214: The despicable Vatican

In the secret room.

The windows were tightly covered, and not a single ray of light from outside could penetrate.

In the dark room, there stood exactly five candles, placed in the four corners and the center of the room.

These were no ordinary candles, but Devil Candles specially crafted by the Holy See to protect the Acolyte Priests undergoing assessment.

As the name suggests, they were made by sealing devils into candles.

The tiny, sprout-like candlelight could not dispel the darkness at all; instead, the various distorted shadows cast by that bit of light more easily triggered one's inner associations and fear.

Xu Le pushed open the door and entered the room. The knight leading the way slammed the door shut with a loud bang.

"Boring clichés!"

Xu Le went straight to the candle in the right corner. That was Devil Candle No. 1, which was said to contain only a Rank 1 devil.

[Holy Light Illumination!]

Holding the staff gifted by Priest Barton, Xu Le pointed at the statue from a distance, and a pillar of white light immediately lit up at the tip of the staff.

The blazing white light, comparable to the sun in the sky, easily illuminated the entire room.

Boom!

The Rank 1 Devil Candle, which originally had a flame only the size of a sprout, was instantly ignited by the light pillar. It burst into raging flames, its entire body burning violently and lighting up the secret room.

In the secret room, the various tables and chairs cast strange shadows, looking like man-eating demons.

Three seconds later, the Devil Candle burned to ashes.

Inside the cathedral.

A fist-sized crystal ball projected the scene from Xu Le's room.

The Bishop and a group of High Priests widened their eyes.

"Is this Holy Light Illumination? A Rank 0 Utility Spell could actually turn a Rank 1 devil to ashes in three seconds. How terrifying, truly terrifying!"

"As expected of the Son of God, to be able to Cultivate a Spell to the level of Perfection in just one short month!"

"How shameful, I have only reached Minor Achievement so far!"

Ken interrupted, "Even if the Son of God's talent is unparalleled in the world, can a Rank 0 Utility Spell destroy a Rank 10 Devil Candle?"

Everyone calmed down.

Learning Spells here was different from Blue Star skills; the power of Spells here increased with the caster's proficiency and understanding.

Skill levels could be roughly divided into Beginner, Entry-Level, Minor Achievement, Major Achievement, Perfection, and the legendary Divine-Grade.

With the assistance of the Divine Soul, Xu Le could easily grasp the essence of a Skill and practice it to the highest level of proficiency—Perfection.

As for the legendary Divine-Grade, he was currently unclear about it and didn't even know if anyone could reach it.

It was like a 100-point exam; even with the help of the Divine Soul, he wouldn't know how to score 120.

He continued forward.

The next candle was a Rank 10 devil; Xu Le still went up and fired a [Holy Light Illumination].

"Ah—"

The candle let out a shrill scream, and the life-flame at its tip flickered incessantly, appearing incredibly eerie in the dark room.

"A Rank 0 Spell is ultimately just a bit short, damn it."

Xu Le thought for a moment and cast [Holy Light Healing Spell].

White energy gathered at the tip of the staff; it wasn't as blinding as the illumination Spell and seemed incredibly gentle.

This was a gentle Spell that could help people recover life, but when it landed on the Rank 10 Devil Candle, it was like pouring a ladle of water into a hot oil pan.

The Devil Candle crackled, and the wax was rapidly consumed. That wasn't ordinary wax, but the Devil Candle's life energy.

When the wax disappeared, the Devil Candle would be completely extinguished.

In just three seconds, the Devil Candle was dried up and extinguished on the spot.

[Experience +0]

...Inside the cathedral.

Ken's face changed drastically: "In just one month, he actually raised the healing Spell to Perfection as well."

The Bishop smiled slightly, as if everything was within his grasp: "Of course. The Son of God undergoes Reincarnation once every hundred years, and each time he Seals the Devil King Satan, who crawls out of Hell. If he didn't learn Spells quickly, how could he possibly do that?"

Devil King Satan!!!

The heads of the priests buzzed and exploded with shock.

Who is Satan?

He is the most evil and terrifying Devil King in the world, with horrifying strength. Even the Archangel under the god of light—Lucifer—was lured to Hell by him.

In many people's hearts, Satan is a super devil second only to the god of light, yet he is sealed by the Son of God every hundred years.

"Hiss..."

Even if it was just a Seal, everyone felt it was surreal.

That is an existence second only to the god of light.

"How long does it take for the Son of God to Seal Satan?" Ken felt his throat go dry.

The Bishop held up one finger.

"A hundred years?"

The Bishop shook his head.

"Ten years?"

The Bishop continued to shake his head, waving his extended index finger in the air. "One year!"

"Hiss!" Everyone was shocked once again. To be able to defeat Devil King Satan in just one year? They had to hurry and cling to his coattails.

Everyone watched as Xu Le used the Perfection-level [Holy Light Dispelling Spell] to eliminate the Rank 20 and Rank 30 Devil Candles, and they had already grown accustomed to it.

It would be strange to them if Xu Le used an Entry-Level Skill.

When Xu Le walked to the center of the room, everyone's eyes widened; the real test was only beginning now... A white candle stood quietly in the center of the room, its flame flickering and trembling as if it couldn't withstand the surrounding darkness.

Xu Le felt a hint of panic.

This panic did not originate from him, nor from Spu, but from the devil.

"A mere trick!"

Just as Xu Le was about to cast a Skill on the last Devil Candle, he suddenly stopped.

In the vision of the Divine Soul, this was just an ordinary candle, as ordinary as could be.

Can god of light Spells extinguish a candle?

Xu Le thought about it; using "Healing Spell" or "Dispelling Spell" earlier didn't work.

He lowered his head and blew out a breath, and the candle was instantly extinguished.

"The Holy See is indeed wicked, actually using an ordinary candle to deceive Acolyte Priests."

"Wait. One of the requirements for a priest is that they cannot lie, so there must be a fifth Devil Candle in this room."

[Holy Light Illumination]

Intense white light illuminated the entire room, and Xu Le's gaze swept over the furniture like tables and chairs.

Looking up, he discovered that one of the candles on the chandelier above was actually a Devil Candle.

"These people from the Holy See are really sly; not only did they mislead me, but they also deliberately tried to pass off fish eyes for pearls. So sly!"

Xu Le thought for a moment and threw a Perfection-level [Holy Light Dispelling Spell] over.

The Devil Candle's wax immediately began to drip incessantly, and some of it seemed to have a consciousness of its own, actually floating toward Xu Le.

Xu Le quickly dodged. That wax contained the devil's resentment; he wasn't afraid of it, but it gave him a sense of déjà vu like corpse oil, which made him feel nauseous.

Waving the staff in his hand, he threw five consecutive [Holy Light Dispelling Spells]. This was a technique that could only be achieved when [Rapid Spellcasting] reached Perfection.

Boom!

The Rank 40 Devil Candle burst into flames with a "whoosh," dispelling all the coldness in the entire room.

[Experience +0]

Xu Le turned and walked out the door. From this moment on, it meant he had become an Official Priest and could go to the Library to read most of the materials kept by the Holy See.