Listening to Buddhist Teachings

Zhou Cheng had the Ice Snow Phoenix return to its true form.

In an instant, icy blue mist surged, and frost spread across the ground around them.

Zhou Cheng leaped onto the Ice Snow Phoenix's back and had it carry him slowly down the cliff. They descended a hundred meters before stopping.

Once he climbed down, the faint, flickering light became much clearer.

The light was shining through a patch of tangled weeds. Beyond it, he could just make out a small cave in the mountainside.

Zhou Cheng swung the Demon-Subduing Blade. A streak of blade light flashed past, and the tangled weeds were immediately cut away.

With the weeds gone, a small cave was revealed.

The light was shining from inside it.

The cave was small, about as tall as a person and wide enough for two people to pass through.

Zhou Cheng leaped up to the entrance and walked deeper into the cave.

The cave was dim, but Zhou Cheng's eyesight was excellent now, and he could clearly see the passage. The rock walls were smooth. Though dust covered the floor, it was clear that someone had once tidied the place up. It looked as if people had lived here in the past.

Zhou Cheng carefully made his way forward.

After walking for a while—about a hundred meters—his vision suddenly opened up. Before him lay a scene like a hidden paradise.

The cavernous space stretched across several hundred square meters. Birds sang and flowers filled the air with fragrance. A small bridge crossed a flowing stream, and there was a stone pavilion with a stone table. Zhou Cheng walked over to the table and saw a Five Elements Chess set resting on top.

Five Elements Chess was popular throughout the Immortal Martial World, but this set was somewhat different from the versions commonly played outside.

Zhou Cheng made a circuit of the cavern and found four rooms set into the surrounding rock walls: a bedroom, a study, a Training Room, and an alchemy room.

Quite a few books were arranged in the study, perhaps several thousand. Many had rotted away, though, and dust covered them.

There was no sign of anyone. The original owner had clearly left many years ago.

When Zhou Cheng entered the Training Room, he found a passage with a ventilation opening. The wind blowing through it was incredibly strong, howling louder than the gale that had swept through during yesterday's rainstorm.

When Zhou Cheng approached the opening, the wind nearly stopped him from breathing. It was clearly powerful.

"Your Wind-Facing Willow Steps are exceptionally invigorated by the gale, greatly increasing your cultivation speed."

"Increased by 1."

"Increased by 2."

"Increased by 3."

"Your Wind-Facing Willow Steps have reached 100% progress. You have broken through to the Accomplished Realm."

In the gale, Zhou Cheng's Wind-Facing Willow Steps soon broke through to the Accomplished Realm.

Now all three of Zhou Cheng's martial techniques had reached the Accomplished Realm.

After the breakthrough, Zhou Cheng tried out his Wind-Facing Willow Steps. He felt as quick as a flying dragon or rabbit, his figure drifting as though weightless. He could even float in midair for several seconds before coming down.

Now, if Zhou Cheng used his Wind-Facing Willow Steps, even ten Body Refining Realm experts at the tenth level surrounding him probably wouldn't be able to touch the hem of his robe.

Watching the gale rush through the ventilation opening, Zhou Cheng stepped inside.

Of his three martial techniques, Wind-Facing Willow Steps had originally been the slowest to cultivate. But with this natural gale, it had become the fastest.

The wind was so powerful that ordinary tenth-level Body Refining Realm experts wouldn't be able to stand steady in it. Zhou Cheng had to keep both feet firmly planted on the ground.

However, after breaking through to the Accomplished Realm, his Wind-Facing Willow Steps progressed much more slowly.

On top of that, breathing was difficult in the gale. After staying there for a few minutes, Zhou Cheng had to come out for some fresh air. As a result, even after two hours in the wind, his Wind-Facing Willow Steps had improved by only 10%.

That might not seem like much, but with his usual passive cultivation progress added in, Zhou Cheng would be able to break through to the Mastery Realm in less than ten days.

Many martial artists cultivated for twenty or thirty years without necessarily mastering even one martial technique.

Besides, cultivating martial techniques depended on a person's talent. Some people could spend their whole lives without mastering a single technique.

Zhou Cheng's father, Zhou Wei, had diligently cultivated Crimson Sun Palm for thirty years and had only barely reached the Mastery Realm.

Two hours later, at two in the morning, Zhou Cheng rode the Ice Snow Phoenix out of the cave with Qin Meng and the other two, then returned to the Grand General's Mansion.

The next day.

The sun shone brightly.

Zhou Cheng woke early as usual. He swallowed an Ancient Body Refining Pill, ate breakfast, and was just about to head to Heavenly Dragon Temple when his guard, Chang Qing, told him that Abbot Huineng of Shaolin had come to see him.

Zhou Cheng was at a loss. He had made himself perfectly clear yesterday afternoon, yet Huineng still refused to let the matter go.

After thinking it over, Zhou Cheng decided to meet Huineng. Avoiding him wouldn't solve anything.

When he entered the main hall, his mother, Luo Shui, was talking with Abbot Huineng. This time, Huineng had come alone; the head of the Martial Monk Hall and the others were nowhere to be seen.

As for his father, Zhou Wei, he had left for court early that morning and hadn't returned yet.

"Cheng'er, you're here. Come over," Luo Shui said with a smile, beckoning him over.

Zhou Cheng walked up and bowed to Luo Shui and Huineng.

Huineng said to Luo Shui, "Madam Zhou, I'd like to speak with Young Master Zhou alone."

"All right," Luo Shui replied.

After Luo Shui left, Huineng and Zhou Cheng sat facing each other. Huineng didn't try to persuade Zhou Cheng to join Shaolin. Instead, he began talking to him about Buddhist teachings.

"By listening to the profound Buddhist teachings of a venerable monk, your Indestructible Vajra Divine Technique has been enlightened and entered a state of sudden insight. Your cultivation speed has soared."

"Increased by 2."

"Increased by 4."

"Increased by 6."

Zhou Cheng's Indestructible Vajra Divine Technique had broken through to the seventh layer just yesterday, and now it was progressing at an astonishing rate.

It soon reached 90%.

Then it kept climbing.

"Ding!"

"Congratulations, host. Your Indestructible Vajra Divine Technique has reached 100% progress and broken through to the eighth layer!"

A golden halo of Buddha light appeared around Zhou Cheng.

Then a second, and a third!

Seeing the golden halos suddenly appear around Zhou Cheng, Abbot Huineng was stunned in the middle of his sermon.

"Amitabha!"

"See into your true nature!"

"Become a Buddha upon seeing your true nature!"

He held his palms together and spoke with fervor.

As expected of the Great Buddha reborn. Just by listening to his teachings, he had already grasped the truth.

But Abbot Huineng was so overcome with excitement that he stopped preaching, interrupting Zhou Cheng's state of sudden insight.

"Congratulations, host. You have broken through to the eighth level of the Body Refining Realm and received a Realm-Breakthrough Gift Pack."

"Would you like to open the Realm-Breakthrough Gift Pack now?"

He had actually broken through to the eighth level of the Body Refining Realm just like that!

But with Abbot Huineng beside him, Zhou Cheng wasn't in a hurry to open the Realm-Breakthrough Gift Pack.

Zhou Cheng looked at Huineng differently now.

He hadn't expected that listening to Buddhist teachings could greatly increase the cultivation speed of his Indestructible Vajra Divine Technique.

"Abbot Huineng, I'd like to continue listening to your teachings. Would that be all right?" Zhou Cheng asked.