Chapter 166 - 165: The Secret of Longhua Temple

Chapter 166: Chapter 165: The Secret of Longhua Temple

The younger monk, Chan Ning, was an orphan abandoned at Longhua Temple. He had been attending morning lessons with the elder monks since he was old enough to sit still, and he could recite scriptures back when he was still wearing split-crotch pants.

The older Daoist, Ling Zhao, had been sent to the mountain at age five and had been cultivating the Dao ever since. While his innate talent wasn’t exceptional, he was earnest and diligent, a firm believer that heaven rewards hard work and that diligence can compensate for a lack of natural ability.

One a genius, the other an ordinary man. Their impending clash immediately drew the attention of many.

Gu Qingyin grew even more animated at the sight, even letting out a mischievous little "heh heh" of anticipation.

Huo Yunjing shot her a worried glance. ’Has my wife gone silly from sleep deprivation?’

The highly anticipated match finally began!

Chan Ning gave Ling Zhao a faint smile and gestured politely with his hand. "Please."

Ling Zhao paid no mind to his opponent’s age. When it was time to strike, he struck. Without any warning, he immediately unleashed a powerful technique.

With a flick of his horsetail whisk, a glittering ring of light appeared. It then zipped over to Chan Ning’s head at incredible speed, ensnaring him with a SWOOSH.

It was no exaggeration to say Ling Zhao’s eyes widened slightly in his excitement. He hadn’t expected it to go so smoothly.

The ring of light was a binding technique. By trapping his opponent and preventing him from fighting back, his chances of victory would increase dramatically!

Ling Zhao tucked his horsetail whisk into the back of his collar. His hands flew into a series of seals as he began to chant an incantation.

Across from him, Chan Ning calmly glanced down at the ring of light binding him.

The next second, a golden light began to radiate from Chan Ning’s body. A golden sun even materialized, hovering behind his head.

Standing there, Chan Ning looked like a living statue of the Buddha. With a single flex of his power, he shattered the ring of light that bound him.

At that same moment, however, Ling Zhao’s next attack arrived.

Gu Qingyin stared at the golden sun, her brow deeply furrowed. ’I just saw this thing not long ago. I don’t really get it. Is this a separate school of techniques, or are all the methods of the Buddhist Sect more or less the same?’

’Could that person be from Longhua Temple?’

With this suspicion in mind, Gu Qingyin could no longer focus on her duties as a judge. Her mind raced with uncontrollable, divergent thoughts.

’Is that man from Longhua Temple? But he isn’t a monk. Did he renounce his vows, or is he a lay disciple? A lay disciple shouldn’t have access to the true secret arts of the Buddhist Sect, right?’

As she mulled it over, Gu Qingyin gasped. ’Don’t tell me Longhua Temple is a front for an evil cult?!’

Gu Qingyin was startled by her own imagination. From then on, every time a monk took the stage, she stared wide-eyed, searching for flaws, looking for proof.

Unfortunately, aside from Chan Ning, everyone else’s cultivation was unremarkable. There was nothing special about them.

When the lunch break finally arrived, Gu Qingyin took one hasty bite of food before turning to go find Lin Jiran.

She didn’t beat around the bush. With a serious expression, she lowered her voice and asked, "Uncle Lin, in the last few years, have any disciples from Longhua Temple renounced their vows after breaking the monastic rules?"

Lin Jiran paused, frowning in thought before replying seriously, "It happens every year."

"Huh?" Gu Qingyin was taken aback. ’Are the rules for being a monk so strict these days? I mean, if you can’t follow the rules, why become a monk in the first place?’

"Life in the temple is very difficult. You wake early and sleep late, undergoing arduous cultivation every day, with no breaks all year. Very few people can persevere."

After explaining, Lin Jiran asked, "Why the sudden curiosity?"

Gu Qingyin then told him what had happened before.

Lin Jiran nodded. "I heard about what happened with the Dongfang Family, but I didn’t expect Longhua Temple to be involved. That Light Wheel you mentioned is called Universal Light. It’s one of Longhua Temple’s secret techniques."

"If you aren’t mistaken, that person must have held a high position in Longhua Temple," Lin Jiran said. "I’ll go find the abbot later and ask him about it."

Gu Qingyin nodded hesitantly. She wanted to ask, ’What if the abbot of Longhua Temple isn’t a good person either?’ But then again, considering Longhua Temple’s status in the Mystical World, that seemed unlikely.

"Thank you, Uncle Lin." Gu Qingyin offered her thanks and left. All she could do now was wait for news.

After a short break, the competition continued until dusk when the lamps were lit, finally bringing the long day of matches to a close.

A total of 108 contestants successfully advanced to the next round.

In the next round, which was tomorrow, the contestants would be split into different divisions to compete in their respective areas of expertise.

With the matter weighing on her mind, Gu Qingyin didn’t feel tired. Instead, she became like a scoring machine, emotionlessly pointing out strengths and weaknesses before declaring a winner and loser.

The competition continued day after day, but Gu Qingyin still hadn’t heard back from Lin Jiran. Unable to wait any longer, she went to find him before the finals.

When Lin Jiran saw her, he sighed and spoke before she could even ask. "I know who you’re looking for. You should stay out of this matter. Longhua Temple will resolve it themselves."

Gu Qingyin was completely baffled. "Does this involve some secret of Longhua Temple?"

’A so-called secret is usually a scandal, so of course they wouldn’t want an outsider to know the details.’

Lin Jiran shook his head with a sigh. "You and that curiosity of yours... Just let it be, and don’t ask any more questions."

Gu Qingyin smiled and nodded, but inwardly, she pouted. ’Saying it like that just makes me even more curious!’

’What kind of secret could Longhua Temple have?’ Her eyes darted about. ’I’ll go home and ask Master! He might know!’

The next afternoon, as soon as the finals were over, Gu Qingyin left without a moment’s delay. She rushed home, went straight upstairs, and entered the room where she communed with her master.

"Master! Master! Do you know Longhua Temple’s secret?" Gu Qingyin’s eyes were shining with anticipation. "Please tell me."

The room fell silent for two seconds before a sigh echoed, and the figure of Gu Ziqian slowly materialized.

"I don’t know any secrets. I’m not a gossip like you."

Gu Qingyin paused. She was inclined to believe him.

For as long as she could remember, her master had never liked socializing. Only a handful of people ever came up the mountain to visit him, and she’d never seen him use a phone or anything of the sort.

His days were spent either painting and practicing calligraphy or reading and brewing tea. At night, he would cultivate under the moon. His routine was as regular as an old man’s.

Gu Qingyin sighed in disappointment and recounted what Lin Jiran had told her.

Gu Ziqian frowned as he listened. "Universal Light... That doesn’t necessarily mean he’s from Longhua Temple. A hundred years ago, Longhua Temple suffered a great catastrophe. Many of its treasured books were stolen, and the manual for Universal Light was among them."

Gu Qingyin’s eyes widened in shock. "Who would be so powerful?"

Gu Ziqian tapped her on the head. "Powerful? What’s so powerful about them? It was just a group of Evil Cultivators. They launched a sudden attack, broke into Longhua Temple’s Book Collection Pavilion, and then scattered and fled."

"The monks of Longhua Temple hunted them down for a full thirty years, killing off most of those Evil Cultivators and recovering ninety percent of the stolen books. Only then did the matter gradually subside."

Gu Ziqian’s expression turned grave. "From your description, this man has none of the bearing of a Buddhist Disciple and is an Evil Cultivator. It’s highly likely he’s one of the remnants from that incident."

Gu Qingyin let out a small "ah." "So that’s the secret Uncle Lin was talking about."

Gu Ziqian wasn’t certain either, but he nodded. "Probably. Longhua Temple was nearly wiped out back then."

Gu Qingyin was a little disappointed. While the story was certainly sensational, it wasn’t at all the kind of secret she had been imagining.