Chapter Nine: Engagement
"Lord Fallen Leaf." Gilmer, seeing how rude Lin Lei had been, hurriedly apologized to Fallen Leaf. "Lord Fallen Leaf, Lin Lei is only seventeen this year. I hope Lord Fallen Leaf can forgive his disrespect."
Gilmer knew full well the influence Fallen Leaf wielded within the Church of Light. This Lord Fallen Leaf could be considered the spiritual leader of the ascetic cultivators. Even the Pope of Light could not forcibly order Fallen Leaf to do anything.
Fallen Leaf's right hand, wrinkled and gnarled like a chicken's claw, gently stroked his tangled beard as he watched Lin Lei's retreating figure with interest. "Disrespect? No, no. I wouldn't call it disrespect. I'd simply say this young man is very decisive in his actions."
Gilmer froze.
He hadn't expected that Lord Fallen Leaf, who had initially had a poor impression of Lin Lei, now seemed to appreciate him.
"Gilmer." Fallen Leaf looked at Gilmer.
"Lord Fallen Leaf, please give your instructions," Gilmer said respectfully.
Fallen Leaf smiled and said, "This Lin Lei has killing intent boiling in his heart. He's decisive. I think a person like him, whether in matters of business or in killing, will never hesitate. Such a person is most suited to become a sharp sword for our Church of Light."
Gilmer understood what Fallen Leaf meant.
Although the Church of Light's doctrine preached kindness and goodness, the Church was equally ruthless toward heretics. That required ruthless people. This was precisely why the Inquisition had originally been formed.
"Perhaps in the future, this young man named Lin Lei will become the next Chief Inquisitor of the Inquisition," Fallen Leaf said softly.
Gilmer couldn't help but look at Lin Lei's departing figure.
The Chief Inquisitor of the Inquisition?
Gilmer knew very well that the Inquisition's "Chief Inquisitor" could be considered the second most powerful figure in the Church of Light. In a certain sense, one could even say the Chief Inquisitor's status was on par with the Pope of Light.
The Pope of Light was the openly acknowledged supreme leader of the Church.
And the Inquisition's "Chief Inquisitor" was the supreme leader of the Church's most powerful covert force!
"Lord Fallen Leaf, are you willing to guide him?" Gilmer asked again.
But Fallen Leaf simply shook his head.
"Why?" Gilmer was somewhat puzzled. Since he admired the boy, why would he refuse to guide him?
Fallen Leaf shook his head and said, "My method of cultivation is not suitable for him. The path I walk requires a pure heart and a longing for the light. But the path he walks… is likely the path of slaughter."
Gilmer nodded.
"Gilmer, you don't need to find a teacher for him. The truly strong all carve out a path of their own through their own comprehension. What others teach is, in the end, someone else's understanding."
Fallen Leaf looked at Gilmer. "You are currently a Ninth-Level Grand Magus, but why have I never guided you? That is the reason. Even if I told you my insights and my comprehension, you still wouldn't succeed, because it is only through experiencing things again and again, allowing the soul to undergo metamorphosis time and again, that one can perceive the deepest mysteries. Only then can you ultimately succeed."
"Remember — rely on yourself," Fallen Leaf said with a smile.
Gilmer nodded.
He had not entered the Saint Realm, so he couldn't understand the difference between the Saint Realm and the Ninth Level. Although he sometimes wondered whether Fallen Leaf was simply being stingy with his knowledge, the sincere look and tone in Fallen Leaf's eyes and voice now convinced him.
"Perhaps it really does come down to relying on oneself."
Gilmer had been stuck at the Ninth-Level Grand Magus stage for quite some time, and he longed for a breakthrough.
After all, the gap between the Ninth Level and the Saint Realm was like the difference between earth and sky.
Lin Lei's estate, the Hot Spring Garden.
Beside the pool of hot spring water, Lin Lei sat cross-legged in quiet meditation.
"Gurgle gurgle~~" Strange sounds continuously emanated from deep within Lin Lei's body. His bones and muscles writhed and trembled constantly, while beads of sweat slowly seeped out from every pore.
Practicing the Dragon Blood Secret Manual yielded effects more than ten times greater than any ordinary Dou Qi Scripture.
For a cultivation method with such demanding requirements as the Dragon Blood Secret Manual, such results were only to be expected.
"Why is human cultivation so complicated?" Bei Bei lay beside Lin Lei, its little head tilting as it glanced at him, full of confusion. "They have all sorts of different Dou Qi Scriptures, and they're divided into different constitutions?"
As a magical beast, cultivation was simple for it — it simply absorbed the dark-system elements from the outside world and integrated them into every part of its body, into its Magic Crystal Core.
There was no great mystery. It was just straightforward absorption.
Lin Lei maintained this quiet routine. The vast majority of his days were devoted to cultivation. Several different training methods complemented each other effectively, allowing his body to endure the strain.
In the blink of an eye, more than ten days had passed.
"Whoosh!"
Lin Lei held the 'Violet Blood' divine sword and practiced various basic techniques again and again.
At what angle was the thrust fastest?
How should he control Violet Blood's vibration to minimize air resistance, so the sword could move even faster?
Again and again, the monotonous thrusts.
Each time Lin Lei's hand moved, a streak of purple light flashed.
The speed was breathtaking.
But Lin Lei was still unsatisfied. He pushed for the limit time and again. Drawing on a wind-element mage's sensitivity to wind elements, he strove to make 'Violet Blood' flow even more fluidly, even faster.
"My lord!" A servant's voice came from outside the Hot Spring Garden.
Lin Lei paused, then with a flick of his hand, the Violet Blood divine sword vanished. No one would ever notice that the soft Violet Blood sword had already coiled around his waist.
To an ordinary observer, it would simply look like a purple belt.
"Come in," Lin Lei said.
A pretty maid hurried in, glancing at Lin Lei with a look of admiration before immediately lowering her head respectfully. "My lord, the Debus Family has sent someone with an invitation." With that, she held up the invitation.
Lin Lei looked at it.
The invitation was primarily red, bordered with gold. The words "Invitation" were emblazoned on the cover.
"An invitation?"
Lin Lei took it and opened it. Sure enough, the contents matched what he had expected.
"On the eighteenth of June, Kalan will hold an engagement ceremony with Luo Lin and Alice. Who is this Luo Lin?" Lin Lei looked at the contents of the invitation, his brow furrowing involuntarily.