Pursuit and Practice

Over the next two days, Qin Cheng, at the Old Monk's invitation, frequently went to the ancient temple to practice Vajra Fist. The Old Monk was delighted and taught him the Great Vajra Fist.

He felt that Qin Cheng possessed a spiritual quality, radiating the light of a bodhisattva. Every time he practiced his boxing, there was a strange charm about him, which even caused the nearby Buddha statues to exhibit abnormalities.

It was all because Wang Xuan stayed by Qin Cheng's side, drawing in Mysterious Factor to strengthen him and make his foundation solid enough!

Wang Xuan didn't have time to linger on the moon; he wanted to go to the New Star and would be leaving in a few days. So, before leaving, he tried his best to solidify Qin Cheng's foundation.

This time, Ancestor Wang was very restrained and did not cause any trouble in the temple. Although he discovered at least eight kinds of Ascension Strange Item, he did not dare to release even one "old monk" because he was really a little scared.

Because if he releases even one immortal monk, he might be restrained and forced to pull all the Ascension level experts in the entire temple out of the ancient pit.

That would be a serious problem. Once the balance of power is broken, nobody knows what will happen!

"It really is... White Horse Temple!" Wang Xuan exclaimed in surprise. He did not completely believe what the Old Monk in the temple said, but carefully investigated and verified it.

Some of the stone tablets, pagoda bases, and Underground Palace in this temple may be two thousand years old, and the accumulated sense of historical vicissitudes cannot deceive his spiritual realm.

As for the courtyard walls, bricks, and tiles, they were damaged many times during wars and were rebuilt repeatedly throughout the dynasties, so many bricks and tiles belong to different periods as the Buddhist temple.

This temple is extremely famous, known as the first ancient temple and the ancestral home of Buddhism!

Historical records show that the White Horse Temple was built in 68 AD, which is the eleventh year of the Yongping era of the Eastern Han Dynasty. It was the first temple in ancient China.

As Wang Xuan approached the Underground Palace, he felt as if he were facing an endless sky, desolate yet vast.

He was deeply shocked. According to the legend, there might be a Buddha's skull fragment in the Underground Palace!

He thought and thought, then stepped back. He was surprised by the Ghost Monk, but he was uneasy just thinking about releasing the beings from the source of Buddhism.

Before figuring out what the situation was like for people in ancient times, he decided to refrain from doing so.

"Something's strange. This is the oldest Buddhist temple, and the other side is very likely Old Zhang Dojo. Why would they move the ancestral temples of Buddhist and Taoist families to New Moon?" This arrangement aroused Wang Xuan's suspicion.

"It is said that when this base was built on the moon, some things were unearthed. It was too late to move it because the project was nearing completion," Qin Cheng explained.

This explanation is rather mysterious. What exactly was discovered has not been made public. Ultimately, the ancestral temples of Buddhist and Taoist families were invited to suppress it on the moon.

"Is that really the case?" Wang Xuan immediately became interested.

Qin Cheng nodded. He had also had doubts when he first came to New Moon and had even tried to find out more.

He found some information within the Dingwu branch, since this organization provides security services and keeps records of abnormal events.

"In the early days, more than a hundred years ago, a serious safety accident occurred during the construction of this base on the moon, which killed a large number of people, but there are no specific details."

"Several years later, the ancestral temple of Daoism and the first ancient temple of Buddhism were relocated here in their entirety."

"Eighty years ago, more than a dozen people in this base went mad for no reason, shouting incessantly in strange syllables that outsiders couldn't understand."

Qin Cheng talked a lot, and in the end he took Wang Xuan back to the company, found the documents, and let him look at them himself.

Wang Xuan flipped through the book, his expression changing, his mind completely captivated.

Fifty years ago, a professor defied the laws of life and reverted to his youthful state, but suddenly died half an hour later. There were six witnesses, all of whom subsequently passed away within three years.

Twenty years ago, someone floated in the air, and when they finally landed, their body quickly decomposed and they died.

These briefly recorded special events all occurred in one place: the "Moon Crater" where unusual things were once unearthed, but whose entrance has long since been sealed off.

Wang Xuan put down the documents and asked, "Didn't you investigate this carefully?"

Qin Cheng said, "Of course there are. Ordinary people might not know, but every year more than a dozen expedition teams go there. I remember there were people who went just half a month ago. Most of them were fine, which also means they gained nothing. And some unlucky teams never came out after going in."

Then he whispered, "It's said that warships crashed there years ago, so there haven't been any major incidents since. Anyway, as long as you don't get close to there, nothing will happen."

Qin Cheng looked at him and solemnly warned him not to have any curiosity. The Dingwu Organization listed that place as the most dangerous place on the moon, without exception!

Wang Xuan nodded; he certainly wouldn't act rashly and rush off to explore.

He murmured, "Interesting. They unearthed advanced technology on the moon over Old Earth, while they unearthed mysterious incidents on this moon. The two moons are really strange."

Qin Cheng sighed, "Speaking of which, recreating the ancestral temples of Yuan Dao and Buddhism on the moon has become a huge gimmick, attracting a large number of people to visit the moon. After all, the New Star is most interested in things with historical significance."

Wang Xuan was speechless, finally understanding why the conglomerates were so eager to exploit the Old Earth. All the cities in New Star were newly built, with a history of only a little over a hundred years. They were concerned about what they lacked, so they desperately tried to "fill in" the gaps.

When the topic of lunar tourism came up, Qin Cheng immediately perked up and said, "That bastard Li Kun told me to give him another day, saying that the five million would all be in my account."

Once the money arrived, he planned to transfer the extra two million to Wang Xuan.

Furthermore, he planned to splurge and spend all three million of his money to take Wang Xuan to see the Guanghan Palace.

"Are you out of your mind? Spending so much money on sightseeing?" Wang Xuan tried to bring him to his senses. It's just a tourist attraction; there's absolutely no need for such extravagance and waste.

"So, Old Wang, you have no idea. That's why I want to repay you and grit my teeth to take you inside to see it." Qin Cheng told him that the Guanghan Palace was a place to Extend Life.

"There are really all sorts of intricacies inside. Everything has a story behind it. Every meal and drink is for nourishing life. The slogan is: 'Restore the ancient immortal's abode.'"

"There is a soup in the Guanghan Palace made with Golden Mushroom. Rumor has it that this is a rare ingredient collected from a secret place. It can nourish the bone marrow and produce more vibrant blood. After consuming it for a period of time, it will comprehensively improve one's physique."

When these things were mentioned, Qin Cheng was extremely envious.

Wang Xuan was finally moved. The business of the Guanghan Palace was exceptionally impressive, and it must be controlled by a super conglomerate behind it. Otherwise, how many people could supply these rare and precious items?

Golden Mushroom are a rare treasure that Old Chen once mentioned. They can improve physical condition and are of great help to those who practice Old Arts!

"If it's really three million New Star Coin, we'll go all in!" Even Wang Xuan was tempted and wanted to go in with Qin Cheng to "preserve their lives." Putting aside everything else, the Golden Mushroom alone would be worth it.

Qin Cheng looked embarrassed and said, "Spending three million New Star Coin will definitely get me in, and there will be corresponding life-sustaining services, but I don't know if you can arrange for Golden Mushroom."

Wang Xuan understood immediately; there were definitely no Golden Mushroom. He knew better than Qin Cheng just how precious that kind of rare treasure was.

"It's alright, no rush. In a few days, I'll go to that secret place and pick a basketful of Golden Mushroom. Then I'll treat you to chicken stew with mushrooms!" Wang Xuan waved his hand generously and promised, not forgetting to look down on the Guanghan Palace, saying, "Look at how stingy they are, putting only two mushrooms in a soup. They're so petty!"

"Old Wang, you're even more generous than a tycoon, I'll remember that." Qin Cheng swallowed hard, regardless of whether it was possible or not, he would convince himself that such a day would come, and said, "In a while, I should be able to transfer to Rising New Star, and then I'll be waiting to eat your feast!"

Wang Xuan waved his hand and said, "No problem. Tell me, what other special things does the Guanghan Palace have? In case I go to the secret place someday and want to pick something, it should be better than what they have."

This allowed him to indirectly learn what rare treasures were produced in the secret lands, so he could prepare in advance.

"The 'Immortal Brew' of the Guanghan Palace is truly exceptional. As far as I know, many leaders of large organizations have come here specifically to try it and have praised it highly. The wine seems to contain some kind of Mountain Snail essence, which is rumored to be extremely precious. Only a few jugs are available each month, and they are sold out on the first day of each month."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xuan was deeply shocked. What was Mountain Snail? According to the book Old Chen had given him, Mountain Snail lived in rocks and were considered rare treasures. If one could catch one, dry it, grind it into powder, and take one qian (approximately 3 grams) daily for half a month, it could extend one's lifespan by five years.

This is a truly Extend Life "rare treasure," and some people actually take out a small amount every month—that's truly amazing!

He began to understand why the Guanghan Palace was like a black hole, swallowing money like water. Putting aside everything else, the ingredients in the menu alone were beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

The Guanghan Palace releases a certain amount of Mountain Snail wine every month to attract important members of large organizations and conglomerates to compete for it, ultimately all of which are about connections.

Wang Xuan realized that the reason why Ling Qiming looked radiant when he came out of New Moon on the first day must be because he had taken a "big tonic" to improve his physical condition!

"What's this? You want to grind Mountain Snail into powder and soak them in wine by the gram? That's too stingy." Wang Xuan patted Qin Cheng on the shoulder and said, "In a while, I'll treat you to garlic Mountain Snail. We'll grill them and eat them by the pound, until you're stuffed!"

Qin Cheng was lost in thought when he imagined that scene, and finally sighed, "Old Wang, you're so magnanimous! No matter what, it's wonderful to even have such an idea and fantasize about it when you have nothing to do."

Wang Xuan pondered for a moment. The secret realm was truly extraordinary, containing all sorts of rare treasures. And he wasn't just talking nonsense; he was trying to find out what was inside, and these were all his targets!

Qin Cheng's thoughts returned to reality, and he told Wang Xuan that while material life was generally good on New Star, the social stratification was extremely severe. A small number of people at the top of the pyramid had begun to pursue immortality, a world that ordinary people could not reach.

Wang Xuan nodded and said, "Don't rush anything, take it slow. I'm putting into practice what they're pursuing."