Chapter 257: Chapter 161: Archbishop of Death — Lu Cang (Part 3)

One had to admit, Lu Cang was always full of confidence.

"Oh? So even when you encounter danger, your first thought is to run away?"

"That’s different. I believe that as long as I survive, I’ll become invincible one day."

"Everyone goes through a process of growing from weak to strong. It’s about recognizing your own shortcomings and staying humble when facing any opponent."

"In my opinion, that’s the mindset the strong should have," Lu Cang said with conviction.

"If you know an enemy is stronger than you, you just train until you’re even stronger, then go and defeat them."

"I have absolute faith that I’ll become one of the strong. What about you, Lu Luwei?" Lu Luwei looked at Lu Cang, who was floating beside her, leaning against the parapet to meet her gaze.

His eyes were resolute and clear, without a trace of hesitation or doubt.

Lu Luwei composed herself, then responded with equal conviction, "Of course I’ll become one of the strong, too."

"I have absolute faith in it."

Lu Cang broke into a wide smile. "There you go."

Lu Luwei suddenly felt her spirits lift. Perhaps it didn’t matter whether she was truly one of the strong right now.

What mattered was having the heart to believe you would inevitably become one of them.

’Iz must think the same way, and Chi Cheng too. They’ve probably never wavered in that conviction.’

Lu Luwei had found her own champion’s heart.

It felt as if something deep inside her had been elevated.

"Lu Cang, have you ever lost?"

"Lost?"

"If you count that time I sparred with Iz right after becoming a Mage, then I guess you could say I have."

Lu Luwei smiled. "Want to spar with me in the Battle Arena tomorrow?"

"No."

Lu Luwei tilted her head. "Oh~ so avoiding a fight is your way of not losing, is it?"

Lu Cang retorted bluntly, "Only if a Level 5 Archer has any shame fighting a Level 3 Mage."

"However, I can recommend an opponent for you, Lu Luwei..."

...

I heard that Lu Luwei absolutely thrashed Leng Qingying in the Battle Arena.

’Leng Qingying really is stubborn.’

She was willing to fight, even knowing her opponent was a whole Level higher.

As for Lu Luwei, it was her first time experiencing the thrill of crushing a rookie.

That kind of thrill wasn’t just something you could get anywhere. It had to be a specific situation: your opponent is a bona fide genius of the younger generation, the strongest in their field, and they confidently challenge you to a fight.

Only to be ruthlessly crushed by your hand.

Seeing the humiliation, indignation, and self-reproach on Leng Qingying’s face pushed that feeling of satisfaction to its absolute peak.

Lu Luwei understood.

Dominance by Level was still dominance.

Being stronger by Level still meant you were stronger.

No one would dare say the Level 8 An Zheng wasn’t strong. Besides, being even one Level higher truly made a world of difference.

It was far too early to worry that she’d be weaker than Izparut and the others when she reached Level 6.

The day she truly reached Level 6, things might be completely different!

’Hmm...’

’In any case, I should congratulate Lu Luwei on finding her confidence at Leng Qingying’s expense.’

’I just feel a little bad for Leng Qingying, though.’

’As for why she was so eager to fight Lu Luwei...’

’It’s because she heard I beat Lu Luwei when I was a Level lower, so she wanted to replicate my feat.’

’A Level 4 challenging the Level 5 Lu Luwei.’

’Sigh...’

’Young geniuses. They don’t know their own limits and have a completely skewed assessment of their own strength.’

...

「Lorentz Magic Academy」

Iz was flipping through a Magic Book.

"Oh~"

"So you’re saying... you’re now the rightful Sect Leader of the Death Church?"

A smile touched the corners of Iz’s mouth.

"How interesting. I wonder what Kumironi will think when she hears this." 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"No... Iz, the reason I came to discuss this with you is precisely because I don’t want Kumironi to know just yet."

Iz put down the Magic Book in his hands.

"Coffee?"

Lu Cang: "Yes, please. Thank you."

Iz casually lifted a hand.

Coffee beans from a nearby bag floated into the air. Water coalesced from nothing, heated into boiling by a Fire Element.

The beans were instantly pulverized into a fine powder by Magic, and the water infused with them. The fragrant liquid then separated perfectly from the solid grounds.

It flowed into a cup.

’Being a Mage sure is a convenient Profession.’

The cup, wrapped in a current of wind, flew over and landed on the table in front of Lu Cang.

"Actually, this might just be an opportunity. The Death Church hides in the shadows. Even if we turned the world upside down, it would be hard to root them out completely."

"But if we had a mole on the inside, things would surely be much easier."

Lu Cang took a sip of his coffee. "Iz, when you say ’mole’... you wouldn’t happen to be referring to the Sect Leader, would you?"

Iz smiled.

Lu Cang felt a sense of resignation.

’I guess I should have expected this would be their decision.’

’Anyone with half a brain knows that killing the visible Death Cultists only treats the symptoms. The real cure is to infiltrate them from within.’

"To be honest, though, I’m not really interested in eradicating the Death Church. It’s just that Kumironi, in order to uphold the principles of life, is bound to clash with the cultists of Death. Chi Cheng and I are just helping her out."

Lu Cang knew that if it weren’t for Kumironi, Iz and the others probably couldn’t be bothered to deal with the Death Church at all.

"I think Kumironi will understand. In fact, she’ll probably approve of this plan."

"Let me call Kumironi over... We can all discuss it together."

Lu Cang nodded.

A faint light glowed at Iz’s fingertip, then shot out the window.

Before long, a figure clad in the dignified, jade-green uniform of a High Priest pushed the door open and entered.

’It looks like Kumironi just rushed over from the Life Church...’

’This is the first time I’ve seen her in these robes. Did she come straight from her duties at the Church?’

"Iz said you had something important to discuss with me?" Kumironi asked, a puzzled look on her face.

Iz propped his chin on his hands, which were resting on the table. He spoke with mock solemnity, "Kumironi, listen to me..."

"Lu Cang... is going to become the Archbishop of the Death Church."