Han Qian seemed a little surprised, but said nothing. After all, throughout the Human Federation, there were plenty of children like Yue Shen who had been orphaned when their parents died on the battlefield against the Demons. Most of those orphans were taken in by the temples their parents had belonged to.
"Yue Shen, would you like to return to the Holy City with me? You'll have a better environment for cultivation there, along with other extraordinarily gifted talents." Han Qian turned toward Yue Shen and spoke as gently as he could. "The temple will arrange the best teacher for you, too. Once you've completed your training, you can return to Demon-Resisting Town whenever you like."
Standing nearby, Han Shu looked utterly stunned. He had never imagined his uncle could put on a face like this.
"Why wouldn't you teach him yourself? Isn't a genius with eighty-nine points of innate internal spiritual power worthy of becoming the Holy Knight Commander's personal disciple?" Han Shu could not resist asking.
"He has a better option than me," Han Qian said impatiently. "And this isn't something you need to worry about. The temple will make all the arrangements for him."
Han Shu froze at that, then ventured, "Do you mean...?"
Han Qian did not answer. Instead, he looked at Yue Shen.
"Have you made up your mind? Will you come to the Holy City with me?"
Yue Shen did not hesitate in the slightest. With a respectful expression, he said, "Holy Knight Commander, I would be honored to go to the Holy City with you to train."
"Excellent." Han Qian was very pleased with Yue Shen's answer. "Go pack your things, then. Get ready to leave with me."
"Yes, sir."
"Wait."
Han Shu suddenly stopped Yue Shen as he was about to leave.
"Uncle Temple Master, is there anything else you need?" Yue Shen turned back, looking puzzled.
"Of course. You're going to the Holy City as a representative of our Demon-Resisting Sub-Temple. As its temple master, I ought to give you something, shouldn't I?" Han Shu said with a chuckle.
At that, Yue Shen's previously listless eyes lit up. What was this? A beginner's gift pack!
Han Shu first took a black ring from his pocket and handed it to Yue Shen.
"This is a Storage Ring. You can put all your luggage inside it when you pack," Han Shu explained. "Just pour some spiritual power into it to bind it to you. From then on, no one but you will be able to use it."
Han Shu continued, "Actually, I was originally planning to give you a whole set of magic equipment, too."
"Really?"
Delight spread across Yue Shen's face, and he nearly failed to restrain his eager hands.
Han Shu nodded, then shook his head.
Yue Shen: "???"
"But with the Holy Knight Commander here today, he certainly wouldn't approve," Han Shu said regretfully. "So that's off the table."
"Still, don't think a Demon-Resisting Sub-Temple as large as ours can't provide you with better equipment. These have always been the rules of the Knight Temple."
"Because only when you earn a weapon or piece of equipment through your own efforts can you truly learn to treasure it," Han Qian added from the side.
"But today, you may choose one piece of equipment from him as a reward."
Han Qian turned and headed for the door. "Come to the town gate once you've packed. I'll be waiting there."
Only after the Holy Knight Commander had left did Han Shu leisurely take a complete set of knight's equipment out of his own Storage Ring for Yue Shen to choose from.
It consisted of a knight's heavy sword that gleamed silver all over, a full suit of light-attribute light armor, and a round shield with a smooth surface.
Han Shu lifted the heavy sword with one hand. He was just about to explain its magical effects when he noticed that Yue Shen had already put the light-attribute knight's armor into his Storage Ring.
Han Shu: "..."
"Uncle Temple Master, I've made my choice." Yue Shen bowed. "Sorry for the trouble, but there's no need to explain each piece to me."
"I thought youngsters like you would be more interested in weapons." Han Shu fell silent for a moment. "Still, this is a good choice. This Spirit-Light Armor is the most valuable piece here."
"It has two magical effects: Lightness and Spirit Gathering. Lightness makes your armor lighter, effectively improving your mobility. Spirit Gathering increases the speed at which your spiritual power recovers, with its effectiveness determined by your elemental affinity." Han Shu scratched his head. "It may only be a piece of magic equipment, but it's actually quite good. At the very least, it'll serve you well through the fifth tier."
Yue Shen nodded slightly. That was one reason he had chosen the Spirit-Light Armor.
The other reason was simply that it cost more. Choosing it now meant saving himself some money in advance. After all, among equipment of the same grade, armor was relatively more expensive, especially light-attribute armor.
After bidding Temple Master Han Shu farewell, Yue Shen returned to his dormitory.
For some reason, the thought that he might never return left Yue Shen with a strange feeling.
"There's nothing to get sentimental about." Yue Shen shook his head slightly, then packed all his clothes and personal belongings into the Storage Ring.
Although he had used the system's built-in Spatial Bag to change clothes earlier, neither Han Qian nor Han Shu seemed to have noticed anything unusual. Instead, they had even given him this Storage Ring.
Still, that worked out well. Even with his built-in Spatial Bag's unlimited slots, he needed a Storage Ring as a cover, especially to avoid exposing himself in front of other players.
After all, he could hardly keep pulling things out of thin air like a magician, could he?
Once he had packed, Yue Shen originally intended to head straight to the town gate. After a moment's thought, however, he decided it would be better to say goodbye to the elders and friends he remembered.
After bidding farewell to the young woman at the bakery, his childhood playmates, and the elders and fellow trainees at the Demon-Resisting Sub-Temple, Yue Shen finally arrived at the town gate, where he found Han Qian sitting cross-legged on the ground.
Yue Shen approached slowly, clenched his right hand into a fist, placed it over the left side of his chest, and bowed in a Knight's Salute.
"Holy Knight Commander, I'm ready to leave."
"By the way, has that brat Han Shu taught you how to meditate?" Han Qian stood up. "If not, you'll have to start learning now."
Yue Shen was briefly taken aback, but answered honestly, "Temple Master Han has already taught me. I can replace sleep with meditation now."
"Good." Han Qian was very pleased with Yue Shen's answer. "It's a two-day journey from Demon-Resisting Town to the Holy City. You can try cultivating through meditation while we travel, and when we stop to rest, I'll guide you in cultivating internal spiritual power."
Yue Shen nodded eagerly. Now that he already had internal spiritual power in his body, he was itching to begin cultivating it as soon as possible.
Moreover, thanks to his player constitution, he could enter a meditative trance and cultivate whenever and wherever he wished, without affecting his awareness of his surroundings in the slightest.
Thus, over those two days, apart from a single break Han Qian made him take along the way, he spent the entire journey sitting cross-legged on Han Qian's mount, cultivating on autopilot while enjoying the passing scenery.
During their rest stop, Han Qian had intended to teach him how to cultivate internal spiritual power. But when he discovered that Yue Shen had already increased his internal spiritual power by several dozen points in less than a day, he immediately abandoned the idea.
Since Yue Shen did not need his guidance in cultivating internal spiritual power, Han Qian decided to teach him about the various temples instead.
Yet before he had gotten more than a couple of sentences out, he realized Yue Shen seemed to know all of this by heart. He even remembered less important details perfectly.
In the end, Han Qian found that, apart from explaining the Holy City's regulations, there seemed to be nothing he could teach Yue Shen at this stage.
He was the esteemed Holy Knight Commander of the Knight Temple. How could he possibly accept being unable to teach even a mere prospective knight?
Fuming, he immediately cut two lengths of wood from a tree trunk and whittled them into wooden swords, intending to test Yue Shen's practical combat skills.
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