True Buddha Descends

But it was the scorching seventh month, with not a cloud for thousands of miles. Sometimes there was not even the slightest breeze—where could a violent gale possibly come from?

As for slaying demons, Zhou Cheng did think of a place.

Several hundred miles from the Great Feng Dynasty lay the outermost reaches of the Green Demon Mountain Range.

Demonic beasts thrived within the Green Demon Mountain Range.

Zhou Cheng decided to visit the Green Demon Mountain Range that night and kill demonic beasts, to see whether it could truly increase the cultivation progress of the Demon-Subduing Saber Technique.

Just as Zhou Cheng was considering hunting demons in the Azure Dragon Mountain Range that night, Luo Shui came from Zhou Wei's residence to Zhou Cheng's courtyard and said she wanted to go to Heavenly Dragon Temple to pray for blessings.

Pray for blessings?

Zhou Cheng did not believe in worshipping Buddha or making wishes, but he knew that his mother, Luo Shui, was worried about his father's injuries. She was going to Heavenly Dragon Temple to pray for his father.

"Mother, I have nothing to do. I'll go with you," Zhou Cheng said.

"Alright." Luo Shui smiled with relief.

Thus, Zhou Cheng and Luo Shui brought guards with them and took a carriage to Heavenly Dragon Temple.

Heavenly Dragon Temple was an ancient temple with several centuries of history. It stood north of the Capital City, its incense offerings always flourishing, and its abbot was a highly respected eminent monk.

When Zhou Cheng's group arrived at Heavenly Dragon Temple, they saw an unending stream of worshippers, as bustling as a marketplace.

"Cheng'er, let's go up," Luo Shui said.

"Alright," Zhou Cheng replied.

The group followed the crowd up the stone steps.

Heavenly Dragon Temple sat atop a mountain peak, with the main hall halfway up the mountain. From the foot of the mountain, they had to climb a long stretch of stone stairs.

As Zhou Cheng climbed the stone steps, the system's voice suddenly rang out in his mind.

"Because you are within an ancient Buddhist temple, the cultivation progress of your Indestructible Vajra Divine Technique has accelerated."

Zhou Cheng was stunned.

His Indestructible Vajra Divine Technique could cultivate faster within an ancient Buddhist temple?

Zhou Cheng brought up the system panel and discovered that the cultivation progress of the Indestructible Vajra Divine Technique was indeed twice as fast as usual.

When his Indestructible Vajra Divine Technique cultivated automatically, it would normally increase by 1 per hour. Now, within this ancient Buddhist temple, it increased by 2 per hour.

Two per hour meant forty-eight in twenty-four hours.

If he also soaked in medicinal baths and swallowed Ancient Body Refining Pills, wouldn't his Indestructible Vajra Divine Technique break through to the seventh level by tomorrow?!

It had not even been three days—seventy-two hours—since his system activated.

One minor body-refining realm a day.

The speed made Zhou Cheng's heart tremble.

At this rate, he could break through to the Qi Refining Realm in at most a month!

Seeing her son suddenly stop and stand there in a daze, Luo Shui could not help asking, "Cheng'er, what's wrong?"

Zhou Cheng gathered his thoughts and smiled at Luo Shui. "Nothing. I merely had a sudden insight."

A sudden insight?

Luo Shui was puzzled.

The group reached the mountainside.

When they reached the mountainside, an ancient bell rang out, its resonant chime echoing throughout Heavenly Dragon Temple. Amid the bell's toll, Zhou Cheng fell into a brief daze.

After the bell rang three times, the monks of Heavenly Dragon Temple began their morning prayers, and the sound of Buddhist sutras being chanted drifted over continuously.

The chanting of those sutras grew louder and louder in Zhou Cheng's ears until it finally filled his entire mind. Zhou Cheng seemed to enter a world of Buddhas, surrounded by countless Buddhas—and he was the highest, the central Buddha among them all!

"Because you listened to Buddhist Sanskrit chants in an ancient Buddhist temple and comprehended the five pure aspects—uprightness, elegance, clarity, richness, and far-reaching all-pervasiveness—your Indestructible Vajra Divine Technique has entered a state of sudden enlightenment. Cultivation progress is surging dramatically."

"Progress surges by 2."

"Surges by 4."

Then—

"Congratulations, Host. The cultivation progress of your Indestructible Vajra Divine Technique has reached one hundred percent. You have broken through to the sixth level!"

Originally, Zhou Cheng had estimated that his Indestructible Vajra Divine Technique would only break through to the sixth level by noon. Yet now, with a single moment of enlightenment, he had broken through in one stroke!

At this moment, both Zhou Cheng's Black Tortoise Divine Technique and Indestructible Vajra Divine Technique had entered the sixth level.

After breaking through to the sixth level, Zhou Cheng's state of enlightenment did not stop. The cultivation progress of his Indestructible Vajra Divine Technique continued to surge.

"Surges by 6."

"Surges by 8."

"Surges by 10."

Just as the cultivation progress of Zhou Cheng's Indestructible Vajra Divine Technique continued to surge, all the Buddha statues within Heavenly Dragon Temple suddenly blossomed with layer upon layer of Buddhist light!

Those Buddha statues seemed to gain sentience in an instant.

The Buddhist light burst forth, shrouding the entire Heavenly Dragon Temple.

Even people in other corners of the Capital City saw the Buddhist light filling the sky.

This startled the thousands of monks at Heavenly Dragon Temple.

The abbot of Heavenly Dragon Temple and all its monks rushed out.

When all the monks of Heavenly Dragon Temple rushed out, figures of Buddhas actually appeared amid the Buddhist light filling the sky—true Buddha shadows.

These Buddha shadows chanted Sanskrit in unison. The chants spread everywhere and could be heard for a thousand miles.

Everyone in the Capital City stood dumbstruck.

Looking at the Buddha shadows filling the sky, the abbot of Heavenly Dragon Temple wept with excitement. He fell to his knees and bowed. "A true Buddha has descended into the world!"

"Merciful Buddha!"

The thousands of monks at Heavenly Dragon Temple all knelt upon the ground, tears streaming down their faces as they prostrated themselves. "A true Buddha has descended into the world! Merciful Buddha!"

A true Buddha had descended into the world! Merciful Buddha!

All the worshippers at Heavenly Dragon Temple were stirred with emotion. They all fell to their knees and chanted in unison.

Even Luo Shui knelt down.

The system's voice continued to ring in Zhou Cheng's mind.

"Surges by 24."

"Surges by 36."

The Indestructible Vajra Divine Technique quickly broke through the sixth level, its progress rising to 36.

Seeing her son still standing there blankly, Luo Shui could not help tugging at the corner of Zhou Cheng's robe. "Cheng'er."

Zhou Cheng's state of enlightenment was interrupted, and he woke up.

The instant Zhou Cheng's enlightenment was interrupted, the Buddha shadows filling the sky scattered like loose sand and vanished without a trace. The Buddha statues in Heavenly Dragon Temple that had been radiating Buddhist light also returned to normal.

The abbot of Heavenly Dragon Temple and the monks, who had been kneeling there in tears, remained dumbfounded for a long while.

Luo Shui was also stunned when the Buddha shadows and Buddhist light filling the sky vanished without warning.

Zhou Cheng gave a bitter smile at having his enlightenment interrupted.

If it had continued, perhaps the Indestructible Vajra Divine Technique might have soared to the seventh level.

Still, after just one visit to Heavenly Dragon Temple, the cultivation progress of the Indestructible Vajra Divine Technique had surged so much. Should he come to Heavenly Dragon Temple again tomorrow for a walk?

At this moment, in the Golden Throne Hall of the Great Feng Imperial Palace, Zhu Xuan, the Emperor of Great Feng, was attending morning court. Seeing the Buddha shadows and Buddhist light over Heavenly Dragon Temple suddenly disappear, he felt strangely bereft. After regaining his senses, he said, "A true Buddha has descended into the world. Buddhism shall flourish."

Then he said to the chief eunuch beside him, "Make the arrangements. Tomorrow, I will go to Heavenly Dragon Temple to pray for blessings."

The chief eunuch respectfully acknowledged the order.