The Saint Buddha's Secret

Xu Bai never expected that he would see a group of old monks chasing each other in Vajra Temple, one of the Ten Great Temples and a place known as Buddhists holy site.

Moreover, these elderly monks are all abbots of Ten Great Temples. Each of them is a renowned figure outside the temples, worthy of being worshipped by numerous Buddhists disciples.

But now, they have no manners whatsoever, and they lack the demeanor of high -Buddhists monks.

Leading the charge was the abbot of Vajra Temple. His hands were no longer clasped together; he was holding up the hem of his robe, his legs swinging wildly as he sprinted away.

His face was covered in bruises, clearly indicating that he had been injured before rushing out. Behind him were the abbots of the other nine major temples, each with an angry expression, as if they were about to arrest and torture the abbot of Vajra Temple.

Such a scene, if not a once-in-a-century occurrence, is at least extremely rare.

Everyone present was a master, and the moment they rushed out, they spotted Xu Bai and Wu Hua.

The abbot of Vajra Temple reacted quickly, immediately stopping in his tracks, straightening his back, and placing one palm upright on his chest, adopting an extremely serious expression.

"So it's a distinguished guest. Stop fooling around."

As he spoke, the abbot of Vajra Temple turned around and winked at the abbots of the nine major temples who were rushing over.

It means that since there are outsiders here, everyone should be mindful of saving face.

But what he didn't expect was that his previous actions had completely enraged these nine colleagues, who then acted without any regard for consequences.

Because he had stopped, he was caught up instantly. The abbots of the nine major temples used their hands and feet to forcefully pin the abbot of the Vajra Temple to the ground.

This was just the beginning. The next moment, they surrounded the abbot of the Vajra Temple and began to beat him mercilessly.

"Hiss..." Xu Bai and Wu Hua gasped in unison upon seeing this scene. They exchanged a glance and silently retreated a great distance.

Compared to the old monks in the main hall, these are the real top-level figures, but now they're behaving like street thugs, kicking and shoving the abbot of the Vajra Temple.

The scene looked rather comical. The abbot of the Vajra Temple looked pitiful; a hand would occasionally reach out from the gap and try to pry at the ground, but he would soon be dragged back into the crowd.

The inhumane beating lasted for the time it takes to burn an incense stick before it gradually stopped. The abbots of the nine major temples stood up, straightened their clothes, and looked completely satisfied. Meanwhile, the abbot of the Vajra Temple, who was lying on the ground, stared blankly at the sky, looking as if he had been completely ruined.

"Ahem." Xu Bai saw that it was time, so he coughed as a signal.

This also provides a convenient way for the hosts present to gracefully exit the situation.

As expected, Xu Bai's cough drew the attention of all the hosts present.

"Greetings, King Xu."

Xu Bai Xu Bai n't need to reveal his identity or say anything; they were all well aware of Xu Bai background, so they greeted him naturally.

Xu Bai smiled and cupped his hands, saying, "Esteemed monks, please don't stand on ceremony. In terms of age, you are all my seniors, so there's no need for such formalities."

That's the kind of person he is: if someone treats me with respect, I will treat them with even greater respect.

The abbots of the nine temples exchanged glances, then nodded in unison, making no attempt to hide the approval in their eyes.

He is neither arrogant nor impatient, and holding an important position as a king of a different surname, he can almost be considered the young elite in the world today.

These accolades, when bestowed upon anyone, even some older generations, could cause them to lose their way.

However, Xu Bai was able to take it in stride and even remain humble in this situation, which made the hosts feel that he was not someone who was overrated.

First impressions are important, and it seems that Xu Bai made a good first impression on everyone.

At this moment, the abbot of Vajra Temple, who had been lying on the ground, finally got up, stretched out his hands and rubbed his face a few times, and the wounds that had been deliberately left on his face healed instantly.

"King Xu, you've finally deigned to come and play at my Vajra Temple." The abbot of Vajra Temple was very approachable and took Xu Bai's hand, leading him into the room. "Come on, come inside with me, I'll show you something good."

Upon seeing this, Xu Bai's lips twitched slightly.

He hadn't expected the abbot of Vajra Temple to be so enthusiastic, which made him feel a little uncomfortable.

But Wu Hua, standing to the side, seemed to be used to it all along. He winked at Xu Bai, implying that this was how their leader was, otherwise he wouldn't have done such a despicable thing as beating up his own elder.

Moreover, none of the abbots of the other nine major temples objected to the Vajra Temple's action, as if it were perfectly normal.

Xu Bai had already guessed what the abbot of Vajra Temple was going to show him, and to be honest, he was quite looking forward to it.

He didn't understand what the Saint Buddha Skeleton were. Although he wasn't Buddhists and shouldn't be interested, what if it could trigger a progress bar?

So it would be best to take a look first.

Thinking this, he was already being dragged into the room by the abbot of Vajra Temple.

Upon entering the room, Xu Bai saw a very simple long table in the empty room, and on the long table was a golden skeleton.

It's really simple.

There was only one long table, without even a cloth on it. The skeleton was placed on it casually, like an unimportant broken bone. In fact, due to the casualness, the two leg bones of the skeleton were even interlocked.

"Don't pay attention to appearances," said the abbot of Vajra Temple.

Although from the very first meeting, Xu Bai's impression of this host was that he was unreliable. After all, he was ganged up on by nine people of the same level on their first meeting, which made him seem far from reliable.

But at that moment, when the abbot of Vajra Temple said those words, his eyes were filled with wisdom.

The abbots of the other nine temples nodded in unison. They were all people who had lived for so long, so of course they understood what Xu Bai was thinking.

Xu Bai nodded as if he understood, though he still didn't understand why they did it so casually. But he didn't dwell on it, because once his gaze fell on the skeleton, he couldn't look away.

The progress bar is brand new and dazzling.

The entire progress bar stood out starkly above the golden skeleton.

There really is a progress bar!

Xu Bai was overjoyed, but remained expressionless.

The reason was simple: he saw many tiny characters densely packed on the skeleton.

Judging from the handwriting, they should all be from the same person, and they are engraved with their reflections on the golden skeleton.

Moreover, these reflections are written in an exceptionally juvenile style, making one feel ashamed upon just one glance.

What's even stranger is that Xu Bai only thought it was a bit childish, and he could clearly see the content, but when asked to recall it, he couldn't remember it no matter what.

"Ahem, Your King Xu, don't look at those words. I've added a special method to them, so they'll be easily forgotten," the abbot of Vajra Temple explained. "After all, I'm afraid that some disciples with less profound skills might see them and have their minds affected."

Xu Bai: "..."

Well, now he finally understands who put these words on—it was the abbot of the Vajra Temple.

I had long heard that the abbot of Vajra Temple liked to leave some childish annotations in certain places, a habit he developed when he was young.

Unexpectedly, it was even used on the Saint Buddha Skeleton, and it was even used to write on the remains of other people.

There was no empty space anywhere Xu Bai could see.

As for what the abbot of Vajra Temple said about affecting one's state of mind, Xu Bai thought it was simply far-fetched.

This is probably because they were afraid of being found out that they did something immature, so they did it on purpose.

Before Xu Bai could even speak, the abbots of the nine major temples' foreheads bulged with veins, clearly angered once again.

However, since Xu Bai was there, they couldn't say anything.

"King Xu." The abbot of Vajra Temple ignored the gazes around him and said to himself, "I have long heard Wu Hua say that you are particularly fond of Buddhism, and it is rumored in the martial arts world that your academic knowledge is extremely complex. I wonder if you can figure out the secret of how the Saint Buddha Skeleton grew flesh and blood?"

"Growing flesh and blood?" Upon hearing this, Xu Bai followed the skeleton's finger and looked in that direction.

On the golden palm, the little finger is no longer a skeleton, but a human little finger, where flesh has grown. Apart from that, the surrounding area is still bare.

The abbot of Vajra Temple had a very simple idea, as did the abbots of the other nine major temples: the fact that the Saint Buddha Skeleton were growing flesh and blood was definitely a major discovery, and this major discovery required deciphering the secret.

Actually, the skeleton wasn't originally obtained by the Vajra Temple; it was only because of this reason that it was kept Vajra Temple.

To put it bluntly, among the Ten Great Temples, Vajra Temple has the most singular ability, but it is also the most powerful in terms of Vajra Temple, and it is the safest place to keep Vajra Temple.

Moreover, they had studied it before and found nothing unusual, so they all thought it was just a skeleton, but now it's different.

The anomaly proves that their previous research can be overturned, and that they couldn't figure it out. Since they can't figure it out, the secret will remain a secret forever. It's better to bring it out and let everyone see it.

Xu Bai understood what they were thinking, but he was a little unsure.

Is this progress bar on the skeleton, or on those melodramatic annotations?

If it were a progress bar on a skeleton, he might actually discover the secret, but if it's just a progress bar on a chuunibyou (adolescent delusions of grandeur) annotation, then the progress bar he comprehends is the one left behind by the abbot of Vajra Temple.

Xu Bai took a few steps, just about to give a more official reply.

Unexpectedly, as he moved around, his gaze once again froze.

Just now, due to the angle, the progress bar was floating in the air. But as Xu Bai moved, the angle of the progress bar changed, and another golden progress bar appeared below the golden one.

Xu Bai stopped, his face expressionless, but secretly delighted.

It's been sent.

It's been released again.

There are two progress bars in total. He can now confirm that one is the progress bar on the Saint Buddha Skeleton, and the other is the chuunibyou annotation on it.

Most importantly, under Xu Bai's observation, the two progress bars actually started to rise together.

Xu Bai guessed that it might be because of the combination of the two, which would save him a lot of time.

Thinking about this, he already knew how to answer.

Meeting the gaze of the abbot of Vajra Temple, Xu Bai smiled and said.

"There are some clues, but we need to take a closer look; we're not entirely sure yet."

Anyway, let's take a look first and see what happens later. We have to get our hands on the progress bar no matter what.

After all, he needed to keep an eye on the progress bar, so he couldn't just stay here with some other excuse, could he? The abbot of Vajra Temple was just trying his luck, and had Xu Bai take a look as a last resort, without having high expectations.

In his mind, having dealings with Xu Bai was good for his Vajra Temple, so he considered it as forming a good connection.

But to everyone's surprise, Xu Bai said it was possible.

If it's possible, no matter how small the possibility, it's worth trying.

"How long will it take?" the abbot of Vajra Temple asked.

Xu Bai pondered for a moment and said, "Give me ten days."

Ten days is a generous estimate, since no one knows whether the two progress bars will overlap or whether the start will be fast and the middle will be slow.

So Xu Bai was exaggerating.

Upon hearing this, the abbot of Vajra Temple nodded silently in the end.

Before he could speak, a representative from among the nine hosts stepped forward and said.

"Your King Xu, thank you for your trouble."

Xu Bai said, "No need to be polite, I'm just interested in this matter."

The nine hosts nodded in unison and said nothing more.

However, the host who had spoken at the beginning still added a comment.

"If we can really find out, we also understand some of the ways of the world."

As they spoke, the nine hosts each took out a booklet from their pockets and handed it to the host who had just started speaking, who then passed it to Xu Bai.

"These are some of our daily insights into Buddhism. Please forgive our rudeness, but we cannot give you our exclusive cultivation methods, as we must adhere to the rules of Buddhists."

Xu Bai looked at the nine booklets in his hand, and then at the golden progress bar on them. If he hadn't been so good at keeping a straight face, he probably would have been stunned by now.

What a great harvest!

This is what you call a great harvest, a truly great harvest.

Nine progress bars! A whole nine progress bars!

Moreover, judging from the pace, the progress bars are all very slow.

It's out!

Xu Bai he had struck gold.

His gaze shifted to the abbot of the Vajra Temple beside him, as if to say, "We've given you all this, aren't you going to offer something in return?" The abbot of the Vajra Temple gave him a wink and said, "Isn't that it?"

Xu Bai looked at the Saint Buddha Skeleton beside him and the annotations on them, and he understood.

Okay, everyone else gives books, but you just engraved it directly on the Saint Buddha Skeleton. That's truly outstanding.

"Gentlemen, I have a feeling that you've been waiting for me all along?" Xu Bai said meaningfully.

Despite receiving so many progress bars, he wasn't blinded by joy and quickly realized something was amiss.

The most strange thing about this is that everyone has prepared things for themselves, as if they were specially prepared for him.

The abbot of Vajra Temple explained, "King Xu is right, that's indeed the case. After all, His Majesty has said that you are an unparalleled talent in this era, so we're placing our bets on you."

"We are going to take out these Saint Buddha Skeleton so that Buddhists all over the world can study them."

"Whether we figure it out or not, we will show it to King Xu again, since King Xu is quite special."

"Of course, we also know that King Xu is a businessman, so these things have been prepared as well."

As he spoke, the abbot of Vajra Temple looked like a cunning fox who had stolen a chicken.

There is no such thing as unconditional help in this world.

Perhaps friends could help each other. Given the friendship between Wu Hua and Xu Bai, if Wu Hua intervened, Xu Bai would come to help. However, Wu Hua indicated that it might not necessarily be the Vajra Temple.

Not long ago, the abbot of Vajra Temple approached Wu Hua, hoping that Wu Hua could ask Xu Bai for help.

But Wu Hua quickly gave his answer: Xu Bai could help, but it had to be a transaction.

The reason is simple: Wu Hua doesn't want his friendship with Xu Bai to turn into mutual exploitation.

The abbot of Vajra Temple didn't say anything about this answer, and even thought that Wu Hua was right.

If Xu Bai were to come and help for nothing because of this, the Vajra Temple would lose face, and the other nine temples would also lose face.

Therefore, these rewards were prepared in advance. What they didn't expect was that Xu Bai would actually arrive at the exact moment.

Xu Bai sighed and decisively handed all the books in his hand to the first-grade puppet beside him, saying, "Since we've come this far, I have no choice but to accept them. Seniors, rest assured, I will do my best."

Everyone nodded; they believed what Xu Bai said.

Although it was only their first meeting, he was already well-known in the martial arts world.

Xu Bai is serious about doing business.

Of course, they will not take back what they have given away, whether it succeeds or not.

Don't be fooled by their status as enlightened monks; they're actually more cunning than monkeys. Once they're covered in fur, even monkeys would be envious.

If that doesn't work out, consider it a gift to meet King Xu. After all, King Xu's status is what it is now, and it will allow everyone to become acquainted.

And if it happens to work out, wouldn't it be even better to treat this gift, which is meant to help them get acquainted, as a transaction? They wouldn't lose anything extra.

The abbot of Vajra Temple said, "In that case, please feel free to tell me if you need anything during this period. I will have food delivered. Gentlemen, how about we set the exhibition of the Saint Buddha Skeleton for ten days from now?"

The abbots of the nine major temples exchanged glances and nodded; they had no objection to the decision.

After that, the hosts left without disturbing Xu Bai.

The abbot of Vajra Temple did not leave, nor did Wu Hua. Only after the abbots of the nine major temples had left did he give Wu Hua a wink.

Wu Hua understood the meaning behind the look, turned and left the room, closing the door behind her.

Because of the turn of her head, her long, black hair fluttered, giving Xu Bai a strange feeling.

If you dressed Wu Hua in a black robe and changed the character "Hua" to "Tian" (天), he would look a lot like a big shot from a TV series from my previous life.

Xu Bai knew that the abbot of Vajra Temple must have some unspeakable secrets, otherwise there would be no need to wait until the abbots of the nine major temples left before closing the door.

His gaze was fixed on the abbot of the Vajra Temple, as if to say, "You have a secret."

"Did King Xu see it?" The abbot of Vajra Temple came to the Saint Buddha Skeleton and placed his hand on the table.

Xu Bai laughed and said, "It's probably related to the Saint Buddha Skeleton. The abbot went to great lengths to write so many annotations. I feel it's more than that."

"At first, I thought that the reason why the host wrote such mysterious things was because he was worried that others would know about your chuunibyou (adolescent delusions of grandeur).

"But then I thought about it again and felt that something was not right."

Yes, that was his initial thought, but the moment the abbot of Vajra Temple stayed behind, he overturned it.

Even a young and naive person wouldn't be foolish enough to leave anything on the Saint Buddha Skeleton, let alone the one in front of them, who is among the top tier.

"Alas..." the abbot of Vajra Temple said with a wry smile, "This is not an annotation, but a method of confinement that I obtained from some ruins in my early years."

Xu Bai raised an eyebrow and said, "Imprisonment? Could it be that it has come back to life?"

The abbot of Vajra Temple shook his head. "No, only his little finger turned into flesh and blood. I did it just in case."

Xu Bai looked the abbot of Vajra Temple up and down, pacing back and forth. Suddenly, he felt that things were not so simple.

The reason for the confinement was the fear that the Saint Buddha Skeleton would come back to life, but why should they be worried?

Could it be that it will become a monster after coming back to life? Or perhaps... it was a bad existence before it came back to life? The abbot of Vajra Temple raised his hand, and a burst of Buddhist light flashed, enveloping and isolating the surroundings.

Xu Bai subconsciously reached for Hundred Rifts on his waist, then let go.

"King Xu is truly vigilant," said the abbot of Vajra Temple.

"It was just a subconscious action. After all, I used to be a member of the martial arts world, and I've experienced a lot of ups and downs," Xu Bai said as he released his hand.

Upon hearing this, the abbot of Vajra Temple said, "There's no other way. I have to ensure the safety of the exchange, because next, King Xu will hear a real secret, a secret that only I know, about... the secret of the evils of Buddhists."

Xu Bai didn't think much of the first half of the sentence, but he was slightly surprised when he heard the last one.

What does it mean to have secrets about the drawbacks of Buddhists? The more mysterious it is described, the more curious he becomes, especially since he is certain that this matter is related to the Saint Buddha Skeleton. He is even more interested now.

The abbot of Vajra Temple said, "The Saint Buddha was the first monk in the world and the founder of Buddhists. He was unprecedented and has no successor. He can be called the founder of Buddhists."

"All the Buddhists practices under heaven originate from the root he created, and are gradually derived from this root."

"It can be said that he played a crucial role in the flourishing of Buddhists today, but he also plunged Buddhists into a quagmire from which it can never escape."

"Everyone in this world has a lifespan limit. Even those of us in this profession are only living longer than others. Even Saint Buddha are no exception."

"No matter how long our lives are, there will come an end one day."

Xu Bai nodded, still having no questions after hearing this.

No one in this world can have an eternal lifespan; all lifespans have an end.

"Does the abbot mean that the Saint Buddha had different thoughts as his life was about to end?"

Since lifespan and the Saint Buddha were mentioned, Xu Bai easily connected the two.

I just don't know if this intention is good or bad.

The abbot of Vajra Temple nodded and said, "That's right, but some guesses were wrong. To be precise, from the moment Buddhists was founded, it was already within the Saint Buddha's plan."

"Everything we learn and see that is derived from the Saint Buddha has its drawbacks. This is a piece of information that I obtained by chance."

"Your King Xu should know that I did some things when I was young. I liked to annotate Buddhist scriptures. Later, when I thought about that time, I was very depressed for a period of time and did not look at Buddhist scriptures for almost a month, because looking at them would remind me of that period of time."

"In just over a month, I discovered that there was a terrifying power in my mind that wanted to break out of my body. It was my own power, and I couldn't control it."

At this point, the abbot of Vajra Temple still felt a little palpitated, clearly indicating that the situation at the time must have left an indelible impression on him.

"Can't even control his own power?" Xu Bai frowned. "With the presiding master's strength, that shouldn't be the case. Could it be related to the roots left behind by the Saint Buddha?"

If it were a novice who couldn't control their power, that would be one thing, but it's unacceptable that even the abbot of Vajra Temple couldn't control it.

"It is the Dharma," said the abbot of Vajra Temple. "If we do not study the Dharma for a long time, our strength will go out of control, and we may even explode and die."

"Since the Saint Buddha established this requirement when he founded Buddhists, it has become a habit over the years, and no one has noticed it."

"But my accident revealed it."

Xu Bai pondered for a moment and said, "What is his purpose? Could it be resurrection?"

Since it's related to lifespan, and the Saint Buddha is already dead, then only resurrection remains.

The question had barely been asked when the abbot of Vajra Temple quickly provided confirmation.

"At first I thought this was just a drawback of Buddhists that even the Saint Buddha couldn't erase, but later I found out that wasn't the case," the abbot of Vajra Temple said with a wry smile.

"King Xu, did you see that? Flesh and blood have grown back on his bones. Everyone knows what that means."

"Considering the drawbacks left to us, I came up with a possible way to revive the world."

The abbot of Vajra Temple stopped, walked to the bookshelf next to him, took out a book, opened it in front of Xu Bai, and finally took out a piece of paper from the middle of the book.

The piece of paper was only the size of a palm, and it was covered with densely written words.

"This is what I've come up with over a long period of time. Actually, it had already grown flesh and blood a month ago, and I started to study its mysteries." The abbot of Vajra Temple handed it over.

Xu Bai took the paper, read through all the contents, his expression became extremely solemn, and he returned the page.

What is written here is primarily a conjecture about why this drawback exists.

Death is when everything turns to nothingness.

If the Saint Buddha wanted to be resurrected, he could not allow everything to vanish into nothingness.

The most important thing is the physical body. Now that we have the Saint Buddha Skeleton, the first step has been accomplished.

Why has the body been preserved for so long without decaying? And why are the bones golden? The abbot of Vajra Temple speculates that it is related to the Buddhist scriptures recited by Buddhists monks throughout the ages.

The abbot of Vajra Temple tried reciting Buddhist scriptures in front of the skeleton and found that when he recited, the gold on the skeleton underwent a change that was imperceptible to the naked eye.

He speculated that this might be the reason why the skeleton remained unchanged and could even grow flesh and blood.

By then, the skeleton had grown flesh and blood, and it had become so hard that even he could not damage it.

Buddhist scriptures can bless the remains, and over countless years, the remains have reached a terrifying state.

This is a fact that must be done.

If they don't do it, none of the Buddhists can control their own power; but if they do, their skeletons will continue to strengthen.

Therefore, the abbot of Vajra Temple felt that this was a dead end.

Xu Bai pondered for a moment and said, "Master, do you think his resurrection is necessarily a bad thing?"

The abbot of Vajra Temple nodded without hesitation and said, "Yes."

"Oh?" Xu Bai was slightly surprised.

He noticed that the abbot of Vajra Temple answered smoothly, without even considering it.

The abbot of Vajra Temple pointed at the skeleton and said, "King Xu, look how simple his remains are. Do you really think it's just an appearance as I described?"

"Only the leaders of our Ten Great Temples know about this matter, because he is not worthy of the honor we bestow upon him."

"The ancient texts passed down through the ages contain legends about the Saint Buddha, revealing only one aspect of him, which is enough to know the evil consequences after his resurrection."

As he spoke, the abbot of Vajra Temple turned around, returned to the bookshelf, picked up a book, opened a page, and handed it to Xu Bai.

Xu Bai took the book and read the page carefully before closing it again.

This page contains a lot of information, but it is actually just to illustrate one of the Exiting Sainthood's ideas, which can be summarized in a short way.

The Saint Buddha wanted everyone in the world to Buddhists order, even at any cost, and wanted to eliminate all those who were not Buddhists.

Xu Bai quickly made the connection.

This is an attempt to impose this kind of profession, which requires Buddhist restrictions, on all people.

The more people enter this profession, the more they will be constrained, and the more severely they are constrained, the more solid their remains will be after death.

Here he thought about the future, for example, even if the Saint Buddha were resurrected, would he be able to have an endless lifespan?

Impossible. He will inevitably die, and when he dies, he will certainly use this method again.

Before he dies, he will inevitably drag more people down with him, make more people become Buddhists, and make his bones more solid after he dies.

This is what the abbot of Vajra Temple was worried about.

"I understand," Xu Bai said knowingly. "Abbot, don't you plan to tell the people in the other temples?"

The abbot of Vajra Temple shook his head and said, "I don't plan to tell you, because I don't have any concrete evidence. Besides, I would like to ask Lord Xu to do me a favor."

"Oh?" Xu Bai asked, "What does the host want me to do?"

The abbot of Vajra Temple clasped his hands together and said, "May there Wu Hua."