The Question of Faith

"I can't do it yet, but by the time I reach the Third Ring at the latest, I should be able to bring him back to life."

"It will be difficult for me, but not too difficult."

Li Qingyue had not made a direct promise.

But after hearing his words, Leng Xiaoyue dropped to her knees and knocked her forehead heavily against the ground three times.

Li Qingyue stepped aside rather than accept such a profound gesture of gratitude.

Even though she was his Emanator and her life was in his hands, he had not yet grown used to thinking like a god.

Deep down, he still saw himself as an ordinary person. He had not changed completely.

After all, he had inherited a god's power. He had not been possessed by Yaoshi.

For now, there was still a considerable gulf between the way the two of them thought and acted.

Leng Xiaoyue said nothing when she saw Li Qingyue move aside.

She stood and raised a hand to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes.

But her body's very nature had changed. Caught in a transition from death back to life, she could not even shed tears.

Her body and soul were, at this moment, entirely separate.

Her soul was being worn away without pause.

Although she had received a portion of the authority Li Qingyue had granted her, it could only slow that erosion, not eliminate it.

In truth, Leng Xiaoyue was in poor condition.

Only by growing stronger could she slow the damage.

And in this world, the erosion of the soul seemed more severe than it should have been.

The more often Li Qingyue used his power, and the more power he used, the greater the changes to her body became—and the greater the erosion.

Damage that might once have taken thousands of years, or even longer, to appear could surface in little more than a decade in this world. It might happen sooner still.

As long as she was willing to call upon the Reignbow Arbiter before death came, however, the problem could be resolved with ease.

But if she refused to call upon him, even Li Qingyue could not control what would happen in the end.

Li Qingyue wasted no words with Leng Xiaoyue and gave her a task.

He could not leave Eastsea Academy now. He could not travel from place to place preaching and gathering Believers of his own.

Leng Xiaoyue could.

So what he asked of her was simple.

He had already passed a portion of Abundance's power to Leng Xiaoyue, making her his Emanator.

Her task was to become the God of Abundance's most devout Believer, travel the world to preach, and spread the name of the Medicine King.

She would be the Medicine King's apostle.

"Whether they are good or evil, whether they have done right or wrong, all may pray to the Medicine King."

"And the Medicine King will grant them healing, restore their health, and give them the Eternal Life they desire most."

Li Qingyue's expression remained calm as he spoke.

He looked steadily at Leng Xiaoyue. He had not even concealed the matter of Eternal Life from her.

That hollow promise of Eternal Life unsettled Leng Xiaoyue.

But when she thought of how her younger brother might come back to life and make a full recovery, she could no longer bring herself to care.

She lowered her head with quiet respect.

The relationship between them had changed completely.

Leng Xiaoyue did not mind in the slightest.

Once Li Qingyue had finished giving his brief instructions, she turned and left.

There were still problems to solve.

For one, he could not respond promptly whenever anyone, anywhere, called upon the Medicine King's name.

There were not enough Believers yet.

If Li Qingyue wanted to answer their prayers, share his power, and gradually turn others into his Believers, he needed a way to reach them.

Aside from influencing people himself, he could have his Emanator or other Believers influence them—or, rather, offer them salvation.

The greatest limit on that salvation was distance.

If there was not a single Believer of the Medicine King in an area, Li Qingyue had to wait until one arrived and spread the Medicine King's teachings.

Only then could he draw on that Believer's strength to respond.

And every response still consumed the Power of Faith.

For now, that power was precious to Li Qingyue.

Yet he could feel a strange change taking place within his body.

Because his strength was still limited, the change had not fully revealed itself.

But he was already close to reaching the Third Ring.

Once he did, he expected to gain a remarkable ability.

It would reduce, without limit, the toll that these so-called blessings or gifts took on him.

The Power of Faith that had merely gathered around his body, steadily building his reserves, would also find a new outlet.

Li Qingyue had no idea what that crucial ability would be.

In both his own world and the world where countless Aeons existed, Yaoshi was far too mysterious.

No one could find Yaoshi. No one could kill Yaoshi.

Beyond Yaoshi's gifts and blessings, the god's methods of attack and other powers remained deeply hidden.

Or perhaps no one had ever driven Yaoshi to the brink.

Even Lan, the god of The Hunt, could only hunt down the Abundance Remnants.

Lan himself could barely find Yaoshi, and whenever he did, the most he could do was inflict a grievous wound, let alone kill Yaoshi.

So Li Qingyue truly knew nothing about Yaoshi's powers or the inheritance he had received.

He could only grow stronger and unlock that inheritance step by step, discovering what each stage would grant him—or making his best guess.

At that thought, Li Qingyue sighed.

It did not trouble him much. He had three Martial Souls, after all.

And none of them was weak.

His Reignbow Arbiter Martial Soul had not received the complete inheritance of Lan, the god of The Hunt.

But with that complete body—or rather, that Martial Soul—once he became the God of Abundance, he could work backward to master the power of The Hunt.

It might be difficult, but it would not be too difficult.

That was where Li Qingyue's confidence came from.

After seeing Leng Xiaoyue off, Li Qingyue did not linger. He soon returned to the academy.

For now, he was still being cautious.

Bluntly put, too many people had their eyes on him. If anything went wrong, they might well notice him.

Until his strength had fully matured, or Leng Yaozhu had returned to Eastsea City in person, he would keep a low profile.

After all, Eastsea City might look peaceful on the surface, but it had already become a dangerous place.

Someone from the Qiangu Family had died there, and Leng Xiaoyue had appeared.

It took no guesswork to know that the person Qiangu Dongfeng sought was in the city.

The Qiangu Family would use every resource at its disposal to find that person. There was no avoiding it.