A group of people, some joyful, some furious, some sorrowful, some dejected, left the fortress of the Two Realms Mountain Range together.
He Yanjun asked Chen Lin with delight written all over his face, "Chen Lin, has your movement technique reached Entering the Hall and Reaching the Inner Chamber?"
"Mm, I gained a little insight during the Demon Slayer Envoy assessment." Chen Lin nodded.
He Yanjun was immediately overjoyed. "Hahaha! At last, our Nanqing City War God Temple has produced a true martial arts genius."
The young martial artists behind Chen Lin looked at the young man walking shoulder to shoulder with Rank 8 Monster Exterminator He Yanjun, their eyes filled with envy.
Chen Lin, however, did not care much about any of this.
As someone who could use cheats, achieving these minor accomplishments was only natural. There was nothing worth being proud of.
Seeing Chen Lin's calm face, unruffled by favor or disgrace, He Yanjun grew even more satisfied.
After the group returned to the War God Temple in grand procession, He Yanjun ignored everyone else and pulled Chen Lin straight toward the courtyard where Lu Cheng was staying.
For a young martial artist with talent as exceptional as Chen Lin's, he had to get the Head Instructor to win him over properly.
They could not let someone poach him away later because of treatment and benefits.
The two passed through corridors and gates until they arrived before a quiet, secluded courtyard.
"Come, follow me inside." He Yanjun straightened his collar slightly before leading Chen Lin into the courtyard.
The courtyard was quite spacious. Apart from bamboo as thick as a child's arm, only the broad training ground in the center caught Chen Lin's attention.
At that moment, Lu Cheng was speaking with several people in a stone pavilion at one corner of the training ground.
When he saw the two hurrying over, a trace of doubt flashed through his eyes.
"Instructor Lu, good news—heaven-shakingly good news!" He Yanjun called out as he walked toward Lu Cheng.
"Oh? What good news?" Lu Cheng raised a brow and asked with a smile.
He Yanjun glanced at the people beside Lu Cheng, but did not avoid the subject. "Instructor Lu, Chen Lin, who joined the War God Temple only a few days ago, has reached Entering the Hall and Reaching the Inner Chamber in his movement technique."
"Hmm? Is that true?" A sharp gleam flashed through Lu Cheng's eyes as he asked in a low voice.
"It is true. If Instructor Lu has doubts, you can verify it yourself." He Yanjun answered with certainty.
To be honest, when He Yanjun first learned this news, he had not fully believed it either.
It was only after personally testing Chen Lin halfway back to Nanqing City that he finally accepted the fact.
That was why, the moment they returned to the War God Temple, He Yanjun had impatiently dragged Chen Lin to find Lu Cheng.
"Leng Haochuan, go test his skills!" Lu Cheng instructed a young man beside him.
"Yes!"
The young man named Leng Haochuan cupped his fists and walked out of the stone pavilion.
On the training ground, the two stood facing one another.
An indescribable atmosphere steadily gathered between them.
As time passed, Leng Haochuan was the first to lose patience. He swung his fist at Chen Lin's face.
The punch was heavy and powerful, fast as a gale.
Chen Lin's lips curled upward. In his eyes, Leng Haochuan's fist seemed to have slowed into countless times slower motion. With only a slight sidestep, he effortlessly dodged the charged strike.
Leng Haochuan froze for a moment, then his expression immediately turned grave.
The fist attacking Chen Lin swung faster and faster, its angles becoming increasingly tricky.
Yet Chen Lin was like a frail willow swaying in the wind. No matter how Leng Haochuan's fists erupted like a raging tempest, not a single punch struck him.
The astonishment in the eyes of the people watching from the stone pavilion grew ever greater.
Seeing Leng Haochuan's gaze grow colder, his aura stronger, and his movements faster, Lu Cheng quickly said, "Enough. Leng Haochuan, come back!"
The instant Lu Cheng's words fell, both sides stopped. Leng Haochuan shot Chen Lin an unwilling glare before turning and walking back behind Lu Cheng.
Huff!
Chen Lin let out a heavy breath and thought, Good thing he stopped. If we kept going, I wouldn't have been able to dodge anymore. This Leng Haochuan is truly strong!
"Not bad. Your movement technique has indeed reached Entering the Hall and Reaching the Inner Chamber." Lu Cheng nodded with a smile.
"This year, our Nanqing City War God Temple has finally produced a martial arts genius! Worth celebrating, truly worth celebrating!"
"Chen Lin's talent is indeed impressive. In less than two months, he broke through from Late Martial Disciple to Martial Master, and at such a young age, his movement technique has reached Entering the Hall and Reaching the Inner Chamber. He is truly gifted beyond measure!" He Yanjun added in praise.
"Hmm?"
Lu Cheng's brow lifted slightly. His gaze settled on Chen Lin, and after carefully examining him, he smiled. "According to the War God Temple's old rules, since your martial arts talent is so outstanding, our Nanqing City War God Temple cannot squander it."
"I will make the decision. Next year's place for our Nanqing City War God Temple at the Genius Concentration Camp will be yours. In addition, you may go to the Cultivation Method Pavilion and freely select cultivation methods suited to you. As long as the total Merit Points do not exceed one hundred thousand, you may choose whatever you wish. Consider it my personal sponsorship."
"Thank you for your generous favor, Head Instructor!" Chen Lin clasped his hands, his face full of delight.
"There is no need for that. Chen Lin, I think highly of you. I hope that once your cultivation bears fruit, you will kill more demons for humanity and carve out a broader space for survival." Lu Cheng waved a hand and spoke with a smile.
"I will not disappoint Instructor Lu's expectations." Chen Lin promised solemnly.
"Good!"
Lu Cheng nodded appreciatively, then said with a smile, "I still have some matters to handle. We can talk another day when there is time. If you have nothing to do now, you may as well follow Instructor He to the Cultivation Method Pavilion and choose a cultivation method you like first!"
"Thank you, Head Instructor!" Chen Lin thanked him once more.
Instructor He, this is my identity jade token. Take Chen Lin there." Lu Cheng removed the jade token from his waist and tossed it to He Yanjun.
"Understood!" He Yanjun put away the jade token, cupped his fists to Lu Cheng, and led Chen Lin out of the courtyard.
The moment they left the courtyard, Chen Lin could not help asking, "Senior He, what are Merit Points?"
"Merit Points are the rewards you receive after accepting and completing missions from the War God Temple's Mission Hall. Within the War God Temple, they are more precious than gold or silver. Not only can you exchange them for cultivation methods, but also all kinds of precious materials, weapons, treasure armor, and even extremely valuable spirit beasts." He Yanjun patiently explained.
"So that's how it is!" Chen Lin suddenly understood.
"Chen Lin, you truly struck it rich this time. Do you know how valuable the authority Head Instructor Lü just granted you, allowing you to use one hundred thousand Merit Points, really is?" He Yanjun asked with an envious expression.
"I don't know."
Chen Lin answered honestly, his face full of confusion.
"Let me put it this way. If those Merit Points were mine, even if someone offered me one million taels of silver, I would not sell them. Silver is easy to earn, but Merit Points are hard to come by. Do you understand now?" He Yanjun looked at Chen Lin seriously.
Hiss— Chen Lin could not help drawing in a sharp breath.
Only after He Yanjun's explanation did he finally understand just how important the sponsorship Lu Cheng had given him was.
The two arrived at the Cultivation Method Pavilion. When a white-bearded old man saw them, he smiled and asked, "Little He, what type of cultivation method have you come to exchange for at the Cultivation Method Pavilion?"
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