Chapter 141 – Rites of Righteousness (2/2)

No matter how strong one’s will-force was, how high one’s rune consonance, or how sharp one’s soul sensitivity nobody was born a Runemaster.

Only through the ritual could one’s Sentient be imbued by the Combat Master. The holy presence of the Combat master affects one’s will-force and transforms a Runemasters’ will-force into a more effective tool to use against humanity’s enemies; the demons and wild beasts.

Due to their natural body strength demons and wild beasts were born stronger than human beings, and this allowed them to easily defeat humans on the same level as them, and sometimes even ones with higher cultivation. But this ritual allowed Runemasters to be excluded from this pattern. After the ritual Runemasters could easily beat demons and beast of the same cultivation and posed a threat to counterparts with higher cultivation all because of the holy presence in their Sentient.

After passing the Runemaster entrance exams, the candidates were to be guided through the ritual during which their will-force would actually be guided by the Combat Master and flow in the shape of the holy conservatory.

The conservatory was built by the Combat Master himself following runic principles. Those principles were translated to runic patterns which were essentially where the power of the holy presence came from, and this was precisely what demons and beasts were weak against.

The stronger a Runemasters became, the more their will-force follow the conservatory’s flow pattern, ultimately making their will-force many times more effective against demons and beasts. This is the reason why Runemasters were seen as assets of mankind.

“Remember, you need to stay pious and pure during the ritual having clouded mind is very dangerous!” Zuo Qiu Ming looked at Ye Wei and Lu Feng and said solemnly.

“Sacred statue!” Zuo Qiu Ming grunted as he summoned the Combat Master’s image again.

Knowing the importance of the ritual, Lu Feng shook his head to put the grudge out of his mind. He switched his attention from Ye Wei to the statue; his mind became clear and pure.

Ye Wei took a deep breath to relax and turned his face towards the statue.

“The Heavens are in plain sight, their righteousness boundless…” Zuo Qiu Ming began to recite the passages left by the Sages while Ye Wei and Lu Feng followed.

While the spoken words echoed the hall, the statue began to emit waves of rippling energy that rushed into Ye Wei and Lu Feng’s Sentients transforming their will-force.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

Their invisible will-force were drawn out by statue’s energy and began to take physical form. Their will-force took the shape of mysterious and magnificent structures accompanied by a series of awe-inspiring bell tolls.

The images of spectral buildings were clearer above Ye Wei’s head than they were above Lu Feng due to the difference between their runic capabilities.

‘Little one!’ When Ye Wei’s will-force completed the outline of all seventy-two buildings of the conservatory, a familiar, powerful presence visited his Sentient again and a deep voice sounded.

‘Your Grace!’ Ye Wei greeted as the middle-aged scholar’s figure became clear.

‘I knew you were special but I did not expect to meet again so soon! Now I am sure you will become someone important, therefore, I have a special gift for you…’ The Combat Master said with a smile while lifting his finger. Pressing it to Ye Wei’s forehead, a mark that resembled a golden lotus appeared between Ye Wei’s eyebrows.

‘Little one, keep cultivating and training hard!’ The Combat Master’s voice began to fade as if the source of the sound was moving further away from Ye Wei.

‘A gift?’ Ye Wei blinked quickly confused as the image in his Sentient disappeared without any more explanation about the mark. ‘I know the Combat Master won’t lie to me but I honestly don’t feel any different…’

Ye Wei could not feel the mark and its color faded, melting into his skin without a trace.

The Combat Master had ways to make anything host his consciousness, objects, man, beasts, and even demons. If it was not for the black scale, his consciousness would have never actively gone into Ye Wei’s Sentient; he would almost never pay any Runemasters a visit like he did with Ye Wei.

It was both by chance and destiny that Ye Wei bonded with the Combat Master, and it was Ye Wei’s fortune to have received two gifts from one of the founding Sages.

“Finished!” Zou Qiu Ming grunted as the energy around the statue disappeared. Both Ye Wei and Lu Feng had their will-force enchanted and they were now Runemasters!