“Mother, why do all the children at school have fathers, but I don’t?”
“What kind of father would you like?”
“Oh, I can choose? I want one who buys me water chestnut cakes every day and takes me on wild adventures through the alleys.”
Nanyan remembered asking this question as a child. Her mother, ever mischievous, had indeed started treating her like a prized pig, feeding her well and dragging her through the streets. Especially after seeing her classmates being punished by their fathers for copying homework, Nanyan never brought up the subject of a father again.
After arriving in Shangzhou, she had secretly compared her features to those of Nan Rao’s acquaintances. Unfortunately, beautiful people often share common traits, making everyone look somewhat similar. Today, however, she felt like a puzzle piece that had finally clicked into place.
“May I ask your name, senior?” Nanyan inquired.
The Buddhist cultivator smiled. “The ancient Buddha bestowed upon me the name Jiming.”
Nanyan’s knees weakened again.
As a disciple of Choushan Fanhai, she knew the sect’s founder was the Alan Ancient Buddha. Below the founder was the master Jiming, honored as the Lord of Buddhist Confession.
No wonder vibrant phoenix trees stood near the temple, surrounded by udumbara flowers favored by Buddhists.
No wonder Nan Rao had remained silent about her origins for so many years.
No wonder the Treasure Qi Tathagata had sent an avatar as a suffering monk to receive her.
No wonder…
Swallowing a mouthful of blood rising in her throat, Nanyan carefully studied Jiming.
Nan Rao’s appearance had been intense, like a blaze of vibrant flowers searing into one’s soul. Jiming’s aura, however, resembled an ancient jade submerged in still water – pure and tranquil.
No wonder her temperament had never quite matched Nan Rao’s. She took after her father after all.
Noticing her fluctuating emotions, Jiming asked, “Are you tired?”
“…Yes, I’m exhausted,” Nanyan replied, suppressing the turmoil in her heart. Had he been physically present, she might have considered crying on his shoulder. Alas, he was merely an apparition, frozen at the moment he first met Nan Rao.
Back then, even the Red Emperor still lived.
Jiming should have dissipated, but even as a faint remnant, he seemed to harbor a subtle concern. “Then let me accompany you for a while,” he offered.
Nanyan nodded eagerly, following behind him.
Perhaps due to his former role as a lamp lighter, Nanyan no longer experienced the heart-refining illusions. This allowed her to inquire about past events.
“…Others called her Rao Niang. These days, as I face bottlenecks in overcoming my fourth decay, I often feel restless. Only her wine can calm me,” he said softly. “The Dao Lord and the Red Emperor are my peers, far surpassing me. They’ve already overcome the fourth decay. Once they pass the fifth, they can ascend to the higher realm, fulfilling their great wish for immortality.”
“Master, do you not wish to ascend?” Nanyan asked.
Pressing a hand to his chest, where a strange tingling arose with the wine’s effect, Jiming’s gaze grew distant. After a moment, he replied, “My cultivation years are still few. I’ve merely stumbled into the celestial decay stage, which is why people regard me as the Dao Lord’s peer. The Dao Lord has earnestly invited me to ascend with him multiple times, but I still have attachments in this world. I have no desire to ascend… I wish to forge my path, not to break through the void and ascend to the higher realm, but to purify the world and sever karma within the mortal realm.”
As Nanyan met his gaze, she saw a strange light flash in his eyes. They spoke in unison:
“I am the Buddha who takes life and creates karma, offering enlightenment to demons.”
With these words, the 800 lotus lamps behind them flickered, and the lamps ahead began to light up one by one.
In a thousand years, the Path of Good and Evil had never seen self-igniting lamps.
As the night wind blew, Choushan Academy sensed the unusual lamp activity. Countless powerful auras emerged while leaves along the path alternated between withering and flourishing. Jiming’s form began to fade.
Seeming to realize something, he asked, “What’s your name?”
“Zhen… My name is Nanyan,” she replied, trying to grasp his hand as he began to disappear. “Nanyan – ‘Nan’ from Nan Rao, ‘Yan’ for ‘smiling face’! Remember it!”
He seemed to commit the name to memory before slowly dissolving into particles of light, guiding Nanyan toward the end of the path.
The Path of Good and Evil had 999 lotus lamps. Reaching the final, unlit lamp, Nanyan’s eyes filled with sorrow.
“…Will we meet again?” she asked.
No one answered. The light particles merged with her inner fire, igniting the last lamp.
As all the thousand lamps in Choushan lit up simultaneously, the three thousand Buddhist pagodas atop the mountain also illuminated, resembling stars on Earth. A thread of light from each source converged on the central Nine Tribulation Pagoda, releasing a surge of Buddhist power.
Fervent voices echoed from the surrounding pagodas: “The Master has manifested! The Buddhist path shall flourish!”
Amidst the clamor, Nanyan cupped the tiny flame that had separated from the final lotus lamp. As it merged with her inner fire, her eyes, and body consciousness were liberated. Before the majestic gates of Choushan Academy, the Treasure Qi Tathagata smiled at her.
“Zhenruan, do you understand now?” he asked.
With all five consciousnesses awakened, Nanyan felt the world become clear. Despite her increased cultivation, she couldn’t help but smile bitterly. “Master, you knew everything all along.”
“Cultivators are called such because they encounter the unknown and persist in cultivation… Worldly matters flow like rivers into the sea. At the end of cultivation lies enlightenment,” Treasure Qi Tathagata said, gazing at the Nine Tribulation Pagoda. “This pagoda was once where the Lord of Buddhist Confession cultivated. Besides himself, only one imperial prince of a State could enter to gain insight.”
Nanyan looked up abruptly, seeing the Nine Tribulation Pagoda overflowing with Buddhist power like moonlight. Within that power, a familiar essence called out to her.
“I understand. Thank you for enlightening me, Master.”
…
Choushan had three thousand karma-creating pagodas. After the surge of Buddhist power from the Nine Tribulation Pagoda, all disciples in Choushan Academy entered closed-door cultivation for ten days. On the eleventh day, they resumed their routine of morning and evening bell-ringing.
The monks who rose early to sweep noticed that seven or eight pagodas away from the Nine Tribulation Pagoda, a Seven Tribulation Pagoda had lit its Buddhist fire.
“Another master has gained entry to a Seven Tribulation Pagoda. I wonder which Nascent Soul expert it could be,” the monks pondered as they swept fallen leaves.
Two months later, a faint bell chime resonated from the Seven Tribulation Pagoda.
Such chimes were common in Choushan Academy – one chime signified a minor breakthrough, while three indicated a major realm advancement.
Hours later, as the main door of the Seven Tribulation Pagoda opened, the monk guarding it saw a female Buddhist cultivator emerge.
“Might you be Master Zhenruan?” the monk asked respectfully.
“That’s correct.” The one who emerged was indeed Nanyan. Her body now emanated the full aura of a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator. After her period of seclusion, her cheeks glowed with health, radiating a captivating vitality.
The monk glanced at her and felt momentarily dazzled. He quickly lowered his head and said, “The Dharma Seat has instructed you to draw lots, Master.”
“Draw lots for what?”
“For the selection of the Imperial Child.”
Nanyan suddenly understood. Mao’s State differed from others, showing little interest in competing for the position of Emperor in the Mountain and Sea Prohibition. They chose a participant merely to help their Buddhist monks reach the Nascent Soul stage and improve their cultivation.
Each State had only five slots for the Mountain and Sea Prohibition. It would be a waste to leave them unfilled.
This was Nanyan’s initial purpose for coming here. After thanking the monk, she proceeded to an Eight Tribulation Pagoda. This pagoda, closest to the Nine Tribulation Pagoda, was where the Dharma Seat, who oversaw Choushan Academy, cultivated.
Upon arrival, Nanyan found 300 to 400 Buddhist cultivators sitting in meditation around the Eight Tribulation Pagoda. All were at the Core Formation stage, each exuding an aura far more powerful than ordinary Core Formation cultivators.
These were likely the top Core Formation talents of this generation at Choushan Academy.
Nanyan noticed that nearly half of these cultivators still had hair, unlike the bald monks. Intrigued, she found a spot to sit and used her divine sense to gently prod a chubby lay cultivator sitting in front of her.
“Brother, this is my first time at Choushan Academy. Could you explain the rules for the Imperial Child selection?”
The chubby cultivator, bored after an hour of meditation, heard the clear, spring-like voice of the nun behind him and happily replied via divine sense: “The Imperial Child trials are the same for all States. You’re given a random scroll with three tasks, rated by stars for difficulty. Simple ones are one star, and difficult ones are eight stars. The total must reach ten stars. The first five to complete their tasks qualify for the Mountain and Sea Prohibition.”
Nanyan asked, “And the Imperial Child?”
“The Imperial Child is chosen from among these five. The State’s ruler will arrange an extremely difficult test, which must be completed alone to be crowned as the Imperial Child.”
Nanyan remembered Mu Zhanting complaining about the insane task the Dragon Lord had given him: to single-handedly slay a six-rank Lifire Jiaolong.
A six-rank beast was equivalent to a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator, while Mu Zhanting was only at the peak of Foundation Establishment. After his near-death experience, he discovered that the Dragon Lord had left protective items in his palace, which had been stolen before he left. He was severely reprimanded for rushing off without them.
The chubby cultivator continued, “These tasks are set by the Daosheng Tian Righteous Law Palace. They’re of similar difficulty. Even if you don’t finish in the top five, you can still receive rewards from the Righteous Law Palace. Of course, if you draw a particularly troublesome task, you can give up or use spirit stones to exchange with others.”
As Nanyan looked around, a massive sutra cylinder flew out of the Eight Tribulation Pagoda, accompanied by the Dharma Seat’s authoritative voice.
“Infuse a thread of your Core fire into this Vihara sutra cylinder. Anyone found harming others due to dissatisfaction with their task will have their spiritual root destroyed and be expelled from the sect immediately!”
The Dharma Seat’s voice was so imposing that all cultivators paled, not daring to harbor any ill thoughts.
Seeing everyone infuse their Core fire into the cylinder, Nanyan prepared to do the same. However, she accidentally drew out a large mass of fire, attracting attention from those nearby.
“Sister, this sutra cylinder is a spiritual treasure. Once it absorbs Core fire, it won’t regenerate. Isn’t this a bit wasteful?” someone cautioned.
Since crossing the Path of Good and Evil, Nanyan felt like her dantian contained a small furnace. While others’ Core fires were at most fist-sized, hers occupied nearly a third of her dantian.
If she ever had the chance to team up with her elder brother, they could probably set a small city ablaze.
Embarrassed, she quickly infused her Core fire into the cylinder.
Moments later, the cylinder emitted a hum, and countless spirit lights flew in all directions, each containing a scroll.
Before Nanyan could open hers, she heard the chubby cultivator in front of her laugh loudly: “Two three-star tasks and one four-star task, none too difficult. Looks like I have a chance at the Mountain and Sea Prohibition qualification!”
Envious gazes turned his way.
“Three-three-four is the best combination. Mine is two-three-five, with the five-star task being to eliminate a human trafficking den guarded by a late-stage Core Formation cultivator.”
“That’s nothing. My six-star task is to spy on the lair of an evil Nascent Soul alchemist. As a Buddhist cultivator, that’s pushing it.”
“Do you think there’s some unlucky soul who got two one-star tasks and an eight-star one?”
“No way, even the Righteous Law Palace says that’s extremely rare. Only someone with heaven’s mandate would be chosen for that.”
As the Buddhist cultivators discussed in groups, the chubby cultivator turned to find the nun with the pleasant voice.
He saw a woman staring at her scroll in confusion.
“Sister, how many stars are your tasks?”
“Hmm…” Nanyan stared at the scroll in silence for a long time before turning it towards them. “Brother, look at my two one-star tasks and one eight-star task. Does this mean I’m that rare chosen one with heaven’s mandate?”
The one-star tasks were simple: find a book and a spirit herb, both easily delegated to any State’s auction house.
Only the eight-star task was daunting: Investigate the ghost city north of Qitian Plains in Si State, draw a detailed map, and bring back three evil ghosts as samples.
“Sister…” The chubby cultivator looked worried. “I’m afraid no one will want to exchange with you. Maybe you should give up.”
Nanyan silently mouthed “Ghost city’s son,” a bright smile spreading across her lips.
“No, this ghost city suits me perfectly.” As she left, ignoring the bewildered stares, she took out a communication jade talisman and said, “Second brother, wake up! We’re going to play in Si State!”
Soon, an irritated voice replied from the talisman:
“Play my ass! How many times have I told you not to disturb my sleep before noon? Last night, three damn monks forced me to copy Buddhist scriptures until my head ached. If you want to go, go by yourself!”
Nanyan: “We’re going to Si State to buy dresses—”
Yin Ya: “Meet me at the Fanhai Academy gate in half an incense stick’s time.”