I Want Your Faith

Seven days and seven nights passed. All the strange phenomena within the pill furnace subsided, and a majestic aura emanated from within.

Qin Sheng clapped his hands and laughed. "I succeeded."

He opened the furnace lid and shouted, "Come out, my Sacred Physique!"

Ye Fan's head poked out of the furnace, his expression full of vigor.

"Immortal Emperor, you're truly ruthless."

"Don't make baseless accusations. Just tell me, did you benefit or not?"

Ye Fan climbed out of the pill furnace, looked over his limbs, and complained:

"That old bastard broke both my arms and legs. If you hadn't come, I probably really would have been refined to death."

"Immortal Emperor, why does someone come after me every time you leave? Exactly where did things go wrong?"

Ye Fan sighed. "Is my bad luck just too overwhelming? Do I need you by my side to suppress it?"

Looking back on the past, Ye Fan truly felt that he had been terribly unlucky. Nothing ever went smoothly for him.

He had truly come to Beidou to undergo tribulations.

Qin Sheng merely smiled without speaking. This was nothing yet.

Later, Ye Fan would become the enemy of the entire world, with everyone hunting him down. That would be exciting.

"Alright. You turned misfortune into fortune this time, and your cultivation has improved considerably. Once you break through to the Life Spring realm, we'll pull off something big."

"Alright."

Ye Fan rallied his spirits and said, "Let's cultivate in seclusion here. There is Fire Fiend to absorb here, and Dao Patterns to conceal us."

Douluo Continent.

Time passed quietly. Six years had gone by since Qin Sheng arrived in this world, and he was now fourteen years old.

The new Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Master Tournament was about to begin.

"The time has finally come to fulfill the second wish." Qin Sheng was in high spirits.

Although the tournament had not yet begun, there was already no suspense over who would win the championship.

Qin Sheng's parents had already started researching their opponents in the finals.

"Xiaosheng, it's time for us to leave."

Fourteen-year-old Zhang Lexuan had grown increasingly beautiful, and her gaze toward Qin Sheng was filled with gentleness.

"Are the team members ready?"

"Yes. The official members and reserve team are all here," Zhang Lexuan said.

"Then let's go. To Heaven Dou City."

The Soul Master Tournament was held once every five years, with the continent's four nations taking turns hosting it. This year, it was the Heaven Soul Empire's turn.

The next tournament would be held by the Dou Ling Empire, and the one after that by the Star Luo Empire—the tournament Huo Yuhao would participate in as a reserve member.

At Blazing Spirit Academy's training grounds, thirteen students, one team leader, and Qin Sheng's mother were already waiting.

Standing before everyone, Qin Sheng swept his gaze across them. Every student he looked at straightened up and did their best to display their spirit.

Their eyes were full of awe as they looked at Qin Sheng.

"I only have one thing to say."

Qin Sheng spoke calmly. "What is Blazing Spirit Academy's goal this time?"

"Championship!" all the students answered in unison.

"That's right. The championship, and nothing but the championship."

Qin Sheng turned around and took the lead in leaving. "Let's depart."

Everyone took off from the ground and flew toward Heaven Dou City.

Qin Sheng's mother asked, "Son, are you sure you won't participate in the tournament?"

"Not interested." Qin Sheng shook his head.

At his level of strength, what he ought to participate in was a contest among masters at Mount Hua, not a student competition.

Still, though he had no interest in acting personally, Qin Sheng found it rather interesting to casually train a few students and have them crush every academy.

"Alright."

Qin Sheng's mother sounded regretful. "The entire continent won't get to see how outstanding my son is. Mom is so sad."

"You taught Le Xuan too. Just let her compete."

Zhang Lexuan smiled. "As long as we don't encounter an opponent who is difficult to defeat, I should still try not to compete."

"The seven senior brothers and sisters on the official team are nearly twenty. This is their only chance to show themselves. Leave it to them."

Zhang Lexuan had a gentle temperament and never fought for anything.

She was only fourteen and currently the captain of Blazing Spirit's reserve team. She could still participate in the next tournament, so she did not care whether she stood out this time.

The Blazing Spirit Team students were all equipped with flying Soul Tools, and the group quickly arrived at Heaven Dou City.

The city was exceptionally lively and more prosperous than ever.

A nation could only host the Soul Master Tournament once every twenty years. Many people would only see it a few times in their lives. Now that it was their own country's turn, the people of the Heaven Soul Empire erupted with unprecedented enthusiasm.

Heaven Soul Hotel, a royal industry.

Blazing Spirit Academy was merely a very ordinary advanced academy, so their lodging was arranged on the first floor. Their treatment was nothing special.

Qin Sheng did not care about such matters.

He had even lived in caves in the Shrouding the Heavens World.

While registering at the hotel, a group of people wearing uniquely ugly clothes happened to enter as well. The Heaven Soul Hotel staff received them with the highest courtesy.

"Shrek Academy, the continent's number one academy," Zhang Lexuan said.

"They have won almost every Soul Master Tournament in the past."

Everyone from Blazing Spirit Academy paid close attention to Shrek Academy, knowing they were their greatest opponent this time.

As for the people from Shrek Academy...

They did not even glance at the Blazing Spirit group. They were just nobodies by the roadside, unworthy of attention.

After arriving in their hotel rooms, the team leader said:

"There are a total of one hundred and thirty-one teams participating this time. The format is the same as before. First comes the opening elimination round, using seven-versus-seven team battles. The losers will be eliminated and sent home immediately. It is expected to last three days."

"The second round is a round-robin stage, with roughly nine teams in each group, competing against one another within their group..."

After introducing the format, the team leader added:

"As for our tactics..."

He smiled, both helpless and proud.

"I don't think we need tactics. We only need to use absolute strength to crush every opponent standing in our way."

The team members were too strong. That made the team leader's job difficult, yet easy.

Everyone laughed.

Qin Sheng had his own room. Late at night, while cultivating, he suddenly felt the temperature plummet.

He opened his eyes and saw that an icy white-haired figure had appeared in his room.

"Why are you here?"

Snow Emperor smiled faintly. "I came to watch your academy tournament."

"Fine. If you're interested, stay."

Qin Sheng said, "As it happens, there's something I wanted to discuss with you too."

"What is it?"

With a wave of his hand, Qin Sheng isolated the room from the outside. Let alone Soul Masters, even gods could forget about spying through the God Realm.

"I want the faith of the Far North," Qin Sheng said seriously.

"You're going to become a god? You've already reached that point?"

"More or less. It's time to prepare." Qin Sheng nodded.

"If the Far North Soul Beasts had no faith, then I could agree," Snow Emperor said with a frown.

"But they all believe in the Ice God, and that faith will hardly change. I cannot make them abandon their faith, nor can I betray the Ice God."

Having unbelievers begin to worship a god and making believers change their faith were entirely different concepts.

Qin Sheng smiled. "I can be the Ice God."

"You obtained the Ice God's inheritance?" Snow Emperor asked in surprise.

"No, I have not received the inheritance of any god. But I can still make use of the Faith Power directed toward the Ice God."

Qin Sheng continued, "So my idea is to become an incarnation of the Ice God and receive the faith of the Far North Soul Beasts."

Snow Emperor fell silent. She believed herself to be incomparably devout toward the Ice God, and Qin Sheng's idea was desecrating the Ice God.

Fortunately, she trusted Qin Sheng deeply now. If it had been anyone else, Snow Emperor would have attacked long ago.

"Once it is done, I will find the Ice God's Godhood for you and return the Ice God's faith to you."

But then again, if it could allow the Ice God to reappear and let the Far North Soul Beasts once again bathe in a god's glory, that would also be a good thing.

"What exactly are you trying to do? Without the Ice God's Godhood, how can you absorb faith in the Ice God?"

Given Snow Emperor's understanding, she could not comprehend Qin Sheng's method.

"Becoming a god is not difficult for me." Qin Sheng's tone was calm, yet convincing.

"My Mental Power and physical body have already reached the god level, and my Soul Power can also be considered demigod power. As long as I condense my Fourth Soul Core and refine my Soul Power slightly, it will certainly transform."

This demigod power was not the Ultimate Douluo classification from Douluo 3. It meant Qin Sheng's Soul Power had truly gained the characteristics of divine power.

"So as long as I want to, I can easily become a God-Level Lifeform."

Qin Sheng said, "But I want to condense a complete Godhood and become a god. For that, I must use the Faith Power."

"So God-Level Lifeforms and gods are not the same kind of existence? The difference lies in Godhood?" Snow Emperor asked curiously.

"That's right."

Qin Sheng nodded. "When one's spirit, physical body, and Soul Power all transform to the god level, one becomes a God-Level Lifeform Body, a God-Level Expert. That is also a god."

"If divided according to Douluo Continent's levels, God-Level Experts from level 100 to level 109 correspond to Divine Officials of the God Realm. Every ten levels afterward correspond respectively to Third-Level Gods, Second-Level Gods, First-Level Gods, and God Kings."

"However, setting aside Divine Officials without Godhood, from level 110 onward, God-Level Experts of the same level are almost never a match for gods. That is because Godhood can elevate a god's strength by nearly an entire level."

"Moreover, Godhood is fundamentally formed from laws. With Godhood, one can come into closer contact with laws, and before you reach a certain realm in cultivation, it will be an excellent aid."

"Only gods who possess Godhood can live forever. God-Level Experts cannot."

Combining knowledge from his previous life with his own research in this life, Qin Sheng had gained a profound understanding of the realm of gods.

Snow Emperor nodded. "So that is why you want to become a god rather than a God-Level Lifeform Body."

"Yes. There is another reason: Godhood is a shortcut to the heavens."

Qin Sheng smiled. "God-Level Experts can only cultivate step by step, slowly advancing from level one hundred."

"But Godhood is different. If you inherit or condense the Godhood of a First-Level God, then after going to the God Realm, you can directly become a First-Level God."

Snow Emperor was somewhat amazed. "If so, that truly gives one every advantage."

Qin Sheng said, "Gods have their drawbacks as well, but before such enormous benefits, they can all be tolerated."

Douluo Qin Sheng's wish was to become a god, and Qin Sheng could not possibly give up such a shortcut.

As for the restrictions of Godhood?

In the Myriad Heavens, how could that even count as a problem?

"You want to condense a Godhood similar to the Ice God's?" Snow Emperor guessed.

"No. My goal is not a Godhood like the Ice God's. Rather, I have a way to appropriate the faith directed toward other gods."

The path of faith also existed in the Shrouding the Heavens World. Shaking Light Holy Land possessed quite a few related ancient texts and secret techniques.

Qin Sheng had specifically studied them before, and some of those secret techniques were of enormous help to him on Douluo Continent.

"Well? Are you willing to help me?"

Snow Emperor thought for a long time under Qin Sheng's gaze before finally nodding.

"We are friends. I believe you."

Qin Sheng laughed happily. "Very good. After I become a god, I will certainly honor my promise."

"Then the two of us can ascend to the God Realm together. That would make for quite a fine tale."

The next day, the Soul Master Tournament officially began.

After the drawing of lots, one of the one hundred and thirty-one teams received a bye, while Blazing Spirit Academy's opponent was...

Shrek Academy?!

Qin Sheng smiled, and so did the people from Shrek Academy.