Chapter 52
After sitting down, Heng Yu carefully examined the chessboard.
The black and white pieces were intermingled, seemingly in a stalemate.
The Buddhist cultivator sat opposite her, not rushing her, giving her time to analyze the board.
After a moment, Heng Yu said, “Senior, I’m ready.”
The Buddhist cultivator picked up a white piece and, despite being blind, placed it accurately on the board.
Heng Yu rolled up her sleeve, picked up a black piece, and placed it on the board without hesitation.
They both played quickly.
As the Buddhist cultivator had said, his skills were average.
So, the game remained close.
After about a quarter of an hour, the Buddhist cultivator chuckled softly. “Your moves are straightforward and honorable. A strategy of direct confrontation, open and aboveboard.”
Hearing his comment, Heng Yu raised an eyebrow slightly.
This senior seemed to recognize her. Of course, it wasn’t surprising. She was the only guest in the Undying Sect recently.
But what was strange was that he seemed to have deliberately invited her to play this game.
Judging a person by their chess moves.
Was he trying to deduce her character through her playing style?
“You flatter me, Senior,” Heng Yu replied with a smile, suppressing her doubts, and continued playing.
Gradually, the black pieces gained the upper hand. Heng Yu placed her pieces decisively, her confidence evident.
The Buddhist cultivator opposite her played slower and slower, finally giving up and putting down his white piece. “The outcome is clear. Let’s end this game here. I’ll treat you to some tea.”
The Buddhist cultivator took out a tea set from his storage ring and brewed some tea. His movements were fluid and graceful, a pleasant sight to behold, making one forget his blindness.
After brewing the tea, he poured a cup for Heng Yu first.
He pushed the teacup towards her. “Have some tea.”
Perhaps it was his accommodating aura, like a vast and calm ocean, that made Heng Yu feel at ease despite knowing his cultivation was far higher than hers.
Heng Yu smiled and thanked him, picking up the teacup.
She couldn’t smell any fragrance, even after bringing the cup to her nose.
She blew on the tea to cool it down and took a sip.
A fragrant sweetness lingered in her mouth.
The next moment, a surge of gentle spiritual energy flowed through her meridians and dantian, noticeably reducing the gap between her and the Nascent Soul realm.
Heng Yu’s expression changed slightly. She took another sip.
The concentration of spiritual energy in her meridians and dantian increased again!
“Senior…”
Heng Yu put down the teacup and looked at the blue-robed Buddhist cultivator, hesitating to speak.
This tea, capable of directly increasing one’s spiritual energy, was definitely not ordinary. Even Nascent Soul cultivators might not possess such a treasure, yet this senior had casually offered it to her…
The Buddhist cultivator chuckled softly.
He wasn’t particularly handsome, but his presence was comforting.
“This tea is called Enlightenment Tea, made from the leaves of the Enlightenment Tree. Only a few ounces can be harvested every thousand years. And since the Enlightenment Tree is almost extinct, this tea is incredibly rare. Since you’ll be participating in the Dharma Assembly soon, consider this a small gift from this poor monk.”
A gift?
Heng Yu lowered her gaze.
If she had only been guessing before, she was now certain.
This person was Liaowu’s master, the leader of the Undying Sect, a late Nascent Soul cultivator named Yuancang. His blindfolded eyes seemed to be related to his cultivation technique.
But he called it a gift?
Was he thanking her for helping Liaowu with his tribulation of love, for strengthening his Buddhist path instead of ruining it?
Realizing this, Heng Yu chuckled softly. “In that case, I won’t stand on ceremony.”
She finished the tea in one gulp.
Heng Yu’s guess was correct. The Buddhist cultivator was indeed Yuancang.
Hearing her words, he smiled and refilled her cup. “With your current cultivation, two cups are enough.”
After finishing the second cup, Heng Yu felt the spiritual energy in her meridians surge. She had been vaguely sensing the edge of the Nascent Soul realm, but now, if she refined this spiritual energy completely, she could firmly place one foot into that realm!
Yuancang waved his sleeve, putting away the chessboard and tea set. “Focus on refining the spiritual energy. This poor monk will set up a protective formation for you and leave you to it.”
Heng Yu quickly bowed, thanking him for his generosity.
Yuancang smiled and shook his head, then cast a formation around the pavilion.
As soon as the formation was complete, he disappeared.
Heng Yu bowed again in the direction he had left, took out a meditation mat from her storage ring, and began refining the spiritual energy.
After leaving the pavilion, Yuancang appeared outside the barrier on the fourth floor of the Scripture Pavilion.
The Enforcement Elder, sensing the familiar spiritual energy fluctuation, slowly opened his eyes. “Sect Leader.”
“This poor monk came to see Liaowu,” Yuancang chuckled softly.
The Enforcement Elder took the token he offered, infused it with spiritual energy, and cast a series of hand seals.
The barrier deactivated.
Yuancang took back the token and stepped inside, disappearing.
Liaohe was diligently guarding Liaowu.
Hearing the commotion, he looked up, saw Yuancang, and quickly stood up, bowing. “Master.”
Yuancang nodded slightly, acknowledging his greeting.
He looked at the active formation, his gaze piercing through the swirling resentment and malice, and landing on Liaowu.
“Is this cultivation session almost over?” Yuancang asked.
“Yes, Master,” Liaohe replied.
Just as he finished speaking, the dense negative energy within the formation dissipated as Liaowu resealed it within the prayer beads.
Soon, Liaowu, in his gray robes, walked out of the formation.
He saw Yuancang, bowed silently, and asked, “Master, what brings you here?”
“To see you,” Yuancang’s face was expressionless. “I heard you had a confrontation with Liaoyuan at the spiritual sea yesterday?”
Liaowu closed his eyes slowly. “This disciple… was moved by worldly desires. After this cultivation session, I will go to the Precept Hall to receive punishment and seek Buddha’s forgiveness.”
“There’s no need,” Yuancang shook his head slowly. “You cultivate the path of great compassion, which requires you to transcend the mortal world. But the tribulation of love requires you to experience it. Your actions are all for cultivation.”
He emphasized the words “for cultivation.”
He continued, “This master came here not to blame you, but to tell you that I’ve agreed to your request for the jade slip with the Demon Detection Formation. That young friend Luo is helping you with your tribulation of love. In a way, she has shown kindness to our Buddhist sect. A mere jade slip is nothing compared to that.”
Liaowu sensed something in his master’s words. “Master, have you met her?”
A smile finally appeared on Yuancang’s face. “I played a game of chess with her. Did she learn her chess skills from you? Her moves resemble yours.”
Liaowu joined his hands together, tacitly confirming it.
Without saying more, Yuancang walked to the bookshelves in the corner. The items on the shelves were ancient, bearing the marks of time. He closed his eyes and used his divine sense to locate the jade slip with the Demon Detection Formation. He walked to the second bookshelf, retrieved the jade slip using his sect leader token, and returned, offering it to Liaowu.
Liaowu reached out to take it.
Yuancang’s hand hovered above his, not letting go immediately.
He sighed deeply, his tone filled with worry. “Liaowu, be careful with your tribulation of love.”
Since Liaowu joined the Undying Sect, he had raised him like a son.
Just as he understood Liaowu’s chess style, he also understood his character.
Liaowu was loyal and compassionate. Carrying the hopes of the Buddhist sect for millennia, he would never betray them. But with his tribulation of love, even if that young friend Luo was only pursuing him for her inner sect mission and admiration points, Liaowu would still, in a way, be letting her down. How could he fulfill his duty to the Buddhist sect without hurting her?
Yuancang couldn’t see a solution. Even he, a late Nascent Soul cultivator, couldn’t interfere and help Liaowu.
So, Liaowu could only rely on himself.
Liaowu lowered his gaze.
It was unclear if he understood his master’s meaning.
He felt the weight of the jade slip in his hand as his master let go.
He slowly tightened his grip on the jade slip.
Heng Yu had been refining the spiritual energy in the pavilion.
The surge of energy was vast, impossible to absorb completely in a short time. She decided to store it in her meridians and dantian, refining it completely during the ten-day journey to the Sword Sect.
This process took a long time. By the time she was almost finished, dawn was breaking.
She slowly opened her eyes.
And saw Liaowu sitting cross-legged opposite her, clearly guarding her.
“Finished cultivating?” Liaowu opened his eyes and looked at her.
Heng Yu smiled. “Why are you here guarding me? Didn’t you say you had something to do?”
“I did, but it’s no longer necessary. And I heard from Master that you were cultivating here, so I came to check on you,” Liaowu said.
He had intended to go to the Precept Hall for punishment, but his master had waived it, so he was free to come here.
Heng Yu stood up and smiled. “Master Yuancang is truly impressive.”
That senior’s aura was as deep as the ocean, seemingly capable of encompassing all the sufferings of the world, exuding an air of compassion.
He was instantly likeable.
But — Heng Yu looked at Liaowu. She had no doubt that given time, he would surpass Yuancang and become the true Light of Buddhism.
Liaowu stood up as well. “Shall I escort you back?”
“Are we leaving for the Sword Sect this morning?”
“Yes.”
“It’s only about an hour until dawn. Stay here with me and watch the sunrise.”
Liaowu nodded silently, then said, “Let’s go to Binglian Lake. It’s the best place to watch the sunrise.”
“Alright.”
Just as Heng Yu was about to leave the pavilion, Liaowu suddenly handed her a jade slip.
Heng Yu paused. “Is this the jade slip with the Demon Detection Formation?”
Liaowu nodded and explained gently, “This poor monk only casually mentioned it to Master, and he gave it to me directly. Lord Luo, you needn’t worry about this poor monk paying any price for it.”
Heng Yu smiled and took the jade slip.
Dawn was approaching; there was no time to waste if they wanted to see the sunrise.
They quickly arrived at Binglian Lake.
Liaowu flew across the ice flowers, carrying Heng Yu towards the center. Finding a suitable spot, he cast a series of hand seals.
A surge of spiritual energy flowed into the lake, and the scattered ice flowers gathered, their shapes shifting, forming two large lotuses.
Heng Yu sat on one of the lotuses.
Before the sun rose, she walked to the edge, squatted down, and played with the water.
She couldn’t tell where the water came from, but it wasn’t cold, but slightly warm — this lake was truly strange.
She scooped up some water and splashed it at Liaowu.
An invisible barrier blocked the water droplets.
Heng Yu said, “That’s cheating.”
Liaowu, still meditating with his eyes closed, silently dispelled the barrier.
Seeing his obedience, Heng Yu decided not to splash him again.
She sat down on the lotus, took out the wooden hairpin holding her hair, and let her long, black hair cascade down her face, shoulders, and waist.
After a while, the sun slowly rose from the lake, its light gradually spreading across the water.
Heng Yu was bathed in the warm sunlight.
The rising sun was still dazzling. Heng Yu narrowed her eyes slightly and looked at Liaowu beside her.
The sunlight accentuated his handsome features.
Liaowu, seemingly sensing her gaze, turned to look at her, a gentle smile spreading across his face.
After watching the sunrise, Liaowu accompanied Heng Yu back to her room to pack.
There wasn’t much to pack, so they quickly left and headed towards the Undying Sect’s training grounds.
Almost every major sect had training grounds. The Sword Sect called it the Sword Testing Grounds. It was a large open space specifically for Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment disciples. Here, disciples could spar, trade items, and buy what they needed.
They were heading there because the disciples going to the Sword Sect were gathering there before departing on the airship.
Heng Yu and Liaowu arrived at the northeast corner of the training grounds, where many disciples, from Qi Refining to Nascent Soul, were already gathered.
Each wore different colored robes. Heng Yu, in her red dress and with her long, loose hair, stood out in the crowd.
The more highly cultivated and composed disciples didn’t pay her much attention.
But many Qi Refining monks looked at her curiously, probably having heard about the incident at the spiritual sea.
Heng Yu stood beside Liaowu, ignoring their gazes.
Soon, more Buddhist cultivators arrived, including someone Heng Yu recognized — Liaoyuan.
He twirled his folding fan, walked through the crowd towards Heng Yu, stopped two steps away, and greeted her with a smile. “Lord Luo, it’s been a while. I’ve missed you.”
“I haven’t missed Senior Brother Liaoyuan.”
A flicker of light crossed Liaoyuan’s eyes, and he said with a slightly mournful tone, “The more beautiful a woman is, the more heartless she is.”
Heng Yu chuckled softly. “Thank you for the compliment.”
With so many people around, Liaoyuan didn’t linger. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he stood there, lazily playing with his exquisite folding fan.
About a quarter of an hour later, almost all the disciples going to the Sword Sect had arrived.
Heng Yu looked around, estimating the number of people.
The Undying Sect had many disciples, so naturally, they couldn’t all attend the Dharma Assembly. They only selected the most outstanding disciples of each realm to compete.
Of course, there were also some younger disciples with high potential but lower cultivation levels who were going to broaden their horizons.
Heng Yu looked carefully and saw two familiar faces — Liaonian and Liaohe.
Soon, a Buddhist cultivator with a fierce demeanor descended from the sky.
He was the leader chosen for this trip, Master Yuanxin, a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator who specialized in the path of killing.
Yuanxin hovered in the air, extending his divine sense to count the disciples.
His gaze lingered on Heng Yu for a moment before moving on.
After confirming that everyone was present, Yuanxin coughed lightly, amplifying his voice with spiritual energy.
“This poor monk is the leader of this trip, responsible for your safety. All other matters will be handled by Liaowu. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Elder!”
The Undying Sect disciples replied in unison, their hands joined together.
Heng Yu also bowed with a gesture, showing respect to Master Yuanxin.
“Good. All disciples, board the airship!” Yuanxin said.
Everyone boarded the airship using their own methods.
Soon, everyone was on board.
Their accommodations had been arranged beforehand, so they went to find their rooms.
Heng Yu’s room was deep inside the airship, next to Liaowu’s.
Liaowu led her to her door. “Focus on refining your spiritual energy these next few days. If anything happens, send me a message.”
Heng Yu tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled. “Alright.”
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