Immortal I Speedrun Supernatural Game

Thump—thump—

The morning bells echoed throughout Cibei Temple.

It signifies that the dawn of another day is about to break through the darkness.

What's unusual is that today's bronze bell wasn't rung by the monk Huiming, but by a monk who was supposed to be responsible for ringing the bell but was often left to do the work by Huiming and was somewhat idle.

He was also somewhat puzzled and confused as to why the monk Huiming had not arrived earlier today.

But I didn't take it too seriously.

After all, this wasn't their job in the first place.

Huiming, who hadn't had a good night's sleep in a long time, slowly woke up to the sound of the bell.

The moment I opened my eyes, I realized that I had almost overslept because I was so relaxed.

While admonishing myself for being too lax in my spiritual practice, there was also a hint of relief in my heart.

Because he was once troubled by his own ego, he didn't have such a high quality of sleep.

"Parting the clouds to reveal the blue sky, benefactor of the other shore flower, this humble monk owes you a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid in eternity."

"Amitabha……"

Just as the monk Huiming finished his reflections and was about to tidy up his bedding...

A mocking and sarcastic voice rang in his ear:

"Oh? Has the fog really lifted?"

brush--

The familiar voice made Monk Huiming turn around abruptly, his face showing fear.

That was his own voice!

Monk Huiming was frantically screaming in his heart, "Please don't!"

I was terrified that if I turned around, I would see another version of myself with black eyes standing there unharmed.

call--

Fortunately, when I turned around, I only saw the usual tables and chairs, and there was no other person or anything else.

This relieved Huiming.

Thank goodness... thank goodness...

He attributed it to the fact that he had been disturbed by his ego for many years, and under extreme mental tension, he might have been experiencing auditory hallucinations to some extent.

Now that my ego has been eliminated, I estimate that these auditory hallucinations will subside after a while.

That was the only way the monk Huiming could console himself.

He neither wanted nor dared to delve deeper into the matter.

After quickly tidying up his room and washing up, Monk Huiming soon arrived at the place where he would do his morning prayers.

Only wholehearted recitation of scriptures could calm his tense heart again.

"With no hindrance in the mind, there is no fear; far removed from distorted dreams, one attains ultimate Nirvana..."

Even though the monks around him were reciting strange versions of the Heart Sutra during their morning prayers, which were distorted by the Buddha of all beings, what Master Huiming read out was still the normal content of the Heart Sutra.

Because his lineage as the son of the Bodhisattva of Compassion is closely connected with the Temple of Compassion, he will naturally not be punished by those strange rules.

The only correct scripture was being recited among these monks, making them appear so lonely and pathetic.

Monk Huiming was already used to this situation.

He continued reciting, unaffected.

Suddenly, in a daze, I heard my own voice mocking me again:

"Are you truly free from all attachments?"

"If that's truly the case, why hide from this humble monk?"

“You know perfectly well that hiding anywhere won’t help, because this monk and you are the same person.”

The monk Huiming began to make frequent mistakes in the rhythm of his recitation of the Heart Sutra.

A bead of cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

Auditory hallucinations... just auditory hallucinations...

He kept trying to comfort himself with this thought.

Because when he opened his eyes, he couldn't find the figure of the Black Eye Obsession.

Last night, I clearly felt that the other side had been eliminated!
My ego has been eliminated!

What should have been a quick and immersive morning prayer session now felt like torture to Monk Huiming.

I endured the morning class in a daze.

Monk Huiming was no longer as relaxed as he had been before going to bed the night before.

He didn't even go to the vegetarian hall for breakfast.

I stumbled slightly as I walked to the vegetable garden.

Wusheng was no longer in the vegetable garden at this time.

Wusheng had finished eating and went to the meditation hall to meditate and cultivate.

Looking at the lush vegetable garden, Monk Huiming let out a heavy sigh and walked downstairs to fetch water for irrigation.

He always felt that something was regrowing within him.

It's like a thorn stuck in my throat, I can't spit it out or swallow it down.

"Huiming, are you busy?"

After carrying water to irrigate the vegetable garden for a while, an unexpected sound came from above.

Huiming looked up and saw that it was Abbot Kongbei standing at the entrance of the vegetable garden, with his usual kind smile on his face.

"Abbot? What brings you here?"

Although Abbot Huiming knew that the other party and Duye were birds of a feather, on the surface Kongbei was still the abbot of Cibei Temple.

He didn't choose to turn against them at first, and he won't reveal now that he already knows everything through the log.

Seeing his response, Kong Bei also walked in.

Looking at the lush greenery, he exclaimed, "I came to see you. What a beautiful and peaceful place. You must have worked so hard all these years."

This vegetable garden was so large that it was certainly not something that Wusheng, a child, could manage alone; most of it was still being tended and cared for by the monk Huiming.

Upon hearing this, Monk Huiming lowered his head and said, "I dare not say it is hard work; it is merely my duty in cultivation."

“Is this my duty as a practitioner…” Kong Bei murmured to himself.

Suddenly, he changed the subject and said, "Huiming, do you know that people are inherently different?"

These words made Monk Huiming's heart skip a beat.

A sense of foreboding crept in.

He suppressed his doubts and asked, "Please enlighten me, Abbot."

He even saw a hint of pity in the other person's eyes, something he had never seen before.

Abbot Kongbei patted him on the shoulder and said, “I know you feel confused and bewildered about your birth. It is your innate affinity with Buddhism, and also your innate…karmic obstacles.”

"But do you know why Brother Duye was able to become a Buddha back then?"

"Because he let go. He let go of good and evil, let go of his obsession, and even let go of himself."

"And you, can you let go?"

These words have made it clear that he knows about his background.

But how could I know?

I was able to learn about my background back then, although it was the events in my diary that filled in the gaps in my memory.

But the key was that he was able to deduce it by combining various clues he learned from his mother.

Kong Bei was unaware of his relationship with his mother.

Otherwise, he should have already guessed his own identity when he was writing his diary!
Now, Kongbei can no longer find that journal.

They shouldn't even be able to remember or guess the truth!

The monk Huiming felt at a loss.

The words I wanted to say were stuck on my lips, and I just couldn't get them out.

"I...this..."

Kongbei remained calm throughout. He noticed Huiming's embarrassment but didn't press the issue. Instead, he continued to offer guidance, saying, "Huiming, have you noticed that the more you try to eliminate your ego, the stronger it becomes?"

“Every time you chant scriptures, meditate, or do good deeds, there’s a voice in your heart asking, ‘Can I become a Buddha this way?’ right?”

These words struck Huiming's heart like a series of heavy blows.

His face also turned pale.

Leaving aside the fact that the other party already knows about his background.

What is being said now is indeed true.

In a sense, before the benefactor of the other shore flower eliminated the self that was meditating in the stone gate of the mandala, that ego was even stronger than Huiming's original self.

He was completely unable to confront the other party head-on, and could only keep running away and dragging things out day after day.

"It is the curse left to you by your karma. You think you are practicing spiritual cultivation, but in fact you are feeding it."

"The harder you work, the stronger it grows. One day it will devour you and turn you into the second Brother Duye."

The voice of emptiness and sorrow slithered into Huiming's ears like a venomous snake.

"No! I won't!" he shouted, gasping for breath as he staggered back. "I will never become a ferryman!"

This intense reaction filled Kong Bei's eyes with pity as he looked at him.

A faint smile played at the corners of his lips.

He said, "How about this, I have a prescription here."

"If you can transfer the Buddhist affinity within you, along with its impurities, to me to bear, then your ego will also disappear."

"From now on, you will no longer struggle or suffer, and you can live out the rest of your life as an ordinary monk."

“Huiming, Abbot, I’m doing this for your own good.”

Having said that, he pulled out the Buddhist scripture contract from his sleeve.

The Buddha statue shone brightly in the sunlight.

Kongbei even added, "I know you are worried about Xiaowusheng and Cibei Temple. After I fulfill your Buddhist affinity and obsession and help all sentient beings attain Buddhahood, I will hand over the position of abbot of Cibei Temple to you."

"At that time, will you still worry about not being able to take good care of Xiao Wusheng? Will you still worry that Cibei Temple will not be able to move towards a better future? As the abbot, you will be able to guide and decide all of this."

Huiming's gaze was fixed on the Buddhist scripture contract.

I was already being bothered by auditory hallucinations from time to time this morning.

Now, as he communicates with Kong Bei, he no longer dares to say that his ego has truly been eliminated.

If that's the case, then being able to transfer one's attachment to self and thus cease the painful struggle, and even becoming the abbot, would allow one to better guide the Compassionate Temple and care for the Unborn...

What an alluring relief!

Huiming's hand trembled as he slowly reached out towards the paper.

Even if there's a faint voice in your heart saying—

"No, this isn't right..."

"This is also a form of escapism..."

But the voice was too weak.

So weak it was almost inaudible.

As his hand drew closer and closer to the Buddhist scriptures, the black filth in Kongbei's eyes began to surface.

That's it! Take it over quickly!
However, the moment Huiming's fingertips touched the Buddha's covenant, a small figure appeared not far away.

He shouted in a childish voice, "Master! You've come to see me!"

A soft rustling sound—

The little figure of Wusheng ran around in the vegetable garden, looking innocent and adorable.

As he ran, he pointed to a plot of the vegetable garden below and said, "Master, look, that's the patch I've been planting recently. The leaves are so lush! They're delicious! Shall I cook you a bowl of vegetable soup?"

The hand that had already touched the Buddha suddenly pulled back as if it had been electrocuted.

Huiming clenched that hand, his expression becoming extremely complicated.

He sighed and said, "Abbot... please let me think about it some more."

A sinister glint flashed in Kong Bei's eyes, but he quickly concealed it and put the Buddhist covenant back into his sleeve.

"Alright, think it over before you act."

"But you must also understand the principle that opportunity knocks but once."

"I can only give you three days at most. Once you miss it, the opportunity will be gone forever."

Having said that, he turned and left.

As he passed by Wusheng, a sense of indescribable disgust surfaced in Kongbei's eyes, though it went unseen by Huiming as he had his back to her.

Wusheng ran up to Huiming.

Looking at his pale face, she asked with some concern, "Master, are you feeling unwell?"

In response, Huiming forced a smile and said, "No, Master is thinking about something."

After saying this, he bent down and picked up the tools he had used to fetch water.

Wusheng wasn't idle either; he immediately helped out.

The master and apprentice began watering the vegetable garden.

Looking at Huiming in front of me, who was bending over watering the plants and checking the soil and leaves from time to time to see if they had been eaten by insects.

Wusheng, standing at the back, seemed to want to say something but hesitated.

His sudden return from the meditation hall to the vegetable garden was because he remembered the things he dreamed about last night while meditating.

The faceless man's words made him feel vaguely uneasy.

Finally, after hesitating for a moment, Wusheng mustered up the courage to speak:
"Master, I had a dream last night."

Huiming didn't stop watering the plants, but simply asked calmly, "What dream?"

Wusheng steadied himself and said seriously, "I dreamt of a strange faceless man. He seemed to be my demon. He spoke very harshly, but he also seemed to know a lot of things."

"He wants me to protect you."

These words made Huiming turn around and ask in confusion, "Putting aside the question of where you would get such a demon at your age, just the fact that this Compassion Temple is peaceful and undisturbed is not a time of war and chaos. So what is there to protect?"

Looking at his still tired eyes.

Wusheng said to himself, word by word, "Master, when you chant Amitabha Buddha, are you calm or afraid?"

Huiming was taken aback.

When you recite Amitabha Buddha's name, are you calm or afraid?
These days are naturally filled with fear and anxiety.

I'm afraid I won't become a Buddha, and I'm also afraid I will become a Buddha.

But before knowing these things, I was in the vegetable garden, outside the meditation hall, working alongside Wusheng...

I was absolutely calm at the time.

But now, that tranquility, like a mountain stream, is nowhere to be found.

"Master? What's wrong?" Wusheng asked, pulling his master back to his senses after he had been lost in thought for a long time.

Seeing this, Huiming shook his head and shook off his thoughts.

Instead of answering the question directly, he asked in return, "Wusheng, what about you? What do you feel when you recite the Buddha's name?"

Wusheng blinked and thought for a moment.

She answered very seriously: "Reciting the Buddha's name is just reciting the Buddha's name. When you recite it, your mind is very pure."

The little bald head shook, then squatted down and pointed at the vegetable leaves that had just been watered, laughing, "Just as clean as this freshly washed cabbage, hehe."

Huiming felt a mix of emotions and said, "Aren't you afraid? After all, Buddha is something that can't be seen or touched."

"What are you afraid of?" Wusheng asked, puzzled. "Buddha won't bite people."

These words made Huiming burst out laughing.

But as he laughed, tears streamed down his face, splashing into the bucket of water in front of him and creating a ripple.

Yes, Buddha doesn't bite people.

What I fear is never the Buddha himself, but the obsession in my own heart.

Can that obsession really be eliminated?
"Of course not."

"As long as my attachment to self remains, my Buddha will endure forever."

The auditory hallucinations have started again... (End of Chapter)