Chapter Summaries

Lu Feng sought paid scripture-chanting work at the Gaqila Tusi’s fortress because he needed money for the Great Offering required to advance his degree before the major examination. The Human-Skin Sutra Scroll revealed that the Tusi’s grandmother, whom Lu Feng had come to bless, was a Malevolent Ghost.

• Lu Feng reviewed the scroll’s tasks to establish a Dharma Lineage, return to Ganye Temple, and investigate its decline, while worrying that he lacked money for the Great Offering.
• Lu Feng chose a paid position chanting scriptures for the Gaqila Tusi’s grandmother and obtained leave from his superior.
• Lu Feng walked to the Tusi’s fortified towers and explained to the soldiers that he had come to pray for the grandmother’s blessings.
• The Human-Skin Sutra Scroll showed the grandmother changing into a tiger-faced Malevolent Ghost.

Lu Feng entered the chieftain’s stronghold as a monk from the Endless White Pagoda Temple, where he joined other monks gathered for the chieftain’s grandmother’s birthday. As the chieftain struggled to appease a goddess and feed the hungry voice beneath his room, Lu Feng learned that the unfamiliar guru came from the prestigious Pingzan Vajra Temple and had arrived to complete his practice.

• The steward admitted Lu Feng to the stronghold after he identified himself as a student monk from the Endless White Pagoda Temple.
• Lu Feng joined the monks in their quarters, ate butter tea and dried meat, and recognized fellow students Duoji and Tudeng.
• The chieftain tried to appease a protector goddess, then threw a corpse into a hole to quiet his grandmother’s hungry voice.
• Lu Feng encountered the guru awake at night and told him he came from the Endless White Pagoda Temple.
• The guru revealed that he was a fifth-degree monk from Pingzan Vajra Temple, one of the four Dharma protector temples beneath the Supreme Great Snow Mountain.

Lu Feng learned about the danger of the Endless White Pagoda Temple’s Dharma protector path from Guru Zhuogedunzhu, who advised him to pursue the Great Mudra instead. After a malignant specter appeared in the monks’ quarters, Zhuogedunzhu gave Lu Feng a limited Dharma protector mantra and took him to help subdue the fiends.

• Guru Zhuogedunzhu explained that the King Mingzhu Dharma protector mantra had claimed nearly everyone who tried to master it and recommended that Lu Feng study the gentler Great Mudra.
• Zhuogedunzhu told Lu Feng to stay by his side the next day and follow his instructions, then Lu Feng sensed an oppressive presence as he slept.
• Lu Feng half-saw an old woman in a tiger-striped robe crawl through the quarters and devour sleeping monks, then woke at dawn to find Tudeng missing.
• After Lu Feng gave his name as Zhasa, Zhuogedunzhu granted him an incomplete Dharma protector path and burned a mantra into his mind, leaving him three uses.
• Zhuogedunzhu led Lu Feng outside to pray for the chieftain’s grandmother and subdue the malignant specters and Outer Dao beings.

Lu Feng followed Zhuogedunzhu through the revenant-infested Gaqila Tusi manor and discovered that the Human-Skin Ancient Scroll could reveal the vicious revenant and grant him extraordinary clarity. After Lu Feng killed an attacking corpse with a mantra, the scroll absorbed black-and-white energy and empowered his mind.

• Zhuogedunzhu explained that he had come to subdue the vicious revenant haunting Gaqila Tusi’s household and described how the tusi’s attempt to suppress her had led to disaster.
• Lu Feng saw that the manor was shrouded in revenant auras, with corpses and unconscious survivors scattered around, and followed Zhuogedunzhu toward the tower.
• Zhuogedunzhu sent Lu Feng to gather offerings, and Lu Feng found a portrait of the old woman had appeared on the Human-Skin Ancient Scroll.
• A corpse covered in hair charged at Lu Feng, who formed a mantra seal and chanted, killing it with an invisible blow.
• Black-and-white energy flowed from the corpse into the ancient scroll, which gave Lu Feng keen ears and clear eyes and made difficult texts suddenly easy to understand.

Lu Feng realized the ancient scroll absorbed the aura of malevolent ghosts and temporarily expanded his quick-wittedness, then saw an opportunity to secure money and a powerful backer. He brought offerings to Guru Zhuoge Dunzhu, whose battle with a malevolent ghost ended with the ghost struck down and its aura absorbed by Lu Feng’s scroll.

• Lu Feng deduced that the ancient scroll absorbed ghostly aura and granted him heightened intelligence for a limited time.
• Lu Feng planned to take at least three thousand taels from Chieftain Gaqila’s estate and invoke Guru Zhuoge Dunzhu’s Lineage for protection.
• Lu Feng stopped seeking lesser ghosts, gathered the offerings Guru Zhuoge Dunzhu had requested, and hurried to him.
• Guru Zhuoge Dunzhu ordered Lu Feng to chant a mantra and visualize a great sun, which helped ignite the offerings and corpses into green flames.
• Guru Zhuoge Dunzhu used a fiery manifestation and a Demon-Binding Lasso to draw out the malevolent ghost, then pierced it with a spear.
• The ancient scroll absorbed the malevolent ghost’s aura, greatly expanding Lu Feng’s mind and revealing the names Storehouse of Infinite Wisdom and Storehouse of the Vajra That Cuts Through.

After killing a low-level Malevolent Ghost, Lu Feng benefited from the Ancient Scroll but became trapped in the terrifying aftermath of Zhuogedunzhu’s struggle with White Vajra. Zhuogedunzhu departed with a herd of wild horses after granting Lu Feng permission to use his name, leaving Lu Feng alone at the official stronghold to begin his own path.

• The Ancient Scroll circulated a surge of keen hearing and clear sight through Lu Feng, leaving him feeling spiritually renewed after the Malevolent Ghost’s death.
• Zhuogedunzhu suffered a terrifying ordeal as White Vajra threatened to emerge from him, and he ordered Lu Feng to gather offerings and blow the Gangdong.
• Lu Feng lost his senses amid the eerie presence but remained lucid because of the Ancient Scroll, continuing to blow the Gangdong until hoofbeats broke the stillness.
• Zhuogedunzhu returned on horseback, granted Lu Feng permission to use his name, and warned him to obey if he later came seeking help.
• Zhuogedunzhu rode away with the wild horses, while Lu Feng ignored Tudeng and Duoji’s trapped human skins and found himself the only living person left at the stronghold.

Lu Feng recovered from the supernatural disaster, found Tusi Gaqila’s silver vault, and gathered valuable offerings to fund his future at Endless White Pagoda Temple. With the Human-Skin Ancient Scroll’s blessing and enough wealth for almsgiving, he headed back to prepare for the scripture debate, convinced he would pass.

• Lu Feng regained his strength after Master Zhuogedunzhu calmed the White Vajra beneath Jade Mountain.
• Lu Feng found Tusi Gaqila’s gruesomely murdered body and a cracked Goddess statue in the fortified tower, then located the silver vault.
• Lu Feng searched the vault and packed portable treasures worth far more than three thousand taels, intending to use them for almsgiving and to build a following.
• Lu Feng left for Endless White Pagoda Temple, determined to pass the scripture debate in six days.
• Lu Feng checked the Human-Skin Ancient Scroll on the road and saw that Tiger Granny’s duration was twelve days.

Lu Feng reviewed the Endless White Pagoda Temple’s power structure and factions as he went to seek Master Zhiyun. He expected the temple’s Dzongben-aligned leaders to use his arrival as a pretext to seize the Gaqila Tusi Lineage’s lands and slaves.

• Lu Feng recalled how the Abbot Venerable and the temple’s three divisions held power, and how Tusi and Dzongben factions competed within the temple.
• Lu Feng identified Master Zhiyun, a trusted confidant of the Dzongben-aligned Abbot Venerable, as the person he needed to see.
• Lu Feng reached the temple near closing time and hurried to request an audience at the academy.
• Lu Feng concluded that the Abbot Venerable and the Lunbei Lineage would exploit his arrival to annex Gaqila Tusi property.

Lu Feng brought Master Zhiyun proof of an Outer Dao practitioner in Chieftain Gaqila’s domain, revealing an opportunity for the Endless White Pagoda Temple to intervene. Master Zhiyun rejoiced at the prospect, then erased his attendant monk’s memories for overhearing the secret and sent him to tend horses.

• Lu Feng presented Zhuogedunzhu’s embossed proof to Master Zhiyun, who immediately ordered his attendant monk to let Lu Feng in.
• Master Zhiyun recognized Lu Feng as Zhasa and listened as he reported the Outer Dao practitioner in Chieftain Gaqila’s domain.
• Master Zhiyun realized the report could let the Endless White Pagoda Temple adjudicate the matter and gain influence over Gaqila’s territory.
• Master Zhiyun used a Secret Mantra to wipe the attendant monk’s memories after he overheard the confidential discussion.
• Master Zhiyun sent the dazed attendant monk to tend horses, and Lu Feng reflected on how powerless servants were before great monks.

Lu Feng convinced Master Zhiyun of his authority to act for Master Zhuogedunzhu and received food, debate materials, and a rare rosary. Master Zhiyun left him alone in the Buddha hall to study as night approached.

• Lu Feng explained his connection to Master Zhuogedunzhu, and Master Zhiyun accepted his account and treated him kindly.
• Master Zhiyun arranged food for Lu Feng, who ate and recited sutras while the attendant monk feared the fate of a former attendant.
• Master Zhiyun asked about Lu Feng’s chances of earning the Kalyāṇamitra degree, and Lu Feng said Master Zhuogedunzhu had provided offerings to help him pass the debate.
• Master Zhiyun gave Lu Feng papers to memorize and a six-bead Kapala rosary, permitting him to chant the Six-Syllable Great Brightness Mantra.
• Master Zhiyun sent the attendant monk away and left Lu Feng alone in the Buddha hall, where Lu Feng studied the papers and sensed the rosary’s living consciousness.

Lu Feng studied for the coming scripture debate while chanting the Six-Syllable Great Brightness Mantra in Master Zhiyun’s courtyard, where strange presences gathered around him. Elsewhere, monks from chieftain lineages assembled, including a powerful lead scripture master who watched them in silence.

• Lu Feng recited the Six-Syllable Great Brightness Mantra while handling the Kapala rosary, sensing unseen people chanting beside him.
• Lu Feng unfolded an examination sheet containing scripture-debate questions set by Master Zhiyun and began working through the answers from memory.
• Master Zhiyun confined Lu Feng to his courtyard and warned him not to answer unseen callers, leave his cushion at night, or react to movements from the Buddha statue.
• Lu Feng reviewed Master Zhuogedunzhu’s words and nearly recalled dangerous rites, but the mantra’s warmth dispelled the terror before he could pursue them.
• Lu Feng studied the two trials required to become a Kalyāṇamitra and mentally rehearsed scripture debates and examinations.
• Monks selected from chieftain lineages gathered in another monastic room, where a high-ranking lead scripture master sat silently and watched.

Elder Mingfa suspected that Zhasa’s return from Gaqila Tusi’s Official Fortress had exposed a larger crisis, so he ordered Zhiguang to bring the sutra student back for questioning. Lu Feng remained unaware that the temple’s opposing monks were targeting him as he considered the dangers of his position and remembered a book about the Secret Dharma Region.

• Elder Mingfa reasoned that the abbot’s sudden departure with many monks pointed to a major problem at Gaqila Tusi’s Official Fortress, not merely a ghost calamity.
• Elder Mingfa learned that Zhiguang had sent his Dharma protector after Zhasa and ordered him to retrieve the sutra student without letting the protector harm him.
• The Granary Courtyard elder asked whether the abbot would learn of the plan, and Elder Mingfa said he would not.
• Lu Feng recognized that siding with the Venerable Abbot’s faction had made him a target and feared what might happen if he failed to secure his position.
• Lu Feng questioned why powerful mantra-chanting monks did not live longer and recalled a book called "Travelogue of the Esoteric Dharma Realm."

Lu Feng’s chanting of the Six-Syllable Great Brightness Mantra briefly turned sinister before he regained control and manifested an aura of compassion. Believing the human-skin scroll could protect his mind, he decided to consider learning the dangerous King Mingzhu Dharma Protector Mantra after his debate.

• Lu Feng felt his Kapala rosary turn by itself as the mantra’s sounds became strange and apparent ghosts tried to draw him toward the Buddha statue.
• Lu Feng’s chanting went off-key and seemed to summon something from outside, but he stopped and the disturbance vanished.
• Lu Feng sensed an aura of compassion and discovered that chanting the mantra let him wield power on his own.
• Lu Feng wondered why he could manifest this power without empowerment or a guru’s guidance and suspected the Kapala rosary was involved.
• Lu Feng recalled Guru Zhuogedunzhu’s praise of his Buddha-nature and reasoned that the human-skin scroll could shield his mind from the King Mingzhu mantra’s dangers.
• Lu Feng resolved to consider seeking the King Mingzhu Dharma Protector Mantra transmission after his scripture debate.

Lu Feng deepened his cultivation of the Six-Syllable Great Brightness Mantra, developing a compassionate radiance that drew the attention of Elder Mingli. After Elder Mingli punished Zhiguang, Lu Feng remained immersed in his practice.

• Lu Feng offered Coral Prayer Beads to the arms reaching from the Buddha statue's shadow, and they withdrew.
• Lu Feng chanted the Six-Syllable Great Brightness Mantra without Vajrayana and felt its intent merge with him as a compassionate aura spread.
• Monks appeared behind Lu Feng, blessing his recitation, while his mantra seemed to brighten the oil lamp and send faint motes of light from his body.
• Elder Mingli subdued a Malevolent Ghost and glanced toward Lu Feng's courtyard.
• Zhiguang arrived, recognized Elder Mingli, and fell to his knees under the pressure of his presence.
• Elder Mingli ordered Zhiguang to receive ten lashes and a penalty of one nine at the Discipline Hall, and Zhiguang hurried away.

Zhiguang returned terrified after Elder Mingli imposed ten lashes and a one-nine livestock penalty, while Elder Mingfa learned that the abbot had secured control of the temple. Elder Mingfa abandoned efforts to reverse the situation, restored Zhiguang’s courage with a mantra, and left to signal his dissatisfaction to the abbot.

• Zhiguang returned to Elder Mingfa’s room, fearing his flogging and livestock penalty but relieved that it was only one-nine.
• Zhiguang told Elder Mingfa that Elder Mingli had blocked him and subdued his Dharma protector god.
• Elder Mingfa realized his message could not get out and that the abbot had secured control of the temple, so he told the others to return home.
• Elder Mingfa used a secret mantra to rouse Zhiguang, while the Granary College logistics elder departed on his Dharma protector mount.
• Elder Mingfa blamed Elder Mingchu for failing to intervene and returned to his courtyard alone to express his dissatisfaction to the abbot.

The venerable abbot led a party through the dangerous night toward Gaqila Fortified Village, where he discovered a malevolent presence waiting behind its open gates. After his flames destroyed it and cleansed the monks, he led them inside to investigate the Outer Dao practitioner Gaqila’s dealings with an outer god.

• The venerable abbot guided the party through the night with his Damaru while Zhiyun confirmed that Zhasa’s credentials and message were genuine.
• Zhiyun reported that malevolent ghosts had increased around the temple, and the venerable abbot said that people and chieftains were moving toward Great Peng’s Roost and seeking the temple’s protection.
• The party halted when they saw the gates of Gaqila Fortified Village open and a seductive, unclothed woman lurking inside.
• The venerable abbot recognized the woman as a malevolent ghost and used his flames to destroy her and cleanse the monks of pestilential qi.
• The venerable abbot led the party into the village to confront the outer god Gaqila had allegedly colluded with.

The venerable abbot learned that Zhiyun’s actions had left Zhasa vulnerable to retaliation during the coming scripture debate, and he assigned Zhiyun to preside over it. After days of chanting and growing stronger, Lu Feng was summoned to attend the debate, with Zhiyun promising to keep him safe.

• The venerable abbot questioned Zhiyun about how to reward Zhasa and warned that Mingfa and the others might take revenge on him at the scripture debate.
• The venerable abbot told Zhiyun to preside over the scripture master's Dharma seat at the debate, which was fewer than four days away.
• Lu Feng spent his days confined to the courtyard, chanting the Six-Syllable Great Brightness Mantra as his senses sharpened and Tummo began to develop within him.
• The day before the scripture debate, Zhiyun entered the courtyard and told Lu Feng to wash, change, and bathe before attending.
• Zhiyun accepted one of Lu Feng's golden bowls and instructed him to stay by his side, promising to keep him safe.

Lu Feng entered the Debate Hall under Master Zhiyun’s patronage, bypassing the usual class debates and advancing directly to the final stage of the Kalyāṇamitra examination. He followed Elder Mingli and Zhiyun into the rear courtyard, where the debates among the victors and the eminent monks’ questions awaited.

• Lu Feng calmly prepared himself in his cell, then greeted Elder Mingli when the Discipline Hall elder arrived to escort Zhasa to the Debate Hall.
• Lu Feng offered Elder Mingli goldthread root and safflower, handed over his saddlebag, and followed him and Master Zhiyun toward the Debate Hall.
• As they walked, Lu Feng studied and memorized the monks and elders around him while Elder Mingli’s authority cleared their path.
• When the ritual gong sounded, monks took their places in the Debate Hall according to class and rank.
• Master Zhiyun led Lu Feng past the usual seating and into the rear debating courtyard, marking his exemption from the preliminary examination.

Lu Feng and Master Zhiyun arrived at the debate courtyard, where Elder Mingfa tried to claim Lu Feng as his disciple and used spiritual power to draw him forward. Lu Feng resisted with help from the Ancient Scroll and the Six-Syllable Great Brightness Mantra, until Elder Mingzhi intervened; the Abbot Venerable was expected to arrive soon.

• Elder Mingfa questioned Master Zhiyun about whether he intended to take Lu Feng as his attendant monk, and Zhiyun explained the Abbot Venerable's plan for choosing Lu Feng's Lama.
• Elder Mingfa insisted that he could become Lu Feng's Lama and summoned Lu Feng to examine his root bone and true nature.
• Lu Feng began walking toward Elder Mingfa under his spiritual influence, but the Ancient Scroll helped him regain awareness and resist by reciting the Six-Syllable Great Brightness Mantra.
• Elder Mingfa manifested a Great Terror seed in Lu Feng, but Elder Mingzhi arrived and destroyed it with wrathful fire.
• Elder Mingzhi told Mingfa and Zhiyun to sit because the Abbot Venerable would soon arrive, then took his seat.

Lu Feng survived Elder Mingfa’s attack and gained an apparent Vajrayana inheritance while reciting the Six-Syllable Great Brightness Mantra. After the victorious student monks arrived, he sensed that several of them meant him harm, and his trial began.

• Elder Mingfa’s skeletal hands tried to plant a terror seed in Lu Feng, but Elder Mingzhi’s flames destroyed it.
• Lu Feng recited the Six-Syllable Great Brightness Mantra and absorbed golden power from the Kapala rosary into his body.
• Elder Mingzhi told Elder Mingfa that the Abbot Venerable would not attend and directed him to pray instead of disturbing Lu Feng.
• Master Zhiyun realized Lu Feng might have gained Vajrayana through the rosary and accepted that the opportunity belonged to Zhasa.
• Sixteen student monks who had won their debates entered, and Lu Feng sensed deep malice from at least six of them.