Chapter 168: Fame Shakes the World
The youth, as graceful as the breeze and as stately as the clouds, descended from above, like a peerless monarch who reigned over all realms for a lifetime, high above as the Nine Heavens Supreme, the Chaos Sovereign.
His eyes were cold, harboring neither smugness nor arrogance, only the calm of one who gazes upon all beings from above.
With his hands clasped behind his back, he strode confidently away from the base of Star-picking Peak toward the outer fields.
Wherever his silhouette passed, the eyes of all who saw him were filled with submission, reverence, and trembling.
His steps were gentle, and not even a ripple of Martial Arts aura stirred, yet countless people felt as if Mount Taishan itself was pressing upon them, their hearts nearly shattering.
Even the top Martial Arts Masters felt their faces turn pale and their breathing become labored.
It wasn't Lin Mo actively exerting his suppression that affected them this way.
Instead, when even Yuan Qingtian, ranked fifth on the Emperor List, had been defeated by this youth with a single blow, what were they in comparison?
Ants? They probably didn't even qualify to be called ants!
From head to toe, even down to her marrow, Dong Man felt a deep fear.
She was terrified to the extreme. Before, she had mocked Lin Mo, saying he was less than one-tenth of Shen Zixuan, just an arrogant man who could never become a big shot.
But now, she realized the youth she had looked down upon had long stood at the unparalleled peak, the highest of heights.
She didn't even have the right to look up to him!
As for Yang Miaomiao, she, too, found herself ridiculously mistaken. When she first saw Lin Mo, she thought he was someone of a different status, a different class from herself.
Each time they gathered, she looked down upon Lin Mo, even using her cousin Zhou Yitao and Shen Zixuan to belittle him by comparison.
But now, whether her cousin, Zhou Yitao, or even Shen Zixuan who was exceptional in many ways, seemed insignificant compared to Lin Mo — maybe even not worth one of his fingers.
Wu Mingzhe and Yitao were even more frightened, their legs trembling. The two of them had always been hostile toward Lin Mo, constantly looking for opportunities to surpass him.
But now, they realized that all their talent and abilities, when combined, weren't even a tenth, not even one percent of that of the indifferent youth.
They did not dare to look at the youth striding towards them, for fear that a single displeasure from him could cause their disappearance from this world.
Su Xinhe's expression was full of rueful smiles, her imagination couldn't have stretched far enough to imagine that Lin Mo was, in fact, Mr. Lin who had already reached the pinnacle in Shu Province.
Cheng Miaohan gazed at the youth's imposing and indifferent figure drawing ever closer, her eyes filled with complicated emotions.
Amidst the sea of faces, Cheng Miaohan finally lifted her beautiful eyes to directly address Lin Mo, her voice filled with sorrow:
"Lin Mo, why... why haven't you ever taken the initiative to tell me your true identity?"
Many people witnessed this scene and bowed their heads one after another, their faces filled with fear and horror.
Had Cheng Miaohan gone mad? How dare she speak to Mr. Lin from Shu Province in such a manner?
Lin Mo's eyes were tranquil as his gaze fell upon Cheng Miaohan:
"In this world, too many people are blinded by a leaf and fail to see Taishan; do I need to explain myself to each of them?"
Cheng Miaohan's face turned deathly pale. Like the others, she had looked down on him, and now that she knew Lin Mo had ascended to the highest heights, her remorse was too little, too late.
Wasn't this a great joke?
With her lips tightly pursed and tears twinkling in her eyes, Cheng Miaohan was at a loss for words.
Lin Mo glanced at her indifferently before leaping up, treading through the air.
Watching the youth, who lightly tapped his toes as if an Immortal, vanish in the blink of an eye, Cheng Miaohan's tears fell swiftly.
Dong Man hurried over, her voice rough with apology, "Miao Han, I'm sorry, it's all Mom's fault, Mom shouldn't have been so blind... ah..."
"Mom, don't say anymore."
Cheng Miaohan felt desolate inside, especially heartbroken. If she hadn't looked down on Lin Mo from the start, where would this cold attitude of his come from?
But it was all too late. The young man they had all scorned had long been standing above millions, looking down upon the world. Ironically, they, as insignificant as ants and cicadas, were still so disdainful and undermining him.
Cheng Miaohan felt as if her spirit had died. She could only hope that, someday, she might be friends with Lin Mo; that was a luxury and a wish she now held dear.
Later, the news of Mr. Lin's aerial battle tens of thousands of meters high with Yuan Qingtian, the fifth-ranked powerhouse on the Emperor List, shook the entire Huaxia with an overwhelming force.
"Killed the fifth-ranked powerhouse on the Emperor List, Yuan Qingtian, with a finger?"
At the main mountain range of Kunlun Mountain, in the training grounds, a middle-aged man was deeply shocked when he learned of this.
He was none other than Lu Gucheng, the head of the first martial arts family in Kunlun Mountain and also the fourth-ranked super powerhouse on the Emperor List of Huaxia!
"Are you saying Yuan Qingtian was killed by a single move after attacking Mr. Lin from Shu Province with his ultimate Beidou Seven Stars Sword Technique? It seems that Mr. Lin's talent and martial power are both extraordinary. If the opportunity arises, I would very much like to learn from him personally."
In a villa area in Jiangnan, a man around fifty, dressed in a white robe, brewed tea with serious dedication and patience, his movements exuding refinement and composure.
Yet, there was an aura of majestic and overwhelming dominance about him.
His name was Chu Beixiong, third-ranked on the Emperor List, once unparalleled in the world with a single move!
In the Imperial City, at a certain military base, a robust middle-aged man overheard a few elders discussing fervently, his eyes as sharp as swords, revealing a strong desire for battle:
"After being defeated by Long Canghan five years ago, I haven't sparred with anyone. Mr. Lin from Shu Province managed to defeat Yuan Qingtian with a single finger, an emerging prodigy indeed. I wonder how he compares with me, or with Long Canghan?"
The man who spoke was none other than the legendary Military God Ye Nantian.
And the Long Canghan he mentioned was none other than the War God at the Martial Arts Peak, who had been sitting firmly at the top of the Emperor List for ten full years.
The news of Lin Mo killing Yuan Qingtian with a single finger also reached him.
At that moment, Long Canghan stood in his vast study, with one hand behind his back, while the other sketched calligraphy. His writing was fluid and powerful, bursting with energy.
In a blink, eight bold and powerful characters appeared on the paper: Stirring winds, surging clouds, a prodigy rises.
Beside him stood a middle-aged man in linen clothes who said with a reverent gaze,
"Master, that Lin Mo is a student in class nine of grade three at Qingye High School."
"But his true identity is the son of Lin Guang, from the once super prominent Lin Family. Five years ago, the old master of the Lin Family passed away, causing the family's status to plummet. Three years ago, Lin Guang, once ranked third on the Emperor List, suffered a vicious attack, his meridians completely severed, and although his Dantian was intact, he could no longer channel True Qi. The Lin Family was hit again!"
"Two years ago, Lin Guang's son Lin Mo was diagnosed as unable to cultivate Martial Arts for life, drawing ridicule and contempt from many, even being mockingly called the Lin Family's waste young master."
"Furthermore, publicly humiliated and rejected by the Murong Family, he, only fifteen at the time, made a Blood Oath that he would make them pay tenfold, a hundredfold, for the humiliation within three years."
"Two years later, Lin Mo returned with staggering martial power. Upon his arrival in Lin City, he made Lu Haotian, the leader of the underworld, bow in submission. He then stepped on the Luo Family, destroyed the Zhong Family, and killed South Korea's top Martial Arts Master Cui Zhenyuan with a single punch. Now, he has taken the life of Yuan Qingtian in the sky tens of thousands of meters high with one finger."
As he said this, the man looked up anxiously at Long Canghan and said, "Master, this Lin Mo is only sixteen or seventeen years old, and his talent and martial power are surely unrivaled in this world. I fear that if he rises, his strength might even surpass yours, threatening your position in the world of Martial Arts!"
However, Long Canghan stood with his hands behind his back and laughed loudly,
"Not at all!"
"It is Huaxia's fortune that such an astonishing and brilliant youth has emerged."
"In the future, his achievements may well not be inferior to mine."
"I would, in fact, very much like to meet this young man."