I Ascend to the Divine Throne through Arcane Means

Lis did his best to control the expression on his face, showing a hint of longing for Extraordinary Power just like Rory, but the shock in his heart had not diminished at all.

Although it was just One-Circle Magic, the underlying significance was certainly different.

Yesterday, while being tested at the temple, Lis had already confirmed through the appearance of the "Devout Faith" specialty from the Priest Profession that the Wisdom Church was generally on the Path to Divinity, after all, the Wisdom God did seem to make use of the Power of Faith.

But if it truly was the orthodox Path to Divinity, why then did instances occur where Spells were used in place of Divine Arts?

Just now, when Priest Kelly cast the Spell "Healing Light Wounds," Lis did not feel any elemental fluctuations.

This was very strange!

When a Mage wants to cast a certain Spell, they infuse Magic Power into a constructed Magic Model, resonating with Elemental Particles to produce Spells with different effects.

In this process, elemental fluctuations are unavoidable.

Unless, there is a Mage's advanced technique to conceal spell fluctuations, but that absolutely could not explain the actions of Priest Kelly just now.

Because when casting the One-Circle Magic "Healing Light Wounds," Lis sensed the aura of Divine Arts.

This was the most orthodox representation of Divine Arts!

The people of Snow Ridge Town might not recognize it, but how could Lis, with his extensive experience, not see it?

Lis felt his brain was somewhat in disarray, the casting exuded an aura of Divine Arts, but the actual display was that of One-Circle Magic.

To Lis, it felt as though he was seeing a fish grow legs and run on the ground.

Was this the handiwork of that Legendary Arcanist, and how on earth was it achieved?

Wait a minute...

Lis suddenly realized a point he had previously overlooked.

Generally speaking, only a True God can grant Divine Arts to priests who worship them, as it is a fundamental expression of a deity's power.

Before this, even a peak Demigod, as long as they had not formally consolidated their Divine Position and completed the last link in the operation of Divine Power, they could not bestow Divine Arts to their followers.

The Divine Position, as a core power source of a deity, means that any Divine Arts used by priests who worship this deity will bear the basic characteristics inherent to the deity's Divine Position.

For instance, a priest of the War God, their Divine Arts will lean towards Slaughter and Inspiration and the like.

And a priest of the God of Justice, their Divine Arts will lean towards Judgment and Notarization and the like.

Clearly, this "Wisdom God" has not yet consolidated his Divine Position, so there should be no formal Divine Arts at all.

So, he must be using some special methods, allowing his subordinate priests to perform Spells with certain effects.

Lis even suspected, the act of casting these Spells might not be reliant on the inherent power of Priest Kelly himself, but rather achieved under the guidance of the Wisdom God.

How did he manage to do this!

You should know, even for priests, the process of performing Divine Arts is not entirely dependent on the power bestowed by deities, but more so on harnessing one's own strength, guiding one's Mana to resonate with the seed of Divine Power, and thus performing different effects of Divine Arts.

Thus, this could explain why Priest Kelly had not required Lis and the others to read the Church Holy Scripture, to condense Divine Art seeds, or to meditate to increase their Mana.

However, it's regrettable that Lis has not yet learned this special form of "Divine Art"; otherwise, he could have understood much more.

Now, the goal is to learn the "Divine Art" of the Wisdom God!

Lis had a premonition that the key to passing the second trial might just lie within this.

Looking at Priest Kelly not far off, Lis firmed up his target in his heart.

...

In the days that followed, Lis and his two companions continued to train diligently with Priest Kelly.

The first day,

Running, training Strength, running.

The second day,

Running, training Strength, running.

...

The tenth day,

Running outdoors, mountain climbing.

...

Day thirty,

Winter swimming, cross-country running, mountain climbing.

...

By the end of the first month, Lis had nearly had enough. It wasn't the high-intensity training that he couldn't stand; rather, he simply didn't understand the purpose of it all.

Did one really need to become a muscle-bound man to learn Divine Arts?

Was this still the Wisdom God?

Might as well call it the Muscle God!

...

"Priest Kelly, how long do we have to train before we can learn Divine Arts from you?"

Lis wiped the sweat from his forehead, hands on his knees, as he asked Kelly.

Lying on the ground next to him, unable to move, were Rory and Akhar, who had just completed a ten-kilometer run which was particularly grueling for them, especially after swimming.

Lis was doing okay; over the month, the three of them had almost received the care and love of all the residents of Snow Ridge Town, as the hunting team brought back game first and foremost for these three kids every day.

Everyone was looking forward to them growing up quickly and becoming as strong as Priest Kelly under the guidance of the Wisdom God.

Miles, whom Lis was embodying, was the best among the three, having grown noticeably taller and considerably more robust over the month. Stay tuned with empire

Lis also noticed some peculiarities about Snow Ridge Town; other than Priest Kelly, there were no other Extraordinary Professionals, not even the most common warriors.

That's why Priest Kelly held such a unique position in Snow Ridge Town. During the month of training, Lis had witnessed Priest Kelly, with the help of Spells, drive off a silver-level Earth Bear with his bare hands.

Priest so formidable are terrifying indeed, in no way inferior to those hotheaded brothers at the Dawn Church.

"You still have a long way to go!"

Kelly looked at the small muscles on Lis's arms and chuckled as he shook his head.

"So, what level do I need to reach to begin learning?"

Lis blinked and looked at Kelly with anticipation in his eyes.

"I definitely want to become as strong as you, Priest Kelly!"

Kelly smiled, bent down to meet Lis's eyes, and patted his head, saying:

"Given your rate of progress, Miles, about another half a year!"

Lis stared at Kelly, gritted his teeth, and nodded forcefully.

Half a year... It's killer!

This trial is truly toxic!

Lis couldn't help but complain in his mind.

This Dream World was created by that Legendary Arcanist, and the time Lis spent here felt extremely real.

However, Lis had no choice. He had confirmed that the secret lay within "Divine Arts," and it was something Lis couldn't give up on.

...

With several snowfalls, Snow Ridge Town became enveloped in a completely white world, with almost every villager staying at home to rest, and scarcely a soul to be seen in the village.

"Huff~"

"Huff~"

...

At the edge of Snow Ridge Town, a figure in black clothing turned from the black surrounding wall and slowly ran towards the temple.

Even though the surrounding temperature had dropped below zero, this person wore only a thin linen garment, his body emitting steamy white mist.

"Miles, take a break!"

At the temple gate now, Kelly waved to the running figure.

"Come here, today is the day you receive the grace of the Lord and grasp Divine Arts."