Chapter 8: Personal Mission II — The Mountain-Leveling Divine Talisman
"Thank you for your blessing, Lord Zhangyue!"
"We of Li Family Village shall offer devout worship to Lord Zhangyue for generations to come, and our Incense Faith shall never cease!"
Village Chief Li Deyang kowtowed with overwhelming emotion.
Tears streamed from his eyes.
Only Heaven knew how much pressure he bore as the head of a village in a world overrun by demons and evil spirits.
He made a trip to the county town once every month or two.
And sometimes, he would hear news that made his blood run cold.
A village somewhere had been struck by an evil spirit, and not a single soul had walked out alive.
Or a demon had appeared in some area, devouring every living person within thirty li.
He was terrified.
Terrified that one day, Li Family Village would also fall prey to demons and evil spirits.
That fear had driven him to train in martial arts with extraordinary dedication.
He had hoped that by growing stronger, he could protect the village should demons or evil spirits ever come!
Yet at thirty-five, his blood and qi had begun to decline. He had only completed two Blood Transformations, reaching the mid first-grade.
The prospect of completing a third Blood Transformation seemed impossibly distant.
It had weighed on him constantly.
But now—
Lord Zhangyue had manifested!
In an instant, he had completed two more Blood Transformations, becoming a peak first-grade Warrior!
How could he not be moved?
How could he not be overjoyed?
His devotion to Lord Zhangyue had deepened to the very core of his being — a faith born not from obligation, but from the bottom of his heart!
"Thank you for your blessing, Lord Zhangyue!"
Li Deming could scarcely believe it — had he truly just completed two Blood Transformations, just like that?
He was twenty-five years old. Even with his father Li Youming guiding him personally, he had never managed to complete even a single Blood Transformation to become a Warrior.
Honestly, he had long since given up hope.
He had resigned himself to the belief that he would never become a Warrior in his lifetime.
But now—
Lord Zhangyue had bestowed his blessing upon him!
He had become a mid first-grade Warrior in an instant!!
"Thank you for your blessing, Lord Zhangyue!!"
The remaining seven people kowtowed with equal fervor.
None of them had imagined that they, ordinary villagers, would ever receive Lord Zhangyue's blessing!
Li Xiuwu was so moved that tears rolled down his face.
When he was seven years old, his parents had gone into the mountains to hunt and never returned, leaving him utterly alone as a child.
Had the villagers not taken pity on him and regularly invited him to eat at their homes, he would likely have starved to death long ago.
He had grown up eating at a hundred different tables, and had always carried a deep sense of inadequacy.
He had never imagined this.
That he, too, would receive Lord Zhangyue's blessing — and become a Warrior, just like the Village Chief and Uncle Youming!
"Eight new Warriors have appeared!"
"Deyang's strength has also risen dramatically."
"This is the might of Lord Zhangyue — his divine power knows no bounds!"
Li Youming was beside himself with excitement.
With this—
The strength of Li Family Village had been turned completely upside down!
In a world fraught with danger, they now had far greater means to face whatever threats might come!
"But—"
"Why was it these nine who received Lord Zhangyue's blessing?"
"Just now, the others had already risen to leave, while only some remained kneeling on the ground in the most devout worship..."
Li Youming looked thoughtfully at those still kneeling.
He noticed—
Among those who had shown the most devout faith in Lord Zhangyue, aside from the elderly and the women, nearly all the others had received a blessing.
Understanding dawned in his heart.
Only those who worshipped Lord Zhangyue with the utmost sincerity would have a chance to receive his blessing!
As the Temple Priest, he had a duty to ensure the villagers worshipped Lord Zhangyue with ever greater devotion!
Two sticks of incense every morning and evening — not a single household could be exempt!
Anyone who dared skip even one stick of incense would have their legs broken!
Anyone who dared show insufficient devotion to Lord Zhangyue — he'd beat them senseless!
"They've received Lord Zhangyue's blessing!"
"Lord Zhangyue has manifested again!"
"Even Deming and Xiuwu, two young men in their twenties, received Lord Zhangyue's blessing?"
"Why didn't Lord Zhangyue bless me?"
The other villagers cried out in astonishment, and some voiced their envy and jealousy openly.
Li Youming immediately strode forward in three quick steps and delivered a sharp slap, roaring:
"Can't you see it?"
"A bunch of pig-brained fools!"
"They received Lord Zhangyue's blessing because they worshipped him with sincere devotion!"
"You were all getting up to leave, while they remained kneeling on the ground in reverent prayer!"
"Do you understand now?!"
"If you want to receive Lord Zhangyue's blessing, you must worship him with exceptional sincerity!"
"There are gods three feet above your head!"
"Your every move, your every action — all of it is under Lord Zhangyue's watchful eye. Those who worship him with true devotion will surely receive his blessing!"
"If you haven't received a blessing, look inward and ask yourself whether your own faith has been sincere enough!"
The crowd was suddenly enlightened.
Many wore expressions of deep regret.
Why hadn't they been more devout in their worship of Lord Zhangyue?
At the same time, they made a firm resolution in their hearts.
When they returned home, they would make every effort to deepen their devotion to Lord Zhangyue!
No—!
They would ensure that their entire families worshipped Lord Zhangyue with greater devotion!
* * *
Within the Divine Domain.
"This Li Youming has truly been out in the world — he has real insight."
"With those words, the faith of the entire Li Family Village will gradually grow more devout."
Li Yue nodded in satisfaction.
The Earth God Registry recorded a total of two hundred and twenty-three residents in Li Family Village.
Previously, the [Believer Status] panel had listed only one hundred and sixty-five Believers.
Eight villagers were away from the village.
Of the remaining two hundred and fifteen, that meant as many as fifty had not even qualified as Ding-Grade Believers before.
Of course, some of those fifty were children under five years old, who were unlikely to generate faith and could be disregarded.
And now—
He opened the [Believer Status] panel to take a look.
[Believer Status]
[Daily Incense Faith]: 531 units
[Dao-Grade Believers]: 0 — "Provides 100,000 units of Incense Faith per day"
[Heaven-Grade Believers]: 0 — "Provides 10,000 units of Incense Faith per day"
[Saint-Grade Believers]: 0 — "Provides 1,000 units of Incense Faith per day"
[Jia-Grade Believers]: 2 — "Provides 100 units of Incense Faith per day"
[Yi-Grade Believers]: 26 — "Provides 10 units of Incense Faith per day"
[Bing-Grade Believers]: 102 — "Provides 1 unit of Incense Faith per day"
[Ding-Grade Believers]: 50 — "Provides 1 unit of Incense Faith every 10 days"
"Total Believers have reached one hundred and eighty."
"A large number of Believers have advanced to Bing-Grade Believer."
"However, news of today's divine manifestation hasn't spread through the entire village yet — there are still many who haven't come."
"In a few days—"
"The numbers will surely rise another notch."
A look of satisfaction spread across Li Yue's face.
A timely divine manifestation was, without a doubt, the most effective means of increasing Believers' devotion!
In just this short while, four more Yi-Grade Believers had been added.
He turned his attention away from the villagers outside the Land God Shrine and opened the [Personal Mission] log to review it.
[Personal Mission I] had already been completed.
A new Personal Mission had refreshed.
He placed great importance on the [Personal Mission] log.
The reward from the first-grade Divine Blessing Talisman alone made that clear.
A significant portion of the [Personal Mission] rewards should be items capable of enhancing Believers' martial cultivation!
[Personal Mission II]
[Mission Description]: You now have a Temple Priest. Have your Temple Priest develop more Believers for you.
[Mission Objective]: Reach a total of 300 Believers.
[Mission Reward]: One "Mountain-Leveling Divine Talisman," and 5 units of Divine Power.