Ask Not Where Spring Has Gone; One Thought Blooms Late, Another Arrives
Lu Ping was utterly speechless.
Great Forest Temple is interesting.
Lu Ping chose A.
[You chose A.]
[You certainly wouldn't make things difficult for a Foundation Establishment Realm monk.]
[You put away your prayer beads, followed the direction of Wujue, left East Forest Town, and embarked on the mountain path leading to Stone Gate Ravine.]
[The mountain path is rugged, with ancient trees reaching for the sky on both sides, and shrouded in mist.]
[You didn't activate your Escape Light, but instead strolled along.]
[As you venture deeper, the surrounding Spiritual Qi energy tides become increasingly pronounced.]
[After walking for an hour, the view ahead suddenly opened up.]
Two sheer cliffs rose abruptly from the ground, like massive Stone Gates, abruptly blocking the way.
Between the Stone Gates, clouds and mist condensed into a thick, white wall, churning and surging, impenetrable to Divine Sense.
[Stone Gate Ravine.]
[Standing before the cloud wall, you can sense the fluctuations of the hidden Formation Technique within.]
[Reverse Engineering, in effect.]
[The Artisan Spirit is now in effect.]
[Multiskilling, effective.]
[Workaholic, effective]
[You sense a bewitching power emanating from this Formation Technique.]
[Without a token, or with a weak will, one will wander in the illusion and eventually unknowingly return to the foot of the mountain.]
[You are about to take out the Buddhist beads given to you by Wuming to activate the token and pass the test.]
[The cloud wall suddenly began to churn violently.]
A figure stumbled out of the clouds and fell at your feet.
[He was a male cultivator wearing a blue Daoist robe, at the Golden Core Perfection.]
He was covered in blood, his Daoist robe torn in more than a dozen places, and his aura was weak.
[The male cultivator lay sprawled on the ground, panting heavily. Before he could even get up, another disturbance came from within the cloud wall.]
[A deep, resonant Buddhist chant resounds.]
[A monk dressed in a moon-white robe slowly emerged from the cloud wall.]
[He was a burly man, carrying a Demon-Subduing Pestle, and also at the Golden Core Perfection.]
[The monk looked down at the male cultivator on the ground, his tone indifferent.]
"Fellow Daoist, Great Forest Temple does not interfere with external karma. If you can enter and exit Stone Gate Ravine on your own, that is your good fortune."
"But you shouldn't have taken my disciples hostage and tried to sneak into the Mountain Gate."
"Forcibly establishing karmic connections disrupts people's spiritual practice. This is a grave taboo in our temple."
The male cultivator on the ground coughed up blood, his face deathly pale, his eyes filled with resentment.
"What utter nonsense about taboos! Your Great Forest Temple claims to be Sacred Ground Buddhist Sect site, what kind of compassion is it to stand by and watch someone die!"
"I was just trying to find a way to avoid my enemies, and you beat me so badly and threw me out like this? Is this your kind of cultivation?!"
The monk shook his head, showing no anger.
"Great Forest Temple only saves itself, not others."
"Your life and death are a matter of your karma. By taking my disciples hostage, you have broken the precepts."
[The monk raises his vajra (Demon-Subduing Pestle).]
"Today, I will shatter your Qi Sea and sever your Dao Foundation, thus settling this karmic debt."
[Options pop up.]
[A: Mind your own business, step back and give the master some room to maneuver.]
[B: Two ants, both have been scattered...]
[C: Rushing forward and grabbing the monk's Vajra Demon-Subduing Pestle: "Master! How can you get your hands dirty with such dirty and tiring work as breaking through the Qi Sea? Outsource it to me! For just 3.2 million Spirit Stones, I guarantee I'll grind his Dao Foundation into powder!"]
Little B, what brings us here?
Lu Ping chose A.
[You chose A.]
[You took two steps back, adopting an attitude of "You guys continue, I was just passing by."]
The monk glanced at you, his gaze lingering on you for a moment.
He seemed to sense the subtle fluctuations of Spiritual Power emanating from you, but seeing that you showed no intention of intervening, he withdrew his gaze.
["Bang!"]
[The Demon-Subduing Pestle fell, striking the male cultivator's Dantian.]
[The male cultivator let out a scream as his Golden Core shattered instantly, his Spiritual Qi dissipating into the air.]
Decades of arduous practice, all vanished in a single day.
[The male cultivator fainted from the pain.]
[The monk put away his Demon-Subduing Pestle, held it upright in front of his chest with one hand, and chanted a Buddhist prayer, as if he had merely swatted a mosquito.]
[The monk turned his head and looked at you.]
"Fellow Daoist, Stone Gate Ravine is a place of quiet cultivation for our temple. If you have no token, please return."
His tone remained calm, but the implication of dismissal was clear.
You smiled faintly.
[Since we're about to enter the Mountain Gates of Great Forest Temple, continuing this pretense would be impolite.]
[Your Spiritual Power circulates, your Golden Core aura rises, and in the blink of an eye, you reveal your Nascent Soul Late Stage cultivation.]
[The monk's expression changed drastically; the Demon-Subduing Pestle he had just put away was now held horizontally in front of him, his gaze fixed intently on you.]
[You didn't say anything, but simply took out the string of Buddhist beads that Wuming had given you.]
[As soon as the prayer beads left her hand, they emitted a faint golden light.]
[When the monk saw the prayer beads, his eyes flickered, and most of his guard lowered.]
[He put away the Demon-Subduing Pestle again, clasped his hands together, and bowed to you.]
"So you are a senior who possesses the temple's token. My Buddhist name Xingren, and I guard Stone Gate Ravine."
"Senior, please."
Xingren aside, making way for the cloud wall.
[You step into the wall of clouds.]
[The moment they stepped inside, the surrounding scenery instantly transformed.]
The once rugged mountain path has disappeared, replaced by a Green Jade Stairway leading straight to the clouds.
[You walk up the Green Jade Stairway.]
[Xingren didn't follow.]
[Great Forest Temple continues to uphold its fine tradition of "please do as you please."]
[You've just stepped over the cloud wall of Stone Gate Ravine when you immediately sense something is amiss.]
The Spiritual Qi at the foot of the mountain fluctuated like the tides, but once past the cloud wall, the surrounding Spiritual Qi stabilized.
[Is it because Great Forest Temple suppressed the Spirit Veins, causing the Spiritual Qi at the foot of the mountain to become disordered?]
[Or did Great Forest Temple carve out a pure land amidst this tide of Spiritual Qi?]
[Regardless, your assessment of Great Forest Temple's strength has increased even further.]
[As you walk forward, you send Wuming message to Wuming.]
[Not long after, a familiar figure appeared ahead.]
[Dressed in a moon-white monk's robe, his hands twirling prayer beads, and incomparably handsome, it was Wuming.]
[Wuming saw you, he clasped his hands together and bowed slightly.]
"Senior, how have you been?"
[The phrase "Wuming" was originally just a common greeting.]
[But to your ears, it sounded somewhat subtle.]
[You two have been separated since Doushu City, only a few months have passed.]
[But in these past few months, you overcame a Nascent Spirit Transformation, your severed right arm regenerated, and you wandered the wilderness until you arrived here.]
The phrase "Hope you're well" carries a rather ambiguous and inexplicable meaning.
[Salty Fish, in effect.]
You chuckled and shook your head, replying casually,
"Hope you've been well."
[These four simple words, though seemingly ordinary, convey an undeniable sense of vicissitude.]
[Wuming's fingers, which were moving the prayer beads, paused slightly, clearly understanding the deeper meaning behind the words.]
But he didn't ask any further questions; he simply stepped aside to lead the way.
"Senior, please follow me."
[Upon arriving at the Mountain Gate, you will see an ancient stone tablet standing by the roadside.]
The stone tablet is inscribed with four lines of verse:
"In April, when all the flowers in the human world have faded, the peach blossoms in the mountain temple are just beginning to bloom. Do not ask where spring has gone; for every thought that lingers, spring arrives."
[Options pop up.]
[A: Stop and savor it.]
[B: Directly unleash the Star River Myriad Blades to flatten the stone tablet, and inscribe "When the Star River appears, heaven and earth are reshaped!"]
[C: Pulls out a red pen and draws a huge red X on the stone tablet, Wuming: "This copywriting is too depressing, severely lacking any positive or empowering elements; it's pure 'slacking off' thinking! How can you capture the minds of worshippers? Listen to me, change it to 'In April, we frantically roll up the scrolls, in the mountain temple, we rush to bloom peach blossoms overnight, don't ask where the targets are, just keep burning with unwavering determination!' This corporate culture upgrade plan, considering we're acquaintances, charging you 3.2 million for consulting isn't unreasonable, is it?"]