Special Training Ground

The bright moon hung amid sparse stars, and the north wind bit to the bone as Meng Qi and Zhen Hui walked back toward the Warrior Monk Institute.

"Little Junior Brother, thank you for asking Master to take me as his disciple." After a stretch of silence, Meng Qi spoke.

Though it was not what he truly wanted, Little Junior Brother's kindness was still worth thanking him for.

Zhen Hui walked with light, lively steps, looking immensely pleased. He said unconcernedly, "It had nothing to do with me. Master had wanted to take you as his disciple for a long time."

"Huh? How did you know?" Meng Qi asked in astonishment.

Zhen Hui turned his head and gave him a strange look. "The two copies of the manuals had already been transcribed."

That's right! How hadn't I thought of that! Realization dawned on Meng Qi. He sized Zhen Hui up and down. Could this fellow be wise beneath a foolish exterior?

Zhen Hui grew a little uneasy under his gaze and shrank his neck. "Senior Brother, I didn't steal any of your meals."

Huh? Meng Qi narrowed his eyes. No wonder I hadn't been eating my fill during those days of facing the wall! I thought that was simply part of the punishment!

While facing the wall, all three daily meals had been delivered to his room.

Only after Zhen Hui had backed away several steps did Meng Qi grit his teeth and say, "Forget it. You're at a crucial stage of opening your Dantian and need plenty of food."

"Mm-hmm!" Zhen Hui nodded honestly, without the slightest embarrassment.

As they spoke, the two returned to the Warrior Monk Institute. The moment they entered their Zen room, Zhen Yong, who had heard the door open, came looking for them.

"Junior Brother Zhending, Junior Brother Zhen Hui, Buddha has truly blessed you. You were actually chosen as Martial Uncle Xuan Bei's disciples." He began with congratulations, though there was a faint sourness to his tone.

Meng Qi smiled. "I didn't expect it either. I thought the reward would be one of the Shaolin Seventy-Two Unique Skills."

"Alas, I was frightened at the time. Otherwise... alas, alas..." Zhen Yong let out a series of long sighs, deeply regretting his own choice to avoid trouble whenever possible.

After the matter at the Back Mountain, Meng Qi was no longer as close to him as before. Still, hearing this, he offered a few words of comfort. "I was chosen because of the reward, while Junior Brother Zhen Hui was chosen because he performed well in both the Warrior Monk Institute and the Servant Courtyard. Senior Brother Zhen Yong, you'll have a chance too."

"I hope so. Amitabha Buddha, may all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the heavens open their eyes." Zhen Yong sighed, put away his expression of envy, jealousy, and resentment, then perked up and said eagerly, "Once you enter Martial Uncle Xuan Bei's tutelage, you can naturally learn the Seventy-Two Unique Skills. What did each of you junior brothers choose?"

"I chose the Golden Bell Shield, and Junior Brother Zhen Hui chose the Nian Hua Finger." There was nothing to hide about such matters. Meng Qi answered casually as he packed his clothes.

Zhen Yong froze for a moment. "The Nian Hua Finger? Junior Brother Zhen Hui, you actually chose the Nian Hua Finger?"

Something about his tone was odd. Meng Qi raised his head and looked over. "Senior Brother Zhen Yong, is there a problem?"

Zhen Yong shook his head and forced a smile. "No, no. I merely thought of how difficult the Nian Hua Finger is to cultivate, and how one cannot divide one's focus among other unique skills. I was a little worried about Junior Brother Zhen Hui. But Junior Brother Zhen Hui has always been someone who concentrates wholeheartedly, so there's nothing to fear."

As he spoke, he looked at Zhen Hui, envy written across his face. "Junior Brother Zhen Hui, the Nian Hua Finger evolved directly from Buddha's Palm and stands first among our Shaolin Seventy-Two Unique Skills. You must cultivate it well. In the future, be sure to offer this senior brother plenty of guidance in martial arts."

"Mm." Zhen Hui remained absorbed in packing his clothes.

Knowing his temperament, Zhen Yong did not take offense. He turned to Meng Qi instead. "Junior Brother Zhending, you already have a foundation in Iron Cloth Shirt. The Golden Bell Shield is an excellent choice, but why didn't you choose the Indestructible Vajra Divine Skill? It is a level better, and there's no conflict."

Naturally, Meng Qi would not repeat Xuan Bei's words and insult himself. He merely smiled. "My master told me to choose it. I don't know why either."

"Mm, Martial Uncle Xuan Bei is a master of his generation. There must be a profound reason behind this." Zhen Yong nodded, his smile returning in full. "You two junior brothers, please look after this senior brother in the future."

"Certainly." Meng Qi did not wish to dwell on the topic. Looking at the darkness beyond the window, he asked, "Senior Brother Zhen Yong, did anything major happen during the days this junior brother was facing the wall?"

Zhen Yong thought for a moment. "The major matter related to us was the elders coming to select disciples, but you two need not concern yourselves with that. Mm, there was one other major event. Senior Brother Zhen Chang passed Bronze Man Alley and went down the mountain to wander."

"Senior Brother Zhen Chang? Bronze Man Alley?" A tall, thin young monk naturally appeared in Meng Qi's mind. He was Zhen Chang, one of the three strongest of the Zhen Generation. He also served as an instructor at the Warrior Monk Institute, though his pupils were the warrior monks practicing the Arhat Great Formation.

When Meng Qi had first met him, he had only one thought: this guy ought to play Tang Sanzang. Red lips, white teeth, tall and slender, with a scholarly frailty about him—exactly the type female demons would like. Yet only after Zhen Yong's introduction had he learned that Zhen Chang was the foremost martial artist of the Zhen Generation.

Zhen Yong nodded heavily. "That's right. After Senior Brother Zhen Chang went into seclusion for a time, he opened his Ear Aperture. His Arhat Subduing Demons Divine Skill and Prajna Palm had also reached minor accomplishment. Then he directly passed Bronze Man Alley and became the youngest wandering disciple."

"He could pass Bronze Man Alley after merely opening his Ear Aperture?" Meng Qi had heard Jiang Zhiwei mention that, despite having opened all four apertures of the eyes and ears, she herself was not more than sixty percent certain of passing Bronze Man Alley. Zhen Chang had only just opened his Ear Aperture, yet he had passed? Could he be even stronger than Jiang Zhiwei? That couldn't be right either. During their last martial contest, Jiang Zhiwei had taken first place alone without even using Sword Comes Without Self, and afterward she had gained further improvement in the Samsara space.

Zhen Yong glanced out the window and lowered his voice. "I heard that Senior Brother Zhen Chang's passage through Bronze Man Alley was also perilous in the extreme. He nearly failed and only cleared it with a bit of luck."

"I see." Meng Qi spoke thoughtfully.

Zhen Yong continued, "Moreover, Senior Brother Zhen Chang was the first monk of our Zhen Generation to step into the Orifice Opening Realm. He had long been able to open his Ear Aperture again, and his strength far surpassed Senior Brothers Zhen Ben and Zhen Miao. He delayed going into seclusion only because of the martial contest. Who would have thought he would lose to Jiang Zhiwei of Sword Washing Pavilion? Now that he has made another breakthrough, it is only natural that he passed Bronze Man Alley."

According to Shaolin's rules, Zhen Chang, the first to step into the Orifice Opening Realm, counted as the "Eldest Senior Brother" of the Zhen Generation.

Feigning curiosity, Meng Qi carefully asked for details about Bronze Man Alley. Then, satisfied, he left the Zen room with his luggage.

Under Zhen Yong's repeated farewells, Meng Qi and Zhen Hui slowly walked to the courtyard gate. Looking back, they saw that candles still burned in quite a few Zen rooms, and they could vaguely make out many warrior monks watching the two of them. Icicles hung from the eaves, gleaming under the moonlight—crystal-clear, yet chilling beyond measure.

"Master, where are you taking me?" After morning lessons the next day, Meng Qi was led by Xuan Bei toward the Back Mountain.

Could the special training ground be inside some cave in the Back Mountain?

Xuan Bei's kasaya drifted lightly in the wind as he looked ahead. "I have already requested leave from Senior Brother Xuan En. For this period, you need not go to the Scripture Chanting Hall. Focus on cultivating the Golden Bell Shield and lay a solid foundation as quickly as possible. As for learning to read, I will make up for it myself."

"Yes, Master." As Meng Qi looked at the increasingly familiar scenery around him, he asked, "Am I going to cultivate the Golden Bell Shield in the Back Mountain?"

Not long ago, he had endured dangers here, maneuvered against Tang Shun of Palm of the Universe, and obtained the True Intent Inheritance of the Ananda Breaking Precepts Saber Art within a Secret Passage.

Xuan Bei nodded gently. "Mm. You'll know when we arrive. Did you study the Golden Bell Shield manual thoroughly last night?"

"I read through it three times and have already begun attempting it," Meng Qi answered honestly.

He had not delayed in the slightest, racing against every moment to cultivate the first stage of the Golden Bell Shield and condense his Dantian anew.

Xuan Bei said no more and moved forward in silence. Meng Qi followed close behind, passing through the narrow path between two cliff faces and, for the first time in the true sense, entering the Back Mountain.

Mountain ranges overlapped one another, with strange peaks jutting up from time to time. Yet as far as the eye could see, not a blade of grass grew. The earth was blood-red, as though it had been watered with blood.

"Legend has it that a few years before Patriarch Damo entered nirvana, he fought a great devil here. The Pure Land he had evolved was destroyed, and all manner of barriers shattered, leaving this place as it is today." Seemingly sensing Meng Qi's puzzled gaze, Xuan Bei slowly spoke. "Afterward, Divine Monks of every generation stored Sarira in the Sarira Pagoda here, using Buddhist Dharma to transform this Demonic Soil. Only then could disciples below the Outer Scenery level walk within it."

The moment he stepped onto the "Blood Soil," Meng Qi felt a chill surge up from beneath his feet. Mountains of corpses and seas of blood, severed limbs and decaying bodies, evil ghosts and heavenly demons—all seemed to appear before his eyes.

"Amitabha Buddha." A solemn Buddhist chant rang out, and every illusion vanished. The sunlight remained bright and beautiful, yet there was not a trace of green.

"Disciples visiting the Back Mountain for the first time all experience similar tainted hallucinations. Once you settle your mind, it will be fine," Xuan Bei said kindly.

Meng Qi nodded, but inwardly he was both startled and doubtful. This felt similar to when he had touched the stone door inscribed with "Righteousness, Kindness, Benevolence—do not enter this gate," only it was not nearly as vivid or terrifying, nor had it made cold sweat break out along his back.

Could there be some connection?

After circling several peaks and passing through a number of checkpoints guarded by yellow-robed monks and Elders, Xuan Bei led Meng Qi toward the highest peak of the Back Mountain. As they walked, patches of green gradually appeared before Meng Qi's eyes. Clear springs streamed down from above, winding into pools filled with strange golden lotuses that remained in full bloom even in winter.

Walking amid these mountains, Meng Qi felt both body and mind cleansed, his worries drifting away in tranquil ease.

After passing several more checkpoints, Meng Qi saw a Glazed Pagoda gleaming with flowing radiance. It had seven levels, yet was not particularly tall.

"Amitabha Buddha." An Elder draped in a kasaya stood guard at the entrance. He recited the Buddha's name, checked Xuan Bei's token, asked no further questions, and directly allowed him and Meng Qi inside.

So the place of cultivation is inside the Sarira Pagoda... Meng Qi muttered to himself. He did not dare speak aloud and simply followed Xuan Bei quietly deeper into the pagoda.

"The seven levels above the pagoda are where Sarira are stored. The seven levels beneath the ground are where demons, monsters, ghosts, and devils are suppressed." Xuan Bei's tone was calm and unruffled as he pushed open the stone door before them, carved all over with Swastika Symbols.

The instant the stone door opened, a dense and peculiar aura rushed at them head-on, bearing down until Meng Qi's body and mind trembled. Circulating his breath became difficult, and discomfort spread through his entire body.

"This is Demonic Aura." Xuan Bei fulfilled his duty as a Master, explaining.

Meng Qi endured the discomfort, restrained his trembling, and followed Xuan Bei forward with steady steps.

Xuan Bei gave a slight nod. After rounding several corners, he stopped beside a cell. Inside lay a gigantic bird with flaming-red feathers.

Merely standing beside the cell made Meng Qi feel as though raging flames were burning his body. Looking over, he saw the air there faintly twisting, as if the entire space were swaying. Yet the cell ahead emitted thread after thread of chill, and a thin layer of pale-blue ice crystals coated the ground.

"This is a Fire Cuckoo. It possesses the bloodline of an ancient True Phoenix. You will cultivate the first stage of the Golden Bell Shield here, borrowing the aura it gives off." Xuan Bei had Meng Qi cultivate outside this cell.

Meng Qi gritted his teeth, stripped his monk's robe down to his waist, and sat cross-legged before the pale-gold iron bars etched with symbols. Bare-chested, he endured the scorching heat and began circulating the cultivation method for the first stage of the Golden Bell Shield.