Seeing the other party hand over the Vajra Subduing Demon Pestle, I was not polite.
I came to challenge precisely for this. Better take it than not.
"Thank you!"
With that, I received it with both hands, showing respect for the Buddhist ritual implement.
The Vajra Subduing Demon Pestle was not large, only about the length of chopsticks, but it was very heavy.
Over ten catties.
Seeing me take the Subduing Demon Pestle, Kongming clasped his hands together and recited,
"Namo Amitabha! The karmic affinity has arrived, esteemed patrons, please depart!"
With that, he retreated behind Master Jingxin.
Master Jingxin also stood up, preparing to leave.
After taking the Subduing Demon Pestle, I said to Master Jingxin again,
"Thank you, Master, for this gift!"
As I spoke, I cupped my fists again.
Master Jingxin and Kongming replied, "Namo Amitabha."
The surrounding crowd cast envious glances at me.
"Fellow Daoist, you're awesome!"
"Fellow Daoist, you are truly amazing, to have charmed the Vajra Subduing Demon Pestle away."
"Brother Dao, can we talk privately? I'm willing to pay a high price to acquire it!"
"..."
Suddenly, many people surrounded me.
Some offered polite congratulations, while others wished to purchase the Subduing Demon Pestle.
This item was a major treasure of Shaolin.
Even if it fell into the hands of us Daoists and couldn't unleash its full power, it was still a means to an end.
Against special malevolent spirits and ghosts, such magical artifacts had miraculous effects.
Therefore, I refused them all and walked out of the crowd.
Old Mo saw me emerge and winked at me: kuAiδugg
"Old Qin, let me have a look."
"Yes, yes, let us brothers have a look too!"
Yunlong also said with a smile.
To my familiar acquaintances, I didn't hold back. I took out the Subduing Demon Pestle, letting everyone examine it.
Old Mo took it and wielded it a few times, then grinned and shook his head:
"It doesn't feel right in my hands!"
Yunlong and Yunhu also studied it, but it didn't feel natural for them to use either.
Finally, I put the item away.
By now, we had visited every challenge stall on Lianxin Road.
We had acquired quite a few items, and the gazes of the people around us were constantly on us, pointing and whispering.
This made me rather uncomfortable.
So, we left the place the way we came.
However, not long after we left, my challenge of the Shaolin Great Compassion Mantra spread among the younger generation of the alliance.
It stirred up quite a stir.
Many people had attempted the Great Compassion Mantra, and some had even questioned it.
Now that the Vajra Subduing Demon Pestle was taken by me, their reactions ranged from envy to jealousy.
My name was suddenly brought up and discussed by many.
The afternoon was long, and our group of acquaintances did not return to our lodgings.
Instead, we wandered around Wudang Mountain. Besides some areas in the back mountains, there were many scenic spots.
Since most of us were visiting for the first time, we began to explore Wudang Mountain.
Finally, we sat down in a pavilion perched on a cliff in the back mountains.
The scenery here was excellent, and many fellow Daoists from various sects passed through this area.
Xia Qiu Xi, as a disciple of a major sect, had connections with these large sects.
She knew quite a few of them, and they greeted her as they passed by.
Besides that, we also saw Zhao Ke from Canglan View, Xu Hanchi and Luo Fei from Qingcheng Sect, Guanxin from Heishui View, Sun Yi from Maoshan, and so on.
We had met them all at Heishui View previously, and after chatting for a bit, they left.
As we were bored, we listened to Yunlong and Yunhu gossiping.
Whether it was true or not, it was quite interesting to hear.
Then Old Mo started bragging.
He recounted how we had wreaked havoc in the Black Demon Palace after Yunlong and Yunhu had left.
Of course, he omitted many details.
Yunlong and Yunhu listened with excitement and envy.
They said they really shouldn't have left back then and should have gone with us to cause trouble in the Black Demon Palace.
They also said that if there was a chance next time, they would definitely go with us to the demon sect's lair and wreak havoc…
Time passed quickly, and it was soon evening.
We returned just in time for dinner.
When we arrived at Taihe Palace, we found many more people than when we had arrived.
Essentially, all the sects were present.
There were many people, fellow Daoists everywhere.
Upon entering the dining hall, there were several hundred people.
At a glance, it was all Daoists.
I really wanted to see what the scene would be like if a ghost suddenly appeared here.
I called my martial uncle, and he told us not to worry about him.
He already had arrangements.
Dinner was buffet-style. Apart from the senior Daoist officials who had designated seating in special rooms,
we, the lesser figures, had to find our own places.
There were too many people, and no seats were available.
So, we had to wait.
During our wait, we also saw many great lamas from Tibet.
And several Westerners with blond hair and blue eyes, as well as several South Asians with dark skin…
We heard from people around us that they were from the Western Church and Southeast Asia.
They were considered foreign fellow practitioners.
After all, this alliance meeting was of a large scale, and the scope of invitations was very broad.
It was an unprecedented exchange meeting.
These foreign guests were specially attended to, so we didn't interact much with them.
We only entered the dining hall when the crowd thinned out.
With Yunlong and Yunhu present, we even had some drinks.
During the meal, we discussed some of the item exchange events and the junior generation challenge matches.
The item exchange event should start tomorrow.
This was what Old Mo was most looking forward to.
As for the details of the junior generation challenge matches, the rules would be released tomorrow.
Yunlong and Yunhu were very excited, saying that this was an opportunity to make a name for themselves.
They also asked if Old Mo and I would participate and compete.
To establish our dominance among the younger generation and crush the Western clergy and Buddhist masters from Southeast Asia.
I waved my hand; I didn't particularly want to steal the spotlight.
Old Mo wanted to, but my martial uncle forbade it.
Both of us stated that we would likely not participate in this junior generation challenge match.
We would only watch the excitement. Tomorrow's item exchange event, however, might attract more attention…
After we had eaten and drunk our fill, we parted ways.
Old Mo went to collect the Wudang reward, the "Yin Yang Fist" secret technique.
The rest of us returned to our respective lodgings.
Upon reaching my room, after studying the Vajra Subduing Demon Pestle for a while, I began to meditate and cultivate.
Because during the recitation of the Great Compassion Mantra today, I unexpectedly touched the door to a breakthrough.
Now, I just need to focus wholeheartedly and continuously improve my condition.
Breaking through to the peak of the Profound Core realm is no longer a distant dream…