Chapter 714 - 715: The Most Sincere Chu Xingchen

Chapter 714: Chapter 715: The Most Sincere Chu Xingchen

Golden morning light, Buddhist chants shaking the clouds.

Great Thunder Temple, Great Hero Hall.

Runan sat on the Buddha seat, head slightly bowed with half-closed eyes, gently holding the Nirvana Relic in his hand while silently reciting the Buddhist heart sutra.

Even as he chanted the sutra, Runan’s mind kept returning to that meeting with Chu Xingchen at the Tianyan Sect.

Every subtle shift in Chu Xingchen’s expression, every change in tone, every single word—Runan had been turning them over and pondering them deeply in his heart.

Though he had been genuinely shocked by what Chu Xingchen said at the time, moved by his vision and trust, and felt something like finally meeting a kindred spirit.

But feelings alone wouldn’t change anything. Runan had to stay vigilant.

The entire sect rested on his shoulders—his master’s final hopes, the Great Sutra’s ultimate entrustment. He had given too much already to act on emotion now.

Runan wouldn’t let emotions guide him.

Pretty words wouldn’t truly change anything.

It was just that...

Chu Xingchen’s actions had been even more impressive than his words.

Runan had arrived at the Tianyan Sect that day and had everything settled before returning to the Buddhist sect the same day.

The moment he got back, the Tianyan Sect issued a notice to all sects.

Runan’s heart sank at first—shouldn’t they have discussed the notice together before releasing it? Why issue it the moment he left?

He had even wondered if Chu Xingchen had never intended to negotiate with the Buddhist sect at all, and was just toying with him.

But when Runan actually read the Tianyan Sect’s notice, he felt ashamed of his initial reaction.

The article was clearly prepared in advance, with carefully chosen wording to leave no room for misinterpretation.

It first affirmed the Buddhist sect’s contributions—establishing a millennium-old orthodox immortal sect and making outstanding contributions during the great human tribulation.

Then it clarified that while celestial demons had infiltrated the Buddhist sect, this was due to their extraordinary and bizarre methods, not because the Buddhist sect intentionally sheltered them or intended to join them.

Chu Xingchen had even provided supporting evidence: the Buddhist sect already ranked among the top eighteen immortal sects, so what price could celestial demons possibly offer to tempt them?

Ultimately, Chu Xingchen warned other immortal sects to stay vigilant against demonic infiltration.

This effectively cleared the Buddhist sect’s name regarding the celestial demon infiltration.

Chu Xingchen had also praised Runan’s exceptional virtue and sincerity as a Venerable Buddha.

The Buddhist sect remained the most crucial force in responding to the great tribulation together, and Chu Xingchen was prepared to work hand in hand with them.

The entire piece was nothing but vindication and praise for the Buddhist sect.

No ambiguous language, no passive-aggressive undertones.

It was more than Runan had ever dared to hope for.

And that wasn’t even the limit of the sincerity shown—the Xuanqing Heavenly Sect immediately endorsed the article and expressed their willingness to face the great tribulation alongside the Buddhist sect.

The Taidao Sect took much longer but eventually also publicly stated that regarding the celestial demon matter, they too were willing to trust the Buddhist sect.

This was the Taidao Sect—the sect that despised the Buddhist sect to the extreme.

For them to not kick someone when they were down already showed a change of heart, but to actually express willingness to trust them...

That clearly came from giving Chu Xingchen face.

It demonstrated just how strong Chu Xingchen’s stance really was.

Because of these developments, the pressure within the Buddhist sect had eased considerably.

The secular buddhas understood that this matter had been gently set aside, and they had tacitly agreed not to bring up the Radiant Buddha issue again.

This was a kind of unspoken exchange.

This was a lethal weapon, a matter of life or death.

If there was room for maneuver, the secular buddhas wouldn’t press the attack—they had only been using this to force Runan’s hand when the situation was extremely unfavorable to them.

The karma buddhas had also calmed down somewhat, since the world had already acknowledged what the Venerable Buddha said.

Runan had to admit that what Chu Xingchen did aligned perfectly with what he had hoped for the best outcome.

Both in his statements and in his choice not to hand over the Radiant Buddha.

Runan never expected that his most thorny and troubling problem would ultimately be resolved by Chu Xingchen, the very person who had blocked the Pudu River twice, dismantled the Zhengyin Dharma Temple, and was once his most hated adversary.

And not only that—Chu Xingchen had provided help in his hour of need, asked for nothing in return, and even thrown in a house on top of it.

If the Small Vehicle Buddhist Teachings could truly be promoted across the five continents and four directions as Chu Xingchen suggested, then the conflict between the Greater and Lesser Buddhist teachings might finally find an opportunity to settle down.

At the very least, the Small Vehicle teachings wouldn’t face such a disadvantageous position.

It was just that...

He didn’t know whether Chu Xingchen would follow through on what he had promised that day and actually promote the Small Vehicle teachings.

These negotiations wouldn’t be handled by Runan himself—he would only step in if disagreements became so severe they would derail everything. The person negotiating would be Chu Xingchen, not Li Yingling.

Right now, Runan was waiting inside the Great Hero Hall for news to come back.

After some time passed.

A heavy bell toll sounded, and Runan looked up to see the gilded doors slowly being pushed open.

Three monks walked into the hall with neither joy nor sorrow on their faces.

Runan’s gaze fell on the monk leading the way—this was an outer disciple he had personally taught Buddhist doctrine to, one he had nodded in approval of, and the Buddha Son he trusted most.

Seeing him return told Runan that the negotiations were nearly complete.

A gentle warmth spread across Runan’s face as he nodded:

"Wu Wang, thank you for your hard work."

"For the Venerable Buddha." Wu Wang performed a Buddhist salute first, then retrieved a jade token from his spatial ring and continued. "The Venerable Buddha’s orders have been carried out. The promotion of Small Vehicle Buddhist Teachings has been finalized, and I have returned with the jade token bearing the signature of Chu Xingchen’s eldest disciple, Li Yingling."

Wu Wang presented the token with both hands in a humble gesture.

Runan reached out to take it, sending his divine sense into the token.

What followed was silence, broken only by Runan’s voice ringing through the hall in disbelief: "They agreed to all of this?"

If Wu Wang hadn’t negotiated it himself, he wouldn’t have believed it either. He answered: "It has been confirmed. Li Yingling personally signed the jade token."

Runan had already verified it himself, so he didn’t question why Chu Xingchen hadn’t signed it instead.

As Chu Xingchen’s eldest disciple, Li Yingling would naturally be the one handling such a monumental matter—after all, people weren’t fools, and they wouldn’t accept just anyone taking the blame.

If Chu Xingchen refused to acknowledge it, he would lose credibility along with Li Yingling.

Runan reviewed the contents again: the terms were detailed, and most clauses specified that the Buddhist sect bore no responsibility if things went wrong—Chu Xingchen took the blame.

The entire agreement boiled down to this: if it succeeded, the Buddhist sect reaped the benefits; if it failed, Chu Xingchen carried the burden.

Runan asked: "Did you negotiate this with Li Yingling?"

Wu Wang shook his head: "Li Yingling sent someone from within Chu Xingchen’s sect to handle the talks. The person’s emotions were written plainly on their face, with little guile or hidden agenda."

Runan fell silent at this, then sighed softly: "I never expected... what Chu Xingchen said that day truly reflected his genuine intentions. I was the one who misjudged the situation."

"Anyone reviewing these terms would think the Buddhist sect was being greedy and ungrateful."

Wu Wang immediately bowed and accepted responsibility: "I failed to handle the matter properly. I am willing to face punishment."

Runan shook his head:

"I underestimated Chu Xingchen, and I underestimated the depth of his ambitions."

Runan looked out beyond the hall.

A stirring of guilt rose in his heart.

Despite negotiating such terms, Chu Xingchen had never come to him expressing any dissatisfaction.

Chu Xingchen... might truly be the most sincere person in this world.

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