He gritted his teeth and compressed all the power within his body to the absolute limit, condensing it into a three-colored light spear so solid it was almost tangible. He thrust it forward for one final blow against the shackles that were already covered in cracks.
“Crack.”
The shackles that had bound him for so long had finally shattered.
The next moment, an indescribably massive wave of energy surged from where the shackles had broken, rushing wildly through his body like a bursting flood.
This was his own long-suppressed potential, completely unleashed the instant the shackles broke.
His meridians were widened and reinforced under the washing of this energy.
His dantian expanded by a whole circle as the energy poured in.
The liquid golden magic essence surged in his dantian, its color gradually shifting from amber to a deeper, gold-red hue resembling the glow of a setting sun.
The values for Stamina and Spirit jumped wildly on the system panel, from 2.7 million to 2.8 million, from 2.8 million to 2.9 million, and from 2.9 million to 3.0 million.
Finally, they stopped at 3.1 million.
【Level】: Level 50 → Level 51
【Stamina】: 2.7 million → 2.8 million
【Spirit】: 2.7 million → 2.8 million
The 5th-Rank. He had reached it.
Jiang Lin opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath of turbid air.
Carrying the ice soul power within him, the turbid breath condensed into an exquisite ice crystal lotus in midair. It spun slowly a few times before shattering into countless tiny ice crystal particles that drifted away in the morning light.
He clenched his fists, feeling the newborn power surging within his body.
The gap between the 5th-Rank and the 4th-Rank was even larger than he had anticipated.
It was not just an increase in the total amount of magic essence, but a qualitative leap.
His liquid magic essence had condensed further during the breakthrough process. The gold-red mass of magic essence in his dantian was as thick as a physical substance; with every breath he took, it cycled through his meridians, washing away any impurities and hidden injuries along the way.
Furthermore, he could feel that the strength of his soul had also risen to a new level.
The Eternal Ice Soul had fused even deeper with his soul, allowing him to summon much richer ice elements with his every movement.
He stood up and stretched his limbs.
His joints popped with a slight cracking sound, crisper than ever before.
He looked down at his hand. The extremely faint crimson line on his palm was still there, but its color was slightly deeper than before—the mark left on him by the Blood Realm.
Gathering his thoughts, he turned and walked toward the exit of the Statue Hall.
At the end of the corridor, the deacon on duty stood holding a freshly replaced candlestick. Seeing Jiang Lin approach, the deacon bowed slightly.
“Congratulations on your breakthrough, Your Excellency.”
Jiang Lin nodded.
“Thank you.”
He walked out of the Temple and stood on the steps of the portico.
The Royal Capital in the early morning was completely different from when he had left a hundred and fifty days ago.
Back then, it was the dead of winter, and the bare plane trees lining the streets shivered in the cold wind.
Pedestrians were wrapped in thick winter clothes, their exhaled breath exceptionally visible in the freezing air.
Now, it was late spring.
The plane trees had sprouted tender green leaves that gleamed under the morning light.
The shops on both sides of the street had opened early, and the scent of freshly baked bread and flower tea drifted through the air.
Pedestrians had changed into light spring attire, walking with light steps, their faces relaxed in a way rarely seen during winter.
In the distance, the Royal Arena stood tall in the morning sun. The clamor of that final match was already a thing of the past, and it had now returned to the tranquility of an ordinary building.
Jiang Lin stood on the steps of the portico for a moment, taking a deep breath of the flower-scented air before stepping down.
Instead of returning directly to his territory, he headed to the Royal Capital's commercial district first.
A hundred and fifty days was neither too long nor too short.
The three back at the villa should be doing fine.
He bought some items, stored them in his spatial ring, and then walked along the official road toward the southern part of the city.
As for the other apostles who had completed the Spark Mission with him—
Lothar, Mavis, Selene, Good, Dorian, Victor, and Cyrus.
They each had their own teleportation channels and destinations.
Some might have returned directly to their respective Temple branches, some might have gone to other cities for new missions, and some might still be on the road.
Having fought side by side in Caeous for a hundred and fifty days, they now scattered into the crowd upon returning to the East Continent.
This was the norm for the apostles of god.
Gathered, they were a blazing fire; scattered, they were a sky full of stars.
Jiang Lin walked along the official road for about half an hour, turned onto a side path, and passed through a sparse forest before the view suddenly opened up.
Rolling hills stretched out, covered in wild, lush grass.
In the distance, the villa with pale yellow walls and a dark gray roof stood quietly in the morning light.
The holly in the yard had grown quite a bit taller compared to a hundred and fifty days ago, its new green leaves glistening under the sunlight.
The stone path in front of the villa was swept clean, and the wild grass on both sides had been cleared away, revealing the flat soil beneath.
Before he even reached the yard gate, a burly figure rushed out from inside.
Fenrir was still wearing his dark gray short tunic, with his man-height greatsword slung diagonally across his back. His short dark brown hair had grown a bit longer than a hundred and fifty days ago, sticking up in a messy fashion.
He ran up to Jiang Lin, sized him up several times, and then slapped his thigh hard.
“Teacher Jiang Lin! You're finally back!”
His voice was as booming as ever, causing the holly in the yard to shudder.
“A hundred and fifty days! Do you know what we've been through during these hundred and fifty days?”
Jiang Lin glanced at him, sensing the aura he exuded.
“You've reached the 5th-Rank mid-stage?”
Fenrir froze, scratched his head, and grinned.
“Yeah, I just broke through last month. Alicia is even faster than me; she's already at the 5th-Rank peak.”
He paused, then lowered his voice.
“Elune has also reached the 4th-Rank mid-stage. That astral power tempering method of hers is indeed incredible; her cultivation speed is way faster than ours.”
Jiang Lin nodded and stepped into the yard.
Alicia was standing at the entrance of the villa, clad in silver-gray light leather armor, the rapier at her waist gleaming with a cold light in the morning sun.
Her pale gold eyes looked at him calmly as she bowed slightly.
“Welcome back, Teacher Jiang Lin.”
Jiang Lin noticed that the faint, sharp aura surrounding her had become more condensed than it was a hundred and fifty days ago.
It was a sign that her sword intent was approaching the "intermediate condensation" stage.
“Your sword intent has improved.”
“It's all thanks to your previous guidance, Teacher.” Alicia stood up straight. “I've been meditating under the Old Oak every day for the past few months, and I finally touched the threshold of intermediate condensation last month.”
Jiang Lin nodded, his gaze passing over her to land on the light blue figure standing at the entrance.
Elune wore a light blue dress, her silver-purple hair woven into a loose side braid resting on her chest, with a fresh moonlight rose tied to the end.
Standing in the shadow of the doorway, her pale purple eyes looked at Jiang Lin. Her lips parted slightly, but in the end, she only softly said:
“You're back.”
“Yes, I'm back.”
Jiang Lin walked up to her, took something out of his spatial ring, and handed it to her.
It was a pendant polished from obsidian, a specialty of Caeous, with simple holy light runes engraved on its surface, casting a faint golden glow under the sunlight.
“A souvenir.”
Elune took the pendant, stared down at it for a moment, and then carefully put it around her neck.
“Thank you.”
Her voice was very soft, but a blush crept up to the tips of her ears.
Jiang Lin turned and walked into the villa.
The fire in the fireplace was burning brightly, casting a warm and luminous glow over the entire hall.
The pale blue wallpaper with silver patterns gleamed softly under the firelight.
Several moonlight roses on the mantelpiece had already bloomed, their pale silver petals swaying gently in the warmth of the fire.
He walked over to the sofa, sat down, rested his feet on the coffee table, and let out a long breath.
Fenrir sat opposite him, crossing his arms and staring intently at him.
“Teacher Jiang Lin, what rank are you now? Why does your aura feel so much stronger than before?”
“5th-Rank early stage.”
The hall fell silent for a brief moment.
Fenrir opened his mouth, then closed it.
His eyes scanned Jiang Lin up and down several times before he finally shook his head, speaking in a nearly numb tone.
“You were only at the 4th-Rank mid-stage when you left. A hundred and fifty days, and you've crossed an entire major rank?”
“I had some opportunities along the way,” Jiang Lin said without going into detail. “Haven't you guys made significant progress as well?”
“That's different.” Fenrir's expression was complex. “We're cultivating step-by-step, while you're... Forget it, I won't ask.”
Alicia sat down on a chair by the window, her pale gold eyes fixed on Jiang Lin.
She was silent for a moment before suddenly speaking.
“Teacher, your aura doesn't feel like a simple 5th-Rank early stage. Your magic essence... feels much more condensed than an ordinary 5th-Rank early stage.”
Jiang Lin glanced at her and did not deny it.
“My situation is rather unique; the foundation of my every rank is much sturdier than average. So even though my level is only at the 5th-Rank early stage, my actual combat strength is far beyond that.”
Alicia nodded and asked no further.
Elune sat on the sofa next to Jiang Lin, holding two cups of freshly brewed flower tea.
She handed one cup to Jiang Lin and held the other herself, her pale purple eyes looking at him through the rising steam.
“Was the mission successful?”
“Yes, it went well.” Jiang Lin took a sip of the tea. “Exceeded expectations.”
“Teacher Jiang Lin, tell us quickly! What did you do during these hundred and fifty days? What was that planet like? Did you meet any powerful opponents?”
Jiang Lin took another sip of tea and began recounting his journey, starting from the Spark Mission.
The seven apostles of god, the gray-brown soil and pale purple sky of Caeous, the native inhabitants eroded by pollution, the ambushes and counter-ambushes with the Demon God Apostles, the establishment of the holy light statues, the growth of the faith value, and finally, the ten-man encirclement in the withered forest.
He kept his story brief without exaggerating the details, yet Fenrir's eyes shone with excitement. Even Alicia put down the book in her hand, focusing her pale gold eyes intently on him.
Elune sat quietly across from him. The tea in her cup had already gone cold, but she hadn't taken a single sip.
When Jiang Lin mentioned that he had built over twenty statues of the God of Holy Light and developed over a hundred thousand believers on Caeous, Fenrir bolted upright on the sofa.
“Over a hundred thousand? By yourself?”
“Not alone. The other apostles were there too.”
“That's still ridiculous.” Fenrir scratched his head. “A hundred and fifty days, and over a hundred thousand people came to believe in your righteous god. Were you guys proselytizing or fighting a war?”
“Both.”
Jiang Lin set his teacup down and continued.
“...In the end, the teleportation array sent us back to the Royal Capital Temple. And with that, the mission was complete.”
Jiang Lin picked up his cup and finished the last sip of the cold flower tea, bringing his story to a close.
The hall remained quiet for a brief moment.
Leaning back on the sofa with his arms crossed, the excitement on Fenrir's face slowly gave way to a complex, contemplative look. He stayed silent for quite a while before finally speaking.
“So on that planet, you built so many statues, gathered over a hundred thousand believers, wiped out all ten of those Demon God Apostles, and then went from the 4th-Rank mid-stage to the 5th-Rank early stage.”
He paused, adding in an almost accusatory tone:
“In just a hundred and fifty days.”
Jiang Lin set his teacup down.
“More or less.”
Fenrir opened his mouth, then shut it.
He turned to look at Alicia, seemingly searching for some kind of mutual understanding.
Alicia didn't look at him.
Sitting on the chair by the window, her pale gold eyes remained on Jiang Lin. Her expression was calm, but her fingers tightened slightly around the edge of the book she held.
“You said earlier,” she began, “that your Blood Demon only survived for less than five minutes after entering the rift in the Abyss of Slaughter.”
“Yes.”
“And that eroding power could even trace its way back to you through the mental link.”
“Yes.”
Alicia fell silent for a moment, then gave a soft nod. “For now, that place is indeed off-limits.”
Fenrir scratched his head.
“I thought you'd bring back some incredible treasure from your trip, but you only brought back a pendant.”
Jiang Lin glanced at him.
“You want a treasure?”
“Not really,” Fenrir grinned. “I just figured that since you went through all that trouble, you'd have something to show off.”
“Does over a hundred thousand believers count?”
Fenrir thought about it.
“It counts. But it's intangible. Not solid enough.”
Jiang Lin took out the obsidian pendant he had brought back from Caeous and tossed it lightly in his hand.
“Then do you think this is solid enough?”
Fenrir glanced at the pendant, then at the almost identical one around Elune's neck, and wisely shut his mouth.
Elune lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously tracing the shallow holy light runes on the surface of the pendant, the blush on the tips of her ears still lingering.
“Oh, right,” she suddenly looked up as if remembering something. “A few days after you left, your master came by.”
Jiang Lin's movements paused.
“My master?”
“Yes.” Elune nodded. “He came from the Northern Ice Field. He said he had heard about you winning the National Competition and wanted to praise you in person. But when he arrived and found you gone, he asked us where you went.”
“What did you tell him?”
“We told him you had gone to execute a mission for the apostles of god and wouldn't be back anytime soon,” Elune recalled. “He didn't say much after hearing that, only nodding before... walking around the villa and taking a look at your territory.”
...
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