"Amitabha. Many thanks to Your Highness King Tang."
Upon hearing this, the Abbot first led the disciples in straightening up, then asked again:
"Your Highness King Tang's great name has long been like thunder in this old monk's ears, and I deeply admire you. However, Treasure Pearl Temple is a place beyond the secular world and has never involved itself in worldly strife. May I ask what matter has brought Your Highness to condescend to this humble place today? I beg Your Highness to enlighten us."
"Hehe, General Wang, you explain it!"
King Tang chuckled upon hearing this. Rather than answer the Abbot, he merely instructed a general standing beside the great sedan chair, clad in golden armor with a long saber at his waist and an imposing, extraordinary bearing. Afterward, he continued enjoying the beauties and delicacies, clearly leaving all matters concerning Treasure Pearl Temple entirely to General Wang's handling.
After all, matters of the martial world should be settled within the martial world. Born into nobility, he had never dealt with these so-called martial artists. Forcing his hand into it would only be unseemly; he might as well let General Wang, who came from the martial world, take full responsibility while he waited quietly for the good show to unfold.
For as a ruler, one need not be skilled in every matter or personally attend to every task. So long as one knew how to employ people well, even if one's own abilities fell short of one's subordinates, one could still ascend to the pinnacle!
"Yes, Your Highness!"
General Wang nodded respectfully. Then he burst into laughter and said to Huizhen, the Abbot of Treasure Pearl Temple:
"Ha ha! Abbot, you truly jest. Treasure Pearl Temple is the acknowledged Mount Tai and Northern Dipper of Great Yan's martial world. Experts fill the temple like clouds, and strong warriors fall like rain. There are even five hundred monk soldiers guarding the mountain gate. If this is called a humble place, then I fear there is nowhere under heaven worthy of the word 'honored.'"
As General Wang spoke, he took one step forward. A powerful aura suddenly surged from his body, and his voice rang out like great bells and grand chimes. Even within this vast plaza capable of holding thousands, every word was crystal clear for all to hear, displaying his exceedingly formidable strength.
"An Internal Qi Realm great completion expert!"
Sensing the powerful aura emanating from General Wang, Huizhen, the Abbot of Treasure Pearl Temple, and the Six Great Seat Masters all changed expression. They exchanged glances, their hearts filled with alarm.
Since its founding in Fangnan Prefecture by its patriarch, Great Yan's Treasure Pearl Temple had occupied Jiangnan for nearly a thousand years. It had long become the indisputable sacred land of the martial world in Great Yan. There was even a saying within the martial world: "All martial arts under heaven emerge from Treasure Pearl." This showed just how formidable its strength was and how deep its foundations ran.
Yet even so, within all of present-day Treasure Pearl Temple, aside from the Abbot, the only Internal Qi Realm great completion expert was Benyuan, the head of the Dharma Institute, who had barely succeeded in reaching that level only after taking a sacred medicine of Treasure Pearl Temple—a Greater Returning Pill.
Apart from those two, the other Seat Masters of Treasure Pearl Temple had cultivated bitterly for many years and had only reached lesser completion in the Internal Qi Realm. Moreover, having passed forty, their bodily vigor and blood had declined. They no longer had the slightest chance of attaining Internal Qi great completion; being able to keep their strength from declining would already be a blessing beyond measure.
Who would have thought that General Wang, clad in golden armor beneath King Tang, appeared to be only around thirty, yet his martial arts had already reached such a realm? He was truly a heaven-bestowed genius!
"Amitabha! General, your talent is peerless. At such a young age, your divine arts have reached great completion, and your martial skills have attained the state of transformation. This old monk deeply admires you. But what exactly have King Tang and General come to our humble temple for? I ask the General to instruct us."
Seeing that the visitors had come with ill intent, Huizhen proclaimed a Buddhist invocation. His aura likewise shot into the heavens as he faced General Wang from afar, each standing on equal footing with the other.
This old monk's strength is terrifying!
Sensing Huizhen's powerful aura, General Wang's heart was also filled with shock.
He had long heard of this old monk's reputation and knew that his talent was unparalleled. Like himself, Huizhen had broken through into Internal Qi great completion in his prime.
But fists feared the young and strong!
He and this old monk were both now at Internal Qi great completion. Moreover, he himself was in the prime of life, while this old monk was nearly sixty. If they truly came to blows, he had believed he could defeat him, but reality often exceeded one's expectations.
Though this old monk was aged, his strength remained astonishingly formidable, faintly surpassing even his present self by a fraction.
At this thought, General Wang could not help withdrawing that trace of contempt from his heart. Becoming far more solemn, he laughed loudly and said:
"Ha ha! Since the Abbot has asked, how would this humble general dare not answer? We came up the mountain today entirely because I heard that Treasure Pearl Temple of Fangnan Prefecture is the martial sacred land of the Great Yan dynasty, with countless experts within. Not only is the Abbot an Internal Qi great completion expert, but the heads of every hall have all cultivated Inner Qi as well—something rarely seen under heaven.
"Therefore, I advised King Tang to recruit all of you eminent monks into the service of my lord King Tang, to serve as advisers and work for him.
"My lord King Tang possesses grand talent and vast strategy, and thirsts for worthy men. In a short time, he has already taken Yunhai, Zhencang, and Lanling Prefectures, commanding all of Jiangnan. One day, it may not be impossible for him to ascend the Nine-Five Throne. If the Abbot agrees today, then when my lord achieves his great undertaking in the future, wealth, glory, and honor will surely be yours for the taking."
General Wang made this promise, his tone brimming with sincerity.
Great Yan had enjoyed peace for several centuries. Civil learning flourished while martial prowess waned. Those lofty lords dwelling high in court might not understand the terror of Internal Qi Realm experts, believing that no matter how powerful one might be, a charge by a great army would reduce them to dust.
But Internal Qi experts were not fools. Why would they bind their own hands and feet, allowing themselves to fall easily into a military formation?
Thus, the value of an Internal Qi expert did not lie in charging before the lines, but in the path of assassination!
One had to know that once a martial artist cultivated Inner Qi, ordinary guards found them fundamentally difficult to stop. Before an Internal Qi Realm expert's Inner Qi was exhausted, under the cover of that powerful Inner Qi, every part of his body would seem as though clad in a layer of refined steel armor—impervious to blades and spears, untouched by water and fire, unbroken by arrows!
With such powerful defense, coupled with their terrifying attacks capable of breaking gold and shattering jade, if they served as assassins, then aside from those protected by equally strong experts, who under heaven could block them?
It was precisely because of this that General Wang had persuaded King Tang to bring the eminent monks of Treasure Pearl Temple under his command before the other lords realized the value of Inner Qi martial artists.
"Amitabha. So that is how it is."
After hearing General Wang's explanation, Huizhen first proclaimed a Buddhist invocation, an enlightened look appearing on his face. Then he said:
"This old monk is grateful that King Tang and the General have lowered yourselves to personally come to this temple and recruit us. However, all the monks of Treasure Pearl Temple are men beyond the secular world. We have long sworn before the Buddha to stay far from the mortal world's dust and turmoil, so it is naturally inconvenient for us to interfere in worldly disputes.
"Therefore, we can only accept the goodwill of the General and King Tang in our hearts. I ask that the General and King Tang not make things difficult for us monks. Please seek recruits elsewhere!"
Huizhen spoke with a sigh.
"Oh? Then does the Abbot mean that you will not accept King Tang's recruitment?"
Hearing Huizhen's words, General Wang narrowed his eyes. A dangerous aura instantly radiated from his entire body, like a starving wolf within the forest—terrifying beyond measure and enough to chill one's heart.
"Alas! Amitabha! I ask the General and King Tang to descend the mountain."
The Abbot Huizhen sighed once more, closed his eyes, and pressed his palms together.