Chapter 136 - 119: Buddha’s Inner Landscape Sutra, Returning

Chapter 136: Chapter 119: Buddha’s Inner Landscape Sutra, Returning

The backyard opened up to the great mountain that the True Buddha Sect backed onto.

Countless niches of varying sizes were carved into the mountain wall, each holding a book forged from profound iron.

These were none other than the martial combat techniques Zhang Ji hadn’t seen in the catacombs beneath Shoushan Temple.

However, the collection was no longer complete. Much of the heritage had been lost over time.

According to Zhang Ji’s information, there were only twelve Excellent-grade combat techniques and forty-four Superior-grade combat techniques. The remaining three hundred seventy-five profound iron books were all Common-grade combat techniques.

Of course, even so, this was an impressive collection.

An ordinary Sect would be considered top-tier if it possessed just one Excellent-grade ultimate technique.

The most notable among them was the Excellent 9-Star *Five Elements Everspring Technique*. Even among the numerous Excellent-grade martial arts of the Primordial Qi Sect, it was considered one of the very best.

In truth, this technique was the primary reason for Zhang Ji’s trip.

Releasing his spiritual particles, Zhang Ji quickly scanned all the information.

’Whether I learn them now or not, I’ll memorize everything first. It’ll add to my foundation, and I can figure out the rest later.’

Among the twelve Excellent-grade combat techniques in the center, Zhang Ji found the *Five Elements Everspring Technique* he was looking for.

This profound iron book was much larger, and its contents were far more complex.

Zhang Ji estimated it would take him some time just to grasp the basics and master the training method.

Simply memorizing it for now wasn’t too difficult, however.

After standing on the spot for ten minutes, Zhang Ji used his powerful spiritual particles to record the contents of every profound iron tome.

Then, his gaze fell upon a statue in the yard.

Just like the Child Venerable enshrined within the Martial Monk Academy in the Shoushan Temple Ruins Realm, there was another Child Venerable here.

This one, however, was not holding a staff. Instead, its palms were pressed together in a prayer-like gesture.

Zhang Ji could faintly sense energy fluctuations emanating from it.

’This thing is filled with all sorts of array patterns. Besides its function of passing down a Cultivation Technique, it can also become a combat-ready Puppet in a critical moment.’

’And it’s not weak, either.’

’It can unleash a single A+-rank attack.’

’Only the True Buddha Sect would possess such a hidden trump card.’

"Patron, if you wish to seek the technique, you need only pay your respects to the ancient sage," Zhengyin said. "If the sage grants permission, you may receive the inheritance."

Zhang Ji nodded, pressed his palms together, and bowed to the statue.

The scene was just like it had been in the game.

In the game, however, getting this skill had required him to offer incense, and he had to repeat the process several times.

The skill acquisition was based on chance.

If he failed, he had to start all over again.

He had needed to go to the True Buddha Sect’s Ruins Realm dungeon, gather a specific type of fragrant wood leaf, craft it into an incense stick, and then place it in the censer before the Child Venerable statue.

Now, however, Zhengyin hadn’t asked him to get any incense, merely to bow to the Child Venerable.

’It’s obvious that old monk made me go through that whole song and dance just to mess with me.’

’Probably just to test my sincerity or something.’

After finishing his bow, Zhang Ji straightened up, his eyes meeting those of the Child Venerable.

Behind him, Zhengyin intoned, "Amitabha."

As he spoke, the eyes of the Child Venerable statue abruptly lit up. Two beams of golden light shot out from them, flying directly into Zhang Ji’s eyes before vanishing.

The entire process was so unbelievably fast that Zhang Ji didn’t even have time to react.

By the time he came to his senses, new information had already appeared in his mind.

It was the Legendary 9-Star technique, the *Sutra of the Inner Buddha Country*!

It consisted of ten Visualization Images, each representing one of the ten layers of the inner world.

To successfully cultivate it, one needed at least an S-rank Spirit and S-rank Primordial Qi.

Zhang Ji examined the images one by one, starting from the first. Each was profound and inscrutable, containing vast amounts of information.

The first image: The Inner World of the Celestial Eye Buddha Country. Once mastered, it enhances one’s eyesight, allowing one to distinguish the real from the illusory and see for a thousand miles.

The second image: The Inner World of the Clear Mind Buddha Country. Once mastered, it strengthens perception, allowing one to see through to the very essence of matter.

The third image: The Inner World of the All-Hearing Buddha Country. Once mastered, one can hear the faintest sounds from all ten directions and understand the voices of all things.

The fourth image: The Inner World of the Divine Feet Buddha Country. Once mastered, a single step can cover thousands of feet, and a journey of ten thousand miles takes but an instant.

The fifth image: The Inner World of the Fate Buddha Country. Once mastered, one can know future events and foresee impending doom, allowing one to avert disaster and seek good fortune while avoiding calamity.

The sixth image: The Inner World of the Demon-Suppressing Buddha Country. Once mastered, a Demon-Suppressing Bell condensed from Spirit and Primordial Qi manifests in the inner world. It can be released to suppress malevolent spirits and can also suppress the demons within one’s own heart, making one impervious to external evils and immune to ordinary spiritual attacks.

The seventh image: The Inner World of the Demon-Subduing Buddha Country. Once mastered, a Demon-Subduing Pestle manifests in the inner world. It can be used to attack enemies with unparalleled destructive power.

The eighth image: The Inner World of the Conversion Buddha Country. Once mastered, one’s actions can guide people’s hearts toward goodness and persuade the lost to find their way. It is a spiritual, hallucinatory Divine Ability.

The ninth image: The Inner World of the Enlightenment Buddha Country. Once mastered, one achieves perfect enlightenment, identifying and correcting all personal flaws. It greatly enhances control over one’s own body, allowing one to hold an ant without harming it or exert immense force without making a sound.

The tenth image: The Inner World of the Wisdom Buddha Country. Once mastered, one’s wisdom becomes transcendent and one’s comprehension ability skyrockets. One can have forty-eight thousand thoughts in a single instant, greatly boosting cultivation speed. A single day of practice becomes equivalent to over a hundred years for an ordinary person.

...

Zhang Ji considered his own comprehension to be quite good, but at this moment, faced with these ten Visualization Images, he was still somewhat bewildered.

Mainly, it wasn’t like other techniques that he could understand at a single glance.

He did, however, have a vague idea of the training method.

’I have to use spiritual particles and Primordial Qi to open up spaces within my body. Then, following these Visualization Images, I’ll construct those Inner Buddha Countries within them to gain the corresponding Divine Ability buffs.’

’I’ll probably have to wait until I reach S-rank to consider the specific details.’

’This thing is way ahead of the curve for the current version.’

After all, it was one of the two native Legendary skills on Origin Star.

The other, by the way, was called the Cosmic Four Source Attraction.

That skill was much harder to obtain. It was located in a Ruins Realm dungeon considered the most difficult on all of Origin Star, and Zhang Ji would need to be at least A+-rank before he would even dare attempt it.

That skill allowed one to draw upon the four great cosmic elements—earth, water, fire, and wind—and combine them into a force of annihilation. Unleashed at full power, it could spread to destroy everything in its path, completely flattening a small continent.

It was basically a terrain eraser.

That was why players called it the "Continent-Wiping Orb."

"Thank you for your generosity, Master," Zhang Ji said, turning back to Zhengyin. "In the future, if the True Buddha Sect ever needs anything I can help with, you have only to ask."

"I only hope that you do not lose sight of your true self, Patron," Zhengyin replied, his palms pressed together.

Zhang Ji was a little exasperated with this monk who always spoke in riddles.

’Can’t he just say what he means?’

’Why does he have to be so damn cryptic?’

’Don’t lose sight of my true self? Is he telling me to be clear about my goals and my methods? Not to get lost in the pursuit of power?’

’Or maybe he’s reminding me to remember my humble origins and be good to the common people?’

’Or is it just a warning not to forget who I truly am?’

Zhang Ji didn’t dwell on it. There were too many possible interpretations. He raised a palm in a martial salute and said, "Regardless, I will remember the gift of this inheritance."

With that, he turned and left without a backward glance.

He had what he came for; there was no point in continuing the conversation with Zhengyin.

The old monk spoke like some kind of riddle-master. Talking to him was exhausting.

Watching Zhang Ji turn and leave, Zhengyin sighed and resumed sweeping the ground.

...

That evening, Zhang Ji met Teng Yuanrong, the Sect Leader of the Jade Sect, at the Xia Yu Country’s state banquet hall.

She, too, was a Grandmaster.

Though over eighty years old, she still looked to be in her early thirties.

The Jade Sect had certainly made remarkable achievements in the art of preserving one’s youth and beauty.

However, Zhang Ji wasn’t interested in their youth-preserving techniques. He wanted their ultimate divine art, the Heart Stabilizing and Body Lowering Method.

Even though it was a Cultivation Technique capable of turning one into a terrestrial immortal...

...with Zhang Ji’s current status, it wasn’t difficult for him to borrow it for a look.

He made a "sponsorship" donation and, in return, received a copy, complete with thoughtful annotations detailing various intricacies.

With his level of strength and status, it was now laughably easy for Zhang Ji to acquire a combat technique.

...

After dinner, Zhang Ji had one of his attendants pass his private contact information to a bodyguard protecting the senior officials of the Xia Yu Country.

"If you ever run into a problem you can’t solve, you can call me," Zhang Ji said.

"Thank you."

Tang Cheng accepted the business card, which had a number written on it, with both hands.

He didn’t know why Zhang Ji was giving him a card, but given Zhang Ji’s special status, he couldn’t be disrespectful.

Zhang Ji smiled, clapped him on the shoulder, and walked away.

This young man, Tang Cheng, was only C-rank now, but in ten years, he would become someone extraordinary.

In the "Interstellar Journey" version, he was fated to obtain a Legendary treasure from an Interstellar Civilization, befriend an alien visitor, and be swept up in a war between civilizations.

Swept up in the tides of the new era, his power would skyrocket as if someone were inflating a balloon. In less than ten years, he would reach A+-rank.

He had the classic fate of a protagonist.

For now, though, he was just a talented young man from the Xia Yu Country.

And while becoming a Grandmaster at thirty-three was a decent achievement, it paled in comparison to what his future held.

...

Early the next morning, Zhang Ji concluded his visit and began his journey back.

He had more than accomplished his objectives for the trip.

He had originally planned to reconsider his options if he failed to obtain the *Sutra of the Inner Buddha Country*.

He never expected the old monk from the True Buddha Sect to give it to him so easily.

Though he didn’t know what the monk was thinking, he now owed him a favor.

’During the turmoil to come, maybe I can put in some effort to protect the True Buddha Sect.’

Four "versions" were coming, each with a greater impact on the world than the last. The final one would even involve conflicts on a multiversal scale.

Alchemy Frenzy, Spacetime Anomaly, Interstellar Journey, and Gaze of the Ancient Gods.

In the game, each of these four versions lasted about five years on average, leaving precious little time to prepare.

Now that he was here, he should be able to somewhat limit the disaster caused by the rampant growth of Alchemy Technology, which the Saint King had allowed to run wild.

The catastrophe of the Spacetime Anomaly, however, would be unavoidable.

In that version, numerous worlds would converge with Origin Star, leading to mutual invasions.

In many of those worlds, S-rank masters weren’t even rare. Even the Saint King of that era was a bit behind the curve, "needing an official patch to upgrade," so to speak. But in the end, it still fell to the players to save the world.

After all, no matter how you slice it, the players were the main characters!

But even then, parties of S-rank players would still get wiped out raiding certain spacetime rift dungeons. The power creep was completely ridiculous.

Thinking about all this, Zhang Ji couldn’t truly relax, even with his own rapid growth in power.

He closed his eyes, took a shallow breath, and sent a tremor of Spirit through his body, beginning his cultivation of the Heart Stabilizing and Body Lowering Method.

The Heart Stabilizing and Body Lowering Method could significantly develop a martial artist’s potential, increasing their attributes across the board as well as their Control Power.

Once mastered, it provided a considerable boost to the practice of any other martial art, allowing for much faster learning.

That was why Zhang Ji decided to practice this art before starting on the *Five Elements Everspring Technique*.