Rescue

"This child is named Wang Lang. He grew up among wolves from a young age, eating raw flesh and drinking blood. Five years ago, I was out hunting when I happened upon him, so I rescued him from the wolf pack, adopted him as my foster son, named him Wang Lang, and taught him martial arts as well as moral etiquette.

By bone age, this child is exactly fifteen years old this year. I have chosen him as the contender for the third bout. I wonder, Abbot, whom will you send forth?"

Looking at Wang Lang, whose gaze was wild like a mad wolf, General Wang seemed to gaze upon his proudest creation as he spoke to Abbot Ben Zhen.

"Amitabha, General Wang has planned well."

Seeing Wang Lang, so fierce and beast-like, Ben Zhen furrowed his brow and gave him a deep look.

Such a figure, half-human, half-beast, terrifying, as if born for slaughter—even a martial artist of equal or slightly superior cultivation would likely not be a match.

Moreover, since General Wang had sent him as the finale, his martial arts skill was surely no ordinary matter; he was definitely a fearsome opponent! There were probably few young disciples in the temple who could stand against him.

But if he conceded here, would the thousand-year prestige of Treasure Pearl Temple become a stepping stone for others? How could Ben Zhen bear that? Even if he attained enlightenment in the future, how could he face the many eminent senior monks who had already passed into bliss?

"All you head monks, among the disciples under fifteen in this temple, which one is the strongest to face this Wang Lang?"

Unwilling to give up, Ben Zhen turned to the several head monks beside him and spoke.

"Your Reverence, my disciple Jingyan of the Dharma Institute joined the hall three years ago. He broke through to Skin Refining Mastery in a year and a half, reached Muscle Tendon Strengthening in a year and eight months, and five months ago attained Minor Accomplishment of Muscle Tendon Strengthening. Now he has fully tempered two major tendons of his body and is advancing toward Great Accomplishment of Muscle Tendon Strengthening. His strength is extraordinary. In this old monk's view, Jingyan can be the contender for this third bout and bring glory to our Treasure Pearl Temple!"

As Ben Zhen's words fell, the head monk of the Dharma Institute, Ben De, stepped forward and made his recommendation.

"Ben De, your words are mistaken. Your Jingyan of the Dharma Institute is indeed good, but when it comes to martial arts, my Jingyuan of the Prajna Hall is still superior."

Hearing Ben De's words, the head monk of the Prajna Hall, Ben Guan, quickly spoke to refute:

"Ben De, you say Jingyan broke through to Skin Refining Mastery in a year and a half, but do you know that Jingyuan achieved the same in only a year and four months?

You say Jingyan reached Minor Accomplishment of Muscle Tendon Strengthening five months ago, but Jingyuan did so eight months ago. Now he has already fully tempered five major tendons of the human body, walking nearly half the path to Great Accomplishment of Muscle Tendon Strengthening—far surpassing Jingyan!"

Ben Guan spoke with a smile, his face full of pride and delight.

Do not think that monks lack a competitive spirit. In truth, even the sages of myth and legend had emotions and desires, valued face and fortune, and could not escape worldly concerns—let alone Ben Guan.

In Treasure Pearl Temple, the Prajna Hall and the Dharma Institute had been evenly matched since their founding a thousand years ago. Over the millennia, it was always a back-and-forth, one suppressing the other.

For instance, in the previous generation of the Yuan generation, the Dharma Institute, relying on the just-fought Yuanyin, had firmly suppressed the Prajna Hall's Yuanshen.

Now the wheel of fortune had turned. In his own hall, the current Jing generation disciples had finally produced a peerless genius like Jingyuan, whose talent and aptitude surpassed even Yuanyin and Yuanshen of the previous generation. Naturally, he had to show off a bit.

"Amitabha, Ben Guan, you are truly formidable. I never expected your Prajna Hall to keep such a low profile, only to produce a talent like Jingyuan in this Jing generation of disciples. If nurtured well in the future, he may even have hope for Great Accomplishment of Internal Qi. This time, I admit defeat."

Upon hearing this, Ben De recited a Buddhist invocation, his eyes full of envy.

The path of Muscle Tendon Strengthening lay in cultivating the thirty-six major and minor tendons of the human body, making them as strong as an ox's and as tough as a tiger's, able to withstand the immense pressure and wear of a martial artist's physique.

At the initial stage of Muscle Tendon Strengthening, one cultivated the twenty-four minor tendons. Only after completing them did one formally enter Minor Accomplishment of Muscle Tendon Strengthening, and then begin cultivating the twelve major tendons.

Jingyuan of the Prajna Hall was only fifteen years old and had already successfully cultivated five major tendons. He would likely reach Blood Tempering Mastery before twenty-five and begin breaking through to Internal Qi. Such talent was truly astonishing.

"Heh, Ben De, you flatter me. Jingyuan is indeed uncut jade, but he is still young and needs careful carving. Speaking of Great Accomplishment of Internal Qi now is a bit premature. We must not let him grow arrogant, lest it harm his future."

Hearing Ben De's praise, Ben Guan's face still showed delight, but he spoke modestly.

And so, the two of them, exchanging words back and forth, settled on the contender for this bout. Only the head monk of the Arhat Hall, Ben Guan, stood by, envious in his heart and bitter in his smile.

The disciples of his Arhat Hall had the worst aptitudes among the three martial monk halls, and the resources they received, such as Hundred Grass Pills and other cultivation medicines, were far inferior to those of the Dharma Institute and Prajna Hall monks. Thus, their strength had always been the lowest among the three halls.

Now, they had finally produced a Jingming, whose talent was no less than that of Jingyan of the Dharma Institute or even Jingyuan of the Prajna Hall. But due to insufficient resources in the early stages, he had wasted two years at the Skin Refining realm.

Though he had helped Jingming in the past year, often giving him cultivation pills, one step slow meant every step slow. Now, although Jingming's progress was remarkable, he was still a bit short of fully tempering the minor tendons and breaking through to Minor Accomplishment of Muscle Tendon Strengthening, let alone fully tempering the major tendons and reaching Great Accomplishment.

"Alas! Such is fate!"

Ben Guan sighed inwardly, casting a somewhat guilty glance at Gu Han, then fell silent.

Gu Han, feeling Ben Guan's gaze, met his eyes but said nothing. He had no intention of stepping forward to recommend himself or steal the spotlight.

His strength was still weak, and he had plenty of room for improvement. For now, quietly developing, laying a solid foundation in the real world to prepare for the coming battlefield was the proper path.

If he drew General Wang's attention by showing off, and the general insisted he join his army to fight for him, Treasure Pearl Temple would likely be unable to refuse.

After all, he was not a head monk but merely a small Jing generation disciple. Though he had some talent, in others' eyes, he could not even guarantee a breakthrough to Internal Qi in the future. He was not worth the entire temple going to war with General Wang over him.

If the abbot truly sold him out, he would either have to betray the temple or waste time—even risk his life—fighting on the battlefield.

While the army might offer many resources, and life-and-death battles could help him break through quickly, for someone like him, who possessed martial arts from two worlds, had an extremely solid foundation, and was almost certain to reach the peak of this world safely...

It was simply unnecessary.

So, since the abbot had not chosen him, why should he invite trouble? Why add to his worries?

"Good. Since no other head monk has another candidate, this bout will be fought by Jingyuan of the Prajna Hall!"

After Ben De and Ben Guan had made their recommendations, Abbot Ben Zhen waited a moment. Seeing no one else speak, he made his decision and struck the gavel.

"Yes, Your Reverence! Jingyuan obeys the abbot's decree."

Hearing Ben Zhen's words, the young monk Jingyuan's eyes flashed with joy as he stepped forward boldly.

Having trained in martial arts for years, he finally had a chance to display his skills before the crowd. For someone whose mind was not yet settled, this naturally delighted him, and he was eager to show off.

"Please!"

Once inside the arena, Jingyuan gave Wang Lang a word of warning, then leaned forward slightly with one hand and one foot, assuming a starting stance.

This was the opening posture of the Prajna Hall's secret martial art, the "Bodhi Palm," named: Bodhi Embracing Zen!

It was said to be both offensive and defensive, beloved by countless disciples of the Prajna Hall. Whenever disciples of the Prajna Hall engaged in sparring, they would use it as their opening move, placing themselves in an invincible position.

"Awoo!"

Sensing Jingyuan's aggression, Wang Lang's eyes flashed with a hint of savagery. Bestial instinct instantly overwhelmed reason, his gaze turning ice-cold, like a lone wolf in the wilderness. He spun the long blade in his hand, stomped his foot, and in an instant shattered several blue bricks beneath him. His body shot forward like lightning, charging at Jingyuan.

"Crash!"

Countless air currents were mercilessly sliced apart as a streak of white light tore through the void. Wang Lang became one with his blade, his momentum magnificent. The knife came down in a straight chop, as if it could split a mountain. Its ferocity was such that it seemed intent on cleaving Jingyuan in two.

"What! Great Accomplishment of Muscle Tendon Strengthening! This child's Martial Path Talent is this extraordinary? He's only fifteen, yet he's already reached such a realm?"

Watching Wang Lang's terrifying speed and explosive power, Treasure Pearl Temple's Abbot Ben Zhen and the six head monks exchanged glances, all seeing the shock in each other's eyes.

Just moments ago, Wang Lang's blood and qi were completely restrained, his aura utterly concealed, like an ordinary person. They hadn't noticed anything unusual about him. Their guess was that no matter how strong his talent, he would at most be on par with Jingyuan—breaking through to Minor Accomplishment of Muscle Tendon Strengthening and tempering a few major tendons would already be remarkable.

Who would have thought his talent would exceed their expectations? At such a young age, he had already reached the Great Accomplishment of Muscle Tendon Strengthening!

"Could it be that King Tang is truly a destined hidden dragon, blessed by fortune? Otherwise, how could he, having only risen in rebellion a year ago, already have talents like General Wang and Wang Lang joining his ranks?"

Ben Zhen and the other head monks were all stunned, their gazes shifting in amazement toward King Tang and General Wang.

"Haha! Abbot, you've misjudged. Wolf cub hasn't reached Great Accomplishment of Muscle Tendon Strengthening—he hasn't even reached Minor Accomplishment. He's only just broken past the limit of Skin Refining Mastery and begun Muscle Tendon Strengthening, barely managing to temper two or three minor tendons."

Seeing the monks' astonishment, General Wang laughed heartily.

"This... how is this possible? Wang Lang's strength and speed have clearly reached the level of Great Accomplishment of Muscle Tendon Strengthening, even placing him in the mid-range among such martial artists. How could he have only just broken through to Muscle Tendon Strengthening?"

Watching Wang Lang, who was like a fierce tiger, the head of the Dharma Institute, Ben De, spoke in shock.

This statement was simply too incredible. Even with decades of meditation and chanting, his state of mind could no longer hold, and he couldn't help but ask.

"Haha! Head Monk Ben De, you're clinging to appearances. Would this general deceive you? It's just that my son's talent is truly transcendent, beyond the mundane. I recall when I first met him back then, he was only ten years old, yet he could chase down a tiger with his bare hands.

Now, after years of my careful guidance, even if Wolf cub has only just entered Muscle Tendon Strengthening, matching an ordinary martial artist at Great Accomplishment of Muscle Tendon Strengthening—what's so difficult about that? What's so surprising?"

General Wang explained to the many head monks of Treasure Pearl Temple, his eyes brimming with pride.

But while he was proud, on the field, the young monk Jingyuan was truly suffering.

"This man is terrifying. Let's see if I can find a way to stall for more time. No matter what, I can't lose too quickly."

Seeing Wang Lang's speed and explosive power far surpassing his own, Jingyuan's eyes flickered with gravity. A chill ran through his heart, but he quickly made up his mind.

He couldn't win this match, but even if he lost, he had to lose with dignity.

Jingyuan steadied his resolve, then immediately retreated explosively. At the same time, his palms moved rapidly, his flesh-and-blood hands as if cast from refined iron, striking out palm shadows that precisely slapped against both sides of Wang Lang's long blade, deflecting its trajectory. He also continuously maneuvered his body, entangling with Wang Lang.

His tactics were no different from Shi Rui and Yuanyin's earlier fight. In the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged over a dozen rounds and tens of moves, seemingly locked in a stalemate.

But just a few breaths later—

"Awooo!"

A wolf's howl rang out. Seeing that he couldn't take down his opponent quickly, Wang Lang's eyes grew even more savage, his killing intent surging. His long blade suddenly moved three parts faster, like an antelope hanging its horns—one moment it was a straight chop, the next it transformed into a horizontal slash, like a giant axe felling a tree. Swift and fierce, both power and speed were utterly terrifying, far beyond Jingyuan's expectations.

"Not good!"

Seeing this fearsome blade strike abruptly, Jingyuan's brow twitched in terror. His body's latent potential erupted, and in an instant, he executed a iron bridge move as if boneless, narrowly dodging the blade. Then, he pushed off the ground with his palm, leaping up like a flea and landing far behind.

"Die!"

Just as Jingyuan landed and before he could regain his bearings, Wang Lang's lean figure bounded forward in a few strides, covering over ten meters in an instant. His eyes blazed with killing intent, chilling to behold, and he brought his blade down fiercely toward Jingyuan's face.

"My life is over!"

Feeling the biting blade wind, Jingyuan's face turned ashen. He thought of his worldly attachments, sighed bitterly in his heart, and regretted his impulsive attack. But now, he could only close his eyes and await death.

"Stop!"

"Stop!"

"General Wang, have him stop!"

Seeing their disciple about to die under Wang Lang's blade, Abbot Ben Zhen and the head monks were furious. They activated their Lightness Skill, rushing over swiftly to save Jingyuan.

Unfortunately, after Jingyuan's two retreats, he was now over ten zhang away from the head monks. Even as they erupted with Inner Qi, moving faster than tigers or leopards, they couldn't reach him in time to stop Wang Lang. They could only watch helplessly as his blade descended.

"Clang!"

A sound of metal striking metal rang out, like iron hitting blue stone, or two weapons clashing. Under the gazes of the crowd—some excited, some regretful, some cold, some indifferent—

Wang Lang's four-foot-long blade was caught firmly between a pair of flesh-and-blood palms, as if gripped by a blacksmith's heavy tongs. No matter how Wang Lang stomped the ground, his face twisted in madness, his hair flying, or his throat roaring, he could not budge it even a fraction.