Chapter 6: Three Divine Arts

The night was thick and heavy. At the head of the village, beneath a towering banyan tree, stood the Xuanqing Temple, half-swallowed by weeds.

The incense sticks that had been lit during the afternoon offering had not yet fully burned out, trailing thin threads of firelight and wisps of curling smoke.

Against the oppressive darkness of the night, the sight carried an otherworldly, divine quality.

Especially after the black cat walked straight into the Xuanqing Temple — the villagers stared at the modest shrine and felt, with growing certainty, that it was radiating a divine glow.

"This… this is Lord Xuanqing manifesting his divine presence!"

No one could say who among the villagers cried out first.

But the atmosphere ignited in an instant.

Song Mugen and his son had still been reeling from the shock of watching the black cat enter the Xuanqing Temple — but the moment those words rang out, it was as if a bucket of clarity had been poured over their heads.

Song Ming's face broke into an expression of sudden, wide-eyed realization.

"I was wondering how we could have been lucky enough to run into a demon beast like that — one that drove off a wolf pack and led us out of Wolf's Head Mountain and back to the village! When has anyone ever heard of a demon beast helping people? And yet it happened to Father and me!"

"This must be Lord Xuanqing manifesting his divine presence! He sent the Black Cat to Wolf's Head Mountain to rescue us!"

Song Xiuxiu, who had been supporting their mother, stared wide-eyed, her voice trembling with disbelief.

"Father and Brother weren't home today, so I was the one who went to offer incense to Lord Xuanqing. When I did, I prayed that Father and Brother would come home safely, and then…"

And then, that very evening, Song Mugen and his son had returned safely — rescued, of all things, by a demon beast under mysterious circumstances.

And after returning, the demon beast had walked straight into the Xuanqing Temple.

If this wasn't Lord Xuanqing manifesting his divine presence, then what was it?

After their initial shock, the villagers were almost unanimously convinced. One by one, their voices rose together.

"Lord Xuanqing has manifested!"

"Lord Xuanqing has manifested!"

"Lord Xuanqing watches over us!"

As they called out, the villagers dropped to their knees right where they stood and began to kowtow toward the Xuanqing Temple.

Song Mugen's family kowtowed with particular sincerity.

For the other villagers, it was mostly awe and reverence at the divine manifestation.

But for Song Mugen's family, beyond the awe and reverence, there was something deeper — gratitude.

If Song Xuanqing had not sent the black cat to bring them out of Wolf's Head Mountain, father and son would truly have died on that mountain.

And if both men of the household had perished in the wilderness, leaving only Song Xiuxiu and their mother, the two women would have had a desperately hard time surviving in this era.

Song Xuanqing, though enshrined within the idol, could see everything outside clearly.

Yet he made no display — no sudden burst of golden light from the temple, none of those show-off tricks. He simply did not bother.

There was no need.

What was happening now was already enough.

Too much would only spoil it.

As a deity, except when truly necessary, Song Xuanqing felt he should maintain a proper sense of distance and mystery.

Before becoming a god, he had been human — and he understood human nature all too well.

Song Xuanqing's gaze drifted to the black cat.

This time, the black cat did not dare leap onto the offering table again.

It crouched obediently on the ground, laying it on thick as it recounted how it had driven off the wolf pack and guided Song Mugen and his son home.

"Meow, meow, meow!" Your divine lordship, you have no idea how dangerous it was! That wolf nearly bit off this little demon's tail, but remembering your instructions, I didn't dare retreat…

"Meow, meow, meow!" By the end, this little demon's paws were bleeding! It took tremendous effort to bring those two villagers back!

All of which, when translated, boiled down to two words.

Pay up!

Song Xuanqing laughed inwardly, watching the black cat chatter on without pause.

He understood the cat's behavior well enough — it just wanted a bigger reward.

But he said nothing, made no appearance, and simply watched the black cat deliver its impassioned performance.

The black cat couldn't see Song Xuanqing, but it could see his idol.

It knew Song Xuanqing could hear every word.

After embellishing the tale at great length, the black cat noticed the idol remained completely unresponsive, with no sign of Song Xuanqing appearing.

Its heart gave a sudden lurch.

This… this god wasn't going to welch on the deal, was he?

Surely not. Humans deceive demons, demons deceive demons — but now gods were going to deceive demons too?

Fine, forget the extra reward — at least give some kind of response, divine lordship!

He wouldn't really welch, would he?

And if he did, what then?

It wasn't like the cat could beat this god in a fight!

The black cat, growing anxious, raised a paw and scratched at its ear. "Meow~"

Esteemed divine lordship, are you there?

"Heh~"

This time, the black cat finally received a response — not silence, but a clear, light laugh.

The black cat's round eyes lit up at once.

It was just about to speak again when a familiar, clean fragrance drifted around the tip of its nose.

It was the scent of incense, carrying a divine resonance.

A touch richer and more concentrated than the trace it had smelled before.

A familiar coolness flooded its mind, and a warm current moved through its body.

The black cat reacted instantly, greedily drawing in that incense-laden air.

Its mind grew clearer and clearer, and a sudden urge arose — to run free through the mountain forests.

Whether for humans or demon beasts, cultivation was best pursued by following one's heart.

But the black cat still remembered Song Xuanqing, and called out a few grateful meows.

"Esteemed divine lordship, if you ever have need of this little demon again in the future, simply give the order! For now, this little demon won't disturb your peace any longer — I'll come to pay my respects another day!"

With that, the black cat bolted out of the Xuanqing Temple, vanishing in a blur, and disappeared into the mountain forest.

Song Xuanqing paid the black cat no further mind. His gaze fell to the System panel.

The Incense Value had decreased by 1.2.

In the end, Song Xuanqing had given the black cat an extra 0.2 Incense Value.

That was a minor matter. What truly mattered was that the beginner's quest was complete!

The System could finally be fully unlocked for him!

[Beginner's Quest: Though you are merely a feral god of a rural village, as a deity in whom the people place their faith, you should do something for your believers and increase their devotion to you.

Progress: 1/1 (Completed)

Completion Reward: Beginner's Gift Pack (Pending Collection)

System integration unlocking: 1%… 15%… 40%…]

Song Xuanqing's gaze went first to the Beginner's Gift Pack, and he chose to collect it.

In the next moment, three wisps of smoke materialized from the void, drifting and swirling before him until they condensed into three orbs of light.

Two were white, one was a pale gold, each radiating a soft, gentle luminescence.

Song Xuanqing reached out curiously, and the moment his hand made contact, information surfaced in his mind.

[Divine Arts Acquired: Divine Art: Divine Might, Divine Art: Dream Entry, Divine Art: God-Merge]

[Divine Art: Divine Might — The deity radiates its own divine authority; believers are moved to reverence, enemies are struck with fear! (Note: The intensity of Divine Might is determined by Cultivation, Divine Rank, and the degree of recognition granted by Heaven and Earth.)]

[Divine Art: Dream Entry — Come, enter dreams with me. Allows entry into the dreams of living beings. (Note: Cannot be used on beings whose Cultivation exceeds one's own; doing so risks severe backlash.)]

[Divine Art: God-Merge — The deity may descend upon and merge with its own idol. During this time, idol and deity become one, and combat power is enhanced. (Note: The degree of enhancement and the duration of God-Merge are determined by the deity's own Cultivation.)]

Three Divine Arts!

Song Xuanqing had mastered all three in an instant!

Divine Might and Dream Entry were straightforward enough to understand, but God-Merge was one Song Xuanqing found less clear.

The description for Divine Art: God-Merge was not particularly detailed. All Song Xuanqing could gather was that it was a combat method that allowed him to merge with his idol.

But just how much would his combat power increase? And what state would he be in after becoming one with the idol?

That, Song Xuanqing was not yet sure about.

He would have to find a time to test it himself.

But there was no rush for now.

Because the System had finally been fully unlocked!

[System integration complete. Now fully operational!]