The Shining Star Above The Heaven

'My god, Your Majesty Aldrian, I hope that you bless me so I can have the power to protect myself and my loved ones.'

'My god, Your Majesty Aldrian, please heal my mother so she can smile again and accompany me for a long time.'

'My god, Your Majesty Aldrian, please bless me so I can enter the Vanguard Academy. Although I have weak talent, I never give up and always do my best in cultivation.'

'My god, Your Majesty Aldrian, please…'

Aldrian could hear all of their prayers. Some prayed for trivial matters, like growing the hair on their heads, while others asked for serious things, such as the blessing he had just heard. Hearing their prayers, filled with faith and the hope that he would listen, stirred something inside of him. At this moment, he truly felt like a god, with many people faithfully saying his name in their prayers.

He also couldn't help but feel bad if he did not fulfill their prayers. These people had strong faith, even among his believers, and they seemed desperate, which made them pray to him at this moment. Although he was not a divine being right now, when he heard these people's prayers, he thought he could fulfill some of them, as they were within his ability.

Aldrian thought for a moment before he got an idea of how to deliver "his reward and blessing" to them. With their strong karmic connection to him, he could do many tricks for them.

After more than fifteen minutes, some of them left the shrine and returned to the places where they resided. One of them was the woman who had prayed for her mother to be healed. She was a cultivator at the middle Disciple stage and came from the Vindas Kingdom. She had decided to come to this city, which was still under construction, and help build it, hoping that she could also stay here.

The news had already spread that those who helped with the construction would be given a place to reside. With her intent to find a better place for herself and her mother, she decided to move here together. As a follower of the new religion that regarded Aldrian as a god, this was also the best place for her, since she could be close to her god.

After walking for some time, she arrived at the house provided by the higher-ups for anyone helping with the construction. The house was more decent for living compared to her old one in the Vindas Kingdom, and it was located on the outskirts of the city. With such a comfortable place, she hoped it could ease her mother's pain.

Her mother's sickness seemed to worsen each week, and she was afraid of losing her. She did not have enough wealth to invite a physician, so the only thing she could do was pray to the figure she saw as the manifestation of the divine being.

After she entered the house, the first thing she did was check on her mother in one of the bedrooms. She was already used to the usual sight whenever she opened her mother's door, the sight of her mother bedridden with a pale face.

But the moment she stepped into the room, what she saw truly shocked her, for the sight that normally greeted her did not appear. What she saw was nothing short of a miracle. Her mother was standing on her own two feet, gazing out the window where the moon shone beautifully.

Her mother's countenance was no longer pale, and she looked just like any other healthy person enjoying the scenery outside.

Hearing the door open, her mother turned her head and saw her daughter standing there in shock. Still, she showed a gentle smile as she spoke.

"Avri, is your work done?"

Her mother's soft voice, full of affection, pulled the woman named Avri out of her shock, and unconsciously a tear slipped from one of her eyes.

"Mother." Her voice trembled as she rushed toward her mother, who opened her arms as if she already knew what was coming. Avri instantly embraced her tightly, feeling the warmth of her body. All this time, what she had felt from her mother was a burning heat, as if fire raged inside her.

She sobbed in her mother's embrace, truly hoping this was not just a dream.

"Forgive this mother of yours. You have had to take care of me all this time and work so hard because of my condition. If only I had not fallen sick back then…"

"No, please don't say that, Mother. I truly do not want you to leave me. I would gladly do anything to see you healed. Now I'm glad that you can stand and even seem in much better condition compared to the sickly sight I had to see every day."

Avri knew that her mother's touch and calming voice made her realize this was not a dream. This was reality. This was a miracle.

A miracle that must have been given to her mother by her god.

Her god had heard her prayers and granted them.

After hugging for a few moments, Avri released herself from her mother and looked at her.

"Mother, this must be a miracle from His Majesty the Emperor. He is a divine being, and he must be the one who healed you after hearing my prayers every day."

Without hesitation, she instantly prostrated in the direction of Aldrian's palace.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for hearing my prayers. Thank you… truly, thank you." Her voice was filled with piety.

Her mother, seeing her daughter prostrate like that, couldn't help but follow. Although she had been sickly for so long, she still knew the news from outside because her daughter always told her what was happening.

She knew there was a figure many regarded as a divine being, and now she also believed, for what had just happened to her was truly like a miracle. When she had still been bedridden with the pain she had long grown used to, she suddenly felt a warm current flow through her body.

It was a warmth so comforting, one she had not felt for a long time. It was as if she were being embraced by her own mother during a cold winter, her mother's warmth flowing into her.

Before she realized it, her body had become healthy and light. It was as if she had returned to her youthful, healthy days.

She knew that this kind of thing was not something that appeared from nowhere. This might have been the work of the newly enthroned emperor, whom many regarded as a god, a manifestation of the divine in this mortal world.

Unbeknown to them, the miracle this night was not limited to Avri. Many such events occurred across different parts of the continent. By the next day, stories of miracles experienced by those who prayed to the great emperor had spread far and wide. It was said that the followers of the new religion, who regarded Aldrian as a god, had all experienced miracle the night before.

Their prayers were heard by their god, the great emperor himself, and he granted them what they had prayed for.

Some prayed for the recovery of a loved one, and those people were healed of their sickness. Some prayed for rain, as their territory had suffered drought for too long, and suddenly the rain fell, saving their crops.

There were some who prayed for power to protect themselves and their loved ones, and that very night they received a dream that bestowed upon them a high-level cultivation technique. Even those with weak talent gained techniques through their dreams.

When they tried cultivating with these techniques, they were shocked by their effectiveness. More importantly, the cultivation methods did not destroy the foundation built from their previous techniques. This kind of cultivation method was beyond their common knowledge and comprehension, something that could revolutionize the entire cultivation world.

All of these stories caused an uproar in many places, and people's view of this religious group or more specifically, the way they saw Aldrian began to change once again. Many still did not believe Aldrian had reached the level of the divine, especially high-level cultivators or those from established backgrounds.

However, these stories, with proof clearly visible, made many wonder if Aldrian truly was a divine being. Because if he was not, how could the events of last night have happened? These miracles also only occurred among the people of the religious group that regarded him as a god.

Did that mean his senses truly covered the entire continent, allowing him to hear all of those prayers?

Because of this, many were tempted to join the religious group. The group that many thought was only a band of fanatics devoted to the great emperor now seemed the real deal, with many miracles having happened the night before, all of them seems to come from Aldrian the Great's power.

While many people across the continent were still in an uproar over the miracles of the previous night, the one whom many already regarded as a god was calmly carrying out his own activities. He had just finished visiting his parents, since he did not have the time the day before, and at this moment he was observing Zander's training.

After Zander unleashed his sword technique, Aldrian nodded in approval.

"Good. It's much better than the last time."