101: Chapter 101 Temple of the God of War

Lin Mo's gaze fell upon the bald, burly man, and the man was looking back at him as well.

The moment their eyes met, Lin Mo's right eye twitched slightly.

Through the Eye of Sin-Eating, this man's silhouette was a mass of pure white light, as clean as snow.

He wasn't a Mimic, but he was fundamentally different from everyone else.

Lin Mo narrowed his eyes.

Above Rank 5.

At least Rank 6, or even stronger!

"Little brother Lin Mo, you've arrived?"

Liu Jianguo stood up, a hint of unnaturalness on his face.

In that hint of unnaturalness, there was respect, restraint, and something else Lin Mo had never seen before.

Something like... fear?

Lin Mo didn't speak; he simply walked to the end of the long table, preparing to sit down.

"Wait."

The bald man spoke.

His voice wasn't loud, but it rolled through the room like muffled thunder.

He looked at Lin Mo, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

"Why sit so far away? Come over here."

The tone wasn't a suggestion; it was more like a command.

Lin Mo looked at him and didn't move.

Liu Jianguo's expression changed, and he was about to speak to smooth things over.

Chu Tianye had already stood up.

He walked over to the bald man and bowed slightly.

"General."

General?

Lin Mo's brow twitched slightly.

Chu Tianye was a mid-Rank 5 Awakener and the commander of the 2nd Armored Infantry Regiment, holding a very high status in the Southeast War Zone.

Someone who could make him bow and address them as General...

"Lin Mo."

Chu Tianye turned back, shooting Lin Mo frantic looks.

"This is General Vice Hall Master Zhao Shanhe, the Vice Hall Master of our military's War God Temple."

Lin Mo looked puzzled.

This was the first time he had heard the name War God Temple, and he didn't know what a Vice Hall Master of the War God Temple represented.

But beside him, Li Chengxi was so shocked that his pupils constricted.

Vice Hall Master of the War God Temple?

He naturally knew of this legendary organization—a place that gathered the military's strongest combat power, a monster camp that only Awakeners above Rank 5 could join!

As for Vice Hall Master Zhao Shanhe's name, he had heard it more than once from his father, Li Kui.

A peak Rank 8 Awakener, said to be only a step away from Rank 9.

Such an existence was someone even his father, Li Kui, rarely had the chance to meet.

And now, this legendary figure was sitting just a dozen meters away from him.

"Kid."

Vice Hall Master Zhao Shanhe spoke.

He looked at Lin Mo, a hint of playfulness in his eyes.

"I traveled a long way just to get a good look at our Great Xia's current number one genius. I can't see you clearly from that far away!"

Lin Mo was stunned for a moment; this man looked fierce, but his way of speaking was quite interesting.

For an existence above Rank 5, how incredible must his vision be? How could he possibly not see what Lin Mo looked like?

Lin Mo rubbed his nose and slowly walked over, sitting down opposite Vice Hall Master Zhao Shanhe.

Li Chengxi swallowed hard and quietly sat down next to Lin Mo.

"Lin Mo."

Vice Hall Master Zhao Shanhe spoke again.

He leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, watching Lin Mo.

"Being able to break through the defense of a Rank 5 Mountain-Hugging Demon Ape shows that your attack has reached at least the mid-to-late Rank 5 level. When I was your age, I was far from being able to do that."

Lin Mo's eyes flickered slightly.

Vice Hall Master Zhao Shanhe stared at Lin Mo, silent for a few seconds.

Then he spoke slowly:

"Your file shows that your trait is the white Swift Step."

"The Awakener Association rated you as a speed-type Awakener with limited potential."

"The records from our military front lines say your performance was excellent, but your trait quality is too low to achieve great things."

He paused.

"I watched the video of that battle seven times."

"And then I discovered something—"

He stared into Lin Mo's eyes.

"The reason you could suppress the Mountain-Hugging Demon Ape was because you could vanish and reappear out of thin air."

"No acceleration process, no movement trajectory, and no residual inertia."

The corners of Vice Hall Master Zhao Shanhe's mouth curled up slightly.

"That's not something pure speed can achieve. No matter how fast you are, you'll leave a trace."

"It should be a space-type ability."

He paused.

"A White Trait like Swift Step couldn't possibly give you a space ability, so you must also possess a space-type trait!"

Lin Mo remained silent.

Vice Hall Master Zhao Shanhe wasn't in a hurry either, leaning back in his chair as he continued lazily:

"And that strike you used to break the giant ape's defense should have used an ability that significantly boosts your strength attribute."

"You slashed it dozens of times before, and each strike only left a white mark, but that last strike directly shattered its scales."

"Your strength must have surged at least fivefold compared to before."

Lin Mo's eyes shifted slightly.

Vice Hall Master Zhao Shanhe laughed.

"What, did you think I wouldn't be able to tell?"

He held up a third finger.

"And then there's your lightning."

"From start to finish, your body was wrapped in golden lightning. I estimate that lightning can probably boost your defense, leave a mark when you attack, and even detonate after certain conditions are met."

Vice Hall Master Zhao Shanhe paused deliberately here.

"That's not an effect an ordinary lightning-type trait could have. It's at least Purple, or even higher!"

Vice Hall Master Zhao Shanhe stared into Lin Mo's eyes.

Lin Mo finally spoke:

"You observed very carefully."

Vice Hall Master Zhao Shanhe laughed.

"Kid, I've been in the War God Temple for over a hundred years. I've seen more geniuses than you've eaten grains of salt. Did you think your little secrets could be hidden from me?"

Lin Mo was suddenly startled.

"Over a hundred years?"

This Vice Hall Master Zhao Shanhe looked forty at most, yet he said he'd been in the War God Temple for over a hundred years?

That meant this man was at least a hundred years old!

Seeing Lin Mo so surprised, Vice Hall Master Zhao Shanhe showed a look of satisfaction, thinking Lin Mo was shocked by his airtight deduction.

He leaned forward.

"Spatial movement, strength amplification, high-rank lightning..."

"Three different types of high-rank traits gathered in one person."

"Combined with that white Swift Step in your file."

"It means you have at least four traits."

"In the centuries since the War God Temple was founded, it has taken in countless top-tier Awakeners, but among them, not a single one could master a space ability at Rank 3."

"Nor has there been anyone who could possess four traits simultaneously!"

Vice Hall Master Zhao Shanhe's eyes burned with intensity.

Lin Mo's mouth twitched; the man's burning gaze made him feel quite uncomfortable.

After all... this was a hundred-year-old old monster. Who knew if he had any strange hobbies...

"Relax, don't be nervous. I'm not here to ask about your secrets. How many secrets you have is your business."

Seeing this, Vice Hall Master Zhao Shanhe suddenly smiled, trying to ease the tense atmosphere.

"I'm here to invite you."

"Invite me to join the War God Temple?"

"Yes."

Lin Mo looked at him.

"And the conditions?"

...