Chapter 171: Faith
Yi Shuang still wanted to argue, but he knew that Zhong Shan'e was right.
To outsiders, the four orthodox arts of the Demon Vanquishing Department were extremely mysterious, but they were not a complete mystery to Yi Shuang.
Among the twenty-five orthodox arts, martial arts had always been easier to cultivate than Dao arts, while Dao arts were superior in power. The same applied to the four orthodox arts of the Demon Vanquishing Department.
It had always been the case that the orthodox Dao arts, the Silent Shadow Step and the Myriad Ghost Journal, were more difficult to cultivate. However, upon reaching the Dao Comprehension state, cultivators of the Silent Shadow Step and the Myriad Ghost Journal would be more powerful than their counterparts who cultivated Sumeru Strength Scripture and Lightning Screech.
Between the two orthodox Dao arts, the Silent Shadow Step demanded the most from its cultivator. It required a certain level of martial arts aptitude, top-tier Dao arts aptitude, and an incredible degree of devotion toward the Profound Origin Dao Lord. On top of that, there were also stringent requirements in will power, pill poison resistance, and resistance to demonification.
However, if all of those prerequisites could be satisfied, then progress in the Silent Shadow Step would come extremely quickly, granting the cultivator immense power.
While cultivating the Silent Shadow Step, one had to take various pills that produced hallucinatory and hypnotic effects in order to elevate their devotion to the Profound Origin Dao Lord to an unimaginable level.
During this process, the cultivator's emotions and desires would also be stripped away, granting them an extremely high resistance to demonification.
If one could reach the Dao Comprehension state by cultivating the Silent Shadow Step, they would become the perfect soldier, one who was nearly immune to demonification and completely obedient to the Demon Vanquishing Department.
These perfect super soldiers were known as Dao soldiers, and they were incredibly powerful weapons for both the Demon Vanquishing Department and the imperial clan.
If Jiang Longyu weren't one of the Eight Han Resurgence Generals, there's a very good chance he would've been set on this path as well, Yi Shuang sighed to himself. Honestly, the same would probably have applied to me if I possessed the necessary aptitude. In a sense, my mediocrity has saved me.
In light of this, he didn't know whether to consider Chu Qiguang fortunate or unfortunate.
"What if Chu Qiguang's faith in the Profound Origin Dao Lord is lacking?" Yi Shuang asked. "That would make him unsuitable to cultivate the Silent Shadow Step. Would he be able to cultivate the Myriad Ghost Journal then?"
"It's very unlikely that anyone in the Great Han Empire is lacking in faith in the Profound Origin Dao Lord," Song Ming said. "If he really can read books as he pleases without suffering any adverse effects, then he must be extremely devout in his faith. Otherwise, he would've already fallen prey to demonification."
Yi Shuang paid no heed to Song Ming and kept his gaze fixed on Zhong Shan'e.
"You seem very keen on having Chu Qiguang cultivate the Myriad Ghost Journal," Zhong Shan'e mused with slightly furrowed brows.
Yi Shuang nodded and replied, "Among the current batch of thirty-two trainees, Chu Qiguang is the only one who could potentially satisfy the prerequisites to cultivate the Myriad Ghost Journal in the future."
Zhong Shan'e weighed the options for a moment, then shook his head and said, "These selection trials are held for the purpose of finding suitable talents to cultivate the four orthodox arts. Even if he lacks devotion toward the Profound Origin Dao Lord, that is something that can be developed over time. As long as Chu Qiguang manages to satisfy the prerequisites for cultivating the Silent Shadow Step at any point in the coming year, I will make him go down that path.
"Compared with a martial god or a ghost, a Dao soldier would be much more useful to His Majesty. Having said that, if he doesn't manage to fulfill the prerequisites for cultivating the Silent Shadow Step by the end of the one-year period, yet he satisfies the prerequisites for cultivating the Myriad Ghost Journal, then we'll go with your idea."
***
Chu Qiguang was naturally oblivious to the conversation taking place between Zhong Shan'e, Yi Shuang, and Song Ming. At this moment, he was still in the Daoist temple, listening to Zhao Lingxiao's lecture.
Even though he didn't believe in the Profound Origin Dao Lord, he had claimed a spot in the first row and was pretending to be very earnest as he recited the sacred scriptures of the Heavenly Master Religion.
Zhao Lingxiao was very pleased with Chu Qiguang's earnest display.
After all of the trainees finished reciting the scriptures, Zhao Lingxiao pulled out a talisman with a solemn expression, then carried it to the altar with both hands.
"This is a Demon Vanquishing Talisman crafted by a powerful master on Dragon Serpent Mountain, then worshiped on the mountain for a full year," Zhao Lingxiao explained. "Only devout followers of the Profound Origin Dao Lord will receive the blessings of the Demon Vanquishing Talisman."
A hint of concern arose in Chu Qiguang's heart upon hearing this.
So only believers can use the talisman? That might be a problem...
Before Chu Qiguang had a chance to think of a way out, Zhao Lingxiao had already arranged for all of the trainees to step onto the stage one by one and pray to the Demon Vanquishing Talisman.
According to him, the more devout one's faith was, the more they would be able to activate the Demon Vanquishing Talisman's power.
Li He strode forward with an indifferent expression, and the Demon Vanquishing Talisman gave off a golden glow.
That looks about as bright as a handheld torch, Chu Qiguang evaluated. I wonder if that's good or not.
A blissful look appeared on Li He's face as he basked in the golden light. He felt as if he were bathing in a warm spring, which put him completely at ease. His mental condition was restored, and his resistance to demonification also increased slightly.
However, Chu Qiguang was greatly alarmed. From his perspective, two tentacles had extended out of the Demon Vanquishing Talisman and pierced into Li He's head. He couldn't help but shudder at the bizarre contrast between the unsettling tentacles and the blissful look on Li He's face.
He turned to look at everyone else, but none of them seemed to have seen what he had just witnessed.
Is this also something that only I can see, just like the tentacles in the shadows? There's definitely something off about that Demon Vanquishing Talisman.
Jiang Longyu was the second to step up to the talisman. As he did so, he kept murmuring to himself, "No one is more devout than me... No one is more devout than me..."
Looking at the golden glow triggered by Jiang Longyu, Chu Qiguang thought to himself, It's a little brighter than Li He's. About as bright as a table lamp, and it came with three tentacles.
However, Jiang Longyu was immediately outdone by Chi Shude.
Dang, that's about as bright as a searchlight! And he's been turned into a tentacle kebab!
"Let me have another go!" Jiang Longyu demanded, unwilling to accept that he had been outdone. "I wasn't ready just now!"
"The talisman reacts to your level of devotion to the Profound Origin Dao Lord," Zhao LIngxiao explained. "Unless your mental state changes, the outcome will be the same no matter how many times you try."
Chi Shude was very pleased with himself.
I grew up in a Daoist temple. Not only have I prayed every single day, I've also memorized over a hundred Daoist scriptures. When it comes to devotion to the Profound Origin Dao Lord, none of you could possibly compare with me! The more devout one's faith is, the more the Profound Origin Dao Lord will protect them from demonic tainting, and that's extremely important in cultivation. The Demon Vanquishing Department is definitely going to take that into consideration in its selection process.
The trainees stepped forward one after another, and even Zhang Haizhu, the least devout of the bunch, triggered a faint glow from the talisman, akin to the light of a candle.
Chu Qiguang had been trying to hide, but his earnest display from earlier had left a deep impression on Zhao Lingxiao, so he was not forgotten.
As Zhao Lingxiao beckoned him forward, Chu Qiguang could only reluctantly make his way to the Demon Vanquishing Talisman.
Given that he's both a third-state martial artist and a third-state Dao artist at such a young age, he must be a very devout follower of the Profound Origin Dao Lord, Chi Shude presumed.
Meanwhile, Jiang Longyu was praying to the Profound Origin Dao Lord.
Please be lower than me... Please be lower than me... Please be lower than me...