308: Chapter 147: Sending a Book_5 308: Chapter 147: Sending a Book_5 Gu Chengyu heard the voice, and just as he had stabilized the flame, it began to flicker unstably again.
So, you just swallowed nine pills all at once to remodel your meridians?
You’re…
you’re really not afraid of your body exploding and dying?
And these pills, they’re already so volatile.
Are you looking for even more violent pills?
More violent pills?
Do you truly intend to blow up the Five-Element Pill Ground of your master?
Cao Zhen looked at Xiang Ziyu with a speechless expression, “Refine more pills for you?
Do you know how many herbs are needed for these pills?
And you still want to rebuild your internal organs.”
As he spoke, he suddenly came back to his senses, turned his head to look at Yi Sheng, who was watching Xiang Ziyu with admiration, and his expression changed abruptly as he said, “Yi Sheng, don’t follow your senior brother’s example.
This senior brother of yours…
he’s a bit special.
I’ve told your two senior sisters before, as well as your fourth senior brother, not to follow your third senior brother.
You must absolutely not practice his method of rebuilding the body.”
He was genuinely afraid that Yi Sheng would follow Xiang Ziyu’s example.
Xiang Ziyu heard this and nodded urgently in agreement, “That’s right, little junior sister, you mustn’t learn from your senior brother.
Senior brother is a protagonist.
All protagonists remodel their meridians and internal organs, but it’s not possible for others.
Furthermore, the pills that master just refined for me, only protagonists can consume such fierce versions.
If others were to take them, they would probably explode and die long ago.
Even master can’t do it.”
Cao Zhen’s gaze instantly fell on Xiang Ziyu, ‘I can’t do it’?
I can do everything you can, I just had one pill before, but I have more pills than you.
What do you mean I can’t do it?
Forget it, it’s no use arguing with this kid.
Cao Zhen looked at Xiang Ziyu and cautioned, “Although you have now reached the Perfect Completion Golden Core, you need to acclimate after your sudden breakthrough.
During this period, don’t run around aimlessly and stop going to the Divine Skills Archive to practice those messy divine skills.
First, adapt to your body, and then perfect all your current divine skills to the limit of your present cultivation base.”
Previously, Xiang Ziyu’s divine skills had been trained to the limit of Core Formation, but now he was at Perfect Completion Golden Core, meaning all of his divine skills could be refined even deeper.
Having Xiang Ziyu refine his divine skills to a higher level would enable him to win without effort.
“Don’t worry, master.
I won’t go to the Divine Skills Archive to train anymore,” Xiang Ziyu said with a smirk, thinking to himself that even if he promised Cao Zhen, the master would be none the wiser if he went to the Divine Skills Archive.
Cao Zhen seemed to see through Xiang Ziyu’s thoughts and turned back to Yi Sheng, saying, “Go tell the elder of the Divine Skills Archive to forbid Xiang Ziyu from entering.
Say it’s an order from me.”
Currently, as the vice head of Hidden Dragon Observatory, how could he not have control over Xiang Ziyu?
Xiang Ziyu’s expression darkened.
After Xiang Ziyu left, Cao Zhen finally had time to concentrate on refining his own Dragon and Tiger Golden Pill.
Unbeknownst to him, the time for the Debate Team to descend the mountain had arrived.
After instructing Yi Sheng to help him refine pills, Cao Zhen finally left the Five-Element Pill Ground.
Not only was Xiang Ziyu going to descend the mountain, but Cao Zhen also had to participate in the new emperor’s ascension in the Guardian Immortal Imperial Dynasty.
Moreover, he was the deputy envoy of the delegation.
“Remember, once you descend the mountain, keep a low profile.
Just blend into the crowd, be someone unnoticeable.
Don’t jump out on every occasion, and certainly don’t imitate your junior brother’s sharp tongue.
And, don’t jump off a cliff whenever you see one…”
Cao Zhen made sure to give Xiang Ziyu some final words of caution before he left.
In fact, during this period, Xiang Ziyu had been quite well-behaved.
Aside from stabilizing his realm, he spent all his time practicing divine skills.
Within such a short time frame, Xiang Ziyu even managed to push ten types of divine skills to the limit his body could withstand.
The day after Xiang Ziyu’s Debate Team descended the mountain, the Guardian Immortal Imperial Dynasty sent news that the Disciples of Hundred Peaks Sect’s delegation was assembling with gifts, ready to exit the mountain gate.
Cao Zhen and the others walked amidst the crowd indifferently, as he was only participating in the delegation for the rewards and had even been appointed a deputy envoy.
With Lan Pili acting as the envoy, he didn’t need to take care of anything—just following the crowd was enough.
However, there was a familiar face amongst the delegation heading to the Guardian Immortal Imperial Dynasty—Chang Tiance!
Lan Pili led the group out of the mountain gate, and just when he was about to say a few words, a young monk dressed in blue robes approached them.
A young monk?
Could it be…
As the young monk walked forward, amidst everyone’s gaze, he came to a standstill and performed a Buddhist greeting with his hands folded before asking, “Sirs, are you from the Hundred Peaks Sect?”
As the head envoy of the delegation, Lan Pili nodded and replied, “We are indeed disciples of Hundred Peaks Sect.
May I inquire as to how the young master monk is addressed?”
With his hands clasped together, the young monk said, “This humble monk is a disciple of Infinite Temple, Liao Kong.
I have come down from the mountain by the command of my teacher to engage in debate.”
The disciple of Infinite Temple—everyone’s gaze shifted instantly, reflecting a change in their thoughts.
Cao Zhen suddenly remembered that during the Hundred Peaks gathering he attended, when people spoke of Infinite Temple’s disciples, they referred to a certain great monk’s apprentices as young monks who practiced Zen cultivation.
The Peak Masters, one and all, were terribly frightened, each making excuses about being in seclusion and not available.
Was this the very young monk whom they feared, now come knocking on their door?
After speaking to everyone, Liao Kong did not directly enter the gates of the nearby Hundred Peaks Sect; he instead turned to look at two bald men in monk robes within the envoy group and said politely, “These two, I presume, are fellow Zen-cultivating brothers.”
Within the envoy group, the two monks also returned the gesture, saying, “Little Zen Peak’s Wu Ran.”
“Precious Look Peak, Ben Jue.”
Liao Kong nodded slightly and continued, “Since you are fellows of Zen cultivation, may I engage in a discussion of the Way with you?”
“A discussion of the Way?”
Wu Ran and Ben Jue felt a shock in their hearts and hurriedly said, “Brother Liao Kong, within our Hundred Peaks Sect, we have already set up a platform for debating the Dao.
You may enter the Sect to engage in debate.”
Their understanding of the Buddhist Law within the Sect was decent but not top-notch, otherwise, they wouldn’t have joined the envoy group; instead, they would have been on the debate team.
It was said that the young monk before them was a direct disciple of that master of Infinite Temple, and they certainly did not dare engage in debate with this young monk.
Upon hearing their response, Liao Kong did not enter the gates of the nearby Hundred Peaks Sect but instead chanted a Buddhist invocation and said, “Since we are all disciples of Zen cultivation, we should naturally engage in discussion.”
Without waiting for the two to respond, he raised his hand and pointed to the alms bowl in his grasp, asking, “May I dare to ask the two brothers, why is it empty?”
Ben Jue furrowed his brow and after looking at the empty alms bowl, he thought for a moment and replied, “Because of the nature of emptiness, it is thus empty.”
Liao Kong looked up at Ben Jue and continued to ask, “What is the emptiness of the nature of emptiness?”
“The nature of emptiness…” Ben Jue was at a loss for an explanation at the moment.
Wu Ran, recalling the teachings of his master from long ago, answered, “Because the nature of emptiness is empty, even the explanation is empty.
Therefore, there is no need for explanation.”
Liao Kong, without even pausing to think, replied, “Can the nature of emptiness be spoken of with some kind of reasoning, with an explanation?
The nature of emptiness is also empty, so the nature of emptiness cannot explain emptiness.”
The crowd around was puzzled by all this talk of the nature of emptiness and such like; these Zen cultivators liked to speak of things that were so abstract.
Yet, for Ben Jue and Wu Ran, this was a question that left them unable to raise their heads, at a loss for words in the moment.
Liao Kong gently shook his head and did not head toward the Hundred Peaks Sect but turned and started to walk away.
He might not have said anything, but his intent was clear: the understanding of Buddhist principles in the Zen cultivation of the Hundred Peaks Sect was far too inferior.
After speaking just a few words with those two disciples, he felt there was no need to proceed to the Hundred Peaks Sect for further debate.
The other party might not have spoken, but their actions were more shame-inducing than any words could have been.
Seeing that the other party was about to leave, Lan Pili quickly called out, “Wait a moment…”
They could not simply let the other leave; if he did, it would be a great embarrassment for the Hundred Peaks Sect.
No one would think that the disciple of Infinite Temple dared not enter the Hundred Peaks Sect to engage in debate.
Everyone would believe that he felt the Zen cultivation of the Hundred Peaks Sect was unworthy, beneath his dignity to even engage in debate within the Sect.
Liao Kong stopped in his tracks, turned back with a look of confusion, and asked Lan Pili, “This benefactor, do you wish to engage in debate with this humble monk?”
Lan Pili shook his head repeatedly, saying, “I do not understand Zen cultivation, nor do I grasp Buddhist Law, so I cannot engage in debate with you.
However, there is someone among us here who can.”
“Who might that be?”
Within the envoy group, everyone looked simultaneously toward Cao Zhen, who had not yet spoken a single word.