Chapter 10: The Test of the Transcendent

The presence of this divine mark signifies that he is already a basic believer of the Earth Mother. If he is willing to fully convert to the path of the Earth Mother and transform the essence of his body and soul through this aura, he can achieve conversion

Guo Huai can roughly ascertain his level of strength; the power of Priest Li Wei is merely that of a first-tier transcendent. In terms of strength, he is relatively much stronger than Guo Huai. Moreover, this is within the temple, his home ground. Even if his personal strength is not formidable here, it does not matter. When needed, he can mobilize the vast divine power of the entire temple, which is unmatched.

Guo Huai carefully received the emblem that represented his identity as a transcender from the air. With this emblem, he was recognized as a novice transcender by the deities, thus qualifying him to become an explorer. He also possessed the title of a noble, acknowledged in any planet or region within the Pangu Star Domain.

It is not the present, but the future that will always be; after all, even if there are millions who can surpass the realm of masters and reach the pinnacle of transcendence to attain the immortal characteristics of a transcendent, it may take billions of years for even one to emerge. Ultimately, if one cannot achieve this, will they not still have to return to the embrace of the earth?

In the Pantheon, apart from the Supreme Deity Taiyi, there are seven other Supreme Deities who possess their own independent temples. The other deities, who are not Supreme Deities, do not have independent temples; their temple is the Pantheon itself. The relevant priests work, study, and live on both sides of the main hall of the Pantheon. Given the immense scale of the Taiyi Pantheon, there is ample space available.

This kind of verification is essentially akin to divine judgment, and it is impossible to fabricate. The reason why the power of the transcendent must be verified is that when a deep blue planet is newly integrated into the civilization system, there are always some opportunists who, relying on certain magical techniques, infiltrate the ranks of the transcendent, engaging in deceitful and fraudulent activities, which has a profoundly negative impact

Once the status of the transcendent was established, Luo Wen, the attendant monk, was indeed of a lower rank than him. Guo Huai no longer spoke with such courtesy, which was a normal situation. Luo Wen performed a ritual gesture towards the priest: "Daoist friend Guo Huai, please follow me. In the Pantheon, apart from the Lord God, the seven deities each have their own independent temples, with separate offices and areas for cultivation. The offices and cultivation areas of the other righteous deities are located on both sides of the main hall of the Pantheon. The Temple of Commerce deals with more worldly matters, so it is situated through the left door of the main hall." Luo Wen, the attendant monk, introduced to Guo Huai.

Upon receiving the badge, Guo Huai could sense a force within it, a power that had been intercepted as he had just harnessed his transcendent strength to resist pressure. This signified that the badge belonged to him, and it would be of no use to outsiders.

The assessment consists of three aspects: whether the strength is truly transcendent strength, whether the strength originates from one's own true heart rather than being derived from special artifacts created by certain transcenders, and the level of extraordinary power

The two sentences are confirmed, and the face of Roland, the High Priest and representative of the Supreme God in the Liyang Temple, bears no other color.

It is worth mentioning that the one handling the contract affairs for Guo Huai was not a priest from the Temple of Commerce, but rather another priest of the Supreme Deity, who held a lower status than the Grand Priest Roland

Once the power was in operation, and in the place of the deities, Priest Levi, like High Priest Roland, altered his tone, as if he were no longer himself, impartially conducting the assessment of power for Guo Huai

O Earth, the resting place of the dead, the starting point of rebirth, and the master of the cyclical changes of all things, I, Guo Huai, pray here, respecting the eternal covenant that has lasted for billions of years. Under the guidance of His Majesty Taiyi, I am willing to follow the path of the Goddess, taking the Goddess as my faith and the supreme deity.

"Devout believer Guo Huai, please calm your mind and recite the prayer. I will provide you with the final guidance to solidify your faith." The voice of High Priest Roland echoed once more, and Guo Huai had already quieted his mind, beginning to pray in accordance with the knowledge acquired from religious studies.

Next, under the guidance of the monk Luo Wen, Guo Huai proceeded to the Temple of Wealth, which is a section located within the portal on the left side of the Pantheon Hall. In the center of this small area, there is a room serving as a small hall, where a statue of the God of Wealth, Tao Zhu, is enshrined. The style and height of this statue are identical to those in the Pantheon Hall, indicating that there are strict regulations regarding the size of the deities' statues in this temple, corresponding to their status.

This divine power possesses an infinitely inclusive strength, gradually permeating Guo Huai's body and mind, lightly sweeping over him, and then naturally retreating, leaving behind a faint mark on Guo Huai, which is the divine pattern of the Earth Mother.

The two statements made by Guo Huai are confirmed to be true, indicating that this exceptionally gifted and graceful young man has already fallen into the hands of the Earth God Temple

Your transcendent power is indeed real, your transcendent power belongs to yourself, your transcendent power is at the initial lower tier, you may obtain the transcendent certificate issued by the temple, with this certificate you can be equated to a secular fifth rank noble, faithful Guo Huai, please take good care of your certificate

Guo Huai calmed his mind slightly and soon felt the infinite majesty of the Earth Mother’s divine realm transform into boundless compassion, making him feel as if he had returned directly to his mother’s embrace, enveloped in endless tranquility

After confirming his faith, Guo Huai, under the guidance of the monk Luo Wen, proceeded to the Houtu Shrine. The Houtu Shrine is a level smaller than the Pantheon, much like how the statue of the Earth Mother is slightly smaller than that of the Supreme Deity in the Pantheon. Its style also differs from that of the Pantheon.

The term adulthood, for the humans of Blue Planet, refers to the stage when technology and civilization have developed to such an extent that before the widespread availability of education, males were considered adults at the age of 16 and females at 14. However, it is now uniformly stipulated that regardless of gender, the age of 16 is considered the standard.

The self-transcender is capable of surpassing oneself, and everything is naturally guided by their own opinions; I have overthought.

To end earthly existence in order to ascend to that sacred heavenly realm and dwell with the divine in immortality, thus this divine mark also serves as a retreat for the transcendent.

This is also the will of all those who have achieved self-transcendence, yet for the transcendent, at the final moment, as long as it is not a moment of death, one can choose to completely convert.

Guo Huai immediately followed the instructions to channel his magical power, revealing the transcendent force in the most fundamental manner. After a moment, the divine power of the Earth God in the entire temple suddenly pressed down on him slightly, and with that pressure, it was retracted.

According to the records of the Explorer's Home, in other planets of the Pangu Star Domain, temples in such small places are usually filled with Transcendents. It is certainly not the case here, as the entire Pantheon has only a few Transcendents, and their strength is not particularly formidable.

Having completed the strength assessment and obtained the badge, Guo Huai only needs to take the badge to the municipal government's office network to convert his household registration, changing his status from a commoner to that of a scholar. From this point on, both in terms of strength and status, he has completely surpassed ordinary people

This blue planet has only been incorporated into civilization for a century, and there is a reason why it is referred to as a barbaric planet by others. Guo Huai thought this while maintaining his composure, conversing with Priest Li Wei according to the etiquette he had learned from the Explorer's Home and other sources.

In the course on religion within the nine-year compulsory education, relevant teachers will inform students of these common understandings: to choose their beliefs and not to be swayed or tempted by anyone, as this is a matter of great significance for the believer's entire life. Choosing a deity that corresponds to one's true needs will provide immense support in life.

However, the believers enjoy full freedom of faith. The eighty-nine deities, including the Supreme God, have their paths interwoven throughout all of civilization. Believers may choose any one of them according to their own heartfelt wishes and needs

If Guo Huai was persuaded by other monks to choose a different faith, then these two questions could certainly bring him back and allow him to make a new choice, but now it is no longer possible

It turns out that this place, Liyang, is too small, and the divine radiance of the Blue Star has not yet fully expanded. The priests of the other eighty-one deities in the Taichi Temple of Ten Thousand Gods are not all present. In the Liyang Temple of Ten Thousand Gods, there are only twelve individuals qualified to be priests, among which nine are priests of the other seven supreme deities, two are priests of the Heavenly Lord, and the remaining one is the priest of Zhu Rong, who is the fire god.

In the nine-year compulsory education, religious studies are a core subject, and indeed the most important one. The main part of the curriculum introduces the roles of the eighty-nine righteous deities in the Pangu star domain from a fair perspective. It also covers various religious considerations, including the order under the radiance of different deities, which corresponds to the law. As an exemplary student, Guo Huai is also someone who scores high in religious studies and is thus extremely familiar with these topics

Before making a choice, no priest or acolyte of any temple shall use words of temptation or intimidation to influence the decision, in order to ensure the freedom of choice for the believers. This regulation is also a covenant established and revered by all the gods, remaining unchanged for billions of years

The two questions posed by the Grand Priest Roland are the key phrases for all believers to affirm their faith, containing profound mysteries and possessing divine power

And when other priests are absent, the radiance of the Supreme Lord encompasses all, allowing His priests to naturally undertake the duties of other priests who are not under the divine authority.

The reason for this is to ensure the freedom of belief for the faithful before reaching adulthood, rather than starting from a young age, as children are not capable of understanding much. By the time one approaches adulthood, having lived for over a decade, their worldview has already begun to take shape. At this point, believers can choose deities based on their own needs and desires, which often aligns most closely with their true intentions

Friend Guo Huaidao, please gently release your transcendent power. I shall act on behalf of the great master of the cycle of all things to provide you with a notarized assessment and issue you the corresponding divine emblem certificate

As a transcendent being, he is on par with Li Weiping, which is why Li Wei treats him quite well. He even smiled at the monk Luo Wen, believing that after today, the monk Luo Wen should be able to leave the honorable position of gatekeeper and become a host monk.

Most transcendents, at the final moment, tend to choose this path. Therefore, although Guo Huai is not currently a priest of the Houtu Temple and does not fulfill the duties of a priest, he can still be likened to a priest of the Houtu Temple among the clergy.

In the Pangu Star Domain, under the dominion of divine radiance, all intelligent beings must establish their faith within six months prior to reaching adulthood; otherwise, the consequences will be severe

For the transcendent, the act of conversion, which appears exceedingly difficult in the eyes of mortals, is much simpler. However, until the very last moment, he will absolutely not choose to convert and change his path.

The one in charge of presiding over the Houtu Temple is a priest named Li Wei, who appears to be quite young. However, the age of transcenders is difficult to discern from their appearance; many transcenders in their seventies or eighties still look like thirteen or fourteen-year-old youths, and even those who have lived for several hundred years can appear similarly youthful.

The fifth rank of the knightly title is held by the mayor of this city. "Rowan, I have a trade contract that needs to be fulfilled. May I ask where the area for fulfilling the trade contract of the Trade Temple is?"

The strength assessment has been completed, and the temple will naturally issue the corresponding certification. A badge featuring a single green leaf sprouting from the boundless earth shines with divine radiance. This is the Certificate of the Transcendent from the Earth Goddess Temple, and the green leaf on the ground signifies that he has already attained the status of a novice transcendent