Chapter 191: Theological Training
Gideon's lips twitched.
You weren't wearing this face when you begged me to handle things for you.
"Please forgive me, Your Grace," he said solemnly, drawing a cross over his chest. "This must be the Lord's revelation to me. When I return today, I shall shut myself away for study and will not step outside—no matter what happens."
"That's enough,"
Jolan said, hearing the faint edge of resentment in Gideon's voice.
It was merely an offhand remark anyway. After all, every enemy this young man ran into was anything but ordinary.
Once the interior had been fully cleaned, the doors were opened again.
The murmurs in the plaza gradually subsided.
Priests craned their necks, eager to see what had happened inside. The situation had nearly spiraled out of control earlier, and when they spotted Jolan, waves of astonished gasps followed.
"So even Archbishop Borha is here—has a demon descended into the world?"
"Shh! Be careful not to commit the sin of blasphemy!"
"With an archbishop present, no evil need be feared!"
All of it reached Jolan's ears.
He showed no reaction.
At his level, a certain degree of public authority was necessary. Yet he knew very well that the demon that had possessed the nun was not driven out by him.
Before the holy dagger ever arrived, the demon had already abandoned the body.
Under normal circumstances, those creatures would cling on to the last moment, doing everything they could to peddle their so-called "free Imprints."
Perhaps I'm overthinking it, Jolan thought.
---
Although the floor had been washed clean,
the lingering stench of blood and the faint dark stains on the stone still unsettled many.
Nevertheless, with a Vatican archbishop overseeing things, the Spiritual Awakening ceremony resumed.
A black-robed youth stepped forward.
He carried an old book in his hands—its style ancient, its cover worn and frayed with age.
"May the Lord bless you, Your Grace,"
Hall Clauso bowed deeply. "My uncle, Titus Clauso, sends his most sincere regards."
"May the Lord grant you His grace,"
Jolan replied with a nod.
"Miso Cathedral also conducts Awakening rituals. Why have you come here instead?"
Hall answered respectfully, "I heard you would be present, so my uncle instructed me to come and pay my respects."
He hesitated briefly before adding,
"Recently, some incidents occurred at Miso Cathedral. For safety reasons, my uncle thought it best that I come here."
"Oh?" Jolan raised an eyebrow. "What sort of incidents?"
Hall's expression grew strange.
"My cousin, Luen Clauso, has been repeatedly troubled by evil spirits—appearing in his dreams within the church."
Jolan's gaze sharpened. "Was a holy relic lost at Miso Cathedral?"
"N-No!"
Hall waved his hands hurriedly. Losing a relic would be a grave crime.
"The relics are intact. The spirits appear only through dreams, so there have been no casualties."
He lowered his voice.
"However… they seem to be targeting my cousin specifically. They all claim he is a despicable man and that he will pay a price."
Jolan snorted coldly.
"Evil will eventually be expelled from the world. Such hollow threats are not worth concern."
Hall crossed himself.
"I will remember your teaching."
"Begin the ritual," Jolan said calmly. "I will oversee it personally."
---
Nearby, Gideon had also overheard news of an old acquaintance.
As for Luen's predicament…
It probably has nothing to do with me, he thought.
"Professor Gideon," Roland whispered, "why is that priest carrying a book?"
He had intended to accompany Instructor Rich, but was told to stay behind.
Gideon remained silent.
He was curious as well. Having served only in a local parish, he had access to public doctrine but knew little about the Church's more specialized customs.
Just as he was considering how to respond, Jolan spoke up.
"That is an Ancient Holy Scripture," the archbishop explained.
"It retains the spiritual residue of past clergy who trained with it."
"Within the Unknown Space, it can protect a priest's consciousness to some extent, allowing them to remain inside longer."
Roland startled and bowed deeply.
Jolan continued,
"The Holy Imprint allows a priest to perceive the sacred power of Heaven. Each additional Imprint exponentially increases the conversion rate."
"Each priest may bear no more than seven Imprints upon the body."
Roland's eyes shone with admiration.
"Don't celebrate too early,"
Jolan poured cold water on his excitement.
"To obtain even one is already a blessing from the Lord."
"In the past five years, over ten million people have participated in the Spiritual Awakening ritual."
"Among them, fewer than five hundred obtained two or more Imprints."
"Only seventy gained three. Just three reached four."
"As for five or more…"
Jolan's expression remained calm.
"Zero."
---
Gideon silently did the math.
Even accounting for repeat participants, the odds were still nearly one in a million.
So how many Imprints do I have?
He pondered.
Aside from the system panel, he had noticed no abnormalities within his body.
Nor did he ask how one obtained an Ancient Scripture—such an item was clearly invaluable and likely tightly controlled by the Church's upper ranks.
Otherwise, one would not appear only after so long.
---
On the other side, Hall began his ritual.
One hand rested upon the Stone Scripture, the other gripping the Ancient Bible.
That same unusual fluctuation of energy appeared once more.
The youth had found the "door."
Gideon watched closely.
Evil.
Death.
Madness.
The auras surfaced one after another around Hall.
Each time Gideon thought his consciousness had been corrupted, the aura shifted again.
Finally, when a strand of holy light emerged, everything stabilized.
Gideon raised an eyebrow.
He sensed an exceptionally pure holy power within Hall—
even cleaner than the holy relics he himself crafted.
This was not a difference in strength, but one rooted in essence.
"One Imprint,"
Jolan announced.
At the same moment, another change occurred.
Golden symbols surfaced across Hall's skin, flowing like living script until they formed a ring around his arm.
"This is the manifestation of an Imprint,"
Jolan explained when he noticed Roland's amazement.
"Theological training is divided into four major domains, each further split into seven stages."
"An Imprint determines a priest's primary training path. All future holy arts will carry that manifestation's traits."
"Without following it, one's cultivation speed will be unbearably slow—often stagnant for life."
Roland nodded thoughtfully.
"And Priest Clauso's…?"
Jolan gestured toward the golden text.
"These are True Words from the Ten Commandments. This is the 'Flesh' manifestation—corresponding to complete control over one's physical skin."
As Gideon prepared to ask about the other stages, Jolan continued:
"The four domains are: Body, Spirit, Origin, and Soul."
"The seven stages—Eyes, Flesh, Bone, Blood, Spirit Bridge, Heart, and Soul—correspond to the Lord's seven days of creation."
"'Flesh' belongs to the Body domain."
"So does a later manifestation mean greater power?" Roland asked.
Jolan shook his head.
"Every priest must begin with the Eyes and progress through each stage in order."
"The manifestation of a mark only accelerates cultivation at its corresponding stage. At all other stages, progress will be painfully slow and demand an enormous amount of holy power to advance."
Gideon narrowed his eyes, understanding the implication behind Jolan's words.
According to this logic, only after completing the current stage could one advance to the next.
If someone possessed a Heart manifestation, they would only gain several times the cultivation speed of others after reaching that stage. Before that, they would still have to complete all preceding stages first.
In other words, such a person might never reach the Heart stage in their entire lifetime.
"No wonder multiple Sacred Marks are needed…" Gideon rubbed his chin. At the same time, another thought surfaced.
After [Scripture Reading] advanced, his holy power cultivation speed had tripled.
"Could it be that I already have three marks?" he wondered.
Roland hesitated, not daring to voice his concern.
"If someone's manifestation is toward the later stages, wouldn't that mean—"
"That's correct," Jolan said plainly.
"Priests whose manifestations appear earlier grow stronger more quickly."
"They are also more likely to be valued and promoted within the Church."
"However, there's no need to despair. For a thousand years, the Church has been working to resolve this imbalance. Modern Sacred Arts are the result."
"They allow priests with later-stage manifestations to use First-Stage Sacred Arts early on."
"For example, Spiritual Vision lets one outline spiritual entities through the eyes, while Psychological Guidance can calm and soothe emotions."
Gideon's eyes lit up.
So the abilities he had been using all along were Sacred Arts.
"In that case," he asked, "can Sacred Arts help a priest cultivate into the later stages?"
Jolan's expression turned odd.
"No."
"Sorcery merely grants methods to use the marks. Even if your manifestation lies in a later stage, you can still shine within the Church."
"But whether you can advance to the next stage ultimately depends on the talent you possessed at the moment of spiritual awakening."
Gideon twitched at the corner of his mouth.
So it was all about producing more tools.
At that moment, something changed around Hall.
The ancient scripture in his hand glowed faintly as traces of spiritual power surfaced from its pages.
At the same time, holy light bloomed around his body once more.
Soon after, another layer of pure sacred energy wrapped around him.
"Two Sacred Marks!"
"To witness this here—!"
"Merciful Lord, grant me the same fortune!"
Ignoring the more self-serving prayers, everyone present was visibly stunned.
Two marks!
As long as he continued cultivating, Hall was guaranteed to become a powerful exorcist, with limitless prospects within the Church.
As expected, Jolan nodded in satisfaction.
"With an early manifestation and two marks, he should reach the Spirit phase without issue."
Gradually, the holy light around Hall subsided, and his consciousness returned to his body.
He opened his eyes, delight written across his face.
"Knowing when to stop is wisdom. You've done well," Jolan said with a smile.
The ancient scripture still held residual spiritual power—enough for Hall to search for a third mark if he wished.
Hall bowed deeply.
"This item was personally granted to me by Archbishop Klaus. Gaining two marks already exceeds my expectations. I cannot afford to be greedy."
Jolan raised an eyebrow, then nodded.
"I hope to see you among the Holy Order one day."
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
To receive such acknowledgment from a Vatican Archbishop—and specifically the Holy Clergy Order—was an extraordinary endorsement of Hall's future.
Several priests now looked at him with renewed enthusiasm, already planning to approach him once the ceremony concluded.
"So the Clergy Order is that prestigious…" Gideon mused.
He had previously assumed it was merely a place for expendable labor.
Before long, a priest stepped forward to formally certify Hall's Clergy rank.
Within the Church, ranks were generally divided into two categories.
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