I gain permanent defense when attacked; even gods and demons can't hurt me.

The old man's voice was loud and clear, full of energy. Although he looked old, his arms, which were exposed outside his sleeves, were muscular and covered with calluses.

Those hands look like they've been holding a hammer for years.

Ouyang Lingyun nodded, his tone carrying a hint of admiration.

"That's right, Mr. Zhou."

"That kid's profession is very interesting. You could say he's taken the tank role to the extreme, and his talent is also extremely unique."

"You'll see when he gets here."

"Perhaps this kid can give us another surprise."

The old man, referred to as Old Zhou, gave a noncommittal snort.

"surprise?"

"Hmph, I hope it's not a shock."

"If it weren't for Xiaoxue's sake, I would never have bothered to repair the equipment of a newbie who just changed jobs."

"That's a waste of my time and an insult to my skills."

As the city lord's personal blacksmith, Old Zhou possessed his own pride.

People who ask him to forge equipment usually line up from the city lord's mansion gate all the way outside the city.

Asking him to repair a set of level 10 equipment, even a bronze set, would be a waste of his talents in his eyes.

Ouyang Lingyun gave a forced smile and did not refute.

He also felt that Lin Yuan was making a mountain out of a molehill.

It's probably just that the durability dropped a bit. Newbies are inexperienced and just upset about their gear.

……

It was exactly 12 noon.

The gates of the city lord's mansion slowly opened.

Led by the old steward, Lin Yuan entered the mansion that symbolized the highest power in Tianhai City.

Even though Lin Yuan appeared calm on the surface, he was still a little nervous inside. It was his first time here.

"Lord City Lord."

As soon as Lin Yuan entered the living room, he saw Ouyang Lingyun sitting in the main seat, and the imposing old man next to him.

Out of politeness, Lin Yuan greeted them first.

"You're here?"

Ouyang Lingyun stood up with a smile.

"Come here, Lin Yuan, let me introduce you."

"This is Zhou Tieshan, the chief forging master of Tianhai City, also known as Master Zhou."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yuan's gaze fell upon the old man.

Zhou Tieshan (Master Craftsman, Second Rank)

[Level: LV53]

[Occupation: Blacksmith]

【property:???】

【Skill:???】

[Review: A stubborn old man immersed in the world of blacksmithing; his hammer is harder than your head. Although the detailed specifications are unclear, we suggest you show him respect.]

"LV53? A second-tier powerhouse?"

Lin Yuan was slightly startled.

While being omniscient and omnipotent is incredibly powerful, the current level restriction is "not more than 20 levels higher than oneself".

He is currently level 16 and can only see through targets below level 36.

When facing Zhou Lao, who is at level 53, all that can be seen is the most basic name and profession.

But that's enough.

"Hello, Mr. Zhou."

Lin Yuan bowed slightly, his attitude neither humble nor arrogant.

Old Zhou had only casually raised his eyelids, intending to give a perfunctory reply.

However, when his gaze swept over Lin Yuan, it finally settled on the line of data above Lin Yuan's head.

Clang!

The lid of the teacup in his hand fell directly onto the table.

Even the usually composed Ouyang Lingyun suddenly narrowed his eyes and jumped up from his chair!

"Holy crap?!"

At this moment, the city lord's majesty vanished completely.

Ouyang Lingyun pointed at Lin Yuan, his fingers trembling.

"Lin Yuan... your level?!"

In his line of sight, the boy who had just reached level 9 yesterday evening now had an incredibly glaring number above his head.

[LV16]!

"Level 16?!"

"How is this possible! It's only noon!"

"All things considered, it's been less than 18 hours since you left yesterday, right?"

Ouyang Lingyun felt that his worldview was collapsing.

Based on her daughter's current leveling speed, she won't reach level 10 until tomorrow evening at the earliest, while Lin Yuan is already level 16.

Is this hidden profession really that overpowered?

One night apart and the level skyrocketed by 7?

This speed is faster than riding a rocket!

Old Zhou, standing to the side, also stared wide-eyed, looking Lin Yuan up and down as if he were a monster in human skin.

"Kid, you'd better tell the truth."

"Did you wipe out the entire monster family in the dungeon?"

Faced with the shock of the two bigwigs, Lin Yuan simply smiled calmly.

"It's just luck, nothing more."

"Perhaps my talent is a little special, as you, Lord City Lord, are aware of."

"The closest outdoor dungeon to Tianhai City happens to be a large swarm of highly aggressive Iron-Toothed Ants. I don't need to pull any monsters; I can just stand there and let them attack me, and they'll die on their own."

"Plus, I chose Hell difficulty, so I gained a lot of experience over time."

Lin Yuan spoke of it casually.

But Ouyang Lingyun and Old Man Zhou were both numb!

This is a hellish dungeon!

"You mean, you're level 9, and you went into the Irontooth Ant Nest's Hell difficulty dungeon all by yourself? Are you crazy? The queen ant boss in the Hell difficulty dungeon is a Silver-level boss!"

He knew about the dungeon Lin Yuan mentioned; he had gone in and played it before.

He originally planned to wait until Xiaoxue reached level 10, then have someone take her to run a difficult dungeon.

On Normal difficulty, you'll face an Iron-level boss; on Hard difficulty, a Bronze-level boss; and on Hell difficulty, a Silver-level boss!

Lin Yuan nodded: "City Lord Ouyang, it's actually not that difficult. As you know, my talent can double my own defense."

"And as I leveled up, this talent has been constantly improving, and it's now 16 times stronger."

"And as I leveled up, this talent has been constantly improving, and it's now 16 times stronger."

After thinking for a moment, Lin Yuan dropped a bombshell.

He doesn't know if anyone will be able to see through his specific attribute points in the future, so it's best to take precautions now.

His defense points have now exceeded 20,000, which can no longer be explained by the double defense bonus of [Absolute Defense].

"Damn it! You brat, are you trying to fool me because I'm old and easy to fool?" Ouyang Lingyun said, not believing it at all.

Lin Yuan shrugged: "City Lord Ouyang, what benefit do you think I would gain from deceiving you?"

"Or rather, you can test it."

Seeing Lin Yuan's confident demeanor, Ouyang Lingyun believed that Lin Yuan had no reason to deceive him.

This lie can be easily exposed with a high-level detection technique or by looking at Lin Yuan's information panel.

However, he also knew that the various attributes of the information panel should never be shown to others unless they were people he trusted very much; they were extremely private.

The next moment, Lin Yuan did something that shocked them.

Lin Yuan actually showed them the information on his armor and magic resistance.

Seeing the armor and magic resistance values ​​exceeding 20,000, the scene fell into a deathly silence.

After a moment, Ouyang Lingyun took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the shock in his heart.

The way he looked at Lin Yuan completely changed.

……