The Reversal of Heaven Begins with The Smiling, Proud Wanderer

Norman and the others on the viewing platform were dumbfounded. They had anticipated that Peter might lose, but they did not expect him to lose so thoroughly. In front of Lin Mu, Peter, who had gained great power, was simply like a clumsy child.

At that moment, the system notification sounded in Lin Mu's mind precisely on time:

[Ding! Main quest: 'Defeat the Green Goblin' has been completed. Reward: Curse of Knowledge!]

[The Curse of Knowledge: A conceptual trait from the Marvel Universe. The host's speed of understanding and absorbing knowledge will be greatly enhanced, and they will gain near-limitless creativity and associative abilities, enabling them to combine and recreate knowledge from different fields in unimaginable ways.]

[Note: Knowledge is power, but also a shackle. The more one knows, the more one perceives the complexity of the world and one's own insignificance. This can be accompanied by side effects such as loneliness, mental overload, and communication barriers with those at lower cognitive levels. Great creations often stem from this, but it can also lead to fanaticism and madness.]

【Do you want to receive it? 】

Lin Mu raised an eyebrow, his mind racing.

This reward... is truly special.

It doesn't directly enhance combat power, but rather grants a more fundamental and terrifying ability—the source of creation.

Just like Tony Stark, he can rival the gods with his wisdom.

But as the annotation says, this is also a kind of "curse." Knowing too much is not always a good thing. It can cause you to lose a lot of simple joys and see more of the cruelty and emptiness behind the scenes.

"receive."

Lin Mu did not hesitate at all.

Power is always a double-edged sword; the key lies in the person who wields it.

Instantly, a cool, rather than scorching, sensation flooded his brain. It wasn't a direct infusion of knowledge, but rather a complete optimization and upgrade of his thought process.

His perspective on the world seemed to instantly gain countless dimensions, encompassing all the knowledge he had previously acquired.

Martial arts, science, and even some information glimpsed unintentionally.

As if activated, they began to collide and combine automatically, generating countless new and ingenious sparks.

However, for now, Lin Mu still plans to first see which world the Gate of All Heavens connects to.

After leaving Osborne, Lin Mu returned to the villa, told Cindy and Gwen about his "business trip," and then fed the two women.

After taking a nap and recovering his energy, Lin Mu left behind the time-space coordinates before going alone to a secluded place to open the Gate of All Heavens.

[Ding! The Gate to All Heavens has opened, linking to the world: World Number One 837.]

[The host may choose to travel independently. Failure to enter the Gate of All Heavens within ten seconds will be considered a forfeit.]

The plot related to "Number One in the World" immediately came to Lin Mu's mind.

I think it's worth a visit to absorb some power and perfect the "Invincible Vajra Divine Skill".

This will also help make up for the regrets left over from watching the show.

After crossing the gates of the heavens, Lin Mu was momentarily dazed. When he regained consciousness, he found himself on an unknown, desolate path.

She changed back into the ancient costume and long hair she wore when she was laughing at the world.

[Language and identity have been loaded. The host's current identity is a wandering swordsman.]

[Main Quest: Defeat Zhu Wushi. Completing the quest will reward you with a special prize.]

"Defeating Zhu Wushi is probably not possible with my current strength, unless I use missiles."

The number one fighter in the world has quite high combat power.

In particular, Zhu Wushi, the Iron-Blooded Marquis, cultivated the "Absorption Technique," absorbing the power of hundreds of people. He could teleport small mountains and houses and temporarily revive the stone dragon.

Perhaps in a simple contest of physical strength, Zhu Wushi is no match for Lin Mu, but his skill is profound, and the power he can unleash is definitely over a thousand tons.

If Lin Mu has any advantage, it's that his system technology stores a large number of modern weapons.

If Lin Mu wanted to, he could easily bomb Iron-Blooded Marquis with his fighter jet.

However, doing so would waste Zhu Wushi's entire skill.

It would be best to follow Zhu Wushi's old path, secretly absorb the power of people in the martial arts world to strengthen yourself, and then find Zhu Wushi for a final battle.

According to the "false memories" provided by the Gate of All Heavens, Cheng Shifei has already acquired the power of Gu Santong and has dealt with the fake Wuwan and the fake Princess Lixiu.

At present, Cheng Shifei failed to complete the Huangzi secret agent assessment and left the Dragon Guard Manor because he was targeted and ignored by Zhu.

Lin Mu is currently located in the southeastern coastal area.

"I remember the Giant Whale Gang was located along the southeast coast, along with Yagyu Tajima-no-kami and Yagyu Hyouse."

It doesn't matter who he takes advantage of, Lin Mu plans to use these Japanese as his target, and while he's at it, see how big the gap is between himself, a grandmaster, and the number one expert in the world.

Chapter 54: The Giant Whale Gang

Once Lin Mu had made up his mind, he didn't delay any longer.

Following the directional information imparted by the Gate of All Heavens, he moved swiftly, and the "Six Illusions of Phoenix Dance" unfolded. He became like a pale blue wisp of smoke, sweeping across mountains and rivers, heading straight for the headquarters of the Giant Whale Gang on the southeast coast.

The spiritual energy of this place is abundant, and his movements are far more fluid and swift than in the world of Swordsman. His figure leaves almost no trace, and ordinary martial artists would probably not even be able to catch a glimpse of his clothes.

As for the Green Goblin skateboard.

He had a slight thought, but ultimately did not take it out.

That thing is too conspicuous; it's better to keep it as a trump card until the situation becomes clear.

In just half a day, a vast coastline came into view.

A salty sea breeze swept over you. A rather large gang headquarters was built by the sea, and on a towering flagpole, a flag depicting a ferocious whale fluttered in the sea breeze.

Several tall ships were moored beside the dock, with workers loading and unloading goods and shuttling back and forth, creating a constant commotion.

Among them, particularly conspicuous were some warriors dressed in Japanese attire and wearing long, narrow samurai swords at their waists. They had arrogant expressions and were completely out of place with the people from the Central Plains around them, acting as if they were the masters.

Lin Mu did not act rashly. Instead, he used a transformation technique to conceal his presence and pretended to be an ordinary person to observe the town.

With his exceptional eyesight and hearing, he quickly located the area where the Japanese samurai were gathered and identified several individuals with deep auras and bulging temples, clearly core disciples of the Yagyu Shinkage school.

Lin Mu secretly followed them, further uncovering the layout within the Giant Whale Gang.

The Giant Whale Gang has been entrenched along the coast for many years, accumulating enormous wealth through canal transport and maritime trade. In recent years, it has further expanded its territory, recruited a large number of members, and become extremely powerful.

According to rumors in the martial arts world, the previous leader, Li Canghai, was renowned for his chivalry. He not only frequently assisted the imperial court in suppressing Japanese pirates along the coast, but also opened his granaries to provide relief to the people during years of natural disasters. As a result, he was highly regarded by the imperial court and loved by the people.

It's a pity that good people don't live long.

Three years ago, Chief Li died unexpectedly, and his son Li Zhengkai succeeded him.

The new gang leader was obsessed with calligraphy and painting, neglecting gang affairs, which led to power gradually falling into the hands of his uncle, Li Tianhao.

Li Tianhao was not very capable but ambitious. In order to consolidate his power, he colluded with the Yagyu Shinkage sect of Japan, ostensibly to exchange martial arts techniques, but in reality to secretly cultivate his own faction and seize power completely.

This move is tantamount to inviting a wolf into the house.

At first, the Japanese were relatively well-behaved, but in the last two years they have become increasingly rampant, oppressing the people, extorting merchant ships, and committing numerous atrocities, causing widespread resentment among the coastal population.

Because the Giant Whale Gang had connections with the imperial court, local officials turned a blind eye to the humiliation of ordinary people by the Japanese.

Since the government won't take it, I'll take it on.

Lin Mu was eager to try. These Japanese pirates were wolves to the common people, but to him, they were "experience packs".

That night, the moon was dark and the wind was high, with the waves crashing.

The salty sea breeze howled past, perfectly masking the subtle sounds.

A ghostly figure, like a wisp of smoke blending into the night, silently infiltrated the Giant Whale Gang's stronghold, precisely avoiding all visible and hidden sentries.

Through a transformation spell, Lin Mu became a person entirely in black, like an African black child, whose skin color enhances his appearance at night.

As long as Lin Mu doesn't show his teeth, it's difficult for others to notice his presence.

Lin Mu had a clear goal: to first clip his wings and then proceed gradually.

Those lone Yagyu sect disciples and members of the Giant Whale Gang were his primary targets for the night.

A Yagyu sect disciple was carrying a lantern and patrolling the secluded backyard at night, humming an off-key Japanese tune, looking quite relaxed.

Having been here for two and a half years, they have only ever bullied the people from the Central Plains, and their vigilance has diminished considerably.

Suddenly, he felt a numbness in the back of his neck, and all his strength vanished instantly. Before he could even utter a cry of surprise, he was violently dragged into the shadow of the artificial hill beside him by an irresistible force.

In his terror, he didn't even see the person's face clearly before he felt a hand pressing on his dantian (lower abdomen).

The next moment, an extremely terrifying suction force suddenly erupted!

His years of arduous internal energy surged forth like a burst dam, completely out of control, pouring wildly down the opponent's palm.

“Uh…uh…．「 …．

His eyes bulged out as he struggled in vain, his body rapidly shrunken like a leaky sack, his eyes filled with despair and disbelief.

In just a few breaths, all his pure internal energy had been completely drained.

[His skill is remarkably refined, comparable to the ninth level of the Acquired Realm. The martial arts level of this world is indeed far superior to that of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer.]

Lin Mu's heart stirred slightly, but he showed no mercy and snapped the man's neck. He then stored the body in his system space without leaving a trace.

Then, Lin Mu used the spider's camouflage and poisonous sting to ambush several patrolling people and absorb their power.

His cultivation, which had already reached a critical point, finally broke through to the mid-stage of the Grandmaster realm.

Lin Mu vaguely sensed that once he broke through to the Grandmaster realm, he would be able to master the Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill and condense an indestructible golden body.

Then we will be qualified to confront Zhu Wushi head-on.

At this moment, the darkness became Lin Mu's best cover.

Like a spider hunting for food, his movements are silent. As soon as he gets close and touches the body, his poisonous sting can instantly paralyze a martial artist below the Innate Realm, rendering them unable to move.

Like a apex predator, Lin Mu stealthily roamed the depths of the Giant Whale Gang. Whether it was a Japanese samurai or a member of the Giant Whale Gang who was acting as an accomplice, anyone who was alone became his target.

Whether the people involved are innocent or not is not within Lin Mu's consideration.

Soon, more than sixty people became stepping stones for Lin Mu's progress.

At this moment, someone noticed something was wrong and started shouting.

Lin Mu remained calm and collected. With his spider sense and golden eyes, he could clearly see the movements of everyone in the mansion. He then threw a grenade to the west, causing an explosion to attract attention.

Lin Mu twisted his body and, like a night owl, silently darted towards the detached courtyard where gang leader Li Zhengkai lived.

The courtyard was quiet and secluded, which was out of place with the tense atmosphere within the gang.

The room was brightly lit, and a figure focused intently on a desk was reflected in the window frame.

After silently eliminating the hidden guards, Lin Mu slipped in like a feather.

Li Zhengkai was seen with his back to the door, holding a calligraphy brush, intently copying a landscape painting, as if all the disturbances of the outside world were irrelevant to him.

Lin Mu's eyes turned slightly cold as he pushed open the door and entered.

"Varied……"

The moment Li Zhengkai turned around to call for help, Lin Mu flicked his fingertips, and a white spider silk shot out, aiming straight for Li Zhengkai's face, intending to seal his mouth and nose and defeat him in one blow.

However, just as the spider silk was about to reach his face, Li Zhengkai slid slightly to the side like a ghost, cleverly avoiding it by the slightest margin!

At the same time, without turning his head, he reversed his hand and pointed his fingers like a sword. A sharp, condensed finger wind, carrying a chilling aura, cut through the air and struck Lin Mu's Shenmen acupoint on his wrist.

Its speed, its power, and its angle are all beyond the capabilities of a scholar who is immersed in calligraphy and painting!

"Ok?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Lin Mu's eyes. He flipped his wrist and changed his move with lightning speed. He flicked his finger and shot out a wisp of energy, accurately deflecting the sneak attack.

"Formless Finger of Calamity!"

Li Zhengkai's expression was solemn; the refined and infatuated look on his face had vanished without a trace, replaced by a sharpness and cold composure hidden deep within.

His powerful aura, typical of someone at the mid-stage of the Innate Realm, burst forth without any concealment.

"Who do you belong to?"

Li Zhengkai's voice was calm, yet it carried a chilling undertone.

“I am a servant of the Divine Marquis.”

Lin Mu's lies come out of his mouth without warning.

In a flash, all the clues in his mind instantly connected.

How could a gang leader who is obsessed with calligraphy and painting and knows nothing about gang affairs have been able to hold the position of leader of the Giant Whale Gang until now?