Chapter 135 - 118: True Buddha Sect, a different [Flower-Blooming Buddha]

Chapter 135: Chapter 118: True Buddha Sect, a different [Flower-Blooming Buddha]

Zhang Ji had always been a man of decisive action.

On August fifth, he had just mastered the Lishan Qingsheng Skill. The very next day, he had someone contact the Xia Yu Country, the True Buddha Sect, and the Jade Sect to announce his intention to visit.

When the ruler of a nation—especially a unique existence like Zhang Ji—came to visit, the importance Xia Yu Country placed on it was cranked to the absolute maximum.

However, Zhang Ji wasn’t going there to pick a fight; it was merely a friendly visit to a neighboring country.

The purpose was to deepen their relationship and discuss potential cooperation.

Of course, he wouldn’t be the one handling the cooperation talks. Zhang Ji had dumped all of that on Liu Hetong and the others. His main goal was to acquire combat skills from the True Buddha Sect and the Jade Sect.

On August seventh, Zhang Ji officially boarded a plane to the Xia Yu Country.

After disembarking from the plane, he met with the leaders of the Xia Yu Country, which was followed by meals and meetings.

The path of national governance in the Xia Yu Country was different from that of the Eastern Extreme Country.

The Eastern Extreme Country was a pure monopoly where high-level capital controlled everything, which was then distributed downwards.

The resources available to the common populace were scarce.

The Xia Yu Country, on the other hand, distributed resources based on the amount and importance of one’s labor, and its social welfare and security were quite high.

There were quite a few channels for ordinary people to advance.

Overall, the society was quite stable.

However, for ambitious combatants who possessed greater strength, this was definitely not a good place to develop.

All sorts of rules and regulations restricted combatants to death.

Professional combatants had to register in advance even for matches, and deathmatches were not permitted to resolve conflicts.

It was nothing like the martial arts world of the Dragon Country.

There, if the hatred between two people reached a certain level, a simple cupped fist salute could be the prelude to a life-or-death battle.

The combatants here were all civilized people, not as savage as those from places like the Dragon Country or the Roman Country.

Every last one of them believed in pulling their punches.

All that mattered was that everyone could save face.

And in contrast to the Dragon Country, the truly powerful combatants in the Xia Yu Country all believed that the strong should protect the weak, not exploit them wantonly.

This was the result of the influence inherited from the Shoushan Temple of old.

They were truly a group of compassionate monks, not laymen in kasayas whose hearts had sunk into the pursuit of fame and fortune.

Zhang Ji couldn’t do the same, but he still admired and respected it.

Zhang Ji only attended one meeting, shook hands with the leaders, expressed his goodwill, and then handed over all related matters to the others.

He, on the other hand, quietly made his way to the present-day True Buddha Sect.

Of course, the people from the Xia Yu Country were aware of this.

At first, they wanted to have the abbot of the True Buddha Sect come and see Zhang Ji, but he vetoed the idea.

It wasn’t that fat, big-eared monk he wanted to see.

He wanted to see the old monk who guarded the sect’s heritage.

Zhang Ji held a measure of respect for that old monk.

Despite possessing Extraordinary power, he was content to sweep the floors of the Scripture Pavilion for hundreds of years, living on simple meals, indifferent to fame and fortune.

’If I were in his shoes, I couldn’t do such a thing.’

’That man truly has some "compassion" in him.’

The vehicle stopped at the foot of the True Buddha Sect’s mountain. The vast, magnificent buildings made Zhang Ji raise an eyebrow slightly.

In the current martial arts world of the Xia Yu Country, the True Buddha Sect was the undisputed leader.

The True Buddha Sect’s abbot, "Yuanwu," had a real talent for business. He had made the sect incredibly prosperous, with countless devotees from home and abroad coming to offer incense and Incense Money.

"Wait here. I’ll go by myself," Zhang Ji said as he got out of the car to the people who were about to follow him.

Hearing Zhang Ji’s order, the two of them could only comply.

Zhang Ji stepped onto the mountain gate stairs of the True Buddha Sect. His figure shot upwards, disappearing from the path in two or three flickers.

Bypassing the bustling front courtyard of the True Buddha Sect, Zhang Ji headed straight for the Scripture Pavilion.

The layout of the buildings here was somewhat similar to Shoushan Temple, but not entirely identical.

In the Martial Monk Academy, Zhang Ji saw some young novices practicing martial arts. Some were lay disciples. There was also a monk wearing glasses explaining math problems to them. One young novice, unable to solve a problem, was anxiously trying to pull at his hair, but there was none to pull.

However, below the Martial Monk Academy, there was no grand hall for trials and inheritance.

All of those things had been placed in the Scripture Pavilion.

Zhang Ji soon arrived outside the Scripture Pavilion.

Compared to other areas, which had at least some activity, this place was much quieter.

Even pilgrims wouldn’t normally come here.

This was because the True Buddha Sect had two Scripture Pavilions.

Pilgrims who wanted to copy scriptures went to the other, newly constructed one.

This one, however, was where the original Ancient Scriptures were preserved.

These Ancient Scriptures naturally included the combat skills.

Zhang Ji knocked on the door and said, "A junior disciple has come seeking the scriptures."

SWISH SWISH... The sound of a broom drifted out, and the main doors opened on their own.

Zhang Ji saw an old monk with a long beard and an aged face sweeping inside.

The sweeper monk, "Zhengyin," a genuine B+ level master.

He looked almost identical to his appearance in the game, but with something extra.

That something was an extremely restrained and harmonious spiritual state.

As Zhang Ji approached, he felt his own mind begin to calm.

Zhang Ji’s gaze lingered for a few extra seconds on the broom in Zhengyin’s hand.

The staff part of that broom was the key to the Shoushan Temple Ruins Realm over at Immortal Mountain, known as the [Shoushan Staff].

However, Zhang Ji had no intention of taking it. The Shoushan Temple Ruins Realm wasn’t particularly valuable. There was no one inside, nor were there any special resources, giving it no real development potential. If he simply wanted a Ruins Realm, there were several others that were bigger, better, and easier to obtain elsewhere.

"This old monk still has some sweeping to do. If the benefactor is in a hurry, you may enter and view the scriptures on your own," Zhengyin said to Zhang Ji.

"I remember there being a test, don’t I?" Zhang Ji asked.

He recalled that to get combat skills from the old monk, you had to listen to his Zen riddles and answer correctly to receive a random, ordinary combat skill.

Fighting him and winning was the only way to get a random move from the Epic-grade combat skill, the Tathagata Divine Palm.

As for the *Buddha’s Inner Scenery Sutra*, that thing required sheer luck. After answering all the questions correctly and defeating Zhengyin, you still had to go to the True Buddha Sect’s Ruins Realm dungeon, obtain a specific type of incense, and worship the Child Venerable statue inside. Only after gaining the statue’s approval could you truly obtain it.

The probability was about one in ten.

An unlucky person might even have to repeat the quest ten times to get the *Buddha’s Inner Scenery Sutra*.

"The benefactor is no ordinary person. A test is naturally unnecessary," Zhengyin said, looking calmly at Zhang Ji.

"I’m not in the habit of taking things for free," Zhang Ji said. "Allow me to help you sweep the dust from this courtyard, Master!"

With a thought, Zhang Ji’s Spirit emanated outwards. The surrounding air currents surged, and all the dust and fallen leaves swirled into the air, blown completely out of the courtyard.

The old monk stood motionless in the wind, not even a strand of his beard disturbed by the currents, as he calmly continued to sweep the ground with his broom.

"The ground is clean. Why do you continue to sweep, Master?" Zhang Ji asked.

"The heart is not clean, so one must sweep diligently," Zhengyin replied.

Hearing Zhengyin’s words, Zhang Ji couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows.

’This again?’

’And it’s a question I don’t remember.’

"Well then, Master, you take your time sweeping. I’m going to look at the scriptures."

Zhang Ji decided to ignore the monk and turned to walk into the Scripture Pavilion.

Zhengyin didn’t stop him, simply continuing to sweep as he let Zhang Ji go.

Entering the Scripture Pavilion, he found a large number of scriptures placed inside.

Zhang Ji picked one up and saw that it was, indeed, a Buddhist sutra.

This was also just like in the game. The Skill Books made of black iron weren’t here; they were on a stone wall in the back courtyard. The *Buddha’s Inner Scenery Sutra* was also there.

However, the Tathagata Divine Palm was kept here in the Scripture Pavilion.

And it was hidden in different places.

To find them, you had to solve Buddhist riddles with the old monk.

But Zhang Ji didn’t need to solve any riddles; he already knew exactly where they were.

’First floor, first row, the seventh sutra from the front, open to the thirteenth page...’

Zhang Ji took a sutra, ignored its contents, and flipped directly to the corresponding spot. Tucked inside was a thin page made of a special material.

The page was golden, looking like metal at first glance, but not quite.

It was densely covered with text, along with a diagram of meridian circulation.

’Tathagata Divine Palm, second form, [Vajra’s Wrathful Gaze]... Next is the fourth bookshelf on the first floor...’

Zhang Ji searched quickly. After using his hands for the first book, he simply swept with his spirit particles and pulled the pages out directly.

He went through the second and third floors as well. In total, he had acquired all six pages of the complete Tathagata Divine Palm.

Zhang Ji held the page recording the fifth form, [Flower-Blooming Buddha], and observed it carefully.

The move described on it was indeed different from the one he had learned.

The [Flower-Blooming Buddha] on the page was about achieving profound wisdom and revealing one’s true self.

The true self is the Buddha. It was a natural state of mind, a technique for neutralizing force.

But the [Flower-Blooming Buddha] he knew was purely a killing technique.

Its intent was more like, ’My power has arrived, therefore I am the Buddha, and I shall grant you my mercy!’

Domineering and unreasonable.

"Has the benefactor been to Shoushan Temple?"

Zhengyin had appeared ten meters away from Zhang Ji at some unknown time.

The old monk’s Concealing Breath technique was truly formidable. Zhang Ji had been actively scanning with his Spirit, yet the monk had blended in with the environment so perfectly that he had approached almost completely undetected.

"Why do you say that, Master?" Zhang Ji asked with a slight frown.

He was confident in his own strength.

But he found he couldn’t quite gauge the depths of the old monk before him.

’The players rated him as the number one person below A-rank. That evaluation wasn’t baseless after all.’

’If even players, who can easily stack multiple systems to achieve high combat power, think he’s strong, then he must be the real deal.’

However, Zhang Ji didn’t think he would necessarily lose to him.

’At most, my Concealing Breath and Spirit might be inferior to his, but when it comes to Yuan Qi and physical body, I’m confident I’d win by a large margin.’

Zhengyin did not answer Zhang Ji’s question directly. Instead, he said, "That form, [Flower-Blooming Buddha], was created when this old monk’s martial uncle practiced it incorrectly. Although the Palm Skill is powerful, it is extremely easy to harm oneself. If the benefactor wishes to practice it, you must strengthen your physique and enhance your Divine Sense. Otherwise, using it too often will damage your essence and dissipate your qi, making it difficult to live a long life."

Zhang Ji was well aware of the principle that powerful moves often come at a cost to the user.

However, Zhengyin’s concern was clearly unnecessary.

Zhang Ji’s physical body and Spirit would definitely not stop progressing here. That alternative version of [Flower-Blooming Buddha] would never be a burden to him; it would only be another tool to enhance his combat power.

"Thank you for the reminder, Master," Zhang Ji said gratefully. Then he asked, "May I go to the back courtyard to view the scriptures?"

"The benefactor already possesses a Supreme technique like the Tathagata Divine Palm. Why seek others? Even if you had them, you likely wouldn’t be able to learn them at your current level," Zhengyin asked.

"Because I’m greedy," Zhang Ji said bluntly. "Besides, even if I can’t learn them now, I can learn them later, can’t I?"

Zhengyin stared at Zhang Ji for the space of a breath. Zhang Ji could clearly sense that even the old monk was a little speechless.

In the end, Zhengyin said, "Please follow me, Benefactor. Most of Shoushan Temple’s martial arts scriptures are on the stone wall of the back mountain. However, whether the techniques you seek were passed down by the sages of old... that remains to be seen."