The silver-white spatial vortex spun violently, like a giant eye suddenly opening on the ice field. Deep blue and silver-white light intertwined, casting a bizarre and mesmerizing glow across the entire ice cave.
The intertwining beams of light were like countless tiny serpents swimming and colliding in the cold air, erupting into even more brilliant sparks.
The humming of the teleportation array rose from a low resonance into a piercing shriek that penetrated the soul. Even the surrounding ice pillars began to tremble slightly, shedding fine ice crystals.
Jiang Lin stood at the edge of the array, his golden eyes fixed on the center of the vortex.
The reflection of the aurora and ice peaks within grew clearer, and the figure there was slowly turning to face this end of the teleportation array.
The spatial fluctuations reached their peak at this moment.
"Hum—!"
A blinding white light erupted as if the vortex were being torn apart. A slender figure stepped out from within, landing steadily on the hexagram array at the center of the altar.
The light gradually faded, and the visibility in the ice cave returned to normal. Only the thirty-six ice soul crystals on the perimeter of the array continued to emit a soft, deep blue halo, plating the newcomer in a layer of cold light.
Jiang Lin saw the person's appearance clearly.
His first impression was astonishment.
It was a face that could truly leave most men and women breathless:
The skin was a cold white that rarely saw the sun, and the features were as exquisite as if carved from ice crystals by a master artisan. The brows were like distant mountains shrouded in mist, the bridge of the nose was straight, and the lips were as pale as cherry blossoms just beginning to bloom.
Most striking were the eyes, which were a rare shade of purple. The depths of the pupils seemed to hold the profound loneliness of a ten-thousand-year glacier, and as the gaze shifted, tiny sparks of light flickered within.
The long hair was like a waterfall, an ink-black deeper than the night, reaching the waist and tied loosely at the ends with a simple ice-blue ribbon.
A few strands fell across the forehead, adding an air of languor and mystery.
He wore a simple, archaic ice-blue robe. There were no complex patterns on the fabric, only a minimalist sword-shaped motif outlined in silver thread along the collar and cuffs.
A wide belt of the same color was cinched at the waist, with a long, sheathed sword hanging on the left side.
The scabbard was also ice-blue, made of a material that was neither gold nor jade, resembling ice and crystal, with a faint, chilling mist flowing across its surface.
The person exuded a contradictory aura.
The beauty of his face was almost demonic, carrying an androgynous allure, yet his posture was as straight as a pine. When he stood still, he possessed the immovable gravity of a mountain, yet he also radiated the sharp, solitary pride characteristic of a swordsman.
Even more bizarrely, although he did not intentionally release any aura, Jiang Lin felt an invisible 'attraction' emanating from him. Like a magnet drawing iron filings, it pulled at the attention and... goodwill of every living creature nearby.
"Meow!"
Little Black was the first to fall victim.
The black cat, which had been perched on Jiang Lin's shoulder watching the teleportation array with vigilance, had its fur stand slightly on end the moment it saw the figure.
Its cat eyes went wide; the pupils contracted sharply, then expanded rapidly, finally transforming into two pink hearts!!!
"Hehehe... beauty..." Little Black muttered to itself, its voice filled with infatuation. "Come let me play with you..."
It leaped down from Jiang Lin's shoulder, walking with a sleepwalking gait, staggering toward the person on the altar. Its tail was held high, the tip swaying gently, looking like a lecherous drunkard who had just spotted a beauty.
Jiang Lin frowned and shouted in a low voice:
"Little Black!"
However, Little Black ignored him and continued forward, pink hearts flashing in its eyes, a satisfied "purr" sound coming from its throat.
Jiang Lin was astonished to see Little Black so thoroughly affected.
But as Little Black continued to move forward, he gave it a kick, successfully snapping it out of that state.
Little Black suddenly stiffened, its pink heart-shaped pupils trembling violently before dissipating with a "pop," reverting to its original amber vertical slits.
"What the hell?!"
Little Black shook its head violently, looking at the person on the altar with suspicion and fear, then looked down at its own paws.
"What just happened to me? ...No! Was that a charm spell?!"
It bristled, arched its back, and retreated quickly to Jiang Lin's feet, its amber eyes filled with vigilance and lingering fear:
"This guy is a demon!!
"And a very high-ranking succubus!!!"
Jiang Lin did not respond to Little Black; his gaze remained locked on the person in the center of the altar.
The moment the person stepped out of the teleportation array, Jiang Lin's own vision had indeed blurred for an instant.
It was as if a layer of faint, fragrant mist had covered his field of view. In the mist, the person's features became increasingly blurred and alluring, and the purple eyes seemed to turn into two bottomless springs, inviting one to drown within.
A faint whisper reached his ears, gentle and lingering, as if calling his name and inviting him closer.
Furthermore, an inexplicable and almost uncontrollable sense of goodwill toward the person had risen within his heart.
However, this feeling lasted only half a breath before vanishing.
"Thump!"
Deep within his chest, the heart branded with the 'Demon Lord Seed' gave a violent throb!
A cold, dense, and absolute aura of dominion radiated from the heart, instantly sweeping through his entire body.
The layer of charming mist dissolved silently like morning dew meeting the scorching sun. The whispers in his ears ceased abruptly, and the demonic illusion before his eyes shattered into pieces, revealing the real person on the altar.
His eyes instantly regained their clarity, his golden pupils reflecting the figure before him.
He had felt no resistance or stinging pain from the 'charm spell' forcibly invading his spirit, as if the whole thing had just been a breeze passing over water, leaving no trace behind.
The status suppression brought by the Demon Lord Seed seemed to grant him natural immunity to this level of mental influence.
Can the Demon Lord Seed immunize against some basic demonic illusions?
Jiang Lin pondered.
On the altar, the long-haired man with the stunning appearance seemed to notice something. His purple eyes shifted slightly, sweeping over the bristling, vigilant Little Black on the ground, a flicker of faint surprise crossing his eyes before his gaze fell upon Jiang Lin.
Their eyes met.
Jiang Lin felt the other's gaze like tangible ice needles piercing the air and landing on his face and body, as if he were being thoroughly examined from the outside in.
The gaze was not sharp, but it carried an indifferent clarity that pierced through everything.
Especially when the person's gaze swept over his dantian, Jiang Lin clearly felt the egg-sized ice-blue crystal within his body tremble slightly, as if resonating with a power of the same origin.
The long-haired man finally spoke.
His voice was like the man himself—cold and clear, like ice springs striking stone, yet carrying a peculiar magnetism:
"As a 2nd-rank, to have your sanity recover so quickly without external aid.
"It seems you must have had some fortuitous encounters."
His gaze returned to Jiang Lin's face, his purple eyes still as calm as an ancient well:
"Also, where did you get that fragment of the 'Eternal Ice Soul' on you?"
Jiang Lin's heart tightened.
The other party could actually recognize the crystal in his dantian!
And he had identified it at a single glance. If the other's rank didn't far exceed his own, then the person must have some connection to this so-called 'Eternal Ice Soul' fragment.
However, considering the person had seen through his aura concealment and identified him as a 2nd-rank adventurer, it was highly likely that the person's rank was extremely high.
What Jiang Lin found strange, however, was that his 【Chronowalker's Evil Eye】 had felt no pain.
According to his past experience, when facing certain high-rank powerhouses, his right eye would feel pain due to the massive gap in strength, and he would be unable to see the person's future projection.
Yet this time, although he couldn't see the person's projection, his eye felt no obvious pain.
Besides, the crystal in his dantian was called 'Eternal Ice Soul'...
Wait, isn't that the sacred object of the frost giant tribe??!!
"Senior has eyes like torches, but I don't know what this is myself."
Jiang Lin did not deny it, nor did he rush to explain the origin of the crystal. Instead, he clasped his hands in a salute, his voice neither servile nor overbearing:
"I obtained this crystal by chance in the Everfrost Wasteland.
"I am here today after fleeing from a demonic beast attack, seeking a way out, and I have no intention of offending you.
"If I have committed any offense, I apologize to you first, and I hope you will be magnanimous."
Hearing Jiang Lin's words, the long-haired man did not answer immediately.
His purple eyes lingered on Jiang Lin for a moment, the gaze seemingly capable of piercing through flesh and blood to reach the depths of the soul.
Jiang Lin could feel an extremely subtle yet incomparably pure divine sense sweeping through his body.
From his dantian to his heart, even every inch of his meridians.
"Are you an apostle of god? From the Temple?"
Jiang Lin was surprised that the person could see through his identity at a glance, but he did not play dumb:
"Yes, I have been an apostle of god for less than a month."
The long-haired man continued to look at Jiang Lin:
"To have such potential, breaking through with a limit-breaking stance even at rank-0, with both your physical and spiritual capacity at a perfect state.
"If your bone age wasn't truly young, I would have suspected you were some old guy who discarded his cultivation to start over.
"I didn't expect the Temple to have picked up such a treasure."
Hearing this, Jiang Lin was shocked again.
Wait, what does that mean?
He saw through everything about me with one look??
Fortunately, it seemed the Demon Lord Seed, protected by the system, had not been discovered.
But what did his 'also' mean?
Could it be that he once discarded his cultivation and started over, breaking through with limit-breaking stances from rank-0 all the way up?
Jiang Lin's thoughts were pulled in that direction for a moment, and Master Antonio's description of that legendary sword saint flashed through his mind:
"He can be called the strongest sword saint in my knowledge...
"After passing the god's assessment and breaking through to the 7th-rank, he discarded all the magic essence in his body to re-cultivate..."
Discarding cultivation to start over.
Breaking through from zero with a limit-breaking stance to reach the 7th-rank again, then relying on his own power to cross the life shackles and ascend to the 9th-rank.
At the same time, he looked at the sword hanging at the person's waist and that androgynous, peerless face.
Before he left, Master Antonio had mentioned that he should note that Senior Loren was a man...
Also, although it was said that Senior Loren might be at Shuangyu Feng in the northern ice field, Shuangyu Feng was just a name used now.
Perhaps the Extreme Ice Abyss where the frost giant tribe was located was the current Shuangyu Feng?
The person just happened to live next to the frost giant tribe's ruins, saw that the teleportation array that had been inactive for years had lit up, and came to take a look...
Thus, Jiang Lin tentatively asked:
"Might you be the sword saint Senior Loren?"
The ice cave fell into a brief silence.
The thirty-six ice soul crystals on the perimeter of the altar continued to emit a deep blue halo, making the long-haired man's appearance seem even more dreamlike.
After a long silence, the long-haired man asked:
"You know me? How did you figure it out?"
Hearing this, Jiang Lin was filled with shock.
No way, he hadn't even reached his destination, yet he had encountered the person here?
But the shock in his heart was quickly replaced by excitement:
"Junior Jiang Lin, greetings to Senior Loren!!"
Jiang Lin straightened his back, took out the recommendation letter Master Antonio had given him from his spatial ring, and presented it with both hands:
"I am from the Saint Brilliance Magic Academy of the Saintas Kingdom.
"Through a fortuitous event, I heard of your deeds from Master Antonio, the honorary dean of the academy.
"Master Antonio said that you once traveled or lived in seclusion around 'Shuangyu Feng' in the northern ice field.
"My trip here was originally to seek you out, hoping to become your disciple and study under you.
"I never expected that in these ruins, I would accidentally activate this ancient teleportation array, and I never expected to encounter you directly here!!
"This is the recommendation letter Master Antonio wrote for me!"
Loren's gaze fell on the letter in Jiang Lin's hand.
"Antonio..."
He whispered the name, then fell into thought.
"Who was this person again...? Oh, I remember now, it's him."
Loren gave a light cough, his purple eyes sweeping over the letter, his fingertips lightly touching the paper as he said:
"You said you wanted to become my disciple?"
Jiang Lin took a deep breath, his eyes firm:
"Yes! Although my talent is dull, I have a heart for the sword. I beg you to take me as your disciple!"
He walked slowly down the altar, his ice-blue robe dragging behind him.
He stopped three steps in front of Jiang Lin, his gaze once again carefully examining the golden-haired youth before him.
"Do you know why I discarded my cultivation to start over?"
Loren asked suddenly.
Jiang Lin shook his head:
"I do not know."
Loren sighed lightly:
"Because if I had ascended normally, once I reached the 8th or 9th-rank, I would have been completely shackled.
"The gods breaking our life shackles is both a reward and a limitation.
"I chose not to become an apostle of god, so my upper limit was locked.
"That is why I chose to start cultivation from rank-0 again, allowing myself to reach the physical limit at every rank.
"Thus, with an upper limit of the 9th-rank, I attained the strongest combat power.
"My path is something others cannot learn, nor can they follow.
"You have already become an apostle of god, so you are not suited to walk my path."
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