He nodded slightly, sat back down, closed 【Starlight Flash】, and put it into his spatial ring, planning to return the book tomorrow and borrow the second one, 【Holy Light Armor】.
For the next half month, Jiang Lin visited the library of the Royal Capital Temple once every day to return one book and borrow another.
One by one, at a pace of one every two or three days, he brought all six king-tier skill books back to his territory.
Without Little Black by his side to assist, the time it took to initiate each book was significantly longer than before.
【Holy Light Armor】 took six days to initiate.
【Holy Light Fist】 took five and a half days to initiate.
【Spatial Shockwave】 took four days to initiate. This skill had a very high compatibility with his spatial perception system, making it faster than the previous ones.
【Spatial Barrier】 took five days to initiate.
【Holy Light Warhammer Technique】 took seven days to initiate. This was the one he spent the most time on; after all, the way one exerted force with a warhammer was vastly different from swordsmanship, and his body required a longer adaptation process.
In fifteen days, all six king-tier skills were initiated.
Then, it was time for the “little black room.”
His accumulated 426 Random Skill Upgrades were gradually consumed over this half-month period.
First was 【Holy Light Armor】, costing sixty-five points.
From initiated to superlative, and from superlative to limit-broken.
After breaking its limit, he honed it nearly a thousand times in his mental space before truly integrating this defense technique into his bodily instincts.
Now, with just a thought, a layer of golden armor condensed from holy light would cover his entire body, providing all-around physical and magical defense.
Next was 【Holy Light Fist】, costing sixty-five points.
The destructive power of a single punch after limit-breaking far surpassed ordinary king-tier combat techniques.
He fought against hordes of puppets in his mental space using this fist technique for countless battles. Going from initially clumsy to later smooth and flowing, every single punch carried the distinct searing heat and penetrating power of holy light.
Then was 【Spatial Shockwave】, costing sixty-five points.
The limit-broken Spatial Shockwave was no longer just an auxiliary skill to “interfere with the enemy,” but an effective means to coordinate with spatial cutting to form chain attacks.
First, the shockwave would disrupt and destroy the opponent's spatial defenses, and then the cutting would tear through their vital points. With this combo, most defensive measures would be utterly dismantled.
Next was 【Spatial Barrier】, costing sixty-five points.
The limit-broken Spatial Barrier could construct multiple overlapping spatial walls in a short time, making it far better suited than a single Holy Light Armor for dealing with continuous attacks.
Finally, 【Holy Light Warhammer Technique】, costing sixty-five points.
This skill underwent the greatest change after limit-breaking.
Upon initiation, it was merely a heavy warhammer condensed from holy light, relying on pure weight and impact to win.
After breaking its limit, both the volume and weight of the warhammer more than doubled, and it could unleash an additional shockwave at the moment of swinging, blasting back all enemies within range.
The six skills had consumed three hundred and ninety Random Skill Upgrades.
Since they had reached the king-tier, the number of Designated Skill Upgrades required to break their limits had changed to thirty-two.
When converted to Random Skill Upgrades, that was sixty-four.
As for the remaining one hundred and one points, he left them untouched for now.
He would keep them in reserve to use when he encountered more suitable new skills in the future.
On the evening fifteen days later, Jiang Lin stood in the open space behind his manor and practiced the recently learned skills one by one.
Holy Light Armor manifested on his body, covering him in a layer of pale gold armor with intricate rune patterns flowing across its surface.
He raised his right hand, and the holy light warhammer condensed in his palm. The hammerhead was a full circle larger than he was, its surface burning with golden flames.
He swung, and as the warhammer slammed into the ground, a golden shockwave rippled outward, shaking the leaves and branches of several shrubs ten paces away.
Immediately after, he dispelled the warhammer, clenched his right fist, and prepared his Holy Light Fist.
He punched a bluestone that was half-buried at the edge of the clearing.
The stone exploded down the middle, shattering into fragments that flew in all directions.
He took a step back, a silver-white light sweeping across his body.
Starlight Flash!
He appeared silently ten paces away.
He raised his left hand again—Spatial Barrier!
A transparent silver wall unfolded in front of him like a curved mirror, blocking all the flying stone fragments outside.
Then he raised his hand and waved it gently toward the center of the clearing.
Spatial Shockwave.
An invisible ripple spread outward with his palm as the center, and the air in front of him warped and trembled like stirred water.
Wherever the ripple passed, the gravel and fallen leaves on the ground bounced up simultaneously, hovering in mid-air for a brief moment before raining down.
He withdrew his hand, the golden armor on his body slowly dissipating as the silver glow retracted.
The 5th-Rank early stage magic essence flowed smoothly through his body. After several days of repeated practice, his control over these six new skills had become highly proficient.
Furthermore, he could feel that each limit-broken skill enhanced his affinity in a certain area.
The armor enhanced his holy light affinity, the fist technique boosted his physical strength, the shockwave and barrier improved his space affinity, and the warhammer technique made his strength control much more precise.
Although these improvements did not seem like much individually, combined together, they provided an all-around boost to his combat strength.
If he were to face those 6th-rank peak Demon God Apostles on Planet Caeous again, he was confident he could take on ten of them all by himself.
Standing in the twilight, his golden eyes gazed at the distant hills dyed golden-red by the setting sun.
“Teacher Jiang Lin.”
Fenrir's voice came from the manor's entrance. Standing under the porch with a steaming cup of tea in hand, he looked at Jiang Lin with a highly complex expression:
“Over this past half month... did you get stronger again?”
“Yes, I learned a few new skills.”
“In just half a month?” Fenrir's expression grew even more convoluted. “Just what did you eat growing up? Back when I was at Silver Moon Academy, it took me a whole month of hard work just to barely initiate a single king-tier combat technique. You managed six in half a month?”
Jiang Lin simply replied:
“My previous foundation was solid enough, so learning them was a bit faster.”
Fenrir fell silent for a moment, took a sip of his tea, and looked at him with an “as if I'd believe you” expression, but did not press further.
Alicia had returned from the back mountain at some point and was standing next to the holly bushes by the courtyard wall.
Hearing Jiang Lin's words, her pale gold eyes flickered slightly, and she lowered her head in thought.
She knew very well that the “solid foundation” Jiang Lin spoke of was definitely not just ordinary accumulation.
That kind of speed had already exceeded the boundaries of talent, but she also understood that some things should not be pried into.
Elune poked her head out of the kitchen, and seeing Jiang Lin still standing in the open area, she called out:
“Dinner's ready.”
The four of them gathered around the dining table.
With roast chicken, stew, fresh bread, and a large bowl of vegetable soup, the steam from the food rose in the firelight of the fireplace, making the entire hall warm and cozy.
Fenrir munched on a chicken leg while muttering about the recent changes in the territory—how the radishes in a certain vegetable patch were growing well, or how a certain chicken had run to the kitchen door to steal food again and was chased halfway across the yard by Elune with a wooden spoon.
Alicia quietly sipped her soup, occasionally chiming in with her thoughts on swordsmanship cultivation.
Sitting across from Jiang Lin, Elune watched him through the steam rising from the teacup on the table with her pale purple eyes. She did not say much, only occasionally ladling some soup for him or passing him a piece of bread.
As Jiang Lin ate, his mind was already on tomorrow's plans.
He had fully mastered all six skills, and the teleportation array's coordinates had been calibrated. It was time for him to prepare to set out.
Come to think of it, as the leader of one of the Four Great Secret Cults, he had not yet met the actual Four Great Secret Cults.
Right, since he was so handsome, he would need to alter his appearance.
Speaking of which, he had not used the 【Slaughter Disguise】 effect granted by the 【Crimson Slaughterer】 in quite a long time.
When the time came, he could disguise himself as a cultist he had killed in the past to sneak in.
“I'm full.”
Jiang Lin put down his utensils and wiped his hands.
Fenrir raised his greasy face:
“Leaving tomorrow?”
“Yes, I'll prepare tonight. We set out first thing tomorrow morning.”
The hall fell silent for a moment.
Elune's fingers gently brushed the edge of the table. She said nothing, only standing up to clear the dishes.
Alicia closed the book in her hands, glanced at Jiang Lin, and nodded.
Late at night, Jiang Lin stood alone in his room on the second floor, taking inventory of the supplies in his spatial ring.
Dry rations, fresh water, potions, magic crystals, and a change of clothes.
Then, he raised his right hand, shifting his thoughts slightly.
A layer of dark red blood mist welled up from his palm, creeping up his arm.
It covered his shoulders, neck, head, and limbs, eventually wrapping his entire body in a thin, pulsating blood-colored halo that ebbed and flowed like breath.
The blood mist circulated over his body for several breaths before slowly receding.
As the last trace of blood sank into his skin, Jiang Lin walked to the mirror on the wall and took a look.
The face in the mirror had completely changed.
It was pale and gaunt, with prominent cheekbones, deeply sunken eye sockets, and a thin, old scar on the chin.
His hair was a messy, grayish-brown, sticking out wildly as if it had not been groomed for days.
He looked entirely like a down-and-out traveler who was chronically malnourished and had survived countless battles.
This was an enemy he had killed back on Planet Teluofuto.
As for exactly when and where he had killed them, he could no longer remember clearly.
He had only gotten a general sense of the person's aura and appearance.
However, the mechanism of 【Slaughter Disguise】 was that as long as he had killed the target, he could extract their appearance and aura characteristics, so he did not need to worry about the accuracy.
He touched his face. The feel was completely real; the contours of his bones and the texture of his skin were identical to what he saw in the mirror, and he could even feel the bump of the scar on his chin.
He looked down at his hands; his knuckles were slightly thicker than before, and the lines on his palms had changed as well.
“Not bad.”
He turned around, pushed the door open, and went downstairs.
The lights in the hall had already been extinguished, leaving only the dark red embers in the fireplace slowly glowing.
He walked through the corridor, pushed open the wall concealing the hidden door, and descended the stone steps into the basement.
The light from the moonlight stones illuminated the stone platform.
After being repaired, the runes of the teleportation array were completely sealed and intact, with the five crystals in their slots steadily emitting a pale silver light.
Jiang Lin stood before the stone platform, placed his hand on the edge of the array disc, and confirmed the direction of the coordinate anchor one last time.
“How long will you be gone?”
A voice came from behind him.
Jiang Lin turned around and saw Elune standing at the bottom of the steps. She wore only a thin, light-gray outer coat, her silvery-purple hair cascading over her shoulders.
She had clearly gotten up in a hurry after hearing the noise, clutching a small, unlit lamp in her hand.
“Hard to say.” He turned to face her. “If it's fast, a few days. If it's slow, maybe one or two weeks. I haven't seen the situation over there with my own eyes, so it's hard to judge.”
Elune fell silent for a moment, then nodded.
She did not ask him not to go. She simply murmured:
“Take care of yourself, then.”
“I will.” Jiang Lin paused. “I'll be back.”
He turned back around, facing the teleportation array once more.
A silver-white light glowed from the edge of the array disc, lighting up layer by layer along the rune patterns.
The light grew brighter and brighter, illuminating the entire basement as if it were broad daylight.
At the moment the light reached its peak, Jiang Lin stepped into the array.
His vision warped abruptly. There was no color in the spatial tunnel; only endless silver-white light parted to both sides, forming a narrow passage that was rapidly collapsing and reshaping.
The walls of the tunnel were as smooth as mirrors, and he could faintly see his own reflection flashing past on both sides.
In an instant, that disguised, unfamiliar face was stretched, deformed, shattered, and reassembled.
With no solid ground beneath his feet, he felt as though he were being swept along by an invisible river.
Keeping his spatial perception at its maximum range, he could feel the space elements on the tunnel walls vibrating at an unstable frequency, like a drumhead stretched too tight.
Then, a tear appeared in the silver-white light ahead.
He plunged headfirst into the rift.
The impact of landing was heavier than he had anticipated.
His left foot touched down first, his knee bending slightly to absorb the shock, while his right hand braced against the ground the moment he made contact, preventing him from faceplanting.
Stench.
A smell so intense that it made him instinctively want to hold his breath rushed over him.
It was a mix of decaying organic matter, moldy soil, rust, and some sort of pungent chemical substance.
It was like a drainage ditch that had not been cleaned for decades, combined with the sour, rotten smell of ancient grime and fermented fungi.
Jiang Lin stood up from the ground and looked around.
He was in a sewer.
The walls on both sides were built of rough, dark stone bricks, their surfaces covered in a thick, slimy layer of gray moss.
The ground beneath his feet was semi-dry silt, mixed with fine gravel and some unidentifiable garbage.
About two meters above him was an arched brick dome, with a completely dimmed magic lamp socket embedded at regular intervals.
He looked down behind him.
The receiving end of the teleportation array was not far from his feet.
It was a stone platform almost identical to the one in his manor's hidden room.
But at this moment, the rune patterns on the surface of the stone platform were fracturing, peeling, and turning into grayish-white powder at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The five crystals in the slots shattered simultaneously, making a soft “crackling” sound, like the crisp sound of glass being stepped on.
......
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