The blinding light receded.
Lin You landed hard on cracked concrete, scraping his palms against broken stone. He coughed as acrid dust entered his lungs. When he opened his eyes, the world around him was barely recognizable.
The city had been hollowed out—collapsed buildings, rusted overpasses, blackened rebar poking from the ground like ribs of a long-dead giant. This place reeked of ash and rot. The sky overhead was green-gray, thick with clouds that churned without wind.
This was no illusion.
This was the first battlefield.
The system spoke in his head again, calm and mechanical:
> **[You have entered: Trial Zone · Level-Zero Reincarnation Field]**
> **[ID: E1127 · Wood-element Faithholder]**
> **[Faith Alignment: Light (Hidden)]**
> **[Activated Skill: Tree Spirit Summon (Cooldown: Ready)]**
> **[Status: Divine Mark Established]**
He stood, brushing off dirt, then paused to check his chest. The vine-shaped sigil from the selection chamber still pulsed faintly—his tether to Qingshen, the Light-Wood God.
It didn't glow for others to see. Yet.
That would change the moment he used his power.
> **[Divine Mission Generating…]**
He braced himself.
A screen of text flared to life:
---
> **[Divine Trial Mission: Identify the Flame]**
> •**Mission Type**: Guided Faith Identification
> •**Objective**: Provoke a Fire-element Faithholder into using their core skill
> •**Success Criteria**: Observe skill traits to deduce Light or Dark alignment
> •**Mission Bonus**(If target is Dark-Fire):
> –**Divine Tracking Permit**
> –**Faithvision Access (10s duration)**
> •**Rules**: Direct combat forbidden. Must provoke reaction through dialogue or manipulation.
> •**Tip**: Wood restrains Fire · +15% provocation success rate
---
Lin You's brow twitched.
"Manipulate a Fire user into revealing their alignment… without fighting?"
He wasn't a talker. He was a survivor.
Still, he understood what this was.
The gods were watching. They wanted Faithholders to do more than fight. They wanted schemes. Tension. Conflict. Belief—forced to collide.
He sighed. "So that's the kind of game we're playing."
Pulling up his minimap, he began to move—quiet steps through debris fields and shattered alleyways. Burn marks and melted stone suggested Fire-users had passed through recently.
It took him nearly fifteen minutes to locate them.
They were gathered at the edge of a sunken plaza—three Faithholders, likely matched at random like himself. One of them, broad-shouldered with a scorched leather coat, leaned against a crushed vehicle, flames idly dancing across his fingertips.
**Target acquired.**
> **[Target Faithholder ID: K1726]**
> **[Element: Fire (Public)]**
> **[Alignment: Hidden]**
> **[Class: Unknown]**
Lin You adjusted his breathing. He stepped into view—just enough to be noticed, just enough to not appear a threat.
"Hey!" he called, voice intentionally winded. "You guys see any gas leaks behind the metro station? My screen glitched out, I nearly walked into something nasty."
Three heads turned. The man with flames—K1726—tilted his head.
"You're Wood?"
Lin You nodded and raised his hand, letting the faint vine tattoo shimmer. "Just a solo. Don't worry, I'm not here to pick a fight."
"Funny thing," K1726 said, stepping forward. "Wood restrains Fire. And you're wandering around like bait?"
"I'm careful, not hostile," Lin You replied smoothly. "Just cautious. Y'know... most Fire-types end up going Dark these days."
That did it.
K1726's jaw clenched. The flames at his fingers twisted into something fiercer, more unstable.
"You calling me Dark?"
Lin You shrugged, stepping slightly closer but keeping his tone even. "I'm saying I've seen three Fire-users already. Two of them lit up with spells before anyone even spoke. They weren't Light."
The others stiffened.
Provocation: complete.
K1726 snarled. "You think you're clever?"
He slammed a foot forward.
> **[Skill Activated: Flame Devourer Trail]**
A line of fire exploded from beneath his feet, searing a scar through the pavement. Heat washed over Lin You as he leapt back.
> **[Divine Scan: Active Skill Detected]**
> **[Evaluating Flame Signature…]**
> **[Confirmed: Dark-Fire · Devotee of the Scorching God]**
System prompt flooded his vision:
> **[Mission Complete: Identify the Flame]**
> –**Faithvision Access Unlocked (10s duration)**
> –**Divine Tracking Permit Acquired**
> –**Target: K1726 may now be tracked or marked for elimination by Faith-based bounty systems**
Lin You blinked as the man's aura turned blood-red for an instant—an overlay only he could see now.
Not just Fire. **Corrupted Flame.**
And now… the game had changed.
K1726's flames didn't vanish. He stepped forward, murder in his eyes. "You exposed me. You little plant rat—"
Another blast of heat surged toward Lin You. He barely had time to react.
> **[Skill Activated: Tree Spirit Summon]**
Vines burst from the ground at his feet, forming a small humanoid figure cloaked in glowing leaves. It raised its hands, and a healing barrier sprang up around Lin You, cushioning the fire impact.
He staggered back—but remained standing.
The other two Faithholders looked stunned.
"That's... Light-Wood."
"It's that signature—Tree Spirit Summon. That's Qingshen's class."
Lin You's heart dropped.
He'd been exposed.
> **[Warning: Alignment Compromised]**
> **[Your Light Faith is now publicly visible for the next 5 minutes]**
> **[You may now be tracked or targeted by Dark-aligned players]**
K1726 grinned like a wolf. "Oh, this is even better. A Light-Wood mouse, playing spy."
He lunged again.
Lin You blocked with his tree spirit. The summoned guardian took the hit, bursting into particles.
He turned to run, weaving between broken pillars and rusted debris, pulse pounding. Behind him, K1726 gave chase—laughing.
> **[Divine Marker Locked: Target K1726 in Pursuit]**
Another figure stepped into the path.
A tall man, cloaked in metal-tinted robes, raised a massive gold-etched shield.
He intercepted K1726 with a clang of power.
"Back off," he said simply. "Metal restrains Wood. But I hate fire more."
> **[Faithholder S0348 · Metal · Alignment: Unknown]**
K1726 hissed, cursed, and vanished in a plume of smoke.
Lin You collapsed behind a pile of rubble, chest heaving.
System messages returned to calm:
> **[Mission Complete]**
> **[You have survived your first divine conflict]**
> **[Your Faith remains: Light-Wood · Qingshen · Class: Forest Warden]**
He wiped sweat from his eyes.
So this was the real test.
Faith wasn't just about symbols or blessings.
It was about making the call—to risk being seen, to stand exposed.
And still choose to fight.