Ancient Strengthening Technique (Portraits of Beauty)

Chapter 797

AST 854 – Spirit Channeling Jade, Liu-Li Pregnant

"In the future, when you cultivate, I will provide the medicinal pills. As for your cultivation path, you choose it yourself. Ten years later, if you still want to follow me, then come to the Heavenly Palace in Greencloud Continent to look for me!"

Qing Shui said after a.s.sisting Chi Ao and Chi Feng in awakening their potentials.

Before the two of them could say anything, Qing Shui continued, "Don"t say anything now, just do your best to practise the things I have taught you. Now, I will teach you two sets of fist techniques. Remember to practise."



The Taichi Fist cultivated a tranquil heart and resolved the baleful aura in their bodies. This way, they would not be corrupted by it, turning into killing machines.

Earlier, he mentioned that they have to get strong, this was not simple to do at all. If they were able to reach such heights within ten years, to rely on that baleful aura in their bodies to reach that level, then Qing Shui would be able to push them to even further heights.

On this night, there were many people who did not rest. They stayed up the entire night to familiarize themselves with the Tiger Form and feel the strength in their bodies. They were so excited that they could not contain themselves. They even wanted to go out to the mountains and fight with the mountain boars and tigers. At the moment, when their strength was increasing, especially the moment when they were practising the Tiger Form, they felt an unexplainable delight.

However, Qing Shui returned to his room, then entered the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal.

While it was only a day for others, even if they did not eat or sleep, it was just 24 hours, it was different for Qing Shui. He had a lot of time. However, he cultivated too many things.

He had to acc.u.mulate experience for everything. Like refining medicine or breaking through in his techniques, it was the result of acc.u.mulating experience. The more he practised, the more familiar he would be. Only by continually practising and acc.u.mulating experience, could he discover the intricacies of the techniques and breakthrough to new realms.

When he came out of the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal, it was already late at night. When Qing Shui came out of the room to the outside. He could see could see two figures dancing in the moonlight, practising the Tiger Form.

The village chief himself was not far off, overseeing Chi Ao and Chi Feng. Qing Shui slowly walked over. When the village chief saw Qing Shui, he said happily, "Why are you not resting sir?"

"I can"t sleep, so I came out to talk a walk. Why are you not resting?"

Qing Shui knew the reason but he still asked anyway. He knew that the village chief was worried about Chi Ao and Chi Feng. Although, they were not his grandchildren, after raising them for twenty-odd years, it was no different than if they were his own grandchildren.

"I could not sleep either. Hmm, I forgot something. Sir, please wait for me here for a bit." The old village chief seemed to have suddenly thought of something.

Qing Shui nodded his head and agreed. He did not know why did the old village chief suddenly left.

After about ten breaths of time, he heard the sound of footsteps. When Qing Shui turned his head to look, he was stunned. He saw the village chief carrying a bluish-green jade that was about the size of an infant. The jade had a simple beauty to it, its color was not garish.

What a huge piece of jade!

Qing Shui was astonished but what he noticed later made him even more astonished. The appearance of this jade as well as the Spiritual Energy it gave off caused him to think of a particular item.

Spirit Channeling Jade!

"This was pa.s.sed down by my ancestors. They obtained it long ago in jade mountain. It seems like something good. It’s a pity that we do not know what is it used for. When placed in a room, it will keep the room fresh and clean, making one"s mood feel especially good. I hope sir would not dislike this. There are no other better things here that I can repay sir with." The old village chief handed the jade over to Qing Shui.

Qing Shui hesitated for abit. He could tell that the village chief really wanted him to have it, Qing Shui himself wanted it too. However, he could not just take it for nothing. Thus, he did not say anything else and received it. After that, he immediately took out a Xiantian Golden Pellet. He did not want to owe the old man anything. That piece of jade was definitely not an ordinary item. He could feel it when he received it.

"Senior, this thing can allow you to strengthen your body. Eat it, I"ll help you adjust to it," Qing Shui said as he threw the jade into the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal.

The old man did not reject it and immediately swallowed that pretty medicinal pill. Everyone in Jade Mountain Village already knew how strong this youth"s pills were.

The old man sat crossed-legged there as Qing Shui used the Gold Needles to protect his pulse and important meridians, allowing the huge energy to circulate a cycle. Very soon, a layer of black filth was exuded from the old man"s body.

Xiantian cultivators had all experienced marrow cleansing. This was the difference between Xiantian and Houtian.

The old man opened his eyes and stared at Qing Shui dumbfoundedly. When he noticed the stink on his body, he quickly apologized and went to take a shower. With his peak Houtian cultivation, he knew what was going on. Furthermore, now, he was a Xiantian cultivator.

In the past, becoming a Xiantian was just a wishful dream from him. Now, he actually had broken through to Xiantian.

Very soon, the old man changed his set of clothes. His previously old and fragile figure seemed to have turned slightly younger. There was now a glow on his face and a look of satisfaction in his eyes.

"Sir has given this old man too much. You have helped me achieved the biggest dream I had when I was young," the old village chief said gratefully.

"You have already became a Xiantian cultivator. You should be able to see the talent that Chi Ao and Chi Feng have. I have a few things here that I want you to give to them in future. I am going to leave now." Qing Shui handed over many beast parchments to the old man.

"You are leaving now?" The old man said bewilderedly.

"Mn. Yes, I"m leaving. You will guide the people here in their cultivation. Remember to remind them to not antagonize the strong Demonic Beasts. It is no problem if a group of people working together deal with a wild beast. Do not be greedy. I believe that you will be able to help them to understand." Qing Shui smiled at the old man.

"Don"t worry, the people in this mountain village are the best at being satisfied with what they have."

"Please say goodbye to them on my behalf. If I have the opportunity to in the future, I will come here again." Qing Shui waved his hands as he floated into the air. Suddenly a huge fiery red bird appeared in mid-air.

Qing Shui got onto the Fire Bird. The huge red wings flapped and disappeared from their view very soon.

"That"s Uncle!"

"Uncle left!"

"Teacher left!"

Qing Shui held a huge piece of jade in his hands. It looked like a huge symbol of power and good fortune. In his memories, the Spirit Channeling Jade had a very great origin. It was a piece of five colored divine stone that was left behind after Nuwa repaired the heavens. After that, an incredibly strong divine monkey was born from it……

Qing Shui did not know if the piece of jade in his arms was similar but it was not like that five colored divine stone. It did not have five colors……

He looked at it with the Heavenly Vision Technique while he felt a complicated emotion.

Spirit Channeling Jade!

It was a famous and precious jade. It was the Jade Heart of the huge Jade Mountain. It had some miraculous powers. It could increase ten percent of his overall speed. It currently was only in its first grade, that was its basic level of power.

Qing Shui remembered that the Spirit Channeling Jade can gain experience and level up. Its effect was to raise his overall speed. It was similar to the effect he saw but even stronger.

Increasing his overall speed, that should refered to his Demonic Beast"s speed, medicinal herbs and all his other supplementary techniques……

At this moment, Qing Shui did not know what to say, he had just obtained the Spirit Gathering Lamp not too long ago. Now, he actually obtained the Spirit Channeling Jade.

"Jade Mountain Village……"

Qing Shui suddenly thought about when the old village chief mentioned that this used to be a very famous jade mountain. He said that they obtained it from the Jade Mountain and this Spirit Channeling Jade was its Jade Heart. Could all this be true?

However, the jade mountain now looked like a stone mountain. Could it be because the Jade Heart was gone?

The Jade Heart was the foundation of the jade mountain. Around the Jade Heart were Jade Marrows and Jade Essence. There was no need to mention the preciousness of Gold Essence, Jade Essence was similar. The Jade Marrow was more precious than Jade Essence. As for the Jade Heart, it was even more so.

Looking at the Spirit Channeling Jade, its state was very good. When he held it in his hands, it felt like it weighed hundreds of pounds. As a peak Houtian cultivator, it was natural that he was able to move it around.

In his memories, these magic treasures were split into Grade One Magic Treasures, Grade Two Magic Treasures and Grade Three Magic Treasures. Although it was not necessary that a Grade Three Magic Treasure would be stronger than a Grade One Magic Treasure, the Grade Three Magic Treasure would normally have more abilities. Of course, the effect would be stronger as well. The abilities of a Grade One Magic Treasure was more restrictive too. Like the Soulshake bell can only be used against Demonic Beasts and the Spirit Gathering Lamp increased the damage of Demonic Beast"s skills.

However, in the World of the Nine Continents, all of these might be different. Furthermore, these Magic Treasures were not differentiated by Grades. Only by level and the abilities that it carried.

The Spirit Channeling Jade has a strong Spiritual Energy, perhaps that is why it could have such an effect, Qing Shui thought before he tempered it once then threw it into the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal. Since he tempered it once outside, he would not be able to temper it inside the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal for one day.

A treasure like the Spirit Channeling Jade was of immeasurable value to Qing Shui. With the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal, Qing Shui would be able to save a lot of time. It could help Qing Shui and his Demonic Beasts to raise their speed. When its level is increased, its effects will be even greater.

Nine Continents Steps Effect!

The second day Qing Shui arrived here, he had already used the Nine Continents Steps Effect once. He would keep his one remaining opportunity to use it at night. In case he ran into any danger, he could use it to save his life.

After flying for two hours, Qing Shui went into the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal for two hours before continuing on his journey. By the time it was morning, he could already see the figure of the city.

With another Nine Continents Steps Effect, he should arrive at the outskirts.

He felt the abundant Spiritual Qi of Eastern Victory Divine Continent. The Spiritual Qi of Eastern Victory Divine Continent was much higher than that of other continents. One of the characteristics of this continent was that the vegetation here was particularly dense.

Qing Shui did not stop. His target was in the east. The more he headed to the east, the more abundant the Spiritual Qi was. The powers in the east were also stronger because the Spiritual Qi was more abundant. It was more suitable for cultivation, thus, the strong powers gathered in the east.

……
……

Greencloud Continent, Heavenly Palace, Qing Clan.

"Liu-Li, you must be satisfied now. You are about to become a mother." Canghai Mingyue looked at Huoyun Liu-Li, who already had a small b.u.mp on her belly.

"This rascal left for so long and has not returned yet," Huoyun Liu-li Said happily, her pretty face had an additional elegance to it.

Right now, she was being very careful. It had taken a long time for her to get pregnant, causing her to feel that it was very precious. This was the child of her and Qing Shui. She wanted to see her child being born soon.

"He does this often, you don"t have to worry about him. The number of people who are able to hurt him are few. I only worry that he went to the Central Continent or somewhere further," Canghai Mingyue said calmly.

"Mother!"

The two young fellows ran in. In half a year"s time, these two young children had changed greatly. After a while, another two young fellows came in—Qing Ming and Qing Yan.

The four little fellows were as exquisite as porcelaine dolls. They were incomparably pretty.

"Elder Sister, Look at how pretty these few fellows are. I"m afraid that I will give birth to an ugly child."

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AST 855 – Golden Buddha Temple, Heart As Clear As A Mirror, Surpa.s.sing Epiphany

"Sister, look at how beautiful these few little fellows are. I"m afraid that I"ll have an ugly baby."

Huoyun Liu-Li laughed, mostly joking about it.

"Our Liu-Li is such a beauty, how would you have ugly baby?" Canghai Mingyue teased her from one side.

"Even if the baby is ugly, it"s still my child. If he dares to hate it, I"ll make him pay," Huoyun Liu-Li laughed too after finis.h.i.+ng her sentence.

"Aunty is so beautiful!" Qing Yin stood on her tiptoes and told Huoyun Liu-Li.

Huoyun Liu-Li bent down to scoop Qing Yin up. "Little la.s.s has such a sweet mouth, unlike that big meanie at all."

"That big meanie?" The little la.s.s stared at Huoyun Liu-Li in curiosity.

"I"m talking about Qing Shui. Remember, Qing Shui is a big meanie," Huoyun Liu-Li said cheerfully.

"Oh, Daddy is a big meanie," Qing Yin"s voice was a little unconvinced as she stared at Huoyun Liu-Li.

Canghai Mingyue stood at one side speechlessly before quickly taking Qing Yin back into her arms. "La.s.s, don"t listen to your Aunty. Your Daddy treats you best. He"s not a meanie."

"Sister, I was just teasing the child!" Huoyun Liu-Li chuckled.

"Children are gullible. If they start calling Qing Shui as Big Meanie…….."

Huoyun Liu-Li laughed. "Alright, alright. I"m not going to teach her that. But I"m very curious to see what would happen. Qing Shui would definitely blow his top."

The Qing Clan basically didn"t go out. The only time they went out was for cultivation. Over the past half a year, their cultivations had been growing rapidly and steadily, especially the third generation and Luan Luan.

Qing Qing had also been improving very fast. Her Four-eared Macaque had also surprised everyone. Although it didn"t really increase in size, its strength had been increasing like crazy everyday.

The most tragic one would be Huoyun Liu-Li"s Golden Jade Rabbit. It was small in size and very gorgeous-looking. The few children had been pestering her to see it most of the time……

Qing Shui didn"t really know everything that was going on in the Qing Clan, especially about Huoyun Liu-Li"s pregnancy. If he knew, he would definitely be exhilarated because he knew Huoyun Liu-Li wanted a child of her own very much.

He had arrived at a city called the Golden Light City by now. He had stopped over here because there were many "Buddhas" here.

He didn"t know why, he seemed to be very fated with "Buddha". Not only that, he kept feeling that Buddha and bald heads were inseparable….

The Golden Light City was a city located in the middle of the Eastern Victory Divine Continent, slightly closer to the eastern part. The city was especially flouris.h.i.+ng. Legend had it that people who pa.s.sed here would receive Buddha"s blessings, so this place became a bustling city. This city was also more famous in the entire Eastern Victory Divine Continent.

Qing Shui remembered about the unnamed divine cultivation art that he had once gotten and there was a monk in it. Then also the Nine Waves Great Golden Buddha Palm and the Thousand Buddha Palm Imprint that he had been cultivating. Other than that, an enormous Buddha image had appeared a few times during Qing Shui"s life and it seemed like he was the only one who could see it.

He was at the heart of the Golden Light City. Two or three monks dressed in kasaya robes were seen on the big streets from time to time and some of them had a staff in their hands.The most important figures in the Golden Light City were monks.

The Golden Buddha Temple! The most distinctive existence in the Golden Light City.

Qing Shui had only heard some rumors after he came here. The Golden Buddha Temple was said to be a branch of one of the Buddha Sects in the Central Continent. The members of the Golden Buddha Temple possessed powerful abilities and were definitely the most powerful in this Golden Light City.

The place that Qing Shui was heading towards now was the Golden Light Temple!

The Golden Light Temple was situated at the summit of the Jinluo Mountain. The Jinluo mountain was the biggest mountain range in the Golden Light City. Besides, many people visited the Golden Buddha Temple everyday. Most of them went for the sake of getting some Buddha aura on them.

They went there to offer a stick of incense and also make some donations to the temple.

It was almost noon by the time Qing Shui arrived at the Jinluo Mountain. The enormous mountain summit s.h.i.+mmered in gold under the sunlight, creating an illusion of a golden mountain to people.

He looked at the flight of stone steps that was about ten metres wide and winded upwards. Each stone step was less than one foot high. But every flight of stone steps led up to about five or six metres before the next one.

Looking around, he saw many people were making their way towards the Golden Buddha Temple. These stone steps were very safe, even for ordinary people to climb and incidents of loose stone steps would definitely not happen. The "Buddha Nature" was evident even in just the stone steps. It seemed like there was a reason behind the reverence of many people.

"Big Brother, you are also going to make a wish?"

Qing Shui looked towards the source of the voice and saw a tall youth asking a slightly shorter man.

The two of them weren"t really good-looking and Qing Shui also couldn"t sense any martial techniques on them.

"Oh, seems like you are also going to?" The shorter man appeared to be a little older than the taller man.

"That"s right. I really have no other choices so I can only come to make a wish. I heard that the Buddha Light Temple is very effective and the magic power of the Great Master here is boundlessly powerful," the taller man said helplessly yet hopefully.

"According to other people, this Buddha Light Temple will distribute some "Divine Water" to people who make a wish. It is said that this "Divine Water" is especially effective," the shorter man added. He seemed to have come for that "Divine Water".

The stone steps stretched on very long and very high. It could be considered a major engineering project. Qing Shui followed the the crowd as he made his way slowly towards the summit.

He been walking for more than two hours and there didn"t seem to be anyone das.h.i.+ng or even running because such actions were said to be disrespectful to "Buddha". Besides, it also put one"s mental state and perseverance to the test.

For cultivators, this was a test of patience. For non-cultivators, this was a test of perseverance.

Could this be considered as asking for direction?

The Buddha Light Temple on the mountain summit finally came into his view after turning about 18 corners on his way. Qing Shui was quite astounded the moment he laid his eyes on the Buddha Light Temple for the first time.

It was an enormous group of buildings, built with yellow colored stones that caused these buildings to emit faint golden light.

There were many houses built from these yellow colored stones on the way but definitely none of them emitted such radiance. Besides, the sun was not around now so this was not reflected light.

"This Buddha Light Temple doesn"t look so simple." Qing Shui thought inwardly, while he entered the main hall of this Buddha Light Temple, along with the others.

This was the hall that was open to public. It had about the same size as the main hall of the Cloud Adventurer Guild but there were more pillars here.

Golden Buddha Hall!

That was the name of this main hall. The first things that entered his field of view were the many Buddha statues and crowds. All of the Buddha statues were golden in color and each of them were about the same size. The biggest Buddha statue was the one facing the entrance of the main hall. It had a height of twenty metres while the rest were a lot smaller than it, with a height of only three metres.

There were a few praying cus.h.i.+ons in front of each Buddha statue. Many would step forward to kneel and wors.h.i.+p. There were also some people dressed in kasaya robes sitting cross-legged somewhere slightly further away in the big hall. In front of them were many people who wanted to have a discussion with them after wors.h.i.+pping the Buddhas. Most of them would receive some fruit or "Divine Water" from those monks and then leave happily.

Qing Shui observed that the monks sitting there were usually quite old in age.

Many people stood in front of that enormous Buddha statue, perhaps because of its enormous size, it slightly reminded Qing Shui of the Vajra"s Glare that he was so familiar to.

Vajra’s Glare?

Qing Shui suddenly gained some kind of understanding when he saw that enormous Buddha statue. Or perhaps he should say that it felt like some kind of enlightenment. He stood there dazed, neither making a move nor kneeling.

At this very moment, Qing Shui felt as if he was bathed by sunlight. Every bone in his body, his spiritual sense and his entire body felt indescribably refreshed.

Just at this moment, Qing Shui realized that the Buddha image behind him had emerged once again. He also realized that this Buddha image was very similar to the Buddha statue in front of him, especially the facial features.

Glare!

Vajra!

Qing Shui"s heart was as clear as a mirror right now. It was as if his entire body was undergoing some subtle changes. The "Vajra"s Glare" which hadn"t been improving and he didn"t even know how to cultivate either was continuously growing stronger. It was as if his entire body and bones were being refined tremendously.

It wasn"t an epiphany. It was something more than that.

The people around him came and went. Some were giving him weird stares. They were looking at this motionless young man that had a serene look on his face. No one saw the enormous Buddha image behind him.

There was a very special Buddha Statue at the deepest part of the big hall on the right side. It was as tall as an ordinary person and was also the smallest statue here. An old man was sitting cross-legged in front of this Buddha statue. He was an emaciated old man with long eyebrows, dressed in a robe which was a little too loose on him. Right at this very moment, the old man was staring at Qing Shui in amazement from afar. A dark red mark akin to a birthmark oddly appeared above and in between his eyes and it was glowing faintly.

The Buddhist"s Third Eye, rumored to be able see through all disguises and terrify opponents to their very soul. This could also be considered a type of spiritual attack. It lowered the opponent"s will to fight, losing the desire to continue fighting and thus lowering their strength. It could even damage the opponent"s "soul", sinking them into derangement and imbecility… An ultimate Buddhist Eye could instantly frighten the weak out of their wits.

The old man rose up slowly and then walked towards Qing Shui with a look of disbelief. He walked very slowly and stopped about twenty metres away from Qing Shui. Then he just continued staring at him.

In about 15 minutes, Qing Shui appeared to have woken up from a deep slumber. He had an extremely marvelled look on his face. It was his first time experiencing an epiphany before Buddha, the first time his heart was as clear as a mirror and the first time he felt enlightenment that had caused a transformation within his body.

One fold!

Qing Shui"s strength was instantly doubled. Not only that, Vajra"s Glare had definitely levelled up too. But Qing Shui didn"t even have any intention to check up on it right now.

His physical strength of 5,000 countries in offense had now turned to one star. His defense had also reached 16,000 countries. His spirit energy that had previously been increased tremendously had once again greatly raisen.

He was really lucky this time. It was almost unbelievable to him that his strength would be raised this way. On top of that, it was an immense increase. This made Qing Shui feel so unreal. He turned around to look at the Buddha image that was slowly fading away.

He sensed once again. After confirming that everything was real, he clasped his palms together and bowed deeply towards the Buddha statue. At this moment, that old monk with long eyebrows started walking again to Qing Shui"s side.

"h.e.l.lo, little almsgiver!"

"h.e.l.lo, Great Master!" Qing Shui had found great pleasure in seeing monks, so he was extremely happy to meet one right now. He was indeed very fated with "Buddha".

"Do you mind moving elsewhere to talk? This place is a little unsuitable." The old man looked at Qing Shui with a smile.

"Please lead the way, Great Master!" Qing Shui said after hesitating for a moment.

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AST 856 – Buddha in One"s Heart, Buddha"s True Eyes

Qing Shui followed the elderly man who was clad in monk robes. They went through the main hall and into the inner hall. With his increased strength, Qing Shui was not afraid of any sort of danger since he knew he could defend himself.

Perhaps the elderly man understood this, so when they entered the inner hall, he stopped and turned to Qing Shui, " You have an affinity with Buddha, so you don"t have to worry."

When he heard this, Qing Shui smiled. This reminded him of the scenes from movies in his previous life when the hero saved the earth. However, he did actually feel like he had an affinity with Buddha.

"Why?" Qing Shui wanted to know the elderly man"s thoughts. He could sense that the old monk was very powerful. If he hadn"t received enlightenment earlier, he would"ve never be able to defend against this man. However, as his strength had increased by a fold, he could do so easily now. This strength he received from his enlightenment did not require any time or effort for him to get used to. He could instantly control it perfectly.

"You have the Nine Yang Buddha Body, which only appears every ten thousand years. You are blessed by Buddha. You might not believe me, but did you experience a sort of nirvana just now?" the old monk asked earnestly.

"I did. I thought that it was just a coincidence that I felt enlightened. Is that the meaning of having an affinity with Buddha? I guess that must be quite common." Qing Shui did not ask any further about the Nine Yang Buddha Body. It was quite obvious that he had that body const.i.tution.

"I looked for you today because I wanted to discuss something with you," the old monk looked at Qing Shui.

"I am not interested in becoming a monk," Qing Shui said softly.

"We don"t need you to be a monk. We just need you to register your name here at the Golden Buddha Temple. We would be very grateful to you," the old monk quickly replied.

"I would like to know some basic information about your temple," Qing Shui said after he thought about it. After all, he had obtained a great benefit from this place, so he did not mind registering his name here. Besides, he was not familiar with anyone in the Eastern Victory Divine Continent. It was just that he did not want to be restrained by anything if he did register this name with the temple.

"I am an ascetic monk of the Golden Buddha Temple. There are many like me here. The Golden Buddha Temple was once a branch of the Central Continent Buddha Sect. However, even though it was a branch, there wasn"t really a true connection. It was more a tacit agreement. This not only applied to the Golden Buddha Temple and the Buddha Sect. There are other branches that exist in a similar manner after being abandoned by the Buddha Sect." the old man explained calmly.

"So how many branches does the Buddha Sect have now?" Qing Shui remembered that there were nine sects: Buddha Sect, Joyous Meditation Sect, Diamond Sect…

"Just as before, they have nine sects. But now, they are all in the Central Continent. The other temples outside have already established themselves as independent sects. Regardless, these sects still borrow the influence of the Buddha Sect in the Central Continent." the old monk shared openly.

The old monk"s frankness impressed Qing Shui. He looked at the man and asked, "If I registered my name, how would this help you?"

Qing Shui did not understand why this man had said so much to him. He was never going to be a monk so he did not see how this would benefit the organization.

"I have no idea, but I know that it is a rare opportunity to meet someone with the Nine Yang Buddha Body, so we don"t want to miss this chance. We don"t need you to do anything and we won"t restrict you with any of our rules even if you register with us," the old monk understood that the young man did not wish for any obligations.

"If you agree to my request, I"ll bring you to see the Abbot," the old man watched Qing Shui.

"Come in. No one will force you if you"re unwilling. We will not put you at any disadvantage." Just then, a resonant voice rang out that seemed to come from all directions. The voice sounded forceful and wise, yet incomparably kind.

Qing Shui looked at the old monk without giving much reaction, acting as if he had not heard that voice. He smiled and urged the old monk, "Old Elder, please lead the way!"

They walked through the inner hall which was filled with many Buddha statues. However, these statues were about human-sized and there were fewer of them than outside.

After they pa.s.sed through the inner hall, they arrived at a smaller shrine that was within the hall itself.

"Please enter, I will wait here. The abbot is waiting inside."

Qing Shui exchanged a few pleasantries and entered the shrine.

Qing Shui could not feel calm as he could sense that the abbot was a very powerful man, so powerful that he was unable to gauge his exact strength.

When he entered the shrine, he saw another Buddha statue similar to but smaller than the one facing the entrance.

There was a prayer mat in front of the statue, upon which an old man was kneeling. He was facing away from Qing Shui and his white hair was so long that it reached the floor. Even if he was standing, it would probably go past his waist. He wore a white kasaya and was extremely thin.

"Sit!" the kind voice spoke as the old man turned slowly.

With his gaunt face, the old man looked emaciated. Somehow, he looked very kind. He had a rosy glow and his very long white eyebrows drooped to his chest.

"Thank you, Abbot." Qing Shui replied as he sat down on his knees on the praying mat three meters away.

"Young sir, do you believe that Buddha exists?" the abbot asked in his kind world-weary voice.

"I do!"

"Then, do you know where Buddha is?"

"Buddha is in my heart!"

"What a brilliant reply. As expected from someone with the Nine Yang Buddha Body." The old man seemed exceptionally happy.

"Nine Yang Buddha Body?"

Qing Shui could recall the many Buddha-related experiences he had. Since he was in a temple, it was good to believe in Buddha. Having a religion wasn"t necessarily something bad, and it didn"t really have much of an impact on him whether he believed or not.

"Actually you don"t have the Nine Yang Buddha Body, or rather there is no such thing in this world. Rather, you have a special rare body const.i.tution with an extremely Yang nature, perhaps due to the techniques you practice. This state is also known as Nine Yang and it is very powerful…" the old man explained succinctly. This made it easy for Qing Shui to understand and accept his words.

"This is just as I thought." Qing Shui smiled, replying.

"You are one of the most considerably intelligent people that I"ve met in my lifetime. Unfortunately, although you have Buddha in your heart, you do not have the interest in that path." The old man smiled faintly, not revealing his true feelings.

Qing Shui was quite surprised that the old man knew, but he was relieved. The old man"s wise eyes seemed capable of boring into one’s mind. Since he had revealed some things about himself, the old man must have noticed based on his extensive experience.

"You have seen through me."

The old man shook his head, smiling,"Let"s just talk today. Don"t worry. You don"t have to register your name here. As long as you have Buddha in your heart, that"s enough."

Qing Shui was stunned. The old man"s words were profound. Without any warning, he had stealthily created a situation which drew Qing Shui in. Qing Shui felt a little uncomfortable interacting with someone like that, but at least he didn"t feel totally exposed.

"Since fate has made us meet each other, I will give you this. You might find it useful." The old man handed a piece of flyleaf to Qing Shui.

Qing Shui hesitated. He did not know what it was and he did not want to owe anything, so he did not reach for it.

"Take it. It"s simply fate. You don"t need to feel burdened." the old man smiled, seeming to see through Qing Shui.

"It doesn"t seem right." Qing Shui felt a little embarra.s.sed since he had received such a great benefit from the temple and now he was actually going to accept another gift.

"Take it. Be decisive. It is not a good thing to be too calculated," the old man said.

Qing Shui took it as it would make him look fake if he didn"t do so at that point. "Thank you!" he said to the old man.

"You must be from somewhere foreign," the old man said casually.

"Yes!"

"So you need information." the old man laughed.

Qing Shui nodded.

"I am aware of the goings-on in the Eastern Victory Divine Continent. Since we have this fated encounter, you can go ahead and ask me about anything. I will answer you if I can." The old man was ever so kind and composed. His expression did not change much and he was almost as calm as a stone statue.

Qing Shui sensed that the old man understood him. The old man was offering him as much as he could. Even Qing Shui felt that this was the best approach.

Qing Shui scanned the paper and saw two words: Buddha"s Eyes!

Buddha"s Eyes!

Buddha"s True Eyes!

Qing Shui looked and quickly kept it in his Realm of the Violet Immortal. After that, he looked to the old man and asked, "Can I go to the Sky Penetrating Mountains now?"

The old man looked at Qing Shui and laughed, "Yes. But it would be best for you to bring a group of experts along with you. You might find yourself struggling otherwise. It is very dangerous there, so do take care."

Qing Shui chuckled. He agreed with the old man, but he did not know whether to laugh or cry at his suggestion about bringing other experts.

"There are many formidable top-tier clans and sects in the Eastern Victory Divine Continent. Abbot, can you name a few, so that I am prepared?" Qing Shui said after some thought.

"There are so many. I will give you a few names. With your current strength, these are the few that you should avoid offending."

Qing Shui grinned, "Abbot, you are overestimating me."

"The powerful groups start from here all the way to the east. They are the Sky Prison Sect, G.o.dly Sword Clan, Tyrant Fist Sect, Poison Mountain Stockade, Silken Web Ridge, Dongfang Aristocrat Clan, Mu Clan…"

Qing Shui remembered these names in his heart. These were important for him in the Eastern Victory Divine Continent as he remembered the old man"s words.

"You can go, but bring a group of experts along with you."

When Qing Shui thought of this, he knew that the old man chose his words carefully. He wondered if the old man meant to advise him to get companions before venturing there.

"These sects and clans are all found in the most eastern city of Eastern Victory Divine Continent, the Eastern G.o.d Country. It is very close to the Sky Penetrating Mountains, so there are people who explore those mountains. You can go there and have a look."

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