Chapter 764: Monk (II)

"It seems we're being watched," Ji Haozhong said gravely.

Ever since entering the plaza, he had been vigilantly monitoring their surroundings and had noticed something suspicious.

"They seem to be from the ancient martial esteemed families... No, it isn't just them. That barbarian cultivator from before is also heading this way," Ji Haozhong warned.

"Mm. Don't worry, I'm only going through the motions. Still, I'll try not to lose too badly. I won't disgrace the Martial Alliance or let the other cultivators look down on us martial artists," Lin Zheyu said softly.

He casually walked toward an arena in the corner, completely ignoring Collis, who was following him without the slightest attempt at concealment. Perhaps because of its location, the arena in the corner was not a focal point of the venue, and the cultivators fighting there tended to be weaker. The true experts were all gathered around the five central arenas.

Hearing this, Ji Haozhong said nothing more and silently followed beside Lin Zheyu. He knew perfectly well that Lin Zheyu was stronger than him. All he could do was offer a word of warning from the sidelines.

Before long, the two arrived beneath the arena in the farthest corner. Of the two combatants, one was a cultivator wearing the distinctive attire of the Nine Nether Sect, while the other was a sea clan cultivator.

"Wait a moment, let me check... Hmm, found it. That Nine Nether Sect cultivator is named Dong Qing. He is at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm and specializes in... As for that Sea Clan cultivator..." Ji Haozhong explained through voice transmission.

While Lin Zheyu was in seclusion, Ji Haozhong had gathered as much information as possible about the cultivators participating in the arena challenge. Battles between cultivators were far more dangerous than those between mortal martial artists. Even among mortal martial artists, it was said that fists and feet had no eyes, and life or death was left to fate when they exchanged blows. This was all the more true for battles between cultivators. When evenly matched cultivators fought with their full strength, it was impossible to predict who would live and who would die.

For this reason, the arena challenge was also known as the life-and-death arena. Stepping into the arena was equivalent to signing a life-and-death contract. Under normal circumstances, however, the combatants would do their best to avoid fatalities. After all, when two opponents were evenly matched, forcibly killing the other meant enduring their desperate final retaliation. There was a considerable chance that this would result in severe injury or even mutual destruction.

"Could you win against either of these two cultivators?" Ji Haozhong asked quietly.

After so many days, every cultivator who still dared to enter the arena possessed exceptional strength. Even the two fighting in this remote corner were no exception. Losing the very first match would be far too humiliating.

"It shouldn't be a problem," Lin Zheyu said calmly.

He had not paid much attention to the two cultivators fighting in the arena. Their battle was thoroughly conventional and held nothing that interested him.

Lin Zheyu pointed toward an arena nearby. "Let's go to that arena."

Ji Haozhong looked in the direction Lin Zheyu indicated and saw a bald man draped in a kasaya slowly stepping into the arena.

"A Buddhist cultivator? These monks are not easy to deal with," Ji Haozhong said.

"I've cultivated for so long without ever truly fighting a Buddhist cultivator. This is the perfect opportunity to experience their methods," Lin Zheyu said with a smile.

He was quite interested in Buddhism. Before transmigrating, Buddhism had existed in his previous world, and Lin Zheyu had possessed a basic understanding of its teachings. After arriving in this world, he had deliberately investigated its Buddhist traditions and discovered many similarities between the two. He suspected that his previous world might once have been a flourishing cultivation world as well. Some upheaval had perhaps caused everything related to cultivation to disappear, ultimately transforming it into a world without spiritual qi.

By the time the two reached the arena, the battle had already begun. In the arena, a youthful-looking monk resembling a novice of around twenty years old pressed his palms together, and dazzling golden light burst from his body with a resonant hum.

The Buddhist cultivator's opponent was a sword cultivator from Great Wei's Soaring Sword Sect. Floating in midair, he formed a sword gesture with his right hand and controlled more than a dozen longswords as they attacked the monk.

"What formidable sword-control skills! He can actually wield eighteen swords simultaneously in battle!"

"Eighteen swords... Could that be the Eighteen Spring Yang Formation?"

"Hiss! The Eighteen Spring Yang Formation! He actually mastered that sword formation!"

"That bald donkey is going to lose!"

"It's too early to say. That monk is no ordinary cultivator..."

"Indeed. Judging by the intensity of that golden light, his attainments in the Buddhist Golden Body are astonishing..."

Many of the surrounding cultivators were geniuses from major sects and esteemed families, and they quietly offered their assessments of the battle.

"The Buddhist Golden Body... Before I even reached the Martial Innate realm, I once fought a Buddhist monk. He also cultivated the Buddhist Golden Body, and it seemed to be the same technique as the one this Buddhist cultivator is using," Lin Zheyu said with a smile.

"It is indeed the same technique. In certain respects, the Buddhist cultivation system is quite similar to martial cultivation. In theory, every Buddhist monk has an opportunity to embark upon the path of cultivation and comprehend the supreme Great Dao. Likewise, any martial artist who advances to the Martial Innate realm can cross the threshold and formally embark upon the path of cultivation.

"But how could Martial Dao possibly compare with the Buddhist Dao? The path of Martial Dao is severed, and the road ahead is shrouded in darkness. No one knows whether their next step will carry them forward or send them plunging into an abyss. The Buddhist Dao, meanwhile, is a complete cultivation system," Ji Haozhong said wistfully. His gaze remained fixed upon the Buddhist cultivator in the arena, and a trace of envy flashed through his eyes.

"Do you regret embarking upon the path of martial cultivation?" Lin Zheyu asked with a smile.

Ji Haozhong shrugged with a composed expression. "I wouldn't call it regret. I merely feel somewhat unwilling to accept it. Sometimes, I rather envy the mortals living in the Buddhist kingdoms. Every one of them has an opportunity to embark upon the path of cultivation and glimpse the supreme Great Dao. In Great Wei, however, those without the aptitude for immortal cultivation have no path available to them except martial cultivation. Yet that path is far too difficult. Once you reach the Shackles realm, there is no road beyond it. You can only feel your way forward through the darkness."

"Nearly every commoner in the Buddhist kingdoms is a follower of the Buddha, but how many actually embark upon the path of cultivation? Although the Buddhist Dao places no importance on aptitude, it requires roots of wisdom, an affinity with Buddhism, and the making of a great vow. None of these requirements is any easier to meet than those of other cultivation systems. If you had been born in the Buddhist lands, with your roots of wisdom, you would probably still be nothing more than an ordinary believer," Lin Zheyu said with a smile.

The Buddhist Dao had been only minimally affected by the invasion of the demon realm. Among the many cultivation systems in this world, it had probably suffered the least, apart from martial cultivation, whose path had never been fully established. Yet even after all this time, why had the Buddhist cultivation system failed to become the mainstream path of this world? It was because cultivating the Buddhist Dao was simply too difficult.

The battle in the arena was exceptionally brilliant. The Soaring Sword Sect primarily cultivated sword arts. It had no need for flashy secret arts and instead pursued the ideal of shattering all techniques with a single sword. The sword cultivator in the arena, however, wielded not one sword, but eighteen longswords.

The monk pressed his palms together and invoked the Buddha's name. "Amitabha! If these are the only methods Benefactor possesses, then please step down from the arena."

What formidable Golden Body defenses!

The Soaring Sword Sect cultivator's eyes narrowed as he realized how difficult his opponent would be to overcome.

"Fellow friend's defenses are indeed formidable. The Buddhist Golden Body truly deserves its reputation as the strongest defensive art in the world. Even I cannot fully control the next move, so be careful!" the Soaring Sword Sect cultivator said calmly. His aura continued to rise as a terrifying force gathered around him, faintly forming the outline of a colossal longsword.

"Unite!" The man shouted softly and formed sword gestures with both hands, simultaneously controlling all eighteen longswords as they hurtled toward the monk.

The eighteen longswords collided with a resounding clang and instantly combined into a single colossal sword.

"Amitabha!"

Seemingly sensing the terrifying aura emanating from the man, the monk's expression also grew solemn. His lips parted as he began reciting scripture, and the golden light around him abruptly blazed even more brilliantly.

Ji Haozhong exclaimed, "S-So powerful! This strike has definitely reached the level of the late Golden Core realm!"

He couldn't help but turn toward Lin Zheyu and ask for confirmation once more, "Are you certain you want to choose this arena?"