Morning sunlight filtered through drifting veils of mist, scattering soft gold across the mountainside. The air tasted of pine and untouched wilderness. Li Wei stood quietly before his shrine stone, letting the warmth of divine energy seep through his fingers.
He had spent the night learning—observing—experimenting.His divine body felt different now, more stable than when he first awakened but still fragile, like porcelain that could crack under a careless touch.
Yet his expression remained tranquil.
A god must look unshaken.
He exhaled softly, steadying his posture. The moment he adopted the bearing of a deity—chin raised slightly, shoulders level, gaze calm—his presence changed. The air thickened around him, as if the mountain itself held its breath.
This was not Li Wei the delivery driver.This was Li Wei the god.
A mask of divinity.Cold.Mysterious.Untouchable.
Behind the mask, he was internally panicking about everything—from his tiny 13-meter domain to his lack of believers—but a god could not reveal such things.
He opened the system panel.
[Divine System Panel]
God: Li WeiRank: 0 — Wild SpiritDomain: 13 metersBelievers: 0Stored Faith: 0Incense Power: 0
Next Incense Conversion: 1st & 15th each month(All accumulated faith will transform into incense automatically.)
He sighed.Still nobody.
A weak smile tugged at his lips—quickly smoothed into a calm, emotionless expression. Even alone, he reminded himself to practice.
A god's presence must never waver.
He stepped outside the shrine, the mist curling respectfully around him. Every movement was slow, composed, graceful—even though last night he had tripped on his own robe and nearly face-planted into the shrine stone.
"No…" he muttered under his breath. "That can never happen again."
He straightened his sleeves with an elegant sweep.
"Right. Calm. Dignified. Like those old temple statues that look like they haven't blinked in a thousand years."
He inhaled deeply, and the mountain responded with a subtle tremor of spiritual energy. When a god breathed, the world listened.
Even if that god was currently broke, powerless, and had less authority than a squirrel.
Li Wei walked slowly around the boundary of his tiny domain. The golden border shimmered faintly where his divine authority ended—only thirteen meters in every direction.
"So small…"
He crouched, picking up a smooth pebble. It instantly glowed in his hand, reacting to his divinity. Even the weakest god could influence their land.
He flicked it lightly.The pebble floated.Spun.Then dropped like a normal rock.
"Hm. Cool, but useless," he murmured.
He cleared his throat and resumed a dignified posture.
Inside, he felt the weight of reality pressing on him.
He was a god with:
no followers
no incense
no reputation
no heavenly backing
and a domain smaller than a storage room
Yet, despite all that, he felt something he never had on Earth.
Purpose.
Even if this purpose currently involved staring at rocks and pretending he was mighty.
Li Wei closed his eyes and practiced his "god voice."
"Mortals…"Too creepy.
"Children of the mountain…"Too old.
"You, who walk the lands under my sky—"Too dramatic.
He frowned.
Why was talking like a god harder than delivering noodles during a storm?
He tried again, this time softer, calmer:
"Fear not."
He paused.
"…Hmm. That one works."
A gentle tone. Distant. Compassionate. Detached.Merciful yet ambiguous.
A tone that could soothe believers… or terrify them.
He practiced expressions next:
The calm nod
The serene half-smile
The cold, unreadable gaze
The merciful "I understand your suffering but won't say it aloud" look
And, most importantly, the divine silence
Silence was power.
Silence created awe.
Silence made mortals kneel.
He lifted his hand slowly, letting faint spiritual mist swirl around his fingertips—an effect he discovered he could create by simply willing it.
Beautiful.Mystical.Flawlessly divine.
He practiced walking with long, slow steps, letting his robe flutter gently as if guided by wind. Then he stopped at the center of his shrine.
"This," he whispered, "is the god they must see."
Not Li Wei the mortal.Not the confused newcomer.
But a deity who—
gives mercy without warmth
gives blessings without attachment
receives devotion without visible emotion
A god… too distant to touch.Too mysterious to offend.Too ancient to question.
He lowered his gaze slightly, letting shadows fall across his eyes.
"Yes," he murmured. "This is the right face to meet a believer."
He did not know that fate was already preparing to bring one directly to his mountain.
A man who would soon kneel at his shrine stone.A man whose gratitude and faith would begin Li Wei's ascent.
And so, practicing serenity he did not feel, Li Wei returned inside the shrine and waited with divine patience.
For the first believer he did not yet know was coming.