In that instant, countless gazes fell upon him, among which two made Xu Qi’an feel as if he had thorns piercing his back.
Deep within the temple, the gaze from the third rank Vajra carried a sense of scrutiny, while the gaze from Irbu was chillingly cold.
The Jianghu folk present quietly moved away, lest they too should suffer as bystanders if this mysterious expert was ‘punished’ by the third rank Master of Wisdom or Protector Vajra for being too close.
They were dissatisfied with the slander the Church of the Warlock God’s Master of Wisdom cast upon Silver Gong Xu, but only dared to grumble softly, voicing weak protests. To jump out and mock them as the man in azure had was no different from suicide.
Liu Yun of the Shuangdao Sect struggled to her feet, wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth. She was delighted that someone dared to step forward, but couldn’t help worrying for this plain-looking man in an azure robe.
His methods were strange, his cultivation formidable, and he dared to face third rank experts head-on. In ordinary times, she would have certainly invited him for a drink, but now she only hoped he would leave quickly.
As she thought this, the observant Liu Yun noticed that the companions beside the man in azure showed no signs of panic or fear; their expressions were calm. One rather ordinary-looking man even had eyes shining with excitement — was he actually looking forward to the coming conflict?
Yuan Yi and the other fourth rank experts fixed the man in azure with deep gazes, watching the reaction of the two third ranks as well. They intended to use the azure-robed man’s fate to judge the true attitude of the two third ranks.
If anything happened to the man in azure, they would immediately give up on the treasures within the Stupa Tower and leave Sanhua Temple.
“Amitabha.”
Instead, it was Monk Jingxin who spoke first, saying quietly,
“Senior Brother Yinshun’s poison has yet to be dispelled, and only he can cure it. Please may Senior Uncle Du’nan show mercy.”
Before Vajra Du’nan could reply, Irbu said coolly,
“Monk Jingxin, be at ease. A Warlock’s Blood Spirit Art can similarly purge the poison.”
Monk Jingxin pressed his palms together and spoke no more.
At this point, it seemed the death sentence for the man in azure had already been proclaimed.
“Senior, can you kill him with confidence?”
Li Lingsu sent a voice transmission, sounding a little excited.
He was very interested in Xu Qian’s identity, but had so far been unable to discover his background. Although this shifty old man was proficient in Gu techniques, Li Lingsu did not believe the Gu arts were his main cultivation system.
I’m just a useless poser… Xu Qi’an thought quietly to himself, then, in front of everyone, took out a magic conch, held it to his mouth, and muttered for a while.
What’s he doing?
Witnessing this, Li Lingsu, the people of Leizhou nearby, and even the Buddhist monks in the distance were all bewildered.
But soon they understood.
“Look, what’s that?”
A warrior monk pointed to the sky and cried out in shock.
Xu Qi’an, Li Lingsu, the Shuangdao Sect, the Leizhou Merchants’ Association, Military Commander Yuan Yi, General Li Shaoyun, and the others all turned to look high into the sky behind them.
A pitch-black artillery platform, forged from black steel, hung in mid-air.
It was a hudred and twenty feet long, thirty feet tall, with fifteen heavy cannons lined up in a row, thick metal barrels jutting out. Rows of ballistae lined the edges.
On the surface of the artillery platform, densely intricate formation patterns lit up, inscribed with thirty great formations, including but not limited to defensive, teleportation, levitation, qi-gathering…
In the middle of the artillery platform stood an unremarkable man, holding a scroll in his left hand:
Let everyone enter the Stupa Tower!
And a scroll in his right:
Or I’ll level Sanhua Temple to the ground!
“An- an Arcanist?”
“Wha- what sort of monster is that?”
Someone muttered.
As Jianghu people, they were well-experienced, but their horizons were limited, and Arcanists had long vanished from the Jianghu. Thus, the heroes and champions of Leizhou had nearly never witnessed the ostentatious feats of Arcanists.
This airborne steel artillery platform seemed utterly unbelievable to them, its style clashing completely with the current era.
Dongfang Wanrong gaped in astonishment. She herself commanded a magic artefact called the Wind-riding Boat, which only possessed wind manipulation and defensive formations, serving as a large flying implement.
Even so, the Wind-riding Boat was ranked among the twelve treasures of the Church of the Warlock God.
Yet compared with the floating artillery platform before them, the Wind-riding Boat was clearly not in the same league.
In some ways, the Arcanist system was indeed monstrous.
However, in Dongfang Wanrong’s estimation, the cost of refining such an artefact was astronomical and could not be mass-produced. Otherwise, the Great Feng would long ago have united the continent.
“Sun Xuanji!”
Deep within the temple, the Protector Vajra’s thunderous voice resounded.
Sun Xuanji replied lightly, “Mm!”
At the same time, he raised the scrolls in his hands again to show that he wasn’t joking.
With the firepower atop that artillery platform, a few barrages could raze Sanhua Temple to the ground. The Protector Vajra, of course, did not fear such firepower, but the monks of the temple and the centuries-old site itself would surely be destroyed.
Yuan Yi’s eyebrows shot up in delighted surprise, “Are you the Jianzheng’s second disciple, third rank Arcanist Sun Xuanji?”
As the Military Commander of Leizhou, he naturally knew of Sun Xuanji.
Military Commander was the highest-ranking official in a province, there were only thirteen such people in the whole Great Feng, true regional lords.
“Mm.”
Sun Xuanji nodded.
Below him rose in uproar. From his signature white robes, they had already guessed he was an Arcanist, but had not expected him to be the Jianzheng’s second disciple, a third rank Arcanist.
Here was an Arcanist who was truly a man of few words, exuding the demeanour of a master everywhere.
And it seemed it was this same man in azure who had summoned such a figure.
For a time, the crowd eyed Xu Qi’an with even greater suspicion and curiosity.
Who on earth was he?
He had just blown a conch, and then the white-robed Arcanist appeared… Liu Yun bit her lip, her gaze wandering constantly over the man in azure.
Li Lingsu widened his eyes, uncertain if he was more shocked or disappointed, or both.
His ability to so easily summon Sun Xuanji proved that his earlier claim of playing chess against the Jianzheng was true, he hadn’t lied… so was summoning Sun Xuanji because he thought the Vajra and Master of Wisdom weren’t worth his own effort…?
The Heaven Sect Holy Son speculated inwardly.
“Agreed!”
After a pause, the Vajra deep in the temple spoke.
Seeing this, Xu Qi’an breathed a sigh of relief.
Sun Xuanji’s threat with the artillery platform was a tactic they had arranged in advance, he was responsible for providing support outside. But if Xu Qi’an alone entered the Stupa Tower, it would be far too conspicuous.
Once inside, he would easily become a target for the Church of the Warlock God and the Buddhist masters. That was why he had spread the word, to draw in the Jianghu heroes.
Hidden among a group of commoners and acting low-key, even if he was targeted for his earlier actions, the Jianghu folk could serve as backup, ensuring he was not left to fight alone.
Seeing the Buddhist Vajra relent, the Leizhou heroes looked delighted, straightening their backs as the air of dejection and hopelessness vanished in an instant.
“The antidote!”
Monk Jingxin looked at Xu Qi’an.
Xu Qi’an smiled lightly. “Toss him over.”
Monk Jingxin gently supported the middle-aged warrior monk’s back, sending him drifting over to Xu Qi’an.
The latter reached out and pressed a finger to the warrior monk’s nose. Wisps of blue-black mist seeped out and were drawn back into his fingertip.
As the poison was extracted, the warrior monk’s blackened complexion gradually returned to a healthy flush, though he remained unconscious.
“He will awaken within two hours. After resting for a few days, he will be fully recovered.”
Xu Qi’an tossed him back.
Monk Jingxin reached out and accepted the middle-aged warrior monk, pressed his palms together, then led the monks of Sanhua Temple back inside.
General Li Shaoyun, carrying his long spear, said excitedly,
“Sir Yuan, come on, let us go inside.”
He strode forward and entered the temple first.
The others followed closely behind.
Passing through one grand hall after another, the three groups quickly arrived at their destination. Deep within the temple stood a towering Buddha pagoda.
With white walls and black tiles, at first glance it did not even look like a magical treasure, but resembled a regular Buddhist tower.
The only strange thing was that it stood a hundred metres tall, but the pagoda itself had only three windows, signifying three storeys.
In addition, the pagoda door was a dark golden colour, seemingly made of gold. There were no rings or keyholes, tightly sealed shut.
The three groups clustered outside the Stupa tower, silently facing off. The local heroes of Leizhou kept glancing up at the sky, mentally calculating the time when the Stupa tower would open as it had in previous years.
Closer and closer…
Rumble!
The tower began to shake with a heavy rumble, and the dark golden gate slowly opened.
Everyone instinctively looked inside, but saw nothing but darkness.
“Amitabha!”
Monk Jingxin pressed his palms together and bowed deeply towards the Stupa tower, taking the lead to step inside, his red and yellow kasaya swaying.
“Amitabha!”
With the chanting of the Buddha’s name, the burly young warrior monk Jingyuan and the head abbot Hengyin followed closely behind. Behind them were nine warrior monks and nine Zen masters.
Two Dhyanacarya, one warrior monk, the remaining eighteen with varying degrees of cultivation… Xu Qi’an glanced at them and understood that these twenty-one monks entering the tower would be his competitors within.
“You little bitch, you’d best not come in. Otherwise, this will be your death day, I promise you.”
The charming and beautiful Dongfang Wanrong looked back and gave Wenren Qianrou a smiling glance.
The Dongfang sisters led the disciples of the East Sea Dragon Palace into the tower.
Li Lingsu grimaced, feeling a headache coming on.
“Need me to take care of those sisters for you?”
Xu Qi’an teased in a voice transmission: “Might save you from hiding all day.”
Li Lingsu hurriedly shook his head and replied by voice transmission, “No, senior, you might as well kill me instead.”
I was just joking, two peak fourth ranks, I couldn’t kill them anyway… Xu Qi’an watched Yuan Yi and Li Shaoyun enter the tower with their subordinates, then slipped in with the other martial artists without further hesitation.
“Let’s go in too, let’s go in too!”
The little white fox struggled to get out of Mu Nanzhi’s arms, but, unable to succeed, changed tack and tried to cajole her: “Let’s go in with him and have some fun.”
“This is the Buddhists’ domain, and you even dare to enter?”
Mu Nanzhi glanced at the curious, fearless little fox beside her.
The little white fox thought for a moment, remembering the terrifying stories her kin had told her about Buddhism, and said weakly:
“W-well, I don’t really want to go after all.”
Resting her head on Mu Nanzhi’s soft chest, basking in the early winter sunlight, she asked in a crisp, childish voice,
“Auntie, what’s your relationship with him?”
“No real relationship.”
“Oh!”
The little white fox immediately relaxed, convinced Mu Nanzhi was telling the truth. After all, such an ordinary woman did not deserve Silver Gong Xu.
Only a fox who possessed talent and beauty in equal measure deserved Silver Gong Xu.
“Does he often go to the Jiaofangsi?” the little white fox asked again.
“You even know about the Jiaofangsi?” Mu Nanzhi exclaimed in surprise.
“I might never have stayed in a human city, but I know a lot. For example, human women often call other women who are more beautiful than themselves ‘fox spirits’. In human society, ‘fox spirit’ is a symbol of both beauty and talent.”
The little white fox boasted earnestly about her knowledge.
“Who told you that?” Mu Nanzhi laughed.
“My clan did.”
That is so typical of the fox clan… Mu Nanzhi thought to herself, then smiled, “Perhaps fox spirits are the most beautiful in the eyes of human women, but in the eyes of human men, there’s only one most beautiful woman in this world.”
“Who is it?” asked the white fox eagerly.
“The most beautiful woman in the Great Feng, the Zhenbei princess consort,” Mu Nanzhi answered solemnly.
She had originally wanted to say “Mu Nanzhi,” but, to avoid revealing unnecessary information, used this more conventional answer.
The little white fox showed an admiring, almost human-like expression.
At this moment, Mu Nanzhi noticed the elderly abbot of Sanhua Temple take out a bead the size of a fist from within his kasaya.
Lights shimmered within the bead, reflecting the figures of Jingxin and the others, as well as a golden, resplendent grand hall.
“Very good!”
Irbu’s light laughter floated over.
The Stupa tower was shielded from prying eyes outside, but this tear of the Mirror Beast was the key to maintaining “friendship” between the two sides.
…
Upon entering the Stupa tower, Xu Qi’an looked around and discovered he was standing in an impossibly vast main hall.
There was no dome; looking up, he could only see clouds and mist swirling overhead.
At the far end of the hall sat a golden Buddha, ten or more metres tall, like a small mountain.
This Buddha wore a kindly, dignified expression, with thick earlobes and a head covered in small, curled bumps, seated in the central position.
Even those who were not devotees would recognise at a glance who this was.
The Buddha!
To the Buddha’s left stood thirteen golden figures, and to the right, fourteen.
Among them were both men and women, with rings of varying shapes behind their heads, some were flames, others were stylised bronze discs evoking the sun, and so on.
Curiously, nine of the golden figures had indistinct faces.
Xu Qi’an calmly surveyed the hall. Its vastness far exceeded what the Stupa tower could possibly contain; judging by its exterior, such an enormous hall could never fit inside.
A Buddhist realm… This familiar scene reminded him of the time, during the Buddhist contest, when Arhat Du’e had used that golden alms bowl.
Within the golden bowl lay a Buddhist realm.
Buddhism is really skilled in such miracles. I remember, on the way from Yunzhou back to the capital, I dreamed of the battle at Shanhai Pass twenty years ago. In one scene, a certain eminent monk conjured thousands of soldiers from his palm.
Perhaps the monk held a similar magical bowl, and the army had been taken into the Buddhist realm… Also, the Leizhou locals really are calm.
The heroes of Leizhou, upon witnessing this firsthand, were not surprised at all, but remained collected.
That’s right, Wenren Qianrou mentioned that the Stupa tower opens once each year. Those who pass the tower’s trial may join Sanhua Temple as Buddhist disciples, and those who fail will surely spread tales of what they saw inside.
Xu Qi’an suddenly understood.
“Amitabha!”
Jingxin led the Buddhist monks in pressing their palms together and bowing in salute.
He turned and addressed the East Sea Dragon Palace and the Leizhou locals:
“Of these golden statues before you, the central figure is the great, compassionate Buddha, the only Buddha of all worlds. The three to the left and four to the right are the nine Bodhisattvas. The rest are the Eighteen Arhats.”
Really now, not even the Vajras qualify for a statue?
Xu Qi’an called out, “Monk, why are the nine Bodhisattvas’ faces so indistinct?”
Monk Jingxin answered every question, “These nine golden statues symbolise the nine major dharma aspects; they do not refer to any specific Bodhisattva.”
Upon hearing this, most people were puzzled, but Xu Qi’an suddenly understood.
Monk Jingxin was taken aback, studied Xu Qi’an, and called out from afar, “Do you know the nine major dharma aspects?”
Xu Qi’an nodded, “The Wrathful Vajra, The Immovable Sage, The Samsara, The Great Mercy and Compassion, The Great Wisdom, The Medicine Buddha, The Walker, The Colourless Lapis Lazuli, Vairocana the Great Sun.”
The monks of Sanhua Temple became agitated, murmuring amongst themselves.
Monk Jingxin stared deeply at Xu Qi’an.
“Huh, did he get it right? The monks from Sanhua Temple didn’t refute him.”
“I’ve long heard the Buddhist sect has nine major dharma aspects, so it’s these nine. Who is this man, to know so much about Buddhism?”
“What powers do the nine dharma aspects have?” someone shouted, looking forward to Xu Qi’an’s answer.
At this, Shuangdao Sect Master Tang Yuanwu, Liu Yun, Commander Yuan Yi, and other experts all looked over.
How would I know, I’ve never fought with Bodhisattvas… Xu Qi’an maintained a calm smile:
“The Walker dharma aspect is peerless in speed, traveling from the Western Regions by morning, and arriving at Mount Jing by night. The Colourless Lapis Lazuli allows one’s mind to be as clear as a mirror, with no thoughts or emotions, and one’s thoughts slowed down.”
At this point, he sneered as if too lazy to explain further, and said, “As for the other dharma aspects, you can infer their qualities from their names.”
Is he real… Everyone looked instinctively to Monk Jingxin and the others, only to see that Jingxin, Jingyuan, and Sanhua Temple’s Head Monk Hengyin all wore slightly dazed expressions.
It’s true! The same thought flashed through everyone’s minds.
“Hiss…”
Li Shaoyun leaned on his spear, looked back at Xu Qi’an, and grinned, “Hey, who are you to know so much?”
Yuan Yi reminded him, “Maybe he’s a senior.”
On the other side, Dongfang Wanrong asked her younger sister in a low voice, “Is it him?”
Dongfang Wanqing shook her head, “Impossible to be sure. This person doesn’t seem simple, he’s a bit different from the man in azure from Pingzhou.”
Earlier, when they saw the middle-aged warrior monk get poisoned, the Dongfang sisters suspected this man in azure was the very same person they’d encountered in Pingzhou.
Both excelled at using poison.
But their appearances differed, and there were no signs of a disguise. Also, the average-looking woman who had been with him was gone.
More importantly, they had never seen this man in azure use the secret Gu techniques, so they couldn’t be certain.
Dongfang Wanqing continued, “Pingzhou is far from Leizhou; logically, they couldn’t have arrived here so quickly.”
The charming elder sister frowned, “You saw it too: this person knows the arcanists from the Sitianjian. If they led the way, it would make sense.”
Dongfang Wanqing replied indifferently, “First you’d have to prove that the man in azure from Pingzhou knows the arcanists from the Sitianjian.”
She paused before continuing, “Guessing is pointless. Let’s look for a chance to test him later and force him to use a secret Gu technique.”
Xu Qi’an didn’t know what the Dongfang sisters were plotting. His gaze was fixed intently on the twenty-seven golden statues apart from the Buddha, trying to discern which one represented Shenshu.
First, he ruled out the eighteen Arhat statues. The Arhats all had distinct features, and Xu Qi’an had seen Shenshu’s face, confirming he wasn’t among them.
If Shenshu was present, he could only be one of the nine Bodhisattvas. No, that wasn’t right, the nine golden statues represented the nine major dharma aspects, not any individual… At the very least, Shenshu isn’t an Arhat.
Monk Jingxin said no more, leading the monks towards the Buddha’s golden statue.
The Arhat and Bodhisattva statues stood on both sides, welcoming them along the path.
As they brushed past the first Arhat’s statue, their pace slowed. Every step took a three-second pause.
Xu Qi’an noticed this, mystified.
The spirited Liu Yun walked over to him and whispered,
“Did you know, this Stupa Tower opens just once a year? Anyone wishing to join Sanhua Temple must undergo a trial in the Stupa Tower.”
Xu Qi’an nodded calmly.
“According to Sanhua Temple, this is called measuring one’s Buddha-nature. Those who possess it may join the Buddhist sect, those without it are fated not to. Look at them,” Liu Yun gestured at Monk Jingxin and the others, “as they walk forward along this path, under the ‘gaze’ of the Arhats and Bodhisattvas, if you can walk a hundred paces, you are fated for Buddhism. Less than a hundred, then you have no Buddha-nature. I’ve heard people who have entered the tower before say this path is hard to traverse.”
Xu Qi’an mused, “What about warrior monks?”
Warrior monks and Zen masters followed different paths. How does one measure Buddha-nature here?
Liu Yun curled her lip, “Anyone here who can reach sixth rank as a martial artist basically has Buddha-nature. To the Buddhist sect, anyone who can break into the sixth rank has potential, so why turn them away? Makes no sense otherwise. Of course, those who practise Buddhism definitely have Buddha-nature too.
“See? The Sanhua Temple monks are moving faster than the rest.”
Xu Qi’an followed her gaze: by now, all parties had stepped onto the “trial path”, forming three distinct tiers.
The Sanhua Temple monks were far ahead, striding steadily forward.
Next were the Dongfang sisters, Li Shaoyun, Yuan Yi, and Tang Yuanwu, all fourth rank.
The last group were the Leizhou martial artists.
“Are you not going?” Liu Yun asked.
“I’ll watch a bit longer,” replied Xu Qi’an, his gaze scanning the distance.
“I’ll go on ahead then,” Liu Yun said, catching up quickly with the crowd. She hurried her steps, but when she reached the first Arhat statue, she abruptly slowed down.
Each step required nearly ten seconds; she seemed to struggle to move.
After a while, as the Sanhua Temple’s Head Monk Hengyin left the others far behind, he turned, smiled, and put his palms together:
“Everyone, walk to where the Buddha sits, and after thirteen bows, you may go to the second level. We will await you there.”
He seemed to be mocking them.
Thirteen bows to ascend to the second level… Xu Qi’an realised, and no longer hesitated, moving forward hesitantly.
As he passed the first Arhat statue, he slowed and tentatively took a step.
But there was no feeling of resistance.
He took a second step.
Again, he felt none of the pressure from being “watched” by the Arhat; it felt just like normal walking.
Is my Buddha-nature (potential) that strong? No, no matter much potential I have, I shouldn’t feel nothing at all, even a fourth rank Zen master like Jingxin can’t walk so easily… Something is amiss, Xu Qi’an grew even more cautious.
So it’s not a matter of potential; it’s some unique aspect of me. But I have no direct connection to Buddhism… Suddenly, he realised: he did have a major karmic connection to Buddhism.
This connection stemmed from the ideals of Mahayana Buddhism.
He instantly recalled the time Arhat Du’e called him “Buddha Son”, and Vaidurya Bodhisattva wanted to capture him and bring him back to the sect as the Buddha Son, renouncing all emotion.
Back then, Xu Qi’an thought they admired his “talent”, but now he saw things were not so simple.
He might truly have become a Buddha Son; when he expounded on the Mahayana Buddhist ideal, he and the Buddhist sect became deeply intertwined in karma.
That was why Vaidurya Bodhisattva wanted to capture him and bring him into Buddhism.
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