Chapter 18: I Want Your Faith

Seven days and seven nights passed, and all the abnormal phenomena within the pill furnace subsided, replaced by a powerful, surging aura emanating from within.

Qin Sheng clapped his hands and laughed, "I did it."

He opened the furnace lid and shouted, "Come forth, my Sacred Body!"

Ye Fan's head popped out from the furnace, looking radiant and spirited.

"Immortal, you have such a cruel heart."

"Don't try to twist the narrative. Just tell me, did you get any benefits or not?"

Ye Fan crawled out of the pill furnace, inspected his limbs, and complained

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

"Immortal, why is it that as soon as you leave, someone comes to deal with me? Exactly which link in the chain is broken?"

Ye Fan sighed deeply, "Is it because my bad luck is skyrocketing? Do I need you by my side just to suppress it?"

Looking back at the past, Ye Fan truly felt he was too unlucky; nothing ever went smoothly for him.

Coming to the Big Dipper was truly like coming here to undergo a tribulation.

Qin Sheng smiled without a word. This was nothing compared to what was coming.

Later, when Ye Fan would become an enemy to the entire world, hunted by everyone, that would be the real excitement.

"Alright, this time you've turned a misfortune into a blessing, and your cultivation has made significant progress. Once you break through to the Life Spring Realm, we'll go pull off something big."

"Deal."

Ye Fan lifted his spirits and said, "Let's go into seclusion right here. There is Fire Fiend energy to absorb, and Dao patterns to provide concealment."

...

The Douluo Continent.

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

The new session of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Duel Tournament was about to begin.

"It's finally time to fulfill this second wish," Qin Sheng thought, in a good mood.

Although the tournament hadn't started yet, the championship was already a foregone conclusion.

Qin Sheng's parents were already studying their opponents for the grand finals.

"Xiao Sheng, it's time for us to set off."

At fourteen, Zhang Lexuan had blossomed into an increasingly beautiful young woman, her gaze toward Qin Sheng filled with tenderness.

"Are the team members ready?"

"Yes, both the official members and the reserves are all present," Zhang Lexuan said.

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

The Soul Master Tournament is held every five years, hosted in rotation by the four major empires of the continent. This year, it was the turn of the Heaven Soul Empire.

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

At the Chiling Academy training grounds, thirteen students, one leading teacher, and Qin Sheng's mother were already waiting.

Approaching the group, Qin Sheng scanned everyone. Every student he looked at straightened their posture and puffed out their chests, trying their best to display their spirit and vigor.

Their eyes were filled with awe as they looked at Qin Sheng.

"I will only say one thing."

Qin Sheng spoke calmly, "What is Chiling Academy's goal this time?"

"The championship!" the students answered in unison.

"Correct. The championship. Nothing less."

Qin Sheng turned and led the way, "Let's move."

Everyone took flight immediately, heading toward Heaven Dou City.

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

"Not interested," Qin Sheng shook his head.

With his level of strength, he should be participating in something like the "Mount Hua Sword Competition," not a student tournament.

However, while he had no interest in personally taking action, Qin Sheng thought it would be quite interesting to casually train a few students and have them crush every other academy.

"Alright then."

Qin Sheng's mother felt a bit of regret. "It makes Mommy so sad that the whole continent won't get to see how outstanding my son is."

"Lexuan was also taught by you. Just let her take the stage."

Zhang Lexuan smiled and said, "As long as we don't encounter an invincible opponent, I'll try my best not to step on the field."

"The seven seniors on the official team are nearly twenty years old. This is their only chance to show themselves. Let it be theirs."

Zhang Lexuan had a gentle temperament, neither competing nor grasping for glory.

She was only fourteen and was currently the captain of the Chiling reserve team. She would still be able to participate in the next tournament, so she didn't care about stealing the spotlight this time.

The students of the Chiling team were all equipped with flying soul tools, and the group soon arrived at Heaven Dou City.

The place was incredibly lively and more prosperous than ever.

A country can only host the Soul Master Tournament once every twenty years, and many people won't see it even a few times in their lives. Now that it was their turn, the citizens of the Heaven Soul Empire erupted with unprecedented enthusiasm.

The Heaven Soul Hotel, a royal industry.

Chiling Academy was merely an ordinary advanced academy, so their accommodations were arranged on the first floor with average treatment.

Qin Sheng didn't care about such things.

In the Shrouding the Heavens world, he had lived in caves.

While registering at the hotel, a group of people wearing uniquely ugly clothes happened to walk in, and they were received by the Heaven Soul Hotel staff with the highest level of etiquette.

"Shrek Academy, the number one academy on the continent," Zhang Lexuan said. "They have won almost every soul master competition in the past."

The people from Chiling Academy were very focused on Shrek Academy, knowing they were their greatest rivals this time.

As for the people from Shrek Academy...

They didn't even spare a glance at the Chiling group. They were just roadside pebbles, not worth noticing.

Upon arriving at their hotel rooms, the leading teacher said

"There are a total of one hundred and thirty-one teams participating this time. The format is the same as before: first, a first-round knockout stage using a seven-on-seven team battle mode. If you lose, you are immediately eliminated and sent home. It is expected to last three days."

"The second round is a round-robin tournament, with about nine teams per group, competing within the group..."

After introducing these details, the teacher added

"As for our tactics..."

He laughed, a mix of helplessness and pride.

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

The team members were too strong; the leading teacher found it both difficult and easy to manage.

Everyone laughed.

Qin Sheng had a private room. Late at night, while he was cultivating, he suddenly felt the temperature drop sharply.

He opened his eyes to see a white-haired woman had appeared in his room.

"What are you doing here?"

Xue Di smiled slightly. "Your academy competition. I came to take a look."

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

Qin Sheng: "Actually, there is something I want to discuss with you."

"What is it?"

With a wave of his hand, Qin Sheng isolated the room from the outside world. Not even a God could hope to peer in from the Divine 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 step?"

"Almost. It's time to prepare," Qin Sheng nodded.

"If the Far North soul beasts have no faith, then I can agree," Xue Di frowned.

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

For a "non-believer" to start believing in a deity was a completely different concept from making a "believer" convert.

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

"You obtained the inheritance of the Ice God?" Xue Di was surprised.

"No, I haven't obtained any deity's inheritance, but I can utilize the power of the Ice God's faith."

Qin Sheng continued, "So my idea is to incarnate as the 'Ice God' and receive the faith of the Far North soul beasts."

Xue Di remained silent. She felt she was incomparably devout toward the Ice God, and Qin Sheng's idea felt like a profanation.

Fortunately, she trusted Qin Sheng deeply now; if it were anyone else, she would have attacked long ago.

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

But then again, if the Ice God could be reborn and the Far North soul beasts could once again bathe in the glory of a god, that would be a good thing.

"What exactly do you want to do? Without a divine position, how can you absorb the Ice God's faith?"

With Xue Di'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 current mental strength and physical body are already at the God level, and my soul power can be considered semi-divine. As long as I condense a fourth soul core and refine my soul power slightly, I will surely undergo a transformation."

This "semi-divine soul power" did not refer to the Limit Douluo classification in Douluo Dalu 3, but rather meant that Qin Sheng's soul power truly possessed divine characteristics.

"So, if I wish, it would be easy to become a God-level lifeform."

Qin Sheng: "But I want to condense a complete divine position and become a deity. For that, I must use the power of faith."

"God-level lifeforms and deities are not the same kind of existence? Is the difference in the divine position?" Xue Di asked, seeking knowledge.

"Yes."

Qin Sheng nodded. "When the spirit, body, and soul power all transform to the God level, one becomes a God-level lifeform or a God-level expert. This is also called a 'God'."

"If we classify them by the levels of the Douluo Continent, God-level experts from level 100 to 109 correspond to Divine Officials of the Divine Realm. Every 10 levels thereafter correspond to Three-level Gods, Two-level Gods, One-level Gods, and finally, God Kings."

"However, setting aside the Divine Officials without positions, from level 110 onwards, God-level experts of the same level are almost never a match for a true deity. This is because a divine position can elevate a deity's strength by nearly an entire level."

"Furthermore, a divine position is essentially the manifestation of Laws. Possessing a divine position allows one to come into closer contact with the Laws, which serves as an excellent boost before you reach a certain realm."

"And only deities with divine positions can achieve immortality; God-level experts cannot."

Combining his knowledge from his previous life with his own research in this life, he had a profound understanding of the Divine Realm.

Xue Di nodded. "So that is why you want to become a deity rather than just a God-level lifeform."

"Mhm. There is also another reason: a divine position is a shortcut to the heavens."

Qin Sheng smiled. "God-level experts can only cultivate step by step, slowly rising from level 100."

"But a divine position is different. If you inherit or condense a One-level God position, you can become a One-level God immediately upon reaching the Divine Realm."

Xue Di was somewhat amazed. "In that case, that is truly taking an immense advantage."

Qin Sheng: "Deities have their drawbacks too, but in the face of such massive benefits, they can be tolerated."

Qin Sheng's wish in the Douluo world was to become a deity, and he would not pass up such a shortcut.

As for the restrictions of a divine position?

Compared to the myriad worlds of the heavens, that was nothing.

"You want to condense a divine position similar to the Ice God's?" Xue Di guessed.

"No, my goal isn't a position like the Ice God's. Rather, I have a way to adapt and use the faith of other deities."

The path of faith existed in the Shrouding the Heavens world as well; the Yaoguang Holy Land possessed many related scriptures and secret methods.

Qin Sheng had specifically looked into them before, and some of those secret methods would be of immense help to him in the Douluo Continent.

"So, are you willing to help me?"

Under Qin Sheng's gaze, Xue Di thought for a long time before finally nodding.

"We are friends. I believe you."

Qin Sheng laughed heartily. "Very well. Once I become a god, I will certainly keep my promise."

"When the time comes, if we both ascend to the Divine Realm together, it will make for a beautiful legend."

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, and Chiling Academy's opponent was...

Shrek Academy?!

Qin Sheng smiled, and the people from Shrek Academy smiled as well.