Immortality begins with Swallowing the Stars.

Chapter 4 Deception and Return

"Did you really hear him say the words 'pure soul'?" the lion-like middle-aged man demanded sharply.

Lu Jing looked bewildered and frightened, and timidly confirmed in a low voice, "I did hear the necromancer say that one of the slaves had a pure soul and that he wanted to take him as his disciple..."

If necromancers weren't attractive enough, then Lu Jing, with his "pure soul," didn't believe the higher-ups of the Church of Light wouldn't take the bait.

Of course, the necromancer and his previous life as a slave in the Panlong world were real, but the "pure soul" was fake.

Fortunately, even the most skilled necromancers in the Panlong world can only use "Soul Search" when they reach the level of a Saint Mage.

At least for the time being, his lies will not be exposed.

After a long silence, Strömer finally spoke: "I have seen your loyalty to the Lord of Light and the Papacy. The Lord is generous and merciful to His devout believers. You can make your request now, whether it is land, manor, or gold coins. As long as it does not exceed a certain limit, I will grant it to you."

Lu Jing said cautiously, "Praise be to Your Excellency! Your benevolence will surely be praised throughout the kingdom. I only wish to receive the holy baptism and become a loyal warrior of the Lord!"

Holy baptism?

Strömer's cold eyes flickered slightly, then he forced a stiff smile: "Very well, since you are so loyal to the Lord, I will naturally grant your request for your piety. You may go now; the church will prepare accommodations for you. Remember, you are not to divulge a single word of what you said here today."

Lu Jing left the hall with mixed feelings of surprise and delight. His surprise wasn't entirely feigned; even though he had prepared his response and thought of many ways to handle the situation, he hadn't expected to achieve his goal so smoothly.

The so-called "holy baptism" is not as mysterious as it seems. In reality, it is just a quick way to stimulate fighting spirit within the Holy Legion of the Kingdom of Hess.

In the Yulan Continent, there are generally only three ways to cultivate the Battle Qi Manual: one is through the Battle Qi Manual passed down in noble families, another is to obtain it from the Warrior Academy, and the third is to join the army, where there is also a chance to be taught the Battle Qi Manual.

There are good and bad methods in the military's fighting spirit manuals. The worst ones are those that damage the body's potential and forcibly stimulate fighting spirit.

For example, the Holy Baptism of the Holy Legion of the Kingdom of Hess.

By applying a secret holy oil to the entire body, swallowing the blood of the Purple-Striped Unicorn Python, and then using the activation method in the Battle Qi Manual, even a level one warrior can quickly activate a wisp of battle qi, comparable to a level three warrior.

This is information that Lu Jing obtained from the original body's memory fragments. Many soldiers in the Holy Legion have received the reward of "Holy Baptism" for their merits.

However, the highest level one can achieve in quickly cultivating battle qi using this method is only level six warrior. Breaking through to level seven is almost impossible. It can be considered a method for creating intermediate warriors in a short time.

Lu Jing's time in the Panlong World was limited, so he could only find this kind of quick and unorthodox method to improve his strength. Otherwise, even with the best battle qi manual, it would be almost impossible for him to advance from a level one warrior to a level three warrior in just a few years, given his talent.

Even if most people are lucky enough to obtain a battle qi manual, without a large amount of resources poured into it, they may not be able to reach the sixth level of warrior even after a lifetime of cultivation. Geniuses are always a very small minority.

……

After Lu Jing left the hall, the lion-like middle-aged man said with a suspicious look, "Sir, there seems to be something untrue about what this kid said. Even if there really is a necromancer, how could a slave know so much by chance? And how could he escape knowing so much?"

"Do you really believe that the noble mansion in Blood Orchid City not only harbors a necromancer, but also a person with a pure soul who has been taken as a disciple by the necromancer? I've lived in the Kingdom of Hess for over a hundred years and have never heard of the Holy See discovering a person with a pure soul."

Hearing his trusted subordinate's question, Strauss, with his short silver hair, broke into a smile as if spring water had thawed his stern, chiseled face. Amid the middle-aged man's astonished gaze, he laughed loudly, "I believe you! Why wouldn't you?"

"grown ups……"

"People with pure souls are practically offering themselves up; why shouldn't I believe it?"

"Delivered...delivered to your door..." the middle-aged man exclaimed in shock. "Sir, do you mean that low-ranking soldier named Sean from earlier?"

"Of course!" Ström smiled. "The moment he entered the hall, I noticed that his soul was as pure as divine radiance, a candlelight in the darkness. A soul so pure that perhaps none of the people sacrificed by the Vatican over thousands of years could compare."

The lion-like middle-aged man was somewhat excited: "Then... if we add that necromancer's disciple to the mix, wouldn't we have discovered two people with pure souls at once?"

The Lord of Light values ​​faith above all else, especially those who sacrifice their pure souls. While faith is easy to obtain, pure souls are extremely rare. Anyone who discovers and brings a pure soul back to the Holy Island will receive incredibly generous rewards.

As a trusted subordinate of Steller, the middle-aged man naturally also received a considerable share of the benefits.

"It's strange that Bishop West has been with the Holy Legion all this time. He's a ninth-level archmage, and that lowly warrior named Sean has been with the Legion for years. How come no one noticed the special nature of his soul?"

When he heard his subordinate's question, Steller sneered, "Hmph, that fool has always been arrogant and disdainful of dealing with the weak. I doubt he has ever inspected the legion or fulfilled his duties. When I return to the capital, I will certainly accuse him of dereliction of duty and neglect of the Lord's cause."

Strömer was overjoyed. Bringing back two people with pure souls at once would surely bring him one step closer to the Holy Land.

"Necromancers are few in number and require extremely high aptitudes such as mental strength. They usually reach the level of Archmage or above. Some preparations must be made before taking action."

Strömer pondered to himself that even though he considered himself to be virtually invincible below the Holy Land level, he dared not underestimate a necromancer, and he was not prepared to reveal the secret to other powerful figures of the Holy See unless absolutely necessary.

"Sean is in your hands now. Keep it a secret and don't let anyone else know. You can give him the holy oil of 'Holy Baptism' and the secret manual of fighting spirit. Hmph, he's just a slave after all, that's all he can do. Fulfill his wish before he's sacrificed to the Lord of Light."

"Yes, sir, please rest assured."

……

In a secret room beneath the church, Lu Jing paid no attention to this obvious attempt to imprison him, as he had no intention of escaping in the first place.

He held a glass bottle in his hands.

In the center of the bottle, the translucent grease lay quietly, in a semi-solid state.

It is the essential ingredient for 'holy baptism', holy oil, an ointment made from a secret formula held only by the Church of Light.

Of course, Lu Jing believed that the Dark Church must also have something like Dark Water, and even the armies of empires such as the Yulan Empire and the O'Brien Empire should have similar things.

It simply serves to stimulate life potential, or rather, to burn life energy so that one can perceive and absorb the pure essence of heaven and earth elements in a short period of time and condense it into battle qi. This is also why it is rumored that the "Holy Baptism" damages a warrior's potential and makes it almost impossible to break through to level seven.

The holy oil itself is not precious; what is precious is the formula.

However, Lu Jing didn't care about the recipe for the Holy Oil. The recipe was only meaningful to major powers, not to individuals.

He deftly inserted his finger into the bottle and took out a little holy oil.

The cold quickly turned into intense heat.

A strange power began to penetrate the skin and spread continuously.

The "Holy Baptism" would last for several days. Lu Jing knew his time was limited, not for his arrival, but for the time when the Holy See attacked the necromancer hiding in Blood Orchid City, and his lies would be exposed.

He then looked at a small cup of dark red, viscous blood beside him. It was the blood of a level-four magical beast, the Purple-Striped Unicorn Python, used in conjunction with the "Holy Baptism." There were also a few pieces of parchment, which were battle qi manuals that were paired with the "Holy Baptism."

let's start!

Lu Jing adjusted his breathing, picked up the cup of purple-striped unicorn python blood, tilted his head back, and swallowed it in one gulp.

……

Inside a manor in Blood Orchid City, within the Dark Alliance, the Kingdom of Rune.

An elderly man dressed in a black robe, with a pale face and wine-red pupils, frowned slightly as he looked at the middle-aged man in a magnificent robe who was bowing in front of him: "The quality of the souls of this batch of slaves is too poor."

The middle-aged man in the fine robe said respectfully, but with a wry smile, "My lord, how easy is it to find someone with a pure soul like you speak of? And even if they did, how could they be among these lowly slaves?"

The old man in black robes snorted coldly, secretly resenting: "If it weren't for the fact that my soul was injured, how could I have been unable to heal for more than ten years? It's a pity that if it weren't for the mysterious death of that slave with a pure soul that I accidentally discovered ten years ago, whose soul also disappeared without a trace, my injuries would have been mostly healed long ago."

"This batch of slaves is too few. I want—who do you mean!"

The old man in the black robe suddenly flashed a dark light in his wine-red eyes as he hastily met a sword light that seemed to pierce out of the darkness.

As the sword light appeared, a chill instantly permeated the entire manor.

……

In a secret underground chamber of the Church of Light in Hess City, Lu Jing sat naked on the ground, his entire body covered in a pale yellow, translucent layer of grease, making it seem as if rats were wriggling beneath his skin.

In the hazy state, Lu Jing sensed countless cyan light spots floating around him, aided by a strange power.

Wind element!

Lu Jing felt a surge of joy.

In the world of Panlong, battle qi also has attributes. Warriors who possess battle qi manuals cultivate battle qi by absorbing the elements between heaven and earth and refining them into battle qi within their bodies.

Not long after sensing the wind element in the world, Lu Jing absorbed a small amount of the element and condensed it into a thin wisp of battle qi under the operation of the Battle Qi Manual. The battle qi circulated throughout his body, causing waves of soreness and heat wherever it passed, and his physical body was slowly strengthening.

Lu Jing opened his eyes, wanting to laugh out loud. He had been sitting in meditation for five days, spending his time eating, relieving himself, and engaging in arduous cultivation. Finally, he managed to cultivate his battle qi.

Without the 'Holy Baptism', even a powerful warrior who has forged his physical body to the fourth, fifth, or even sixth level would need at least half a month to cultivate battle qi.

His body was too weak, only at the level of a first-level warrior, unable to absorb more elements of heaven and earth. If it weren't for the stimulation of the holy oil and the temporary enhancement of his body by the blood of the fourth-level magical beast, the Purple-Patterned Unicorn Python, he wouldn't have been able to absorb even this little bit of elements of heaven and earth, let alone refine it into pure battle qi.

After putting on his clothes, Lu Jing took advantage of the fact that the effects of the purple-striped unicorn python's blood and the holy oil had not completely faded, and continued to absorb the elements of heaven and earth to enhance his fighting spirit. After half a day, Lu Jing's expression suddenly changed. He sensed a powerful aura rapidly approaching the secret chamber.

A deafening roar!

The metal door was smashed open and fell heavily to the ground.

With short, silver hair like steel needles and eyes that were cold yet filled with anger and disbelief, Schöder entered the secret room.

"You lowly slave, how dare you deceive me?!"

As the most outstanding genius of the Holy See, and a young man who had become a level nine peak warrior, Streller found it hard to believe that this ant-like soldier dared to deceive him.

Even if this lowly person possessed the purest soul, Steller vowed to teach him a lesson before taking him to the Holy Island.

Lu Jing sighed inwardly; there was no time to continue cultivating.

Just as Steller was about to press him further, he suddenly saw the lowly soldier named Sean bow gracefully to him without the slightest fear on his face, accompanied by a soft laugh.

"Thank you, Mr. Streller. Perhaps we will meet again in the future."

Before he could finish speaking, his body shrank instantly, and before Schleier could react, all that remained was a flimsy skin, as if even his bones had disappeared.

All that remained were the level nine peak warriors, who stared in disbelief, their faces turning ashen.

A roar echoed throughout the Church of Light.

……

In a bedroom on the fifth floor of an old residential building in Heyun City.

In the silent darkness, Lu Jing, whose body had shrunk drastically, opened his eyes, and in an instant, two bolts of lightning illuminated the tranquil dark space.

In an instant, a surge of heat from the mysterious gate in his mind spread throughout his body.

The warrior named Sean, who was possessed in the Panlong World, had all his muscles, bones, and strength transformed into a strange and pure energy. His wisp of fighting spirit was even transformed into a powerful heat flow that flowed into his body.

Then, Lu Jing felt that everything around him slowed down.

In the darkness, floating dust and microorganisms, the breathing of other residents nearby, the muffled heartbeats, the rustling of clothes—every sound entered his ears clearly and slowly.

It was as if the whole world had slowed down.

The muscles inside the body contracted and relaxed repeatedly, and with each repetition, the muscles became more slender and resilient. The body, which had gone from being shriveled and bloated to being robust, quickly became thinner, and the whole body became lighter.

Lu Jing clenched his fist in surprise and swung it slightly forward, causing strong air currents to tear through the room as if a strong wind had swept through.

"this……"

There was no equipment around to calculate the force, but Lu Jing roughly estimated that his punching force was about four or five tons!

"High-level warrior! At least at the high-level warrior level!"

Lu Jing touched the door-shaped birthmark on his chest, which had turned from bright red to light purple. Overnight, he had gone from an ordinary person who was far from being a martial artist to at least a high-level warrior!

This mysterious portal to another dimension truly possesses terrifying power!

(End of this chapter)