A Bizarre Reunion

Meng Qi abruptly flipped over and sat up, gasping for breath. He had just had a nightmare: his identity had been exposed, and the Abbot, who had attained the Arhat Golden Body, had killed him with a single palm strike.

Though he had never met the Abbot, the dream had been so vivid that even after waking, his entire body trembled.

"Where is this..." Suddenly, a clear female voice tinged with vigilance slipped into Meng Qi's ears.

Who? How could there be a woman in the Zen Room? Meng Qi was greatly startled. Looking around, he froze on the spot. This was no longer his own Zen Room!

This was a plaza paved with stones resembling white jade. Its center was empty and vast, while a ring of statues surrounded it—dragons, phoenixes, Kui Oxen, Pixiu, and other Immortal Birds and Divine Beasts. Beside him, Jiang Zhiwei of the Sword Washing Pavilion, Zhang Yuanshan of the True Martial Sect, and Qing Jing, successor of the Xuantian Sect, were all looking around in confusion.

Meng Qi struggled to his feet and stared at everything before him in equal bewilderment. He could not understand what had happened. He had been sleeping perfectly well in the Zen Room—how had he ended up here, together with these outstanding disciples from various sects? Could he still be dreaming?

Suddenly, Qing Jing's furious face appeared before Meng Qi. His brows flew upward as he roared, "What are you Shaolin people trying to do? Do you want to become the public enemy of every sect?"

Meng Qi had no idea what he was talking about and looked at him with even greater confusion.

"Qing Jing, don't jump to conclusions yet. Check behind the statues first, then see how things unfold." Zhang Yuanshan remained calm and steady.

Jiang Zhiwei frowned slightly. "The Little Monk is merely a Sectarian Monk. Even if this matter is related to Shaolin, he would not know anything. Why make things difficult for him? Besides, I don't think we possess anything worth Shaolin scheming for."

Qing Jing angrily waved his right hand. "Isn't it obvious? Shaolin has Divine Monk Kong Wen, a Land Immortal who attained the Dragon Subduing Arhat Golden Body. Whose Heavenly Eye and Heavenly Ear could fail to notice someone silently taking us from Shaolin Temple, from beside our elders? Other than him making a move himself, I truly cannot think of any other possibility!"

"I, I wasn't at Shaolin..." At this moment, a timid-looking man emerged from behind one of the statues. He was around thirty, broad and sturdy, with a rough, full beard.

"Is there anyone else? Friends, please come out and meet us. I am Zhang Yuanshan of the True Martial Sect." Zhang Yuanshan was first taken aback, then called out loudly.

"Senior Brother Zhang, so you were here too." Two more people emerged from behind different statues. One was a tall Young Woman with her hair tied up in a white kerchief, her skin the color of wheat. The other was an utterly ordinary young man, his expression grave and exceptionally stern.

Zhang Yuanshan fell silent for a moment, his expression growing more solemn. "So it is Junior Sister Qi Xia of the Great River Gang. You too woke up here after falling asleep?"

Jiang Zhiwei paced over to Meng Qi's side and said thoughtfully, "She is the youngest daughter of Senior Qi Yuantong, deputy leader of the Great River Gang. She also came to Shaolin this time."

"I don't know her..." Meng Qi could only answer honestly. Countless thoughts churned through his mind as he began to speculate about what exactly had happened to them.

"Yes, but we woke up behind the stone statues. We heard people talking over here, but did not dare come out and meet you immediately." Qi Xia's delicate brows were tightly furrowed as she pointed at the shabby-looking man. "Little Daoist Qing Jing's guess is probably wrong. This man is a Chieftain of our Great River Gang, Yan Wujiang of the Wu Generation from the Left-River Yan Clan. He did not accompany us to Shaolin. At this moment, he should still be in Jiangdong Maoling."

"Y-yes, yes! Third Miss, I—I had just won a huge sum at Maoling Emperor Number One Casino and found several popular courtesans to sing for me. But when I woke up, I was in this damned inexplicable place!" Yan Wujiang's face was filled with fear and panic.

Jiang Zhiwei gave a quiet laugh. It was impossible to tell whether she was introducing him to Meng Qi or simply talking to herself. "The Wu Generation—he and Yan Wuwo, Sect Master of Zombie Fist, are cousins. His seniority is so high, yet he only managed to muddle along as a Chieftain in the Great River Gang. It seems there is a reason for that..."

Qing Jing frowned and crossed the distance to Yan Wujiang in two or three strides, demanding, "You gambling scoundrel must lie as easily as you breathe. How can you prove that what you say is true?"

He still clung to his own judgment.

Yan Wujiang's lips moved a few times. "Y-you can go to Maoling Emperor Number One Casino and ask! See whether I just won two thousand one hundred taels of silver!"

With the Third Miss present, he gradually calmed down somewhat.

"And this is?" Zhang Yuanshan frowned and turned to ask the ordinary young man who had not smiled once.

Jiang Zhiwei suddenly stepped forward, her lovely brows lightly drawn together. "Brother, I think I have seen you before? Hmm, among the accompanying disciples of the Flower Washing Sword Sect?"

This man wore a blue robe and a small cap. Though he was only a little over twenty, he lacked the high spirits and eager ambition someone his age ought to possess. His face seemed to wear an iron-forged mask, bearing no expression beyond heaviness. He nodded gently. "It is an honor to be remembered by Miss Jiang. I am Qi Zhengyan, an ordinary disciple of the Flower Washing Sword Sect. I came to Shaolin as part of the delegation this time."

Zhang Yuanshan patted his left hand with his right, revealing clear bewilderment for the first time. This affair was simply too strange. There were both future pillars of four sects, ordinary disciples, Chieftains with low martial arts, and even a Sectarian Monk who swept floors and did chores. It was truly impossible to discern the standard by which they had been chosen.

Jiang Zhiwei pursed her lips, wrinkled her small, straight nose, and smiled bitterly. "I originally thought this was aimed at disciples from the various sects who had come to Shaolin. Who would have thought Chieftain Yan would be here too..."

Qing Jing sneered. "Whether those present truly share anything in common or not, how many people could silently take us away from Shaolin? Hmph. Divine Monk Kong Wen, third on the Heaven Ranking—even Senior Chong He, who attained the Pure Yang Dao Body, could not accomplish this!"

He still aimed his spearhead at Shaolin. He simply could not understand why they would do something so bizarre and inexplicable.

Dong!

A melodious bell rang out, drawing everyone's gaze toward the center of the White Jade Plaza.

"Welcome to the Reincarnation World!"

"Here, there are endless dangers, but you can also obtain everything you desire!"

A vast, icy voice drifted over with the bell, making Meng Qi furrow his brow. This situation... it seemed he might perhaps have seen or heard of it somewhere before?

"Who is it? Come out!" Qing Jing stamped down and lunged toward the center as swiftly as a galloping horse, but the place was empty and vast. There was nothing there.

"You may call me the Lord of Six Paths Samsara," the voice continued.

Meng Qi instinctively turned his head, just in time to see Jiang Zhiwei and Zhang Yuanshan's eyes shining brilliantly, like violet lightning bursting from darkness, as they stared intently and earnestly toward the source of the voice.

Then they looked at each other and shook their heads.

Meng Qi's heart sank. Even they could not find the source of the voice?

Qing Jing pressed his right hand against the hilt of the saber at his waist, stopped where he was, and called out, "What is your purpose in bringing us here?"

The vast, icy voice said, "The affairs of the world turn in cycles. You will experience one world after another, complete the tasks I issue, and accumulate Merit Points. Merit Points can be exchanged for everything you desire—Peerless Divine Skills, divine weapons and immortal artifacts, life-extending pills, Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures. Whatever you have heard of exists here, and whatever you have not heard of exists here as well!"

"And each time you complete a task, you will return to the world you came from and await the opening of the next reincarnation."

Meng Qi's mouth hung half-open like a carp deprived of oxygen. Th-this was an infinite flow story, wasn't it? Wasn't I in a xianxia martial world? This art style was all wrong!

"Everything you desire?" Qing Jing let out a derisive laugh, utterly disdainful of the Mysterious Person's claims.

He came from the Xuantian Sect, which proclaimed itself the Heavenly Emperor Lineage. He was extraordinarily knowledgeable about divine techniques, secret manuals, rare treasures, and wondrous artifacts. He simply did not believe that this inexplicable Lord of Six Paths Samsara could have collected all those legendary things. After all, some of them were in his own sect!

The Lord of Six Paths Samsara did not speak. A curtain of light descended from the lofty white-jade dome, with "Peerless Divine Skill List" written at the top. The first line beneath it read clearly:

"Buddha's Palm, complete set. Exchange price: one million Merit Points."

"Buddha's Palm..." Who among those present had not heard of this Peerless Divine Skill? They all sucked in a cold breath. Two of the great martial sects of the realm had founded their temples upon its incomplete moves! It pointed directly to the Tathagata Golden Body that represented the supreme Great Dao!

Without realizing it, Meng Qi's heart grew blazing hot, and for the moment he forgot about the problem of the "wrong art style."

Then Jiang Zhiwei read the second line, her voice unable to conceal her excitement. "Heaven Severing Seven Swords, missing the third and sixth forms. Exchange price: seven hundred fifty thousand Merit Points."

Zhang Yuanshan's fists quietly clenched. The two foundational divine skills of the True Martial Sect had both evolved from the seventh form of the Heaven Severing Seven Swords, "Dao Extinction Dao Birth."

Qing Jing was first stunned, then mocked, "Missing the third and sixth swords? Didn't you say everything is here..."

As he spoke, his laughter gradually faded. This method of specifically noting what was missing was more convincing than simply listing everything outright. It made it seem as though the things not marked as incomplete truly existed!

"Only the third and sixth swords are missing..." Jiang Zhiwei's lips trembled. Dazzling light bloomed over her incomparably beautiful face, as if the pursuit of the Heaven Severing Seven Swords were her greatest dream.

The founding Patriarch of the Sword Washing Pavilion had also encountered a fortuitous opportunity and obtained the first form of the Heaven Severing Seven Swords, "Slay Dao See Self." Only then had he created the Supreme Sword Scripture, a Sword Dao ultimate art that pointed directly to the realm of Dao Body and Dharma Body, allowing one to condense the Supreme Dao Body. Before he passed away, he had lamented three times in a row that it was "a profound regret" that he could not behold the remaining six forms of the Heaven Severing Seven Swords.

Meng Qi swallowed with difficulty and lowered his gaze, seeing another familiar name. "Eight-Nine Arcane Art, complete set. Exchange price: nine hundred fifty thousand Merit Points."

"Eight-Nine Arcane Art? Why have I never heard of it?" Qing Jing seemed to have forgotten his mockery of the Lord of Six Paths Samsara and muttered in puzzlement.

Jiang Zhiwei, Zhang Yuanshan, Qi Xia, and the others all shook their heads, indicating that they had never heard of it either.

But Meng Qi was screaming wildly inside:

Eight-Nine Arcane Art? Eight-Nine Arcane Art!

Among the martial arts listed further down this page were many legendary things Jiang Zhiwei and the others had heard of, such as the Demon Emperor Canon, Human Emperor Golden Book, and Phoenix Bathes in Fire Art. There were also foundational methods of certain sects, such as the Heavenly Emperor Jade Book, True Martial Seven Sections Scripture, and Supreme Sword Scripture.

Moreover, aside from the Heavenly Emperor Jade Book being missing its middle volume and the Human Emperor Golden Book lacking its third page, all the others were listed as complete sets!

"Complete sets..." Zhang Yuanshan's eyes narrowed slightly, while Jiang Zhiwei placed her right hand upon her sword hilt.

As prized disciples of their sects, seeing their own sects' foundational divine skills listed here for anyone to exchange naturally left their emotions in turmoil.

Under normal circumstances, the major sects never spared anyone who coveted their martial arts. Even if they had to pursue them to the ends of the earth, they would eliminate them.

Meng Qi was not yet a qualified Shaolin disciple, so he did not feel this as deeply. Instead, he was shocked by several martial arts at the very bottom that he "recognized," such as the Heavenly Demon Slaughtering God Strategy, Cosmic Mirror, and Holy Demon Primordial Embryo.

The divine skills on this page had exchange prices no lower than the Yi Jin Jing's one hundred fifty thousand Merit Points, while the highest were one million Merit Points for several supreme arts such as Buddha's Palm. The sight made one's blood boil.