Walker Of The Worlds

Chapter 3970: Perfect Data For The Perfect Disguise

Lin Mu knew that giving people every answer immediately would actually weaken his disguise.

Someone who explained everything too clearly invited investigation. An ancient expert who had been missing for more than one hundred thousand years could reasonably possess secrets and refuse to explain them.

He could even make his return sound inconvenient.

Perhaps he had entered the Mad Demon Depths in search of an inheritance. Perhaps he had found an ancient method that allowed him to preserve his life through stasis. Perhaps the strange array left behind by the Mad Demon had sustained him for all these years.

Every explanation had a foundation in reality and that was what made the identity so useful.

Lin Mu had personally seen the effects of the Mad Demon’s methods. He had seen the compressed spatial layers, the vitality crystal, the ancient arrays and the experimental remnants that had survived for countless years.

If someone questioned whether such a place really existed that could preserve an immortal for an extraordinarily long period, Lin Mu could point toward the Mad Demon Depths itself. There were already examples of things surviving far beyond ordinary expectations.

The only thing he needed was a convincing story.

"Perhaps I entered the Mad Demon Depths seeking the Mad Demon’s inheritance," Lin Mu muttered. "I found an inheritance that allowed me to enter stasis,and I remained there until recently."

He rubbed his chin. "Or I could say that I became trapped and only recently managed to escape."

Ashy immediately interrupted through their connection. "Master, the second one sounds more interesting."

Lin Mu laughed. "You think so?"

"Definitely. Imagine everyone’s faces when an ancient Junior Elder suddenly appears and says that he was trapped somewhere for more than one hundred thousand years. That would certainly cause chaos." Ashy’s voice became increasingly excited. "And then you can complain about how the sect has changed and even call the Heavenly Stream Immortal Daoist your Junior!"

Lin Mu shook his head and then chuckled as he found it funny too. But then became serious again as there was another reason the identity could work. The Heavenly Stream Immortal Daoist existed.

Lin Mu had already heard enough about that ancient expert to understand that extremely long-lived immortals were rare, though certainly possible. If one such existence could survive across eras, the idea of Zhenyu surviving would become considerably easier to accept.

The sect might initially consider it suspicious. They might even believe Lin Mu was someone who had obtained Zhenyu’s belongings and was attempting to impersonate him. But that was fine as suspicion was expected.

Lin Mu could allow them to investigate. Every secret he revealed would slowly build credibility. If an elder asked about an ancient formation, he could answer. If someone questioned the layout of an old hall, he could describe how it had looked before it was rebuilt.

If someone brought up a disciple who had lived over one hundred thousand years ago, Lin Mu could provide information about that person from Zhenyu’s memories. There were even secrets inside the jade token that could be used as proof.

The important part was knowing when to speak and Lin Mu would have to leave gaps as mystery would protect him.

"Still, there is one problem." His expression became slightly more serious. ’The cultivation seal.’

He could return to the sect using the identity of Zhenyu, but his current cultivation was sealed. That was convenient in some ways, since nobody could easily perceive his actual cultivation, yet it also created complications.

If he appeared as an ancient Junior Elder who had supposedly survived for more than one hundred thousand years, people would naturally expect him to possess tremendous cultivation.

If his cultivation appeared too low, the story would become difficult to maintain.

Lin Mu looked toward the empty white space around him. "Senior, can you change the restriction?"

Xukong’s laughter came from his mind. "That depends on what you want."

"I want to restore my cultivation to its maximum." There was a brief silence before Xukong spoke. "That is easier."

Lin Mu raised an eyebrow. "Easier?"

"If you wanted to change the seal so that your cultivation appeared at some specific intermediate level, that would require considerable adjustment. The restriction is designed to suppress you. Altering its boundary while preserving its concealment is more complicated."

Xukong continued in his calm voice. "But your current requirement is much simpler. You want to access your maximum cultivation while remaining hidden from others."

"Exactly." Lin Mu nodded.

"Then the seal can remain as it is."

Lin Mu’s eyes brightened. "The seal... can remain?"

"The restriction can continue to conceal the actual nature of your cultivation while allowing you to access your strength. To anyone examining you, your cultivation will remain difficult to determine. They may sense something, but they will struggle to establish an accurate realm."

Lin Mu slowly smiled. "That is perfect."

He could already imagine the reactions.

A mysterious elder appearing after more than one hundred thousand years. Nobody could determine his cultivation. His body would be extraordinarily powerful and his aura could be adjusted to resemble the cultivation and presence Zhenyu had possessed.

He would possess ancient knowledge. He would carry Zhenyu’s token. He would know the secrets of Wild Peak. And if someone demanded a demonstration, Lin Mu could reproduce Zhenyu’s techniques with ease.

The situation was almost too convenient.

Lin Mu suddenly remembered something. "Wait. There is another advantage."

Xukong seemed amused. "You finally noticed?"

"The elder’s cultivation." Lin Mu’s eyes gleamed.

Zhenyu had been a Fifth Tribulation Immortal before entering the Mad Demon Depths, and his body cultivation had reached the same level. That meant Lin Mu could reproduce the man’s cultivation characteristics without difficulty.

He already possessed knowledge of Zhenyu’s primary cultivation technique, the Shifting Earth, Churning Sea Dual Refinement Art. He had studied the elder’s notes extensively. He understood how Zhenyu had cultivated it, how he had modified it and how he had adapted it to his circumstances.

Lin Mu could replicate the technique. He could even reproduce some of the spatial techniques Zhenyu had developed after spending thousands of years within the compressed dimension.

There was very little that could expose him through cultivation. If someone examined his physical body, they would probably be even more convinced that something unusual had happened to Zhenyu.

Lin Mu’s body was vastly stronger than Zhenyu’s had been. He could simply attribute that to the inheritance. After all, nobody could prove what had happened to an immortal during a hundred thousand years of disappearance.

Perhaps Zhenyu had obtained another body refinement inheritance. Perhaps the Mad Demon had left behind something that changed his physique. Perhaps he had undergone some transformation while trapped inside the compressed space.

There were countless possibilities.

Lin Mu could choose whichever explanation suited the situation.