Signing In! The Book of Conferred Gods

What was the reason?

It was simple.

As the saying went, fear came from the unknown.

By the same token, mystery could inspire even greater awe and leave more room for wild imaginings.

Lin Xiaoyao didn't want to reveal his identity. He only wanted to show off in secret and be a powerful figure behind the scenes. There was nothing wrong with that plan, but it had unwittingly given him an air of mystery and spawned all kinds of bizarre legends about him.

Wasn't there a saying in his previous life? "Though I'm not in the martial world, the martial world is full of my legends."

The situation here was much the same.

He had lain low for two years, and his fame had stopped spreading outward. Yet throughout the cultivation world within a radius of ten thousand li, his reputation had grown more radiant than ever.

He had become the sort of figure who could stop children crying at night... no, the sort who made demons and monsters tremble at the mere mention of his name.

As for the cultivators, all kinds of rumors about him were circulating among them, too.

Whenever something unbelievable happened in the cultivation world, somehow or other, it would end up being linked to him.

And as time passed, his fame in this region of ten thousand li gradually spread beyond the cultivation world and into the mortal realm.

He had no idea who had started spreading the word.

Unlike cultivators, ordinary people were even more superstitious about gods, immortals, and ghosts.

Then...

"Have you heard? Quite a few places in the nearby counties and towns have built temples to that Immortal Ancestor. Every first and fifteenth day of the lunar month, the incense never stops burning."

"That's nothing. Senior Brother Zhao went traveling recently. He said that all the cities and towns within ten thousand li, large and small, have built temples to our sect's Immortal Ancestor. Every day, people flock there to worship him..."

After finishing his chores at the Founder's Shrine, Lin Xiaoyao went out for a stroll and heard something that left him utterly surprised.

Lin Xiaoyao couldn't help but marvel.

He hadn't done a thing for the past two years. He had just stayed in the sect, signing in and enjoying the carefree life of a layabout. So how had his fame kept growing?

Not only was everyone in the cultivation world in awe of him, but mortals outside had even started building temples to him?

And the incense was flourishing?

His miracles were said to be quite effective?

As long as people prayed sincerely, they would receive a response?

Was that for real? How would he know? Who had he ever answered?

Lin Xiaoyao was at a loss for words.

But after his surprise and amusement, he couldn't help feeling a little pleased with himself.

They were worshiping him as an immortal now!

Well, though a mere immortal was beneath notice to someone like him, who possessed the Saint Fruit Position, why was he still a little thrilled to hear the news?

All in all, it felt pretty satisfying—and secretly gratifying.

What reassured Lin Xiaoyao was that, even though his fame was growing and had spread beyond the cultivation world, with even mortals bowing down to him and believing without question, it hadn't spread any farther. His renown was still confined to the area within ten thousand li, where he had made a name for himself and become a figure everyone had heard of.

That suited him just fine.

This way, he could satisfy his vanity without worrying that he'd draw the attention of some powerful figure elsewhere by being too conspicuous.

It was a win-win.

It proved that keeping a low profile for the past two years had paid off.

Lin Xiaoyao was quite satisfied.

Then he returned to his courtyard.

First, he claimed his sign-in reward from the system and tossed the Phoenix Egg into the System Space.

After all, it was a divine bird. Hatching it was hardly something that could be done in a day.

Right now, Lin Xiaoyao had something more important to do—or, rather, he had come across something that interested him even more.

"All those cities and towns within ten thousand li have built countless temples to me."

The thought left Lin Xiaoyao secretly pleased, though it also made him laugh and shake his head.

Then his childlike curiosity got the better of him.

He had heard that all those temples were packed with worshippers, with people constantly coming to pray and make requests.

What did they ask for?

Lin Xiaoyao was extremely curious.

So he closed his eyes and began searching through the System Space.

Over the years, he had signed in every day, without fail, come rain or shine.

He had obtained a great many treasures.

But his standards were simply too high, so he had little use for most of them. Fortunately, the System Space was vast beyond measure, and he had simply tossed them inside.

He hadn't bothered organizing them all these years.

Treasures that would drive cultivators outside wild with excitement had been discarded by him as worthless junk, piling up into mountains.

Finding something in there now was a real challenge.

It wasn't as bad as hunting for a needle in the ocean, but an ordinary mortal would probably need ten days or half a month to find it.

Luckily, his spiritual sense was powerful. It took him only about the time it takes to burn half an incense stick.

Then a thick book appeared in his hand.

The Book of Conferred Gods

There were many ways to cultivate.

The most common was orthodox cultivation.

Orthodox cultivation meant breathing in the world's vital energy and taking spirit pills and medicines, then using talismans and magical treasures to improve one's cultivation, advancing step by step from Qi Refining Realm to Mahayana.

Another kind was that of the gods of mountains and rivers.

Most of them were minor demons.

But they did no evil; instead, they protected the peace of their lands.

From time to time, they would reveal a small miracle or supernatural power, prompting mortals to build temples for them.

There, they enjoyed the incense and offerings.

And whenever it was within their power, they would grant the mortals who came to pray a small request.

In this way, they could also improve their cultivation by drawing on Incense and Fire Prayer Power.

Of course, they were still quite different from the Orthodox Gods appointed by the Heavenly Court. The areas they governed—or, rather, could influence—were extremely limited.

And though they could improve their cultivation by drawing on Incense and Fire Prayer Power,

the process was actually very slow.

Aside from a few who were so lazy they could barely be bothered to lift a finger, most mountain spirits and water monsters still cultivated on their own. To them, incense was merely an aid—better than nothing.

Lin Xiaoyao couldn't remember exactly when he had signed in and obtained the Book of Conferred Gods.

At the time, he hadn't thought it was useful, so he had casually tossed it into the System Space.

Now, he had taken it out.

Then he spoke. "System, I want to cultivate."

The moment the words left his mouth, the Book of Conferred Gods in his hand turned into a streak of white light and merged into the sea of consciousness between his brows.

In an instant, Lin Xiaoyao's mind filled with knowledge about cultivation through the divine path.

And he understood it all at once.

"So that's how it is."

A moment later, he opened his eyes, looking eager to give it a try.

But don't get the wrong idea. Lin Xiaoyao wasn't interested in cultivating through the divine path. With the Saint Fruit Position, he naturally wouldn't covet that little bit of Incense and Fire Prayer Power from the people.

Everything he had just done was driven by curiosity.

Lin Xiaoyao wanted to see what people were asking of him. Throughout this region of ten thousand li, countless cities and towns—and even smaller villages—had built temples to him.

They were said to be thronged with people, with worshippers constantly offering incense and making prayers. So what, exactly, were they asking of him? Lin Xiaoyao's curiosity had gotten the better of him, and he wanted to find out.