Divine Baptism

"After awakening, this Lin Yu was taken away by Cao Yiming, the head of the Banyan City Garrison Office, and the others. After that, the office building of Banyan City No. 1 High School was destroyed by an unknown ability. It has now been replaced by a primeval forest!"

"According to intelligence from our people, Lin Yu was very likely responsible for this."

"Although most of the people at the scene were high-ranking Garrison Envoys, as far as we know, none of them possessed an ability capable of creating a primeval forest in an instant!"

The woman relayed the investigation results to the man in a tone of utter shock, her eyes filled with disbelief.

To be honest, when she received the news, she had verified it countless times. Yet in the end, she had no choice but to accept the horrifying truth. There was simply no reason for the information to be faked. With so many witnesses, it would not be long before the entire Federation heard about it.

"A golden talent! It really was a golden talent! It seems something else must have happened!"

The man muttered to himself before his gaze sharpened.

"Pass down my orders. Make contact with this Lin Yu at the earliest possible opportunity and recruit him at any cost! Whoever brings him into the church will be promoted three ranks and may apply to the main altar for one advanced Divine Baptism!"

"Yes!!"

The man's command made the woman's eyes light up. The opportunity had come. She screamed wildly in her heart.

She was already the person in charge of Banyan City. If she were promoted three ranks, she would immediately enter the church's true core. By then, her status would be incomparable to what it was now.

But compared to an advanced Divine Baptism, that was nothing.

Divine Baptism was the Eternal Night Church's secret weapon. Rumor had it that it possessed the mysterious power to turn decay into wonder. Not only could it elevate one's physical strength, but it could also break through personal bottlenecks, allowing those with no hope of advancement to rise another level.

After awakening, an Awakened's physical constitution improved along with their rank. Once they broke through to the seventh tier, their body would undergo sublimation, the most obvious manifestation of which was an increase in lifespan.

Generally speaking, a sixth-tier Garrison Envoy could live for at least 120 years. A Marquis-rank Garrison Envoy could normally live around twenty years longer than a sixth-tier Garrison Envoy. Once one reached Emperor rank, a Garrison Envoy could live to at least two hundred. Blue Star's oldest Emperor-rank expert had lived for more than 250 years, a true earthly immortal.

That was why breaking through bottlenecks and surpassing one's limits was especially important, particularly for powerful people nearing the end of their lifespan. After all, who did not want to live a few more years?

However, the lower one's talent and potential, the harder it was to break through a bottleneck. This was a universally accepted truth on Blue Star.

Not everyone was a monstrous genius like Huangfu Long, someone capable of surpassing his talent and reaching Emperor rank with a B-rank talent. More people spent their entire lives trapped beneath their bottlenecks, unable to surpass their limits.

Because of this, Divine Baptism had become the final lifeline for many people with no hope of breaking through. It drew in many Garrison Envoys seeking shortcuts, causing them to join the Eternal Night Church. This gave the church the opportunity to grow stronger and stronger, eventually becoming one of the most prominent evil cults.

The woman could not wait to tie up that student named Lin Yu and bring him here. But the moment the thought surfaced, she immediately cast it aside.

Considering how highly the envoy before her valued Lin Yu, she would not dare do such a thing even if she had ten times the courage.

"Leave. Do not mess this up again, or I will not mind replacing you with another deacon. Do you understand?"

"Understood!"

The man's tone seemed calm, but that very calmness scared the woman into breaking out in a cold sweat. She lowered her head, her face filled with fear, and slowly backed out.

"SSS-rank talent..."

The man muttered softly, his gaze drifting. No one knew what he was thinking.

"Have you heard? That Lin Yu from the advanced class blew up the Awakening Stone during the Awakening Ritual!!"

"Seriously? I've never heard of an Awakening Stone being damaged. Are you joking?"

"Why would I lie to you? All the third-year students were there. It blew up right in front of their eyes! How could it be fake?"

"Wow!!!! That's insane! So what did he awaken?"

"No idea! But it was a golden talent none of us had ever seen before..."

"Dude, are you sure you're not messing with us? I may only be in my second year, but I didn't go through nine years of compulsory education for nothing!"

The student speaking looked at the other student as if asking, Do you think I'm an idiot?

"Damn it! You think I studied and you didn't? It was a fucking golden talent! Hundreds of people saw it, and you're the only one who doesn't believe it? I saw it with my own eyes, and I still can't believe it!!"

"..."

"And Zhu Fugui, the guy who's always with him, turned out to be an S-rank ability user too. Damn, his luck is incredible..."

News of Lin Yu and Zhu Fugui's awakenings had completely spread throughout Banyan City No. 1 High School. However, since the school had yet to make an official announcement, the students were still only half-convinced.

That evening, after a full day of self-study, Lin Yu and Zhu Fugui headed home laughing and chatting. Along the way, students stared at the relaxed pair with envious eyes.

"So he's Lin Yu! Our school actually has such an amazing big shot!"

"He's so handsome! Senior Lin Yu has such style. I wonder if he has a girlfriend!!"

"XXX, wake up! What kind of daydream are you having? Is he someone you can even think about? Zhu Fugui beside him is more realistic!"

"Why can't I think about him? And you call yourself my best friend! Besides, what's wrong with Zhu Fugui? He's only a little chubby. As they say, chubby guys have potential. Maybe after losing weight, he'll become a super handsome guy. And he has an S-rank talent, plus his family is rich. Now that I think about it, he actually seems pretty great! I'd secretly celebrate if I could awaken an A-rank talent."

The girl beside her looked helplessly at her lovestruck best friend. But after glancing at the tall, handsome Lin Yu ahead of them—

"Mm! Senior Lin Yu really is handsome!"

"Hehe... Brother Yu, how does it feel?"

"What does what feel like?"

Lin Yu looked at Zhu Fugui in confusion. Had this fatty's brain short-circuited?

"Brother Yu, why pretend to be such a gentleman? Didn't you hear those two junior girls praising you just now..."

Seeing Zhu Fugui's lecherous expression paired with that fat face, Lin Yu had no idea why, but his hands suddenly itched.

"...Didn't they praise you too? I think that junior girl made a good point. Why don't you lose some weight? Maybe after slimming down, you'll become a handsome guy!"

"Impossible, absolutely impossible! Even if Lord Fatty dies fat and ugly, I will never lose weight!"

Zhu Fugui shook his head firmly. Asking Lord Fatty to lose weight? Not even in the next life.

"Look at your ambition!"

Lin Yu shook his head. This fatty was probably beyond saving for life!

"Hmph! My head can be cut off, my blood can be spilled, but I can't stop eating..."

Zhu Fugui said righteously. "But Brother Yu, can losing weight really make someone handsome?"

"How would I know? It's not like I used to be fat!"

Lin Yu rolled his eyes and ignored Zhu Fugui.

As they neared the school gate, Lin Yu abruptly stopped. Zhu Fugui looked at him in confusion. "Brother Yu, what's wrong?"

"Someone's looking for us!"

Lin Yu answered casually. Zhu Fugui swept his gaze around in confusion, only to see a beautiful woman walking toward them. His eyes immediately lit up.

"Damn, Brother Yu, what a beauty!! That figure, that face... Hiss!!! Brother Yu, you're impressive. When did you hook up with her?"

"Fatty, if you don't want to get beaten up, you'd better say less. I can't beat her."

"Huh?" Zhu Fugui's expression changed as he looked more carefully, then he sucked in a sharp breath.

"Mother of God? Isn't that the beautiful female leader from earlier!!"

Zhu Fugui immediately fell silent in fright. A big shot who could sit with the principal and the others was not someone he could afford to offend. He could only pray she had not heard what he said, or there would not even be anywhere to complain if he got beaten up.

"Little Brother Lin Yu, I've been waiting for you for quite a while!"

Ji Xuejun walked toward them. A faint smile rested on her lovely face as her beautiful eyes swept over Zhu Fugui. Zhu Fugui shuddered violently, flashed Ji Xuejun a fawning smile, and then edged behind Lin Yu.

"Minister Ji, were you waiting for me because something happened?"

Lin Yu asked in confusion.

"Just call me Sister Xuejun. No need to be so formal. Take out your phone. I'll leave you my contact information!"

Ji Xuejun held out her jade-like hand before Lin Yu and spoke calmly.

"Damn... Brother Yu, you're incredible!!!"

Zhu Fugui stared at Lin Yu with shining eyes. The scene before him filled him with boundless admiration. The beautiful female leader before them was Ji Xuejun.

Ji Xuejun was like a favored daughter of heaven in Banyan City. Not only was she beautiful, but she was also powerful and came from an influential background. Most importantly, she was unmarried. She had long held the top spot on Banyan City's list of most desirable women to marry and was the dream lover of countless young men in the city. Yet no one had ever heard of her being particularly close to any man. Who would have thought that one day, she would actually take the initiative to ask a man for his contact information? The admiration in Zhu Fugui's eyes was practically overflowing!

"Ji..."

Lin Yu took out his phone, but the moment he started speaking, Ji Xuejun glared at him with her almond-shaped eyes. Lin Yu immediately understood and obediently changed his words.

"Sister Xuejun! Here!"

Ji Xuejun nodded in satisfaction, casually took the phone, entered a number, and called it. Then she set up one-touch dialing on Lin Yu's phone before returning it to him.

"I set up one-touch dialing for you. For the next period of time, I'll be responsible for protecting you. If anything happens, just call me directly!"

"Uh! Sister Xuejun, did something happen? Is this really necessary?"

"It's better to be prepared. Didn't you encounter something a few days ago? Once your talent is exposed, all sorts of shady figures will inevitably come looking for you. For your safety, this is necessary!"

"..."

Lin Yu took back his phone and looked speechlessly at the beautiful female leader before him. Still, to be honest, he was quite touched.

"Sister Xuejun, thank you!"

Lin Yu said solemnly. He had only met Banyan City's big shots for a short time that morning, but he had seen how much importance they placed on him. Lin Yu was not someone who failed to appreciate kindness. Whenever someone cared about him, he silently remembered it in his heart.

"You don't need to be so polite."

Ji Xuejun waved her hand indifferently. "Though if those shady figures really come looking for you, I doubt ordinary people would stand a chance against you!"

Ji Xuejun recalled Lin Yu's heaven-defying talent and the primeval forest inside the school. If anyone foolishly came after him, they would probably just be delivering themselves to him unless they were high-ranking Garrison Envoys.

"Ha, it's not as exaggerated as you make it sound! Sister Xuejun, if there's nothing else, we'll head home first!"

Lin Yu gave a laugh and skipped over the topic. He had not even revealed his Flying Raijin yet. When it came to escaping, the spatial ability Flying Raijin was truly unbeatable!

"Mm, where do you live? Get in my car. I'll give you two a ride home."

"No need to trouble yourself, Sister Xuejun. Our homes are nearby. We'll be there after a short walk!"

Lin Yu saw the students around them casting strange looks in their direction. If they really got in her car, who knew what the rumors would become by tomorrow!

"Alright then. And for your safety, you'd better avoid leaving the city for a while!"

Ji Xuejun did not insist. To be honest, the city was still quite safe. As for the attack at the arena last time, that had been a complete accident.

The arena had stood tall throughout the Federation for so many years because it naturally possessed great strength. It was only because it had gone so long without being challenged that it had let down its guard and allowed the Eternal Night Church to exploit an opening.

"Mm! Got it, Sister Xuejun. We'll be going now! Goodbye!"

After speaking, Lin Yu quickly pulled Zhu Fugui away from the school gate. The strange looks from the passing students made him feel uncomfortable all over.

"Brother Yu, you're the man. That was Goddess Ji!"

After they had walked far away from the school gate, Zhu Fugui gave Lin Yu a thumbs-up. He was utterly impressed by him.

"Stop talking nonsense and hurry up. My mom sent me a message earlier. Everyone's waiting for us at home!"

"Mm-hm..."

The two did not wander around and headed straight home. At Lin Yu's house, Chen Shumin and Wang Yan had already prepared a lavish dinner and were waiting eagerly.

The moment they entered, Lin Yu was pulled over and bombarded with questions. In fact, Zhu Fugui had already told his family the good news right after awakening, but Zhu Wansan and the others found it hard to believe. They insisted on seeing the two return and confirming it again. Only after the two displayed their talents did both families finally believe it. Zhu Wansan even wept tears of joy. Lin Aiguo and his wife, on the other hand, were not quite as excited. After all, their son had already awakened an SSS-rank talent. Awakening one more was something Lin Aiguo could completely accept.

"Old Lin, tonight we drink until we drop... Hahaha... My old Zhu family has produced a genius too, an S-rank! Let's see who still dares say my old Zhu family is useless and can only sell sanitary pads!!!"

Zhu Wansan could not suppress his excitement at all. He had spent decades regretting his own failure to awaken, never expecting that his son would awaken an S-rank talent. At last, Zhu Wansan could proudly say that his son was a genius.

"Alright... We drink until we drop!! Hahaha!"

Lin Aiguo happily agreed. Seeing how happy their husbands were, and with their sons having successfully awakened, Chen Shumin and Wang Yan were especially delighted as well. So they did not stop them. Today, they would let the two drink to their hearts' content—but only today. The same thought flashed through both women's minds.