Act Two!

[Starting Over]

In the boundless darkness, a light appeared.

After everything he had been through, Zhu Yuanzhang once again followed Umbrella Monk to the Scripture Depository.

"This time, I need to solve two problems.

"First, how do I resolve the conflict between the techniques?

"Second, I need to find out as much as possible about who sent the Shadow Walker to kill me."

As Umbrella Monk Mingde introduced the wonders of the Mountain-Shrinking Fist, Zhu Yuanzhang also considered the situation he was in.

"Minghe is a crucial piece in the princes' struggle for power.

"The key is Crown Prince Zhenjin. I was supposed to be an indispensable part of the ritual that would replenish his fate and secure his ascension.

"Even though it failed, that doesn't mean I'm completely useless.

"From both Mingguang's behavior and Mingde's here, it's clear that I can't die—not at least for the next few days.

"Otherwise, things could still change.

"But what exactly could change?"

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the Umbrella Monk before him.

"Perhaps this is my chance.

"My performance in the previous round proved that as long as I don't make a move, the Mountain-Shrinking Fist can extend my life by at least another week."

That meant Mingde and the Prince of Beiping behind him had no intention of killing him.

Having reached that conclusion, Zhu Yuanzhang steeled himself.

He still had room to maneuver.

"Even so, do you still wish to learn the Mountain-Shrinking Fist?"

Mingde asked, just as he had in the previous life, his voice ethereal.

"Of course... but there's something I don't understand, Master."

Zhu Yuanzhang cupped his hands and asked in a low voice.

A glint passed through Mingde's eyes, but he didn't interrupt Zhu Yuanzhang.

"If I cultivate both the Dingguang Demon-Subduing True Technique and the Mountain-Shrinking Fist, two mutually conflicting techniques, will they really not clash?"

"Ordinary people can't cultivate both, but you're different." Mingde raised his umbrella a little higher, making the Scripture Depository seem even darker.

"The Great Wisdom Zen Technique."

Zhu Yuanzhang asked.

"Precisely." Master Mingde looked Zhu Yuanzhang up and down.

Then a look of regret crossed his face.

"What a pity. What a pity. It seems my senior brother is determined to use you to replenish the imperial fate, and won't even leave you this way out."

"Please teach me, Master!" Sensing that he was about to uncover the most secret part of this trial, Zhu Yuanzhang immediately bowed deeply to the Umbrella Monk.

He could have gotten the information without bowing, but Zhu Yuanzhang felt that at least he'd have less guilt later when he cut down these demonic monks.

I've already bowed! What more do you want?

"If the Dingguang Demon-Subduing True Technique and the Mountain-Shrinking Fist advance in the same direction, drawing you ever closer to those unspeakable beings, then the Great Wisdom Zen Technique works in precisely the opposite way. The two cancel each other out, allowing you to learn another true technique."

Mingde sighed. Looking at Zhu Yuanzhang, his face brimmed with regret. "But my senior brother planted a 'divine intent' inside you. Your Great Wisdom Zen Technique will never have a chance to break through. It can only accumulate and absorb fate over time, changing the fate of the prince."

"Hm?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's thoughts stirred.

The Great Wisdom Zen Technique could actually cancel out the side effects that came with cultivating another true technique?

And Minghe had been turned into a fate-collecting vessel through some preemptive measure?

But that didn't apply to me.

My real body didn't have a single unusual trait from head to toe.

"Using the Great Wisdom Zen Technique as a foundation might actually work."

"If the Great Wisdom Zen Technique is so effective, why doesn't anyone in the temple...?"

"You're wondering why no one in the temple cultivates this technique, aren't you?" Mingde said, a look of understanding crossing his face.

"Exactly."

"It's simple. Minghui took in countless disciples over the past twenty years and spread the teachings throughout the martial world, but you're the only one who ever managed to master this technique."

Beneath the umbrella, Mingde's gaze was distant. For a moment, as their eyes met, it seemed he regretted the waste of such talent.

"You're truly blessed with great fortune. Otherwise, you couldn't have survived until now, endured the fate-replenishing ritual, and then mastered the Dingguang Demon-Subduing True Technique by such an inconceivable method."

Mingde's gaze grew even more regretful. He looked at Zhu Yuanzhang as if he were a fine jade ruined by a foolish craftsman.

Then Mingde told Zhu Yuanzhang an even more shocking truth.

"Not only do the Dingguang Demon-Subduing True Technique and the Mountain-Shrinking Fist conflict; the Dingguang Demon-Subduing True Technique is itself one of the techniques least suited to the Great Wisdom Zen Technique. Their clash is even more violent than with the Mountain-Shrinking Fist... This is an esoteric secret of Yinglong Temple, never passed on to outsiders. Yet somehow, you succeeded. How strange. How strange..."

Seeing the disbelief in Mingde's eyes, Zhu Yuanzhang's face darkened.

What the hell!

They'd all been putting on an act, hadn't they?

No wonder the Dingguang Demon-Subduing True Technique was so hard to master.

It had taken dozens of deaths before I finally succeeded.

Wait... so Mingguang had intended to make me die from the start?

Was he on the same side as Monk Minghui?

Why?

Could it be...?

Remembering that Monk Minghui had taught him the Maitreya Descends Sutra, a decidedly rebel-like scripture, Zhu Yuanzhang instantly thought of another possibility.

Minghui and Mingguang might seem to be in conflict, at odds with each other, but in truth, they were on the same side.

They were both secretly working to stop Crown Prince Zhenjin from ascending the throne!

But... that raised another question.

Why?

If they weren't trying to kill him to alter Crown Prince Zhenjin's fate, what was the point of trying to murder him?

"I have just one last question."

Zhu Yuanzhang sighed and asked.

"What is the 'divine intent' Master Minghui planted inside me?"

"It's called the Pure Land White Lotus. As for anything beyond that, it's one of Minghui's deepest secrets, and I don't know more." Mingde replied.

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded.

Drawing on his experience from the previous round, he began practicing the Mountain-Shrinking Fist, going through each move one by one.

This time, however, Zhu Yuanzhang didn't rush. Instead, he carefully sensed the fist technique, which could communicate with Dagon, as he practiced each move.

Before he knew it, dawn had broken!

With Mingde guarding him, the Shadow Walker didn't pursue him.

Zhu Yuanzhang opened his eyes.

His bones and joints cracked. His teeth and joints turned black, and faintly blue, transparent plates of keratin grew on his skin.

The Mountain-Shrinking Fist! He'd mastered it!

At the moment the temple's fifth-hour bell rang,

the inky text on the system panel before him shifted again.

[Secret History: Yinglong Temple (Imperial Awakening Temple)]

[Prophecy: A horse tramples the northern gate, a dog howls in the west. When the numbers eight and nine run their course, the sun and moon lose their light.]

[Act One: Remains of the Song Emperor (Complete)]

[Objective: Survive tonight (Complete)]

[Reward: Permanently fix one skill]

[Act Two: Traces of the Song Dynasty]

[Commentary: Swallows that once nested in the halls of the Wang and Xie families—whose homes will they fly to now?]

[Objective: Fight your way out of Yinglong Temple]

Zhu Yuanzhang's pupils contracted.

What the hell had just happened?

"Ah!!!"

Beside him, Umbrella Monk Mingde, who had been standing at his side the entire time, suddenly let out a scream of agony.

The cry was as heart-rending as that of a dying beast.

But Mingde was a senior monk of Yinglong Temple. The moment he realized something was wrong, he sat cross-legged beneath his umbrella, trying to steady himself. Then he warned Zhu Yuanzhang, "Go to Haozhou... find Shi Yibiao of Tiantai Temple! Tell him the prophecy got the timing wrong... the Unborn Venerable Mother has appeared early! Be careful... don't look at me!"

But it was too late.

At the first sound of the scream, Zhu Yuanzhang had instinctively turned toward it.

Before his eyes, blood lotuses burst open one after another beneath Mingde's feet. The black umbrella in his hand turned to ash at once.

All the blood had drained from Mingde's body, and his skin had been consumed by bloodfire.

He had become a bizarre skeleton with a huge crocodile-like head and bones jutting all over his body, sitting cross-legged on a Lotus Platform.

Golden threads pulled at his neck, forcing him to sit with his legs crossed and form the same fearless hand seal as the Maitreya statue in the Mahavira Hall!

"What the hell is that thing?"

Before Zhu Yuanzhang could make sense of what was happening,

the sound of a silver bottle shattering rang out, and a stabbing pain struck his abdomen.

Several blood-red characters flashed before his eyes.

[You have died]