Jiang Lin ignored them and walked straight toward the mirror in his dormitory.
Then, he saw a figure that made his pupils shake in shock.
The facial features and silhouette vaguely resembled his former self, but the proportions were more perfect. His skin was as fair as jade, and he had hair and eyes that shone like the sun.
The natural sense of awe-inspiring righteousness flowing from between his brows made even him feel a bit unaccustomed.
Furthermore, even with a calm expression, this face possessed a sense of divinity that seemed almost non-human.
Since they had both received the power of a god, why didn't the Temple Master show any signs of the situation he was in now?
Jiang Lin recalled the Temple Master's face—it was a kind, common face with nothing special about it, certainly not possessing the outstanding appearance he had now.
Could it be because he had absorbed too much of the God of Holy Light's power, causing him to change in the direction of the God of Holy Light?
Jiang Lin speculated in his heart.
After all, nearly half of his current power came from the God of Holy Light.
Then, he thought for a moment. Other geniuses like the Temple Master should not have had such low stamina and mental strength by the time they reached level 20; they shouldn't have been too far from their limits.
Therefore, the power the god helped them increase probably wasn't much.
That should be the only explanation.
"Who exactly are you?"
At this moment, the two women caught up and asked.
"I'm Jiang Lin. Can't you recognize me?"
Jiang Lin answered calmly.
"Jiang Lin?"
"Are you joking? Jiang Lin just left the dormitory. How could he change his appearance so suddenly?"
Jiang Lin shrugged helplessly.
"I don't know either. I just mysteriously turned into this."
At this point, Aili's nose twitched, and she showed a puzzled expression.
Huh, wait, it really is Jiang Lin's scent...
Then she leaned forward, carefully scrutinizing Jiang Lin's features. She found that there really was a trace of Jiang Lin's silhouette.
"You're really Jiang Lin?!"
Aili was shocked.
"Are you using some kind of magic that can change your appearance?"
She asked suspiciously, while carefully sensing the magical aura on Jiang Lin's body.
Jiang Lin shook his head.
"No, my actual appearance has changed. I don't know the specifics of why."
Hearing this, Aili cried out in shock.
Anya also looked the guy up and down—he now had the same golden hair and golden eyes as her—while she began to think.
This guy Jiang Lin... could he be a member of the Castrot family?
And did he just experience a sudden bloodline reversion?
Living in a fantasy world, although Jiang Lin's sudden change of appearance was incredible, it wasn't beyond their understanding.
Seeing that even Jiang Lin himself seemed confused, they began to rationalize the possibility of the situation in their minds.
The same thought began to surface in Aili's mind as well.
She looked at Jiang Lin, then at Anya. The identical features of golden hair and golden eyes made them look almost like siblings.
Thinking of the outstanding paladin talent of both parties, Aili began to wonder if Jiang Lin was some illegitimate son of Anya's father living in the outside world.
Thinking of this possibility, Aili almost burst out laughing.
May all lovers in the world eventually find out they are siblings!
...
The two continued to ask Jiang Lin about the process of his change in appearance.
However, Jiang Lin had no answers to their questions.
So, after spending some more time, Aili and Anya completely accepted the fact of Jiang Lin's transformation.
Jiang Lin also spent a long time in front of the mirror admiring his peerless beauty.
Based on his current appearance of awe-inspiring righteousness, he spent a long time striking poses and found several expressions that suited his current face shape.
Only then did he leave with satisfaction.
"I'm going to leave Clearwater City for a while. I might not even be back by the time school starts. If you two leave, remember to close the windows."
Before leaving, he instructed the two girls.
"Hmm? Leaving Clearwater City? Where are you going?"
Aili asked curiously.
Jiang Lin pondered for a moment and said:
"I plan to go to Emerald City. I'll be back in a month at the latest. If I'm not back after a month, it means something happened to me. You can just go to the Temple Master of the Clearwater City temple and tell him the situation.
"If he is willing to help, then there should be no problem. If he isn't willing to help, then there's nothing you can do yourselves."
Hearing this, Aili nodded seriously.
At the same time, she asked curiously:
"Since there will be danger, what are you going there for?"
However, Jiang Lin shook his head.
"I have a reason I must go. I can't reveal the specific reason."
Anya also spoke up after hearing this:
"Then if you don't come back, I'll ask my family and see if my father is willing to take a trip to Emerald City."
Jiang Lin thanked her.
Then, he left his dormitory with a bewildered Little Black.
"Kid, why are you suddenly running over there?"
Little Black asked.
"You'll know when we get there,"
Jiang Lin replied.
However, before heading to Emerald City, he still had some preparations to do.
He walked quickly to the Tower of Trials, intending to familiarize himself with his current strength.
After all, his attributes had doubled in all aspects, and he hadn't yet tested what level of power he could reach.
Arriving at the second floor, this area contained projections of 1st-rank demonic beasts.
The spacious central hall connected to more than thirty rooms. Since many students had returned from their break, people had already started lining up for these public facilities.
However, Jiang Lin noticed that the school staff seemed to have left for some reason. The students were taking number plates themselves from the registration station where the staff usually was.
Even so, the scene remained orderly.
It was clear that this was indeed a group of high-quality students who had received a good education.
Jiang Lin took a number plate and, after waiting for a moment, finally entered that familiar room.
Then, the familiar prompt appeared:
【Trial Commencing】
【Level 10 · Transcendent-tier · Swift-shadow Leopard Projection】
A beam of light and shadow appeared before Jiang Lin's eyes.
The moment the shadow appeared, a beam of sword qi arrived almost simultaneously.
Boom!
The shadow was blown into fragments, and the next shadow immediately emerged.
【Level 11 · Transcendent-tier · Iron-armored Rhino Projection】
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
...
Soon, an old friend familiar to Jiang Lin arrived.
【Level 20 · King-tier · Soul-devouring Demonic Spider】
How strong would a king-tier demonic beast of the same level be?
The last time he fought it was... well, the last time.
Back then, Jiang Lin hadn't even broken through to the 1st-rank and could only fight it to a standstill.
But now, he was at the peak of the 1st-rank, about to break through to the 2nd-rank!
He condensed an eight-colored longsword in his hand. Brilliance flowed over the longsword, emitting heart-palpitating energy fluctuations.
He calmly gazed at this powerful demonic beast that had once forced him into a bitter struggle, only to find that it now appeared... slow in his eyes.
"Roar!"
The soul-devouring demonic spider projection had just finished condensing and let out a deterrent hiss. Its eight compound eyes flickered with a fierce light, and its massive body lunged forward, bringing a fishy wind with it.
However, Jiang Lin just casually raised the eight-colored longsword in his hand.
There were no complex sword moves, no charging wind-up.
He simply swung the sword toward the soul-devouring demonic spider with a light touch.
Buzz—!
A condensed beam of radiant sword qi, which fused eight elemental attributes, instantly tore through the air. Its speed exceeded the soul-devouring demonic spider's reaction time, arriving before it in the blink of an eye!
Boom!!
The sword qi accurately struck the center of the soul-devouring demonic spider's massive body.
There was no violent collision or stalemate, no explosion from clashing energies. The sword qi easily sank into the soul-devouring demonic spider's body like a hot knife through butter.
Just a moment later, it cut the projection of this level 20 king-tier demonic beast, along with the surrounding spatial shadows, into scattered points of light!
An instant kill!
Now, when facing a king-tier demonic beast of the same level, Jiang Lin was able to achieve an overwhelming instant kill!
It was as easy as facing a transcendent-tier demonic beast that was only level 10.
Jiang Lin's expression remained as calm as still water. Only the air currents stirred by the energy impact in front of him made his golden hair flutter slightly backward.
If I equate this king-tier demonic beast to my combat power at rank-0, then with my current self, I should be able to instantly kill the rank-0 peak Shadow of Blood as well, right?
Jiang Lin thought to himself.
At the same time, the light and shadow changed again.
【Level 20 · Overlord-tier · Crystal-armored Dragon Rhino】!
Jiang Lin sharpened his focus.
Overlord-tier was equivalent to the representative of the first tier of the same rank.
Its strength could even be several times that of the king-tier.
According to Jiang Lin's understanding, even a genius adventurer like Neil at level 20 would be helpless against an overlord-tier beast of the same level. In a one-on-one fight, he would only be beaten mercilessly.
In a normal combat environment, human adventurers who wanted to challenge overlord-tier creatures generally needed to do so in a team.
This was also the strongest combat projection that the second floor of the Tower of Trials could simulate.
In the next moment, the shadows converged again.
An aura heavier and more primitive than that of the soul-devouring demonic spider spread out.
A giant beast as large as a small hill appeared in the arena, covered in thick crystalline scales and with three hideous giant horns on its head!
Its massive size and primeval aura both seemed to say that it possessed terrifying defense and power enough to shatter mountains.
The moment the crystal-armored dragon rhino projection appeared, it locked onto Jiang Lin. It let out a deafening roar, its thick limbs trampling the ground as it charged with the momentum of a collapsing mountain. Every step seemed to make space itself tremble!
Facing this fierce charge, Jiang Lin still didn't retreat. He chose to clash head-on!
He strode forward, changing from a single-handed grip to a two-handed grip on his sword. The magic circuits of Light-speed Dash appeared on his legs as he charged straight at the opponent.
The eight-colored longsword in his hand instantly burst into brilliant light, and surging eight-colored sword qi brewed within it. Jiang Lin's toes tapped lightly on the ground, and his body suddenly changed direction, slashing toward the crystal-armored dragon rhino's vulnerable waist and abdomen.
However, a powerful repulsive force came toward him. Jiang Lin's forward momentum was instantly suppressed, and his body began to fly backward.
Even the sword qi that had just left the blade was pulled backward by this repulsion field.
Jiang Lin was somewhat surprised.
The opponent had the ability to emit a repulsion field!
Jiang Lin flew backward and, after making a slight adjustment to his posture in mid-air, stood his ground.
As an overlord-tier demonic beast, the crystal-armored dragon rhino naturally possessed powerful combat capabilities that transcended its level.
Like Jiang Lin, it was one of the top performers in the level 20 tier.
Furthermore, as a demonic beast, it didn't have the ability to master many fancy skills. The absence of that part made its physical strength exceptionally formidable.
Just as Jiang Lin's attack rhythm was interrupted and he landed on the ground, the crystal-armored dragon rhino also charged close to him.
Those three hideous giant horns on its head aimed right at Jiang Lin's body. If Jiang Lin didn't set up any defense, his body would surely be gored through by this attack.
He quickly adjusted his posture, stabilized his center of gravity, and shifted the longsword in his hand into a defensive stance.
Boom!
A force so massive it could be called terrifying arrived.
The eight-colored longsword was wedged between the three hideous giant horns of the crystal-armored dragon rhino, stopping the beast's continued forward thrust.
If Jiang Lin's stamina stats hadn't reached 400,000, making him a humanoid beast in terms of power, he would have been taken down by this first wave of attacks.
Buzz—!
The eight-colored longsword hummed as Jiang Lin increased the power poured into the blade. At the same time, his body also began to exert force, as boundless stamina instantly flooded into his legs and the arms holding the sword.
Simultaneously, he used the Strengthening Technique, which had reached its limit, to strengthen all his muscles!
After feeling the power of this overlord-tier crystal-armored dragon rhino, Jiang Lin already had a plan. He didn't choose to dodge and look for an opportunity; instead, he chose to clash directly and head-on!
"Hah!"
With a low shout, fine cracks were actually stepped into the ground beneath Jiang Lin's feet.
The terrifying power brought by the combined effect of his 400,000 stamina attributes and the Strengthening Technique exploded completely. He forcibly withstood the subsequent terrifying impact of the crystal-armored dragon rhino and began to push its massive body back step by step.
From a bystander's perspective, this scene was incredibly terrifying.
A tiny figure, standing before a beast as large as a mountain, was actually stopping the opponent by himself.
And he was even gaining the upper hand in this struggle of strength, pushing the opponent backward.
The crystal-armored dragon rhino let out a roar of shock and rage, and the repulsion field around its body surged toward Jiang Lin again, trying to blow him away.
However, this time Jiang Lin was already prepared because the eight-colored longsword in his hand was precisely wedged at the base of the crystal-armored dragon rhino's three giant horns like an iron stake driven into the earth.
When the repulsion field hit, he gripped the eight-colored longsword tightly, stabilizing his figure and remaining as motionless as a boulder.
Only his robes were rustling loudly.
The full and swelling power within his body gave Jiang Lin great confidence. Using his Chronowalker's Evil Eye to capture the moment just before the crystal-armored dragon rhino's repulsion field vanished, the eight-colored longsword in his hand burst into even more dazzling and radiant light!
Mental strength was poured in frantically, and the power of the blade in his hand also soared wildly.
Then, the sword qi, a perfect fusion of eight attributes, flew out from the blade. Jiang Lin's longsword slashed upward along the base of the giant horns!
Screech—!
A tooth-aching sound of tearing rang out.
The thick crystalline armor, comparable to a city wall, was sliced right through by the sharpness of the eight-colored sword qi. The massive rhino horns were severed at the sound!
Jiang Lin's aura was fierce as his sword stance shifted from defense to offense, leaving a terrifying wound deep enough to see the bone on the crystal-armored dragon rhino's tough neck. Dark golden blood gushed out!!
Having done all this, Jiang Lin retreated rapidly. After stabilizing his figure, he dissipated the eight-colored longsword in his hand.
Then, he turned toward the exit and gave a faint evaluation:
"Not bad, but compared to me, the gap is quite large."
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