Chapter 004: A Cup of Holy Water

Du Fan felt a slight stir in his heart, but he still spoke in a low voice, “Du Fan arrived late. Please, Lord Anthony, forgive me!”
Anthony waved his hand again but remained silent for a long time, seemingly deep in thought. Since he didn’t speak, Du Fan naturally didn’t dare to break the silence either and could only stand there respectfully.
After waiting for a while, Anthony suddenly pointed at a few stones on the ground and said, “Du Fan, sit down!”
Du Fan took a look. The stones were crystal clear, like crystal, but upon closer inspection, it seemed possible to see other things inside them, making him realize they were by no means ordinary crystal.
Seeming to notice Du Fan’s confusion, Anthony said calmly, “These are Polar Abyssal Ice brought from the north. It is said that such ice can only be found in the Ice Kingdom, which can only be reached by crossing the northern ice plains and frozen forests…”
Polar Abyssal Ice?
Du Fan couldn’t help but take a deep breath in secret. He had naturally heard of this substance. It was said that this extremely hard ice not only would not melt but was also the coldest thing in the world. Those who practiced ice magic were said to achieve twice the results by practicing on such ice.
However, this kind of ice was extremely rare, having appeared only a few times in history. Yet now, this rare substance was casually placed on the ground as if it were a chair… Du Fan couldn’t help but sigh inwardly—the Holy Church truly had grand ambitions! Although he had lived in the Holy Church for six years, it seemed that what he knew about it was only the tip of the iceberg… As for these important matters, it seemed he knew almost nothing about them.
Seeming to notice Du Fan’s confusion, Anthony smiled lightly and said, “Du Fan, there’s no need to be surprised. These Polar Abyssal Ice were brought back during the Crusades. Although they are rare for magicians, there are not many magicians in our Holy Church, and most of them are believers who practice holy light magic. So, this kind of ice isn’t very useful to us. If you’re interested, you can take one back with you when you leave.”
Du Fan’s heart trembled slightly, but after a moment, he forced a polite smile and said, “Lord Anthony, I don’t know any magic. Even if I had this, it wouldn’t be of much use to me. So, better leave it alone…”

“Is that so?” Anthony seemed to gaze deeply at Du Fan. After a moment, he casually sat cross-legged on a piece of polar ice. “Since you don’t want it, I won’t force you… Sit down.”

Du Fan’s forehead began to sweat slightly. He believed Archbishop Anthony had likely already seen through his true strength. At this point, he didn’t dare say much and could only sit down on the polar ice.

As soon as he sat down, Du Fan felt a chill spread through his body. His previously anxious mood instantly calmed down.

Anthony seemed to have anticipated Du Fan’s reaction. With a faint smile, he said, “Du Fan, this polar ice is not only beneficial for ice-based magic but also helps sharpen the mind. I’m old now, and my energy isn’t what it used to be. Sitting on it occasionally isn’t bad…”

As he spoke, Anthony noticed Du Fan’s somewhat uneasy expression and smiled again before reaching out and gently patting him a few times.

A moment later, two nuns in religious robes quickly brought in two cups. After placing them in front of Du Fan and Anthony, they quickly left.

Du Fan glanced at them and saw that the cups contained about half a cup of milky-white liquid. He had no idea what it was for.

“This is true ‘holy water,’” Anthony seemed to say to himself. “It’s completely different from the diluted holy water we usually use. Du Fan, since you’ve already practiced Light Combat Qi, why not take a sip? It will be very beneficial for your cultivation!”

After saying that, Anthony’s gaze flashed as he fixed his eyes on Du Fan.

Du Fan’s heart skipped a beat. He had a rough idea of what was going on!

Most likely, Archbishop Anthony had already detected that besides Light Combat Qi, Du Fan also possessed other types of combat qi. This cup of holy water was meant to test him!

For believers and those who practiced Light Combat Qi or Holy Light magic, holy water was undoubtedly a nourishing substance. But for those who practiced dark magic, it was deadly poison!

Under the gaze of this archbishop, Du Fan had no choice but to refuse. He simply picked up the cup and drank it slowly, sip by sip.

But as soon as the holy water entered his body, Du Fan felt his combat energy and magic power accelerating slightly. Soon after, the light combat energy within his body was activated, even seemingly overpowering the combat energy and magic power of Wanfa itself… In an instant, a flash of holy light swept over Du Fan’s entire body, as if something had suddenly pierced into his consciousness.

But halfway through, that thing was drawn to the divine essence in Du Fan’s consciousness ocean and rushed over. Du Fan felt his mind become clear, his mental strength seemingly doubling in just a moment.

When Du Fan opened his eyes again, he found Anthony still watching him. He quickly put down the now-empty cup and said in a low voice, “Du Fan accidentally drank all the holy water. Please forgive me, Lord Anthony!”

Anthony sized Du Fan up once more before nodding in satisfaction after a moment. “It’s no big deal. Since I had it sent to you, it’s naturally meant for you… But Du Fan, now that you’ve drunk the holy water, you must practice the light combat energy diligently when you return. It will be very beneficial for your future growth.”

Du Fan nodded repeatedly, though he couldn’t help feeling puzzled. It seemed that after drinking this cup of holy water, Anthony’s attitude toward him had improved greatly.

In fact, although this holy water was excellent, it was only useful for true believers. If a hypocrite with insufficient devotion drank it, their soul would likely be purified in an instant.

Someone like Du Fan was originally doomed to die, but because of the presence of the divine essence deep in his consciousness, this soul-purifying holy water was completely absorbed by the purer divine power.

Without this divine essence, Du Fan would likely be lying dead on the ground by now!

Anthony giving Du Fan this cup of holy water also carried a hint of testing. But since Du Fan showed no signs of anything unusual, even if Anthony were extremely cunning, he could only consider him a true saint!

“Alright, Du Fan…” Anthony smiled slightly. “You don’t need to be so restrained in front of me from now on… You’ve done a great service for the Holy Church. I still don’t know how to reward you.”

Du Fan was puzzled. A great service? Not necessarily, right? But with Anthony’s attitude suddenly changing by 180 degrees, Du Fan naturally became cautious. After hesitating for a moment, he said, “Lord Anthony… What exactly do you mean by that?”

“What do you mean?” A hint of smile appeared in Anthony’s eyes, but he still spoke calmly, “Alright, let’s not talk about this for now… Let’s discuss something else… Du Fan, let me test you first. Tell me, how much do you know about our Holy Church?”
“In the first year of the Continental Calendar, the God of Light sacrificed himself for the world. The first pope received a divine revelation and since then has dedicated himself to spreading the Holy Doctrine of Light. Later, the Holy Doctrine of Light was renamed the Holy Church… and has continued to this day…” Du Fan answered quickly, as these were all contents from the Holy Scriptures. Having read them for so many years, he knew them by heart. Yet even as he answered, he grew more puzzled—what exactly did Lord Anthony want?
“Very good…” Anthony seemed satisfied with Du Fan’s answer. “But Du Fan, what you know is just the surface level… You don’t know anything about the true history of the Holy Church at all…”
Saying this, Archbishop Anthony sighed and shook his head.
Du Fan thought to himself: I’m not one of the core members of the Holy Church. It would be strange if I knew anything!
But on his face, he still showed respect and said, “Yes, I am ignorant. Please, Lord Anthony, enlighten me!”
Anthony sighed slightly. “Du Fan, I’ve already said it… You think you don’t need to be so formal around me… But then again, you were once an ordinary white-robed priest. It’s only natural that you don’t know the history of our Holy Church. After all, over the years, aside from the true core members, how many people actually know these things?”
Du Fan gradually understood what Anthony meant—the history of the Holy Church… aside from the core members… few people knew it… So that meant me…
Sure enough, Anthony slowly stood up from the polar ice. He gently patted his chest, coughed for a while, then said in a low voice, “Du Fan, I think from this moment on, you can also be considered one of the core members of my Holy Church… Then, it’s only right that I reveal to you the truth behind that history…”