"Heretical God Cult?"
Xue Jing shook his head.
Wu Youqing pondered for a moment, "After the New Calendar, major Intersecting Boundaries gradually appeared around the world, and we humans, through our exploration of these boundaries, found many things."
"Among them were... traces of deities from other worlds."
"We differentiated them from 'God' and named them —— Heretic Gods."
Xue Jing asked, "So the Heretical God Cult is a religion that worships Heretic Gods?"
Wu Youqing nodded, her light purple eyes revealing a meaning Xue Jing could not understand.
"Some people who found traces of the Heretic Gods in the Intersecting Boundaries, through translating records about the Heretic Gods there and trying countless methods, ultimately came up with a set of unique rituals. They managed to make contact with the Heretic Gods and even... received their blessings."
Xue Jing frowned, "So the Heretic Gods are actually living deities? Aren't the Intersecting Boundaries formed by the collision of two worlds that have lost control of the deities?"
Wu Youqing spoke in a deep tone, "That's correct —— but after all, is death truly the end for a god? Just as 'God' could leave behind a bunch of Divine Relics, that 'dead Heretic Gods' still posses the ability to connect with mortals and even grant them power is understandable, right?"
Upon hearing this, Xue Jing's eyes showed contemplation.
His worldview was slightly shaken.
"In short, followers of these Heretic Gods can contact them through a unique set of rituals and conduct a gifting ceremony."
"Those who successfully carry out the ceremony and receive the blessing of a Heretic God are referred to as 'Blessed Ones'."
Wu Youqing got to this point, sighed, and seemed somewhat dejected.
"Regarding the Blessed Ones, you don't need to understand for now. What we need to discuss now is about GOD-1391."
The girl steadied herself and brought the conversation back on track.
"About a hundred years ago, there was a Heretical God Cult known as the 'Lion Holy Church', worshipping a Heretic God named 'Bastet'. After they figured out the rituals, they conducted countless gifting ceremonies. Though they made contact with Bastet, no one could ever win her favor."
"Until later... a follower took an alternate approach, considering that since Bastet is the Cat Goddess, perhaps she prefers cats over humans. So, he changed his thinking."
"He acquired GOD-1391, transformed into a cat, and held the gifting ceremony again... He succeeded, yet he also failed."
Wu Youqing said, "The gifting ceremony was a success... but the subject was not him, it was GOD-1391·Cat Tail Ring."
"Thereafter, GOD-1391 acquired even more mysterious powers."
"If the wearer has a high compatibility with it, during intense emotions, they will undergo fusion with GOD-1391, causing their physical form to exhibit feline characteristics."
Upon hearing this, Xue Jing couldn't help but recall Ning Fengwan's appearance after turning back into a human in the bathroom.
Cat ears, a cat tail, canine teeth... and that round softness, along with the sparse furry feel...
Xue Jing hurriedly forced himself to interrupt his own musings.
Meditative Visualization has its drawbacks, a too vivid imagination, with every detail appearing all too realistically in one's mind.
"—— As the fusion process deepens, the wearer begins to possess Bastet's powers, until ultimately, they become the Incarnation of Bastet."
Xue Jing's eyes narrowed as he said, "Does this mean... possession will take place?"
Wu Youqing shook her head and smiled, "That won't happen. Don't forget, the Intersecting Boundaries are formed by the collision of worlds that lost their gods —— Bastet has long been dead."
"The Incarnation of Bastet is how the Lion Holy Church describes it. They see a person who fully inherits GOD-1391's power as the earthly incarnation of Bastet, with a status equivalent to Jesus in Christianity."
"Moreover, fusion is not that easy. Depending on the emotion that first triggers the fusion, thereafter the wearer must continue to evoke the same kind of emotion to deepen the fusion process."
The emotion that first triggered fusion... Xue Jing wore a strange expression.
Does that mean that in the future, when Ning Fengwan becomes emotional towards him, only then will the fusion process deepen?
After pondering for a while, Xue Jing asked, "So, you're saying that GOD-1391 only brings power to the wearer, and there is only benefit and no harm?"
"In theory, that's how it is... At least, over the past hundred years, everyone who has become the 'Incarnation of Bastet' has not exhibited anything amiss," Wu Youqing said softly.
"The only problem is that this thing is a sacred object of the Lion Holy Church."
"Even if a transfer occurs, the Lion Holy Church will stop at nothing to retrieve it, and it's rare for it to be lost to the outside."
Wu Youqing hinted subtly.
Xue Jing nodded thoughtfully, indicating he understood.
...
After chatting a bit more with Wu Youqing, Xue Jing left the library.
He got on the bus, ready to head to the Hidden Dragon Dojo for his martial arts practice, which required persistent effort.
Sitting in his seat, Xue Jing was scrolling through his phone when a message suddenly popped up on the screen.
[...Account ending in 3166 received a deposit of 231,511.31 Zhuxia yuan, current balance: 235,212.25 yuan...]
Xue Jing's spirit lifted.
Payday had arrived!
No, this must be the financial reward for this recent containment mission.
He had read the employment contract carefully when signing it; the reward for a C-level containment mission varied from 50,000 to 500,000 yuan, depending on the difficulty.
The containment of the "Crown of the Wicked Woman" was supposed to be on the easier end for a C-level task, so the substantial reward this time was mainly due to the compensation for the unexpected incident.
Xue Jing was delighted as he stared at the balance displayed in the message.
The fingers scrolling through his phone couldn't help but speed up a bit.
He found himself frequently returning to the home screen to open the message and check it again.
This was the first time in his life that he had seen so much money, and he didn't even know how to spend it.
Maybe tonight he would buy some expensive ingredients and make a nice meal for Miao Miao.
...
In the Hidden Dragon Dojo, within the training room.
"Bang bang whack whack bang..."
Xue Jing and Meng Qingjiao were fiercely sparring in the center of the room, exchanging punches and kicks that tore through the air with their sharp whistles, each move packed with strength.
Li Qi and Chen Fuguang were watching intently from the sidelines, their eyes glazed over in amazement.
Li Qi was a bit better off, somewhat used to Xue Jing's rapid pace of improvement, although it still surprised him today.
Chen Fuguang was utterly dumbfounded.
How many days had this little junior brother been training?
And he could already spar like this with Sister Meng?
Ten minutes later, Xue Jing carelessly left an opening and was hit by Meng Qingjiao's soft power, sending him flying backward.
He slowly got up from the ground and exclaimed with admiration,
"Sister Meng, you're so strong."
Meng Qingjiao shook her head and walked over to him, patting his head as if in praise.
Xue Jing had grown accustomed to her way of communicating and smiled.
He actually quite enjoyed this feeling of being pampered by an older sister.
Li Qi scratched his receding hairline and glanced over at Chen Fuguang:
"Guangfu, how long did it take you from starting training to being qualified to learn the Armor Shaking Skill?"
A twitch appeared at the corner of Chen Fuguang's mouth.
"... Master, it was about eight months, I believe."
Li Qi scoffed, "Eight months my foot, it was nine months and seventeen days."
Chen Fuguang: "..."
Why ask me if you remember it so clearly?
Li Qi gave him a look, then glanced at Xue Jing, "Heh, what a gap."
Chen Fuguang: "..."
...