Raise Joan of Arc to be an empress, then discard her.

"You know right, the vast majority of angels are born that way, but there have been cases in history where angels have awakened later in life. Although the probability is extremely low, it is not impossible. That's why we brought you here."

"You need to take a test. If you pass the test, you will receive the blessing of the God of Judgment. If you fail, it means you are not cut out for it, and you can only choose the blessing of the other seven gods."

Elliott approached the painting covered by a canvas: "This is your test question."

He whispered, “Perhaps you are one of the rarest angels, even rarer than the primordial angels!” With that, Eliot ripped the canvas off the painting.

The painting beneath the canvas was revealed to Aaron. It depicted a golden sunflower. The painting was not large, not comparable to the life-sized giant oil paintings in art museums, but the sunflower in the painting was the same size as a real sunflower, as if there really was a sunflower inside.

“All you have to do now is stare at this painting…” Before Elliott could finish speaking, he noticed that Aaron was already staring intently at the painting on the wall, with no other eyes on him.

Elliott and Theo exchanged a glance, both seeing shock in each other's eyes. Then, they tactfully retreated to the back of the room, leaving the space to Aaron.

The test has officially begun.

Aaron felt very strange.

The moment he saw the painting, he felt his senses change. He saw a golden beam of light slowly dancing above his head. This beam of light did not appear suddenly; it had always been there, but he only noticed it now.

Aaron felt bewildered. He realized that the sunflower in the painting seemed to have come to life. In its golden glow, the sunflower was breathing slowly. The breathing was not restrained, nor was it interrupted. It just kept flowing, from one kind of beauty to an even stronger beauty. This strange feeling made Aaron feel terrified. When did the sunflower flow with such a strong beauty?

Lost in the flowing breath, Aaron suddenly realized that everything around him had changed. Elliott and Theo had both disappeared. He was no longer in that small white room, but exposed to the blazing sun, with the golden sunflower in front of him.

The golden sunflowers became even more vibrant, as if they were burning with flames. With each breath, the flames flowed continuously among the leaves and petals. The colors of those flames were not harmonious, but even conflicting. Aaron was certain that no painter in the world would dare to use such colors to depict flowers. Yet, the painting appeared so vibrant, so real, so natural to Aaron. They were not depicted, but simply displayed their original appearance.

Is this how the world is supposed to be? Or is he hallucinating?

At that moment, Aaron seemed to have entered another world. He felt neither joy nor sorrow, neither good nor bad, simply gazing at the flower. It was like the world that the first humans saw when they opened their eyes for the first time at dawn, where everything was laid bare, and every moment seemed like a miracle.

He began to see all of this more and more clearly. He saw a flower that shone brightly because of its inner light. A flower, so small and so unique, with the sacred hidden in its petals, so that the petals of a flower trembled almost because of the weight of the meaning it was given. The flower's lines were deep, but its connotation was infinitely broad. In the glory of its life, it was dazzling because of the light of life.

Chapter 167 The Sacred Flower

That beam of light was so radiant, so elegant, yet Aaron felt like a plant directly exposed to the blazing sun. At that moment, the divine exploded into his mind—it was all that transcends humanity, transcends daily life, transcends all individual will. And all he could do was tremble eternally on the edge of ultimate revelation.

It is so significant, so taboo, so untouchable. It is worship, ritual, totem, taboo, sacrifice, symbol. It transcends everything, transcends the mundane and vulgar aspects of life. It has existed extensively in all human civilizations and all human history, always occupying the highest dimension, something that crushes the will of the individual.

Supreme.

At this moment, that holiness was laid bare before him, its weight pressing down on him without reservation. He instinctively knelt on the ground, and in an instant, he felt as if he were being crushed into dust. His body knelt down involuntarily. That thing was too heavy, and touching it was too taboo. Just the thought of going against that will made him tremble with fear.

Is this the sacred burden that angels bear? At this moment, he already knew the answer to this test: to become an angel, one must bear that heavy sacred light.

What he had to do was not to fight, but simply to look directly at the bouquet of flowers, which was all he could muster. They did not put any burden on his body, but were more important than anything else.

But Aaron stared intently at the flower. As a living being, he had never felt the sacredness so intensely. It was as if someone had ripped open his scalp and poured all of humanity's taboos and inviolable things into his mind. Every bone, every skin, every wrinkle in his body trembled because of that sacred object. He couldn't even run away, because running away would be blasphemy. He could only worship eternally under the revelation.

There are no shortcuts in this struggle; it is a desperate struggle, like a speck of dust trying to lift a mountain. He can only eternally bear that divine light, becoming a speck of dust under the weight. Because to become an angel, one must shoulder that divine burden. And the moment he becomes an angel, as an angel himself, he must feel that divine burden at all times. When he becomes an angel, everything will appear in his eyes in its true form. If he cannot bear it, how can he become an angel?

Aaron managed to lift his head, seemingly because it was the first time he had looked directly at something sacred. The intense discomfort caused his body to react instinctively, his face contorted in pain, his tears and saliva flowing and evaporating. But Aaron still resisted desperately, trembling with fear, fighting to the death with the greatest terror.

He seemed to be in an endless expanse of time, not knowing how long he needed to hold on. This behavior was almost like a moth drawn to a flame; he was simply doing his best to fight back desperately.

And so, in the real world, to Elliott and Theo's astonishment, they saw Aaron, who had been kneeling on the ground, manage to stand up with difficulty. He tilted his head back, every muscle in his body trembling, looking up at the thing that he both feared and found supreme.

His pupils had disappeared, and nothing else could be seen in his eyes except the whites. He was staring intently at the painting in front of him with a terrifying and ferocious expression, as if he were both fearful and reverently watching the painting.

And so, under the incredulous gazes of Elliott and Theo, he slowly approached the painting that was too high for him, muscle by muscle and bone by bone.

He stared straight at the painting above his head, his knees finally straightening. After his knees came his waist, then his torso, and then his entire body. As he did this, his legs never stopped exerting force, but it seemed that with each additional part requiring effort, the pressure on his body increased. His legs trembled so much that it looked as if he were carrying an entire mountain, as if they would break at any moment. Yet, relying on these legs that seemed about to break, he slowly, slowly, little by little, stood up.

Amidst awe-inspiring gazes and the terrifying weight that seemed almost unbearable, with legs as thin as bamboo poles on the verge of breaking, Aaron slowly stood up. He strained to lift his head, drool dripping from the corner of his mouth, staring intently at the painting, his eyes now completely blank.

Almost the instant he stood up straight, his brain seemed to shut down, and he lost consciousness. The next moment, the weight on him seemed to disappear, and Aaron fell straight backward.

At the same time, Elliott had already picked up the canvas to cover the painting, while Theo flashed behind Aaron and caught him as he was about to fall.

“I never imagined it could go this far,” Elliott said, looking at Aaron who had fallen behind him after hanging up the canvas.

Theo looked at Aaron, who was completely unconscious, and said, "Even if he wakes up now, his brain will still be in this state. Let him sleep a little longer."

They had someone bring over a leather bench, laid Aaron down on it, and hung a blanket over him, waiting for him to slowly wake up.

Elliott sat down next to him, looked into his face, and said, "Theo, what did you go through when you looked directly at this painting?"

Theo glanced at Elliott and said, "I knelt on the ground for a whole day and night, but I couldn't succeed in the end."

What were you feeling at that time?

"I don't think I can ever become an angel. Also, you people are really terrifying. I could never become like you."

"But don't you think this person is also terrifying?"

“There are some, but…” Theo said in surprise, “These words should not come from the mouth of someone who is ‘Heart of Angels’.”

“I find it terrifying because he was absolutely not cut out to be an angel, but he still stood up. Theo, do you remember the sight of him standing up?”

Theo remembered the scene from just a few minutes ago, but he fell silent for a long while before slowly saying:

"He used all his strength to stand up, enduring the pressure that nearly broke his body."

“Yes…” Elliott said quietly, “Don’t you think that’s the most terrifying thing…”

"Are you awake?"

When Aaron opened his eyes, he saw a handsome man with long, unruly hair looking at him with concern.

Where has he seen such a handsome guy before?

Aaron, rubbing his aching head, sat up from the recliner: "Where am I?"

He was drenched in sweat and looked weak, as if he had been walking in the desert for a long time.

Chapter 168 Natural Blessing

“Do you remember? You came here today to receive a blessing. We’re still in that same room,” Elliott said. “You fainted during the test because you reacted too strongly to the painting, but you’re alright and will be fine after a rest.”

"Did I succeed?" Aaron recalled what had happened earlier and sat up abruptly.

“It’s a pity you failed.” Elliott handed him a glass of water.

"I see..." Aaron slowly lay back down on the recliner.

“You’ve done a good job, but you’re just not cut out for it,” Elliott comforted him.

"I didn't manage to stand up." Aaron was clearly still somewhat disappointed.

"No, you've successfully stood up."

“Then I…” Aaron looked at Elliott, his eyes filled with anticipation.

“It’s a pity that passing the test doesn’t mean you have to stand up,” Elliott said, gazing into the distance and speaking in a poetic tone. “To be able to take off lightly under immense pressure, break free from the earth’s shackles, grow white wings, and fly into the sky—that is the true angel.”

"That's outrageous!" Aaron was stunned.

“It is outrageous, but that’s what angels are all about.” Elliott chuckled. “When He was born, all the surrounding nations cheered, and the morning star sang along. There are billions of people in this world, but there are only six angels like Claire in the entire world.”

"Was Claire like this back then?" Aaron pondered.

"We never witnessed the scene back then, but according to the records of the Church of Judgment—"

"Yes."

Aaron recalled Claire's young face, never imagining that she had done such a thing. He wondered what it was like when she first took flight so gracefully.

Under immense pressure, to still spread its wings and take off lightly—that is what makes an angel.

Well... it seems he really isn't cut out to be an angel. Thinking this, Aaron felt relieved.

"Speaking of which, which blessings can I choose?" Aaron suddenly asked.

Elliott and Theo exchanged a glance, their expressions subtly revealing themselves simultaneously.

“In theory, you can choose any blessing except the blessing of the Judgment Church and the Omniscient Church, but we recommend that you choose the blessing of the Natural Church…” Eliot said.

"why is that?"

“Well…” Elliott looked embarrassed. “You can choose other blessings if you want, but it will be more complicated to compare them…”

"trouble?"

"You should understand that blessing is almost the most secretive power in each country. Everyone who wants to receive a blessing will be subject to strict scrutiny by the state. Although the Church of Judgment has a covenant with various churches to share blessings, obtaining a blessing is still a very troublesome matter."

“Let me give you an example. If you want the blessing of the Church of the God of War, according to the procedure, we first need to write an application and submit it to the Church of Judgment. The Church of Judgment will then submit it to the Church of the God of War. After both parties approve it, we will go with you to Theo’s hometown, the snow-covered northern land. The process may take three months, and the trip will take at least half a month.”

Hearing this, Aaron could roughly guess what was going on.

“That’s not the worst part,” Elliott shook his head.

"Despite having an alliance with the Church of Judgment, the Church of War does not easily bestow its blessings upon outsiders. If you want the blessing of the Church of War, going through the formalities is only the simplest part. Everyone who receives the blessing must be judged by the Academy of War, and the judgment process cannot be completed in a short time. Moreover, they may require you to undergo the Trial of the God of War to observe whether you have the soul of a warrior, which is the more troublesome part..."

"That's why we recommend you choose the Church of Nature. Firstly, the Church of Nature's headquarters are in the Kingdom of Doc, so blessings can be performed in Birmingham. We can go there this afternoon."

"Secondly, you are a hero in Birmingham. Because of your heroic performance in Birmingham, the Church is naturally willing to bless you and agree to exempt you from the troublesome process."

"The Kingdom of Sanledok is the stronghold of the Natural Blessed Ones. There are many extraordinary individuals like you in the kingdom. If you choose the Natural Blessed One, it will be much more convenient for you to carry out missions or advance in the future than if you choose other blessings. That is why we recommend that you choose the Natural Blessed One."

Elliott fell silent after speaking, since choosing to bestow the blessing was Aaron's own business, and he shouldn't interfere with the choice except by providing the necessary information.

After listening to Elliott's words, Aaron began to think about it himself.

Eliot explained the benefits of choosing the Church of Nature very clearly, but when choosing a blessing, the most important thing is to see whether the blessing brings great power to the extraordinary person and whether it is suitable for them.

After thinking for a while, Aaron agreed with their opinion: "Okay, then let's choose Nature's Blessing."

"You've made a decision so quickly? Although it was our recommendation, it's best to consider it carefully, after all, it's a decision that will affect your entire life." Elliot was still a little worried that Aaron might be misled by him.

"No need to think about it anymore, I'll choose the blessing of the Natural Church."

Aaron trusted his judgment. He had fought against the Church of Nature before, and as a former adversary, he knew all too well how powerful Nature's Blessing was. He believed that the conclusions proven in blood could not be wrong, so Nature's Blessing had been his second choice from the very beginning.

But there was another reason why the scales tipped in favor of the goddess of nature when Aaron made his choice.

Besides considering the power of the blessing itself, one must also consider issues such as advancement. If he chooses the blessing from the Church of the God of War, he will have to go to the snow-covered northern land for advancement and cultivation, which would be truly tragic for him.

Considering that obtaining the Blessing of Nature would eliminate the need to travel from Doc, that the Kingdom of Doc is the headquarters of the Church of Nature, and that choosing the Blessing of Nature would provide direct assistance for future advancement or upgrades, he should choose the Blessing of Nature from any perspective.

However, he had also heard that the blessings of nature, like the blessings of omniscience, were highly random, so he was still somewhat uneasy.

"Since we've made up our minds, let's go to the Church of Nature this afternoon."

*

Birmingham University, Church of Nature.