From a refugee to a martial artist

Chapter 296 A Buddha Came from the West
Having received Wang Er's order, Meng Yuan was about to take his leave.

"Don't rush." ​​Wang Er was no longer in a hurry. She picked up the book and nodded her chin toward the vegetarian dishes on the low table. "Eat before you go. I have no appetite."

Meng Yuan was not one to be pretentious, and immediately buried himself in his food.

The vegetarian food at Lanruo Temple is quite famous, and the taste is naturally excellent. Even the simple vegetables and tofu have a unique flavor.

"The most delicious flavors in the world are often found, and the most enduring flavors are often found in the ordinary." Meng Yuan couldn't help but think of Dugu Kangyin's poem about tofu.

"I'm done eating." Meng Yuan finished his meal, patted his bottom, and got up.

Wang Er continued reading intently and said, "Go on, and try not to bother Monk Juesheng too much in the future."

"So he's the one who has dealings with Qing Guangzi?" Meng Yuan stood up but didn't leave, asking directly.

Meng Yuan realized that Wang Er wouldn't hide anything, because she only summoned him and asked about Monk Juesheng, which clearly indicated that she had already noticed something was wrong with Monk Juesheng.

“That’s right.” Wang Er didn’t hide anything, as expected.

"He's only at the fifth rank, what is he after?" Meng Yuan asked curiously.

Wang Er raised his eyebrows, glanced at Meng Yuan, and smiled, "You once risked your life for Miss Ying the Third, and he fell in love with Miss Ying the Second. Women of both talent and beauty are the most captivating."

"He colluded with Qing Guangzi, but almost caused the Third Miss to lose her life, and the people of Songhe Prefecture..." Meng Yuan was momentarily dazed, but then felt that it made sense.

Killing is done to protect life, and Qing Guangzi's massacre of a city to prove his Dao is also an example of this. In comparison, even if Monk Juesheng's actions were more extreme, they were not as extreme as Qing Guangzi's.

“Some people’s ‘way’ is beyond our comprehension.” Seeing Meng Yuan lost in thought, Wang Er continued, “Buddhism severs the seven emotions and six desires, but how can one sever them in this world? The person Juesheng is thinking about is Miss Ying Er.”

"Is he seeking revenge? To avenge Miss Ying?" Meng Yuan asked in surprise.

“No. What’s the use of revenge now that the person is dead?” Wang Er simply put down his book and laughed, “If it weren’t for Miss Ying Er, this world would be truly boring. Becoming a Buddha or a Venerable wouldn’t mean anything either. We might as well just burn it all down.”

“This…this is exactly what Qingguangzi’s Buddhist kingdom on earth desires,” Meng Yuan said.

“Not bad.” Wang Er nodded slightly. “He was originally a person of extraordinary talent, well-versed in Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. He had the reputation of being a 'flower monk,' yet he was disciplined and ordained. He was deeply entangled in the web of love, and should have been tempering his Buddhist heart, but instead he sank deeper and deeper. Otherwise, given time, he would surely have become a virtuous and eminent monk.”

At this point, Wang Er looked at Meng Yuan and said, "His 'thoughts' are too deep; even the World-Honored One, Tathagata, cannot save him. According to Buddhist teachings, this is his tribulation in this lifetime."

Upon hearing this, Meng Yuan remained silent for a long time. After a while, seeing Wang Er pick up the scroll again, he asked, "Chief Supervisor, where did you obtain these information?"

According to Meng Yuan's thinking, since they could understand the monk Juesheng so thoroughly, even if the person behind Juesheng was highly skilled, there would still be some clues left behind.

"I guessed." Wang Er said, holding the book and flipping through it.

Guessing? Can't you be a little more rigorous?

"..." Meng Yuan stared wide-eyed, at a loss for words.

"Farewell!" Meng Yuan left the meditation room and exited the courtyard.

Wang Buyi was already waiting. "Commander, someone asked Hua Zi to deliver a letter to you. It says it's from an old friend from the martial arts world."

Meng Yuan had absolutely no old friends in the martial arts world!

He took the letter, tore it open, and saw that it really was an old friend from the martial arts world.

It turns out that the four disciples of Chongxu Temple arrived in Ping'an Prefecture, but could not find their master, could not find the gate of Yunshan Temple, and now had no money.

"Sigh." Meng Yuan pulled a silver note from his purse and said, "Please give it to them for me, it's really embarrassing..."

Meng Yuan, being well-mannered, didn't utter a curse.

"Is it Zhao Jingsheng and the others?" Wang Buyi had stayed at Chongxu Temple before, so he naturally recognized the four disciples of Chongxu Temple.

Meng Yuan nodded and said, "Please tell my senior brother that I need to go into seclusion for a few days."

"Yes!" Wang Buyi immediately replied.

After leaving the Chan Meditation Monastery, Meng Yuan went to the Precepts Monastery and found Master Jueming.

"Secluded meditation?" After learning Meng Yuan's purpose, Abbot Jueming immediately agreed. "My Zen temple is always bustling with people, but the Zen temple where my grandmaster used to meditate is secluded and rarely visited."

After making up his mind, Abbot Jueming took Xuanbei and led Mengyuan to Master Zhitong's old Zen temple.

Upon arrival, the Wulai Waterfall, where Zhitong meditated, was not far away, separated only by a mountain path of about a hundred feet, and the sound of the waterfall could still be heard.

The Zen temple is small, built of stone, and surrounded by trees on both sides; it is indeed secluded and rarely visited.

“You will be safe and sound, and no one will disturb you.” Monk Jueming hung a sign indicating that he was in seclusion in front of the door and said, “I will have Xuanbei stay next door to you and bring you food every evening.”

Meng Yuan thanked Monk Jueming repeatedly before entering the meditation room.

There were no lamps or candles, and the room was dimly lit, with only a tattered futon.

Meng Yuan sat down cross-legged, calmed his mind, and instead of rushing to use the Jade Elixir, he thought about what he had seen and heard in the past few days.

This Lanruo Temple is a place where hidden talents reside; it should not be underestimated. Now, it is a gathering place for masters from all over the world, awaiting guests from the West.

Master Xuanjizi of Chongxu Temple stayed at the nunnery, Master Zhitong waited for Li Weizhen to draw her sword, and Yingmei in the red cloak was determined to cause trouble.

The four disciples of Chongxu Temple and Jie Kaiping were begging for food outside Ping'an Prefecture. Monk Juesheng was single-mindedly thinking about revenge, while Wang Er was lost in thought.

After a long time, it was getting late. Moonlight streamed through the small stone window, the Milky Way was shining brightly, and a mountain breeze was blowing.

Meng Yuan then stopped thinking about it and closed his eyes to calm his mind.

The vital energy remained unchanged, without any nourishment.

Since the upheaval in Songhe Prefecture, Meng Yuan had no opportunity to draw his sword. Although the woman in the red cloak had thoughts of killing, she still had to wait for instructions.

After all, Ping'an Prefecture is a monk's territory. To kill a monk here, especially one from the "Zhi" generation of Lanruo Temple, is even more unusual.

After thinking for a moment, Meng Yuan cleared his mind of all distractions and, once his mind was free of thoughts, he began to examine himself.

After several rounds of body tempering and a new breakthrough, his muscles, bones, and flesh have become stronger, marking another step forward.

Meng Yuan and Lin Yan had discussed this many times on their way to Ping'an Prefecture. Now, Meng Yuan's physical strength was already outstanding among those of the same level.

Moreover, the two dantians are more stable and larger, and the jade liquid is more condensed.

When the Heavenly Secrets Method is activated, the jade liquid surges forth like an endless river, vast and powerful.

Meng Yuan cultivates both internal and external skills. Even though he has just entered the sixth rank, he can still handle two or three ordinary sixth-rank cultivators in terms of strength.

After all, before breaking through to the next level, he had already killed Xi Yisheng, who was known as the number one martial artist at the sixth rank.

Of course, there are different levels within the sixth rank. If one encounters two or three individuals with the strength of Xi Yisheng, they would be difficult to deal with. However, if one could fully unlock the secret treasures and obtain one or two Heavenly Secrets and Divine Abilities gained after experiencing the sixth rank transformation, then one could naturally be able to withstand their attacks.

Or even, one could fight against a martial artist at the fifth rank.

With a mind free of worldly concerns, Meng Yuan began to contemplate the profound changes of the sixth rank.

A martial artist at the sixth rank who wishes to advance further must fully unlock the secrets of heaven. Only by finding a method within these secrets that resonates with their mind and body can they step into the fifth rank.

This step is the second of the three stages of ascending to heaven. It is as difficult as ascending to heaven, because the method of finding the right and compatible heavenly secrets is hard to find, and it may even require one to create it oneself. This naturally requires both diligence and good fortune. However, it is also easy, because as long as you find the right and compatible method and your mind is in the right state, you can break through the barrier at any time.

Ever since reaching the sixth rank of martial arts, Meng Yuan had a vague feeling that the Heavenly Fire Wildfire given to him by the Third Miss was most suitable for him.

As the heavenly fire ignites, the blade is covered in flames, and the heart is filled with fire; wherever it touches, everything is burned to ashes.

Moreover, it can ignite a fire in the enemy's heart, burning their mind, flesh, and even spirit.

This Heavenly Secret Method is not a one-shot killing method like the Floating Light Cave Heaven or the Bodhi Extinction Path. Rather, it is a method for protracted battle, similar to the Spring Thunder.

Just as a state of mind is needed to ignite Bodhi and extinguish the path, so too is the raging fire of heaven. One must have a fearless and undaunted heart, and a heart that is unstoppable, in order to greatly increase its power.

Looking back on the various celestial techniques he had studied, Meng Yuan used the most powerful methods of instantaneous killing, such as the Floating Light Cave Heaven and the Bodhi Extinction Path, while he rarely used the Heavenly Fire Wildfire.

Meng Yuan had been pondering why he felt a connection between the Heavenly Fire Spreading Across the Plains and himself, but he had no answer; it was merely a feeling in his heart.

"Perhaps it's because of the essence fire?"

Meng Yuan pondered for a long time, then closed his eyes tightly. The jade liquid in his dantian trembled incessantly, urging the heavenly fire to spread like wildfire.

It was late at night, and the small meditation room was pitch black, but a faint red glow emanated from Meng Yuan's body.

Then the fire grew even brighter, and there was no shadow left in the meditation room. Behind him appeared a celestial sign: a flickering, yet ever-burning, blazing fire.

Meng Yuan lost himself in the moment, focusing solely on sensing that wisp of heavenly fire.

After an unknown amount of time, the jade liquid in one dantian burned out, and another dantian immediately took over. Meanwhile, the previously empty dantian slowly began to produce jade liquid again.

Following the methods in the book given to him by Yingmei in the red cloak, and the teachings of Wang Er and others, Meng Yuan felt excruciating pain all over his body as the Heavenly Fire spread more and more intensely.

The countless pores on the skin vibrated simultaneously with the flesh, blood, and bones inside the body, as if echoing each other.

In an instant, Meng Yuan felt as if a ferocious beast within him wanted to escape from its shell, but he did not know where the beast was, yet he felt that the beast was everywhere.

"What's going on?" Xuan Bei, who was living in the same courtyard, opened his eyes and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Who determined my aura? And made me sweat all over?"

A day had passed since they moved in. Xuanbei left the small meditation room and saw that it was midnight. There was something strange in Mengyuan's meditation room. A blazing fire was shining through the small window.

Although Xuanbei was only at the seventh level of the Buddhist realm, he was a descendant of a high-ranking family in Lanruo Temple, so he naturally had some knowledge. He didn't bother Meng Yuan and simply sat in the courtyard.

"My grandmaster said that a martial artist at the sixth rank must fully unlock the secrets of heaven to obtain the true power of these secrets. Before that, it's like riding a ferocious beast into battle; once the secrets of heaven are fully unlocked, it's like transforming into the beast itself, becoming one with it..."

Xuan Bei clasped his hands together, muttering to himself, "I've heard that Benefactor Meng prefers to kill and then burn the body, like a drunkard drinking wine. I never imagined that the Heavenly Secrets he revealed would also be related to fire..."

Not long after, the morning glow appeared on the horizon, and a red light appeared. However, the strange phenomenon in Meng Yuan's room had not subsided, and the fire was still burning brightly.

Xuanbei sat cross-legged ten steps away, yet he could still feel the relentless heat. But the fire contained different variations; at times it was an overbearing force that could burn everything, but at other times it was like a gentle stream, nourishing things silently.

"What does this mean?" Xuan Bei frowned.

“This is the difficulty of the second stage of the three stages of ascending to heaven.” Monk Jueming stepped into the courtyard, followed by Lin Yan and Wang Buyi.

"Uncle-Master, Commander Lin." Xuan Bei stood up and bowed, then asked curiously, "Uncle-Master, are you saying that Benefactor Meng has reached the point of breaking through to the next realm?"

"He is only moving towards breaking through the realm. As for whether he can advance further, I do not know yet." Monk Jueming looked at the small window and said, "Benefactor Meng is a genius, but he is a little anxious. He is following the path of 'fire,' but sometimes it is a fire in the furnace, and sometimes it is a wildfire. He does not know how to choose."

"What I'm seeing is lust!" Lin Yan crossed his arms, stroking his chin with one hand. "Junior brother's missing a girl!"

"Amitabha." Monk Jueming didn't speak to Lin Yan at all.

Xuan Bei opened his eyes wide, glanced at Lin Yan, but didn't dare to respond to Lin Yan's words.

At this moment, Meng Yuan was deeply confused. The heavenly fire spread without him having to ignite it, yet it never stopped.

Meng Yuan seemed to be in a vast, desolate land, surrounded by intertwined flames. Pale fire occasionally fell from the sky, igniting everything around him.

This fire is endless, seemingly never to fade or weaken, and anything it touches ignites instantly.

Meng Yuan was engulfed in flames, his skin, flesh, bones, and internal organs constantly scorched by the fire.

But Meng Yuan could never quite grasp this flame, as if there was a barrier between him and the flame, preventing them from getting along.

"Is it that my state of mind is not right? Or is it that the fire I seek is not this kind of fire?"

Despite the pain of being thrown into the furnace, Meng Yuan looked around.

All that could be seen was a vast and desolate landscape, with the flames growing ever brighter, as if they intended to burn the sky and the earth to ashes, and even reduce everything in the world to ashes.

"What kind of fire do I seek? Is it a celestial fire that spreads across the plains, or should I find another celestial method related to 'fire'?"

Meng Yuan murmured, but to no avail.

"The fire spreads from the heavens, the fire comes from the sky?" Meng Yuan exclaimed again.

But the burning sensation all over his body grew stronger, as if he were about to be burned to ashes, just like when he used his essence fire to take in corpses in the past.

After a long time, the firelight gradually dissipated, and no more firelight fell from the sky. Meng Yuan's pain slowly subsided.

Once his mind calmed down, Meng Yuan realized that both of his dantian were completely empty, the jade liquid had long been exhausted, and even after forcibly squeezing out some of it, his dantian felt as if it were being torn apart.

When I opened my eyes again, the small meditation room was quiet. A ray of light shone in from the window; it must have been afternoon.

The once-clean meditation room appears to have collapsed, bearing the marks of a fierce fire.

Meng Yuan's clothes had long been burned to ashes, as if he had returned to his former self when he was cultivating and tempering his body in the Prince's Mansion.

"Junior brother is awake? I brought you a beautiful woman. You've been burning up for so long, this will help you cool down!" Lin Yan shouted from outside.

"Lin Yan, you are shameless!" Zhou Ying cursed, but seemed not to be angry.

"How long has it been?" Meng Yuan asked in the meditation room.

"Half a month!" Lin Yan chuckled outside the meditation room. "The Buddha is coming from the West; he'll arrive tomorrow!"

"I'm just about to witness the demeanor of an Arhat!" Although Meng Yuan failed to succeed, his excitement remained undiminished.

(End of this chapter)