No one dared to take action around the Holy City or kill anyone from the Temple of Light, not even the spies from the Dark Temple.
Hain took out his own knightly armor and Xiu'en's trainee robe. Today happened to be the day when trainees from all over gathered in the plaza in front of the Temple of Light. Kulun Masite, the chief deacon of the main Temple of Light, was standing on the highest step at the front of the plaza.
"First of all, on behalf of His Holiness the Pope, I welcome you all to the Holy City."
"Having passed the tests of your local Temples of Light, you are already qualified to join the Temple of Light. However, this merely grants entry into the ordinary Temple of Light. If you wish to earn the opportunity to stay and study at the main temple, you must all give it your best in the upcoming examinations."
Just as Kulun's voice faded, a knight of the Temple of Light hurried over to his side and whispered something into his ear.
The more he listened, the uglier Kulun's expression became. When the knight finished speaking, Kulun nodded.
"The team leaders and trainees from the Wugan City Temple of Light and its affiliated churches, step forward."
"My Lord, is there something wrong with us?" asked Saka, a deacon and the leader of the Wugan City Temple of Light, bowing.
However, Kulun did not answer. He merely furrowed his brow as he looked down at the group below.
Mosu's heart suddenly skipped a beat; he had a nagging feeling that he had overlooked something. Under Saka's gaze, Mosu had no choice but to bite the bullet and lead the group forward.
Before long, the knight who had just left returned with two people.
When Mosu clearly saw the faces of those two, he finally remembered what he had missed. Cold sweat streamed continuously down his forehead while his mind raced, desperately searching for a way out.
"Speak. What is the meaning of this?" Kulun asked, looking at Hain and the other.
Twenty minutes ago:
"Let's go, Xiu'en. Today is the day everyone takes their examinations, and they will all be gathered in the plaza in front of the main temple. If we go over there right now, it will be the safest time."
"Understood, Lord Hain." Xiu'en nodded.
The perimeter of the plaza had been sealed off by knights long ago.
"Halt. Passage ahead is currently prohibited." As Hain and Xiu'en approached the pathway leading to the plaza, they were blocked.
"You see, I am a deacon from the Mais City Temple of Light, and we passed through the jurisdiction of Wugan City..."
Upon hearing Hain recount the entire sequence of events, the knight grew furious.
"Wait here for a moment. I will go and report this to the deacon." With that, the knight hurried inside.
Returning to the present moment:
After listening to Hain's account, Kulun stared at Hain for a moment. Kulun possessed a skill that allowed him to see through the hearts of those of a lower rank than himself. He could be certain that Hain had not lied, so he turned his gaze upon Saka and the others.
"You lot are truly impressive." Kulun waved his hand. "Take all of them into custody and lock them in the Holy Prison. Anyone who resists is to be executed on the spot."
"Understood." Twenty main temple knights drew the longswords at their waists and marched toward Saka and his group.
Those with a clear conscience were filled with puzzlement, though none reacted too strongly. Mosu and his companions, however, darted their eyes around sneakily, watching for a chance to escape.
"Hmph..." Kulun took in everyone's reactions, which only made him more certain that Hain was telling the truth.
"Rhode, fetch two Holy Priests to heal these two and help them recover their spirits."
Afterward, Kulun looked at Xiu'en and said, "Although you suffered many hardships and traveled a difficult road to reach the Holy City, rules are rules. I cannot bend the standards for you during the examination. Focus on recovering your energy for now."
"My Lord, this is a letter of recommendation for this little fellow." Hain produced the sheepskin scroll that Oum had given him.
"Hm?" Kulun casually glanced at it.
The moment he saw the seal upon it, his pupils suddenly and violently contracted. Unlike Lawrence, he knew whose seal that was. That was a person he could neither afford to provoke nor offend. Within the entire main Temple of Light, aside from His Holiness the Pope, only the top two seats of the Council of Elders could hope to match him.
"Wait here a moment. I am going to report this to His Holiness the Pope right now."
Right before Hain's astonished eyes, Kulun dashed into the papal palace at an incredible speed.
"Your Holiness, Your Holiness..."
The Pope, seated upon the Throne of Light, slowly opened his eyes. "Kulun, why are you still so rash?"
"Your Holiness, it's Vandis."
"What?"
The Pope instantly forgot how he had just reprimanding Kulun. He leaped to his feet in agitation. "Vandis has returned?"
"No." Kulun shook his head, then produced the sheepskin roll. "A trainee has arrived at the Mais City Temple of Light, and the seal on his letter of recommendation was left personally by Vandis. I could never mistake his aura."
The Pope gently flicked his finger, and the sheepskin scroll in Kulun's hand floated into the Pope's grasp. The Pope's finger brushed lightly across the seal, and the golden seal instantly shattered into dust.
Opening the scroll, he found only a single sentence written inside: *He is my disciple.*
"Hahaha..."
The Pope was amused to laughter by Vandis's brief and crude tone. As he laughed, his gaze shifted toward the exterior of the palace. His eyes seemed capable of piercing through space itself.
After watching for a moment, the Pope withdrew his gaze. "He is the top performer of this trial. Give him three drops of Holy Water."
"Your Holiness, this..." Kulun looked at the Pope with some hesitation.
The Holy Water of Light was bestowed by the God of Light; it could refine one's physique for cultivation and purge impurities from the body. A single drop could allow an ordinary person who was otherwise incapable of cultivation to begin practicing. Two drops could forge a genius. As for three drops, Kulun didn't even dare to imagine how high such talent would soar. It was rumored that Vandis's natural talent was only slightly lower than someone who had used three drops of Holy Water, yet higher than someone who had used two. Within the entire Holy Temple, only ten drops of the Holy Water of Light remained in existence.
"The person Vandis has chosen is worthy of it. Perhaps he will be the leader of the next generation of the temple."
"What about the Holy Son?" In the Temple of Light, the person destined to inherit the papal position was known as the Holy Son.
"He needs some pressure. If he can surpass that little fellow, then he remains the Holy Son. If he cannot, then all the resources poured into him will merely prove that he is not up to the task."
"Understood, Your Holiness."
The Pope produced a small vial. Within the crystal-clear bottle, three droplets of liquid radiating the aura of light could be clearly seen.
"Go." Kulun nodded.
When Hain and Xiu'en saw Kulun emerge from the Palace of Light, he was already standing right in front of them in the blink of an eye.