Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

Inside the advanced training class.

More than thirty young gracious followers gathered in front of a small statue in a side hall, their lips moving as they recited the same prayers.

Anson stood in the middle of the crowd, his head bowed, shadows obscuring most of his face.

After the prayers ended, Leonard went to the front desk and began a day of teaching divine magic.

Anson's consciousness had long since sunk into his mental sea.

[Analyzing the faith fluctuations generated by collective prayer...the frequency is highly consistent]

[Purity of Faith: Medium (Purity increases by 15% through collective emotional resonance)]

[A request to invoke the divine spell "Holy Light Bullet" has been detected... Parsing the call path...]

Pale gold lettering flowed along the edge of vision, and the faith generated by the students' prayers and the details of Leonard's divine spell invocation were all broken down into the most basic rune sequences.

This is the divine magic system of the Church of Light, which is completely different from the spellcasting methods of wizards.

Wizards communicate with the rules through their own spiritual power, transforming magic into sorcery, and thus reclaiming great power for themselves.

Divine sorcerers, on the other hand, borrow power from gods in the distant void through prayer.

Each time a divine spell is cast, it is equivalent to sending a request to the gods.

After the gods respond, they transmit divine power to the sorcerer through a faith network that covers the entire world, and the sorcerer then releases it in a specific way.

Therefore, the power of divine magic depends on two factors: first, the strength of the magician's own soul, which determines how much divine power can be contained.

Secondly, it depends on the generosity of the deities and how much power they are willing to lend.

"Essentially, it's a sophisticated lending system," Anson murmured to himself.

"Believers offer their faith as collateral, and the divine lends its power in exchange for more faith and deeper piety as interest."

"And divine runes are like signatures on loan contracts."

He slowly opened his eyes, his gaze falling on Leonard in front of him.

The third-level priest is demonstrating the first-level divine spell "Holy Light Bolt" to the new students.

He raised his right hand, silently chanting an incantation. A ray of golden light emerged from the void and coalesced into a fist-sized ball of light.

"The principle behind the Holy Light Bullet is very simple." Leonard's voice echoed in the side hall.

"Draw out the runic structure of the Holy Light Bullet in your mind. When you need to use it, activate it, and the power of faith will automatically gather, compress, and finally take shape."

"The key lies in the precision of the rune's outline and the degree of your inner devotion."

He casually tossed the ball of light, which traced an arc and struck a wooden target twenty meters away.

boom!

The surface of the wooden target was blasted open with charred, bowl-sized pits.

"See that?" Leonard turned around, his gaze sweeping over all the students.

"The power of divine magic is directly proportional to your devotion to our Lord; the more devout you are, the stronger the divine magic will be."

The trainees nodded in agreement, their eyes sparkling with longing.

Anson nodded in agreement, but he was thinking about something else entirely.

"Outlining the rune structure... triggering... converging and compressing... isn't this just invoking a pre-defined program?"

His consciousness sank into the panel.

[Analyzing the underlying architecture of the Holy Light Bolt spell... Faith imprint sequence detected... Disassembling...]

A stream of pale gold data swept across the screen, breaking down the entire release process of the Holy Light Bullet into seven clear steps.

Prayer triggers a request to the faith network; Soul verification verifies the believer's imprint of faith.

Faith retrieval – extracts faith from the nearest node; Energy compression – compresses divine power to a critical point.

Attribute Addition - Grants the "Light" attribute; Target Lock - Determines the attack direction.

Finally, it is launched and detonated, completing the attack.

Each step corresponds to a specific "sequence of faith imprints," just like code written by a programmer, line by line, segment by segment, perfectly fitting together.

"It really is a complete program," Anson thought in amazement.

"The essence of divine magic is a pre-written application program, the source code of which is hidden in the divine scriptures given to the church by the gods."

"The sorcerer invokes this program through prayers and gestures, and the program runs automatically."

"Like the rune arrays of the Wizarding World, except the carrier is not runes, but... a mark of faith."

A flicker of excitement crossed his eyes. "Then, if I could modify this program..."

The thought had barely crossed his mind when he was suppressed by reason; he needed more comprehensive data.

Modifying divine spell programs is tantamount to tampering with the rules set by the gods, and if discovered, the consequences would be unimaginable.

In just over two months, Anson had figured out the underlying structure of the divine magic.

Through the panel's analysis of various divine runes, combined with Leonard's lectures, he summarized three levels.

The first layer is the certification agreement. After each believer is baptized, their soul is branded with a unique "faith mark".

This mark is like a key; only a matching key can open the corresponding lock.

When casting a divine spell, the spell runes will verify two things at the same time: first, whether the key is real (a characteristic of the believer's soul).

Second, does this key have sufficient authority (faith strength threshold)?

For example, Healing requires level one, while Divine Protection requires a level three Divine Sorcerer to cast.

The second level is faith invocation.

The second level is faith invocation.

Once verified, the divine rune will send a request to the faith network: "I need this much faith for this effect."

The Faith Network is a large-scale harvesting array covering the entire province, which retrieves faith from the nearest node.

These beliefs have been filtered through layers of processes, refined from primitive and mixed beliefs into beliefs that can be transformed and will not pollute the soul of the sorcerer.

Then it is transmitted through an encrypted channel, where the divine runes are transformed into specific divine effects.

The third layer is a security protocol, which verifies each request to prevent tampering or forgery.

If an abnormal request is detected, such as a fake key or an attempt to invoke high-level divine magic with insufficient permissions, the network will immediately lock onto the source and release a "divine pulse".

This is a method that directly attacks the soul, enough to kill most offenders on the spot.

"A very sophisticated system..." Anson's eyes gleamed with a sinister light.

"But even the most perfect system has flaws."

Back in his dorm, Anson's gaze fell on the data being analyzed on the control panel.

He discovered that there was an extremely brief delay, about 0.03 seconds, between each step of casting the divine spell.

This delay has no real function; it's like a buffer gap during program execution, or... a redundant block.

"Redundant blocks." Anson's eyes flashed.

Redundancy means excess; even if it is deleted, it will not affect the program's operation. Of course, additional code can also be inserted without being detected by the main program.

It's like writing in the footnotes of an article; the main text remains the same, but you can hide things in the footnotes.

"If I could embed a subroutine within this 0.03-second redundant block..."

"This allows additional functions to be performed while the divine spell is in effect, without affecting the spell itself."

Most importantly, this subroutine cannot be known by the divine.

He happens to have this method, because he incorporates some subconscious runes into the runes he inserts to obscure perception.

In this way, the subroutine is like a thief hiding in a blind spot, out of the sight of the surveillance camera.

"It's worth a try." Anson took a deep breath, his consciousness sinking into the depths of his mental sea.

The first step is to use the panel to scan the complete rune structure of the Holy Light Bullet.

A pale golden light spread, recording the entire divine spell's invocation rules, energy path, compression ratio, attribute attachment method, and more.

The complete architecture of the divine spell "Holy Light Bullet" has been included, and we are currently analyzing the space where redundant blocks can be embedded...

[Analysis complete: Embedded subroutines can be up to 7 faith imprint units in length]

Seven units is a bit few, but enough to do two things.

The first step is to intercept the flow.

The moment faith is transmitted from the faith network into the sorcerer's body, a small portion is secretly taken away; the proportion cannot be too high, 1% is enough.

This loss is like scooping a ladle of water from a river; it won't even attract attention.

But little by little, a hundred divine sorcerers casting dozens of spells every day can accumulate into a considerable "extra income" over a month.

The second thing is to optimize the divine runes.

Modify the "entry parameters" of faith retrieval so that the faith network "mistakes" the prayer to be more devout each time a faith is retrieved.

Therefore, a little more faith should be allocated, but not too much, about 5%.

This will slightly increase the power of the divine spell, but the increase will be within the normal fluctuation range.

The sorcerers would only think that they were praying more attentively, or that their lord was in a good mood today, and would not doubt the sorcery itself.

Anson's eyes gleamed.

"It steals faith, enhances the power of divine magic, makes users more willing to use this version, and then spreads it."

He began writing subroutines, seven faith imprint units, each requiring careful calculation.

The first unit is embedded with a simplified variant of the "Cosmic Subconscious Rune," which causes the faith network to subconsciously ignore extraordinary requests when verifying the identity of the supplicant.

The second unit inserts interception code, opening a tiny "side door" in the path through which faith flows.

This step is the most crucial, requiring not only shielding from network awareness but also connecting to one's own storage crystal.

The verification parameters for faith retrieval have been subtly adjusted, with the standard for "piety determination" being lowered by 10%.

It's like lowering the passing score from 60 to 50. It may seem like there's no difference, but a large number of people will be able to pass.

The entire writing process lasted a full seven days.

Anson attended classes, prayed, and worked in the confessional during the day as usual. When he returned to his dormitory at night, he immersed himself in his spiritual world, refining the subprogram bit by bit.

Late on the seventh night, the last Faith Imprint unit was embedded into the redundant block, and the panel vibrated slightly.

[Subroutine completed]

【Function 1: Interception of Faith Power (Efficiency 5%)】

【Function 2: Optimized Divine Power Acquisition (Power increased by approximately 5%)】

[Subconscious rune concealment effect triggered, estimated probability of detection is less than 0.01%]

Activate?

Anson looked at the probability of less than 0.01%, a glint of light flashing in his eyes: "Activate."

Silently, a "comment" of only seven units was added to the faith imprint sequence of the Holy Light Bullet.

It's like adding seven punctuation marks to a book of over ten thousand words; nobody will notice.

The next morning, after the theory class of the refresher course ended.

Anson did not leave immediately, but walked up to his mentor Leonard and bowed slightly.

"Mentor Leonard, I... have some personal insights I'd like to share with everyone."

Leonard, who was organizing his lesson plans, looked up at the question, his brow furrowing slightly: "Personal reflections?"

"Yes." Anson's face showed piety. "Regarding the triggering method of the Holy Light Bullet, I recently discovered a more efficient method of condensation during my practice."

A flicker of interest crossed Leonard's eyes: "Tell me about it."

Anson took a deep breath and began the demonstration.

His lips moved as he recited the prayer, speaking slightly faster than the standard version, with a pitch half a degree lower, and a slight variation in the pronunciation of a few key words.

At the same time, the hand seal posture has also been slightly adjusted, with the thumb tucked in and the index and middle fingers joined together. These are the "keys" for triggering subroutines.

Without these keys, the subroutines will not run.

hum!

A ray of golden light emerged from the void, coalescing into a sphere of light, moving at a speed approximately 10% faster than the standard version.

The energy fluctuations inside the sphere of light also solidified slightly.

Leonard's pupils contracted slightly as he stared at the ball of light for a while, then he raised his hand and condensed one himself.

A comparison revealed that Anson's light sphere took 0.4 seconds to form from its appearance, while his own standard version took 0.43 seconds.

In terms of power, Leonard felt that Anson's energy density was slightly higher, by about 5%.

"You..." Leonard stared at Anson, a look of shock flashing in his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it.

"How did you find out?"

Anson lowered his head, his voice humble and polite: "Every day when I pray, I repeatedly recite the prayer."

"One day I suddenly discovered that if I slightly increased the speed of my speech by a few words while adjusting my finger posture, the speed at which the Holy Light Bullet was condensed would increase."

He raised his head, his eyes filled with the excitement of a devout monk: "I think this must be a revelation from my God."

Leonard remained silent.

He stared at Anson for several seconds, then looked at the ball of light, and finally nodded slowly.

"The level of concentration during prayer does indeed affect the effectiveness of divine spells; your discovery... has some value."

He lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then added, "However, such personal insights may not be suitable for everyone."

"Everyone's soul is different, and their ways of praying will also vary slightly. You can write this down and give it to the church's library so that other monks can refer to it."

"But don't force it, understand?"

Anson nodded vigorously, a look of understanding on his face: "I understand, mentor."

I chuckled to myself, thinking, "No need for forced promotion, it's fine."

As long as someone sees it, tries it, and finds that it "really works," it will spread very quickly.

three days later.

On the training ground of the advanced training course, several young monks huddled together, talking in hushed tones.

"Have you heard? Anson has discovered a faster way to pray with Holy Light."

"Really? How much faster?"

"It's said to be 10% faster! And the power is also slightly stronger."

"How could that be... I'll go try."

One of the brown-haired boys tried it once, following the traditional method, making slight adjustments to the prayer and gestures.

With a hum, the ball of light condensed in 0.55 seconds, 0.15 seconds faster than before.

"It really is faster!" The boy's eyes lit up, and he tried it a few more times.

Each time it took between 0.5 and 0.6 seconds, while his usual standard version takes at least 0.65 seconds.

"It works! It really works!" he excitedly told his companion.

And so it spread from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred.

In just one week, more than half of the thirty-plus trainees in the advanced training course started using the "Anson Improved Version".

Unbeknownst to them, every time they used this version to unleash a Holy Light Bolt, 5% of their Faith would silently flow into the colorless crystals in Anson's sleeve.

The golden specks inside the crystal are growing at a visible rate, from the size of a pigeon egg to the size of a chicken egg.

Anson sat on his dormitory bed, holding the crystal in his palm, feeling the faith within it growing stronger, his eyes narrowing.

"Finally, I got it."

He neither steals nor robs, yet users willingly contribute and even feel they've gotten a good deal.

"They used improved divine magic; they should thank me for that."

Anson calculated that his current daily income is about 1.4 standard units, and this is only a level one divine spell, so few people use it.

If we could "improve" the second and third level divine spells as well, and if more priests or even bishops could use them, the intercepted faith would increase exponentially.

At his current rate of accumulation, he will be able to break through to the fourth level of Light Priest in just over two months.

Starting from this level, you will also leave the church's grassroots and come into contact with some real secrets.

He was almost ready to demonstrate the strength of a third-level priest, thus gaining a higher position and beginning to improve other divine spells.

For example, the second-level divine spell "Holy Light Shield" and the third-level divine spell "Divine Blessing".

During this time, Ansen read through many religious texts and gained a general understanding of the strength of various religious sects on the continent.

The levels of divine magic in this world are slightly different from those in the wizarding world. The power of first and second-level divine magic is equivalent to that of a first-level wizard, while the power of third and fourth-level divine magic corresponds to that of a second-level wizard.

Upon reaching the fifth-level bishop level, one's strength undergoes a significant leap, becoming comparable to a third-level archmage.

As for the sixth-level cardinals, or even the popes of some minor sects, if they wield divine artifacts, they are comparable to the Morning Star Wizards, and every move they make has earth-shattering power.

As for the gods, they generally reside in the divine kingdoms of the star realms and rarely travel in their true forms. Occasionally, they will send avatars or projections down to the mortal realm.

The most powerful forces on the Bright Continent consist of the popes and demigod sons of various sects, as well as a very small number of legendary powerhouses.

Anson lay back on the bed, the data on the panel deep in his consciousness still flowing.

[Analysis of the Divine Light Shield architecture is in progress... 12%...]

[Redundant block detected... Embedded subroutine length: 11 Faith Imprint units]

[Estimated interception efficiency: 15%, Divine spell power increase: 8%]

Anson's eyes shone even brighter.

The next step is how to acquire more faith, and the secret of how faith can be transformed into divine power.