how that guy is doing now.” It had been over a year since Lin Moyu last saw him. A lot had happened in that time, and he hadn’t had much free time to reconnect. With those memories stirring, Lin Moyu stepped into the tavern and sat across from the middle-aged man. “Senior, are you from Jiangning Academy?” The man grinned, “You recognized the emblem? My name’s Feng Ziliu. Tell me, what did you feel when you looked at Kunlun Mountain just now?” Lin Moyu replied softly, “I felt... small.” Feng Ziliu took a sip of liquor, “Exactly. That’s the feeling. The first time I saw Kunlun Mountain, I felt just the same—insignificant in the face of something so vast.” “You're by yourself. Care to share a drink?” Lin Moyu smiled, “Sure.” After a few rounds, Feng Ziliu became more talkative. “You’ve got an extraordinary presence, Little Brother. Strange that you’re a livelihood class user.” To Lin Moyu, Feng Ziliu’s details were obvious—level 42 Berserker, a high-level class user. But Feng Ziliu couldn’t discern Lin Moyu’s 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, “I don’t think presence and class are necessarily related.” Feng Ziliu laughed heartily, “Well said! Presence has nothing to do with class. I could tell right away that you’re no ordinary person.” “Even thought you’re in a livelihood class user, your future’s limitless.” Lin Moyu smiled faintly, “Brother Feng, do you happen to know a student at Jiangning Academy named Gao Yang? He’s a Sword-Shield Knight.” Feng Ziliu thought for a moment, then shook his head, “Doesn’t sound familiar.” A flicker of disappointment crossed Lin Moyu’s eyes. Feng Ziliu added, “But I’ll ask the others when they return. They should be back soon.” Feng Ziliu chuckled, “Don’t mention it!” They continued chatting casually until five more people entered the tavern, all wearing the emblem of Jiangning Academy. Feng Ziliu waved them over, “Here!” The group approached, and he asked, “How did it go? Did you pull it off?” They all grinned. One of them exclaimed excitedly, “We did it, Boss! We hit the jackpot this time—” He paused mid-sentence, eyes narrowing, “Wait… Boss, who’s this?” Feng Ziliu replied casually, “A new friend I just met. By the way, have any of you heard of a Sword-Shield Knight named Gao Yang from the academy?” “Gao Yang? Sword-Shield Knight?” They exchanged puzzled looks, then shook their heads. Lin Moyu sighed inwardly. In a top-tier academy with thousands of students, it wasn’t surprising they hadn’t heard of him. Then, someone spoke up, “Actually… I think I have.” 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, “Some girls in my dorm mentioned him. A Sword-Shield Knight named Gao Yang had an accident during the first-year trial by fire.” Lin Moyu’s eyes sharpened, “What kind of accident?” “I don’t know the details. Just that he was badly hurt, and even the academy’s top Healers couldn’t help.” 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. “Did the academy try to get a better Healer?” Lin Moyu asked. She shook her head, “No idea.” Feng Ziliu spoke quietly, “I’ve heard a bit. The academy’s top Healer is level 85. If even he failed, they’d need a God-level Healer.” “But those aren’t easy to hire. There are only a few in the empire, and ordinary people could never hope to get their help.” Lin Moyu took a deep breath, steadying his emotions, “Find out where Gao Yang is now.” 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, “Do it.” Grudgingly, they used their communicators and began making calls. Feng Ziliu turned to Lin Moyu, “Brother Lin, this Gao Yang, is he a friend of yours?” Lin Moyu grunted, “He’s my high school classmate.” Feng Ziliu smiled, “No wonder you look so young. Just awakened, huh? Youth really is something.” He didn’t 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 wasn’t just a livelihood-class user, he was also a first-year student, likely low-level. Without Feng Ziliu backing him, they wouldn’t have tolerated his tone. Moments later, someone got a response. “I found out. Since the academy couldn’t treat Gao Yang, they gave him some compensation and sent him home.” “It seems his home is in Xihai City.” After the female Healer finished speaking, a sudden blur flashed before her eyes. Lin Moyu had vanished. His parting words lingered in the air: “Thank you.” Everyone stood frozen. “What just happened?” Dıscover more novels at 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵✦𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✦𝙣𝙚𝙩 “Did he disappear into thin air? Is he even human?” “That was terrifying… Don’t tell me we just saw a ghost.” “Could he be the soul of someone who died on Kunlun Mountain?” Just then, Feng Ziliu exclaimed, “I know who he is!” “Boss, hurry up and tell us!” Feng Ziliu took a breath, “If I’m right, that was Lin Moyu.” Gasps echoed all around. Disbelief filled the room. Lin Moyu’s 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? Wasn’t he supposed to be far beyond their reach? “Boss, could you be mistaken?” Feng Ziliu shook his head. “I’m 90% sure. Godly General Lin only completed his class awakening just a year ago—his classmates should still be first-years.” “And didn’t you say Gao Yang is also from Xihai City? That’s Godly General Lin’s hometown too.” “His surname is Lin, he’s Gao Yang’s classmate, and he moves with nearly ghost-like speed.” “What are the odds all of that is just a coincidence?” After hearing Feng Ziliu’s analysis, the others began to believe it really might be him. Feng Ziliu took a long swig of liquor, “No wonder I felt he had an extraordinary presence earlier.” “And no wonder his tone suddenly turned so commanding.” “We were really blind just now!”