Golden morning light shone, and Buddhist chants shook the clouds.
Great Thunderclap Temple, Great Hero Hall.
Ru Nan sat upright upon his Buddha Seat, his head slightly bowed and his eyes half closed, gently holding the Nirvana Śarīra as he silently recited the Buddhist Sect's Heart Sutra.
Though his lips recited the Heart Sutra, Ru Nan's mind still recalled his meeting with Chu Xingchen at the Heavenly Derivation Sect that day.
Every subtle change in Chu Xingchen's expression, every shift in his tone, and every word he had spoken were things Ru Nan kept weighing and pondering.
Though Chu Xingchen's words had indeed shocked him at the time, and Chu Xingchen's vision and trust had moved him, he had also felt that he had finally met someone who understood him.
But once that feeling passed, Ru Nan still had to take precaution after precaution.
The entire sect rested on his shoulders, his master's final hopes, Da Jing's last entrustment-for all of it, Ru Nan had already paid far too much.
As he was now, Ru Nan naturally would not let emotion rule him.
Fine words would not truly change anything.
Only...
What Chu Xingchen had done was actually even finer than his words.
Ru Nan had gone to the Heavenly Derivation Sect that day, concluded their talks, and returned to the Buddhist Sect before a single day had passed.
He had only just arrived at the Buddhist Sect when the Heavenly Derivation Sect issued a notice to every sect.
Ru Nan's heart had sunk at the time-shouldn't they have deliberated over a notice like this together before issuing it? Why had it been released as soon as he left?
At the time, Ru Nan had even suspected that Chu Xingchen had never intended to negotiate with the Buddhist Sect and