Chapter 2: Persuading Li Xin, Heading to Bright Moon Sub-Hall, and Becoming an Instructor!
"One hundred and twenty points of spiritual power?"
"Yesterday when I tested, I only had seventy. Just by obtaining the Six-Winged Angel, my external spiritual power increased by fifty?"
Looking at the reading on the testing stone, a faint smile appeared on Ye Ling's face. It was obvious that this increase in strength had made him genuinely excited.
After two years of painfully slow progress, it was hard to believe that just one night and the integration of his Martial Soul could elevate his power so drastically—more than what he had accomplished in the past two years!
It could only be said that talent really did make a difference!
"One hundred and twenty points?" Li Xin was momentarily stunned, her eyes flashing with surprise and disbelief.
"That's already at the level of a Pseudo-Knight, even a Second-Rank Pseudo-Knight. Little brother, what's going on?"
"I remember just yesterday you were only a Seventh-Rank Knight Attendant, weren't you? How did you suddenly jump to this level overnight?"
Shocked, Li Xin rushed in front of Ye Ling, grabbing his shoulders with confusion in her eyes, eager to get a clear answer.
Ye Ling was well aware that his sudden leap in power was too unbelievable.
He had already prepared a reason in advance before coming.
But seeing the astonishment on Li Xin's pretty face, Ye Ling couldn't resist teasing her. "Sister Xin, you actually don't know—I'm a hidden genius. Yesterday, I was blessed by the God of Light and suddenly had a massive power-up!"
In a sense, the Angel God could indeed be referred to as the God of Light, so Ye Ling's words weren't entirely false.
But clearly, Li Xin wasn't buying it. She rolled her eyes and said, "Don't talk nonsense. Be honest."
"Sigh, if you won't believe the truth, then I'll tell you a lie instead," Ye Ling shrugged. "Yesterday I wasn't feeling well and couldn't unleash my full strength. That's why I only showed seventy points of spiritual power."
Upon hearing that, Li Xin nodded, seemingly accepting the lie, but still asked curiously, "Then why didn't you tell us?"
"Feeling unwell isn't an excuse for failure. On the battlefield, the demon race won't hold back just because I don't feel good," Ye Ling replied firmly.
That had always been his belief.
And right now, it was the perfect excuse.
Hearing this, Li Xin understood his reasoning and didn't press further. Instead, she left the arena to bring over Nalan Shu.
Not long after, Nalan Shu dragged his three-to-four-hundred-jin body over, causing the arena to tremble slightly.
"Ye Ling, you've already become a Pseudo-Knight?" Nalan Shu asked directly.
Though Ye Ling had previously expressed dissatisfaction with his talent, in Nalan Shu's eyes, he held high expectations for him—on par with those for Li Xin.
He had been nurtured as a top talent of Bright Moon City.
Ye Ling didn't say much in response. He simply picked up the iron sword again and slashed at the testing stone.
In an instant, the stone once more glowed with dazzling golden light.
And soon, a corresponding value appeared.
[121]
Hmm, a slight increase again.
"Hahaha, not just Second-Rank—you're already a Third-Rank Pseudo-Knight! A twelve-year-old Third-Rank Pseudo-Knight! If that's not a genius, then what is!"
Nalan Shu laughed heartily.
Then, from his robes, he pulled out a token—the Pseudo-Knight identity badge of the Bright Moon Sub-Hall.
It was a sword-shaped token, radiating sharpness. Engraved on the blade was the emblem of the Bright Moon Sub-Hall, impossible to forge.
At the bottom were the characters: [Pseudo-Knight].
In the center, Ye Ling's name was engraved, along with traces of his aura—completely bound to him.
"Right, Ye Ling. Now that you've become a Pseudo-Knight, are you still planning to return to the Odin Sub-Hall?" After handing over the identity token, Nalan Shu looked at Ye Ling. He wanted him to stay. After all, now that he had broken through, it would be better to remain in the Bright Moon Sub-Hall.
But Ye Ling firmly expressed his intention to return.
Nalan Shu couldn't say much and could only allow him to leave.
But just then, Ye Ling suddenly turned around with a mischievous grin and looked at Li Xin. "Sister Xin, how about you come with me to Odin Sub-Hall for a bit of fun?"
Hearing this, Li Xin's eyes lit up. She didn't really care about Odin Sub-Hall or wherever—but the thought of going out with Ye Ling excited her. Still, she hesitated a bit. "But I still have to cultivate..."
"In the Bright Moon Sub-Hall, you're a student. But once at Odin Sub-Hall, with your real knight status, becoming a teacher would be easy. You could also scout for talented students. And it's only for a month."
Ye Ling said this with a smile. At that, Li Xin's eyes sparkled even more brightly, and she was finally persuaded.
Nalan Shu was briefly stunned.
Although Ye Ling was one of their own from the Bright Moon Sub-Hall, why did this still feel like he was being poached?
But he was also looking forward to it. Who knew—maybe Odin Sub-Hall would have other geniuses just like Ye Ling?
If that happened and those talents were brought into the Bright Moon Sub-Hall, maybe their branch could produce even more Demon Hunt Squad participants. As the head of the sub-hall, that would be a big win for him!
Odin Town wasn't far from Bright Moon City.
Li Xin and Ye Ling didn't take long to return.
"The air here is definitely better than in Bright Moon City," Li Xin remarked as she looked around.
"That's because, unlike the rapid development in Bright Moon City, Odin Town is still quite simple. Aside from the Knight Sub-Hall, you hardly see any large buildings—mostly trees and forests," Ye Ling explained. The dense greenery made the air fresher.
They didn't linger on the topic and quickly headed toward the sub-hall.
Deep within the sub-hall, Instructor Balza was in the middle of reviewing some documents.
Suddenly, a voice called out, "Instructor Balza, I'm back!"
Turning his head, he saw Ye Ling.
"Ye Ling? It's you? Why have you suddenly returned?" Instructor Balza asked in surprise. He was very pleased with Ye Ling—after all, very few from Odin Sub-Hall had ever made it into the Bright Moon Sub-Hall, and Ye Ling had been the best of them.
Ye Ling explained the situation, including the fact that he had reached the level of a Pseudo-Knight.
Upon hearing this, Instructor Balza was shocked. "You're planning to come back as a teacher?"
"Just for a month."
"That's fine then. Being a teacher at Odin Sub-Hall doesn't suit a young genius like you who still has a bright future ahead," Balza sighed in relief. He wasn't worried about Ye Ling taking his job—that wasn't the issue—but being an instructor could slow down Ye Ling's cultivation, which wouldn't be good.
But then he suddenly caught something: "Wait… you've reached Pseudo-Knight?"
"Yes, 120 points of external spiritual power," Ye Ling answered truthfully.
Balza froze. A look of excitement appeared on his face, and his eyes lit up with joy.
"A twelve-year-old Pseudo-Knight!"
"Hahahahaha, who would've thought—my Odin Sub-Hall actually produced such a genius!"
"Good! Good, good, good, good!"
Balza laughed heartily, repeating the word 'good' five times—enough to show his joy.
He had already agreed to let Ye Ling teach.
Then, his gaze shifted to Li Xin, who was curiously looking around.
"And this is?"
"My sister, Li Xin."
"Sister?" Balza was puzzled. At first, he didn't quite understand. After all, Ye Ling had been raised entirely by the instructors at Odin Sub-Hall—how could he have a sister?
But then it clicked. This must be someone Ye Ling acknowledged as a sister at the Bright Moon Sub-Hall.
So he didn't question it further.
Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that she looked familiar.
The next moment, his expression changed as something clicked. "Could it be… the top female knight of Bright Moon Sub-Hall—Hell Rose Li Xin?"
"Yes, that's her!" Ye Ling nodded.
"She's a real knight!" Balza was momentarily stunned, but then a wide smile spread across his face.
With the two of them as instructors, the knight students would surely improve greatly this month.
It was very likely that this year's assessment would have the highest success rate yet.
With that in mind, Instructor Balza led Ye Ling and Li Xin toward the training grounds.
Soon, they arrived at the Odin Sub-Hall's arena.
There were about thirty children around ten years old, each gripping a longsword with solemn expressions in their eyes.
They were the knight students of the current class.
Among them, Ye Ling immediately spotted one child who stood out from the rest.
Although he was a boy, his features were so beautiful that even girls would feel envious. He was the Child of the World in this story—destined to become the Child of Light.
Ye Ling's gaze immediately locked onto him.
At the same time, Long Haochen looked up and met Ye Ling's eyes.
A hint of excitement appeared on Long Haochen's face.
Why?
Because the two of them were already familiar with each other!
"I didn't expect Brother Ye to return today. What a surprise… but it's a nice one!"
Long Haochen thought to himself.
But he definitely didn't expect that Ye Ling had returned… as an instructor.
(End of Chapter)