329: Chapter 329 What I Saw and Heard

"When the blade touched his arm, the target's lower lip was pressed firmly, the corners of his mouth pulled slightly downward, and his brow furrowed then quickly relaxed. This is a typical expression of suppressing pain..."

"While feeding, his eyebrows raised, the orbicularis oculi muscles relaxed, and no traces of performance were observed..."

"Enabling nanoscale particle collision detection..."

"Based on the above analysis, there is a probability of over 99.324% that this is spontaneous behavior."

"I understand."

Zhang Huaiyuan nodded, pondered for a moment, and walked straight toward the burly man.

There was nothing left to observe; if scientific methods were wrong, then the naked eye was even less trustworthy.

"Huh... To think a noble mage would appear in such a remote place."

When he approached to within about a hundred meters, the burly man seemed to sense something and suddenly looked up.

His somewhat rugged face looked pale from blood loss, but he managed to squeeze out a friendly smile.

"Hello, are you..."

Zhang Huaiyuan returned the smile and tapped his wooden staff lightly.

A gentle white light fell upon the other man.

Immediately, the large chunk of flesh that had been gouged out began to recover at a visible rate.

This wasn't magic, but a combination of technological light effects and fluid nano-repair agents.

Of course, the burly man couldn't distinguish the difference.

"Holy Light-type Healing! Lord Mage, you are actually a Divine Officer!"

The burly man stood up abruptly and said with a reverent expression:

"Thank you for your mercy, Lord Divine Officer. I am an ascetic practitioner, currently practicing the virtues of sacrifice and mercy, hoping one day to become a glorious Paladin."

"Sacrifice and mercy?"

"Yes, these two gray wolves have injured legs and look like they haven't eaten for a long time. If I ignore them, I fear they won't survive the night."

"And I am strong and healthy; even if I lose some blood and vitality, I have a good chance of surviving."

"This area is remote for a hundred miles; what if your injury worsens and you can't make it to medical treatment?"

"Is the Lord Divine Officer testing me?"

The burly man's rugged face displayed a hint of sanctity:

"Myriad Things have spirits. To trade my small risk of death for the survival of other living beings is exactly in line with the virtue of sacrifice. If I were to turn a blind eye, my soul would be tarnished, and even if I survived, I would be trapped in guilt for the rest of my days."

"Not bad."

Zhang Huaiyuan didn't expect such a seemingly crude ascetic to say something like this. Seeing the man's unblinking gaze, he couldn't help but nod.

Although he didn't agree with this philosophy, it didn't prevent him from respecting and admiring it.

"Thank you for your praise, Lord Divine Officer."

The burly man lowered his head, feeling somewhat embarrassed, his eyes filled with longing:

"The fact that you can cast Holy Light-type spells proves that you have at least fully comprehended and practiced one of the virtues of the Seven Sacred Pillars. I am still far behind and need to learn from you."

"Haha... I believe you will realize your dream and become a Paladin sooner or later."

Zhang Huaiyuan gave an awkward laugh and changed the subject:

"I am preparing to go to the Seven Sacred Pillars to pay homage to the holy radiance. Could you point the way for me?"

He asked himself if he was a bad person, but to be as selfless as this ascetic was something he could never achieve.

"You want to go to the Seven Sacred Pillars?"

The look of reverence on the burly man's face intensified:

"It is rumored that countless great heroes have gone to the Void to resist demons after being acknowledged by the Seven Sacred Pillars, which is why our world can be so stable and peaceful. Lord Divine Officer, if you walk straight in this direction for about 100 kilometers, you will see a small gathering place."

"It was built by a noble existence specifically for the ascetics and adventurers in this area. All supplies inside are very cheap, and there is a teleportation array leading to the towns. Once you arrive there, you will naturally know how to proceed."

"It is a pity that I still need to continue practicing the path of sacrifice and cannot lead the way for you personally."

"No matter, I wish you an early realization of becoming a true Paladin."

Zhang Huaiyuan waved his hand with a smile and bid farewell to the first living being he had encountered in this world.

"Sir, based on the global analysis, the element of performance has been basically ruled out."

"Hmm... However, a single sample lacks representativeness and breadth. We need to continue observing along the way. Keep the analysis function enabled."

Zhang Huaiyuan instructed softly.

This world seemed even more extreme than he had imagined.

Even an ordinary ascetic had such high consciousness, so high that it didn't seem like a normal person.

"Why would the three major forces create such a world... especially such a critical connecting world."

Zhang Huaiyuan became increasingly curious.

He quietly activated the exoskeleton system under his feet, which was disguised as normal footwear, and walked toward the gathering place a hundred miles away.

Soon, a camp consisting of a few simple houses came into view.

Tavern, inn, medical, quest, and trading hall... Small as a sparrow, but it had all the vital organs.

Zhang Huaiyuan pondered for a moment, then reached out and tossed dozens of dust-sized micro-detection devices, which drifted naturally with the wind onto the adventurers over there.

Most of them were gathered in the tavern, drinking and chatting wantonly, completely unaware of the dust-like detectors that had landed on them.

"Enable synchronous monitoring function."

In an instant, chaotic sounds fell into his ears.

"Thanks to Mr. Muke, we are able to enjoy this rare happiness amidst our difficult ascetic practices."

"Yes, I heard Mr. Muke was originally a powerful knight. When rescuing miners in a collapsed mine, he single-handedly held up the collapsed surface to cover their retreat, ultimately overdrawing his strength and causing his cultivation to be destroyed."

"That's right. At the time, the temple rewarded him with vast wealth to commend his actions. But Mr. Muke eventually chose to use all that wealth to develop various desolate areas, building countless small gathering places. This gave thousands upon thousands of adventurers basic security..."

"You guys, every time you come you repeat praises of my master; I've heard it until my ears have grown calluses."

"Of course, Lord Muke's noble character is worthy of everyone's respect. Come, let's toast to Lord Muke."

"Cheers..."

The lively sounds were incessant.

"Another good person... Brave, sacrificial, selfless..."

Zhang Huaiyuan narrowed his eyes and gently stroked his right wrist.

"No problems found so far, Sir."

The voice of the Statue of Liberty sounded knowingly.

"Hmm... That's true. This is the world closest to Shanhai City. Even if the evil power mentioned by Third Senior Brother starts to infiltrate the Ascension Battlefield, this place should be the last to be affected."

Zhang Huaiyuan was lost in thought.

"Plan the optimal route to the Seven Sacred Pillars for me, passing through as many cities as possible along the way. Observe as we go, and if there are no problems, proceed to the next world as soon as possible."