Strongest Maniac: Born in an Asylum

At this moment, in the hospital room.

Zane stared at the photo on his phone. It was a picture of Leo after he had saved the man—a bloody arm, particularly jarring to the eye. As for Leo Tiger, who was sobbing and clutching Leo's leg, he had been forgotten.

He moved his finger and posted the photo to his social media.

The caption read:

In my heart, Brother Chen is like a god of war returned, with 100,000 soldiers kneeling before him. He is my idol.

It's understandable. Kids are prone to being a bit chuunibyou.

Tony couldn't swallow his pride. He thought about his status as a big shot at school. When had he ever been so humiliated?

He opened a drawer. A dagger with a bit of a history lay there.

"I'm back. I'm in trouble this time. I hope you can help me intimidate him." He stood in front of the drawer for a long time, a voice echoing in his head.

Pick it up. You'll be someone no one dares to mess with.

That mysterious place, the people are so nice, the conversation is so pleasant. The key is, it includes food and lodging, no worries at all. Pick it up. Listen to me. Take the key and go to this mysterious place.

Ding!

A notification sound from his phone.

Tony picked up his phone and unlocked the screen. A picture was reflected in his eyes.

Time passed.

He was lost in thought.

Leo standing in front of the window, a smile on his face. The balding old man kneeling before him. The bloody arm, the bone visible.

The bloody photo had a huge impact on Tony.

Gulp!

The sound of his throat moving.

Slam!

Tony closed the drawer, forever sealing the key to that mysterious place in darkness.

"I'm sorry. I was wrong."

He was just a kid… he just liked to bully his classmates. But he didn't dare to confront this version of Leo. This was a guy who sent chills down your spine.

A strange smile, clear eyes, a bloody arm.

It was terrifying.

The Hospital.

Leo stood at the hospital entrance. A voice came from his mind.

« Mission: Complete. »

« Note: The creator of the "Hundred Refinements of the Heavenly Forge" reveals a pleased smile. The 199th descendant, Chen Yang, has finally become a man. »

« Reward: Hundred Refinements of the Heavenly Forge (Perfected). »

« Bonus Reward: Qi Cultivation Method. »

« Next Arrival: April 1st. »

« Return! »

A mysterious force guided Leo's soul, soaring towards the sky. The feeling was warm, like returning to the Green Mountain Asylum, so comforting.

Time passed.

He lost consciousness.

At this moment, the real Chen Yang's consciousness, which had been dormant, awoke.

"Who am I?"

"Where am I?"

The smile was gone, the clear eyes had vanished. He was the real Chen Yang, not the Leo-dominated Chen Yang.

Chen Yang looked around in confusion.

He remembered falling asleep at home, but now he was in a hospital.

He raised his hand in a daze, wanting to scratch his head.

"Aaaah!"

A sharp pain shot through him.

Chen Yang saw his right arm in a cast, and his whole world went black. Then, a heart-wrenching scream echoed.

"It hurts! It hurts so much! Mommy, where are you…"

Green Mountain Asylum.

Ward 666.

Leo woke up and sat on the edge of his bed. The time was just past midnight.

00:01.

"What an interesting dream. A bit short, though."

Leo lay down, pulled up the covers, a smile on his lips, and drifted off into a sweet dream.

Seaside City, Special Department.

The department was located in a bustling area. To outsiders, it was just a commercial building, but inside was a different world. The security level was very high; it was impossible for ordinary people to enter.

The special department was on the top floor of the building.

At this moment, the room was filled with smoke. Several people who looked extraordinary were sitting there, flipping through documents.

"Before you is the fluctuation detected during the landslide on Mount Crestfall. According to the data, a considerable number of Abyssal entities are heading towards our Seaside City."

"The time to test us has come."

The speaker was a man with a square face and a black eye patch. His expression was serious. In this situation, they had to be on high alert.

There could be no mistakes.

"Leave this to me. Our Mount Mao sect is skilled at tracking Abyssal entities. And the recent graduates from the Mount Mao Academy need to be tempered," said an old man wearing a yellow robe, a square scarf on his head, a coin sword on his back, and missing a few front teeth.

He was a master of the Mount Mao sect, Lin Daoming.

"Nonsense! Why do you guys always get to meddle in everything? The Daoist sect is your ancestor. Look at the yellow robe you're wearing. That's a disciplinary robe, worn by those who have broken the rules. In front of the real thing, you're still too green."

The speaker was also an old man, wearing a Hunyuan scarf and a blue Daoist robe. He looked at Lin Daoming with contempt, his meaning clear: You're a fake.

Lin Daoming's beard bristled, and he rolled up his sleeves, ready to fight. "You old geezer, are you looking for a beating? We're the Shangqing sect of Mount Mao. How dare you call us Daoists? You've got some nerve."

The Daoist old man laughed. "Yes, you're the Shangqing sect. Just look at the academy rankings, you'll know. You're at the bottom. Everyone knows you're a fake. How many people would even apply? Unlike our Daoist academy, we have so many applicants we can't even accept them all."

The square-faced man said, "Alright, stop arguing. This matter is very important to Seaside City. Whether it's Mount Mao, the Daoists, or the Buddhists, everyone needs to take this seriously. If any of you let an Abyssal entity wreak havoc in the city and cause irreparable damage, you'll all have to pack your bags and leave. Make way for someone more capable."

"Meeting adjourned."

Seaside City wasn't a huge city, but it wasn't small either, with a population of about eight million.

If an Abyssal entity were to wreak havoc in the city, the consequences would be severe.

The Seaside City Special Department was currently run by masters from several major factions. Every year, graduates from these factions would join, bringing in new blood, gaining experience by fighting Abyssal entities, and hopefully becoming strong enough to stand on their own in the future.

The current major academies were…

Mount Mao Academy, Daoist Academy, Buddhist Academy, and Medical Academy.

Known as the Dragon Kingdom's four top academies, they had trained countless talents.

The next day!

Walter opened his eyes and saw Leo sitting on his bed. He habitually took out a carton of soy milk from the drawer by his bed. He had to drink it every day, or he wouldn't be happy.

"Have some Sprite."

He tossed a carton of soy milk to Leo.

"Yeah!"

Leo caught it and drank it down. He put down the carton and said calmly, "I had a long dream last night. I went to another place and became someone else. I did a lot of things, met a lot of classmates. But they seemed different from us. They were a bit strange."

Walter blinked, then said unhappily, "Then why didn't you take me with you? We agreed, you were supposed to take me."

"I left in a hurry, didn't have time to tell you. I'll definitely take you next time," Leo promised.

"You promised. Don't lie to me," Walter said, his anger dissipating. He looked at Leo in surprise. "How did you get so buff?"

Leo looked down.

Indeed!

He had a lot more hard muscle.