Hearing Salas's words, Jiang Lin was somewhat dumbfounded.
Was he... really that valuable?
If it had been the old Jiang Lin hearing these conditions, it would have been impossible not to be tempted. After all, he could get a wife and so many benefits; he certainly wouldn't have refused.
"I have drifted for half my life, only regretting that I never met a worthy master! If the Castrot family does not find me unworthy, I, Lin, am willing to marry into the family!"
But now, Jiang Lin had the confidence given to him by the system. He also knew that he didn't just have talent in swordsmanship, but rather an incredible talent in every aspect, so he naturally wouldn't become a matrilocal son-in-law.
"If I marry into the Castrot family, who... would I be wedded to?" Jiang Lin asked out of curiosity.
Salas continued to smile warmly.
"The first choice would naturally not be my cousin Anya, as she is the daughter of the city lord. So, you would likely marry another female within the family; of course, her age would be similar to yours.
"However... if you demonstrate enough talent and you and my cousin build a sufficient emotional foundation, I believe the city lord would not refuse."
For a Jiang Lin without a system, this proposal of marrying into the family would have been an incredibly respectful offer.
After all, in the eyes of outsiders, no matter how high a person's talent in swordsmanship was, if they lacked the ability to increase their rank, weren't they still a loser?
Salas, seeing that his sister had gone to great lengths to praise Jiang Lin's talent, was willing to discuss it with the family and take this gamble.
He was gambling that the other party could struggle through to rank-1 and that after reaching rank-1, he would explode with startling potential.
"Then, after marrying in, will there be any impact on me?"
Seeing that Jiang Lin was interested, Salas explained for him:
"If you marry into the family, you would need to sign a contract with our family. This contract is quite complex with many terms, and I am not entirely clear on them all.
"But generally speaking, once you marry in, you are a member of our Castrot family. We will provide whatever you need, but if the family needs your strength, you must also contribute for the family's sake."
Jiang Lin nodded thoughtfully as he listened to Salas's introduction.
"Thank you for your kindness, but my ambitions lie elsewhere. Furthermore, I believe that by relying on myself, I can reach a sufficient height."
Salas looked at Jiang Lin's confident eyes and recalled his goal of hunting evil gods.
Although he wasn't optimistic about the other party's ideals, he didn't force the issue.
"That is quite a pity then. But regardless, the Castrot family will always be your friend."
Although Salas was only an elite member within the family and could not represent the family's will, this verbal goodwill still needed to be conveyed properly.
At this moment, as if seeing that their conversation had ended, the door to the treatment room was pushed open again. Forest walked in from outside, holding two somewhat aged skill books in his hands.
Jiang Lin accepted them with a word of thanks, his fingers tracing the covers of the skill books with excitement.
He had really hit the jackpot today.
Two skills, an upgrade opportunity, the goodwill of many Temple staff members, and most importantly, a Chronowalker's Evil Eye with immense potential!
Aside from almost dying, everything else was fine.
Jiang Lin couldn't even tell if that evil god had come to harm him or to bring him warmth.
It seemed Little Black was the same.
Not only did it bring him rewards for completing quests, but it also brought a legendary title.
Furthermore, Little Black itself was a learning machine that allowed for infinite loans—wherever he struggled, it was there to help!
Looking at it this way, these evil gods were his lucky stars!
"By the way, what rank of powerhouse is the Temple Master?" Jiang Lin asked curiously.
"For a city of Boulder City's scale, the minimum requirement for a Temple Master is rank-6, and the Temple Master is a rank-7 powerhouse.
"If her rank increases again and she has enough seniority, she can go to other, larger cities to serve as an administrator. Of course, she can also choose to stay here, but unless one has very deep feelings for a city, most Temple Masters will move to other cities after advancing," Salas explained.
A rank-7 powerhouse...
Jiang Lin didn't know how long it would take for him to reach such a realm. If he could cling to her leg, it would definitely ensure he could walk tall for a very long time.
Jiang Lin chatted with the two of them for a while longer before they finally left.
Before leaving, however, Salas said to Jiang Lin:
"You're quite heavily injured, so don't participate in the mid-term exam. Rest well for these two days."
However, Jiang Lin shook his head.
"This bit of injury is nothing. I want to exchange blows with more opponents of the same rank to hone my abilities."
Jiang Lin naturally wouldn't let this chance go.
After all, as long as others took the initiative to find him, he could basically trigger a temporary quest and obtain skill upgrade opportunities.
He had fought an evil god with rank-4 combat power, Matthew, and escaped with his life; compared to that, wouldn't facing other students of the same rank be as easy as beating up children?
It could only be said that while his arrogance had been dampened a little, after being praised repeatedly by a rank-4 and a rank-7 powerhouse, Little Lin was feeling a bit cocky again.
"Then have a priest check you over before you leave."
Seeing Jiang Lin's determination, Salas no longer tried to persuade him. Instead, after giving Jiang Lin a final instruction, he handed him a bracelet.
"This is the identity bracelet for your exams. It contains your identity information and is to be used during the exam.
"My cousin got it from your teacher and asked someone to pass it to me. She said she felt that after you woke up, you would probably demand to participate in the mid-term exam.
"Oh, right. She also said that if it's not too late, she can team up with you."
Jiang Lin took the bracelet, feeling a bit surprised and touched.
Little Anya is truly a good person!
He would definitely carry her to a win this time!
...
After the two left, Jiang Lin fumbled with the two skill books in his hand.
He still had three skills waiting to be learned: the mid-level and high-tier magic in his hands, and the mid-level combat technique back at school.
He opened the system panel. Taking advantage of the fact that he was still in the Temple treatment room where priests could heal him if anything went wrong, he used his remaining designated skill upgrade opportunity.
As for the skill, he had long since decided: naturally, it would be the most fundamental and important 【Paladin Breathing Technique】.
【Paladin Breathing Technique (limit-breakable 0/1) → (limit-breakable 1/1)】
In the next moment, a flood of memories surged forth, and Jiang Lin once again arrived in that space where he had previously practiced the 【Paladin Breathing Technique】.
However, unlike the last time he arrived when he had only reached the skilled level, this time he had already mastered the skill to a superlative level.
Arriving here, Jiang Lin was somewhat lost. He didn't know what else he could practice now that he had already raised his proficiency to the highest level.
But muscle memory still drove him to sit cross-legged once more and begin circulating the Paladin Breathing Technique.
Yet, this single sitting lasted for countless years.
Days and moons raced overhead like they were mad. Jiang Lin circulated the breathing technique he was so familiar with over and over again. In the blink of an eye, nearly twenty years had passed.
Jiang Lin opened his tired eyes. He had transformed from a youth into a middle-aged man. He didn't know how he was supposed to improve, or what this so-called "limit-break" actually meant.
But things having come to this, he could only continue to mechanically and numbly circulate the breathing technique once more.
In a flash, another twenty years passed.
Jiang Lin sat in place. Due to the long period without the slightest progress, his heart was like a candle with a burning flame that had already consumed its wick, leaving only a final flicker struggling to stay alight.
However, as time continued to flow, through the long and agonizing years, this final flicker could not escape the fate of burning out. Eventually, it extinguished bit by bit, and his heart fell into an endless darkness.
At this time, Jiang Lin was like a hollow man. He numbly circulated the 【Paladin Breathing Technique】, mechanically repeating the same thing he had done over and over again.
He felt that his direction might have been wrong from the start. Perhaps wanting to push the 【Paladin Breathing Technique】 to its limit wasn't a matter of repetitive practice.
But now that he was burnt out, he couldn't produce any other thoughts. He even began to hope it would end soon so he wouldn't have to endure such torture anymore.
However, such a thought was naturally naive. Based on past experiences, if he could not raise this skill to the maximum level in this lifetime, the system would reset time and send him back to his youth to continue deducing the skill.
Time flowed on, and Jiang Lin soon became a frail old man before dying without any surprises.
Time reset, memories returned, and Jiang Lin was back in his youth, numbly running the skill once more.
At this moment, his heart was a void. It was as if he had given up on thinking and on his ideals, throwing his entire body and soul into the 【Paladin Breathing Technique】.
In a flash, another several decades passed.
Perhaps the number of refinements was enough, or perhaps Jiang Lin had a sudden flash of inspiration.
During one cycle of the 【Paladin Breathing Technique】, a sliver of light flashed within Jiang Lin's heart.
But this sliver of light vanished in an instant. Jiang Lin failed to catch it and could only give up.
So Jiang Lin ran the breathing technique again, and this time, another sliver of light actually flashed in his heart.
Although he still didn't catch it, this undoubtedly gave Jiang Lin hope.
As long as the time was long enough and the repetitions were many enough, he would eventually catch that light!!
This caused the fire that had originally been extinguished in Jiang Lin's heart to begin burning again, like embers coming back to life.
Time flowed bit by bit. Although Jiang Lin might have been a bit clumsy and his talent somewhat unsatisfying, through countless attempts, Jiang Lin finally caught that sliver of light!
In the next moment, it was as if his entire body was being washed by holy light—warm, peaceful, and serene. Jiang Lin felt like a child held in his mother's arms, healed by the warmest harbor in the world.
This was the power of light elements. Jiang Lin felt that at this moment, he could actually hear the whispers of the light elements in the air.
At this point, the Jiang Lin of the second life had also become a frail old man.
【Obtained Talent: Pure Heart (Pseudo)】
【Pure Heart (Pseudo): Although you were not born with a pure heart that is naturally accepted by light elements, your persistent perseverance and effort have finally moved them, allowing the light elements to accept your existence. You are their child, and they are like your mother; they will give you help and healing. Although they may not do it perfectly, they stand behind you unconditionally.】
【You have comprehended the essence of the Paladin Breathing Technique. The Paladin Breathing Technique has broken its limit.】
【Paladin Breathing Technique (superlative) → (limit-broken)】
In the next moment, Jiang Lin opened his eyes. As countless memories flooded into his mind, the talent named 【Pure Heart (Pseudo)】 was also engraved into his body.
Although a large amount of the concept of time had been erased through the system's compression, such a massive volume of memory still caused Jiang Lin's brain to crash on the spot, and he fell unconscious.
Little Black looked at the kid who had just fallen asleep and waved a paw in front of his eyes in confusion.
Wait, weren't you just full of self-satisfaction a moment ago? Why are you suddenly out cold now?
"Meow meow meow?"
...
When he finally woke up dizzily, it was already the middle of the night.
His body felt warm, and his spirit didn't feel as sharp and painful as it did right after receiving the impact.
Jiang Lin could now keenly perceive the light elements in the air and clearly sense their movements; compared to before, it was more than a hundred times stronger.
And at this moment, the light elements in the air were slowly entering Jiang Lin's body, nourishing his spirit and relieving his mental tension.
Could this be the ability of 【Pure Heart (Pseudo)】?
Jiang Lin pondered in his heart.
However, since it was now the middle of the night, the light elements in the air were much fewer, so the overall amount of healing was pathetically small—one could even say it was a drop in the bucket.
But it was still healing nonetheless, and it could be provided continuously. Especially when Jiang Lin was unconscious and no one noticed, it could slowly heal him.
Thank you.
Jiang Lin conveyed this thought; it was his exclusive channel of communication with the light elements.
Just after conveying it, Jiang Lin himself was stunned.
Could this be the influence 【Pure Heart (Pseudo)】 had on him?
However, the thin light elements in the air appeared very happy after receiving Jiang Lin's response. But they were not living beings and had no consciousness; there was only a slight ripple, and then they naturally leaned toward this life form they felt close to.
Jiang Lin shook his head secretly and continued to observe the changes in himself.
The skill displayed that it had reached a realm called "limit-broken." He wondered if there were even higher levels above this.
Additionally, he had obtained a talent called 【Pure Heart (Pseudo)】, which made Jiang Lin think.
Was it because he broke the limit that he obtained this talent, or was it because he obtained this talent that the skill could break the limit?
He was curious and felt he could look up some reference materials to see if there were any records of people who possessed a true 【Pure Heart】.
But then Jiang Lin thought about it and felt it was a bit of a waste of time. He might as well use that time to run the breathing technique a few more times.
He would wait until the next skill broke its limit to observe it more and summarize the patterns.
After all, the sample size was too small to draw a statistical conclusion.
So, after breaking the limit, did his 【Paladin Breathing Technique】 have any changes?
Jiang Lin tried running it once, but after finishing, he found it wasn't much different from before, except the efficiency of the circulation seemed quite a bit higher—about fifty percent or so.
Furthermore, the capture of light elements in the air was also significantly faster than before.
Thinking of this, Jiang Lin stopped running the breathing technique.
If it was just an efficiency boost, Jiang Lin ultimately felt it was a bit of a loss. After all, in the memories given by the system, he had practiced for two whole lifetimes!
The pain involved was known only to him.
However, Jiang Lin's eyes soon widened.
Because after he stopped running the breathing technique, the technique that should have stopped did not. Instead, it was circulating on its own along the specific route!
The breathing technique... has become a passive that runs on its own?!!
Rate on N.U.
