Chapter Thirteen: Baptism into the Faith

Fang Che looked up.

Above him stood five men, none of whom wore masks.

Because there was no need.

The Devoted Heart Sect was a subordinate unit of the Sole Path Sect. Passing this trial meant becoming a member of the Sole Path Sect; failing meant one would never leave alive.

At this stage, there was no point in hiding anything.

Among them, one man stood at eight feet tall, exuding a formidable aura simply by standing there—a presence all his own.

The other three were elderly men with white hair and beards: one slightly plump, another thin and monkey-like, and the third short, stout, and plump like a wealthy tycoon.

“No need for introductions yet. Once the doctrine is completed, introductions can follow,” said the man in the center.

“Yes,” the other four nodded in unison.

“This young man is quite fortunate. Since the founding of our Devoted Heart Sect, only those five of us have conducted the doctrinal baptism—and it seems he is the only one to have undergone it so far,” the central figure chuckled heartily, surprisingly warm and approachable, nothing like the feared demon lord of legend.

The others laughed along, and Sun Yuan smiled, “This is the boy’s blessing.”

Then, the man in the middle withdrew a plate of verdant incense sticks from his bosom and extended a finger.

Sun Yuan said, “Let me do it.”

“No matter,” the man replied.

He drew a knife and sliced his fingertip, blood flowing freely, droplets falling onto the incense.

The other four also eagerly drew knives, cutting their fingers to let blood drip onto the incense.

Then they channeled their energy, lighting the incense with the true spiritual fire. A wisp of green smoke entwined with a red thread spiraled upward, slowly drawn into the nose of the centipede deity statue on the altar.

Not a trace escaped.

When the incense had burned down to one-third, the centipede deity’s eyes suddenly flared to life.

A sphere of green light tightly enveloped Fang Che’s entire body.

A chill ran through Fang Che’s heart—he knew the trial had begun.

Whether he could pass depended entirely on the divine power of this centipede deity.

Life and death hung in the balance.

This was the test that countless in his previous life had never deciphered nor surmounted—the Sole Path Sect’s trial.

He quietly invoked the Infinite Scripture heart method and released the control over the Five-Spirit Gu within his body.

Over this time, Fang Che had practiced tens of times daily with the Five-Spirit Gu, continuously torturing and then healing himself through the Infinite Scripture—a cycle of punishment and reward.

All leading to this moment.

“Heavenly Centipede Divine Spirit, disciple prays: the sect accepts the new; Sole Path is righteous; incense as proof, blood as guide; sincere prayer for discernment; harbor treachery, invite blood feud; sincere disciple shall be the backbone. Sole Path righteous and grand, commanding the realms; reigning over the world, surveying mountains and rivers!”

The man in the center held the incense and chanted slowly.

The incense burned rapidly.

The centipede deity’s eyes grew ever brighter.

Finally, the incense burned out.

The man turned to Fang Che, “Kneel! Raise your head.”

Fang Che maintained a calm expression and slowly knelt.

He raised his head.

The green light from the deity’s eyes shone into Fang Che’s own eyes in an instant.

The green light took control of his body, activating the Five-Spirit Gu in his dantian.

A green dot appeared on Fang Che’s body, moving slowly at first, then gradually accelerating.

The green light swirled.

It seemed to be communicating with the Five-Spirit Gu.

Throughout the process, Fang Che’s consciousness remained fully awake, yet he completely lost control over his body.

He could clearly sense the Five-Spirit Gu was communicating with something.

And its emotions were intense.

It was a mixture of fear, agitation, and dread—as if it were endlessly accusing Fang Che of mistreatment, complaining ceaselessly.

There was a strong feeling of “You must stand for me! This Fang Che is the most terrifying demon.”

Sun Yuan and the other four watched intently, somewhat surprised.

Their Five-Spirit Gu were lively, far more vigorous and powerful than those in any previous candidate undergoing doctrinal baptism.

Moreover, this baptism was prolonged.

In the past, it had always been completed quickly; the centipede deity’s divine consciousness would vanish immediately.

But this time, it had already lasted for half an hour.

And it was not over yet.

A trace of anxiety appeared on Sun Yuan’s face, though he dared not speak.

Finally... after fifteen minutes.

The green light flashed, sending a clear, peaceful message to the group, carrying a tone of “appreciation.”

The five were overjoyed.

Appreciation!

For years in the Sole Path Sect, the centipede deity’s divine consciousness rarely displayed emotion.

And this time, there was such obvious appreciation.

It was exceedingly rare!

“Doctrinal baptism passed!”

The green light flickered and returned to the centipede deity, whose eyes quietly dimmed into nothingness.

The man in the center’s eyes gleamed strangely as he looked at Fang Che, as if discovering a treasure.

Sun Yuan laughed heartily, “Sect Leader, isn’t my disciple quite good?!”

Only then did Fang Che realize the man in the middle was the leader of the Devoted Heart Sect.

The legendary demon lord ravaging the mortal realm, known as the “Blood Spirit Slayer” of the Seal Divine Palace.

Then, who were the other three?

“I am the Sect Leader of the Devoted Heart Sect, Seal Divine Palace,” he smiled, “this is the First Offering, Ruthless Heart Sword, Mu Linyuan.”

Fang Che immediately bowed respectfully—it was the slightly plump old man with white hair.

“This is the Second Offering, Poison Heart Ape, Hou Fang.”

The thin, monkey-like elder.

“This is the Third Offering, Eight-Route God of Wealth, Qian Sanjiang.”

The short, plump, wealthy-looking elder.

Fang Che greeted each in turn, puzzled.

This Devoted Heart Sect was hard to understand. For a mere novice like him to have the sect leader and the three major offerings personally involved in his baptism?

This was quite an honor.

He couldn’t help but glance at Sun Yuan.

Seal Divine Palace smiled, “Your master is also an offering within our sect.”

Though out of courtesy, he refrained from saying “these three are First Offerings, while your master is a Third Offering.”

Sun Yuan was well aware of this and quickly masked any expression, looking solemn and inscrutable.

“So your master is quite formidable,” Fang Che remarked at the perfect moment.

Sun Yuan’s eyebrows lifted in amusement.

Seal Divine Palace smiled faintly, then looked at Fang Che’s face, “You’re quite lucky this time. The Su family’s wealth is considerable, yes?”

“I haven’t used any of it. There are a few boxes filled with jewels and tens of millions in gold notes,” Fang Che answered candidly. “But none of it belongs to me. I’m just safeguarding it. When Su Yue returns, the property will be restored.”

Seal Divine Palace narrowed his eyes and said lightly, “If before he returns you encounter a bottleneck in your cultivation, and your own ability isn’t enough, but you need to use some of those resources—what would you do?”

Fang Che answered without hesitation, “Naturally, I would use them, leaving an IOU, and repay when I have the chance.”

“And if you haven’t repaid it when he comes back?”

“Then I will give him the IOU as well,” Fang Che replied without the slightest doubt.

The five exchanged glances.

“Persistence without rigidity, not bad,” Mu Linyuan smiled approvingly.

“But still a bit too honest,” Qian Sanjiang said with a sly grin.

“Why did the Su family disappear so mysteriously?” Seal Divine Palace pondered, puzzled.

No one could answer that.

The Su family’s actions were too sudden and secretive.

Seal Divine Palace quickly diverted his thoughts.

Looking at Fang Che with interest, he said, “I heard from your master that you have excellent talent?”

“My master is too indulgent,” Fang Che replied modestly.

“No need to be humble.”

Seal Divine Palace’s eyes flickered, recalling the centipede deity’s appreciation, and his heart stirred.

“Since I am here today as a witness to your doctrinal baptism, I’ll grant you one more favor—let’s see how much you can receive.”

Sun Yuan restrained his excitement, “Sect Leader means...”

Seal Divine Palace said, “Originally, we came for other matters, but we happened upon witnessing your baptism. This is fate, both yours and ours.”

“Since it is fate, we must not disappoint the centipede deity’s intentions.”

Seal Divine Palace continued, “The four of us will each teach you one skill. You have one hour. Within this hour, whatever you can master is yours to keep.”

He smiled warmly, “I heard you can memorize fists, palms, swords, and blades at a glance; you can grasp a technique in half a day. This will also be a test for you—what do you say?”

Upon hearing this, the three offerings smiled knowingly.

To them, Sun Yuan’s claims likely were exaggerated—no mortal genius had such perfect memory.

These were intricate arts.

Swordsmanship was not just sword techniques, but also sword Qi cultivation, body movement, footwork, all harmonized into one.

Memorize at a glance? What a boast!

Sun Yuan beamed, “Thank you, sect leader and the three honorable offerings.”

“No need to thank yet; maybe he won’t remember a thing,” Hou Fang, the Poison Heart Ape, said with a sinister grin.

Fang Che immediately knelt, “Thank you, sect leader, thank you, three offerings! Such a blessing, I shall never forget. Whether or not I succeed, I vow to regard you all as my masters.”

He spoke with utmost sincerity.

Instantly, Seal Divine Palace and the three offerings felt greatly comforted.

“To regard you as our disciple...” That was exactly the centipede deity’s appreciation, something unseen in tens of thousands of years.

For Fang Che, honor was meaningless now; having come this far, he would spare no effort to climb within the Devoted Heart Sect.

The higher his position, the more he could achieve.

This rare meeting with Seal Divine Palace and the others was a golden opportunity—he must seize it as a ladder to ascend!

This was a tremendous boon, incomparable to Sun Yuan’s.

As for regarding them as masters, that was genuine.

In the future, he would repay them with his life.

Seal Divine Palace’s voice softened, “You are so obedient. I planned to casually teach you a skill, but never mind—I will teach you the Blood Spirit Seven Swords.”

“Thank you, sect leader!” Sun Yuan was overjoyed, while Mu Linyuan and the others exchanged astonished glances.

Although not Seal Divine Palace’s ultimate secret technique, the Blood Spirit Seven Swords was the sword style by which this sect leader had made his name.

The origin of the “Blood Spirit Slayer” title was this very sword style.

It was extremely powerful and viciously sharp!

“Pay attention!”

Seal Divine Palace drew his sword, floated three feet off the ground, and held the blade vertically before his chest.

“The Blood Spirit Seven Swords have special sword techniques and auxiliary methods, complete with dedicated cultivation paths, body movements, and footwork. Missing any part makes it impossible to reach the pinnacle. You have only one chance—let’s see how much you can comprehend.”

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