Chapter 48

Agility: B

Mana: A

Luck: C

Noble Phantasm: Not Acquired

Heavenly Eye: EX

Able to perceive the suffering, joy, and forms of all beings across the three realms and six paths of existence, without obstruction.

Demonic Sword Companion: Not Acquired

Man-slayer: Not Awakened

Limitless Zen: ???

Was this weak or strong?

Fujimaru Kyoya looked at his current status panel. If he killed people, he could awaken "Man-slayer," and awakening "Limitless Zen" was even simpler—just use a killing move while in a state of Meditative Absorption.

The methods of awakening were easy, but did he really need to do this?

This life's Fujimaru Kyoya was not a descendant of the Age of Gods with something to fight against, nor was he the Benevolent Dark Emperor living for the people. He had never set foot on that land to stir the faint tremors in his heart.

Fujimaru Kyoya had already entered the monastic path. If he broke the precept against killing, the old monk would surely be grieved. Was it truly worth it?

On one side was the power to protect those close to him; on the other, the hopes of the one who raised him.

Fujimaru Kyoya had been meditating all along, hoping the Buddha would give him an answer, letting him make a final decision.

Would the Buddha give an answer?

Fujimaru Kyoya didn't know. What he knew even less was that while he meditated, a small band of ronin wielding swords and blades came from afar, their target this very temple hidden in the desolate mountains.

In their eyes burned boundless greed.

Chapter 85: Today's Surprise Attack 14/28

"Liaochen, you seem a bit lost lately?"

The old monk Kong Xuan looked at the disciple he had picked up. The boy had been sharp since childhood, seeming to grasp Buddhist Sutras with ease, as if nothing could ever confuse him.

But today, the old monk sensed that his disciple was troubled by some doubt.

"Master, what exactly are the Precepts we follow in our cultivation?"

Though Fujimaru Kyoya had always lived in the mountains, he had heard from his senior brother, who went out to gather supplies, what era this truly was.

This time, he was in Japan's Warring States period, where figures who would later become household names across the land were active.

Oda Nobunaga had already risen, and various lords were planning to form an encirclement to besiege him.

In this age of endless war, even a farmer staying home could be dragged onto the battlefield. In such chaos, it seemed one needed enough power to protect what they wanted to safeguard.

Fujimaru Kyoya had power, but if obtaining it required killing, then it clashed with the Precepts he followed.

Was sacrificing the Precepts for power worth it? That was the confusion plaguing Fujimaru Kyoya now.

"The Precepts are tools to help us become Buddhas."

Kong Xuan was just a mountain monk, but he knew that some High Monks not only ignored the Precepts but drank wine, ate meat, and indulged with women—yet that didn't stop them from being High Monks.

"If a person's cultivation is sufficient and they have already become a Buddha, then naturally they don't need to follow the Precepts. The Precepts are just a ladder to help us reach the heights. If we've already arrived, then the ladder is no longer needed."

With these simple words, Kong Xuan clearly explained the truth of "Wine and meat pass through the gut, but the Buddha dwells in the heart." Still, fearing Fujimaru Kyoya might stray, he added a specific warning.

"But that's only after becoming a Buddha. If we abandon the ladder while still climbing, the higher we go, the harder we fall. Remember this well."

"This disciple understands."

Fujimaru Kyoya pondered this answer, but it still felt like a paper screen separated him from the truth—vague and unbreakable.

"Master, this disciple wishes to go into seclusion at the Back Mountain for a time, hoping to break through this inner confusion."

"I'll have your senior brother bring you meals."

[You came to the Back Mountain to break through your inner confusion, living a life of pure cultivation.]

[You enter Meditative Absorption with ease; your ears seem to hear the voices of gods and Buddhas conversing, but you cannot understand their words—proof of your insufficient cultivation.]

[During this period of training, you gradually begin to see a phantom.]

It was the phantom of a Bodhisattva.

Fujimaru Kyoya, in his Meditative Absorption, opened his "eyes" and saw the phantom again—a Bodhisattva with its back to him.

It seemed to be constantly chanting sutras, doing nothing else, and never answering Fujimaru Kyoya's questions.

Mind-to-mind transmission, without reliance on words.

Fujimaru Kyoya recalled what Kishinami Hakuno had said. Riddles were always part of Zen's transmission process; thinking itself was cultivation. But asking a mortal to understand a Bodhisattva's thoughts—that was a bit too much to ask.

At the dilapidated temple gate, a group of ronin who had traveled a long distance finally reached their destination. Following the legends, they arrived at this temple.

"Honored patrons..."

"Spare the nonsense. Hand over the Demonic Blade Murasame."

The Ronin Leader gave the Welcoming Monk almost no time to react, directly slashing at his body with a single stroke. The Welcoming Monk, with a look of shock in his eyes, slowly collapsed to the ground, blood pooling beneath him.

"Murder!"

Panicked voices spread through the temple. Unlike these monks who cultivated in seclusion deep in the mountains, these ronin who scraped by in the outside world were no strangers to death.

In these years, the feudal lords each ruled their own domains and warred against one another. Most of these men were deserters who had crawled out of the piles of corpses on the battlefield.

Having left the battlefield, they dared not return to war, nor did they have the skills to farm. They could only occupy mountains and play at being bandits. The bolder ones became mercenaries. Killing, to them, was as simple as drinking water.

This time, they had come to this remote mountain temple for one legend—the legend of the Demonic Blade Murasame.

"Round up all these monks and bring them to the main hall. I'll question them one by one."

The Demonic Blade Murasame—a legendary blade said to grow stronger with every life it took. And in this era, there was no shortage of people.

The battlefield offered countless lives to take. It was this very war that had made countless people realize how insignificant humans were. On the battlefield, a person's life was probably worth less than a speck of dust.

In this age, everyone had begun to madly pursue power. Most trained to strengthen themselves, but some set their sights on so-called demonic blades.

"Benefactor, this is a pure land of Buddhism. Why must you add to the sins of killing?"

Kong Xuan Monk looked at the ronin before him, clearly understanding that this man would not stop until he got what he came for.

"Since this is a pure land of Buddhism, then why keep a demonic blade? Master, you wouldn't want your temple to be burned to the ground, would you?"

"I understand. Please wait a moment, benefactors."

Master Kong Xuan's face was filled with sorrow. This small temple did indeed hide the Demonic Blade Murasame, and it lay within the clay Buddha statue in the main hall.

For years, Kong Xuan had led the temple's monks in chanting sutras before the Buddha, all in an effort to dispel the blade's demonic nature. But now, it seemed all their efforts were for nothing.

Kong Xuan had the monks destroy the Buddha statue, and a long blade gradually revealed itself. The greed in the Ronin Leader's eyes grew fiercer. He pushed aside those around him and directly pulled the demonic blade hidden in the statue free.

Even after being sealed away for so many years, time had left no mark on the blade's body. It looked as if it had just been forged.

Seeing the man before him fall under its spell, Kong Xuan understood that the blade's demonic nature had not been fully purified.

This time, the Demonic Blade Murasame had emerged into the world, and it would surely bring another storm of blood and slaughter.

"Old monk, I've heard that when this blade kills a man, rainwater gushes from its body to wash away the blood. I need proof of that."

The Ronin Leader looked at the monks before him and flashed a malicious smile.

On one hand, he worried the blade might be a fake. On the other, he simply wanted to silence them all.

More and more people were learning about this temple's secret. They were merely the ones who had arrived first. If others found out Murasame was in their hands, they wouldn't be able to keep it.

There was no way they could leave these monks alive. That had been decided from the very start.

The Ronin Leader's smile twisted cruelly, but soon, he couldn't smile anymore—because the back of his head exploded.

"I'm going to sneak attack."

With those words, the Ronin Leader collapsed to the ground. The demonic blade slipped from his hand and was caught by a young monk.

Announcement of Bounty

I didn't expect so many of you to want me to open a bounty. And at my current update speed, I could probably pay it off in about a week. So let's give it a try.

Let's follow the rules of the jianghu this time.

100 monthly tickets = 1 bonus chapter.

1000 recommendation tickets = 1 bonus chapter.

10000 Cat Biscuits = 1 bonus chapter.

100 Blades = 1 bonus chapter.

No upper limit.

Here are the current stats.

Monthly tickets: 7407

Recommendation tickets: 98732

Donations: 190140

Blades: 1986

The deadline will be set at 23:00 on the 7th of this month.

At my pace of 28 chapters, I think the pressure of an unlimited bounty shouldn't be too big... probably.

I don't think anyone will open treasure chests, but if a big spender donates a Golden Treasure Chest, I'll count it as 20 chapters. A Silver Treasure Chest counts as 6 chapters.

Probably no treasure chests, I guess.

Chapter 86: Thus I Cut

Restlessness. Unease.

Fujimaru Kyoya, cultivating on the Back Mountain, inexplicably felt these emotions. They tainted his otherwise perfect state of Meditative Absorption, forcing him to awaken.

[You feel an inexplicable unease. You understand the source of this unease. You have few attachments in this world.]

Something has happened at the temple.

Fujimaru Kyoya barely needed to think before he understood the source of his unease. He activated his "Heavenly Eye" and quickly saw what was happening inside the temple.

A group of ronin had entered the temple, forcing Kong Xuan Monk to smash open the Buddha statue, revealing the blade hidden inside.

Too late.

Though Fujimaru Kyoya would not judge others with the worst malice, he also held no unwarranted expectations of human nature.

This was an era of war. Could he really expect these ronin to have high moral standards?

The problem now was the distance between the Back Mountain and the temple. He couldn't reach the temple in time, yet he still began to run.

But it was too late. Through his "Heavenly Eye," he could see the Ronin Leader had already raised the blade and was walking toward his Master, Kong Xuan.

[You recall a story from the Buddhist Sutras, which says all things possess Buddha-nature, yet you see not a trace of anything that could be called Buddha-nature in the man before you.]

Even if all things possessed Buddha-nature, how few had actually become Buddhas throughout the ages? Fujimaru Kyoya understood that when a person decided to kill, they must also be prepared to be killed.

[You must save your Master. You have decided this, and you are also prepared to break the Precepts.]

Precepts? That kind of thing was no longer needed.

Fujimaru Kyoya had already accepted it. Even if killing would disappoint his Master, compared to letting his Master die, disappointment was something he could bear.

[You have seen through the essence of the Precepts, understanding their nature as tools. Nothing can stop your steps.]

[Talent "Supernatural Footwork" Awakened: Unhindered freedom, acting as the heart desires.]

In that moment, space lost all meaning to Fujimaru Kyoya. The Three Realms and Six Paths—wherever his eyes could see and his heart could reach—were but a single step away... and he arrived.

He picked up a Wooden Stick from the ground, then took a step forward. In an instant, he crossed countless distances and appeared directly behind the Ronin Leader.