90 The Baptism (1/2)
The flame spirit exarch who'd been assured that everything would proceed smoothly felt like he was experiencing some form of human hearing problems. But flame spirits didn't have human ailments. Therefore, he believed a powerful cultivator was playing tricks with his mind and distorting what he heard.
Of course, it must be it.
Convinced of the accuracy of his judgment, he carried on as if the script remained unchanged.
”What devotion, what piety! Iliana Kracht, you are a heartwarming example for the faith, a beacon of virtue! In my thousands of years of existence, never have I seen such a humble, graceful human being! Surely the divine lord will bless you with countless graces, no, he's already blessed you!
Oh, to so unpretentiously reject what so many would aspire to with unconcealed greed? Oh, it is my greatest honor to…”
Confused, Iliana felt like the exarch wasn't hearing her words right, and so repeated stronger, louder, for all to hear.
”Your eminence must not have heard me right. I'm accepting the divine lord's baptism!”
The exarch stopped dead in his tracks and lowered his gaze onto the still kneeling Iliana. Either the mighty, hidden cultivator playing tricks on him was truly an unparalleled existence, or he was hearing things right, and the girl was accepting the quota?
How could this be?
Did she dare?
His eyes sought confirmations in the hundreds of pairs staring at him, and seeing the odd, confused looks aimed at him, he realized his hearing was perfect, no one was playing tricks on him.
She'd really just accepted the baptism.
Flame spirits were short-tempered beings. Even thousands of years of existence didn't teach that exarch self-control. His flame red hairs wildly blew at his back, and his similarly colored eyes daggered Iliana below him.
He was about to release his holy pressure and cause an unfortunate incident when a voice echoed within his mind.
”Stop making a fool of yourself. Carry on with the baptism.”
That voice was one of the few capable of making him shiver, and upon hearing it, though begrudgingly, the flame spirit immediately carried on with the ceremony.
”Well, …then receive the divine lord's grace!”
Dazzling white flames erupted from the altar, soared into the air and descended onto the kneeling Iliana. The flame lifted her from the ground, carrying her onto the altar where the pure white orb flew toward her forehead and vanished within.
Holy light and flames swirled around her, giving her an ethereal look that rivaled celestials.
The flames snuck into her body, refining her veins, bones, blood, flesh, and spirit to the pinnacle.
Her spiritual cultivation directly reached the third step Arch Priest Rank while her martial cultivation reached the first step Arch Knight Rank, but that was only a secondary effect.
In a flash, her physique quality reached the top level of the Holy Flame Empire, rivaling the likes of the crown prince. Although her bloodline didn't change, it became a lot more refined and powerful. As for her innate constitution. Previously, she didn't have any. Now, however, she possessed an Innate Flame Physique.
With time, even without training, as her cultivation improved, it would naturally reach the holy rank.
Seeing all the benefits that half-human insect received, the flame spirit exarch despaired. Those benefits should belong to his Celestial Faction! Why did those damnable inquisitresses swindle him?!
If it weren't because inquisitresses didn't belong to his jurisdiction, he would have already had them exiled to the deepest recesses of the empire!
For the first time in his long, dignified life, there was one word he ached to scream with all his might: FUCK!
The baptism ended, and alongside it, all the supernatural phenomenon surrounding Iliana. The white orb escaped her forehead, going back to floating above the altar while a mild force returned her onto the ground.