“Indeed,” Chen Feng responded.

“He projects an air of piety, almost to the point of being pedantic, yet upon hearing news of heretics, he didn't immediately report to the Bishop. Instead, he spent all this time entangled with us—it just doesn't make sense!” White said, his brow deeply furrowed.

Even though he had been secluded for eighteen years, his judgment had not dulled in the slightest.

“Furthermore, the moment you mentioned the bandits, he spared no expense using the Meditation Transmission technique, even gifting you this set of priest vestments. That is completely illogical; it almost feels like he’s trying to curry favor! If he treated you this way just because you scored well on the Piety Test, I would never believe it!”

Chen Feng tugged at the clothes on his body and asked, “Is there something wrong with these vestments?”

“More than just something wrong!” White countered, asking, “Do you know the origin of these vestments?”

After asking, he didn't wait for Chen Feng to answer, continuing his explanation: “These vestments were personally sewn by His Holiness, the Woma Pope. There are only eight sets in existence, awarded to the most devout priests. Back then, just to obtain one of these robes, priests from all over the continent made pilgrimages, walking tens of thousands of miles, prostrating themselves every three steps. Father Dela was one of those pilgrims; otherwise, he wouldn't possess such an item!”

“Most of the pilgrims died on the road, so these robes are not only precious but also symbolize a form of honor. For Father Dela to hand one over to you without the slightest hesitation seems utterly unbelievable!” White analyzed.

“People at the strength of the Nether Sovereign die even on pilgrimage?” Chen Feng was stunned.

Individuals at the Nether Sovereign level can communicate with nature through Meditation. They can fully leverage the power of nature. Ordinary illnesses and injuries can be completely avoided. Forget walking tens of thousands of miles; how could they possibly die even after trekking hundreds of thousands of miles?

“If a Nether Sovereign harnesses the power of nature, then naturally there’s no issue. But the pilgrimage relies on sheer willpower. If one resorts to trickery, how could they possibly gain the recognition of His Holiness? Besides, a Nether Sovereign isn't an Armored Knight; their stamina isn't usually top-tier. If even one person survived out of a thousand pilgrims, it would be considered a great fortune!” White’s voice held a hint of regret.

Chen Feng was deeply moved. So this robe was this important. The value of this item was akin to the Imperial Yellow Robe of his previous life. Who had ever heard of someone casually gifting away such an artifact?

“From every angle, it's clear that Father Dela is absolutely problematic!” White mused, puzzled, “But I still cannot fathom his true objective!”

“If you can’t figure it out, then don't dwell on it. He hasn't shown any ill intent so far,” Chen Feng said.

As the two whispered, Father Dela approached, standing before Chen Feng with a smile plastered on his face. “I sincerely apologize for keeping you waiting. Here is my letter; I hope you can personally deliver it to Bishop Dima!”

Chen Feng nodded in agreement. The three continued up to the top of the church, ascending two flights of stairs to a slightly more spacious room that was utterly empty.

“This is the Gate of Nature!” Father Dela gestured forward with a smile.

Even with his eyes wide open, Chen Feng saw nothing. He had no choice but to project his spiritual perception outward, finally sensing a slight anomaly. The energy in the space ahead was extremely unstable. A vacuum space, about the height of a person, stood not far off—presumably the Gate of Nature.

Father Dela smiled faintly and stretched his right hand flat forward. A ripple immediately appeared in the air, and the Gate of Nature revealed itself, emitting a gentle, soft light.

Chen Feng nodded to White and stepped in first.

The moment he entered, he felt a pleasant warmth enveloping him, a soft power wrapping around his entire body, creating a feeling of reluctance to leave.

Compared to this sensation, the feeling imparted by a magical teleportation array was like comparing a tractor carriage to the first-class cabin of an airplane—they were simply not comparable.

The light vanished abruptly. Chen Feng opened his eyes and saw he had arrived in a new environment.

“Welcome, Father!” A voice sounded near his ear. Chen Feng looked up to see a Bronze Armored Guard, likely the one assigned to guard this Gate of Nature.

Through the teleportation, he had arrived in an entirely unfamiliar setting, but judging by the structure and layout of the room, it was clearly another church.

A flash of light followed, and White emerged as well.

“This is the Grand Cathedral of All Saints in the Kega Holy See!” White whispered softly.

“Are both priests here to attend the meeting? I can show you the way!” the Bronze Armored Guard quickly inquired.

In his mind, anyone capable of using the Gate of Nature was naturally a priest of the Church.

“Meeting? What meeting?” Chen Feng asked curiously.

Seeing that his appearance was genuine, the guard quickly explained, “It is being held by Bishop Dima in the Grand Cathedral. It is scheduled to convene shortly!”

“Oh,” Chen Feng responded, handing the envelope from Father Dela to the guard. “This is Father Dela’s letter from Antelu Town, intended for Bishop Dima. Since the Bishop is holding a meeting, it would be inappropriate for us to disturb him. You can deliver this to His Lordship later.”

With that, he dropped the envelope and walked away from the room with White.

The Silver Armored Guard quickly caught the letter, looking up to see the two already moving away.

……………………………………………………………………

“The Chief is truly clever, tossing the letter aside like that. No matter the opponent’s objective, they probably won't be able to do anything now!” White praised Chen Feng inwardly, unaware that Chen Feng hadn't planned it that way at all. His only concern was his extraordinary connection with Yan Long. If Bishop Dima saw through anything, it would spell big trouble.

In this world, even if one believed in the ‘God of Justice,’ he hadn't imagined that merely raising his voice would cause the Eight Great Holy Sees to obey his command.

It was like this: in his previous life, Christianity was prevalent. If someone suddenly appeared claiming to be the Christ incarnate, before he could even preach, he would likely be executed by the government for sedition!

Before he possessed the strength to protect himself, broadcasting his relationship with Yan Long was a death sentence.

After listening to White's long analysis, although Chen Feng still didn't know Father Dela's true purpose, seeing his obsequious behavior made him lean toward considering the worst-case scenario. Therefore, avoiding Bishop Dima altogether seemed best.

In reality, he didn't know how much trouble this wise decision had saved him from.

The two left the Grand Cathedral of All Saints and stepped onto the street. This area looked much livelier than Antelu Town, possessing the true atmosphere of a city.

As one of the locations of the Eight Great Holy Sees, appearing as shabby as a small town would have been a massive disgrace.

“Do you know where the largest trading firm here is?” Chen Feng asked.

White thought for a moment. “The largest firm should be the Pason Auction House, the biggest auction house in the entire Kega Holy See territory?” Pausing, he suddenly asked, “Chief, what do you intend to buy?”

“Not buying, selling!” Chen Feng stated. “We need to recruit people, and how can we manage without money? We can’t even afford the daily sustenance for these individuals, so we must sell some things first!”

White seemed to recall something and couldn't help but ask, “You’re not thinking of selling the Perfect Crystals, are you?”

“If not those, then what should I sell?” Chen Feng chuckled.

“Perfect Crystals are refined by major families or Holy Sees through arduous effort; they are rarely seen on the market…” White shook his head unconsciously.

“They are valuable precisely because they are rare. Enough talk, let’s head to the Pason Auction House you mentioned!” Chen Feng said.

“If… we sell them all, what will we have left to recruit people?” White couldn't help but ask.

Perfect Crystals are scarce and cannot be mass-produced. Even if the Chief currently possesses many, this is a non-renewable resource; it cannot materialize out of thin air. Once used, it’s gone. It should be conserved!

“Heh, you don't need to worry about that,” Chen Feng smiled and stopped talking.

The two found a horse-drawn carriage, confirmed the directions, and headed toward the Pason Auction House.

White kept looking at Chen Feng with suspicion along the way, finding the young Chief increasingly inscrutable.

The cultivation method he casually bestowed was entirely self-contained, bearing no resemblance to the Meditation he had learned. It pioneered an entirely new path in cultivation, making it hard to believe.

Opening up innovation is the hardest thing to do, especially creating a new cultivation method—what kind of genius and wisdom would that require!

It was like the external martial arts and internal martial arts of Chen Feng’s previous life; they were completely different martial arts systems. If someone suddenly proposed a brand-new cultivation method, and its effectiveness was in no way inferior to those two, the shock would be immense.

Just sharing the cultivation method alone might suggest he was a lucky person benefiting from the legacy of his predecessors. But the Chief, at seventeen years old, was already stronger than White, and his cunning and methods were far more seasoned!

What was his identity before? Where could such a heaven-defying talent have been nurtured?

White puzzled over it for a long time, considering every family he knew, yet coming up with nothing.

Rubbing his slightly throbbing forehead, although he couldn't figure it out, his intuition told him that following this youth would surely lead to achieving something spectacular!

Although this feeling arose without reason, it was profoundly real. If a reason absolutely had to be forced, it was because this Chief honored his commitments, was generous in his rewards, and possessed unparalleled personal ability!

While he was lost in thought, Chen Feng took off the priest’s robe and changed into the clothing Xiao Rou had bought for him. While the robe held certain advantages, it was, after all, the attire of a priest. Anyone with sharp eyes could recognize it. It was too conspicuous. If he was going to auction Perfect Crystals, the fewer people who knew, the better.

Hiding one's wealth was a universal truth.

……………………………………………………………………………………

“May I ask if you two have membership cards?” The young lady at the reception desk asked politely after understanding their intentions.

This attendant looked to be only seventeen or eighteen, very pretty, especially her eyes, which seemed capable of speech and were quite captivating.

Chen Feng shook his head.

“I’m very sorry, but our auction house has a new regulation: we do not accept goods for auction without a membership card!” the young lady stated.

“How does one obtain a membership card?” Chen Feng asked.

“One must spend 10,000 at our auction house to qualify for a membership card. We implemented this rule to prevent some people from bringing low-value items for auction… Of course, I don’t mean you, sir…” Seeing the change in expression on their faces, the young lady realized she had misspoke and quickly amended her words.

“That’s troublesome?” Chen Feng frowned. “Call the manager here; I will speak with him!”

This type of attendant only followed instructions and couldn't make decisions, so negotiating with her was pointless.

“Only members can…” The young lady was still chattering when White gently pushed her aside. “Little girl, we have an item to auction. You can’t make the decision, so hurry up and call your manager!”

“I apologize, our managing director is currently meeting guests and is unavailable. I suggest you two return after obtaining membership cards.”

“What’s wrong, Xiao Zhi? Do you need my help?” A dozen guards walked over. These were the security personnel for the auction house, all wearing matching bronze armor, exuding a commanding presence in the hall.

The speaker was the Head Guard, clad in silver armor that reflected the light.

The Head Guard looked to be in his early twenties, robust, and rather handsome. He approached the attendant called Xiao Zhi with a tone bordering on ingratiating.

“These two people don't have membership cards but want to auction something. I told them about our rules, and they insist on seeing the managing director…” Xiao Zhi explained.

The Head Guard glanced at Chen Feng and White. Seeing their simple attire, a look of disdain inevitably appeared on his face. He said, “See the managing director for what? Is the managing director someone people like you can just meet? Get out, both of you!” He spoke with evident impatience.

Chen Feng said, “Are you people trying to turn away customers?” His voice was not loud, but it carried an undertone of authority and coldness that immediately signaled his displeasure.

“Someone like you counts as a customer? Take a look at where you are—this is the Pason Auction House. Don't even bother coming here to auction unless you have something worth a hundred thousand!” After saying this, he motioned to the guards behind him. “Throw them out!”

Then, he hastily turned back to Xiao Zhi, saying with an air of flattery, “Xiao Zhi, are you tired today…”

Seeing the Head Guard's demeanor, Chen Feng laughed, extending his right hand forward and gripping the guard's shoulder.

“What are you doing?” The Head Guard, seeing the youth grab him, shouted angrily.

“If you won’t summon the managing director, I’ll have to use my own methods!” With that, he applied force and directly lifted the guard up, casually throwing him backward. The guard flew through the air and crashed heavily into the crowd.

Sometimes, physical action is more effective than words. Even if he injured a few guards here, if the other party knew he was auctioning a ‘Perfect Crystal,’ they would absolutely suppress the matter. Thus, Chen Feng was unconcerned about attracting attention.

“Ah…” Seeing the fight break out, the surrounding people immediately stirred into a commotion.

ps:: I got so engrossed reading a novel today that it turned seven in the evening. I missed breakfast, lunch, and afternoon tea… I didn't even go to the restroom. Sweat. Reaching this level of absorption while reading is rare for me, so… there is only one chapter… my apologies for the short length… (To be continued. If you wish to know what happens next, please log in to www**com, where there are more chapters, support the author, and support genuine reading!) First published