"Amitabha!"
At last, Elder Hui Jue and the others arrived. They looked at Su Haoran, then in the direction where the man in black had vanished, and every one of their faces turned ugly to the extreme.
"Haoran! How are you?"
Elder Hui Jue was the first to rush over. His gaze fell upon Su Haoran's arm, his face filled with concern and gravity.
"This disciple is unharmed." Su Haoran shook his head and tossed the arrowhead onto the ground!
The arrowhead was an unnatural shade of jet-black.
By then, the other elders and Martial Monks had gathered around as well. When they saw that Su Haoran was completely unscathed and had actually withstood that vicious arrow, astonishment appeared on many faces.
"To withstand an armor-piercing poison arrow without harm... this... what an incredibly formidable body!"
"Could this external Kung Fu have already been cultivated to Major Accomplishment, or even the realm of Perfection?"
"Unbelievable. Truly unbelievable!"
The crowd discussed heatedly, their gazes upon Su Haoran brimming with disbelief.
They were all discerning people and naturally understood what it meant to cultivate a hard external art to such a level at such an age. It signified terrifying talent and perseverance.
Even in places of bitter Buddhist cultivation, few could achieve such a feat!
And those who did were invariably old monks tempered by long years.
Yet Elder Hui Jue paid no heed to their amazement. His eyes were fixed firmly on the object clenched in Su Haoran's other hand.
"Haoran, what is that in your hand?"
Su Haoran opened his palm, displaying the torn piece of black cloth and that striking lock of red hair before everyone.
The instant they saw that red hair fluttering faintly in the night wind, every elder present, Hui Jue included, became incomparably solemn. A deep trace of apprehension even showed in their eyes.
"Red hair..." one elder said slowly, as though he had seen something exceedingly troublesome.
"No mistake." Elder Hui Jue slowly nodded, his voice icy. "Other than those lawless bandits, no one would keep such a conspicuous head of red hair."
He took a deep breath and said, word by word, "Crimson Hair Stronghold!"
Crimson Hair Stronghold!
Though Su Haoran had not been in this world long, he had heard his senior brothers in the temple mention it before.
Prajna Temple sat within the Qingyun Mountain Range, while on the other side of those mountains lurked a band of notoriously vicious mountain bandits. Their three leaders were said to have been born with red hair, fierce beyond compare, with a large number of desperadoes gathered beneath them. They called themselves the "Crimson Hair Stronghold."
This Crimson Hair Stronghold differed from ordinary mountain bandits. They were tightly organized and powerful. Not only did they not plunder common folk, they often opened their granaries to distribute food, earning considerable prestige in the lands down the mountain.
Yet they had long-standing grudges and constant clashes with the nearby righteous sects, especially Prajna Temple.
The strength of both sides was nearly equal; neither could do anything to the other, creating an eerie balance.
"This man's lightness skill is exceptional, and his cultivation profound. To infiltrate from the top floor of the Scripture Repository, he is certainly no ordinary person." Elder Hui Jue stared at the lock of red hair, his expression growing ever graver. "Within Crimson Hair Stronghold, those with such skill and status can likely... be counted on one hand."
This was no simple case of a petty thief stealing in the night. It was a naked provocation and test aimed at Prajna Temple!
"Quickly inventory the books in the repository and see whether anything is missing!" the elder of the Scripture Repository immediately ordered.
News soon arrived. Fortunately, thanks to their timely discovery and Su Haoran's desperate interception, none of the important texts in the Scripture Repository had been stolen.
But rather than allowing the elders to breathe a sigh of relief, this result made their expressions even uglier.
They had not stolen anything?
That meant the purpose of their visit was likely to probe Prajna Temple's true capabilities, perhaps even... to humiliate it!
That night, Prajna Temple was brightly lit.
Every monk in the temple who had reached elder rank was summoned to the Abbot's meditation courtyard, where they deliberated through the night.
As the key figure in this incident, Su Haoran was naturally included.
He stood quietly to one side, listening to the elders argue.
"Outrageous! Crimson Hair Stronghold has gone too far! They actually dared to break into such an important place within our temple at night!"
"This matter cannot be let go so easily! They must give us an explanation!"
"But they came and went like the wind. We do not even know who he was. How are we to demand an explanation?"
"That lock of red hair is evidence! There are only so many high-ranking members in Crimson Hair Stronghold!"
The dispute continued all night. Only when the sky began to brighten did the Abbot's aged yet imposing voice finally ring out, setting the tone for the meeting.
"Though the thief did not succeed, the dignity of Prajna Temple cannot be provoked."
"Transmit my decree. Elder Hui Jue, head of the Martial Monk Courtyard, shall lead a team together with the others. Select the temple's elite disciples and make preparations at once. In three days, proceed personally to Crimson Hair Stronghold and demand a clear answer!"
"We shall see just how Crimson Hair Stronghold intends to explain this matter to Prajna Temple!"
Elder Hui Jue pressed his palms together and bowed as he accepted the order. "This one shall obey the Abbot's decree."
With the Abbot's decree issued, this emergency meeting concerning Prajna Temple's honor finally came to an end.
The elders and stewards dispersed one after another with solemn expressions. Before long, only Abbot Daoming, Elder Hui Jue, and Su Haoran remained in the vast meditation courtyard.
The night wind was faintly cool, stirring the bodhi tree in the courtyard until its leaves rustled softly.
"Su Haoran, you did very well!" Abbot Daoming turned around. His normally stern face now carried a trace of complicated gratification and praise.
He had already heard the full account from Elder Hui Jue.
Had Su Haoran not delayed that red-haired man for a moment, even nearly capturing him, Prajna Temple would have lost far more face.
Abbot Daoming took an ancient wooden box from his robes and handed it over.
"You remained calm in the face of danger. With Skin Tempering cultivation, you confronted a powerful enemy head-on and preserved the Scripture Repository. Your merit is great. This is the temple's reward for you."
Su Haoran respectfully accepted the wooden box and opened it. Three blood-red pills the size of longan fruits lay quietly upon a silk cushion. A rich scent of blood and medicine rushed toward him; merely breathing it in made the Qi and Blood throughout his body seem to boil faintly.
"These are... Blood Strengthening Pills?" Su Haoran's heart stirred.
"Correct. They are Blood Strengthening Pills." Abbot Daoming nodded, a flash of appreciation passing through his eyes. "These pills are refined from dozens of rare medicinal herbs, supplemented with the essence blood of fierce beasts. They have remarkable effects in increasing a Martial Artist's Qi and Blood. Each pill can sell for a hundred taels of silver in Qingshi City down the mountain. An ordinary Martial Monk might not earn even one after a year of hard work. Your foundation is solid and your Qi and Blood abundant. These three pills are enough to advance your cultivation another step."
A hundred taels of silver per pill!
Su Haoran was slightly shaken inwardly.
He knew well what several dozen taels of silver meant in this Chaotic World. It was enough to let an ordinary family live in peace and stability for several years.
Yet Prajna Temple had rewarded him with three pills at once!
"Thank you, Elder. Thank you, Abbot!" Su Haoran solemnly put away the wooden box and bowed.
Abbot Daoming waved a hand. Then Elder Hui Jue led Su Haoran out of the Abbot's meditation courtyard and onto the Martial Monk Courtyard's training ground.
Dawn had just broken. Quite a few diligent Martial Monks had already begun their morning practice. Seeing Elder Hui Jue personally bringing Su Haoran over, they all stopped and cast curious looks their way.
Elder Hui Jue swept his gaze around, his voice like a bell as it carried across the training ground. "Disciples, you have likely heard something of last night's events. A thief broke into the Scripture Repository at night. It was Su Haoran, a Martial Monk of our temple, who disregarded his own safety, stepped forward, and with his strength alone drove back a powerful enemy in alarm, ensuring that none of the temple's texts were lost!"
At those words, the entire grounds erupted!
Though there had been quite a commotion last night, ordinary disciples did not know the specifics. Only upon hearing Elder Hui Jue say it personally did they realize how hair-raising it had been!
A disciple who had only recently undergone Initiation had faced alone a powerful enemy who broke into the Scripture Repository at night? And even driven him away?
How was that possible!
Elder Hui Jue took in everyone's shock. He pointed at Su Haoran beside him, his tone suddenly rising. "The path of cultivation rests first on bitter training, second on strength of will! Su Haoran has not been in the temple long, but he has remained diligent without pause and resolute in will. That is how he achieved what he has today! You are all Martial Monks of Prajna Temple. You should take Su Haoran as your example, guard against arrogance and impatience, and devote yourselves to cultivation. Only then will you not fail the temple's nurturing!"
His words struck the ground like iron, stirring the hearts and minds of every Martial Monk present.
The way they looked at Su Haoran had already changed from initial curiosity into faint admiration.
To receive such praise from the ever-strict Elder Hui Jue was extraordinarily rare even in the history of the Martial Monk Courtyard!
Then Elder Hui Jue's tone shifted, his voice turning icy. "Crimson Hair Stronghold has bullied our temple beyond all reason. This matter absolutely cannot be allowed to rest! The Abbot has issued his decree. In three days, I will personally lead our elite to Crimson Hair Stronghold and demand an accounting!"
His gaze fell upon Su Haoran again, expectation in his voice. "Haoran, we have not yet completely torn off all pretense with Crimson Hair Stronghold, so this journey is primarily to demand an explanation. But if we can win back our honor and make Crimson Hair Stronghold bow their heads and admit fault, I will make the decision to allow you into the Scripture Repository once more, to choose any one cultivation art or secret manual you wish!"
Boom!
If the earlier reward and praise had been shocking, then this promise was a massive bomb dropped into the hearts of every Martial Monk!
Enter the Scripture Repository again, and choose any secret manual!
This was nothing like the one they could select upon becoming Martial Monks. The crucial words were "choose any."
It meant that among Prajna Temple's many secret arts, he could choose freely!
Before you continue