The Effects of the Diamond Sutra?
The following day, the upgraded Bookstore opened to the public for the first time.
Zhang Yunji arrived at the Bookstore early in the morning and waited outside.
As Ma Feifei had mentioned before, the Bookstore had undergone an expansion, now able to accommodate 150 people simultaneously each day; therefore, there were more practitioners coming than usual.
"I wonder if the Bookstore's collection will increase after the expansion." Winter was already quite cold, and the streets were covered in frost early in the morning. Although these cultivators possessed great cultivation and were not afraid of the cold, they could still feel the biting chill. They would breathe out warm air and rub their hands together from time to time as they spoke, paying homage to nature.
"That's inevitable. This is my second time visiting the Bookstore today. Last time, there were only about ten books in total. This time, the Bookstore expanded to accommodate 150 people at the same time. If there aren't enough books, wouldn't that ruin the reputation of the Mysterious Bookstore?" an old man Analytic. Since it's an expansion, the size and the number of books must go together. Otherwise, what's the point of expanding the size without books?
"That makes sense." Everyone nodded in agreement.
"I wonder if any new Yellow Quality books will appear," one cultivator remarked. The few Yellow Quality books in the Bookstore had brought them many surprises, especially the Pokémon book, which granted them access to the existence of Sacred Beast.
"Probably?" everyone guessed, but no one was sure.
"Speaking of Yellow Quality books, I wonder if anyone has noticed any problems?" a cultivator suddenly asked.
"What's the problem?" the crowd asked, puzzled.
"There are currently three books of Yellow Quality in the Bookstore: one is the 'Prescriptions Worth Thousand Gold Formulas' that can cure diseases; another is 'Pokémon' that can capture spirit beasts; but there is also the 'Diamond Sutra,' from which no one has been able to glean anything so far. Don't you find that strange?"
Of the three Yellow Quality books, two have already demonstrated their effects, but the Diamond Sutra remains unsolved, with no one able to glean anything from it.
"No, someone figured it out. Didn't that monk go in there before?" someone said.
Puzhi was the first person to enter the Diamond Sutra, but no one knows exactly what he gained.
"Of course I know that," the cultivator who had raised the question earlier continued. "What I mean is, this Diamond Sutra definitely has effects; think about it carefully, whether it's the Thousand Gold Formulas or Pokémon, the benefits we get from them all have special effects, and we also have to pay a fee, but Puzhi doesn't!"
This was a major discovery! Everyone's curiosity was instantly piqued, and they all looked at the cultivator, eager to hear what he would say next. Even Zhang Yunji couldn't help but prick up his ears to listen.
The cultivator seemed to relish the attention, and spoke with even greater enthusiasm, continuing, "Think carefully, everyone, about how the Mysterious Bookstore became famous."
Well, this guy's starting to keep us in suspense.
"Of course he became famous because of his books, isn't that obvious!" one cultivator retorted, clearly not what anyone wanted to hear.
"No." The cultivator raised his index finger and shook it, saying, "Relying on books is certainly true, but what truly made the Mysterious Bookstore famous was Yang Chengzhi's comeback in the Dragon Ranking Competition, which was thanks to that one book, 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes'."
"But what does this have to do with the Diamond Sutra?" A practitioner wondered, wondering why this had suddenly brought up the Blue Quality book, the Legend of the Condor Heroes.
But at this moment, some people present seemed to have thought of something and began to ponder.
"You mean, martial arts techniques?" someone asked in a low voice.
"This friend is only half right." The cultivator clapped his hands and said, "Besides techniques and martial arts, there's also cultivation level!"
"If I remember correctly, it seems that so far, there's no need to pay any Spirit Crystal to comprehend martial arts techniques or improve one's cultivation level in Bookstore."
"And most importantly, there are no special effects. At least during this period, we have never seen anyone experience any unusual symptoms after comprehending martial arts techniques from the book." At this point, the cultivator glanced at Zhang Yunji, seemingly unintentionally. Zhang Yunji had read the entire "The Legend of the Condor Heroes."
Zhang Yunji kept his eyes down, seemingly lost in thought, and didn't respond.
"Therefore, I boldly guess that this Diamond Sutra either has the effect of increasing cultivation level, or it contains cultivation techniques and martial arts skills!" the cultivator said definitively.
"That's right!" Everyone suddenly realized.
Recently, due to the popularity of Pokémon, people have overlooked the other benefits of other books in Bookstore.
It wasn't until now that everyone realized that this Mysterious Bookstore could not only bring them spirit beasts, but also martial arts techniques to improve their cultivation!
"But the Diamond Sutra is far too difficult to comprehend. Several Spirit Venerable masters in the past have ultimately died without success." A cultivator shook his head and sighed. Even if everyone could deduce the efficacy of the Diamond Sutra, it would be meaningless if they couldn't comprehend it.
"Yes!" everyone sighed.
Talking about this makes everyone's hearts feel as cold as the weather.
"Creak~" At this moment, the Bookstore door opened, Ma Feifei appeared in front of everyone wearing a purple long robe.
"Good morning, shopkeeper." Everyone bowed in unison.
"Whoa!" Ma Feifei was startled and replied, "Good morning, everyone."
This was the first time he had ever received such a grand salute from so many people, and he felt inexplicably excited.
Today, Ma Feifei is different in everyone's eyes than before. As the Mysterious Bookstore's reputation grows, Ma Feifei, as the Bookstore's owner, is increasingly respected. All of this is due to the strength demonstrated by the Bookstore.
"Yunji, from now on you'll be in charge of collecting tickets and maintaining order in the Bookstore. Is that alright?" Ma Feifei asked, looking at Zhang Yunji.
Zhang Yunji nodded and said, "Okay, shopkeeper."
Ma Feifei hummed in agreement and waved his hand, "Then let's begin from now on. Everyone, just hand over your numbers to Zhang Yunji. From today onwards, Zhang Yunji is an employee of my Mysterious Bookstore. Let's all get to know each other."
After saying that, Ma Feifei turned and went into the Bookstore. He had a lot of things to do today and was very busy.
"Has a powerful force finally tried to get close to the Mysterious Bookstore?" Upon hearing Ma Feifei's words, a group of cultivators outside the Bookstore turned their attention to Zhang Yunji, speculating in their minds.
"What a brilliant move! Zhang Yunji has just obtained Sacred Beast. If he chooses to return to the capital, he will definitely be ambushed and killed on the way. At this time, choosing to rely on the Mysterious Bookstore is the best option. After all, the Mysterious Bookstore has Saint in charge, who can deter all villains."
"Didn't Nine Emperors Chang Kong come? Why would he allow Zhang Yunji to stay here?"
Anyone with a high level of cultivation knows the relationship between Chang Kong and Zhang Yunji. They are not only master and disciple, but also father-in-law and son-in-law. Chang Kong only has one daughter, whom he loves dearly. When Zhang Yunji ran away to Dubian Town alone, everyone speculated that Chang Kong had come to capture Zhang Yunji and take him back for his daughter.
"There's nothing we can do! It's better for our daughter to live alone than to be a widow. If Sheer Force her to go back, her father and husband might both die."
"That's true!"