Initial Encounter with Incense Offerings

Night fell like ink, pressing heavily over Seven House of Notting Junior Soul Master Academy. Candlelight flickered dimly, as if it might go out at any moment. In one corner of the table stood that stone statue, silent and still like a mountain.

Shen Yan frowned deeply as he stared at the statue, his voice low and faintly doubtful. "...Was he really carved? These past few days, I've kept feeling that something's off, but I can't put it into words." His eyes held a thoughtful glimmer, as though he were trying to uncover something.

Li Jingchen quietly agreed. "I think so too. Last time I woke up in the middle of the night, I thought I saw light in that statue's eyes... Of course, maybe I was just seeing things." Uncertainty tinged his voice, and a trace of fear flickered in his eyes.

Chen Shao grinned, trying to hide his unease behind a smile, but his gaze still drifted involuntarily toward the statue, his expression complicated. The corner of his mouth twitched as he murmured, "If he has a spirit, why don't you offer him worship?"

For a moment, everyone fell silent, as though an invisible force had suppressed them. Their eyes revealed an instinctive awe, born from fear and respect for the unknown. Though young, they already had some experience on the path of cultivation, and their perception of soul power far surpassed that of ordinary people. Ever since Gu Hengzhi had placed this nameless stone statue here, an indescribable sense of calm had always faintly filled the room, like a protective barrier.

Shen Yan said softly, "I once read in a book that some ancient family powers on the continent worship certain ancient wills... Maybe this thing is one of those." Reverence colored his voice, as though he were telling a mysterious and distant tale.

Li Jingchen hesitantly spoke up. "How about... we try offering worship?" A probing note entered his voice, and anticipation flickered in his eyes.

Chen Shao raised a brow and retorted, "We don't even know what he's called. How are we supposed to worship him?" His teasing tone tried to ease the tense atmosphere.

"Sincerity is what matters most, isn't it?" Li Jingchen carefully placed a dried fruit on the altar, then tore off a bit of incense paper and lit it in the burner. Wisps of green smoke slowly rose, like lightly dancing sprites. A faint fragrance spread through the room, as though draping the entire space in a mysterious veil.

Gu Hengzhi leaned against the bedside, quietly watching it all. His eyes were deep and calm, like still water. Yet beneath that composed exterior, waves had already risen in his heart.

Before the flame on the green paper went out, Gu Hengzhi's heart suddenly trembled.

Deep within his sea of consciousness, the ancient volume sealed in slumber opened on its own. Though there was no wind, its pages turned automatically, glimmering with faint light. On the God-Sealing Record, a brand-new rune quietly lit up, as though burning, like a faint flicker of leaping flame.

[Incense System activated!]

[Number of incense worshippers: 3]

[First-tier incense offerings: 3.61 strands]

[Current deity statue: Earth Deity]

[Faith Power: 0 strands]

[Once incense offerings reach 10 strands, they can be refined once within half a month to condense first-tier Faith Power.]

Gu Hengzhi held his breath, staring fixedly at the lines appearing in the illusory realm of his sea of consciousness.

"So... this is 'incense offerings,'" he murmured.

There had been no deliberate worship, nor had anyone made offerings under a divine name. It was merely the investment of emotion and belief—the feelings his roommates had developed out of vague awe, gratitude, and peace had unknowingly transformed into incense offerings.

The God-Sealing Record seemed to sense his thoughts, and another line of pale golden words appeared:

[Mortal thoughts gather into incense; incense offerings do not depend on spoken worship, only on sincere emotion.]

[Gods manifest through incense offerings; where faith is born, true spirits stir.]

At a thought from Gu Hengzhi, he looked again at the statue and sensed a subtle fluctuation circulating around it. Though the statue remained motionless, it seemed to possess a little more vitality, like a sleeping person lightly turning over.

Gu Hengzhi stared at the illusory panel floating before the shrine. Before he could recover his senses, a hoarse yet gentle voice suddenly sounded by his ear, slowly flowing into his soul like spring rain nourishing the earth.

"Young friend, it seems you have finally taken another great step upon the Huaxia Divine Way."

Gu Hengzhi's heart jolted. Deep within his sea of consciousness, his stone statue martial soul rippled slightly, while the portrait on the first page of the God-Sealing Record slowly transformed into the figure of a short old man with white hair and beard, dressed in coarse cloth and wearing a yellow sash at his waist. He stood suspended at the edge of Gu Hengzhi's sea of consciousness.

It was the Earth Deity.

"Senior," Gu Hengzhi said quietly.

"No need for such courtesy." The Earth Deity smiled and nodded, his gaze kind. "I am the incarnation of a deity in this world. Awakened by your carving, now that I have stirred, I shall naturally assist you on the path of divinity."

Gu Hengzhi silently nodded, his gaze returning to the system interface that had gradually stabilized. "So this is incense offerings and Faith Power?"

The Earth Deity slowly nodded, his tone turning more solemn.

"Incense offerings are the manifestation of belief, born from mortal intentions and the power of thought. First-tier incense offerings are the most basic; they can only serve as fuel to refine the most rudimentary Faith Power. Only every ten to twenty strands can condense into a trace of faith."

"And Faith Power is the foundation of gods. Without faith, a divine statue is merely earth and stone; with faith, heaven and earth respond."

Gu Hengzhi listened intently, his gaze growing deeper. "Then how can incense offerings be obtained?"

The Earth Deity stroked his beard and smiled before slowly explaining.

"First, gather incense worshippers far and wide. There is no Huaxia Divine Way in this world. You have only just established a divine statue, and people have not yet heard its name. Yet this is precisely an opportunity. As long as someone offers incense for the first time, incense offerings can be born. Even if they do not know the deity's name or recognize its statue, a single thought of reverence is enough."

"Second, raise the strength of your incense worshippers. The stronger their soul power, the purer the incense offerings they produce. The higher their level and rank, the more frequently and abundantly incense offerings will increase."

"Third, guide their hearts toward devotion. If you offer genuine aid—for instance, saving people with spirit medicine, granting blessings to alter fate, and inspiring faith—then the incense offerings will become more lasting and abundant."

"You may choose one or two people within Seven House and offer them some support. Once they develop a sense of reliance, the incense offerings will naturally change."

Gu Hengzhi pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked, "What if I offer incense myself?"

The Earth Deity's expression grew slightly solemn, and his voice carried a measure of dignity.

"You are the vessel of the divine way. You bear the God-Sealing Record and cannot produce incense offerings. Your cultivation cannot rely on incense offerings themselves. You may only use them as a guide to assist externalized power, thereby forging your own divine lineage."

Gu Hengzhi fell silent for a moment, then drew a deep breath and looked up at the Earth Deity's phantom standing within his sea of consciousness. "I understand. Establishing a divine statue and opening the divine way is not merely about carvings and divine names. It is also about the flow and inheritance of belief."

"Good." The Earth Deity nodded, his voice fading once more. "Those who walk the divine way must hold reverence in their hearts and carry the thoughts of saving all living beings. This is only the first step... What you must do goes far beyond this."

As his words fell, the divine statue in Gu Hengzhi's sea of consciousness trembled slightly before returning to silence.

Gu Hengzhi slowly opened his eyes, his expression solemn.