Chapter 139: Activating the Deception Card

The first requirement of the chained mission demanded that Lin Huang claim the top spot on the points leaderboard within seven days and maintain it for three consecutive days. This meant he effectively had only four days to seize the throne.

Glancing at the leaderboard, Lin Huang saw he lagged nearly 1.3 million points behind Fang Wen, who held first place. Even Li Li, who had been third before, had surged past him by over 500,000 points in recent days. Raising an eyebrow, Lin Huang descended from the floating staircase to the first floor, then climbed the stairs all the way up to the tenth floor of the Trial Tower.

The tenth floor was the testing ground for Golden Tier One monsters.

Only a handful of people in the entire training camp dared to undertake trials on this level.

Lin Huang’s arrival caught the scar-faced man’s attention; he knew Lin Huang was finally getting serious.

Most trial doors on this floor stood vacant. Lin Huang picked a random door, swiped his card, and entered.

After summoning Bai, Lin Huang immediately instructed Xiao Hei to sever the life-link synchronization between himself and Bai.

Bai’s four blood-red wings unfurled, plunging swiftly into a frenzy of slaughter. Every streak of red light left in its wake a monster’s severed head.

Though only a Silver Tier Three, Bai made these Golden Tier One monsters look utterly insignificant.

By five o’clock in the afternoon, after five hours of relentless combat, Lin Huang’s points had skyrocketed by nearly a million, surpassing Li Li and narrowing the gap to Fang Wen to just over 400,000.

After leaving the Trial Tower and having dinner, Lin Huang returned once more at seven in the evening when the tower reopened.

He stayed inside until ten at night.

In three hours, his points surged another 600,000, finally overtaking Fang Wen and ascending to the top of the leaderboard.

However, his lead was slender—only about a hundred thousand points ahead.

Still, the shift in first place quickly caught the attention of everyone in the training camp.

Many knew Lin Huang’s points had barely moved in recent days. His sudden outburst of growth today reminded them of the steward’s announcement at noon.

“Did the steward promise Lin Huang some favor to push him for first place?” speculated several curious onlookers.

Even Fang Wen, who had been pushed down, harbored the same suspicion. He had previously tried probing Lin Huang and knew the latter hadn’t cared much for the ranking. Yet after being summoned by the steward at noon, Lin Huang exploded with points. The connection was undeniable.

Back in his room after ten at night, Xiao Mo looked at Lin Huang with admiration. “Big Brother Lin, you’re number one on the leaderboard now.”

“Hm,” Lin Huang nodded. “I have to keep going to the Trial Tower tomorrow, or this position won’t hold.”

Lin Huang went to bed early that night. The next morning, after breakfast, he headed straight to the Trial Tower.

On the way, he ran into Fang Wen, who called out from afar.

“Lin Huang, you’ve been going to the Trial Tower quite often these past two days.”

“Yeah, you too,” Lin Huang replied with a smile.

“Did the steward say something to you?” Fang Wen stepped closer, lowering his voice.

“Sort of.” Lin Huang nodded. With everyone harboring this suspicion, at least there was a reasonable explanation for his sudden push for first place.

Fang Wen didn’t press further. He knew if Lin Huang was determined to fight for first, he could only step aside. Lin Huang’s ability to rack up points was unmatched throughout the camp.

During the second day’s trial, Lin Huang remained inside the tower for a full eleven hours. His points soared by over 2.2 million, decisively widening the margin from Fang Wen, now more than two million ahead.

He earned a new nickname in the camp: the Points Maniac.

On the third day, Lin Huang pushed again, scoring another two million points.

It wasn't until midday on the fourth day that the first chained mission’s completion prompt appeared:

[Chained Mission 1: Secure the top spot on the Purple Crow Rookie Training Camp leaderboard and maintain it for three days. (Completed)]

[Chained Mission 2: After completing the first mission, escape the Purple Crow Rookie Training Camp without arousing suspicion. Time limit: 3 days. Countdown begins...]

Seeing this, Lin Huang didn’t stop hunting monsters. He continued until five-thirty in the afternoon, gaining another 1.6 million points before finally leaving the Trial Tower.

After dinner, Lin Huang went to the points exchange center, spending over 7.2 million of his accumulated 7.5 million points on a modified Golden Armament—Golden Eagle 11—and then returned to the Trial Tower.

This time, however, he chose not the tenth floor but the sixth.

On the sixth floor, he didn’t summon Bai. Instead, he practiced the Flowing Fire blade technique alone. Whenever other monsters approached, he dispatched them with other sword skills before resuming his training.

Despite the occasional disturbances, Lin Huang noticed his skill fragment acquisition rate hadn’t slowed but actually accelerated.

Though the Flowing Fire technique remained incomplete, with each move mere form without substance, Lin Huang’s innate talent with the blade was formidable. By analogy and adaptation, his moves diversified, occasionally even slaying one or two monsters with Flowing Fire.

By ten at night, after three hours, he had accumulated eleven skill fragments.

When the trial ended, Lin Huang returned to the lodging area, took a shower, then went to his room.

Lying in bed, he reviewed his plan in his mind. “Two and a half days left…”

The next morning, Lin Huang arrived early at the sixth floor again. Though the Flowing Fire blade was still unrefined, after a day of practice, his mastery had visibly improved. Nearly every move came naturally.

That evening, he struck up a conversation with Xiao Mo.

“Xiao Mo, have you ever thought about what you’d want most if you became a transcendent one day?”

“I haven’t really thought about it… Becoming transcendent is pretty tough.” Xiao Mo was taken aback. “What about you, Big Brother Lin? I think you’d definitely make it!”

“Transcendence isn’t my ultimate goal,” Lin Huang said. “My goal is to become a demigod first. Whether I can become a true deity isn’t something I’m considering right now.” His gaze grew serious. “But the path I’ve chosen is difficult. I might fall along the way… If I do die, I don’t want my body left behind to be coveted. Burning it to ashes is best—clean, leaving nothing behind…”

“Brother Lin, don’t say that. You’re so good-hearted, you’ll live a long time for sure.” Xiao Mo quickly reassured him.

They chatted off and on until after one in the morning before finally sleeping.

On the third day, Lin Huang left early with a faint smile playing on his lips.

“Xiao Hei, activate the Deception Card.”

[Once the Deception Card is activated, the false event must be fabricated within the same day. Confirm activation?]

Xiao Hei’s voice responded swiftly.

“Confirm activation.” Lin Huang did not hesitate. With only a day and a half left before the mission deadline, his time was running out.

[Deception Card activated. Please create the false event promptly.]

“Set the moment of my death as the entry point for converting a real event into a false one,” Lin Huang instructed.

[Entry point set.]

Lin Huang headed back to the Trial Tower but entered the seventh floor this time.

The seventh floor was home to Silver Tier One monsters.

Choosing an empty door, Lin Huang entered without summoning Bai, opting to slay the monsters himself.

Silver Tier One monsters were within reach for a Bronze Tier Three like Lin Huang, but nowhere near as easy as before.

Their attack speed and strength far outmatched those of Bronze-tier monsters.

Yet Lin Huang’s agility was astonishing, allowing him to navigate freely among the beasts, though his kill efficiency dropped significantly.

As he delved deeper into the trial space, the variety of monsters increased.

Leaping onto the back of a giant-horned rhino, Lin Huang plunged his blade forcefully into its neck, instantly paralyzing and toppling the beast.

At that moment, a shadowy figure lunged from behind.

It was a Shadow Wolf, a creature known for stealthy ambushes and assassination.

Caught off guard, Lin Huang was knocked down and bitten hard on the cervical spine. He heard a chilling snap and knew his neck was broken.

Swinging his blade backward, he cleaved the Shadow Wolf in two, then tried to push himself up.

Suddenly, the giant-horned rhino lifted its two forelegs high and slammed them down with brutal force onto Lin Huang’s body.

His spine and ribs shattered instantly under the crushing weight, internal organs pulverized.

With a final stomp, the rhino struck again, and Lin Huang’s body went limp, the last flicker of life extinguished.

Xiao Hei’s prompt sounded abruptly.

[Host has died. Initiating switch to false event...]