"Advanced Affinity of Faith Power," should be the manifestation of Lis's enhanced soul from the second round of trials.
As a Priest of the Wisdom Church, Lis spent ten years studying the Divine Arts. His soul was long immersed in the Power of Faith, greatly raising his affinity with it. This change would also be reflected in the outside world through Lis's spirit.
However, it wasn't of much use to Lis now. After obtaining the "Sphinx Ascension Technique," Lis's goals were no longer limited to becoming a Legend.
Given such an opportunity, Lis even considered giving up the Priest profession specialty he was preparing to acquire in favor of one that would aid the Ascension Technique. But he hadn't decided which specialty to choose yet, so he would have to plan it out slowly in the future.
As for "Tenacious Will" and "Soul Ascension," they were the most direct and clear upgrades for Lis, and definitely his favorites.
After the third round of trials, Lis even felt that his willpower and soul strength had broken through the Gold Level, reaching a new level.
As a spirit body, this was a sensation Lis was quite clear about, and even his body had solidified a lot more than when he first entered the temple.
Last, the milestone "Hidden Explorer," was a specialty Lis had never heard of before.
The description in its effects likely referred to Lis mastering the secrets of the "Sphinx Ascension Technique," which surely warranted such an evaluation.
The effect of enhancing the mysterious attribute was great, but it was the part about "triggering other hidden events" that piqued Lis's interest.
He didn't know whether it was a good or bad thing.
This exploration had brought too many enhancements for him, not just a boost in power but also showing Lis the grace of the pinnacle of the world.
Although Stephens and Joyce had explained some of the Legends' secrets to Lis before, the Ascension Technique excited him even more.
Although Lis's power was still far from sufficient and the "Sphinx Ascension Technique" wasn't perfected, and might not guarantee success, it had planted a seed in Lis's heart.
It seemed like I could also strive for a realm beyond Legend!
To others, this might seem overly ambitious, but Lis felt with the guidance of his two great backers and now having another Legend's heritage, becoming a Legendary Arcanist wasn't that difficult.
Take it slow! One step at a time!
Having spent a decade in the Dream World, although part of his memory was sealed by the Sphinx, Lis's attitude had become much more steady over time.
Lis stroked the Black Cat on his lap, fiddling with its pink paw pads, and said with a smile:
"Would you like to come with me?"
Suppressing the urge to swipe at Lis, the Black Cat hummed:
"Of course, I've had enough of staying here."
"Alright, how do I take you out with me?"
Lis asked, now feeling that sitting at the highest point of the Black Temple felt quite nice.
The Black Cat pondered for a moment then lowered its head to lick the back of Lis's right hand.
Suddenly, the Black Cat's figure began to fade and a black paw print appeared on the back of Lis's hand.
In a moment, the paw print on Lis's hand vanished, and the Black Cat reappeared on his lap.
Lis felt that the Black Cat in front of him seemed to have formed some sort of soul connection with him, becoming somewhat more intimate.
"Now you're my master, Lis," said the Black Cat, licking its paw, with its amber eyes looking at him.
Lis said with a smile, pleased with this turn of events. He wouldn't miss out on this extremely rare and unique Magic Intelligent Life.
Unless Lis decided to let it go, the Black Cat was now forever bound to him.
"Pleased to meet you, Black Cat," Lis said with a smile creeping onto his face, then suddenly asked, looking at the Black Cat:
"Black Cat, what's your name again?"
"I'm called Antti... never mind, you give me a new name. I, too, am looking forward to a new start," replied the Black Cat after some thought.
"Ah... How about Little Black... no, that won't do, there's already a Little Black."
"Maybe Little Little Black... That doesn't feel right, either."
"How about Sheriff Black Cat?"
"Dark Night Saint Meow?"
"Wow, coming up with a name is really hard."
Lis felt some distress, as naming was an extremely difficult task for him.
The black cat at his side listened to Lis muttering to himself, its face pitch-black.
In the end, with the black cat resisting with all its might, Lis somewhat regretfully named it "Little Mi."
"Mi Mi, are you sure you don't want to be called 'Dark Night Saint Meow'? I think this name suits you."
Lis shook his head as he looked at the black cat now called Mi Mi, trying to give it another nickname.
The black cat's first impression of its new master Lis was finally cemented.
This guy is terrible at naming!
Imagine Master Sphinx, names like "Sphinx Ascension Technique," "Sphinx Dream Building Skill" sounded so good, and its previous name, Antilicia, was also very pleasant to hear.
So, what the heck is 'Dark Night Saint Meow'?!
Ignoring the black cat's discontent, Lis surveyed his surroundings and asked:
"Can we get out of here now?"
"What about this space?"
"Just leave it here."
The black cat indifferently said, it was indeed tired of staying here.
"After we leave, this space will close, and no one else will be able to enter."
"If you want, you could come back in the future, but I don't see the point."
Lis glanced around and stood up from the black throne.
"Let's go, I have a lot of things to do!"
The black cat nodded, just as it was about to shift itself and Lis out, it suddenly heard Lis's voice.
Then they saw Lis fumbling around behind the throne, and after some attempts, he successfully stowed the throne into a space ring.
After that, they saw Lis clomping down the stairs, trying hard to do something in front of the divine statue.
"That statue is the core of this space; it's locked in place and can't be moved."
The black cat humanely brought a paw to its face, expressing its helplessness.
It suddenly felt signing a master-servant contract so directly had been a bit rash.
Is this guy really reliable?
Within Lis's somewhat regretful gaze, he and the black cat were enveloped by a burst of colorful light, disappearing from the temple.
This time, the temple really fell into a deep, silent stillness.
Lying in the inn's bed, Lis woke up and looked at the glass of water on the table.
It was the same as before, unchanged.
Only one night had truly passed.
Lis marveled in his heart, this was nothing short of a miracle.
It wasn't until this moment that Lis slowly became clear-headed from the trance of spending ten years in the trial,
"The Martial Monk's basic class feature, 'Proof of Nature,' right?"