What happened next completely confirmed Qin Ran's premonition.
In the hall where he had first arrived, Qin Ran felt his scalp prickle under the eager gazes of the Sanctuary's assembled middle and upper ranks.
After signaling Nisir with his eyes to hurry up with the long-distance teleportation circle, Qin Ran could only maintain an outward calm as he dealt with them.
There was little further conversation between the two sides.
Even the necessary pleasantries were dispensed with wherever possible.
But even so, Qin Ran found it hard to bear.
Because he knew perfectly well that this was nothing more than a misunderstanding!
He was not the Holy Knight these people were hoping for.
Nor would he change himself simply because of their expectations.
The best solution, therefore, was to avoid contact.
Time ticked by, second by second.
Faced with their strangely expectant gazes, Qin Ran had no choice but to distract himself.
His one stroke of luck was that he had something excellent to occupy his attention-
[Saint's Thorn advancing...] [Saint's Thorn II: Provided you have not activated Demon Transformation II or Summon Beast of Desire II, you can reduce damage from positive energy by 30%. When the damage you sustain, whether or not it comes from positive energy, reaches average, strong, powerful, or extremely powerful levels, you can activate a corresponding level of "Thorn Radiance," reflecting 10%, 15%, 30%, or 50% of the damage you receive, respectively, and receiving one instance of healing for minor, moderate, severe, or fatal wounds, respectively. When you activate Demon Transformation II or Summon Beast of Desire II, the effects of Saint's Thorn temporarily disappear.]
The damage reduction and reflected damage had increased slightly.
But the outright advancement had given [Saint's Thorn II] a much broader range of applications.
Its ability