Zhou Cheng stepped forward, greeted Zhou Wei and Luo Shui, then cupped his fists toward Abbot Huineng. "Abbot Huineng."
The abbot's kindly eyes rested on Zhou Cheng, his face wreathed in a welcoming smile. "Young Master Zhou Cheng."
After learning that Zhou Cheng might have caused the strange phenomenon at Heavenly Dragon Temple, he looked at the young man in a different light.
Luo Shui took Zhou Cheng's hand and spoke gently. "Cheng'er, Abbot Huineng wants to take you as his personal disciple and pass his mantle on to you. This is wonderful news."
Zhou Cheng shook his head. "Mother, I already told Abbot Huineng that Shaolin's rules are too strict for me to follow." He continued, "Besides, if I become his personal disciple and inherit his mantle, won't I have to take charge of Shaolin someday?"
"Wouldn't that mean I'd have to be a monk for the rest of my life?"
Zhou Wei and Luo Shui were at a loss for words.
The Great Feng Imperial Palace.
Emperor Zhu Xuan asked Cao Chun, the chief eunuch at his side, "Where is Abbot Huineng now?"
The abbot of Shaolin Temple had come in person to the imperial capital of Great Feng. Emperor Zhu Xuan could hardly ignore him.
Since Huineng and the others had arrived in the imperial capital, Cao Chun had made sure to keep a close watch on them. Hearing Zhu Xuan's question, he promptly replied, "Your Majesty, Abbot Huineng and his party went to the Grand General of the State Mansion half an hour ago. They haven't come out yet."
"Oh?" Zhu Xuan was quite surprised. "What are Abbot Huineng and the others doing at the Grand General of the State Mansion?"
As far as he knew, Zhou Wei had no ties to Shaolin Temple.
"I find it strange as well that Abbot Huineng and the others went to the Grand General of the State Mansion," Cao Chun said. "That's why I already had people look into it. I'll ask now and see whether they've learned anything."
Before long, someone reported the situation at the Grand General of the State Mansion to Cao Chun.
Cao Chun stood stunned for a long moment after receiving the news. Once he came to his senses, he hurried over to Zhu Xuan and reported it.
"What? Abbot Huineng wants to take Zhou Wei's son as his personal disciple and pass his mantle on to him?" Zhu Xuan was astonished.
It was astonishing enough that Huineng wanted to take Zhou Wei's son as his personal disciple. Now he even wanted to pass his mantle on to him!
Passing on his mantle meant making Zhou Wei's son the next head of Shaolin.
"Yes. That's what the servants found out, so it should be true," Cao Chun said. "I was quite surprised when I heard it myself. They say Abbot Huineng believes Zhou Cheng, the younger son of Lord Zhou, possesses extraordinary Buddhist nature and is the reincarnation of the Great Buddha."
"At noon, Abbot Huineng encountered Zhou Cheng at a teahouse. Zhou Cheng caused the prayer beads passed down by Shaolin to manifest an extraordinary sign, shining with layers of Buddhist light."
"Moreover, the Buddhas at Heavenly Dragon Temple radiated light yesterday morning, filling the sky with their images. That may have been caused by Zhou Cheng too."
Zhu Xuan's expression shifted. "Yesterday's vision of Buddhas filling the sky at Heavenly Dragon Temple was caused by Zhou Cheng?!"
Cao Chun replied, "That's what the people below reported. They said Madam Zhou and Zhou Cheng were at Heavenly Dragon Temple yesterday morning."
Zhu Xuan paced back and forth.
Cao Chun said cautiously, "Your Majesty, as I see it, yesterday's vision at Heavenly Dragon Temple wasn't necessarily caused by Zhou Cheng."
Zhu Xuan waved a hand. "After the vision at Heavenly Dragon Temple yesterday, I read through many related books. They say only someone with astonishing Buddhist nature can stir a response from all the Buddhas."
"Since Zhou Cheng possesses Buddhist nature, I'm afraid he really was the one who caused it."
Zhu Xuan suddenly said, "I remember Zhou Wei's eldest son is now the personal disciple of Sect Master Chen of the Sun Bright Sword Sect. And now his younger son possesses astonishing Buddhist nature. Zhou Wei has even made me envious."
Then he asked, "Cao Chun, tell me, what positions in the Great Feng Dynasty would suit Zhou Wei?"
Cao Chun gauged Zhu Xuan's thoughts and answered with a smile, "Lord Zhou has fought across the land for our Great Feng Dynasty, killing countless enemies and earning immense military merit. If such a great hero were stripped of his office, as Grand Tutor Li Bin said, it would chill people's hearts."
"However, Lord Zhou has suffered an injury to his heart meridian and truly can't return to the battlefield."
"The Minister of the Ministry of History is advanced in years. Didn't he ask to retire and return to his hometown a few days ago?"
"I think Lord Zhou would be well suited to that position."
Zhu Xuan glanced at Cao Chun, then suddenly smiled. "Cao Chun, Cao Chun, you understand me best."
The chief eunuch Cao Chun smiled. "I'm willing to devote my whole life to advising Your Majesty, even at the cost of my life."
Night gradually fell.
The news that Abbot Huineng of Shaolin wanted to take Zhou Cheng as his personal disciple and pass his mantle on to him eventually spread.
The Vice Minister of War Mansion.
"What? Abbot Huineng wants to take that Zhou Cheng as his personal disciple?" Chen Yuan was stunned when she heard the news.
Ruan Yurong's expression darkened. "They say Abbot Huineng believes he possesses astonishing Buddhist nature, and that he's the reincarnation of the Great Buddha."
Chen Jianghao, the Vice Minister of War, sat there without a word, lost in thought.
While the news that Abbot Huineng wanted to take Zhou Cheng as his personal disciple stirred heated discussion throughout the Capital City, Zhou Cheng was soaking comfortably in a medicinal bath.
As Zhou Cheng soaked in the medicinal bath, the system's voice rang out.
"Congratulations, host. Your cultivation progress has reached one hundred percent. You have broken through to the seventh level."
The Black Tortoise Divine Technique shone brightly in the system.
At last, both the Black Tortoise Divine Technique and the Indestructible Vajra Divine Technique had reached the seventh level!
That morning, Zhou Cheng had estimated that his Black Tortoise Divine Technique would break through to the seventh level that night, so he wasn't surprised.
"Finally, they're all at the seventh level." Zhou Cheng felt the changes in his body.
On the surface, he still looked slender and frail. But only Zhou Cheng knew how terrifying his physical strength and defense had become.
Even a Body Refining Level Ten martial artist at the peak of their cultivation wouldn't withstand one of his punches.
After finishing his medicinal bath, Zhou Cheng put on the Demon God Garment, turned invisible, and left the mansion with Qin Meng, Lin Ru, and Jiang Chen. They headed for the Green Demon Mountain Range to continue their hunt for the night.
When they reached the Green Demon Mountain Range, they found that people from the Grand Tutor Mansion were still patrolling and searching.
Zhou Cheng and the others easily avoided the Grand Tutor Mansion's people and headed deeper into the Green Demon Mountain Range.
After a round of hunting, Zhou Cheng's Demon-Subduing Saber Technique, Demon God Garment, and God-Slaying Saber had all improved to varying degrees.
For every Body Refining Level Seven to Level Ten demonic beast he killed, the Demon God Garment and God-Slaying Saber each improved by 1.
After killing more than forty beasts, the Demon God Garment and God-Slaying Saber both finally broke through to middle-grade spirit artifacts!
Once they reached middle grade, the Demon God Garment and God-Slaying Saber grew far more powerful.
However, after the Demon-Subduing Saber Technique broke through to the Mastery Realm, its progress slowed greatly. Zhou Cheng had to kill ten demonic beasts for it to improve by just 1.
After killing a Body Refining Level Ten demonic beast, Zhou Cheng and the others came to a sheer cliff.
Looking down from above, they couldn't see the bottom. But by the moonlight, Zhou Cheng could just make out a faint glimmer halfway down the cliff.
The glimmer caught Zhou Cheng's eye.
He estimated that the ledge halfway down was about a hundred meters below the cliff top. With his current strength, he couldn't get down there. But with Qin Meng and the other two, things would be different.
Besides, he also had the Ice Snow Phoenix.
Before you continue