The First Follower

Sunday, Holy East Sea Church.

Early in the morning, after the clergy of the Holy Spirit Cult completed the solemn Mass, they opened the church doors and saw the believers who had long been waiting outside.

"Praise the Heavenly God."

"Praise the Heavenly God."

Without any further exchange, everyone simply placed their hands over their chests in prayer before filing into the church in orderly fashion for worship.

Eastsea City lay along the continent's eastern coast, far from its center, where the influence of Shrek and the Tang Sect was negligible.

Thus, nearly all the Soul Master families in Eastsea City were followers of the Holy Spirit Cult, including the local powers—the Xu Family and the Xie Family.

For these prominent Soul Master families, they would not attend worship every single week, but they would certainly visit the church at least once a month.

The major Soul Master families of East Sea had all sent representatives for today's service, because this was the first Sunday after Awakening Day, and they wanted to see the commoner genius who had appeared on Awakening Day with their own eyes.

Inside the church hall, the believers formed a long line and approached the altar one by one to pray.

After completing their worship devoutly, some believers left the church directly, while others moved to either side of the hall and took seats in unoccupied chairs.

A wooden box stood before the altar. From time to time, believers who had finished worshipping would take out Federation credits and drop them into it.

Some gave more, while others gave less, but regardless of the amount, it was a token of the believers' sincere devotion.

The line of believers moved forward slowly. Before long, it was the Xu Family head's turn. After completing his worship, he took out a check and placed it in the wooden box.

The cardinal presiding over the service had excellent eyesight. With an inadvertent glance, he spotted the long string of numbers on the check: one one, followed by seven zeroes.

"Praise the Heavenly God."

A gentle smile appeared on the cardinal's face. Standing beside her father, Xu Xiaoyan felt as though even the air entering her nose and mouth was filled with a sacred radiance.

After finishing, the Xu Family head, like the other Soul Master families of Eastsea City, did not leave the church. Instead, he found an empty chair near the front on the left side of the hall and sat down.

The line of believers continued onward. After an unknown amount of time, it was the turn of a little boy who had come alone.

The star of the day had appeared, and countless gazes immediately converged on him.

The boy was so handsome that he resembled a flawlessly crafted statue. His skin was white and smooth as marble, and there was a trace of calm composure between his brows that did not belong to someone his age. His lustrous golden hair, like amber, fell in curls over his shoulders. Beneath his finely defined brows, a pair of deep, sky-blue eyes adorned his flawless face like the finishing touch to a masterpiece.

His clothes were not extravagant, merely simple, well-fitting everyday wear that was clean and neat.

Meng Xinghe, the commoner genius who had awakened Innate Full Soul Power and a Noumenon Martial Soul on Awakening Day. It was said that his talent was unparalleled, and that he had been accepted as a disciple by the master of the East Sea Spirit Pagoda, His Excellency Demon Soul.

"Praise the Heavenly God."

To fit his identity as an orphan, Meng Xinghe merely took a portion of the pocket money his teacher had given him and placed it in the wooden box. It was not much—just ten thousand Federation credits.

Seeing this, the cardinal returned the gesture as usual, though his expression and bearing seemed to contain a degree of piety and respect he had never shown toward other believers.

The service continued until near noon. Once the last believer had finished worshipping, only the cardinal, Meng Xinghe, and the representatives of Eastsea City's prominent Soul Master families remained in the church hall.

Just as they were considering how to establish a relationship with this Spirit Pagoda genius while remaining dignified and respectable, they saw Meng Xinghe and the Xu father and daughter heading toward a quiet room in the church.

"They really were quick to act. The early bird gets the worm, but who told Old Xu to have such a fine daughter?"

"Old Xie, isn't your son talented as well? Why didn't you bring him? Young people have common topics to talk about. Wouldn't that have given you an opportunity?"

Seeing all the family heads turn their gazes toward him, the middle-aged Xie Family head put on a regretful expression as he replied.

"If my son had been born a daughter, I definitely would have brought her along. What a pity he wasn't!"

In truth, even if Xie Xie had been a girl, he would not have brought him here.

No one knew a son better than his father. How could he, as Xie Xie's father, not understand his own child?

With that boy's habit of speaking without thinking, he could easily offend someone. Children raised as orphans were often sensitive at heart.

If he accidentally said something wrong, not only would he fail to curry favor, he might end up causing trouble for himself.

"Let's go. Since the Xu Family has already seized the initiative, there's no point in us staying here."

"President Yu, shall we go together?"

The Xie Family head looked toward an elegant elderly man wearing glasses, with an air of scholarly refinement.

His son was highly talented and would be the future pillar of the Xie Family. As his father, he needed to smooth the path for his son's growth—for example, by building a good relationship with President Yu Zhen, who oversaw Eastsea Academy.

"No," Yu Zhen declined tactfully. "This old man still has some matters to attend to, so I will remain at the church a while longer."

At his age, he naturally understood what the Xie Family head had in mind.

Under normal circumstances, he would have agreed.

The Xie Family head's son could not be lacking in talent, and Eastsea Academy also needed gifted students to uphold its reputation.

With a reputation, it could make a name for itself. With a name, it could attract talented youths from all over East Sea and even other regions. With more geniuses, the academy would have more prestige. It was a virtuous cycle.

However, a top-tier genius who had awakened Innate Full Soul Power and a Noumenon Martial Soul was right before him. How could he leave so easily?

Besides, Eastsea Academy was the finest Soul Master Academy in Eastsea City. As a major local family, could the Xie Family possibly send its heir somewhere else to study?

In a quiet room of the church, Meng Xinghe stood face-to-face with the Xu father and daughter.

Just as the Xu Family head was hesitating over how to begin, the door to the quiet room was pushed open. A tall, burly middle-aged man entered, his broad clerical robes stretched taut by his powerful muscles.

The newcomer was the cardinal who had presided over the service earlier.

"Your Excellency Dai Mao."

Recognizing him, the Xu Family head greeted him respectfully along with Xu Xiaoyan.

Dai Mao Douluo, whose real name was Dai Mao, possessed the Golden Hawksbill Martial Soul. He was one of the Holy Spirit Cult's twenty-four cardinals and the highest-ranking official of Holy East Sea Church.

Dai Mao nodded in response, then walked behind Meng Xinghe and stood there respectfully without moving, like a loyal attendant.

At that sight, all hesitation vanished from the Xu Family head's heart.

The prophecy left behind by his ancestors a thousand years ago was true. The Heavenly God had truly descended!

"Greetings, Your Excellency Heavenly God!"

The Xu Family head's face was filled with fanatical faith as he bowed before Meng Xinghe, who was only six years old.

The Star Staff had reappeared. The Heavenly God had descended.

Just as the prophecy foretold, his daughter had awakened the legendary Star Staff Martial Soul on the night of her sixth birthday. She would become the first follower of the Heavenly God upon his rebirth!

Beside her father, Xu Xiaoyan raised a hand to obscure Meng Xinghe's face, leaving only a narrow gap through which she could see those eyes—deep and blue as the sky, exactly as they had been in her memories.

"Xu Xiaoyan of the Xu Family greets the Heavenly God!"