Chapel's baptism ceremony requires kneeling and bowing three times before the statue of the God of Light.

But now, before even fully kneeling down, a visible crack has already appeared from the shoulder to the chest of the nearly five-meter-tall statue.

The entire main hall of the chapel, with over a hundred Church members present, fell into complete silence.

It was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

No one knew why the statue of the God of Light suddenly cracked.

Even Bai Dingyang wore a look of surprise and doubt.

This was the first time such an incident had occurred since the Light Chapel in Skyward City was renovated.

"Could it be that Bai Dingyang cut corners to line his pockets, resulting in poor statue quality? This is a shoddy project!"

Jiang Chen looked at the cracked statue, and his mind couldn't help but wander.

Moreover, the statue chose this exact moment to crack during his baptism ceremony.

Jiang Chen was utterly bewildered.

"Bishop Bai?"

Jiang Chen wanted to know what to do next.

"Ah? Oh!"

Bai Dingyang snapped back to reality upon hearing his name.

He looked at the radiant beam of light surrounding Jiang Chen, hesitated briefly, then gritted his teeth and said, "Holy Envoy of the Mortal World, let's continue with the baptism ceremony!"

No matter what, Jiang Chen's induction into the chapel must go smoothly without any hitches!

"First bow!"

Regardless of whether Jiang Chen was kneeling or sitting awkwardly, Bai Dingyang called out loudly.

Jiang Chen dropped to one knee, the other leg half-bent, and bowed his head.

Crack~

Crack!

Before Jiang Chen could fully bow, another crisp cracking sound echoed.

Jiang Chen looked up in confusion.

He saw several more cracks appear on the statue of the God of Light in front of him!

From the neck down to the waist, six or seven long cracks were clearly visible on the statue.

What was going on?

Was it not allowing him to complete the baptism ceremony?

Jiang Chen was utterly speechless and turned to look at Bai Dingyang behind him.

At this moment, Bai Dingyang was staring straight at the statue, his eyes filled with terror and confusion, and cold sweat was beginning to trickle down his pale face.

"Shall we continue?"

Jiang Chen asked directly, not wanting to leave things unfinished.

Continue?

Bai Dingyang swallowed hard upon hearing Jiang Chen's words, his Adam's apple bobbing as he trembled, "Yes, con-continue!"

"Second bow!"

As his words fell, Jiang Chen once again bowed his head toward the statue.

However, just halfway through—

Crack!

Another crisp cracking sound rang out.

"Stop, stop!"

Bai Dingyang suddenly shouted.

The entire statue was now covered in cracks, spreading like a spider web, as if it would completely shatter in the next moment.

"Is it... because I'm kneeling?"

Jiang Chen pondered.

He noticed that every time he bowed, cracks would appear on the statue.

It happened every time.

Bai Dingyang also realized the root of the problem.

Moreover, as an observer, he saw it more clearly.

As long as Jiang Chen made a bowing motion, cracks would appear on the statue of the God of Light.

And when he stopped bowing, the cracks would stop spreading.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

It was as if the statue couldn't withstand his kneeling!

With this conclusion, a shiver ran through Bai Dingyang's heart, making his hair stand on end and his scalp tingle!

"What kind of existence is this person..."

Bai Dingyang looked at Jiang Chen, his heart filled with unparalleled shock.

"Shall we continue?"

Seeing Bai Dingyang's unsettled expression, Jiang Chen said helplessly, "Bishop Bai, say something!"

"No, no more!"

Bai Dingyang quickly shook his head and then said, "Holy Envoy of the Mortal World, please stand up!"

If they continued, the statue of the God of Light would truly fall apart!

"What about my baptism..."

Jiang Chen stood up, frowning slightly.

"You just stand there, I'll bow for you!"

Saying this, Bai Dingyang went directly in front of the statue and knelt down in a very standard manner.

Then he stretched out his hands and bowed three times with his head touching the ground.

"Baptism ceremony completed!"

As Bai Dingyang announced loudly, the beam of light around Jiang Chen instantly disappeared.

"Is that it?"

Jiang Chen noticed no change in himself.

Of course, no change was the best outcome.

"Keep it simple!"

Bai Dingyang stood up and smiled at Jiang Chen, "Holy Envoy of the Mortal World, you are now a member of the Light Church. Please guide us well!"

"Please guide us well."

Jiang Chen responded politely.

"Holy Envoy of the Mortal World, since you're new to the Church, say a few words to the members, just as a greeting."

Bai Dingyang said as he gestured invitingly.

Uh, do I have to speak...

Jiang Chen saw the hundred or so people in the hall all staring at him and reluctantly stepped forward.

He paused and said to everyone, "May the light shine upon the world!"

"May the light shine upon the world!"

Immediately, the people present looked at Jiang Chen with fervent eyes and shouted in unison.

Seeing this, Jiang Chen breathed a sigh of relief, "Okay, done!"

Next...

Jiang Chen smiled at Bai Dingyang, his eyes carrying a hint of meaning, "Bishop Bai!"

"Does the Holy Envoy of the Mortal World have any instructions?"

Bai Dingyang was slightly taken aback and looked at Jiang Chen.

"You know."

Jiang Chen's lips curled slightly.

"I understand, I understand!"

Bai Dingyang nodded knowingly and said, "It's time to choose a nun to assist the Holy Envoy of the Mortal World."

"No, no."

Jiang Chen shook his head, smiling, "The nun can wait. I want to know when the chapel's blessing begins."

Jiang Chen joined the Church to gain benefits.

The Light Church was wealthy, with many good things. He had been eyeing the blessing for a long time.

If he guessed correctly, the blessing could grant him the Holy Light Power!

Moreover, after joining the Church, he might learn some special skills.

For example, Holy Word!

Or, Great Prophecy!

"If I could learn the Pope's Great Prophecy, I'd laugh in my dreams!"

Jiang Chen was already daydreaming.

"Ahem..."

Seeing Jiang Chen's increasingly indulgent smile, Bai Dingyang cleared his throat.

He wanted to tell him to control his expression, but he held back.

"Here's the thing, Holy Envoy of the Mortal World, the blessing has a quota. Not every Church member can receive it," Bai Dingyang explained.

"Quota?"

Jiang Chen was taken aback and asked, "Don't I have one?"

"Uh, I can apply for you, but..."

Bai Dingyang paused and replied, "It requires approval from the Sanctuary. It's based on contributions to the Church, and since you're new, it might be hard to pass the evaluation."

Approval from the Sanctuary?

Jiang Chen frowned slightly.

He knew that the Sanctuary Bai Dingyang mentioned was the headquarters of the Light Church, the Light Sanctuary.

Located in the Imperial City!

It's a place players can only visit at level 30!

Jiang Chen didn't dwell on this but asked, "What do you mean by contributions?"

"Handling the Church's daily affairs or completing assigned tasks counts as contributions," Bai Dingyang replied.

"I don't have time for those things."

Jiang Chen shook his head and asked, "Is there no other way?"

"Well, there is another way, but..."

Bai Dingyang hesitated slightly.

"But what?" Jiang Chen asked immediately.

"This method might be harder for you. It's to join the Judicator, which is a violent institution where you can earn a blessing quota through combat. Moreover, the type of blessing leans more towards combat."

Bai Dingyang looked at Jiang Chen and said slowly, "You belong to the Priest class, and in terms of combat..."

"I'm a Holy Light Envoy, equally proficient in combat!"

Jiang Chen's eyes lit up, and he immediately said, "Can I join the Judicator?"

"Do you really want to join the Judicator? It's a place of fighting and killing, very dangerous, and strictly managed."

Bai Dingyang was a bit surprised.

"Yes, if possible, please arrange it for me."

Jiang Chen didn't hold back. At times like this, he had to seize the opportunity!

"That's not a problem."

Bai Dingyang nodded and said, "Come with me, I'll take you to meet Gway, the head of the Judicator in Skyward City."

"Wait, if I join the Judicator, I can still freely enter and exit the chapel, right?" Jiang Chen asked.

"Of course, the Judicator in Skyward City is within the chapel and is nominally under my management," Bai Dingyang nodded.

"Nominally?"

Jiang Chen frowned slightly.

"That place has a heavy atmosphere of killing. I don't go there often, so I leave everything to Gway. I usually don't interfere unless necessary, but if the Holy Envoy of the Mortal World wants to join, there shouldn't be any problem," Bai Dingyang explained.

So you're just enjoying yourself all day?

Jiang Chen couldn't help but internally comment, then said, "Lead the way, Bishop Bai."

"No problem."

With that, Bai Dingyang led Jiang Chen out of the chapel's main hall and into the outer hall.

On the left side of the chapel's outer hall, there was a long indoor corridor. The two of them followed the corridor and went outside.

In the middle was an open-air buffer area, and ahead was a corridor.

After passing through the winding corridor, Jiang Chen saw an ancient castle-like building at the end of his view.

This was the Judicator in Skyward City.

The gray-black stone bricks on the walls of the Judicator had weathered the elements and looked quite old.

Jiang Chen and Bai Dingyang walked straight to the main entrance of the Judicator.

There stood two guards in armor, carrying round shields and long swords. They were Church knights.

The two stood at the entrance, motionless like wooden stakes.

Even as Bai Dingyang approached, the two Church knights remained silent, staring straight ahead.

Then, Jiang Chen followed Bai Dingyang into the Judicator.

It was a very dim room, with rough black stone bricks covering the floor and walls, devoid of any decoration.

Compared to the outer hall and main hall of the adjacent chapel, it was like two different worlds.

At this moment, eight people were quietly standing in the room, four on each side, facing each other.

These were two squads.

The squad on the left wore armor as Church knights.

The squad on the right wore white robes and carried cross-like weapons as Church Judicators.

Before Bai Dingyang could speak—

Clang!

Whoosh!

A synchronized metallic clash and a whooshing sound echoed simultaneously.

The four knights on the left squad drew their long swords.

The four Judicators on the right squad also held their large crosses with both hands.

A tense atmosphere filled the room.

"Ahem..."

Bai Dingyang cleared his throat.

Only then did the eight members of the Judicator look over, shouting in unison, "Greetings, Bishop!"

"What are you doing? If you want to fight, go to the arena in the backyard!" Bai Dingyang scolded them.

"Reporting to the Bishop, we are on duty and cannot leave the room."

The speaker was the captain of the knight squad.

"You know you're on duty?"

Bai Dingyang's gaze swept over them, sternly saying, "Is Gway too lenient with you? As the head, he's so irresponsible, he should be punished!"

"Bishop, this has nothing to do with Head Gway. If you want to punish, punish us instead!"

The knight squad captain replied expressionlessly.

"Aren't you going to put away your weapons?" Bai Dingyang said coldly.

"Sheathe weapons!"

The two squad captains shouted simultaneously.

Then, the swords and crosses returned to their respective positions on their backs.

"Have Gway come see me."

Only then did Bai Dingyang's expression soften slightly.

"Reporting to the Bishop, Head Gway is not in the Judicator. If there's anything, we can pass the message."

The knight squad captain said loudly.

"Not here?"

Bai Dingyang frowned slightly and said, "Tell him I want to arrange for someone to join the Judicator."

"Is he the one joining the Judicator?"

Upon hearing this, the knight squad captain pointed directly at Jiang Chen.

The other seven members of the Judicator also looked at Jiang Chen with unfriendly eyes.

"Quite exclusive, huh..."

Jiang Chen frowned slightly and muttered to himself.

"What kind of attitude is this? This is the Holy Light Envoy, personally introduced to the Church by Bishop Gandalf!"

Bai Dingyang scolded discontentedly.

"Joining the Judicator requires passing an assessment. Even if Bishop Gandalf were here, I'd say the same."

The knight squad captain said expressionlessly.

"That's right. Many of our operations are extremely dangerous. Whether fighting heretics or blasphemers, reliable teammates are a must. One person dragging the team down has often led to the death of the entire squad."

On the other side, the silent captain of the Judicator squad also spoke in a deep voice.

"You have quite the nerve!"

Bai Dingyang's face darkened, and he said angrily, "Who joins the Judicator is my decision. You just need to follow orders!"

"Reporting to the Bishop, according to Church regulations, you only have the right to recommend a candidate. They must pass our assessment to join. Otherwise, even if you let him join the Judicator, I will formally appeal to the Sanctuary!"

The knight squad captain said firmly, "Please reconsider, Bishop. We cannot risk the lives of other Judicator members!"

"Do the two of you have anything else to say?"

Bai Dingyang coldly glanced at the two captains.

"Reporting to the Bishop, no!"

The two squad captains replied in unison.

"Fine, for defying the Bishop, you are immediately stripped of your captaincy and demoted to guard the Judicator's prison!" Bai Dingyang ordered sternly.

"Yes, Bishop!"

The two squad captains replied in unison. The knight captain even looked at Jiang Chen and said, "Even if I'm guarding the prison, you won't enter the Judicator!"

"That's right, the weak have no place in the Judicator!"

"The Judicator speaks with strength. We've long put life and death aside, but we won't let someone who got in through connections cause us to die in vain!"

"The weak have no right to step into the Judicator!"

"Go back to the chapel and be your lord!"

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