Marvel: The Opening Scene Features a Flurry of Snaps, Leaving Thanos in Tears
Chapter 1: Worst Aptitude? I am not going to be this damn mage anymore!
The front yard of Kamar-Taj.
The wind whipped a few withered, yellow fallen leaves, spinning them around on the bluestone pavement.
Lin Yi held the broom handle, keeping his head down.
Standing in front of him was the instructor Mordo. This Black sorcerer's brows were knitted together at the moment, his face full of disgust.
"Lin Yi, you say you've been at Kamar-Taj for a full three years."
Mordo kept his hands behind his back, his voice loud enough for the entire courtyard to hear.
"Three years! You can't even draw the most basic spatial portal! Every day, besides reading idle books, you just slack off. What do you take this place for? A free shelter?"
The surrounding passing apprentices stopped one after another, pointing and gesturing toward this side, snickering rising one after another.
Lin Yi rubbed his hands, showing an honest and timid bitter smile.
"Master Mordo, I actually have been working hard to practice..."
Working hard my ass.
I get up at five every morning to sweep snow, and at night I have to help you guys sort the collection of books. I'm more exhausted than a donkey on a production team!
Three years, and I can't squeeze out even a shred of magicpower. This damn place doesn't even have basic social insurance and housing funds. Whoever the fuck wants to stay can stay!
Mordo impatiently interrupted him, pulling a piece of parchment out of his sleeve.
"The Sorcerer Supreme is magnanimous, keeping you until today. But rules are rules: extremely poor aptitude, absolutely no resonance with magic. You have one hour to pack your luggage and leave Kamar-Taj."
Having said that, Mordo turned around and left immediately, feeling that even taking an extra glance at him was a waste of time.
Lin Yi looked at Mordo's back and curled his lips.
Chasing people away just like that? Not even giving a severance pay package? How are these cultivators even stingier than capitalists!
But leave if I must. In this damn world of Marvel, in a few years when the Purple Sweet Potato comes and snaps his fingers, where wouldn't it be a death?
Might as well go back to my hometown early to find a job in an electronics factory, at least I can make a living.
Lin Yi dropped the broom, patted the dust off his hands, and was just getting ready to go back to his room to pack his few battered clothes.
Without warning, a crack tore open in midair.
Three mages wearing dark red robes leaped out of the crack, the tattooed face leading them wearing a savage grin.
As soon as they landed, the tattooed face directly raised his hand to form hand seals, and a dark purple energy ball smashed toward the protective array core in the center of the courtyard.
Boom!
Stone slab fragments mixed with a wave of air blasted outward in all directions.
Mordo, who had just walked a few steps away, was directly blown away by this wave of air, heavily crashing into a stone pillar in the distance, opening his mouth to spit out a large mouthful of blood.
"Enemy attack!"
Mordo roared while clutching his chest, struggling to crawl up.
The Zealots didn't talk nonsense at all. Their hands shifted, and three magic lashes whipped toward the apprentices fleeing in all directions.
Screams merged into one piece.
Lin Yi shrank behind the pillar in the corner, sticking out half his head to look at the tragic situation outside.
Truly fatal.
I was just fired, and you villains picked a really great time to crash the place! Couldn't you have waited until I left first before coming!
After a Zealot flung away an apprentice, his gaze swept toward the corner.
He saw Lin Yi wearing the gray cloth robe and grinned.
The Zealot raised his right hand, condensing a ball of extremely twisted black rays in his palm.
"Holy shit!"
That was corrosion magic originating from the Dark Dimension; get stained by even a bit, and flesh and blood would turn into pus.
The black light shot out, heading straight for Lin Yi's face.
Lin Yi had nowhere left to retreat; right behind him was the brick wall of a dead end.
This time, I'm completely done for.
Just at the instant that ball of black light was about to touch the tip of his nose.
An incomparably melodious voice sounded deep within his mind.
[Detected that the host is facing a life-and-death crisis.]
[God-tier Cost Reversal system has been bound.]
The black light blasted onto Lin Yi's chest, bursting open a dense cluster of black fog that swallowed his whole person.
The perpetrator in the distance scoffed and turned his head to look for the next target.
Spells of this level hitting an apprentice wouldn't even leave ashes behind.
Inside the black fog, Lin Yi closed his eyes tightly, but didn't wait for the expected excruciating pain.
Instead, it felt like soaking in a forty-degree hot spring in the dead of winter, all the pores on his body stretching out.
The voice in his mind began frantically spamming the screen.
[Suffering erosion from the Dark Dimension, triggered the rule of 'Cost Reversal'.]
[Physical corrosion judgment failed, converted into permanent attribute enhancement.]
[Constitution + 1000!]
[Strength + 500!]
[Obtained passive resistance: Dark Immunity (Primary)!]
Lin Yi opened his eyes, lowered his head to look at his own hands, and clenched his fists.
A power he had never experienced before rampaged crazily inside his body.
Holy cow, this system is so considerate!
Other people lose lifespan using magic, but I get hit by magic and my attributes directly go up?
Lin Yi raised his head to look at the perpetrator's back. How is this an enemy? This is clearly a walking XP pack!
A gust of night wind blew past, and the black fog dissipated.
Lin Yi stood intact in place, except his upper garment was corroded by magic into a few rags, revealing his pectoral muscles and slight belly.
The Zealot who turned his head caught sight of this scene out of the corner of his eye and froze directly in place.
He rubbed his eyes, looked at his own hand, and then looked at Lin Yi.
What is going on, this guy actually didn't die? Isn't he an apprentice?
Lin Yi tore off the tattered cloth strips hanging on his body and sighed.
"I'm not pretending anymore, I'm an M, I'm laying my cards on the table."
He looked at that Zealot, grinning very kindly.
"Buddy, hitting me felt so great just now, can you do it again?"
The Zealot looked at Lin Yi strangely.
Having mixed in the circle for so many years, he had never seen anyone who could still smile after being hit head-on by the dark rays.
"Hmph, as you wish!"
The Zealot's hands began to gesture, chanting incantations, and a magic longsword burning with pale green Hellfireformed in his hand, the surrounding air twisted by the high temperature.
His legs exerted force, smashing the bluestone slab to pieces, and holding the longsword high, he slashed fiercely toward Lin Yi's head.
Mordo in the distance barely opened his eyes and happened to see this scene.
It's over, this trash is dead for sure.
Mordo closed his eyes, unable to bear watching the upcoming tragic scene.
Lin Yi stood in place, directly raising his neck to meet the sword edge.
"Come on! Let the storm rage more fiercely!"
Carrying a whistling sound of wind, the longsword chopped heavily onto Lin Yi's shoulder.
Clang!
The Zealot felt his hands go numb, and the longsword couldn't cut in even a fraction of an inch anymore, just like chopping onto a piece of alloy.
The green Hellfire swept crazily along the blade all over Lin Yi's entire body.
[Enduring Hellfire burning, triggered 'Cost Reversal'.]
[Fire resistance + 1000!]
[Constitution + 500!]
[Strength + 500!]
Lin Yi shivered comfortably.
Not enough, still not enough, how is this Fire like cupping therapy, warm and cozy.
He slowly raised his right hand and, amidst the Zealot's terrified gaze, grabbed hold of that scorching magiclongsword.
Crack.
Lin Yi squeezed with a bit of force, and that weapon condensed by magic directly shattered into green points of light all over the sky.
The Zealot's jaw almost dropped to the ground.
Barehanded crushing a high-tier magic weapon? Which the fuck dimension did this monster run out from!
"Your heat control is no good either, is there any more?"
Chapter 2: This is called having zero magic talent?!
"If you don't, I won't stand on ceremony."
Lin Yi shook his head and backhanded the Zealot across the face.
Slap!
The Zealot's facial features instantly distorted, and his entire body flew sideways like a kite with a snapped string.
He crashed through three thick bluestone walls in a row, collapsed into the ruins, twitched twice, and completely stopped moving.
The courtyard instantly fell silent.
The other two Zealots, who were slaughtering apprentices, stopped what they were doing and looked at the scene in utter disbelief.
What is going on?
"Don't just stand there! Form a formation!"
One of them reacted quickly, shouted out, and pulled a blood-red light with both hands.
The other quickly cooperated, and the two joined forces to summon the most destructive crimson chains.
Dozens of thick red chains reached out from the void, intertwining like venomous snakes into a net, strangling toward Lin Yi.
Once entangled by these chains, not only would the flesh be crushed, but even the soul would be imprisoned.
Lin Yi looked at the overwhelming chains, and his eyes lit up.
Just how many attribute points would this be!
I'm getting rich! Hurry up and tie me up!
He took the initiative and rushed into the chain net.
Bang, bang, bang!
The chains whipped against Lin Yi's bare back, producing a dull sound.
[Sustaining high-level magic strangulation, triggering 'Cost Reversal'.]
[Constitution + 1000!]
[Strength + 1000!]
[Acquired passive resistance: Physical strangulation damage reduction (Junior)!]
The moment the magic chains touched his skin, they turned into pure energy and surged into his limbs and bones.
Enduring the dense magic bombardment, Lin Yi forcefully tore a path out from the chain net.
He arrived in front of the two casting Zealots and grinned.
The two Zealots were so frightened that they completely forgot to continue casting spells, their calves trembling incessantly.
Lin Yi swung with both hands, throwing a punch on the left and a flying knee on the right.
The two Zealots flew backward, rolled on the ground a dozen times, foamed at the mouth, and lost consciousness.
Lin Yi stood in the center of the ruins and took a deep breath.
The air was filled with the smell of scorched bricks and stones and a faint scent of blood.
He stretched his neck, his muscles brimming with power, feeling like a single punch could shatter Kamar-Taj.
This feels amazing! This system is simply tailor-made for me!
I am no longer a cowering poor student! Whoever provokes me, I will rub them into the ground!
Lin Yi squatted down and groped up and down with both hands.
"Let's see if there are any good things!"
Sparks splashed across mid-air.
A golden circular portal rapidly formed in mid-air.
A figure wearing a bright yellow robe and a bald head slowly stepped out from the portal.
The Ancient One stood in front of the portal with her hands behind her back.
She had just rushed back after handling matters at the London Sanctuary, and the lingering dark magic in the air made her frown.
Looking out, the front yard had already turned into ruins.
Stone pillars collapsed, blue bricks shattered, and several Zealots lay in the pits like dead dogs, their life or death unknown.
Ancient One's gaze finally fell upon the center of the ruins, on the shirtless young man who was bending over and rummaging through a Zealot's pockets.
Lin Yi fished out two crumpled twenty-dollar bills and happily tucked them into his pants pocket.
Not bad, dropped loot.
Nowadays, wizards don't even carry much cash when going out; they deserved to get beaten.
Mordo clutched his chest, limped behind Ancient One, his voice trembling.
"Master, it's Kaecilius's people... They launched a surprise attack. But I really can't figure out, Lin Yi, he..."
Mordo pointed at Lin Yi, stuttering for a long time without being able to say a complete sentence.
A trash that he had judged to have zero talent and was about to expel immediately had actually beaten down three high-level Black Magic sorcerers barehanded.
Who can you reason with about this?
Ancient One did not speak; she raised her right hand, and the eye of agamotto worn on her chest lit up with a dim green glow.
The Time Stone activated.
A green ripple visible only to her covered the entire courtyard.
The battle scene that had just occurred rapidly replayed on her retina.
She saw Lin Yi resisting dark rays with his physical body, crushing Hellfire swords barehanded, and finally charging against the crimson chains, hammering the caster into mud with a single punch.
After watching the whole process, Ancient One's expression finally showed a trace of change.
No magic signs whatsoever, purely physical combat.
Moreover, the magic attacks landing on him did not turn back into energy returning to the world.
A flash of vigilance crossed Ancient One's eyes, and she quietly mobilized her majestic mental power, probing toward Lin Yi.
She had to figure out whether this Lin Yi was a human or an extra-dimensional monster wearing human skin.
The powerful mental pressure instantly enveloped Lin Yi.
Lin Yi, who was standing aside like a transparent person counting money and secretly rejoicing, only felt a "buzz" in his head.
It was as if someone had hit him on the forehead with a big hammer.
[Sustaining top-level mental pressure from Sorcerer Supreme, triggering 'Cost Reversal'.]
[Mental power + 5000!]
[Mental power + 3000!]
[Acquired passive resistance: Mind control immunity (Intermediate)!]
The slight dizziness in Lin Yi's mind vanished completely; he raised his head and met Ancient One's deep eyes right on.
Old hag, how dare you peep at me!
If it weren't for the fact that you are my boss, I'd extort a mental damage fee from you!
Lin Yi shook his head like nothing happened and straightened his posture.
On the other side, Ancient One was not having a good time.
As soon as her mental power touched the edge of Lin Yi's consciousness, she felt like she was swallowed by an endless black hole.
That backlash force gave her a headache, forcing her to take half a step back.
How is this possible!
Ancient One's look toward Lin Yi changed.
How could a mortal body possibly be immune to her mental probe?
Countless records in ancient books flashed rapidly through Ancient One's mind.
Could it be... he is not a mortal?
The timeline on him is vague, and the trajectory of fate is a complete mess.
Could he be the reincarnation of some ancient deity dormant on Earth?
Intentionally disguising himself as an apprentice with extremely poor aptitude, just to temper himself in the mortal world?
The more Ancient One thought about it, the more alarmed she became. Her previous thoughts vanished, replaced by deep dread and an indescribable awe.
If he truly was an ancient deity, then Kaecilius's Zealotswere simply blind to provoke such an existence.
Seeing that Ancient One's expression was off, Mordohurried forward.
"Master, this brat is too weird. I told him to leave Kamar-Tajbefore; we must drive him away immediately to eliminate future troubles!"
"That's enough."
Ancient One cast a cold glance at Mordo. Mordo shrank his neck in fright and swallowed the second half of his sentence back.
Ancient One walked up to Lin Yi, her tone gentle.
"Lin Yi, your performance today is very good, letting me see your hidden potential."
Lin Yi blinked and revealed an honest smile.
"Master flatters me, I just threw a couple of punches casually, and they fell down by themselves."
Act, keep acting!
You guys didn't come out when I was getting beaten just now, and now that the fight is over you run out and say I have potential?
Is it because you see I can fight, and you want to freeload me as a senior hitman? No way!
Ancient One looked at his appearance, which made her even firmer in her guess. Ancient One looked around, her voice echoing across the entire front yard.
"Starting from today, I officially accept Lin Yi as Sorcerer Supreme's direct eldest disciple."
"And,"
As soon as these words were spoken, the audience erupted in an uproar.
Mordo widened his eyes, his jaw almost dislocating.
Direct eldest disciple?!
This was equivalent to directly placing Lin Yi in the position of Kamar-Taj's heir!
This trash... By what right does he have it!
Ancient One ignored everyone's reactions. She untied a golden brass key from her waist and handed it to Lin Yi.
"Lin Yi, as the eldest disciple, I grant you the authority to freely enter and exit the Library's 'Forbidden Zone'."
Lin Yi looked at that key, and his heartbeat skipped half a beat.
The Forbidden Zone!
That place was filled with Kamar-Taj's most dangerous and fatal Black Magic.
Other people would go mad or lose their lifespan looking at it, but for him, looking at it was purely an attribute-grinding assembly line!
Lin Yi forcefully suppressed the corners of his mouth that were crazily rising, took the key with both hands, and bowed deeply.
"Thank you, Master, for your cultivation. I will definitely read carefully and never live up to your expectations!"
I'm rich!
I am bound to live in this Kamar-Taj; even Jesus cannot drive me away, I said it!
Ancient One looked at his sincere appearance and breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.
Lin Yi pinched the key, gazing at the Library tower not far away, greed flashing in his eyes.
Chapter 3: Reading Means Death? You Call This a Forbidden Book?
Courtyard ruins.
Dozens of apprentices stood rooted to the spot like wooden stakes, all staring at the brass key in Lin Yi's hand.
Personal disciple?
Restricted Area pass?
They just gave one to a loser who couldn't even draw a portal?
Mordo clutched his chest, his eyes almost popping out.
"Master! This is completely against the rules!" Mordopointed at Lin Yi, his voice trembling with excitement, "He just went through a battle, and even if he won by luck, the evil thoughts of the Dark Dimension must still remain in his body! Sending him to the restricted area is tantamount to playing with fire!"
Ancient One didn't look back, just quietly watching Lin Yi.
Lin Yi pinched the key and immediately put on a look of utter terror.
He lowered his head, covered his chest with his hand, and coughed heavily twice.
Is this Mordo's jealousy acting up again? When I was fighting, you lay on the ground playing dead, and now that it's time to divide the spoils, you jump out to talk about rules?
Hating to see others do well, you deserve to turn dark in the future!
"Mordo is right!" Lin Yi raised his head, looking righteous, "I took a few Black Magic attacks head-on just now, and now I feel a sharp pain in all my internal organs. In order to prevent the dark power from corrupting my mind, I must immediately go to the Library, study the forbidden arts diligently, and find a way to purify myself!"
The surrounding apprentices dropped their jaws upon hearing this.
This excuse was too shameless!
Go to the Library to find a purification method? Anyone opening a book there would go mad on the spot!
Ancient One couldn't help but twitch the corner of her eye slightly.
She raised her hand, interrupting what Mordo was about to continue saying.
"Disperse, everyone. Mordo, go deal with the wounded and rebuild the protective array eye."
Ancient One turned around, her wide yellow robes fluttering in the wind, opened a portal, and left an ethereal sentence.
"Lin Yi, the power inside the Library transcends common sense, act within your capacity."
The golden sparks closed, and Ancient One disappeared in place.
...
Half an hour later.
Kamar-Taj, Library.
A hexagonal wooden ancient tower stood on the north side of the courtyard, deprived of sunlight year-round, with moss growing at the base of the walls.
Lin Yi strode across the threshold.
The first-floor hall was extremely dim, and the air was filled with a strange mixture of old parchment and incense ash.
A heavy mahogany desk was placed by the window.
Behind the desk sat a chubby figure.
The new librarian, Wong.
This bro was sitting cross-legged at the moment, holding a beef sandwich in his hand, with a cup of happy water with ice next to it.
Hearing footsteps, Wong raised his head, the flesh on his fat face squeezing together.
"Basic magic on the first floor, advanced meditation on the second floor. Put them back in their original places after reading. Damage a page, and you'll be punished by cleaning the courtyard for three months."
Wong chewed while muttering incoherently, without even looking at Lin Yi properly.
Lin Yi stepped forward and slammed the brass key in his hand onto the table with a clank.
Under the dim candlelight, the surface of the key refracted a golden luster.
Wong's chewing motion stopped.
He swallowed the beef in his mouth, lowered his head to stare at the key, his eyes growing wider and wider.
"You? Going to the third floor?"
"Just approved from above." Lin Yi tapped the desk.
Wong wiped the oil off his hands, his expression turning serious.
"Lin Yi, I don't care how you got the key."
"The things in the restricted area are not something you can touch. Even a tiny bit of residual magic on them can burn your sanity to ashes."
Wong pointed at the stairs, his tone stern.
"Take my advice, go back and sweep your floor, don't joke with your life."
Lin Yi rolled his eyes, picked up the key, and turned around.
What do you know?
Is that poison? That's my wealth and glory for the second half of my life!
Without even greeting him, he walked up the old wooden spiral staircase.
Wong looked at Lin Yi's back and let out a cold snort.
Those who don't listen to good advice will suffer immediately.
He picked up the rag on the side to wipe his hands, and then formed hand seals with both hands.
A circular monitoring magic array appeared in mid-air.
The screen directly locked onto the third-floor entrance.
He wanted to see how many seconds this kid could last after going up.
The stairs from the second floor to the third floor were exceptionally steep.
The higher he went, the darker the surrounding light became.
The temperature in the air dropped drastically.
Walking to the end, an iron-rusted black barred door blocked the way.
Black Qi seemed to emanate from the door keyhole.
Lin Yi rubbed his arms covered in goosebumps; this lousy place even saved on air conditioning bills.
He shoved the brass key into the keyhole.
Torn hard to the right.
Click.
Pushing open the iron door, a pungent smell of blood mixed with mildew hit his face.
The space inside was not large, and the bookshelves were all cast from cold black iron.
Every book was tightly bound to the shelf with chains as thick as an arm.
Some book covers were twitching slightly, as if breathing, while others were oozing dark red liquid from the seams.
This was not a book; it was clearly a heavy-duty prison.
Lin Yi split his mouth and smiled.
What a good place, isn't this much better than those basic magic spells?
He walked slowly along the first bookshelf.
Soon, a black-leather book with a special texture caught his attention.
The surface of the book cover was pitted, as if stitched together from the facial skin of some creature.
A red magic projection floated above the book.
That was the warning slogan: "voices of the void": Records methods of listening to multi-dimensional rift echoes, extremely dangerous!
Historical records: Three high-level mages read this book, and because their brains could not bear the void whispers, they bled from all seven orifices on the spot and died of madness.
Bleeding from seven orifices? Dying of madness?
Lin Yi's eyes were brighter than the oil lamp next to him.
This thing should be powerful enough!
He reached out and snatched it down.
Rattle.
The chains tied to the book trembled violently.
Lin Yi cupped the edge of the book with one hand and gave a hard tug.
With a snap, the chains were broken by brute force.
He slapped the book on the stone table beside him, pulled out a stool and sat down.
The temperature on the book cover was bone-chillingly cold, carrying a sickeningly greasy feeling.
Just as his hand touched the edge of the first page.
All the candlelight around turned into a miserable green.
The light distorted violently, and a sharp ringing in the ears exploded in Lin Yi's mind.
Without preparation, Lin Yi leaned his head back.
Immediately after, countless murmurs poured into his ears.
He couldn't understand what language it was.
It just felt like thousands of rusted steel needles piercing into his brain along his eardrums.
Pain! Too painful!
Lin Yi clenched his back teeth.
Damn it, it really is fucking exciting.
Just at the moment when his sanity was about to be torn apart by those sounds.
The pleasant voice arrived as scheduled.
[Subjected to void dimension whisper mental contamination, triggered 'Cost Reversal' rule.]
[Mental damage judgment failed, converted to permanent attribute enhancement.]
[Mental strength + 3000!]
[Acquired passive skill: Void Perception (Elementary)!]
Boom!
The sharp steel needles in his mind shattered suddenly, turning into an extremely cool airflow that swept across his body along his scalp.
Lin Yi leaned against the back of the chair and let out a long breath.
Awesome! So fucking awesome!
He could clearly feel that his perception range was expanding exponentially.
He could even capture the tiny dust particles floating in the air.
He looked down at "voices of the void" on the table.
The fatal sense of threat just now was completely gone.
The text on the book became as clear as a primary school pinyin reader in his eyes.
Just this? You call this a forbidden book? Not even enough to scratch an itch for me!
Lin Yi reached out his finger, dipped a little saliva, and turned the second page with disgust.
[Mental strength + 1000!]
Turn again.
[Mental strength + 800!]
Turn again!
[Mental strength + 500!]
Lin Yi's hand movements became faster and faster, blurring into afterimages.
The cool feeling in his brain came wave after wave.
He still muttered dissatisfiedly in his mouth.
"Can you give me some effort! Dropping attributes so fast, are you guys in the void dimension not eating?"
Meanwhile, the first-floor hall.
Wong sat in front of the magic array. He originally intended to watch Lin Yi get crushed by mental contamination and then rush up to save people.
However, when he saw the scene in the magic array screen.
The whole person was stunned.
In the screen, Lin Yi was sitting at the desk, crossing his legs, turning pages with one hand and boredly tapping the table with the other.
That page-turning speed, turning three pages a second, that expression, was nowhere near suffering the backlash of a forbidden art.
"What the hell! That is "voices of the void"!"
This is an ultimate weapon of doom that even The Ancient One would not easily touch!
What kind of monster is this kid?
In the screen, Lin Yi quickly turned to the last page.
He closed the book cover heavily, his face full of disgust.
He tossed it casually.
The black leather book was thrown to the ground like useless garbage.
"Garbage, this is it?"
Lin Yi stood up and clapped his hands.
Wong could see the unfinished look in his eyes even through the mirror projection.
Next second.
Lin Yi turned his head and locked his eyes on another iron box on the adjacent bookshelf.
A box made of pure silver, with a dozen blood-red suppression talismans pasted on the outside.
The fat on Wong's face twitched violently.
"Blood Sea Floating Slaughter Scripture"!
The ultimate Black Magic that will suck dry all the blood of anyone who contacts it and turn them into a mummy!
In the screen, Lin Yi reached out his hand and grabbed the pure silver box unpreparedly.
Wong jumped up from the chair abruptly.
"Holy shit! Stop! Are you asking for your death?"
Wong moved his two short legs, running wildly towards the stairwell like a meatball.
And Lin Yi, his fingers had already clasped the edge of the silver box.
Chapter 4: You Don't Understand the Joy of Farming
Hot!
The smell of burning flesh drilled straight into his nose.
Lin Yi didn't even frown, his arm muscles suddenly tensing as he forcefully lifted it up.
Holy shit! This anti-theft packaging is way too solid!
I just gained over a thousand points of strength, yet I still needed to use all my strength just to pry it open!
If it were before, this hand would probably have been thoroughly cooked on the spot!
The box was forcibly pried open, making a harsh metallic snapping sound.
Inside lay a dark red scripture.
It lacked the texture of paper; touching it felt entirely like a layer of sticky human skin stitched together.
There were even several thick, cyan blood vessels pulsing bizarrely on the leather surface.
Is this a legitimate magic book?
Lin Yi grabbed the scripture in his hand.
The dark red blood on the scripture turned into hundreds of red, slender nematodes, drilling straight into his blood vessels through his pores.
The system notification arrived right on time.
[Suffering the bloodthirsty curse invasion of the Blood Sea Floating Slaughter Scripture, triggering the 'Cost Reversal' rule.]
[Blood draining judgment failed, converted to permanent attribute enhancement.]
[Constitution + 800!]
[Blood qi recovery speed + 500%!]
Lin Yi smacked his lips, just like he had downed a bowl of supreme restorative soup in one breath.
He licked his lips and unceremoniously flipped through the scripture, making a rustling sound.
The system notifications kept popping out, but the values plummeted faster than the stock market.
[Constitution + 300!]
[Constitution + 100!]
Flipping through it again at the end, not even a fart could be squeezed out.
Lin Yi slammed the scripture onto the table, what piece of junk!
Judging by its appearance, I thought it was some ultimate killer weapon, but turns out it's just this?
All added together, it didn't even make two thousand points of Constitution!
Why does this blood-line magic look so malnourished? The buildup was so ample, but the staying power is so pathetic.
Lin Yi patted his pocket, took out a ballpoint pen, turned around, and roughly ripped a blank piece of parchment from the wooden bookshelf beside him.
He pulled over a broken wooden chair and sat down.
Smoothing out the parchment, he bit the tip of his pen and drew a table on it.
"First item, 'voices of the void', Attribute: Spirit, Output: About five thousand points, Evaluation: High-quality wool."
"Second item, 'Blood Sea Floating Slaughter Scripture', Attribute: Constitution, Output: Less than two thousand, Evaluation: Not even a dog would look at it."
While writing, he turned his head to look to the right.
There sat a black wooden box, venting wisps of black qi outward.
Lin Yi used his ballpoint pen to pry open the wooden box; inside was a booklet without a cover.
As soon as it was pried open, the black qi wrapped around his arm along the pen shaft.
This book was called'Shadow Devouring Technique', and legend has it that anyone who touched it would have even their souls dragged into the Shadow dimension.
"Thud! Thud! Thud!"
The wooden stairs creaked loudly as Wong rushed up two steps at a time, his chubby face flushed red.
His mind was filled with the tragic scene of Lin Yi being sucked dry into a mummified corpse.
This kid is an apprentice who couldn't even draw a magicportal!
Wong pushed open the ajar door.
"Stop!"
The next second, Wong froze in place, his eyes staring straight ahead.
The scene inside the door had nothing whatsoever to do with the tragic state he had expected.
Lin Yi was sitting safe and sound in front of the stone table.
On his left-hand side lay the 'voices of the void' that could liquefy a person's brain.
Underneath his right hand was pinned the 'Blood Sea Floating Slaughter Scripture' that could squeeze a living person dry.
And directly in front of him lay open the'Shadow Devouring Technique' frantically spewing black qi outward.
The three most notorious forbidden books in Kamar-Tajwere just laid out on the table like street magazine stalls!
The most fatal thing was...
This young man was writing and drawing on the parchment.
[Suffering soul devouring from the'Shadow Devouring Technique', triggering the 'Cost Reversal' rule.]
[Soul dissipation judgment failed, converted to permanent attribute enhancement.]
[Mental strength + 600!]
[Shadow resistance + 400!]
Lin Yi glanced at the system text and made another note on the paper.
Sighing, the void series is indeed the most cost-effective.
This shadow series is purely a special effects blockbuster; it looks all murky and scary, but the experience it gives is pitifully little.
He shook his head and raised his gaze, locking eyes with Wong, who was standing on one leg.
The air was so quiet that only Wong's panting could be heard.
Wong looked at the three forbidden books scattered around in unusual positions, his lips beginning to tremble uncontrollably.
"Who can tell me what the hell is going on here? Are you doing math problems inside the death encirclement of the Three Great Forbidden Arts!"
Lin Yi put down the pen, leisurely picked up the parchment, blew on the ink stains on it, folded it twice, and stuffed it into his pants pocket.
His gaze turned profound, and his expression became stern.
"Wong, loud noises are prohibited in the Library."
Damn it! You scared the hell out of me!
Hearing these words, Wong swallowed a mouthful of saliva with difficulty.
He wanted to ask something, but after opening his mouth for a long time, not a single word could be squeezed out.
Finally, he took a deep breath of the musty-smelling air.
He reached out and gripped the doorknob of the iron gate tightly.
"Sorry to disturb you, please continue..."
The door was gently closed, and the sound of running came from outside.
Hearing the movement on the stairs completely disappear, Lin Yi let out a breath.
This fat guy is quite sensible.
All right, time is precious, let's keep farming the wool!
If I don't squeeze the experience pool of this third floor dry today, my name isn't Lin Yi!
In the downstairs lobby, Wong collapsed onto a wooden chair.
What kind of living ancestor did The Ancient One actually bring back from outside?
Could the previous three years all have been an act?
...
The main hall of Kamar-Taj.
Joss sticks burned in the censer, filling the air with curling smoke.
Ancient One sat cross-legged on the rush mat in the center, her eyes slightly closed.
Suddenly, a burst of hurried footsteps came from outside the door.
Without even knocking on the door, Mordo strode in, his face as dark as a piece of charred charcoal.
"Master!"
"I just finished dealing with the defensive array core of the front yard."
"But that's not the point at all!"
He walked up to Ancient One, his hands clenched tightly into fists.
"The point is Lin Yi!"
"You gave the highest authority of the Forbidden Section to a good-for-nothing who couldn't even draw the most basic portal after coming here for three years!"
"This severely violates the laws of Kamar-Taj!"
"For hundreds of years we have never had such a precedent!"
"The power in those books even makes me wary; once an ordinary person like him goes in and gets controlled by evil thoughts, all of Kamar-Taj will face a catastrophic disaster!"
Ancient One opened her eyes.
"Mordo, you value rules, which is a good thing."
"Rules are a shield to protect ordinary people."
"But you must understand, some existences are not bound by laws."
Mordo clenched his back teeth, his chest heaving violently.
"Master! You are the Sorcerer Supreme, your will is certainly important."
"But I am absolutely unconvinced!"
"If he truly has talent, how do you explain these three years? Has he been playing the fool all along?"
"The defeat of those Zealots today is definitely not because he mastered magic, but because he used some weird power we don't know at all!"
I don't fucking believe in this evil!
A full three years!
He was scolded by me as trash right to his nose for three years!
Today he suddenly flipped the script and became a big shot?
Where does this put my face as the head instructor!
No matter what despicable illusion he used, I must catch his fox tail and sweep him out of Kamar-Taj!
Ancient One picked up the teacup beside her and took a sip of hot tea.
"Mordo, you must learn to see things beyond the laws."
"Time will prove everything."
Mordo took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the anger in his heart, and bowed deeply.
"What if time proves that your judgment was wrong?"
"I will never allow any hidden dangers to threaten the safety here."
"I will keep an eye on his every move!"
Mordo turned around and strode out of the main hall.
The cold wind outside blew his green magic robes.
He turned his head to glance in the direction of the Library, his gaze extremely sharp.
Chapter 5: Full of EXP Packs
Outside the Library, the moon was covered by dark clouds, and the wind rustled the leaves.
Mordo stood in the Shadow of an old tree, like a stone sculpture.
He quickly formed hand seals with both hands, magicgathered in mid-air, and a palm-sized Water mirror floated in front of him.
The Water mirror reflected the scene of the third floor of the Library. Mordo stared fiercely at Lin Yi in the image, grinding his teeth loudly.
Utter nonsense! Simply absurd!
What hidden potential? What natural talent?
I have guided him for three full years; even if he were a blind man, he should have figured out the basics! Today, suddenly being able to tear the Zealots apart with his bare hands must mean he borrowed some kind of evil power!
Rules are rules, and no one can place themselves above the law!
The Ancient One might be blinded by him, but I won't be!
As long as I catch you using Black Magic, I will risk my life to kick you out of Kamar-Taj!
Mordo's eyes widened to their maximum, terrified of missing a single detail.
Third floor of the Library.
Lin Yi threw that thick black-leather book onto the stone table.
[ Mental Power + 5 ]
[ Shadow Resistance + 2 ]
Lin Yi curled his lips, resting his chin in one hand with drooping eyelids, looking utterly bored and jaded with the world.
That's it? It's already dried up?
Can you guys who write forbidden books put a little more effort into it?! You only gave me less than ten thousand attribute points in total! I just finished warming up, and you're telling me the battery is dead?
What's the difference between this and going to a foot bath parlor, just taking off your socks, and having the technician tell you it's time to clock out?!
Lin Yi stood up and irritably wandered around the third floor.
Other than pieces of junk, this place only had these moldy parchments.
He walked to a corner, and his shoe kicked against a protruding bluestone brick.
"Click."
A sound of mechanical meshing came from beneath his feet.
Following that, the stone wall in front of him retreated backward, revealing a pitch-black spiral staircase.
A chilling wind mixed with a heavy smell of rust surged up from the Underground Room.
Blowing Lin Yi's hair into disarray.
Ho, a secret door?
Lin Yi walked down the stairs.
The torches on both sides of the stairs sensed someone approaching and lit up sequentially with eerie blue Fire.
The light was dim, only illuminating three or four steps beneath his feet.
After walking for about two minutes, his vision suddenly opened up.
A huge semi-circular Underground Room appeared before his eyes.
In the exact center of the Underground Room, there were no bookshelves, only dozens of half-person-high obsidian pillars.
Each stone platform held a bizarre and quirky item.
A rust-covered mask, a skeletal magic wand with only the top half left, and cloth strips soaked in black blood.
Outside every single item, a thick layer of dark golden magic array eyes was inverted.
Runes flowed, pressing these things firmly onto the platforms.
magic artifacts!
Goodness me, no wonder the third floor was full of useless broken books.
So all the good stuff was hidden right here!
Lin Yi rubbed his hands together and strode up to the stone platform closest to him.
In the center of the stone platform quietly lay a black chain about the thickness of a forearm.
The surface of the chain was covered in dark red barbs, looking like it was polished from the spine of some behemoth.
A line of warning was engraved on the edge of the platform.
chain of despair: Forged by devouring tens of thousands of deceased souls, the user must sacrifice their own vitality.
Anyone who touches it by force will immediately turn into withered bones. Seal level: Extreme Evil.
Turned into withered bones? Sacrifice vitality?
These words are written so considerately!
Lin Yi parted his mouth and smiled like a child.
Mordo outside stared at the Water mirror, his breathing growing rapid.
Stop it! You lunatic!
That is a fatal magic artifact that past generations of Sorcerer Supreme all avoided! The previous Master was sucked dry of lifespan before even letting out a scream!
If you dare to touch it, today will be your day of death! I can just take your ashes to report back to The Ancient One!
Inside the Underground Room.
Lin Yi completely ignored the golden sealing array outside.
He raised his fist and smashed it down directly at the array eye.
"Bang!"
The golden runes shattered like glass, scattering into spots of light.
He grabbed hold of chain of despair.
"Sizzle!"
The moment they touched, the chain came alive.
Like an enraged venomous snake, it wrapped straight up Lin Yi's wrist.
The sharp dark red barbs viciously stabbed into his flesh and blood.
Thick black Qi poured straight into his blood vessels along the wounds, heading straight for the source of life.
If it were an ordinary person, their skin would have already begun to shrivel, and within three seconds they would become a dried corpse.
Lin Yi stood in place and closed his eyes.
White characters crazily refreshed across his retina.
[ Subjected to vitality devouring by chain of despair, triggering the 'Cost Reversal' rule. ]
[ Vitality draining judgment failed, converted to a permanent lifespan increase. ]
[ Lifespan + 500 years! ]
[ Strength + 2000! ]
[ Acquired passive skill: Life Drain (attacks come with a lifesteal effect)! ]
[ Weapon: chain of despair (Tamed)! ]
Lin Yi burped a long, satisfying burp.
The chain loosened its barbs, docilely clinging to his wrist, and even flattery-rubbed against the back of his hand.
Lin Yi opened his eyes.
He felt every single cell in his whole body cheering with joy.
Power surged within his blood vessels.
Five hundred years of lifespan!
Did I directly cross species to become a thousand-year-old turtle?
The Marvel Universe is dangerous? This is clearly a wholesale market for stocking up! It wasn't in vain that I lay low for three years.
Purple Sweet Potato, you wait for me. When you snap your fingers, let's see whether you become disabled first or I become invincible first!
Under the tree Shadow.
The Water mirror in Mordo's hand shattered into splashes of Water with a "pop" and scattered all over the ground.
He was dumbfounded and paralyzed like a wooden chicken.
That chain of despair, which would cost a life just to touch, was actually docilely worn on his hand?
What was most fatal was that Lin Yi's originally slightly weary complexion was now glowing with ruddy health, and even the wrinkles on his forehead were gone!
Mordo felt that his Worldview had collapsed.
The magic common sense he had adhered to for half his life became a joke at this moment.
This is definitely not magic! This doesn't even count as Black Magic! This is an anomaly that surpasses the cognition of Kamar-Taj!
Mordo took a deep breath, turned around, and plunged into the darkness.
...
Kamar-Taj, deep inside the main hall.
The light was dim, with only a few candles flickering in the corner of the wall.
Ancient One sat cross-legged on a futon in the center of the main hall.
Holding a cup of freshly brewed clear tea in her hand, a few unfurled tea leaves floated on the Water's surface, wisps of White steam curling up.
She closed her eyes, and the eye of agamotto worn on her chest was projecting an eerie green halo outward.
That halo intertwined in mid-air into a clear Water-wave mirror surface.
What was reflected in the mirror surface was also the scene of the Library Underground Room.
...
Inside the Underground Room.
Lin Yi frowned and shook his arms.
Why is this broken chain so heavy!
Wearing this thorn-prickly thing, what's the difference from a non-mainstream subculture!
Can't it change into a better-looking shape? Like a big Cartier gold watch or something? It would look respectable when wearing it outside.
He bent his fingers and flicked hard at the end of that chain.
Clang.
A crisp metallic clashing sound echoed in the empty underground palace.
The chain immediately shrank back like a startled insect, and then quickly connected head to tail.
With a flash of red light, it turned into a dark red snug bracer, tightly buckled onto Lin Yi's wrist.
Only then did Lin Yi touch his chin with satisfaction and turn to walk toward the next stone platform.