The Innkeeper

Chapter 2166: No, it can’t be

The first time that Lex arrived in the Temple of fasting, he had gone through its basic test to determine his qualifications and determine the level of training he could receive. Back then, the test alone had been enough to overwhelm him, and cause him to be surprised by the place. This time, it was the laws that made this place up.

"Welll, well, well, who do we have here?" asked a familiar voice as a projection appeared in front of Lex, revealing Mateo. A soft smile appeared on Lex’s face as he saw the projection.

Back when he had entered the temple, Mateo was the one who had first tried to train him. However, due to Lex’s many abnormalities, he had to go wake up Cassandra so that she could train him instead.

"Seems like we’re very privileged today, we have some big celebrities visiting our temple today," Mateo continued. "You’ve really grown a lot. I remember when you first came here, you were a baby. Now look at you, all grown up and... wait, I can’t sense your realm. That’s strange, why can’t I detect your cultivation level?"

Mateo, whose head was a skull, had a surprising number of expressions, especially as he tried to figure out Lex’s cultivation level.

"Hey Mateo, it’s been a while. How are things going in the Temple?" he asked.

Instead of answering, Mateo continued to stare at Lex intently, as if trying to see through whatever was blocking his vision. Honestly, Lex himself couldn’t even be sure of which one of his abilities were blocking Mateo.

"It’s been a while since you last visited the temple. Why don’t you undergo a scan to check up on your progress, in case you need more training to put you on the right path," Mateo said, ignoring Lex’s question and still focusing on Lex’s cultivation level.

Yet that only caused Lex to chuckle. The last time he was scanned, Mateo had to wake Cassandra. This time, Mateo might be forced to wake up everyone else inside the temple - after all, there were numerous other workers of the temple in hibernation, sleeping until they were woken to fulfil the duty of the temple, whatever that may be.

"I think it’s best if we avoid any scans," said Lex. "I have a lot of things to update you on. The reason the Inn drastically reduced the number of workers entering the temple recently was because someone has been probing for the temple. I wanted to take precautions, and ask you if we should avoid sending anyone at all, or if it’s fine."

Mateo did not seem disturbed at all at the news that someone was looking for the temple. In truth, people had never stopped looking for the temple. But could they find it just because they were searching?

"You do not need to be concerned with the temple’s safety," said Mateo as a matter of fact. "The temple itself has many security features - it could even block access from the Midnight Inn if it felt threatened. You don’t need to worry that your scans will be leaked - they’ll be perfectly safe."

Lex chuckled. Mateo really wanted to learn about why he couldn’t see through Lex’s cultivation. Unfortunately for him, Lex had too many secrets and couldn’t allow his body to be scanned, even by the temple.

"Mateo, if you want to know my cultivation level, I can just tell you," Lex said with a chuckle. "I’m at the peak of the Heaven Immortal realm, now preparing myself for my Celestial tribulation. Of course, I plan on staying in this realm for a short time to maximise my strength before I enter the next level."

At the moment, Lex did not feel like he was even close to the next cultivation level, but that was only because of how little time he had spent cultivating. He was sure that if he could get some time to take a break and cultivate for a while, he’d reach that point sooner rather than later.

"How can that be possible?" Mateo asked dismissively. "You only just became an Immortal a short time ago. It’s impossible for you to be at the peak of the Heaven Immortal realm."

Mateo did not want to believe it, not only because of how quickly Lex would have grown, but also because... that meant Lex’s cultivation level was higher than his own! How embarrassing!

"Haha well, I’ve been through a few things," Lex said, not making a big deal out of it. "But I’m not here to talk about that. Since you’re saying it’s safe to continue sending people to the temple, I want to send a mermaid here. I was hoping you can train her, and at the same time, hide her for a while. She has a very high bounty on her, and a lot of forces are hunting her down. She has a unique bloodline that lets her travel between realms through water."

Mateo stopped trying to pressure Lex, not because he had subdued his curiosity, but because this was a serious matter. Mermaids were considered a sub-human race, and the Temple of Fasting served specifically as a place to train humans.

"You must absolutely send her here immediately," said Mateo seriously. "If she can travel between realms, then that would mean she has the bloodline of the Kinari tribe. They have been hunted from the earliest days of mankind for the secrets that they can access. This bloodline must be preserved at all costs!"

Lex nodded, already aware that there were probably countless secrets behind why the mermaids were being hunted.

"I’ll do just that," said Lex. "Besides that, there’s another matter that I need to take care of here inside the Temple. I’ve been instructed to learn the Masterless technique."

Lex did not elaborate on who had instructed him, or why. These things were better left unspoken. Mateo seemed confused about the technique Lex was mentioning, but suddenly his expression changed.

Deep within the Temple, there was a room with a statue of the patron of humankind - Mother Nuwa - as well as statues of the thirteen first Kings and Queens of mankind. At this moment, all thirteen statues suddenly opened their eyes and turned their gaze towards Lex, as if activated by something he said.