In that instant, all eyes turned towards him. Among them, two gazes made Xu Qi’an feel a chill down his spine.

From the depths of the temple, the gaze of the Third-rank Vajra was filled with scrutiny. Meanwhile, the look from Yierbu radiated an icy coldness.

The martial artists present quietly distanced themselves, afraid of being caught in the crossfire should this mysterious expert be “disciplined” by the Third-rank Spirit Wisdom Master or the Vajra Guardian.

They were displeased with how the Spirit Wisdom Master from the Witch God Sect had slandered Silver Medallist Xu, but they only dared to grumble quietly in weak protest. To openly mock like the blue-robed man had done was tantamount to suicide.

Liu Yun from the Twin Blade Sect struggled to her feet, wiping blood from the corner of her mouth. She was delighted that someone had stood up, but couldn’t help worrying for this plain-looking man in blue robes.

This man’s methods were mysterious and his cultivation formidable, daring to face a Third-rank expert. Under normal circumstances, she would have invited him for a drink… but now she only wished for him to leave quickly.

As these thoughts crossed her mind, the observant Liu Yun noticed that the blue-robed man’s companions showed no signs of panic or fear. Their expressions were calm, and one ordinary-looking man even glinted in his eyes, as if… as if he was looking forward to the coming conflict.

Yuan Yi and the other Fourth-rank experts gazed intently at the blue-robed man, while also keeping an eye on the two Third-rank experts’ reactions. They hoped to gauge the true attitudes of the two Third-ranks through this blue-robed man’s fate.

If the blue-robed man met with misfortune, they would decisively abandon the treasures within the pagoda and leave the Three Flower Temple.

“Amitabha,” Jingxin, the monk, was the first to speak, saying softly, “Master Yinshun’s poison hasn’t been neutralized yet. Only he can cure this poison. I request Venerable Dunan to show mercy.”

Before Vajra Dunan could respond, Yierbu calmly said, “Rest assured, Monk Jingxin, the witch’s blood spirit technique can also remove the poison for him.”

Monk Jingxin pressed his palms together and said no more.

At this point, it seemed the blue-robed man’s fate had been sealed.

“Senior, do you think you can kill him?” Li Lingsu transmitted excitedly.

He was very curious about Xu Qian’s background, having yet to figure out the other’s origins. Although this old codger was proficient in insect techniques, Li Lingsu didn’t believe it was his primary cultivation system.

I’m just a fraud… Xu Qi’an silently complained to himself. In front of everyone, he took out a Dharma conch and put it to his mouth, mumbling something.

What is he doing?

Seeing this, Li Lingsu, the people from Leizhou, and the Buddhist monks in the distance looked on in confusion.

But they soon understood.

“Look, what’s that?” a warrior monk exclaimed, pointing at the sky.

Xu Qi’an, Li Lingsu, the Twin Blade Sect, Leizhou Merchant Association, Commander Yuan Yi, General Li Shaoyun, and others all turned to look at the sky behind them.

A black iron artillery platform made of special iron floated in the air.

It was 40 meters long and 10 meters high, with fifteen heavy cannons lined up in a row. Thick metal barrels protruded from the platform, and a series of crossbows were arranged along its edges.

The surface of the iron platform lit up with dense and complex array patterns, inscribed with thirty grand arrays, including but not limited to defensive arrays, teleportation arrays, levitation arrays, and spirit-gathering arrays…

In the center of the platform stood an ordinary-looking man. In his left hand, he held a sign that read:

“Let everyone enter the Pagoda of Buddha’s Relics!”

In his right hand, he held another sign:

“Otherwise, Three Flower Temple will be razed to the ground!”

“Is… is that a Ritualist?”

“What… what kind of monster is this?”

Someone muttered.

As martial artists, they were experienced but had limited horizons. With Ritualists being rare and almost extinct in the jianghu world, the heroes of Leizhou had hardly ever witnessed the outrageous feats of Ritualists.

This floating iron artillery platform seemed utterly incredible to them, completely out of place in the current era.

Dong Fang Wanrong was dumbfounded. She possessed an artifact called the “Wind-Riding Boat,” which only had wind-riding and defensive arrays, used as a large flying artifact.

Even so, the Wind-Riding Boat was enough to be listed as one of the twelve artifacts of the Witch God Sect.

But the floating artillery platform that appeared before them was not in the same league as the Wind-Riding Boat.

In some ways, the Ritualist system was indeed a bit overpowered.

However, according to Dong Fang Wanrong’s judgment, artifacts like this required enormous resources to create and couldn’t be mass-produced. Otherwise, the Great Feng Dynasty would have long since unified the Nine Provinces.

“Sun Xuanji!” A thunderous voice came from deep within the temple, belonging to the Vajra Guardian.

Sun Xuanji calmly replied, “Mm!”

As he spoke, he raised the signs in his hands again, indicating that he wasn’t joking.

With the firepower on the platform, a few volleys would reduce Three Flower Temple to rubble. The Vajra Guardian naturally wasn’t afraid of this firepower, but the monks in the temple and this centuries-old ancient monastery would certainly be difficult to preserve.

Yuan Yi’s eyebrows twitched, and he exclaimed in delight, “Are you the Diviner’s second disciple, the Third-rank Ritualist Sun Xuanji?”

As the esteemed Leizhou Commander, he naturally knew of someone like Sun Xuanji.

The position of Commander was the most powerful in a province, and there were only thirteen such figures in the entire Great Feng Dynasty, true regional overlords.

“Mm!” Sun Xuanji nodded.

The crowd below burst into an uproar. They had vaguely guessed the newcomer’s identity as a Ritualist from his signature white clothes, but they hadn’t expected him to be the Diviner’s second disciple, a Third-rank Ritualist.

This was a Ritualist who was sparing with his words, exuding the aura of a great expert in every way.

And such a figure seemed to have been summoned by that blue-robed expert.

At once, the gazes directed at Xu Qi’an became filled with speculation and curiosity.

Who exactly was this man?

He had just blown a conch shell, and immediately this white-robed Ritualist appeared… Liu Yun pursed her lips, her eyes constantly darting towards the blue-robed man.

Li Lingsu’s eyes widened, unclear whether he felt disappointed or shocked, or perhaps both.

That he could so easily summon Sun Xuanji proved that his earlier claim of playing chess with the Diviner was true, not a lie… Was it because he felt the Vajra and Spirit Wisdom Master weren’t worthy of his action that he summoned Sun Xuanji instead…

The Heavenly Sect’s Young Saint speculated silently.

“Very well!” After a moment of silence, the Vajra spoke from deep within the temple.

Seeing this, Xu Qi’an felt relieved.

Sun Xuanji’s threat with the artillery was a pre-arranged strategy, with Xu Qi’an responsible for external support. But if only Xu Qi’an himself entered the Pagoda of Buddha’s Relics, it would draw too much attention.

Once inside the pagoda, he could easily become a target for the Witch God Sect and Buddhist experts. That’s why they had the plan to spread the news and attract jianghu heroes.

He could hide among a group of ordinary men, keeping a low profile. Even if he became a target due to his earlier actions, the jianghu warriors could serve as helpers, preventing him from being isolated.

Seeing the Buddhist Vajra compromise, the Leizhou heroes’ faces lit up with joy. Their backs straightened instantly, and the atmosphere of dejection was swept away in an instant.

“The antidote!” Monk Jingxin looked towards Xu Qi’an.

Xu Qi’an smiled lightly and said, “Throw him over here.”

Monk Jingxin’s palm gently pushed against the middle-aged warrior monk’s back, sending him floating lightly to Xu Qi’an.

The latter extended his finger, touching it to the middle-aged warrior monk’s nose. Wisps of dark green mist surged out, captured by the finger.

As the poison was extracted, the middle-aged warrior monk’s blackened face gradually regained its normal color, though he remained unconscious.

“He’ll wake up in an hour. After resting for a few days, his body will fully recover,” Xu Qi’an said, tossing him back.

Monk Jingxin reached out to catch the middle-aged warrior monk, pressed his palms together, and then led the monks of the Three Flower Temple back inside.

General Li Shaoyun, carrying his long spear, excitedly said, “Lord Yuan, let’s go in!”

He took the lead, striding forward.

The others followed closely behind.

Passing through several great halls, the three factions quickly reached their destination. In the depths of the temple stood a massive Buddhist pagoda.

With white walls and black tiles, at first glance, it didn’t look like a magical treasure at all, but rather a normal pagoda.

The only peculiar thing was that despite being a hundred meters tall, the pagoda body only had three windows, symbolizing three floors.

Moreover, the pagoda door was dark gold, as if cast from gold. There were no door rings, no keyholes, just tightly sealed.

The three factions gathered outside the Pagoda of Buddha’s Relics, silently confronting each other. The local heroes of Leizhou frequently looked up at the sky, mentally calculating the time when the pagoda usually opened in previous years.

Closer and closer, closer and closer…

Boom!

The pagoda body began to rumble deeply, and the dark gold door slowly opened.

Everyone instinctively looked inside, but they only saw darkness.

“Amitabha!” Monk Jingxin pressed his palms together, bowed to the Pagoda of Buddha’s Relics, and took the lead in walking towards the pagoda. His red and yellow kasaya robe swayed as he moved.

“Amitabha!” Amidst the chanting of Buddha’s name, the burly young warrior monk Jingyuan and the abbot Hengyin followed closely behind. Behind them were nine warrior monks and nine Chan masters.

Two Chan masters, one warrior monk, and the other eighteen with varying levels of cultivation… Xu Qi’an scanned them briefly, knowing that these twenty-one monks entering the pagoda would be his competitors to deal with later.

“Little bitch, you’d better not come in. Otherwise, this lady guarantees today will be your death day,” the charming and beautiful Dong Fang Wanrong turned back, smiling as she looked at Wen Ren Qianrou.

The Dong Fang sisters led the disciples of the East Sea Dragon Palace into the pagoda.

Hearing this, Li Lingsu grimaced, his head aching.

“Do you need me to kill these sisters for you?” Xu Qi’an transmitted teasingly. “Save you from having to hide all the time.”

Li Lingsu hurriedly shook his head and transmitted back, “No, Senior, you might as well kill me instead.”

I was just joking, I can’t kill two peak Fourth-rank experts… Xu Qi’an watched as Yuan Yi and Li Shaoyun led their subordinates into the pagoda. He no longer hesitated and mixed in with the jianghu warriors to enter.

“Let’s go in too, let’s go in too!” The little white fox tried to struggle out of Mu Nanchi’s arms but failed. It had to resort to persuasion: “Let’s go in and play with him.”

“You dare to enter a Buddhist place?” Mu Nanchi looked at the curious little fox, fearless like a newborn calf.

The little white fox thought for a moment, remembering the terrifying legends about Buddhism that its clan members had told, and weakly said, “Well… I don’t want to go that much.”

Its head resting on the soft bosom, basking in the early winter sun, it asked in a crisp, childish voice, “Auntie, what’s your relationship with… with him?”

“No relationship,” Mu Nanchi replied.

“Oh!” The little white fox immediately felt relieved and believed Mu Nanchi was telling the truth because such an ordinary woman couldn’t possibly match up to Silver Medallist Xu.

Only a fox that combined talent and beauty could be worthy of Silver Medallist Xu.

“Does he often go to the courtesan houses?” the little white fox asked again.

“You even know about courtesan houses?” Mu Nanchi was surprised.

“Although I’ve never stayed in a human city, I’m quite knowledgeable. For example, human women often call women more beautiful than themselves ‘fox spirits’. In the human world, fox spirits symbolize the combination of beauty and talent,” the little white fox explained matter-of-factly, showing off its knowledge.

“Who told you that?” Mu Nanchi laughed.

“My clan members, of course.”

“That’s very fox-like…” Mu Nanchi thought to herself, then said with a smile, “In human women’s eyes, perhaps fox spirits are the most beautiful, but in human men’s eyes, there’s only one most beautiful woman in the world.”

“Who?” the little white fox asked.

“The Great Feng’s number one beauty, the Princess Consort of the Northern Pacification King,” Mu Nanchi said with a serious expression.

She had originally wanted to say “Mu Nanchi,” but considering that would reveal unnecessary information, she changed it to a more common title.

The little white fox showed a human-like expression of admiration.

At this moment, Mu Nanchi saw the old abbot of Three Flower Temple take out a pearl the size of a fist from his kasaya.

Light and shadows flickered within the pearl, reflecting the figures of Jingxin and others, as well as a magnificent golden hall.

“Very good!” Yierbu’s light laughter could be heard.

The Pagoda of Buddha’s Relics blocked external prying, and this mirror beast tear pearl was the key to maintaining the “friendship” between the two parties.

…

After entering the Pagoda of Buddha’s Relics, Xu Qi’an looked around and found himself in an unimaginably spacious hall.

This hall had no dome, and looking up, one could see swirling clouds and mist.

At the end of the hall was a golden Buddha statue over ten zhang tall, like a small mountain.

This Buddha had kind eyes but exuded majesty, with thick earlobes and a head covered in small curled bumps, positioned in the center.

Even those who didn’t worship Buddha, as long as they had been to a temple, could recognize who this was.

Buddha!

To Buddha’s left were thirteen golden statues, and to the right were fourteen golden statues.

They were both male and female, all with different styles of halos behind their heads. Some were flames, some were outlined with segmented lines like simplified suns on copper plates, varied and numerous.

Interestingly, nine of these golden statues had blurred faces.

Xu Qi’an calmly surveyed the scene. The spaciousness of this hall exceeded the limits of what the Pagoda of Buddha’s Relics could contain, at least from its external appearance.

Buddha’s realm… This familiar scene reminded him of the golden bowl of Arhat Dueheld during the Buddhist confrontation that day.

The golden bowl contained Buddha’s realm.

“Buddhism is very skilled at this kind of divine ability. I remember on the way back to the capital from Yun Province, I dreamed of the Battle of Shanhai Pass twenty years ago. There was a scene where a high-ranking Buddhist monk had thousands of troops leaping out from his palm.”

“Perhaps the high monk had a magical item similar to the golden bowl at that time, and the army was stored in Buddha’s realm… Also, these local natives seem quite calm.”

The jianghu heroes of Leizhou, witnessing this scene firsthand, didn’t seem surprised and remained relatively calm.

“Oh right, Wen Ren Qianrou mentioned that the Pagoda of Buddha’s Relics opens once a year. Those who pass the pagoda’s trials can join the Three Flower Temple and become Buddhist disciples. Those who fail the trials would certainly spread the word of what they saw inside after leaving.”

Xu Qi’an suddenly realized.

“Amitabha!” Monk Jingxin led the Buddhist monks in a bow with palms pressed together.

He turned to the East Sea Dragon Palace and the crowd from Leizhou, saying:

“The golden statue here, the one in the center is the Great Compassionate Buddha, the only Buddha across all realms. The three on the left and four on the right are the nine Bodhisattvas of Buddhism. The rest are the Eighteen Arhats.”

Impressive, even the Vajras don’t qualify for golden statues?

Xu Qi’an asked loudly, “Monk, why are the faces of the nine Bodhisattvas blurred?”

Monk Jingxin answered every question: “These nine golden statues symbolize the Nine Great Dharma Appearances, not specific Bodhisattvas.”

Hearing this, most people were confused, but Xu Qi’an suddenly understood.

Monk Jingxin was stunned, scrutinizing Xu Qi’an from afar, and asked, “Does the benefactor know about the Nine Great Dharma Appearances?”

Xu Qi’an nodded: “Wrathful Vajra, Immovable Wisdom King, Great Reincarnation, Great Compassion, Great Wisdom, Medicine Master, Pilgrim, Colorless Lapis Lazuli, and Mahavairocana.”

The monks of Three Flower Temple began to stir, whispering among themselves.

Jingxin stared deeply at Xu Qi’an.

“Oh? He got it right? The monks from Three Flower Temple didn’t contradict him.”

“I’ve heard that Buddhism has Nine Great Dharma Appearances, so these are the nine. Who is this person? He seems to know so much about Buddhism.”

“What’s so special about the Nine Great Dharma Appearances?” someone asked loudly, expecting Xu Qi’an to answer.

At this, Tang Yuanwu, the leader of the Twin Blade Sect, Liu Yun, Commander Yuan Yi, and other experts all looked over.

How would I know? I’ve never fought with Bodhisattvas… Xu Qi’an smiled calmly:

“The Pilgrim Dharma Appearance is unparalleled in speed in this world, able to travel to the Western Regions in the morning and return to Jing Mountain by dusk. The Colorless Lapis Lazuli can make one’s mind as clear as a mirror, without thoughts or desires, slowing down one’s thoughts.”

At this point, he snorted, as if too lazy to continue explaining, and said, “The other Dharma Appearances are self-explanatory by their names.”

Is that true… After hearing this, everyone instinctively looked towards Jingxin and the other monks, only to see the slightly dazed expressions on the faces of Jingxin, Jingyuan, and Hengyin, the abbot of Three Flower Temple.

It’s true! This thought flashed through everyone’s minds.

“Hiss…”

Li Shaoyun leaned on his spear, looking back at Xu Qi’an, and grinned, “Hey, who are you, kid? How do you know so much?”

Yuan Yi reminded him, “He could also be a senior expert.”

On the other side, Dong Fang Wanrong asked her sister in a low voice, “Is it him?”

Dong Fang Wanqing shook her head, “Can’t be certain. This person seems extraordinary, somewhat different from the blue-robed man in Ping Province.”

Earlier, when they saw the middle-aged warrior monk poisoned, the Dong Fang sisters suspected this blue-robed man might be the same one they encountered in Ping Province.

The commonality was their proficiency in using poison.

But their appearances were different, and there were no signs of disguise. Moreover, the plain-looking woman who was by his side before was nowhere to be seen.

Most importantly, they hadn’t seen this blue-robed man use any hidden insect techniques, so they couldn’t be sure.

Dong Fang Wanqing continued, “Ping Province is far from Leizhou. Logically, they shouldn’t have arrived in Leizhou so quickly.”

Her charming sister frowned and said, “You saw earlier that this person knows the Ritualist from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau. If he led the way, wouldn’t that make sense?”

Dong Fang Wanqing said calmly, “First, you need to prove that the blue-robed man from Ping Province knows the Ritualist from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau.”

After a pause, she said, “There’s no point in wild guesses. We’ll find a chance to test him later, force him to use his hidden insect techniques.”

Xu Qi’an was unaware of the Dong Fang sisters’ plans. His gaze was fixed on the twenty-seven golden statues beside Buddha, trying his best to discern which one represented Shenshu.

The eighteen Arhat statues were immediately ruled out. The Arhats had clear faces, and Xu Qi’an had seen Shenshu’s appearance before, confirming he wasn’t among them.

If Shenshu was among them, he could only be one of the nine Bodhisattvas. No, that’s not right, those nine statues represented the Nine Great Dharma Appearances, not specific individuals… Well, at least he could confirm that Shenshu wasn’t an Arhat.

Monk Jingxin stopped speaking and led the monks towards the golden Buddha statue.

The Arhat and Bodhisattva statues stood on both sides, forming a welcoming path.

As they brushed past the first Arhat statue, their forward pace suddenly slowed down. Each step they took was followed by a three-second pause.

Seeing this, Xu Qi’an was puzzled.

The spirited Liu Yun slowly approached and whispered:

“Do you know that this Pagoda of Buddha’s Relics opens once a year? Anyone who wants to join Three Flower Temple must enter the pagoda for trials.”

Xu Qi’an calmly nodded.

“According to Three Flower Temple, this is called testing Buddha nature. Those with Buddha nature can enter Buddhism. Those without Buddha nature have no affinity with Buddha,” Liu Yun’s gaze turned towards Jingxin and the others, saying:

“Walking along this path, under the ‘gaze’ of the Arhats and Bodhisattvas, taking a hundred steps forward means one has an affinity with Buddha. Within a hundred steps, one lacks Buddha nature. I’ve heard from those who have entered the Pagoda of Buddha’s Relics before that walking on this path is arduous.”

Xu Qi’an pondered, “What about warrior monks?”

Warrior monks and Chan masters followed different paths, so how was this Buddha nature defined?

Liu Yun pouted and said, “Those martial artists present who can reach the Sixth Rank all have a ‘Buddha nature’. For Buddhism, anyone who can reach the Sixth Rank is a person with potential. Why wouldn’t they want such people? There’s no reason to turn them away. Of course, those who practice Buddhist dharma have Buddha nature.

“Look, the monks from Three Flower Temple are walking faster than the others.”

Xu Qi’an followed her gaze and saw that the various groups had already stepped onto the “path of trials”, clearly divided into three tiers.

The monks from Three Flower Temple were far ahead, striding steadily.

Next were the Dong Fang sisters, Li Shaoyun, Yuan Yi, Tang Yuanwu, and the other Fourth-rank experts.

Last were the jianghu figures from Leizhou.

“Aren’t you going?” Liu Yun asked.

“I’ll watch a bit longer,” Xu Qi’an said, his gaze looking into the distance.

“This young lady will go ahead then,” Liu Yun said, quickly catching up with the main group. She walked hurriedly, but in front of the first quasi-Arhat, her pace suddenly slowed.

Each step she took was separated by nearly ten seconds, giving the impression of a difficult journey.

After a while, Master Hengyin, the abbot of Three Flower Temple who had pulled far ahead of the others, looked back at the crowd with a smile and pressed his palms together:

“Everyone, when you reach the foot of Buddha, bow three times with palms together, and you can proceed to the second floor. This poor monk will await you all there.”

He seemed to be mocking the crowd.

Bow three times with palms together to enter the second floor… Xu Qi’an suddenly understood and no longer hesitated. He walked forward tentatively.

Just as he was about to brush past the first Arhat statue, he could slow his pace and take an exploratory step.

However, there was no sense of resistance.

He took a second step.

Again, he felt no pressure from the Arhat’s “gaze”, walking as normally as he would on any other day.

Is my Buddha nature (aptitude) too good? No, even with the best aptitude, it’s impossible to feel no pressure at all. Even Fourth-rank Chan masters like Jingxin couldn’t walk freely… When things are out of the ordinary, Xu Qi’an became hesitant to move forward.

It’s not a matter of aptitude, but that I have something unique, yet I have no connection with Buddhism… He suddenly understood that he did have a great karmic connection with Buddhism.

This karmic connection stemmed from the concept of Mahayana Buddhism.

He immediately recalled Arhat Due calling him a Buddha’s son, and Vairocana Bodhisattva wanting to capture him back to Buddhism as the Buddha’s son of the Four Noble Truths.

At the time, Xu Qi’an thought they admired his “talent”, but now it seemed the truth wasn’t so simple.

He might have truly become a Buddha’s son. When he expounded on the concept of Great Accomplishment Buddhism, he created a huge karmic connection with Buddhism.

This was the real reason why Vairocana Bodhisattva wanted to capture him and have him enter monkhood.