The Art of "Playing Dead" in a Big Shot's Lair

Lin Kun froze behind the vines, cold sweat instantly soaking his back. The terrifying aura emanating from the depths of the valley pressed down on his heart like a physical weight, making it almost impossible to breathe. His multiple Martial Souls screamed warnings in his mind, their light crystals flashing so intensely they seemed about to shatter, transmitting only a chaotic jumble of "???" and "EXTREME DANGER."

Outside, there was a Lightning Badger relentlessly digging at the rocks, and inside, a super Spirit Beast boss of unknown level, but certainly one that could kill him a hundred times over!

A badger in front, a tiger behind, and a terrified Lin Kun in the middle.

"Calm down! Calm down! Lin Kun, you have to calm down!" Lin Kun screamed internally. "System, System! Help! Do you have any invisibility talismans or teleportation scrolls on sale? Like a 90% discount!"

[Ding! Detected host facing extreme danger. Mall temporary recommendation: One-time Random Teleportation Scroll (maximum teleportation distance 500 meters), original price 800 points, shock sale price 600 points! Host's current points: 415 points.] [Also recommended: Advanced Concealment Talisman (can completely conceal aura for ten minutes, effective against Spirit Beasts under 10,000 years), original price 1500 points, clearance price 1200 points!]

Lin Kun: "..." This useless system is truly unreliable! Not only is it ridiculously expensive, but it's also trying to profit from his misfortune! How could he afford any of that!

It seemed he could only rely on himself!

The Lightning Badger outside was still digging with its "crunch, crunch" sounds, quite noisy. Lin Kun nervously glanced at the blurry, colossal figure in the depths of the valley. It seemed to stir slightly because of the noise!

"We're doomed! This stupid badger is going to get me killed!" Lin Kun's soul scattered. He had to make that thing outside shut up!

In a moment of inspiration, he reached into his system space again and pulled out that low-level Spirit Beast Core (he'd thrown the one he bought earlier, but he'd restocked later). He carefully wrapped it with his Mental Threads and, like fishing, slowly dangled the core out of the crevice in the rocks.

The digging Lightning Badger immediately stopped, its small eyes fixed on the core emitting an alluring energy fluctuation.

"Chirp!" It let out a sharp cry and lunged towards the core!

Lin Kun immediately controlled his Mental Threads, leading the core and luring the Lightning Badger away from the crevice! The speed wasn't fast, but it was enough to capture the badger's attention.

As expected, the hungry Lightning Badger was completely captivated by the core, yelping as it chased after it, quickly running far away.

One down! Lin Kun breathed a sigh of relief, but immediately tensed up again – the biggest threat was still in the valley!

He held his breath, not daring to move, wishing he could even stop his heartbeat. He tried to activate his "Presence Reduction" buff, but found that against this level of pressure, the buff's effect was negligible.

The figure in the depths of the valley moved again, seeming to settle slightly as the external noise disappeared, but the terrifying aura still permeated the air.

I can't stay here! I have to retreat slowly!

Lin Kun began to move backward inch by inch at an extremely slow pace, afraid of making even the slightest sound. His movements were as delicate as disarming a bomb.

Just as he was about to retreat to a relatively safe section of the crevice, his foot accidentally kicked a small stone.

The sound of the stone rolling echoed exceptionally clearly in the silent valley!

"!!!" Lin Kun's heart nearly leaped out of his throat!

The terrifying aura from the depths of the valley intensified abruptly! The massive eyes, which had been closed, suddenly opened a sliver! They were dark red, vertical pupils like molten lava! Just a glance made Lin Kun feel as if his soul was about to freeze!

Run! There's no time!

At this critical moment, Lin Kun had an epiphany and made an incredibly cowardly, but possibly the only correct decision – he immediately flopped onto the ground, spread his limbs, buried his face in the dirt, and at the same time, fully activated his Book Martial Soul to cover his entire body, simulating a state of "I am a rock, I am a dead leaf, I have no life force!"

Playing dead!

This was his only survival plan that he could think of, and it was the cheapest! He was betting that such a powerful being wouldn't be interested in something completely unresponsive!

The lava-like pupils swept over Lin Kun's location, seeming to linger for a moment. Lin Kun could feel an indescribably terrifying mental power scan over him, making his blood feel like it was about to solidify.

He desperately maintained his "I'm dead" state, even emptying his mind, afraid of being detected by any thought activity.

Time seemed to pass for a long time, yet also felt like an instant.

That terrifying mental power finally moved away. The huge eyes slowly closed, and the suffocating aura gradually receded, as if it had fallen back into slumber.

Lin Kun remained motionless, lying there as if truly dead. Only after a full incense stick's worth of time, and confirming there were no more movements, did he dare to slowly, bit by bit, lift his head.

Cold sweat had soaked him through. He gasped for air but dared not make a sound, his hands and legs trembling.

He survived! He actually managed to get away by playing dead!

He glanced at the colossal figure in the depths of the valley that had returned to stillness. His heart still pounded with lingering fear, and he didn't dare to stay a second longer. He crawled back to the other end of the crevice with his hands and feet, moving even lighter and faster than when he came.

Only when he returned to the relatively safe outer edge of the forest and felt the sunlight on his body did Lin Kun collapse onto the ground, feeling as if he had just walked through the gates of hell.

"Damn... this practical lesson is too thrilling..." he thought, full of lingering fear, and decided he would never explore random holes again.

However, the gains were also immense. He patted the heavy, high-quality Star Pattern Iron in his backpack and recalled the appearance of that terrifying Spirit Beast (though he hadn't seen its full form). His Book Martial Soul seemed to have recorded some extremely blurry images and fragmented information. The light crystals had dimmed considerably, clearly indicating that analyzing such an existence consumed a lot of energy.

"This dangerous trip wasn't in vain," Lin Kun consoled himself. "I need to hurry back and complete the mission. I can't stay in this cursed place any longer!"

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