"That was a relief!" Mingfa let out a long breath, then asked, "What is this Clearing Dust realm Senior Brother mentioned?"
"This humble monk knows little, but today I shall briefly clear up Junior Brother's confusion!" When Zen Master Mingyue heard Mingfa ask again, he had no choice but to answer. "Back when this humble monk was at Yunlin Temple, I occasionally heard my martial uncle speak of the nine realms of our Buddhist sect supernatural abilities during his sermons."
"What nine realms?" Mingfa could not help asking.
"This humble monk only knows of four realms: Forming Goodness, Clearing Dust, Like Grime, and Bright Terrace," Zen Master Mingyue replied. "My martial uncle never spoke of the other five, so this humble monk does not know them either!"
"Martial Uncle Xinghai is only in the Clearing Dust realm? Then if it were... Like Grime or Bright Terrace, just how formidable would that be?" Mingfa asked enviously. "Oh, right, Abbot Senior Brother, you..."
"Did this humble monk not just say so? We are different from Buddhist Protectors; there is no need for us to place such emphasis on cultivation realms!" Zen Master Mingyue said with a smile. "We need only devote all our heart and strength to serving the Buddha. Once our merits are complete, achieving a Buddha Fruit in the end would be the finest outcome!"
"Alas, how could the seven Buddha Fruits of our Buddhist sect be so easily attained? The Kalan Buddha Fruit alone likely requires tens of thousands of merits, much less the Venerable, Heavenly King, Vajra, Arhat, Bodhisattva, and Buddha that come after it. This humble monk does not even know how much merit is needed to attain those three eternal Buddha Fruits—the Arhat, Bodhisattva, and Buddha!" Mingfa said bitterly.
"As far as this humble monk knows..."