As mentioned earlier.
An ordinary monk's life was a life of exams, exams, and more exams.
Monks began their studies in temples like the Endless White Pagoda Temple.
The furthest their studies could take them.
Was a great temple like the Pingzan Vajra Temple.
And among the great temples.
Temples like the Pingzan Vajra Temple were the ultimate destination that 99 percent of the monks in the Secret Dharma Region could gaze at but never reach.
To put it more plainly.
The Four Great Dharma Protector Temples were the four most exalted temples beneath the "Temple of the Source of All Dharmas," the highest temples that people could, in theory, enter through examinations to study.
The temples throughout the Secret Dharma Region.
Were divided into five ranks.
The lowest rank consisted of temples whose Dharma lineages had died out or nearly died out.
They were qualified to recommend monks for study at temples with "academies," such as the Ganye Temple after its decline.
Next came temples like the Endless White Pagoda Temple, which had "academies" where people could cultivate and take examinations for a "Kalyāṇamitra" degree, but lacked the qualifications to confer any higher degrees.
Such temples were colossal powers within their prefectures!
Above them were the central temples of each prefecture, the "feudal lords" of the entire Secret Dharma Region, temples with the greatest local authority. They were known as the Five Great Temples, each the foremost temple in its own prefecture!
These were the five temples of "east, west, south, north, and center."
There, one could cultivate all the way to a degree of the third stage.
Above them were the Four Great Dharma Protector Temples.
The Four Great Dharma Protector Temples stood at the top of the food chain. Apart from the very highest degree, which they could not teach, they could confer every other degree. Most monks could never enter these four temples to study in their entire lives.
These four temples.
Were supremely sacred!
Despite how the Endless White Pagoda Temple's every word carried the weight of nine tripods throughout the nearby prefectures.
Compared with the Pingzan Vajra Temple, it was nothing more than a small, obscure temple!
Lamas who came out of the Endless White Pagoda Temple.
Could serve as Dharma throne holders, Dharma protector Lamas, Leading Sutra Masters, scripture masters, and the like in small village temples.
But a monk from the tantric academy of the Pingzan Vajra Temple, like the Lama before him, was qualified to enter the Endless White Pagoda Temple directly and become Lu Feng's Leading Sutra Master or Abhisheka Lama right now!
As for the still higher "Temple of the Source of All Dharmas."
It was simply not a place monks could enter.
No amount of studying could get them inside.
In other words.
The Lama he had met here today actually belonged to an entirely different world from his.
Under normal circumstances, Lu Feng would not have been qualified to meet the Lama before him.
Much less a monk of the fifth degree, a tantric academy monk. The "Kalyāṇamitra" degree Lu Feng was preparing to take was only the sixth rank.
As for advancing any further, Lu Feng had no confidence that he could, because he had no idea what he would need to study, how he would take the higher examinations, what the teaching materials were like, or how much he would need to give in offerings. Those were all true unknowns.
Now he had suddenly encountered a kindly Lama willing to speak with him. How could Lu Feng not be excited?
The Lama told Lu Feng to sit down and said, "You may simply call me Master Zhuogedunzhu."
Master Zhuogedunzhu said slowly, "If you can earn the 'Kalyāṇamitra' degree, attain an Immovable Mind, and receive empowerment from your Lama, I would actually recommend that you practice that 'Great Mudra.'
"Although progress in the 'Great Mudra' is slow, it is far gentler than the Dharma protector path of your Dharma Lineage.
"The Endless White Pagoda Temple's Dharma protector practice is extremely famous, but throughout the seven hundred years since its founding, the number who have cultivated it to great perfection can be counted on one finger. All the others became wild gods, either subdued or sent outside the temple to live or die on their own!"
He held out one finger.
Counted on one finger!
In fact, that meant just one person!
"When practicing the King Mingzhu Dharma Protector Mantra, a moment's carelessness can cause great terror to arise in your heart, and King Mingzhu will devour you. Or dread may arise in your heart, turning you into a Malevolent Ghost, one of the wild gods and Outer Dao beings outside the Secret Dharma Region."
Zhuogedunzhu said, "Approaching this Dharma protector mantra as a mere Kalyāṇamitra of the sixth degree is too dangerous. Even I have no confidence that I could face King Mingzhu without terror or affliction.
"When you can thoroughly comprehend the Dharma nature of the world, when no dharma in the world can disturb your clear, empty state of mind, you can try learning the Dharma protector mantra and subdue King Mingzhu for your own use. At that point, perhaps you might even enter a tantric academy to study."
Just those few simple words.
Were more useful than another ten years of reading would have been to Lu Feng.
Lu Feng felt that everything had clicked into place, but before he could say anything more, the Lama began sending him away. He seemed to be waiting for something.
"Go to sleep. If you are still here tomorrow, stay by my side at all times from the moment you open your eyes.
"Do whatever I tell you to do.
"If I tell you to go east, you must not go west.
"If I tell you to kill a chicken, you must not chase a dog.
"Can you do that?"
After saying this.
He fell silent.
And told Lu Feng to withdraw.
Lu Feng instinctively sensed that something was wrong.
But as he took his leave, he suddenly remembered that the Lama had mentioned earlier that he had had a dream.
What had he dreamed about?
He had asked so many questions earlier that he had neglected the most important one. But seeing that the Lama had closed his eyes, Lu Feng did not approach him again.
He sat on the floor and began sleeping-this was a skill every student monk had to learn.
Sleeping deeply while seated ensured that these student monks needed only a few hours of rest to be full of vigor, ready to get up the next day and continue chanting and studying.
Today, however, his grasp of this basic skill was somewhat poor.
Half asleep and half awake, Lu Feng felt as though a "specter was pinning him to his bed."
An uncanny aura and oppressive force inexplicably filled the monks' quarters, suppressing consciousness and thought.
Just as he, too, was about to sink under.
The Human-Skin Ancient Scroll gave off a peculiar warmth, allowing Lu Feng to retain a sliver of awareness and sense what was happening around him.
He sensed the Lama sitting over there suddenly stand, lift the thick curtain, and walk outside.
A while later, someone came in.
Bringing a gust of bloody wind.
It was not Master Zhuogedunzhu, but an old woman wearing a tiger-striped robe.
She crawled over on all fours, examining them one after another, devouring the monks lying on the floor one by one.
When she reached Lu Feng, she suddenly opened her mouth wide!
Beyond any width a human mouth could possibly reach!
One bite!
"Ah!"
Lu Feng's eyes suddenly flew open, and he woke!
When he woke, he saw a trace of daylight outside.
Dawn had already come.
Hearing the sound, the Lama turned to look at him.
Lu Feng glanced around and saw everyone sleeping sprawled in every direction, without the slightest semblance of proper sleeping posture.
He glanced beside him.
Instinctively, Lu Feng felt as though some people were missing from beside him.
He stared fixedly over there.
His chest warmed again-right where he kept the Human-Skin Sutra Scroll against his body. At the same time, Lu Feng suddenly remembered that this was where his "classmate," Tudeng, had slept.
And everything he had "seen" earlier while half asleep.
An inexplicable chill climbed his back, making him shudder.
What was going on?
Why would Malevolent Ghosts appear here, of all places, in the monks' quarters of the chieftain's fortified residence?
Footsteps sounded beside him.
The Lama came over and said, "You're awake?"
"What is your name?"
"Zhasa."
Lu Feng said.
Hearing Lu Feng clearly state his own name, Zhuogedunzhu nodded. He turned a Prayer Wheel with one hand and placed the other on Lu Feng's head, stroking his crown as he said, "You have not yet earned the 'Kalyāṇamitra' degree, so I cannot empower you and become the Lama to whom you make offerings."
"But for now, I can grant you an incomplete Dharma protector path. Gather your mind and silently recite the heart mantra. You must not harbor the slightest doubt or waver.
"I temporarily grant you the path of my Dharma protector deity and permit you to receive the blessing of the Dharma protector mantra.
"Join me in subduing demons and vanquishing fiends.
"Once this matter is settled, if you are still alive, you and I will share a karmic bond. I will permit you to invoke my Lineage's name in the future, but afterward, you must join me in vanquishing fiends and defending the Dharma, without the slightest deviation!
"Do you agree?"
As he spoke.
Lu Feng's vision suddenly blurred.
He felt only that the sky before him seemed to have darkened.
Everything vanished.
Abruptly, before his eyes, the Lama turned into a gigantic, snow-white lion. Steaming intestines and fresh blood kept streaming down from above it. Amid the steaming sea of blood, an indescribable great terror sat astride the snow-white lion.
A single glance would make one lose control of one's body, drown in fear, and become walking dead.
Fortunately, at that moment.
The Human-Skin Sutra Scroll against his chest grew hot again, bringing him back to his senses. At the same time, the Lama recited a mantra.
"Om, sattva, samyuti."
Like a brand, the mantra burned itself into Lu Feng's "brain." Lu Feng felt as though an "image of great terror" had appeared in his mind, ready to be unleashed at any moment.
The Lama carefully examined Lu Feng's eyes. Once he was certain that Lu Feng's mind had not been overwhelmed and that he had not become a living corpse, he nodded in satisfaction.
Draping his robe over his left arm, Master Zhuogedunzhu said, "Good. You now have three chances to use the mantra.
"Come outside with me now.
"We will pray for blessings and longevity for the chieftain's grandmother!
"And subdue these Malevolent Ghosts and Outer Dao beings in one stroke!"
Before you continue