The Temple Keeper Rejuvenates, Faith Surges

"As expected—"

"A deity ought to display miracles from time to time."

"Only by showing miracles appropriately will the faith of the believers become more devout."

A smile appeared on Li Yue's face.

Originally—

He had only five Grade B Believers.

But now, in one fell swoop, eleven more Grade B Believers had appeared!

And even after subtracting the eleven who had promoted to Grade B, the number of Grade C Believers had also increased from sixty-five to seventy-nine!

This was only because the villagers watching were just a small fraction of Li Family Village.

Once the news spread.

And once they saw the transformation in Li Youming, who was like a different person.

He believed—

The vast majority of the villagers in the entire Li Family Village would surely become more devout!

A deity who had manifested.

And a deity who had manifested so intuitively would naturally be enough to shake the hearts of the villagers and significantly strengthen their faith.

"With my divine rank of Subordinate Ninth Rank."

"The strength of the Temple Keeper I have ordained should be able to reach the 'Second Rank Mid-tier'."

"Originally, Li Youming had only undergone two blood-qi transformations; even in his youth, he could only be considered a 'Body Refining Realm' Martial Artist of the First Rank Mid-tier."

"Now, he has leaped across First Rank Upper-tier, First Rank Peak, and Second Rank Lower-tier to reach 'Second Rank Mid-tier'."

Li Yue's expression was calm.

If he were still an unranked Wild God.

Then a Temple Keeper ordained using a strand of Divine Power would reach at most the First Rank Upper-tier.

"With Li Youming at 'Second Rank Mid-tier', the offerings next year should be able to be a bit more precious..."

He muttered to himself.

To him.

The Grand Sacrifice held twice a year was too important.

Of course, the most important thing was the offerings for the Grand Sacrifice!

A hundredfold amplification.

Even First Rank items could be amplified into Fourth Rank items.

What if he could obtain Second Rank items?

Although the offerings for the Grand Sacrifice could not be tainted by any direct karma from the deity.

Even though the Temple Keeper was ordained by the deity, the items the Temple Keeper obtained would not create direct karma with the deity.

Therefore—

Items obtained by the Temple Keeper could also become offerings for the Grand Sacrifice!

Li Yue opened his "Personal Quest".

[Personal Quest—I] was already marked as completed, and the reward could be claimed.

He immediately claimed the reward.

Suddenly—

Two strands of Divine Power appeared out of thin air within his body.

Two glowing, radiant First Rank Blessing Talismans appeared before him, floating silently.

"Blessing Talismans."

"To whom should I bestow them?"

His gaze turned toward the outside of the Land God Temple.

At this moment, in front of the Land God Temple.

Li Youming felt his own changes, his face full of disbelief.

Is this really me?

He stretched out his hands to look at them; were these still his own hands?

He felt that at this very moment, he was ten times better than he had been in his youth!

And within his body—

A kind of energy had also been born within him.

It was not the True Qi that emerged when one reached the second-tier True Qi Realm on the Martial Path.

Instead, it was an energy that gave him a vague, ethereal feeling.

Not only that.

He felt as though he had mastered five spells!

One was called the Lesser Golden Blade Art; by channeling the energy within his body, he could unleash a strike equivalent to that of a second-tier mid-stage Martial Artist.

One was the Lesser Cloud and Mist Protection Technique, which could condense clouds and mist to defend against a full-strength blow from a second-tier mid-stage Martial Artist.

One was the Underground Divine Travel Art, which allowed him to travel ten miles underground in a single burst.

One was the Disease-Dispelling Talisman Water Art, which could be used to draw talismans and dissolve them into water to treat simple ailments.

As for the final one—

It was called the Deity Invocation Art!

It could summon the power of a deity to execute demons, destroy monsters, and banish evil spirits!

"Li Youming thanks Lord Zhangyue for this grace!"

"Li Youming shall exhaust every effort to walk the mortal realm on behalf of Lord Zhangyue!"

He said, trembling with excitement.

Originally, he had thought that becoming the Temple Keeper for Lord Zhangyue simply meant tending to the temple.

But now he realized—

Becoming the Temple Keeper and walking the mortal realm for Lord Zhangyue was no empty promise!

He now possessed strength ten times greater than before!

This was power not inferior to a second-tier mid-stage True Qi Realm martial master!

A True Qi Realm martial master.

Even within the county seat, such a person held a position of no small status.

And he, Li Youming, had transformed in an instant from an elderly, frail first-tier mid-stage Body Refining Realm martial artist into a second-tier mid-stage True Qi Realm martial master!

At this moment—

More and more villagers arrived from all directions.

While listening to the others describe the events with great animation, they looked at the astonishing changes in Li Youming, their mouths agape as they hurriedly knelt.

Lord Zhangyue had actually manifested!

This was the local deity of their Li Family Village!

Many people brought incense, hurriedly lighting it to offer to Lord Zhangyue with the utmost reverence.

"Lord Zhangyue! Please bless my son so he may be safe and successful in the county seat! This humble believer shall offer incense to you every single day!"

"Lord Zhangyue! Please bless my family with health, free from illness and pain..."

"Lord Zhangyue... I want to get rich! Please bless me to find money whenever I step outside..."

"Lord Zhangyue! I am thirty-two and have yet to take a wife; you must bless me to find a beautiful and virtuous woman...!"

The villagers began their pious prayers.

In the past, many who came to worship the local deity were merely going through the motions.

Few were truly sincere in their prayers.

After all, no one had ever seen the local deity truly manifest.

But now, it was different.

The local deity had truly manifested!

Who wouldn't want to receive the protection of a god?

"The aura on Uncle Youming's body..."

The village chief, Li Deyang, felt his pupils contract as he stared at Li Youming in shock.

While others were stunned by the massive changes occurring in Li Youming, he, as a first-tier mid-stage Body Refining Realm martial artist who had undergone two blood-energy transformations, could sense that the aura on Li Youming had become terrifyingly potent!

"It feels..."

"It feels just like those powerful martial masters in the county seat!"

"Could it be that because Uncle Youming became the Temple Keeper for Lord Zhangyue, the Lord has boosted his strength by such a large margin?"

"Is this the great power of a deity?"

A stormy sea raged in Li Deyang's heart, and he felt an immense sense of envy.

So that was it—

To think that devoutly believing in a deity could yield such earth-shattering benefits!

"What is the Martial Path, really?"

"No matter how hard one trains in the Martial Path, can they instantly become a Second-Rank Martial Master?"

"Devoutly believing in Lord Zhangyue is the only way!!"

Li Deyang immediately prostrated himself with utmost piety.

He wanted to advance far too badly!

"Huh?"

"To think two 'Grade A Believers' have appeared all of a sudden?"

Within the Divine Domain, a look of surprise appeared on the face of Li Yue.

A Grade A Believer—

That was someone equivalent to ten Grade B Believers, capable of providing him with one hundred units of Incense Wish Power every day.

In just ten days, the Incense Wish Power provided by a single Grade A Believer would be enough to condense into one unit of Divine Power.

Without a doubt, any Grade A Believer was one of a deity's most precious assets.

And for a believer to reach Grade A was no easy feat.

It was not enough to simply be devout.

One needed to identify with the deity to the extreme, and even harbor immense awe and absolute faith in them from the bottom of their heart!

"Two 'Grade A Believers'; one is Li Youming, which is within my expectations."

"After all, having become the Temple Keeper, his strength rose directly to the mid-Second Rank; it is only natural for his faith to undergo such a transformation."

"But the other one is actually the village chief, Li Deyang..."

"I recall that before, he was only a 'Grade D Believer'..."

"To leapfrog 'Grade C' and 'Grade B' to become a 'Grade A Believer' in one go?"

"This is rather interesting..."

"What is it that he seeks..."

Li Yue cast his gaze toward the village chief, Li Deyang, who was kneeling on the ground.

Beside him, the Land God Register flipped open automatically, revealing the life events of Li Deyang.

And in his ears, he heard the devout prayer of Li Deyang.