Hall Master Nalan

After a round of scrutiny!

"Uncle Ba, I'm sorry, but I can't lie!"

Looking at Balza, Yang Tian lowered his head guiltily and spoke honestly, like a child who had done something wrong.

"It's all right. I don't blame you. That knight also told me to speak on my honor as a knight!"

"You understand the ten rules very well-more thoroughly than I do, at least. When you take the knight assessment in the future, it won't just test your spiritual power. It will test your understanding of the ten rules, too!"

"Keep it up. It can only do you good!"

Seeing Yang Tian so ready to admit his fault, Balza gave him a gentle smile and comforted him.

He had been so protective of Yang Tian that he had failed to accurately judge the boy's growth.

That was hardly Balza's fault.

Balza had never imagined that Yang Tian would start training by killing monsters to level up before he had even become a squire.

He had used Essence-Nourishing Fruits, Red Refining Fruits, and other medicinal ingredients together.

Over those two years, Yang Tian's spiritual power had steadily increased.

Knowing that Instructor Balza was comforting him only made Yang Tian feel guiltier.

He's such a good instructor, yet I sold him out for the sake of the ten rules. I shouldn't have done that!

Otherwise, it would not have dragged so many other matters into this.

Even if his age had been falsely reported, he would still have been a twelve-year-old eighth-level squire. Even the Holy Temple might not have many talents like that.

In any case, what bothered Yang Tian now was his belief that he had betrayed his instructor.

Soon, the Grand Knight Lin Zhan returned, accompanied by an enormously fat middle-aged man weighing two or three hundred jin.

"Could this be..." Looking at the fat man who had appeared, Yang Tian had a guess.

The Grand Knight soon began the introductions.

"This is the master of the Haoyue Branch Hall, Temple Master Nalan!"

Lin Zhan introduced him.

"Temple Master!"

Then Yang Tian and Balza performed a knight salute together.

The man gave a slight nod, then turned his gaze to Balza.

"Instructor Balza, thank you for your hard work. I understand your concerns. The Branch Temple won't let talent go to waste!"

"As for this child, Yang Tian, his talent is outstanding. His young age is no problem. Both the Branch Temple and the Holy Temple will make sure he receives proper training!"

The fat Temple Master Nalan spoke.

His tone was not particularly stern; instead, it was warm and approachable.

"Thank you, Temple Master. For the honor of the knights!"

After saluting, Balza declared those words in a solemn, forceful voice.

"Yes, for the honor of our knights. Thanks to people like you, we can discover more promising youngsters in the Child Halls of every town and city!"

Temple Master Nalan returned the salute, then offered praise grounded in the facts.

"Yang Tian has passed his assessment. A seven-year-old eighth-level squire! I'll find him a good teacher, and the Branch Temple will make his training a priority. In a year or two, he'll be a qualified knight!"

Temple Master Nalan added that at the end.

This Temple Master's words carried tremendous weight. If he said Yang Tian had passed, then he had passed.

"Yes!" Balza replied.

Yang Tian said nothing and simply bowed respectfully, delight plainly showing on his still somewhat childish face.

Find me a teacher? Could it be that man?

Now that the assessment had been settled, Temple Master Nalan's mention of a teacher inevitably brought that man to Yang Tian's mind.

A talent with only nine points of internal spiritual power.

He had come from another major city, too. The fact that he had still cultivated to the fifth tier meant that, besides enduring plenty of hardship, he also had a good head on his shoulders.

My external spiritual power is high, too. Am I going to go through the same thing he did?

Suddenly, Yang Tian began to worry a little.

By now, Yang Tian had probably guessed who this fat Temple Master was.

Nalan Shu, Temple Master of the Haoyue Branch Hall.

This Temple Master's personality was fairly easygoing, and he was also a powerful fifth-tier professional.

Once everything was confirmed, the knight responsible for the assessment handled Yang Tian's accommodation arrangements.

With matters settled, Balza's task was complete. He would return to the Odin Sub-Temple and continue his work.

Yang Tian received his dormitory number!

"Thank you, Sir Knight!" Yang Tian saluted respectfully again and expressed his thanks.

The stern knight nodded, then said mildly, "Yes. If there's anything you don't understand, you can come ask me! My name is Lin Jun!"

Yang Tian was already an eighth-level squire. Becoming a knight was only a matter of time.

Those who passed the squire assessment generally had reasonably good talent.

Even if their internal spiritual power was too low upon awakening, diligent cultivation could still get them to the rank of knight.

Yang Tian nodded, saluted, and followed Balza out of the Haoyue Branch Hall.

The adult and child walked side by side.

"Little Tian, this Branch Temple is different from our Odin Sub-Temple. There are over a thousand squires here, and hundreds of full knights!"

"Now that you're an eighth-level squire, you rank fairly high among the squires. There are some things you must keep in mind."

"First, keep a low profile. Some people who have trained for three years and are still squires may also be at the eighth or ninth level. They might give you trouble. If that happens, be patient and keep a low profile! Second..."

It was a long walk, and this was the most Instructor Balza had ever talked.

But his words were filled with concern for Yang Tian.

His usual strictness during training was necessary. Only with that attitude would the children obey and respect him.

Yang Tian listened quietly all the way as he accompanied Balza to the place where he would board his carriage.

Yang Tian would naturally take Balza's good suggestions to heart. As for suggestions that would leave him unhappy-insisting that he keep his head down and flatter others-he would not follow those.

"Uncle Ba, take care on the journey!"

Watching Balza board the carriage, Yang Tian spoke with heartfelt emotion.

Balza nodded at his words, then hesitantly pulled a money pouch from inside his clothes.

"Little Tian, Haoyue City isn't like Odin Town. Keep this money!"

As he spoke, he moved to press the money into Yang Tian's hands.

"No, Uncle Ba, I can't take it. You worked so hard to save that!"

Yang Tian waved his hands in refusal.

The pouch held a dozen or so gold coins, enough to cover his expenses for several months.

But after two years of constantly killing demon beasts and selling them for money, Yang Tian was no longer short of spending money. His private stash held several hundred gold coins!

"You already call me Uncle, so take it. Our Odin Sub-Temple is proud of you. Work hard on your cultivation!"

Balza grew stern, pressed the pouch into Yang Tian's hands, and spoke earnestly.

"Th-thank you, Uncle!" Looking at the pouch in his hands, Yang Tian murmured his thanks.

"Haha, silly boy!"

"All right, I'm heading back. Squires get a month or two of leave every year. You can come home for a visit then!"

Balza let out a hearty laugh, waved, and signaled for the driver to set off.

Yang Tian watched until the carriage was gone...

Then he looked at the heavy money pouch in his hands.

It isn't much, but it's the thought that counts!

If Balza had known Yang Tian's "sincere" thoughts at that moment, he would surely have coughed up blood.

The second floor of the Haoyue Branch Hall!

Six stone statues of the Divine Thrones were now housed on the second floor.

Then a middle-aged man arrived, his face stiff and utterly devoid of a smile.

This was where Temple Master Nalan had his office.

Looking at the plump Temple Master, the middle-aged man said bluntly, "You fat bastard, what did you call me here for?"

Temple Master Nalan looked up and smiled. "Zombie Face, don't look so stern all the time. I called you here because I have good news!"

"During today's squire assessment, we found a seven-year-old eighth-level squire..."

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