The King of the Gu Diao

"Khenpo?" Chen Siyao paused. "What's that?"

"The highest position in Esoteric Buddhism, equivalent to an abbot," Cai Jingwen explained. She had read some material on Tibetan Buddhism.

"Former?" Yang Wanqing asked. "Then why are you here, Master?"

Hui Ming smiled bitterly. "Because of this beast."

He looked at the enormous carcass on the ground, his eyes still filled with lingering fear. "Three months ago, herders began disappearing around here. Their remains were later found in the mountains, and the matter was reported to Esoteric Buddhism. I came to investigate and discovered that a Gu Diao was responsible. After a great deal of effort, I killed it and thought the matter was settled. I never expected..."

He looked at the beast's head. "This was another one, and far stronger than the first. It bit off my left arm. If you hadn't intervened, benefactor, I would have passed away here today."

"A Gu Diao?" Cai Jingwen was taken aback.

Comments streamed across the livestream:

[I Am Ying Zheng: Gu Diao? That name sounds familiar...]

[Snow Blows at the East Gate: I think I've seen it in an ancient text...]

[Classic of Mountains and Seas Research Center: It's recorded in the "Classic of Mountains and Seas: Classic of the Southern Mountains"! "In the water lives a beast called the Gu Diao. It resembles an eagle but has horns, cries like an infant, and eats people!"!!! That's it! An exact match!]

Yang Wanqing saw the comment and exclaimed, "Hao! Someone in the livestream says this is the Gu Diao from the Classic of Mountains and Seas!"

Chen Hao nodded slightly. "More or less, but this one has mutated and evolved."

"Mutated and evolved?" Hui Ming was startled.

"This Gu Diao carried a bloodline from the Primordial Era, and it was a king among its kind." Chen Hao looked at the carcass. "Since you could kill an ordinary Gu Diao, another ordinary one wouldn't have driven you into such a desperate situation. The fact that it could bite off your arm shows that it was far stronger than the others."

Realization dawned on Hui Ming. "So that was it... No wonder... I thought my cultivation was lacking..."

He looked at Chen Hao with reverence in his eyes. "Benefactor, you slew this monster with a single sword strike. I have never heard of cultivation as profound as yours. May I ask which school you studied under?"

Chen Hao smiled faintly. "No school, no sect. I figured it out on my own."

Hui Ming froze, then grew even more respectful. "Your talent is heaven-sent, benefactor. You have my admiration."

In the livestream:

[I Am Ying Zheng: He figured it out himself?! He's a genius!]

[Yaoyao's Little Red Riding Hood: My big brother is amazing! A self-taught master!]

[Born Human: He reached that level of cultivation on his own? I don't believe it... unless he's exceptionally gifted.]

[Ignorant and Unskilled: Maybe he had some extraordinary encounter? Isn't that how it always goes in novels?]

[All the Way West: The chosen one! He's definitely the chosen one!]

Chen Siyao crouched down and studied the enormous carcass curiously. "Hao, is this thing really one of the fearsome beasts from the Classic of Mountains and Seas? Aren't those just myths and legends?"

"Many things recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas really existed in the Primordial Era," Chen Hao said. "They simply became extinct over time, or hid themselves deep in remote forests and mountains where ordinary people couldn't see them."

"So the Classic of Mountains and Seas is real?" Yang Wanqing's eyes lit up. "There are so many divine beasts in it! Phoenixes, qilin, dragons... Are they all real?"

Chen Hao didn't answer directly. He only said, "Some are. Others are stories distorted through retelling."

But that answer alone was enough to send the livestream into a frenzy:

[I Am Ying Zheng: Oh my god! The Classic of Mountains and Seas is real! The book I read as a kid wasn't just mythology!]

[I'm a Bad Student: So dragons really exist? I want to see one so badly!]

[Li Yi 357: If the Classic of Mountains and Seas is real, a lot of historical texts need to be reexamined...]

[Extraordinary Guy: My whole worldview just fell apart... After all those years of studying, you're telling me myths are real?]

[Number 55841: Not all myths are real. Didn't Chen Hao say some were distorted through retelling?]

[Rich Guy: Who cares whether they're real? I just want to know if Master Chen is still taking disciples!]

Ying Wenjie's gifts propelled him straight to the top of the leaderboard. With the username [I Am Ying Zheng] displayed at the top of the screen, he shouted into his phone, "Celestial Master Chen! I'm Ying Wenjie of the Jingcheng Ying Family! I'm willing to offer everything I have, if only you'll accept me as your disciple! Please give me a chance!"

Ye Chendong followed close behind, his gifts pushing him into second place as he clung to the leader's heels. "Celestial Master Chen! I'm Ye Chendong of the Chancheng Ye Family! I come from a martial arts family, and I'm willing to endure hardship! Please take me as your disciple!"

Thanks to Chen Hao's technique for stopping the bleeding, some color had returned to Hui Ming's face. He looked at the Gu Diao's carcass on the ground and sighed. "This creature took more than a dozen lives. At last, it has been slain. Now I'll have something to report when I return."

"Master, your arm..." Cai Jingwen looked worriedly at his severed arm.

Hui Ming smiled bitterly. "One arm in exchange for more than a dozen lives was worth it. Besides, I'm over seventy. Being able to return alive is already a great blessing."

He looked at Chen Hao, struggled to his feet, and bowed deeply. "I will never forget that you saved my life, benefactor. Should you ever need anything, everyone in Esoteric Buddhism will do everything in their power to help."

Chen Hao steadied him. "You're too kind, Master. It was no trouble at all."

No trouble at all...

The corner of Hui Ming's mouth twitched. Slaying the Gu Diao King with one sword strike was no trouble at all?

In the livestream:

[I Am Ying Zheng: No trouble at all... Celestial Master Chen is way too modest.]

[Yaoyao's Little Red Riding Hood: My big brother just keeps a low profile!]

[Snow Blows at the East Gate: With cultivation like that, he'd have been considered an earthly immortal in ancient times.]

[No Ordinary Person: I'm jealous. Seriously jealous.]

Cai Jingwen stood nearby, watching Chen Hao's profile, her heart fluttering more fiercely than ever.

This man had walked on water, slain a monster with a single sword strike, and saved an eminent monk of Esoteric Buddhism, yet he called it "no trouble at all." His strength wasn't something he flaunted or paraded. It was a calm confidence that ran deep in his bones.

Suddenly, she felt that her earlier little schemes were utterly laughable.

How could a man like him fall for someone so easily?

Yet the more she thought that, the more she wanted to draw closer.

Even one more glance at him, one more word exchanged, made her heart race.

Li Li finally recovered her senses and asked quietly, "Then... what do we do with this thing? Just leave it here?"

"I'll contact the monastery and have people come deal with it," Hui Ming said. "This beast's hide, fur, and bones are all rare materials. We can't let them go to waste."

"Materials?" Yang Wanqing asked curiously. "What can they be used for?"

Hui Ming glanced at Chen Hao. Seeing no objection, he said, "Gu Diao bones can be ground into powder for medicine, with remarkable effects on external injuries. Its feathers can be made into talismans to ward off evil. Its horns are even more precious. They're said to repel water, though I've only heard about that myself."

"Repel water?" Chen Siyao's eyes lit up. "Doesn't that mean you could walk on water like Hao?"

Hui Ming smiled bitterly. "That requires extremely advanced cultivation. Having a horn alone isn't enough."

Chen Hao looked at the Gu Diao's carcass and said calmly, "Its inner core is still there. It would help with Master Hui Ming's injuries."

"Inner core?" Hui Ming was taken aback.

"When beasts like this cultivate to a certain level, an inner core forms inside them, containing a lifetime of cultivation." Chen Hao walked up to the carcass and reached beneath the enormous beast's belly. When he withdrew his hand, a crystal-clear pearl the size of a pigeon's egg rested in his palm, giving off a faint, eerie glow.

"That's the inner core?" Yang Wanqing leaned closer to look. "It's beautiful!"

Chen Hao handed the inner core to Hui Ming. "Take it, and it can reconnect your meridians and help restore your vitality. Your severed arm won't grow back, but at least it will keep you alive and prevent lingering damage."