Su Min did not linger long in Wei Wu Province. She left in a hurry, just as she had never truly considered this place her homeland. There was little nostalgia in her heart. To be honest, her impression of this place could only be described as terrible. The final years of the old dynasty had been filled with too much chaos, corruption, and human darkness. The only thing that gave her some small comfort was that the land was no longer as barren and lifeless as when she had left. Yet, a different kind of disorder still reigned.
"Martial heroes disrupt the law with force," she murmured, an old saying coming to mind.
But the current situation could hardly be called "heroic." The Great Yong Dynasty's control over its cultivators was far weaker than the absolute order Su Min had established in her own sect. Still, it was infinitely better than the reign of that foolish, cruel emperor from centuries ago. Though, by now, the weeds on his grave must have grown several feet tall. In any case, with her current speed, Su Min traversed the entire breadth of Wei Wu Province in less than a single day.
Finally, she arrived at the border of Lingxi Province, the heartland of the Great Thunder Temple. The moment she stepped across its invisible boundary, she was enveloped by a dense, palpable golden radiance that seemed to saturate the very air.
"Such intense Buddhist light…" she whispered, feeling the energy press gently against her skin. "Just how vast is Lingxi Province?"
Shaking her head, she continued forward on her flying sword. Unlike the mixed and chaotic aura of Wei Wu, this land was uniformly bathed in the Buddhist radiance, so thick it felt like wading through honey. Among the three major Buddhist sects, each occupied one of these great provinces. Su Min's destination was the Great Thunder Temple within Lingxi, the heart of this particular sect's power.
Even from thousands of kilometers away, she could sense its overwhelming spiritual presence.
Soon, the temple complex came into view.
"So this is the Great Thunder Temple of the cultivation world…" she breathed, her eyes widening slightly. "Honestly, it is quite impressive."
Before her, a massive, sprawling temple complex loomed amidst rolling mountains and veils of misty rain. Ornate, golden roofed pagodas and grand halls stood in orderly rows, connected by long, covered walkways. The scale was staggering. Su Min could not help but sigh in genuine appreciation.
"Just like the ancient verse, 'Four hundred and eighty temples of the Southern Dynasties, how many towers stand in the misty rain?'"
Now, this very scene unfolded before her eyes. How could she not feel moved by the majestic, ancient beauty of it?
"Amitabha. May I ask why the benefactor has come here?"
A calm, clear voice suddenly sounded beside her, though no one was visible. As a Nascent Soul cultivator, she was no ordinary visitor. The monks here were right to be cautious. If a Nascent Soul expert were to go berserk within their sacred grounds, the damage could be catastrophic.
"Hmph."
Su Min did not waste words. Instead, she took out the simple wooden token Kong Hui had given her long ago.
"I received an invitation from Patriarch Kong Hui. I am here to participate in the Dharma Assembly hosted by your three sects. This is the invitation."
"Since it is an invitation from Patriarch Kong Hui, please follow this humble monk."
Upon seeing the token, the owner of the voice materialized before her as if stepping out from the light itself. Su Min's pupils contracted sharply. Because the person standing before her was a monk in simple saffron robes, and his cultivation was at the Nascent Soul Late Stage.
"In the current state of the world, unless one is at the Divine Transformation stage, Nascent Soul cultivators should only have broken through in recent years," she thought, alarmed. "Yet here, there is actually a late stage Nascent Soul monk… And his aura is not unstable or flawed like those who relied on secret techniques to forcibly advance. It is solid and deep."
"Amitabha." The monk smiled serenely, as if reading her thoughts. "This humble monk's Dharma name is Jing Xin. This is my fourth reincarnation. Reaching the Nascent Soul stage is already a familiar path for this soul. The only question is whether, in this life, I can surpass the limits of my previous three incarnations and step into the Divine Transformation stage."
Seeing Su Min's surprised expression, his smile deepened slightly. His "reincarnation" was completely different from Yao Xian'er's possession or a player's respawn. This was true, conscious rebirth, retaining most of his past life's experiences and insights. After undergoing the Buddhist sect's unique rituals and guidance, he could swiftly recover his cultivation to the peak of his previous life. But breaking past that ceiling, achieving what he had failed to do before, was the true challenge. Still, it was astonishing enough.
"Then, please lead the way, Master," Su Min said, offering a slight, respectful bow. She said nothing more about his cultivation. The temple complex was so vast and undoubtedly filled with formations that without guidance, she would either get hopelessly lost or accidentally trigger some powerful restriction. As they walked, the young monk, who looked no older than twenty, studied her with open curiosity.
"Benefactor, may I ask where you learned our sect's core technique, the Great Sun Tathāgata Sutra?"
"Hm?"
Su Min was momentarily taken aback. Although she cultivated the sutra, her body also contained the powers of the Five Elements Holy Body and the activated Solar Sovereign Physique, making her spiritual signature complex and difficult to decipher. Moreover, she usually suppressed the distinct Buddhist aura completely. Aside from Xie Yingying, very few knew about this part of her cultivation. Yet this monk had seen through her at a glance.
"Benefactor, this is our Mahavira Hall, the main shrine," Jing Xin explained, gesturing to the grand building ahead. "The fact that the hall's inherent Buddhist light envelops and recognizes you, without triggering any defensive arrays, can only mean one thing. You carry a core scripture within you."
"Your Patriarch, Kong Hui, taught me," Su Min stated, waving the token once more for emphasis.
"I see. Then, please follow me." His expression became more solemn. "However, I must warn you, the Great Sun Tathāgata Sutra is our sect's supreme technique. Its dissemination is strictly controlled."
With that, he led her to a massive, solitary meditation chamber built from dark wood and stone and gestured for her to enter. Su Min did not hesitate. She pushed open the heavy door and stepped inside. The moment she did, the door slammed shut behind her with a definitive thud. A flash of golden light later, she found herself not in a small room, but standing in the center of a vast, circular plaza. On elevated platforms on either side, ten colossal, golden figures sat cross-legged in meditation, each radiating immense pressure.
"One, two… Ten Divine Transformation experts?!" she counted silently, her heart pounding. "And those three in the center… Their auras are already half a step into the Dao Comprehension stage! To reach this level just twenty years after the world's revival… Their past lives must have been monstrously powerful."
This was the true, hidden might of Buddhism. Their foundation was a thousand times stronger than the Blood Puppet Sect's. Moreover, these reincarnated monks did not just rely on raw cultivation level. With accumulated combat experience and insights from multiple lifetimes, their actual prowess was no joke. No wonder, in past campaigns to suppress Buddhism, the entire continent's forces had to unite.
"Kong Hui… Is this the one you spoke of?"
A deep, authoritative voice, calm yet heavy with age and power, rang out from the foremost figure. Instantly, Su Min felt as if a thousand invisible needles were pressing against her skin and spirit. Every pair of eyes in the hall, ancient and knowing, locked onto her.
"Nascent Soul cultivation… Two divine artifacts within her body… She must possess the ancient Five Elements Holy Body." The leader's voice was matter of fact, dissecting her secrets with ease. "A pity, she is already a polished jade, her path set. Kong Hui, why did you not guide her into our sect back then, when the clay was still wet?"
With just a single, penetrating glance, most of Su Min's core secrets had been laid bare.
"Elder Brother, each person has their own destiny. We cannot force it," Kong Hui, seated just below the leader, replied calmly. His aura had already transcended ordinary Divine Transformation, nearing the Dao Comprehension stage. Clearly, his status in the Buddhist sect was extremely high. Otherwise, like Su Min would have been, he would have been bound by the strictest soul oath to prevent the Great Sun Tathāgata Sutra from being leaked to an outsider.
"First place on the Golden Core Heavenly Ranking, the one who defeated that woman… For the world's sake, this is a good thing." The leader acknowledged, his tone shifting from scrutiny to a degree of acceptance. "However, Benefactor Su, the Great Sun Tathāgata Sutra is our sect's supreme technique. By tradition, you should have undergone trials in the Reincarnation Pagoda to qualify for learning it. Yet since you have already learned it from Kong Hui, it means you passed the Buddha's Heart Trial he administered. Today, we invite you here for one purpose."
"And that is?" Su Min's eyebrow twitched. She was deeply curious. Given the sheer, overwhelming power of the people in this hall, what could they possibly need a mere Nascent Soul cultivator for?
"Debating scriptures?" she ventured skeptically. "Do not joke around, I would probably end up resorting to personal insults, escalating into a brawl. As for fighting… that is even more unnecessary." Even the monk who had guided her, Jing Xin, would be an extremely tough opponent for her.
"Because the upcoming Water Land Dharma Assembly includes an alchemy competition," the leader stated plainly. "We Buddhists, regardless of our cultivation level, are exceptionally poor at refining pills. Our techniques and cultivation methods are incompatible with the precise, fiery art of alchemy. Yet I have heard that Benefactor Su has already reached the fifth grade alchemist level."
"As I thought…" Su Min's eyes narrowed in understanding. No wonder they were being so polite, even though she had learned their core technique without going through their official channels. They needed her skills. But this was fine. It meant she had leverage, a position to negotiate from.
"I came here primarily for the legacy of Bhaiṣajyaguru, the Medicine Buddha," she declared, putting her own goal on the table. "That inheritance is my goal."
"The legacy of Bhaiṣajyaguru can only be inherited by a skilled alchemist, and it does not belong to any of the three main Buddhist sects," the leader explained. "It exists in a neutral realm connected to our secret plane. If you can achieve victory in the alchemy competition during the Water Land Assembly, the inheritance will naturally descend upon the winner."
"Victory?" Su Min's eyebrow twitched again as she looked at the leading monk in confusion. What was the catch?
"Correct. There will be an alchemy competition. The other two sects have each sponsored a fifth grade alchemist, both at the Divine Transformation stage. But our Great Thunder Temple only has a fourth grade alchemist to represent us."
"Divine Transformation stage?!" Su Min's lips twitched involuntarily. "Are they really expecting a youngster like me, barely over 500 years old, to compete against centuries old reincarnated monsters with who knows how many lifetimes of experience?"
"Since Benefactor Su has learned the Great Sun Tathāgata Sutra, she may participate in our sect's name," Kong Hui interjected smoothly. "What we seek is a greater share of resources from the upcoming Buddhist Light Secret Realm. As for the Medicine Buddha's legacy," he said, looking directly at Su Min, "it shall belong to you, should you win it."
"So that is how it is."
Su Min nodded, the pieces falling into place. Though the information was sparse, she could guess the gist. A valuable Buddhist secret realm was about to open, and the three sects were vying for its resource allocation. But all out war was undesirable, the losses would likely outweigh the gains. Thus, the compromise was this Dharma Assembly, where the results, including the alchemy competition, would determine resource distribution. Of course, the internal politics of the Buddhist sects had little to do with Su Min. Her goal was only the Medicine Buddha's legacy.
"Kong Hui, there is still over a year before the Water Land Dharma Assembly," the leader commanded. "Take Benefactor Su to the Sutra Depository and the Alchemy Pavilion. See if she can make another breakthrough before then."
"Understood."
In an instant, the grand hall, the ten colossal figures, and the immense pressure vanished. Su Min found herself standing once more in the quiet, simple meditation chamber, alone with Kong Hui. The transition was so seamless it felt like waking from a vivid dream.