A New Scene

"Have Li Zhouhai come see me after dawn."

"O-okay..."

Guan Teng stood there in a daze as Lincon took the lantern back from his hand and walked out of the room without the slightest hesitation.

Why had this lord appeared in the darkness? How had he so easily subdued Li Zhouhai, a D-rank ability user? Even now, Guan Teng could not quite understand.

Wasn't everyone supposed to fear the darkness?

During these years of calamity, there had always been people who refused to believe it, unable to endure the loneliness of the long nights and choosing to venture out after dark.

Yet by the next day, a skeleton would appear on the streets, its identity determined only from the clothes it had worn in life.

Even in Shangmai City, where they had lived before, the city lord had ordered all doors locked after nightfall and lamps kept burning through the night.

But even so, they still could not prevent some people from quietly dying in the darkness.

Perhaps it was because this lord was an ability user.

Guan Teng could only comfort himself that way. After all, the oppressive presence brought by that massive Ancient Maple Guardian had been truly terrifying.

After returning home, Lincon studied the Seed of Life for a while.

As the sky gradually brightened, a notification appeared.

[Seed of Life automatically consumed sunlight. Sunlight -50.]

Watching his sunlight balance decrease, Lincon suddenly felt strangely familiar with the sensation.

It was as though he had gone from being debt-free to suddenly taking on a mortgage.

"..."

"Forget it. Compared to the benefits brought by the Seed of Life, this amount of sunlight is still worth spending."

Lincon could only console himself that way.

He first carved several Shrines in the courtyard and inscribed them with runes.

Just then, Li Zhouhai arrived outside his courtyard, rubbing his body and grimacing in pain.

"My lord."

"Are you feeling better mentally?" Lincon asked, setting down the Shrine in his hand.

Li Zhouhai clasped his fists heavily. "Guan Teng told me that you saved me, my lord. Zhouhai is immensely grateful!"

Lincon said calmly, "It was nothing. Besides, I'm not sure whether the Mental Pollution in your mind has been removed. I merely eased your symptoms a little. To cure it completely, we may have to start at the source."

"When I woke up today, I was no longer seeing illusions. If you treated me a few more times, my lord, perhaps you could completely drive it from my mind."

"Mm. You need to watch whether the pollution in your mind carries a risk of spreading further. If you find anyone else showing symptoms similar to yours, report it immediately."

"Please rest assured, my lord."

Li Zhouhai understood the importance of it. If this sort of Mental Pollution was not handled properly, it could lead to serious consequences.

Lincon nodded. "But I will still hold you accountable for concealing the Mental Pollution this time."

Li Zhouhai's expression darkened at those words.

At times, the greatest threat posed by dark creatures did not come from their strength, but from the terrifying nature of their Mental Pollution.

Anyone who came into contact with them could unknowingly suffer the same contamination. One spread it to ten, ten spread it to a hundred, until eventually an entire city was destroyed.

Moreover, this pollution was difficult to remove, so by the time people realized what was happening, they often had no idea how far it had already spread.

The world being consumed by darkness today was largely because of such dark creatures.

"I understand. I'll pack my things and leave this place now."

With that, Li Zhouhai bowed deeply to Lincon and prepared to leave.

But just as he turned around, Lincon called out to him.

"The fortress will not abandon its own people. Until we determine whether anyone else has suffered mental contamination, you must remain here."

"As for your punishment... you can be my sparring partner for a while."

Hearing that, Li Zhouhai rubbed his ears in disbelief.

A sparring partner?

Li Zhouhai had thought Lincon meant he would attack while Lincon summoned the Guardian, like before.

But after waiting for a long time, he did not see the Ancient Maple Guardian from earlier appear. Instead, Lincon slowly rose to his feet and beckoned to him.

Only then did Li Zhouhai understand. He frowned slightly and said, "My lord, I'm a body-enhancement ability user. Perhaps I'm not suitable as your sparring partner. Under my command is a man named Guan Teng. He used to be a special forces soldier and is quite skilled. He should meet your requirements."

Lincon chuckled softly and had already closed in on him. "No need. You're just right."

The moment the words fell, a fist cut through the air toward him.

Li Zhouhai's pupils suddenly contracted. His body sharply sensed the danger and tensed.

Something was wrong!

He raised his palm, but the instant it came into contact with Lincon's incoming fist, he felt an overwhelming force sweep over him like a tidal wave and slam into his body.

Li Zhouhai staggered back several steps before he could dissipate the force, staring at Lincon in shock.

"I think you need to take this more seriously. Otherwise, your injuries will be worse than they were last night."

In the blink of an eye, Lincon had closed in again.

At that moment, Li Zhouhai suddenly remembered the agonizing pain throughout his body when he had awakened, as if every bone had been broken.

Guan Teng's strange look when he saw him suddenly made sense as well. So this had been the reason.

Li Zhouhai did not dare take it lightly. He drew a deep breath, and strange energy seemed to flow through the air into his body. His muscles rapidly swelled, transforming him into a small giant nearly three meters tall.

Ability: Avatar!

Li Zhouhai had named his ability "Avatar."

Whenever he used it, the circulating energy caused his muscles and bones to expand, making it seem as though he had transformed.

At this stage, his physique was greatly strengthened, and his physical capabilities far surpassed those of ordinary people.

In battles between low- and mid-level ability users, body-enhancement users held an absolute advantage against those with ranged abilities if the latter had not prepared in advance.

The two quickly became locked in combat.

Li Zhouhai threw a fierce punch, both its speed and power extremely formidable.

Yet Lincon evaded every time at the crucial moment, counterattacking with an exquisite boxing technique. His strikes were like shells blasting from a cannon, carrying shocking sonic booms.

Meanwhile, Li Zhouhai felt as though he had sunk into a swamp, dragged along by the opponent's peculiar rhythm.

The more he fought, the more alarmed Li Zhouhai became. Within only a few breaths, he had already taken several punches.

Fortunately, his enhanced muscle density was also astonishing, allowing him to withstand the attacks.

After a while, Li Zhouhai lay on the ground, gasping for breath, while Lincon looked as though he had merely finished warming up, his eyes bright and spirited.

"My lord, are you really not a body-enhancement ability user?" Li Zhouhai asked.

Lincon slowly shook his head. "I merely studied ancient martial arts for a few years. I'm just a little stronger than average."

Just a little stronger?

Li Zhouhai could not help rolling his eyes.

His strength and speed were at least more than ten times those of an ordinary person. He could even instantly kill some low-level Anomaly Calamities.

Yet even using his full strength, he could not defeat Lincon. In Lincon's eyes, he was apparently just a little stronger than average.

Li Zhouhai could not help wondering whether ancient martial arts were truly as powerful as the legends claimed.

Though Li Zhouhai was nearly seventy, he still possessed the heart of a martial artist.

Even before the old era, he had often worked out and practiced tai chi in the square for several years.

But he knew that was merely fancy form, useful for exercise. In actual combat, things like sanda were what mattered.

"There's still a lot to do. We'll stop here for today."

Before Li Zhouhai could ask for guidance, Lincon took the initiative to end the sparring session and walked out of the courtyard.

Li Zhouhai felt somewhat regretful, but he quickly recovered and patted the dust off his pants as he stood up.

His lord had said he would serve as a sparring partner for some time, which meant there would be more opportunities later. There was no need to rush.

By then, everyone in the fortress had been roused by Zhang Rui and had begun continuing the unfinished work of clearing the ruins.

Lincon likewise needed to spend time cultivating Giant Mushrooms.

And so, three days passed.

All the ruins in the fortress were cleared away, and Lincon had also grown a large number of Giant Mushrooms.

At a glance, the entire fortress seemed to have taken on a new appearance. The rubble and ruins were gone, replaced by mushroom houses of all kinds of strange shapes.

Even some of the previously barren ground had grown a sparse layer of grass. Not only had the air they breathed become fresher, but faint greenery had begun appearing even in the cracks of the city walls.

It looked as though signs of life had just begun to emerge.

Everyone believed this was the result of the city lord stimulating the growth of plants.

But only Lincon knew that it was actually all due to the Seed of Life.

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