He looked up—the entire altar had exactly fifteen steps, and at the top of those fifteen steps stood his grandfather, Samuel Johnson.

Henry Johnson gently lifted his foot and stepped onto the first step.

Three steps!

Five steps!

Six steps!

With each step, Henry Johnson paused slightly, but never truly stopped.

“This kid Henry Johnson…” Many people’s hearts were in their throats. “At first we thought he’d only be a seventh rank, but now…”

“The eighth step—he’s surpassed Hailing, and he’s still going.” Everyone gasped softly in surprise. At first, most people were just watching for fun, but now everyone was both nervous and delighted, because… Henry Johnson’s performance was beyond imagination, indicating his talent was extraordinary.

The higher the talent, the greater the chance of becoming a strong one, and that would bring even more benefits to the entire manor.

For example, with Jack Johnson in Jiang Manor, the annual taxes paid are the lowest among the dozen or so manors in Hongcheng. If the Jiang Clan as a whole grows even stronger, they could expand their influence, perhaps even become the number one clan in all of Hongcheng.

“The tenth step, and he still hasn’t stopped!”

“He’s still going. Looks like Henry Johnson still has energy to spare.”

Many members of the Jiang Clan widened their eyes, and even the always composed manor lord Samuel Johnson grew tense. As for Henry Johnson’s mother, Vera Quinn, her face was filled with excitement.

They all knew that the tenth and eleventh steps were two completely different concepts, but they couldn’t be sure if Henry Johnson could go any further. After all, once the human body reaches its limit, it’s very hard to push past it.

“Our Jiang Clan has stood for over sixty years. During the True Blood Baptism, even Little Jack only made it to the eleventh step back then.” Samuel Johnson stared intently at his grandson, who was just a few steps below him. “Could it be that our clan is about to produce a true peerless genius?”

The atmosphere in the main hall and on the martial arena instantly grew tense.

“It seems that reaching the eleventh step means a fifth-rank talent.” Henry Johnson could naturally see the change in his grandfather’s expression.

The only thing that could excite his grandfather like this was the birth of a fifth-rank talent in the clan. After all, in the history of the Jiang Clan, only his father had a fifth-rank talent. Of course, his great-grandfather didn’t count—no one knew what rank his talent was.

“Twelve steps—that should be enough.” Looking at the steps ahead, Henry Johnson thought to himself.

He felt that he could reach the top of the altar in just a few strides, with hardly any pressure.

But Henry Johnson also knew that going any higher was meaningless. A fifth-rank talent, combined with his father’s status, was enough to make the entire manor value him and give him the best training.

“Whew!” Henry Johnson pretended to exhale, then suddenly lifted his leg and stepped onto the eleventh step, his whole body seeming to exert great effort as he raised his foot again.

“Bang!”

At last, Henry Johnson stood atop the twelfth step.

The Jiang clansmen, the warriors and martial artists of the manor, all stared wide-eyed.

The entire martial arena fell silent. Even though many didn’t know what the twelfth step meant, by comparing with the hundreds of children before, they could all see the gap between Henry Johnson and the others.

“A blessing for our clan.”

“Fifth-rank talent, fifth-rank talent—this is truly a fifth-rank talent.”

…

Everyone’s faces were filled with wild joy, especially the Jiang clansmen, who were even more excited. The Jiang Clan would not only avoid decline, but would become even more glorious. With a fifth-rank talent, as long as he didn’t fall along the way, he would almost certainly reach the Martial Master realm.

And currently, there were only a handful of Martial Masters in the Jiang Clan.

Standing on the twelfth step, Henry Johnson looked completely at ease, his body not trembling in the slightest.

After the excitement, everyone quickly quieted down.

Ascending the altar, receiving the transmission of forms, and the True Blood Baptism—this was the complete process of the True Blood Baptism.

Henry Johnson gently raised his head, his gaze falling on the statue of the Martial Ancestor, half-human and half-serpent, hanging and fluttering above.

“Boom!”

It was as if heaven and earth thundered. Henry Johnson felt a loud bang in his mind as a beam of golden light shot from the Martial Ancestor statue into his sea of consciousness.

In an instant, he felt a desire roaring from the depths of his body—a primal, howling urge seemed about to burst forth. He felt as if he was soaring into the clouds, or as if some barrier was being shattered by an invisible force, making his body tremble.

Unconsciously, Henry Johnson closed his eyes, raised both hands high, and assumed the first posture—worship!

“What a perfect posture!” In the distance, Jack Johnson was a bit surprised.

The transmission of forms was mysterious and indescribable. Imitating the Martial Ancestor’s posture increased one’s affinity with the world’s vital energy. Even with proper instruction, ordinary people found it hard to achieve a perfect posture.

However, Henry Johnson’s spirit was strong and his body very flexible, so making this simple, standard pose was easy for him.

After seven or eight consecutive movements, Henry Johnson finally waved his hand slowly, striking the final pose.

A hush fell. Jack Johnson and Vera Quinn watched nervously—they both knew this was a critical moment.

Ascending the altar to test talent might not be completely accurate, but the worship ritual almost never went wrong.

…