I logged into the God panel.

Chapter 9: Spiritual Test

A small tavern.

By the window.

Zhang Youwei exhaled a breath of stale air, picked up the beer on the table, and gulped it down. After finishing it in one go, he slammed the heavy glass down on the table.

Only then did he look at the person in front of him.

"It failed," he said softly, gently pushing an envelope forward. "This is the reward deposit."

The young man pushed up his black-rimmed glasses, then took out a magnifying glass and held it up to Zhang Youwei, quietly observing him through the lens.

half an hour.

The young man put away the magnifying glass, seemingly unsurprised by the mission's failure, and said with interest:

"What happened?"

Zhang Youwei's expression suddenly turned ugly:

"You knew something was wrong all along, didn't you?"

"hehe."

The young man nodded leisurely. "Yes, I just didn't expect you to come back alive. It seems that his bloodlust is not as fierce as before."

The veins on Zhang Youwei's temples throbbed, and he nearly overturned the table.

"Don't be impatient."

The young man adjusted his black-rimmed glasses with one hand, and placed the other hand on Zhang Youwei's clenched fist:

"As compensation..."

He pulled another envelope from his pocket, pushed it forward, and then casually looked out the window:

"A spirituality sufficient to support you in completing your life's transformation."

The anger on Zhang Youwei's face froze.

half an hour.

He silently accepted the envelope, thinking of the terrifying man in black robes from yesterday, and of the 'grace' that had been taken from him...

Take a deep breath.

"Who exactly is he?"

"Her?"

The young man's expression turned serious:

"We weren't sure if it was her to begin with... so please don't ask any more questions."

Zhang Youwei frowned:

"And who are you?"

"I?"

The young man lightly flicked his cufflinks, making a crisp sound.

"The Church of the Sun, faithful priests of the Great Trinity."

Zhang Youwei's expression changed.

A priest... is a priest.

He didn't think the young man in front of him was an ordinary person; he could only be a "priest" in the extraordinary sense... on par with a fighter!

He is a true superhuman.

"The Church of the Sun..." He gave the young man a deep look, then stood up to leave.

The young man didn't seem to care and casually said:

"Strive to become a fighter; you have the potential to serve the Great Trinity."

Zhang Youwei gave a soft snort.

…………

The Church of the Celestial Light.

"Is this... a statue of a deity?"

Li Qiuhua spoke crisply.

Just as Lu Daosheng was about to answer, he suddenly realized something was wrong.

Where is the old priest?

He looked around, but the old priest had vanished... just a moment ago he was bowing to the mural!

It just vanished into thin air.

Li Qiuhua also belatedly realized what was happening:

"Huh? Where's Father?"

Lu Daosheng didn't answer, but he felt the hairs on his body stand on end... as if it were a warning?

"Walk!"

He grabbed Li Qiuhua and immediately tried to turn back the way they came, but as soon as they passed the mural, they both froze in place.

The church's foyer should be accessible by going past the murals.

You should have been able to see those rows of log benches.

But what lay before them was a long corridor with no end in sight.

"window!"

Lu Daosheng spoke in a low voice, picked up the vase placed against the wall, and smashed it hard against the stained glass window. The vase shattered the window, and moonlight streamed in from outside.

moonlight??

Isn't it afternoon now?

Lu Daosheng's hand trembled. He looked at the broken stained glass window again. The moon was bright outside the window, but there was a thick fog.

The fog swirls and swirls, revealing a transparent, invisible figure... The figure is slowly walking towards us.

First, walk slowly, then walk quickly, and finally run wildly!

The fog swirls and the unseen figures seem to be baring their fangs and brandishing claws!

Li Qiuhua burst into tears.

"run!"

Lu Daosheng grabbed her and ran wildly along the seemingly endless corridor. The transparent figure seemed to have rushed in, but without the fog, it was completely invisible.

But you can hear the clattering of footsteps following closely behind!

Lu Daosheng ran even faster.

…………

On a log bench.

"A spiritual test... or even a test of divine spirituality, is it necessary?" The old priest slowly sat down and asked the man in the trench coat with curiosity:

"Why bring two children to see the portrait of the Great Time-Space Emperor again? If the news gets out, there will be trouble."

The man smiled silently. "The Lord is still asleep, but the three portraits He left behind on earth still have the ability to distinguish between good and evil."

"The two children seem to have remarkable talents."

After a moment, the man gazed at the dappled sunlight filtering through the stained glass and casting vibrant shadows on the ground before him.

"The church hasn't preached for many years, so it's rare to find such a young believer. Since they haven't been erased by time, it means they didn't come with malicious intent..."

The priest raised an eyebrow, still puzzled:

"You want to recruit them into the church? Then there's no need to use images of the Lord to conduct a test of their divine nature, is there?"

The man said calmly:

"Indeed, it's unnecessary. But to distinguish between good and evil, one must activate the portrait. What the portrait will trigger will inevitably be a test of divine holiness... The divine test is in the second stage, so it can be skipped."

The old priest was relieved, but then asked in surprise, "But to open the portrait of the Lord for the sake of two children? I still don't understand what you're thinking."

The man remained silent for a long while before speaking slowly:

"The great prophet's final prophecy was that the Holy Son would descend upon this city."

"This is why we built the Aetheric Academy, and this is why you and I are staying here."

The priest seemed thoughtful, then asked in surprise:

"You mean, those two children?"

The man spoke calmly:

"For the past ten years, they have been the only children who have come to church to pray on their own initiative... The prophecy of the great prophet says that the divine child will come to the church on his own initiative during his childhood, driven by his inner calling."

The old priest narrowed his eyes slightly.

The two stared at the colorful light and shadow on the ground, where two small figures were running wildly.

He said thoughtfully:

"Do you think they can unleash extraordinary potential under high pressure, gaining spiritual vision and seeing the Fog Ghosts?"

"have no idea."

The man shrugged:

"Extraordinary talent either exists or it doesn't."

The priest was somewhat worried:

"Will the two children get hurt?"

"Won't."

The man replied:

"I've limited the speed of the Fog Demon to five meters per second, and it will immediately stop moving if it's seen directly. In other words, as long as you activate your spiritual vision, you can easily pass this test."

The two gazed with great interest at the colorful light and shadow, at the boy and girl fleeing frantically, and at the relentlessly pursuing mist demon.

But soon.

Something seems off.

The old priest rubbed his eyes:

"Why are you running faster and faster?"

In the interplay of light and shadow, the gloomy-looking boy hoisted the girl onto his back and ran faster and faster...

"Your 100-meter speed is... fourteen seconds?"

The priest quickly made a calculation.

"No, it's getting faster!"

"Thirteen seconds, twelve seconds!"

The old priest's expression was extremely solemn. Twelve seconds for 100 meters is more than eight meters per second.

For a normal, regularly exercising adult, reaching this speed would be quite impressive.

But he's just a child!