Many facets of Conviction couldn’t be found online. Even the clues in game would sometimes not suffice. Nie Yan recalled having over 20 different quest items sitting in his personal storage in his past life because of this. So, he didn’t hold out too much hope for this divinity quest. He would leave it up to fate.

Nie Yan wondered what kind of place this Temple of the Goddess of Life was.

“You, what’s your name?” Nie Yan asked. He didn’t use Transcendent Insight to inspect the Thief’s name.

The Thief became flustered by this sudden question. His face lit up with joy, as he nervously answered, “M-my name is Twilight Chill!”

“Twilight Chill? Good name. I’ll remember it. When you return to the guild, go by Watchful Snail. I’ll have him double your reward and give you a decent set of Level 130 Thief equipment,” Nie Yan said. He could tell this Thief in front of him had a special talent. So, he decided to give Twilight Chill a bit of extra encouragement. Perhaps, he would receive a nice surprise in the future.

“T-this, it’s fine, Boss. I’m already satisfied that I could be of help!” Twilight Chill felt overwhelmed with favour.

One of Twilight Chill’s companions smacked him in the back of the head. “Idiot! What are you doing refusing? Hurry up and thank the boss!”

These Thieves, like the other players in Asskickers United, knew Nie Yan was a man of his word. They all saw this as the norm. So, after hearing Twilight Chill’s words, his companions rolled their eyes. Really, this guy... Nie Yan had already given his word, but he still tried to refuse.

“T-thank you, Boss!” Twilight Chill said from the heart. This was a huge gift to him, as if a meat pie had fallen from the clouds into his lap. He was filled with gratitude toward Nie Yan. This was undoubtedly a recognition of his skills.

Twilight Chill’s companions all shot him envious gazes. However, they had to admit that there was no one better at researching information than him. It was an important quality that was highly sought after.

“I’ll be taking my leave. If you find anything else, report to me directly,” Nie Yan said. After bidding everyone farewell, he entered stealth and headed for the temple.

This kind of affair was just a brief interlude for Nie Yan. However, for Twilight Chill, it would be a memory to be cherished for the rest of his life.

Twilight Chill watched Nie Yan’s back disappear and made a decision in his heart. He definitely wouldn’t let Nie Yan down!

After travelling several hundred meters, the outline of the Temple of the Goddess of Life finally came into view. Or rather, the ruins. Some of the towering structures that still remained intact allowed Nie Yan to vaguely visualize how grand this place must have once been a great many years ago. At present, though, it was like an old man long past his prime, simply waiting for death to take him away.

After scanning the ruins, Nie Yan spotted some silhouettes roaming around. They were likely the bandits Twilight Chill and the others were talking about. The Variant Lords. With so many powerful creatures gathered together, this place was a death zone for ordinary players. If you were to accidentally set foot here, you would probably die without even knowing what killed you.

Looking in the distance, Nie Yan saw 16 large obelisks in the middle of the ruins. There were a few collapsed structures under these white pillars. That was likely the heart of the Temple of the Goddess of Life. He wondered what was inside there.

As he drew closer to the temple, the Holy Stone in Nie Yan’s bag started shining with a bright and gentle radiance. His heart trembled. The remaining piece of the Tyrant Abak Set was over there!

Nie Yan could hardly contain his excitement.

After obtaining the Leg Guards of Focus, Nie Yan would have the complete Tyrant Abak Set. A Level 180 Legendary set, this was simply unimaginable for ordinary players—something that could only be yearned for in their dreams. Even Nie Yan himself didn’t dare to believe it to be real. When he first obtained the Glimpse of Darkness, he didn’t think he had any chance of obtaining the Tyrant Abak Set. However, after almost two years and collecting piece after piece, he was finally within reach of completing the full set!

With the Tyrant Abak Set, even the likes of Soaring Angel would have no hopes of beating Nie Yan.

No matter the cost, even if he had to flip the whole place upside down, Nie Yan was determined to obtain Abak’s Leg Guards of Focus. He decided to explore around. If he couldn’t do it alone, he would mobilize all the Masters in the guild to help him. If that still wasn’t enough, he would mobilize the whole guild!

Nie Yan was only a single piece away from completing the Tyrant Abak Set. This was justification enough!

Nie Yan glanced at the clock. It was almost time for the servers to shut down. He decided it would be better to enter the temple tomorrow. He logged out of the game.

Like usual, Nie Yan and Xie Yao went to the Top Military Academy together. In between classes, Nie Yan spend his time in the gym. Personal strength, both in the game and in real life, were of vital importance. He couldn’t allow himself to grow weak.

At noon, Nie Yan received a call from Mo Yuntian.

「General Yuntian, how are Wang Duo, Lin Yi, and the others doings? Did they already take the selection exam for the 12th Mech Armoured Corps?」Nie Yan asked. Last he heard, the selection exam had been pushed forward. That was why Mo Yuntian had urgently called Wang Duo and the others back. It should already be over by now.

「It was two months ago. The results have just been given free. The 12th Mech Armoured Corps accepted 12 people. Out of those 12, 11 are from Wang Duo’s group. Wang Duo is one of them. The other generals were completely shocked. Those brats, they really did me proud.」Mo Yuntian chuckled. Nie Yan could tell how good his mood was.

Hearing the results, Nie Yan breathed a massive sigh of relief. With this conclusion, if World Bloc ever encountered trouble, Mo Yuntian would definitely step in to help.

「I don’t know how you trained them, but when Wang Duo and the others were fighting, they were like a bunch of wild beasts. Not just the 11 that got accepted, all of them performed brilliantly and have been given their own special arrangements. Oh right, those brats have been badgering me to see you. They should already be on their way.」Mo Yuntian chuckled.

After the two chatted for a bit, Nie Yan recalled a certain matter. He spoke about his encounter with Liu Tianshi and asked Mo Yuntian to help investigate him. Nie Yan didn’t dare to reveal anything about his past life. So, he was light on the details.

「Liu Tianshi, the one in the Top Military Academy?」Mo Yuntian knitted his brows, his expression a bit grave.「I know who he is. He’s not someone you can afford to provoke. If something happens, even I might not be able to help you. As for his background, it’s best if you don’t ask. Keep as far away from him as possible!」

Nie Yan realized all the more Liu Tianshi really wasn’t someone simple. No wonder he got away scott free after murdering Tang Yao in cold blood in the previous timeline. Since the situation was like this, though he was unhappy, there was nothing he could do but stay away from Liu Tianshi and try his best to keep those around him safe.

If the two of them both minded their own business, there would be no problem. However, if Liu Tianshi was determined to make an enemy out of him, Nie Yan could only rely on some special methods. For example, he could have Bayonet assassinate him. Of course, considering Liu Tianshi’s background, that would be taking a huge risk. This was a last resort kind of option.

𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

After repeatedly warning Nie Yan not to provoke Liu Tianshi, Mo Yuntian hung up.

Nie Yan recalled the words Liu Tianshi said the other day. A sense of unease welled up in his heart. Just what was that bastard planning? He had to make some preparations!

After the final bell rang, Nie Yan called up Bayonet and updated him on Wang Duo, Lin Yi, and the others. Bayonet only grunted in response. Though he refused to show it, he was incredibly happy with the results.

Wang Duo, Lin Yi, and the others entering the 12th Mech Armoured Corps was great news. Nie Yan was in high spirits all day.

When evening came, Nie Yan entered Conviction. He appeared on the outskirts of the Temple of the Goddess of Life. After exploring his surroundings for a bit, he activated stealth and entered the ruins, slowly making his way forward.

This was the square outside the temple, collapsed walls were scattered everywhere and there was a small path in the middle. Nie Yan spotted numerous silhouettes roaming around, elves, humans, orcs, even three meter tall giants. Their classes were quite varied as well. There were Mages, Thieves, Warriors, and so on. However, they all shared something in common. On the right shoulder of their clothes was a white skull. This was the symbol of their group.

Death’s Kiss!

Seeing this symbol, Nie Yan recalled the legend of Death’s Kiss. This was a group of bandits formed by fugitives from all over the continent. They were extremely powerful with tens of thousands of members. They had a presence in every nation. The armies of the Viridian Empire and Satreen Empire had tried to surround them several times. Even though they suffered heavy casualties, they weren’t wiped out. According to rumours, they were formed by a Legendary Mage from the human race. This organization had a deep and complicated history.