54: Chapter 53. This kid ruined all the mythical-level items.

[Readers reaching this point, don't worry—the protagonist truly takes off by Chapter 65.]

The meeting room remained silent for a long time.

Shen Yuntang stared at the pitch-black cursed markings on Lin Mo's chest, the gentleness in her eyes completely faded.

"The Dragon Blood Soul-Devouring Curse is cast at the cost of a Dragon Attendant's entire cultivation and life. It cannot be dispelled, transferred, or sealed."

Her tone was like she was stating a simple fact.

"Three hundred years ago, during the battle that wiped out the Dragon Temple, the last Dragon Attendant cast this same curse on the first Alliance Leader."

"It took the first Alliance Leader sixty years to find a solution."

"The price was sacrificing twenty years of his lifespan."

Pei Jun's expression finally changed.

He took two steps closer, staring at the fist-sized cursed mark for several seconds.

"5,000 points of True Damage per second... You're carrying this thing on you and you can still stand here?"

"I don't feel anything, and my health hasn't dropped."

Lin Mo zipped up his jacket.

Pei Jun: "..."

Shen Yuntang gave Lin Mo a long look but didn't press further.

"Follow me. The Alliance Leader wants to see you."

—

The Alliance Leader's office was on the top floor of the headquarters building.

It wasn't as luxurious as one might imagine.

A wooden desk, a few chairs, and a pot of nearly withered pothos on the windowsill.

A middle-aged man sat behind the desk.

He wore an ordinary gray shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and there was a bit of unshaven stubble on his chin.

He looked just like an average middle-aged father who was a corporate slave.

But the moment he raised his eyes, Lin Mo felt an indescribable pressure.

It was like standing at the foot of a mountain; you didn't need to see the peak—just the act of looking up made you realize how insignificant you were.

"Sit."

The Alliance Leader's voice was very casual.

Lin Mo sat down.

Shen Yuntang, Special Envoy Qin, and Pei Jun stood on either side; none of them sat.

The Alliance Leader flipped through a file on his desk, then looked at Lin Mo.

After a moment of silence, he closed the file.

"To be honest, I've established the Alliance for eighty years, and something like this is practically unheard of."

"However, as long as it benefits the Alliance, I won't pry too deeply."

Lin Mo remained silent.

"I already know about the Dragon Blood Soul-Devouring Curse."

The Alliance Leader leaned back in his chair.

"This curse cannot be broken, but there's no rush."

"The Dragon Temple has been dormant for three hundred years; they won't be able to stir up much trouble in the short term."

He changed the subject.

"Tell me about your requests."

Lin Mo spoke directly:

"For my dao protector, I choose Qin Lan. I'm not changing my mind."

Pei Jun's brows immediately furrowed.

The Alliance Leader glanced at Pei Jun, then at Qin Lan, and smiled.

"Fine."

A single word.

Pei Jun opened his mouth to say something, but the Alliance Leader raised a hand to stop him.

"Old Pei, having you keep an eye on the Dragon Temple is more meaningful than watching over a kid."

"The Dragon Temple's curse doesn't just drain health; it also has a tracking effect. Little Qin might not be able to handle it alone."

Pei Jun's mouth twitched.

Doesn't that mean he's also Lin Mo's dao protector?

It was just that Qin Lan was the one on the surface, while he was the one in the shadows.

Qin Lan stood where she was, her expression unchanged.

"However," the Alliance Leader held up a finger, "I have one condition."

"The Alliance is currently in desperate need of high-level sub-class talent, especially in alchemy and forging."

"For your future sub-classes, at least two must follow the Alliance's arrangements, and you must put some effort into them."

"This is the Alliance's only requirement for you."

Lin Mo thought for a second.

Two sub-classes? That wasn't too much.

He didn't care much about these things anyway.

As for putting in 'some effort'?

The amount wasn't specified, so naturally, it would be up to him.

"No problem."

The Alliance Leader nodded in satisfaction.

"Then, before officially enrolling—"

Shen Yuntang spoke up at the right moment.

"Shouldn't you complete your First Class Advancement first?"

Her gaze fell on the heart of unwavering determination in Lin Mo's hand.

Right.

He had been stuck at Level 30 with max experience for several days.

Lin Mo stood up, holding the class advancement item that radiated a dark gold light in his palm.

"Just advance here," Shen Yuntang said with a smile.

"Okay." Lin Mo directly activated the heart of unwavering determination.

Buzz—!

A pillar of dark gold light soared into the sky from within Lin Mo.

The entire headquarters building shook slightly.

On Lin Mo's retina, system notifications flashed frantically.

[First Class Advancement in progress...]

[Talent 'Block' has obtained an exclusive evolution! Your Block has evolved into Magic Armor!]

[Magic Armor (Level 1): Whenever you take damage, any damage received is reduced by 108,850 points. For every level the talent increases, the Block effect increases by 10 points.]

[Evolution Effect: For every level gained, Attack Power +10 points.]

(Originally Level 10,872; the curse's idle leveling added 15 levels. So the original Block was 108,850 points. After evolution, the talent level resets, but the attributes remain.)

Lin Mo's face instantly darkened.

Are you kidding me, bro?

I used a Mythical Grade advancement item, and you only give me 10 points of Attack Power?

[All Attribute Permanent Growth +100%,]

[Experience Multiplier refreshing...]

[First Class Advancement complete! Experience Multiplier x10! Level-up Experience Multiplier x10!]

[Current Experience Multiplier: 400,000x]

Four hundred thousand times!!

Lin Mo finally felt better.

Under the effect of the idle leveling provided by the Dragon Temple,

Magic Armor's experience skyrocketed. In less than half a minute, it reached Level 7!

Lin Mo praised them in his heart—as expected of the Dragon Temple figures.

The pillar of light dissipated.

The Alliance Leader, Shen Yuntang, Qin Lan, and Pei Jun all looked at Lin Mo simultaneously.

"Class advancement complete?" the Alliance Leader asked.

"Complete."

"What exclusive skill did you awaken?"

Lin Mo looked down and used the Book of All-Encompassing Unity.

He froze for two seconds.

[Awakened Passive Skill—Life Spring (Level 1): All Attributes +1, permanently increases Max HP by 100 points, restores 1% HP per second.]

[For every level increased, an additional 1 point to All Attributes and 100 points to Max HP are added.]

1 point to All Attributes... and a hundred points of Max HP?

This is it for a Mythical Grade item?

Lin Mo's expression management almost collapsed.

But he quickly realized—this thing could gain experience to level up.

He now had a four hundred thousand times experience multiplier.

Level 1 adds 1 point to all stats and a hundred HP.

Level 10,000 would be 10,000 points to all stats and one million HP.

Level 100,000 would be 100,000 points to all stats and ten million HP!!

It might be trash to others, but not necessarily for him.

"How is it?" Shen Yuntang asked.

Lin Mo didn't waste words and displayed the skill.

The office was silent for three seconds.

Pei Jun's eyes widened:

"That's it?"

Qin Lan's mouth twitched.

Shen Yuntang's expression was subtle.

The Alliance Leader leaned back, staring at Lin Mo for several seconds.

As expected... using a Mythical Grade item on a blank-slate class is just a waste of heavenly treasures...

What a great item, wasted on this kid.

"Not very lucky, I see."

The Alliance Leader tapped the desk, his tone relaxed.

"But it doesn't matter. The sub-classes are what the Alliance expects from you. As for combat, Xiao Li is enough."

Lin Mo's mouth twitched, but he didn't deny it.

If he didn't have his cheat, this Mythical Grade item really would have been wasted.

"That's that, then. You enroll tomorrow."

The Alliance Leader waved his hand.

"Yuntang, you go make the arrangements."

The group filed out.

In the corridor, as Pei Jun passed by Lin Mo, his footsteps paused.

"Don't do anything too radical in the future."

His voice was very soft.

Pei Jun left.

Qin Lan followed behind Lin Mo, and only after turning the corner did she lower her voice.

"That Life Spring of yours... can it also be leveled up by your talent?"

Lin Mo smiled.

"Special Envoy Qin, I've said it many times."

"Everything I have today was earned through sweat and hard work."

Qin Lan took a deep breath.

She decided not to ask anymore.

She'd get the same answer anyway.

...

That night, Lin Mo was settled into a Deputy Alliance Leader's manor.

He went alone to the manor's training room and looked at his skills.

[Awakened Class Skill—Life Spring (Level 1): All Attributes +1, permanently increases Max HP by 100 points, restores 1% HP per second.]

[For every level increased, an additional 1 point to All Attributes and 100 points to Max HP are added.]

How do I train this thing?

Lin Mo thought to himself.

Is losing health useful?

Probably not? After all, the curse is still there, and he hadn't seen it level up.

Could it be that it only levels up when there's an offensive action?

Lin Mo gave himself a light slash with a blade.

[Life Spring Experience +400,000] x3 (Three Spirits Symbiosis)

[Life Spring level increased to Level 2...]

[Life Spring level increased to Level 3...]

[Life Spring level increased to Level 4...]

One slash... and it went straight to Level 30!