Chapter 23

First, Bishop Sermid of the Church of Justice had a faint admiration for Junming. Not many people could resist such temptation and remain steadfast in their faith, and this young man had managed to do so, which was truly commendable. Bishop Sermid thought that if he were in Jiang Junming's position, he might not have been able to remain so resolute. Second, the Goddess of Care belonged to the Just Deity System. If neither the Church of Justice nor the Church of Dawn could secure this genius, he would have a greater advantage over Price. With this in mind, Bishop Sermid acted even more magnanimously, reaching out to pat Jiang Junming's shoulder in approval.

How could Price not know what Bishop Sermid was thinking? Seeing Sermid's feigned generosity, his face turned grim, and he angrily turned and left. The priest of the Church of Dawn hesitated for a moment as he watched the bishop's departing figure but did not follow, staying behind in the testing grounds.

Bishop Sermid of the Church of Justice did not say much more and left the testing grounds. All three tests were completed, and the remaining task was to announce who had been selected to enter the Church Academy.

Xiao Price and the arrogant youth were both selected, and Jiang Junming had no objections to this. However, the fact that the fat Chados and the thin Aired also passed the tests made Jiang Junming feel that the Church's actions were not as just and fair as they claimed.

When the dust settled, the believers of the Church of Care greeted Jiang Junming and left, eager to return and share the good news. The selection results today were unexpected, and the future of the Church of Care looked promising. The believers of the Church of Care did not want to wait a single minute to share this good news with everyone in the church, so they could all share in this joy.

The other young men selected to enter the Church Academy for study left in a group, elated. Jiang Junming was alone, looking somewhat lonely as he walked home by himself.

Walking down the familiar streets, Jiang Junming still felt somewhat incredulous about what had happened. Compared to his anxious state when he went to take the Church Academy test early in the morning, it felt like a different world. Pondering the words of the optical brain in his mind, he walked toward the herb shop.

Just one block away from the Wild Herb Shop, Jiang Junming saw a group of over ten people approaching him, the same gang of hooligans who had caused trouble the day before. The leader of the hooligans, seeing Jiang Junming walking alone, asked, "You're Junming, right? How did the Church Academy test go today?"

"I passed, but I don't know when I'll start at the Church Academy," Jiang Junming replied honestly. Facing a group of hostile hooligans, Jiang Junming felt a bit afraid.

Hearing this, the hooligan leader laughed loudly, pointing at Jiang Junming with a menacing look. "Look at this kid, trying to scare us with big talk. Do you really think you can study at the Church Academy? Even if you became a priest today, or even a bishop, I'd still beat you up."

This was clearly a joke, as the hooligan leader did not believe Jiang Junming had passed the test. In his view, Jiang Junming was trying to use the Church's name to make him back off.

The surrounding hooligans also burst into laughter, as if they had seen something hilarious. Jiang Junming did not understand but did not explain, just watching the group of hooligans silently.

The hooligan leader sneered, "You? I don't know what kind of luck you had to even take the Church Academy test. If you had passed, wouldn't the Church have respectfully escorted you back? We just came from East Street, where Chados and the others were truly selected to study at the Church Academy. The Church's believers are already spreading the news with Chados. If you had been selected, the Church wouldn't have missed this opportunity."

As he spoke, the hooligan leader's face was full of mockery. Seeing Jiang Junming remain silent, he thought he had exposed Jiang Junming's trick, leaving him speechless. The muscles on his face twitched, and he suddenly produced a switchblade, flipping it skillfully in his hand, the sound adding to the menacing atmosphere.

With the sound of the knife, the hooligan leader continued, "You little brat, you still dare to tell me you passed the Church Academy test? Why don't you take a look at yourself in the mirror? Do you think you deserve to study at the Church Academy?"

Jiang Junming wanted to run, but he was surrounded by the hooligans and couldn't escape. Seeing the knife in the hooligan leader's hand, he was afraid. This was a situation he had never experienced, and he was suddenly so scared that his legs were trembling. At that moment, Jiang Junming suddenly heard a familiar mechanical voice in his head: "Energy supply sufficient, host attributes enhanced, entering combat mode."

Jiang Junming hadn't figured out where the voice was coming from, but it was definitely the optical brain. Entering combat mode? As soon as the voice in his head finished speaking, numerous light points appeared on the bodies of the hooligans, and some Arabic numerals were faintly visible among the light points. Jiang Junming was listening to the optical brain and ignored the hooligan leader's vicious words. To the hooligans, a skinny, frightened child was just a piece of meat on a chopping block, ready to be cut up.

"Scaring me? Making me get scolded by the attendant. Today, I'll break your dog legs and then smash the Wild Herb Shop! I'll show you who's in charge," the hooligan leader sneered, waving his hand to signal his subordinates to beat up Jiang Junming.

One of the hooligans, holding a wooden stick, rushed at Jiang Junming first, his face a mix of viciousness and ease. The person they were going to beat today was just a child, and the leader had brought so many people, probably to prepare for smashing the Wild Herb Shop afterward. As soon as the hooligan heard the leader say to break the child's legs, he immediately swung the wooden stick at Jiang Junming. A child with no fighting ability could be knocked down with one blow, and if he didn't act quickly, he might miss his chance.

Jiang Junming saw the hooligan's body covered in light points, with a large Arabic numeral 1 on his chest, indicating where to strike first. The numeral was not large, located at the xiphoid process, one of the most vulnerable points on the human body. Jiang Junming's mind raced, and without hesitation, he crouched slightly, pushed off the ground with his right leg, and charged at the hooligan with his right arm ready.

Just as the optical brain had said, the energy supply was sufficient, and the host's physical attributes were enhanced. Jiang Junming felt his agility and strength increase, and his right arm moved so fast that he almost collided with the hooligan before he could strike. The final punch landed on the xiphoid process marked by the light point, and although he didn't use full force, it felt heavier than his usual full-strength punches.

The hooligan was much larger than Jiang Junming but was knocked back by the punch, dropping his wooden stick and falling to his knees, clutching his chest like a dead fish on the shore, gasping for breath but unable to get any air, his face turning blue and purple, on the brink of death.

What just happened? The hooligan who was hit by Jiang Junming panted heavily, unable to believe that he had been knocked down by a skinny child. It must have been a coincidence, everything was a coincidence.

******

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