The treatment room was deathly silent. Salas remained quiet for a long while, looking at the rank-3 paladin before him. He couldn't quite fathom why this boy confidently believed he could hunt an evil god rather than simply deal damage to its secret cult.
However, Salas answered honestly, "That question... I'm not sure. After all, that is a level far beyond what I can access."
"Then I must work hard to become stronger, until I reach a level where I can know."
Jiang Lin checked his internal state and, finding no issues, asked the two by his bed, "How long was I unconscious? Has the mid-term exam started?"
Seeing that Jiang Lin was still concerned about such matters, the two were at a loss for words.
And considering the context of his previous question, had he already made hunting an evil god his goal?!
"You were unconscious for six hours. Your school's mid-term exam was not postponed because there were no major casualties and because of the rental fees for the artificial secret realm."
A dignified, cool voice rang out from the doorway. A woman who appeared to be in her forties appeared.
She wore ivory-white Temple robes. Unlike a common mage like Forest, the edges of her robes were adorned with clusters of intricate patterns stitched in gold thread, making her look elegant and noble.
Her silver-gray hair was tied behind her head. Her face was solemn, with shallow wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. Her overall aura was one of poise and authority.
Upon seeing her, the two men who had been sitting immediately stood up and bowed. "Hall Master!"
Jiang Lin was surprised. Is this the hall master of the Boulder City Temple?
Following their lead, he also bowed his head slightly to the lady. "Greetings, Hall Master!"
The hall master showed little reaction, merely nodding slightly with a smile that was kind yet maintained her authority. "No need for such formalities. Sit down. I was just passing by and decided to stop in to see this genius youth."
As she spoke, she looked at Jiang Lin, who was sitting on the bed.
Just being stared at by her made Jiang Lin feel an immense pressure.
Is this the pressure of the strong? Or was it the natural suppression of a high-level, high life level being against someone of low level like himself?
He raised his head to look at her, and his right eye suddenly throbbed with a sharp pain.
Immediately, the afterimages his Chronowalker's Evil Eye saw regarding the hall master began to blur.
Jiang Lin was shocked. His newly acquired ability had actually failed against her?!
But on second thought, it made sense. After all, even Salas, a gold badge knight, was rank-4. As the hall master managing an entire city's Temple, she had to be at least rank-6, right?
"I wouldn't dare call myself a genius. I'm just an ordinary student who happened to stumble into this incident."
Jiang Lin quickly looked away, no longer staring directly at her to avoid further pain in his right eye.
The hall master smiled faintly, clearly holding a different view. "I feel that Salas's speculation is likely correct. After all, you are a paladin with considerable potential. To those secret cults, you are undoubtedly a thorn in their side. There is no need for such modesty."
Approaching Jiang Lin's bedside, she spoke again. "Let me formally introduce myself. I am the Hall Master of Boulder City, Cecilia Brightstar. It seems you have some thoughts about hunting an evil god?"
Hearing this, everyone present felt a bit awkward.
Based on her words, it was obvious she had been eavesdropping on their conversation for a while—at least since before Salas had shared his theory.
Jiang Lin hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "The Hall Master is laughing at me."
Cecilia didn't mean to mock him; instead, she encouraged him. "High ambitions are very good."
She paused and then said, "I have heard that every so often, the seven righteous gods will select talented individuals from among their people to become their apostles.
"Once one becomes a so-called apostle, perhaps there will be an opportunity to hunt an evil god."
Jiang Lin was surprised. He didn't expect her to share such things with a rank-3 student. After all, even Salas, a rank-4 paladin, didn't seem to know about this.
However, Cecilia added, "Of course, this is just a rumor. I don't know for certain if these so-called apostles exist. It's just that I've lived a long time and heard many rumors."
As she spoke, she exuded the weary aura of someone who had seen much of the world's changes.
Jiang Lin didn't know how to respond, so he remained appropriately silent.
He didn't know her personality. If he tried to flatter her now by saying she looked young, it wouldn't fit the image of a fifteen-year-old student. So, he decided to wait and see how Salas and the other reacted.
Though she looked to be in her forties, her true age was likely much older. The higher an adventurer's rank, the longer their lifespan. If she appeared forty, her actual age might be double that, or even several times more.
Jiang Lin didn't know much about the internal structure of the Temple, but logically, anyone who could reach such a position in this transcendent world was certainly not simple.
At that moment, Salas spoke up. "How credible does the Hall Master think this rumor is?"
Cecilia thought for a moment. "This world is too vast; the knowledge we possess is always but a corner of this grand world. I believe there is a sixty percent chance that this is real, and a forty percent chance that your speculation is close to the truth."
Saying this, she turned to look at Jiang Lin with a smile.
"So, young paladin, you must work hard to achieve your goal.
"Who knows, perhaps one day, you truly will succeed in slaying a god..."
Jiang Lin nodded vigorously. At the same time, the palm he was using to pet Little Black grew slightly sweaty.
The pressure this hall master gave off was too strong. Even though she spoke peacefully and even showed kindness, it still made him very nervous.
Is this the terror of a high-tier powerhouse?
Jiang Lin swallowed hard and continued to listen to the hall master.
"By the way, I heard that the student named Matthew suddenly lost control of his bowels at the final moment. Do you have any insight into that?"
Hall Master Cecilia looked at Jiang Lin.
Jiang Lin froze for a moment, feeling a bit embarrassed. He organized his words and said, "Just a little trick. I used 【Low-level Strengthening】, but I changed the effect to 'strengthen intestinal peristalsis.' Then, relying on the trait that positive buff skills can ignore most defenses, I applied the effect to him."
Jiang Lin spoke calmly, but the three people present fell into a slight silence. They looked at Jiang Lin with strange eyes, making him feel quite uncomfortable.
A bizarre silence filled the room.
After a long time, the silence was finally broken.
Hall Master Cecilia rubbed her brow, seemingly unsure what to say. She looked at the handsome paladin with a mix of confusion and admiration, then encouraged him, "You truly are talented. I hope you use your talent in the right places.
"But since you are a paladin, I suppose I don't need to worry. I believe you will grow well."
She paused, then continued, "Since you've already developed the low-level version of 【Strengthening】 to this level, I trust you will have no problem mastering higher levels of the spell."
She turned to Salas. "Salas, please borrow the 【Mid-level Strengthening】 and 【High-level Strengthening】 from the Temple's archives for this young paladin."
Salas nodded obediently. "Yes!"
Jiang Lin hurried to bow. "Thank you, Hall Master!"
Cecilia raised her hand. "No need for formalities. The 【Strengthening】 spell was refined by many predecessors. The current cultivation order from low to high allows you to master it from the shallow to the deep.
"And it is said that once you have completely mastered every stage of 【Strengthening】 and your proficiency reaches a certain level, the low, mid, and high tiers can merge into a truly complete version of 【Strengthening】. Its effect far exceeds any of the three individual skills."
Cecilia continued, "However, very few people reach that level."
She looked into Jiang Lin's eyes. "So, do you have the confidence to meet this condition?"
Jiang Lin felt a bit unnerved by her gaze. How could he dare say 'no'?
"I will do my best."
Was the hall master testing him? Or was this a challenge she had set for him?
Cecilia smiled slightly, chatted with everyone for a few more moments, and then left the Temple's treatment room.
Only after watching her walk completely out of the room did Jiang Lin breathe a sigh of relief.
The pressure she put on him was too great; this was his first time interacting with a powerhouse of that level.
After Cecilia left, the treatment room fell back into a hushed stillness. They didn't dare discuss the hall master now, as someone of her level might still be able to hear their conversation from outside.
At that moment, Salas called out to Forest.
"Forest."
"Does the lord have any orders?"
"Go and fetch the 【Mid-level Strengthening】 and 【High-level Strengthening】 skill books for Jiang Lin."
"Yes."
A gold badge staff member was the superior of a silver badge staff member, so it was normal for Salas to order Forest like this.
However, Forest found it a bit strange why he was being sent, as the Temple library wasn't far away. After a moment of silence, he read between the lines: Salas wanted to speak with Jiang Lin alone.
Thus, Forest obediently departed.
Only Jiang Lin and Salas remained in the treatment room.
"By the way, my cousin has a very high opinion of you."
Jiang Lin was confused. Who was his cousin?
Seeing Jiang Lin's confusion, Salas reminded him, "My name is Salas, and my surname is Castrot."
Jiang Lin froze, looking at the blond, gold-eyed paladin. He felt a strange sense of familiarity in the man's features.
That's right! Anya's surname was Castrot, wasn't it?
Since people in this world usually went by their given names and only used surnames on formal occasions, Jiang Lin was used to calling Anya by her name and had almost forgotten her surname.
As for Jiang Lin, since he had been an orphan for as long as he could remember and had no memory of his parents, no one knew his surname. To this day, he only had a single name.
This situation wasn't uncommon; most orphans in this world only had a single name and no surname.
"Is Miss Anya your cousin?" Jiang Lin confirmed.
"Correct. My cousin mentioned you and told me about your amazing talent for swordsmanship. That 【Light Blade】 skill was something she only gave you yesterday, wasn't it?"
Hearing this, Jiang Lin grew nervous.
After all, his current speed in mastering 【Light Blade】 was indeed too fast.
Facing Matthew today, the situation had been too dire, so he had to push his skill usage to the highest proficiency.
Furthermore, he hadn't hidden his use of 【Seven Star Holy Glow Slash】. Anya could tell at a glance that his proficiency was far beyond just perfect.
Others might not know and assume Jiang Lin had been practicing for a long time, but as the one who provided the skill, Anya definitely knew the truth.
For Jiang Lin to reach a superlative level in a newly acquired sword skill in just one day was highly abnormal.
"Being able to master swordsmanship to this degree in such a short time makes me harbor some suspicions..."
Jiang Lin was tense, but he forced his muscles to relax and kept his heart rate at a normal level.
"Oh? What suspicions?" he asked, pretending to be nonchalant.
"I was wondering... does Jiang Lin possess the potential of a sword saint? Or were you born with a sword-related talent?"
Hearing this, Jiang Lin's hanging heart finally settled.
However, what the man said next made Jiang Lin's jaw drop.
"If it is as I suspect and you have the potential of a sword saint, the Castrot family would very much welcome your joining!"
Jiang Lin didn't quite react. "Wait, what do you mean by joining your family?"
Salas smiled slightly. "Exactly what it sounds like. If you are willing to marry into our family as a matrilocal husband, the Castrot family is willing to pour resources into you.
"Right now, your level progression is indeed slow, but with sufficient resources, that won't be a problem at all. We can hire professional teachers and invest massive resources to help you break through from rank-0 to rank-1!
"And after breaking through to rank-1, your 【Paladin Breathing Technique】 will no longer be a necessity. With your talent, switching to any sword-related breathing technique will allow you to rise rapidly.
"As far as I know, our Boulder City Castrot family library has a remnant of the 【Sword Breathing Technique】, which would be more than enough for you to use for quite a long time.
"And if you continue to show even greater talent, our Castrot family can use our influence to contact the current sword saint and introduce you as a disciple."
Rate on N.U.
