[The direction from which the Multivision scholars have arrived is not the distant Multivision Branch Association behind you. They seem to have been on their way to the Association, and were simply drawn over as they passed nearby by the sounds of battle, coming to check things out.]

[This area has just gone through a fierce battle. The ground is covered in large patches of bloodstains and traces of combat.]

[Not far away lie two headless corpses wearing Multivision robes, clearly killed by having their heads blown apart by knowledge spells.]

[The Multivision scholars step out of their carriages and see this scene, and their faces all change dramatically.]

[Someone actually dared to murder and butcher Multivision scholars within the Association’s territory!]

[When they see that the murderer is you, the Great Sage of the Direct Vision Branch Association, the expressions on their faces become even more complex: shock, anger, wariness, and fear…]

[You sweep your gaze around. From the style of the robes they are wearing, you can tell the strength of this group of Multivision scholars. The strongest among them are no more than Grand Scholar rank.]

[The leading Multivision Grand Scholar immediately steps forward and demands to know what is going on.]

[You notice several Multivision scholars quietly stepping back a few paces and secretly raising their staffs, seemingly intending to use spells to request support from the Association…]

[You are a troubled Apostle caught between advancing and retreating. What should you do?]

[1. Flee the crime scene and return to the Direct Vision Branch Association. You are the Association President and also a Great Sage level powerhouse. You only killed two insignificant low-level scholars. As long as you refuse to admit it, the Multivision Association likely will not turn hostile over this and start a great war between the two schools.]

[2. Switch shells and declare yourself to be the True God’s Envoy. As the True God’s Envoy personally appointed by Omniscient True Knowledge, as long as you take out proof of your identity and explain that the two scholars were killed by the Direct Vision Great Sage, not only can you clear yourself of suspicion, you can even make the Multivision Association treat you as an honored guest.]

[3. Raise your staff and kill everyone present. You must not only kill all witnesses here, you must also clean up the bodies without leaving a single trace. Otherwise, the abnormal behavior of the Direct Vision Branch President sniping scholars near the Multivision Association will definitely arouse suspicion and very likely expose your true identity.]

Lin Xun finished browsing the option text but did not decide immediately. Instead, he quickly opened the Great Sage’s shell stat panel.

[Shell – Knowledge-Seeking Direct Vision Branch Association Great Sage]

[True Name: Ladislav]

[Compatibility: 125% (+65%)]

[Shell Quality: mythic+ grade]

[Shell Level: 145]

[Shell Equipment: Direct Vision Great Sage Robe (mythic+ grade armor): …]

[Shell Equipment: Knowledge Law Sage Staff (mythic+ grade weapon): …]

[Shell Skill: Surge of Knowledge (mythic grade skill): …]

[Shell Skill: Secret Art of Speed Reading (mythic grade skill): …]

[Shell Skill: Knowledge Dragon Lance (mythic grade skill): …]

[Shell Skill: Knowledge Light Wall (mythic+ grade skill): …]

[Shell Skill: Endless Flood of Knowledge (mythic+ grade skill): …]

Lin Xun frowned.

Just as he had expected, the Great Sage’s shell was mythic+ grade and Compatibility had already exceeded 100 percent, yet the line ‘Compatibility exceeds critical threshold, shell quality upgraded!’ did not appear.

Its shell quality had not advanced to immortal and was still stuck at the mythic+ grade level.

“Looks like there really are some restrictions on becoming immortal. It is not something that can be broken through so easily…”

The Great Sage’s skill bar was also missing the skill named Petrification Curse. It was probably because he had just blown the Great Sage’s eyeballs out when he killed him, so he would need to transplant a new eyeball to acquire the skill.

As a top demi-god, the Great Sage’s level was as high as 145. Once he appointed this shell as Leader, his own level would shoot up directly, saving him a huge chunk of grinding and monster farming.

Lin Xun looked back at the three options and pondered carefully. He did not want to enter the Multivision Association openly under the identity of the True God’s Envoy.

If the Multivision Association truly harbored malicious intent toward him, then directly entering the Multivision Association would be no different from a lamb walking into a tiger’s den…

Or rather, not exactly a lamb in a tiger’s den. With the Great Sage shell in hand, his strength was enough to contend with any single top demi-god.

But even a hero cannot stand against too many enemies. With the Multivision Association fully prepared, even a top demi-god would have to show some fear.

The safest approach was not to simply go in, then, if they turned against him, start slaughtering everyone, but to first sneak quietly into the Multivision Association and figure out their true attitude toward the True God’s Envoy…

If the other side turned out not to be good people, then there would be no need at all to choose the Multivision Association as the battlefield.

Of the three options in front of him, both the first and the third could achieve his goal.

At this moment, all three options began to tremble slightly…

[You do not have much time left to think. You notice that the scholars behind the crowd have almost finished preparing their spells. Once they successfully cast them, the Multivision Association will know something unusual has happened here.]

After thinking it over again and again, Lin Xun finally chose the first option… run.

[Ignoring the Multivision Grand Scholar’s questioning, you simply raise your staff and transform into a streak of flowing light, flying into the layers of mist…]

[The Multivision scholars see you flee with a guilty conscience. They want to stop you, but when they remember your powerful strength as a Great Sage, they can only watch you run and do not even dare to use spells to attack you.]

[Only after your figure is completely swallowed by the mist do the Multivision scholars behind finally complete their spells and inform the Branch Association of everything that has happened here…]

[…]

After leaving combat, Lin Xun rode a Refined Copper Carriage back toward the Branch Association while opening the Inventory to inspect his spoils of war.

The Transcendent-World Fading Chunk Spirit Essence was worth two million. Together with the Spirit Essence dropped from killing several Sages, his private stash was instantly recharged to over eight million Spirit Essence.

Resplendent Forging Crystal Chunk could be used to enhance mythic grade equipment, and he still had another forging crystal chunk of the same name that he had not yet used.

[Direct Vision Branch Association President Badge (item): A delicate badge symbolizing the wearer’s noble status. Its surface is engraved with the single-eye emblem that represents the Direct Vision School Branch Association. While carrying this item, your knowledge type skills will receive a certain increase to their power!]

Back in the fourth major volume, Lin Xun had also obtained a similar badge, but that badge’s grade was far too trashy, basically useless for a mythic grade Mighty Mage.

The new badge he had now was equivalent to raising his Knowledge stat by an invisible chunk, greatly boosting the power of knowledge spells.

[Mana Source Stone Essence (Special Item): An essence chunk chipped off from the meteorite Mana Source Stone that fell from beyond the sky. With this essence stone, you can control the Mana Source Stone and may command the essence stone to split off fragments. Anyone holding a fragment can rapidly restore knowledge type mana when near the Mana Source Stone.]

Lin Xun looked thoughtfully at the item description.

The Mana Source Stone could be considered a rapid charge power bank. When he had approached it before, there had been no prompt allowing him to store it in the Inventory.