Having witnessed the failures of the previous two "teachers," it was finally Stelle's turn.
"It has to be the Galactic Baseballer personally taking action!"
Stelle, hands in pockets, swaggered right up to Green Hibiscus and intentionally paused for a moment, making him reflexively cover his face.
"Don't hit the face... Eh? A new customer? Cough cough cough cough! Guest from a foreign land, please wait. Do you desire immortality?"
Green Hibiscus quickly adjusted his state. Stelle looked puzzled, pointing at his plastic Cloud Knight helmet.
"Let's not talk about immortality first. Is this how you talk to customers? Wearing a mask... looks like you have some shameful secrets!"
"Uh..."
Right off the bat, Stelle displayed her powerful aura, successfully intimidating Green Hibiscus.
"Now... take off the mask. Only then do you have the right to speak to me as an equal."
Green Hibiscus did as told, revealing his swollen left and right cheeks to Stelle.
"Pfft~"
An untimely laugh leaked from Stelle's mouth; she couldn't hold it in.
Green Hibiscus: ???
"Hey, did you just laugh?"
"You heard wrong. I never like to laugh. In this vast universe, few people can make me laugh out loud." Stelle instantly became serious and leaned close to Green Hibiscus's ear.
"Tell me about immortality in detail."
Green Hibiscus's eyes lit up. She's an expert; she knows to keep her voice down and not discuss indecent topics loudly.
"Little lady is indeed intelligent; I was blind! Admirable, admirable!"
"You're too polite."
Learning from past mistakes, this time Green Hibiscus changed his approach. Since he couldn't mention [Immortality] and [Abundance] on the Xianzhou, he steered the conversation toward the initial topic: power.
"Sister, have you ever thought about waking up one day to find yourself possessing superhuman strength and endless longevity?"
"Of course I have! That is my lifelong dream! To gain Abundant immortality and power!"
"Shh shh shh..." Green Hibiscus hurriedly signaled Stelle to keep her voice down. "Sister, you can't mention [Abundance] on the Xianzhou. See my red and swollen cheeks? I was just beaten by a cultist!"
"Let's keep our voices low. Before obtaining absolute power, you must also desire to live forever, right? But the Xianzhou Alliance doesn't care about the welfare of short-life species! They stubbornly forbid the glorious path to immortality."
"I am Green Hibiscus. I came to Exalting Sanctum this time hoping to encounter a destined person like you to ascend the path of immortal ascension with me." Green Hibiscus introduced himself.
"How about it? Come with me to a place more suitable for discussing these matters?"
"I've been waiting for you to say that, brother!" Stelle agreed without hesitation, almost catching Green Hibiscus off guard.
Realizing her performance was too excited, Stelle timely corrected herself: "But, it sounds a bit dangerous..."
"Hey! How could that be! We are all honest, law-abiding citizens, just more faithful to our inner desires than other Xianzhou residents. I won't harm you."
"You better not be lying to me."
"Don't worry. This place is not suitable to stay for long; follow me quickly!"
Before leaving, Stelle specifically turned back and gave an 'OK' sign to Adrian and the other two hiding behind the wall.
"As expected of her; the opponent took the bait so easily."
March 7th couldn't tell who was the prey for a moment. Poor Green Hibiscus, played right into their hands.
"Follow them and take a look?" Adrian suggested, agile threads circling his fingertips.
"Yay! It's the most acclaimed [Eternity] blessing!"
...
"We're here. This is the place."
Green Hibiscus brought Stelle to a relatively open area.
"What are you going to do?" Stelle pretended to be wary.
"Rest assured, the Medicus is merciful; I will not harm you. Let me reintroduce myself. I am a [Disciple] of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus. It was inconvenient to reveal my identity in Exalting Sanctum earlier, but now I can tell you boldly and confidently."
"[Disciples of Sanctus Medicus] is an organization that reveres the Merciful Medicus as the orthodox faith, and [Disciple] is what we followers call ourselves."
"If you want to obtain the method of immortality, you must become a Disciple. But to become a Disciple, you have to undergo some small tests."
Green Hibiscus held his hands to his chest: "Please forgive me... as the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus gradually grow, we have also attracted the attention of those demon bow believers. If we don't act carefully like this, the consequences would be unimaginable."
"Just like those two bastards earlier who couldn't understand human speech..." Green Hibiscus complained in a low voice; the pain on his face still hadn't subsided.
"Speaking of which, don't Xianzhou people hate [Abundance]? Looking at your attire... aren't you a proper Xianzhou native?"
"Friend, you don't understand. Only those bewitched by the demon bow hate the Merciful Medicus. Regrettably, there are many such people... far too many."
"Well said, but what can I get from the Medicus?"
Stelle put one hand on her hip, completely acting like someone who had been swindled but felt cheated.
Green Hibiscus patiently explained to her: "Every race craves the grace and healing of the Merciful Medicus, regardless of whether they have heard the name of [Abundance]."
"Foxians crave the [healing] of their lifespan of only three hundred years. Vidyadhara crave the [healing] of the suffering of reincarnation and extinction of offspring..."
"And the Xianzhou people, they crave the [healing] of the torment of Mara-Struck, although we believe that is not torment, but more like a gift of evolution."
"Back to your question, the Medicus can [heal] the aging, illness, and death of you short-life species, just as HE did for the Xianzhou people."
"[Ask, and it shall be given]. The Merciful Medicus is broad-minded and will never easily refuse anyone's prayer. So the entry test for our Disciples of Sanctus Medicus won't be too difficult."
Green Hibiscus coughed lightly a few times and ordered a subordinate beside him to hand over a thick, ancient-looking book:
"Just copy this volume of The Book of Virtues of the Aeon of Eternity... What is this thing???"
Green Hibiscus turned to look at the subordinate beside him. "Where is the Thousand-Handed Merciful Medicus's Salvation?"
"I don't know..." The subordinate scratched his head and looked not far away: "Boss... it seems to be the one padding the table leg..."
Following the subordinate's gaze, they saw a blond man dressed in Pontiff attire copying something.
"What?!" Green Hibiscus's eyes widened in disbelief, and he stormed over to him angrily.
Only then did Stelle see the person's face clearly, almost rendered speechless by shock.
"Bla-Bla-Bla-Bla-Bla... Pontiff Blake?!"
"Hm?" Blake looked up and met Stelle's eyes, his expression full of surprise.
"Oh~ Beautiful lady, it is an honor to meet you. But now doesn't seem to be the time for chatting, please wait a moment." Blake smiled and greeted Stelle, completely ignoring Green Hibiscus beside him.
"Bastard, I'm talking to you! Why did you use it to pad the table leg?"
"I'm innocent, friend! I have been copying the Thousand-Handed Merciful Medicus's Salvation with all my heart and soul... Oh no, to be precise, writing from memory."
Blake handed the results of his copying to Green Hibiscus. "Apologies, if the Thousand-Handed Merciful Medicus's Salvation were placed in front of me, I wouldn't be able to resist peeking a few times. That goes against our [Abundance] aesthetics, doesn't it?"
With this speech, he successfully hoodwinked Green Hibiscus. He picked up the ancient book of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus and walked up to Stelle:
"Don't delay serious business. Let us continue the topic from just now: You only need to copy this volume of Thousand-Handed Merciful Medicus's Salvation five hundred times. convince the brothers and sisters of your sincerity, and you can become a Disciple."
"This is the fundamental scripture of our Disciples of Sanctus Medicus. You must copy it earnestly with a devout heart... it would be best if you could memorize it too."
"Of course, this is just the first step. After becoming a Disciple, you will have to undergo many other tests."
Stelle suspected she heard wrong. Did this guy see through her undercover identity? Five hundred times? Was he trying to kill her?
"Did you give me a pen?"
"Don't worry, it's all prepared for you. Traditional Xianzhou brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. Smooth writing, ergonomic. You won't feel tired even after copying it fifty thousand times. It's true; I copied it fifty thousand times back then."
"Tsk, that's very little," Blake complained.
"Shut up, you bastard who used the Thousand-Handed Merciful Medicus's Salvation to pad a table leg! Your penalty of five hundred times is raised to five thousand times."
Meanwhile, Adrian and the other two were eavesdropping outside the wall.
"It is indeed little."
Adrian stroked his chin. If he remembered correctly, to show his loyalty to [Eternity] back then, Blake copied The Book of Virtues of Eternity for an entire Amber Era without eating or drinking.
"Teacher Adrian, you have to consider the feelings of ordinary people."