Longevity starts with choosing Hextech enhancement

Chapter 397 Apology and Repair of the Array Base
Xiao Chen's words were clear in their cause and effect, and supported by ample witness testimony and physical evidence.

Most importantly, even if someone has doubts, they simply cannot disprove it.

To come up with such a perfect excuse in such a short time.

Xiao Chen felt incredibly clever!
Not only that.

He even took out the tentacle and showed it to everyone.

Although the remaining demonic energy within it had long been exhausted, this thing could still emit a relatively faint purple light.

Any cultivator who sees it for the first time will instinctively feel a sense of allure and mystery upon first glance.

Then, subconsciously, I made the judgment—it must be something bad.

Those around him were still somewhat skeptical after hearing Xiao Chen's explanation.

But after seeing the tentacle with my own eyes, it suddenly seemed much more reasonable.

Keep in mind, these are tentacles from a fifth-tier great demon.

Anything related to that level, no matter how illogical, can be explained.

No one can question whether a fifth-tier demon has the ability to cause such severe pollution of evil energy.

If anyone doesn't believe it, then go and verify it with that fifth-tier demon.

First, you have to find it, and second, you have to come back alive.

Even for a Nascent Soul cultivator, this is an extremely difficult task.

"It's quite a coincidence that I had discussed this with you fellow Daoists before."

Xiao Chen feigned regret and said, "It's a pity that in the end no one could identify what kind of monster this tentacle came from."

"It just so happens that I had heard that Pudu Temple has a long history and that all the Zen masters are knowledgeable."

"But is it possible to know the specific origin of this object?"

As he spoke, he extended the tentacle directly to the other party.

Zen Master Jingxing, who had already been helped to his feet, did not refuse upon hearing this and directly reached out to take it, saying, "I would not call myself knowledgeable; I have simply read a few rare and ancient books."

"Please allow me to carefully distinguish the matter before answering the layperson."

Pudu Temple has a large and long-standing collection of books, and it certainly possesses many secrets of the spiritual world.

However, even the most powerful cultivators cannot grasp all the situations in the cultivation world.

This time they encountered something completely unfamiliar.

The other Zen masters also came over and took turns examining the tentacle, but none of them could discern its origin.

They couldn't even determine the general type of the monster.

One can only wonder, amidst astonishment, which direction of bloodline mutation this is, that it is so bizarre.

Then, once again, the same sentiment that has been expressed throughout history is uttered: "Indeed, the endless sea contains countless fish and limitless possibilities."

Only God knows what bloodline mutation has occurred inside.

"We are truly ashamed to say that we are also unable to identify its origin."

Master Jingxing returned the tentacle to Xiao Chen, and at the same time assured him, "Please rest assured, Layman Xiao, we will absolutely keep our mouths shut."

"I will never reveal a single word about these tentacles to anyone who is not involved."

Even for a Nascent Soul True Monarch, a fifth-order spiritual item is an extremely precious spiritual material, and the fewer people who know about it, the better.

Therefore, this can reasonably explain why Xiao Chen did not confront the issue directly at the beginning, but instead tried to evade it by using reasons such as magical artifacts.

Not only the Zen masters of Pudu Temple felt this way.

Even Zhang Shouquan, who was standing next to him, believed this statement and empathized with Xiao Chen's thoughts.

"Although the origin is unknown, it at least suggests that the signs of Asura may be related to the sea race."

Zen Master Jingchen was somewhat puzzled: "Could it be that the catastrophe in the foreshadowing still comes from the sea creatures?"

"This isn't right. The sea creatures are clearly showing signs of weakness."

"But if it's not a sea creature, then what could it be?"

This was indeed strange, and the people at Pudu Temple couldn't quite figure it out.

Could the sea creatures outside bring new variables?
That doesn't make sense; they don't qualify as a human catastrophe.

"Regardless of the circumstances, we must promptly strengthen surveillance of the open seas."

Zen Master Jingxing immediately instructed: "Once we repel the sea creatures' invasion, we should immediately send out more scouts to ensure that we can detect the catastrophe in time."

"Furthermore, I have decided to use the secret decree later to report this news to the King of Light."

"Later, I will have to trouble Junior Brother Jingchen and Junior Brother Fazhao to inform the other brothers when it is time to take over."

The reason for not reporting it immediately was that Sanshan Cave Heaven was almost completely isolated from the outside world.

Conventional methods such as telepathic flying swords and communication arrays are completely ineffective.

Most of the time, important intelligence and messages could only be passed between cultivators when they traveled through the Boundary-Breaking Stone.

Very few temples have additional means of communication like Pudu Temple.

However, the conditions for implementation are very demanding, and the cost is also very high.

Even though Master Jingxing is the abbot, he cannot be easily mobilized.

According to the rules, all the Zen masters in the temple must be informed in advance, and the support of most of them must be obtained.

"Alas, I am truly ashamed."

Master Jingxing looked at Xiao Chen again: "I just promised to keep it a secret for Layman Xiao, but the matter is of great importance and I really dare not keep it from King Ming."

"We can only beg the layperson to understand us."

"As compensation, I am willing to apologize to Layman Xiao."

As he spoke, he bowed three times in succession.

"This first bow is to ask Mr. Xiao to forgive my impolite words and actions."

"This second bow is to ask Mr. Xiao to forgive my inappropriate behavior."

"This third bow is to ask Mr. Xiao to forgive my lack of hospitality."

Then Zen Master Jingxing took out an exquisite wooden box and handed it over: "This box contains three purple-gold Bodhi fruits, which are the most famous specialty of our temple."

"I now wish to present this to Layman Xiao, and hope for his understanding."

To be honest, the monk's attitude was quite bad at first, which made Xiao Chen feel very uncomfortable.

However, judging from his subsequent words and actions, he was indeed not the kind of person who would be aggressive.

It was more like he was suddenly struck by such a strong malevolent aura and influenced by the strange phenomena around him, and in his haste, he made a mistake.

Furthermore, he didn't care about saving face at this moment and readily apologized.

Xiao Chen's discomfort dissipated.

Considering that he already had more than ninety Bodhi seeds, he didn't need these three.

He waved his hand and declined, saying, "Oh, no need, no need. Let's just talk things out."

"As for the things, just put them away. I'm not the kind of person who holds grudges."

Most of the time, Xiao Chen is very reasonable, especially when dealing with kind people.

Of course, if someone insists on courting death in front of him, or commits wrongdoings and tries to bully others, then that's a different story.

"It's wonderful that you understand, Mr. Xiao, but please accept this small token of my appreciation."

Master Jingxing took a half step forward and placed the box directly into Xiao Chen's hands: "Since this old monk has acted inappropriately, he should make amends in time."

"Mr. Xiao was misunderstood without cause and should also receive compensation."

"This is the way to live in harmony."

Ok?
Why does this sound weird?

Xiao Chen took a half step back, not taking the box: "Abbot, please don't overthink it, there's really no need for that."

The golden Bodhi fruit is indeed very precious to others, but it is almost useless to him.

“Brother Jingxing, I think it would be better to offer something else as an apology.”

Zen Master Fazhao promptly reminded him: "Layman Xiao is a genius youth that our human race encounters only once in ten thousand years."

"Moreover, he follows the path of enlightenment, and his comprehension is already extremely high, so he doesn't need these external aids at all."

"Even if I accept the Purple Gold Bodhi Fruit, it's useless. I might as well exchange it for something more practical."

Zen Master Jingxing suddenly realized the truth.

That's right. Those geniuses who pursue enlightenment are so powerful that they don't even care about spiritual objects that enhance their comprehension.

He raised his hand and slapped his forehead, letting out a helpless sigh: "Alas, I really made a fool of myself today."

After a moment's thought.

He then put away the wooden box, took out a painting scroll and handed it over: "In that case, please accept this painting, 'Buddha Meditating,' by Layman Xiao."

"It should be able to play a role in the layperson's spiritual practice."

This thing is really useful.

Buddhism possesses a wide variety of Buddhist treasures, and the "Buddha Meditating" painting is one of the most famous among them.

When used by cultivators in seclusion, it can rapidly advance the cultivation progress of a certain spell.

It is rumored that one can achieve results in a month that are no less than those achieved through ten years of arduous cultivation.

This not only enhances combat power and survivability, but also greatly saves cultivators the time spent on spells.

If Xiao Chen wanted to delve deeper into a particular spell, he could indeed use this thing.

For example, if you use it to advance the "Four Symbols Mountain Suppressing Cover" to a minor level, you can resist more intense attacks from the enemy in battle.

This is a good thing, why don't you take it?

If Xiao Chen were to accept this now, wouldn't that imply that he had just been criticizing the Purple Gold Bodhi Fruit?

That's not appropriate, let's just forget about it: "Abbot, you've misunderstood, I didn't mean that."

"The main thing is that I've never cared about those little misunderstandings."

If it were someone else, they might have given up.

However, Zen Master Jingxing persisted in persuading him: "Layman Xiao may not care, but this old monk cannot be indifferent."

"Please be sure to accept this apology."

Oh dear, how did it turn out like this again?

Upon seeing this, Zen Master Fazhao sensed that something was amiss.

Xiao Chen insisted on not accepting the apology. Could it be that he had said he didn't care anymore, but was still angry and dissatisfied with their rudeness?

Even Gangyuan Zhenjun is a little nervous. You must not argue about this again.

The atmosphere was tense, and everyone sensed something was wrong, so they all tried to persuade each other.

Xiao Chen didn't refuse any longer and reached out to take the painting "Buddha Meditating".

With that, everyone was finally relieved.

Now that you've accepted everything, it's probably a real turning point.

"Thank you for your forgiveness, Layman Xiao!"

Zen Master Jingxing put his hands together and said, "Although it is very difficult to dispel evil energy, I will do everything I can to help."

"Later, in the secret decree, we will also request the King of Light's assistance."

Zen Master Fazhao nodded in agreement: "If we could obtain a fifth-level Buddhist scripture, even if it couldn't directly eliminate all the evil energy, it should at least be able to suppress it."

"To minimize the impact of the evil energy."

At this point, Zen Master Jingchen had a sudden inspiration and recommended, "In addition, whenever Layman Xiao has free time, he can come to the Seven Treasures Pagoda to recite scriptures and chant Buddha's name."

"Although it is slow to take effect, it can still play a certain role."

what?
What's the situation?
Xiao Chen was stunned. Suppressing and eliminating the evil energy? How could that be possible?

Do you know how difficult it is for me to collect evil energy?
Therefore, Xiao Chen refused without hesitation, saying, "I know everyone is doing this out of good intentions, but as it stands, the evil energy doesn't seem to affect me at all."

"Why don't we first study the most important matter of dealing with the sea creatures?"

"We can talk about other things later."

Master Jingxing also agreed with this point, so he did not say anything more.

Instead, Zen Master Fazhao was somewhat worried: "Layman Xiao, you must not be careless!"

"Although some people have harbored malevolent energy for decades without incident, they only possess a trace or half of it."

"In your current condition, even Buddhist scriptures are almost useless."

"If we don't take this seriously and deal with it as quickly as possible, it could very well lead to a major disaster!"

Zen Master Fazhao spoke faster and faster, his tone revealing an almost undisguised urgency.

Xiao Chen had saved him in the new ruins before, so he was genuinely concerned and anxious at this moment.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shouquan felt a little more at ease.

Judging from the previous situation, he should only have a wisp of malevolent energy, and the problem is not serious; there is plenty of time to deal with it.

As for True Lord Gangyuan, he was secretly laughing to himself.

What are you all worrying about? This evil energy will definitely have no effect on Xiao Chen.

He was the only one who didn't believe in fifth-tier demons.

Of course, he would keep this matter to himself and not tell anyone, not even the True Lord of Hanchuan.

"Listen to me, everyone. I have my own plans for this matter, so there's no need for you to worry about it."

Xiao Chen simply stated, "Once I've dealt with the sea tribe, I'll seek help from my elders to deal with the evil energy."

"This way, I won't owe anyone favors, and I feel more at ease."

"There are some things that are really inconvenient to say right now, but you don't need to worry about me having any problems."

"In particular, there's no need to trouble the King of Light."

You know what, everyone used to firmly believe that Xiao Chen came from a hidden lineage.

Upon hearing this, he immediately expressed his understanding.

Only Zen Master Fazhao quietly instructed that he could come back if needed in the future.

Thus, what was originally just a formality finally came to an end after delaying everyone for nearly half an hour.

After entering Pudu Temple, Xiao Chen and his two companions were finally offered seats and tea.

However, the original plan was for everyone to discuss the fight against the sea creatures in the main hall.

It has now been temporarily moved to the side hall next door.

And it's estimated that they won't be entering the main hall again for the foreseeable future.

There's nothing we can do about that; nobody wants strange phenomena to occur around them during negotiations, making it feel like the underworld.

Even Xiao Chen himself didn't want to stay in that kind of environment.

He's just not afraid of evil energy; he's not a real demon.

However, there wasn't really anything for everyone to discuss.

After all, only Xiao Chen and two others came this time, and their purpose was to share the pressure, not to launch a direct counterattack.

Therefore, Pudu Temple considered that they were not familiar with the grand formation and were not very good at Buddhist teachings, so they cooperated accordingly.

Just as expected, they were all assigned to assist in repairing the array base.

Although Xiao Chen and the others do not directly participate in the defense, this will alleviate the biggest problem that Pudu Temple is currently facing—the shortage of array bases.

It's already the end of July.

It has been almost three years since the sea creatures invaded.

For such a long time, Pudu Temple seemed to be impregnable.

In fact, almost all the ordinary array bases except for the core array base have been replaced.

If it weren't for the fact that Pudu Temple had taken precautions during the peaceful years of the past and stored up a considerable number of backup array bases in case of unforeseen circumstances.

Otherwise, even if Zen Master Jingchi, who was in charge of repairing the array base in the temple, worked himself to death, he would not be able to fill such a large gap.

In fact, they were already in dire straits.

The various spiritual materials that had been prepared in advance were almost running out.

It must be noted that there is no shortage of raw materials at Pudu Temple.

In the warehouse, large quantities of fourth-tier spirit ore were piled up almost like mountains.

Previously, in order to be able to make flexible adjustments to deal with different situations, half of them were simply stored in the form of ore.

Only half of it was extracted for use in weapon crafting and array formation.

As a result, the high intensity of the war has led to severe attrition since its start.

This resulted in a situation where, despite having spirit ore, there was simply not enough time to replenish it.

Over time, their reserves were almost completely depleted.

Therefore, Xiao Chen and his team's primary task was to help refine the spirit ore.

Then, refined ore is used to repair the array base.

"Fortunately, both Layman Gangyuan and Layman Zhang have a certain foundation in array formations, so they should be familiar with refining spirit ore, right?"

The slender Zen Master Jingchi said with a happy expression, "I'll have to ask for your help from now on."

Despite being a dignified fourth-level Zen master, his eyes were already bloodshot.

There was no other way; in order to make up for the shortfall as much as possible, he had been working almost non-stop for the past six months, without eating, drinking, or sleeping.

Even for cultivators, going without sleep for so long would be too much to bear.

"This... well, okay."

Zhang Shouquan came to learn about formations, so he was inevitably somewhat disappointed upon hearing this.

He knew that nothing good could come of being with Xiao Chen.

Fortunately, he could distinguish between what was important and what was urgent, and asked directly, "What kind of spirit ore is most important right now? Please give it to me."

Gangyuan Zhenjun didn't mind and readily agreed: "It might be a bit difficult to repair the array base and inscribe array patterns."

"But we're both very familiar with refining spirit ore, so you can rest assured."

He wasn't unaware of the importance of the fifth-order grand formation.

On the contrary, it was precisely because True Lord Gangyuan knew that the fifth-order grand formation was extremely profound and complex that he had no intention of stealing the master's skills.

He is no longer young, no longer a young man like Zhang Shouquan.

In the future, it would be good enough to be able to fully understand the fourth-order grand formation. Any higher goals would be meaningless and would only bring dissatisfaction and pain.

"Very well, with the layman's words, I can rest assured."

Master Jingchi mustered his spirits and explained the most urgently needed spiritual minerals one by one: "Let's deal with these urgent ones for now, and we'll make adjustments later."

"Then I'll leave this to you two."

"I'll finish repairing the array bases first, and then rest for two hours."

"Please come and wake me up at midnight (Hai Shi) so we can talk about repairing the array base together."

"At that time, I will supplement and guide everyone to understand the array base and array patterns."

Although he was very tired, he decided to finish his work before resting.

This is because doing so avoids forgetting a detail after waking up and having to re-examine the damaged parts of the array base, thus saving more than half an hour.

"Wait a minute, Master Jingchi, what about me?"

Xiao Chen listened for a long time but still couldn't hear what he should do: "What is my mission, or rather, what should I do now?"

Zen Master Jingchi quickly said, "Layman Xiao naturally also has very important things to do."

“Go through a gate here and turn right. After about twenty feet, you will see a small courtyard on the right. There is a temporary warehouse in the southeast corner of the courtyard.”

"Inside are all the array bases that were dismantled from the front but haven't been processed yet."

"Next, I will trouble Mr. Xiao to go over there and do a preliminary cleaning of those array bases."

"And then place the cleaned array bases on the racks here."

This didn't sound difficult, but Xiao Chen still pressed on, "The initial cleanup shouldn't be too complicated, right? Is there anything I need to pay special attention to?"

"To be honest, I really have no experience in this area."

Upon hearing this, Zen Master Jingchi changed his plans on the spot: "Then I will go over there first and demonstrate for Layman Xiao."

"However, our other plans remain unchanged. Be sure to wake me up precisely at 9 PM."

Gangyuan Zhenjun felt a little reluctant: "I wonder if there are any relevant classics for reference?"

"If there is one, leave the demonstration to me."

"You should go and rest for a while."

Upon hearing this, Zen Master Jingchi hesitated for a moment.

He does indeed have several books that record the experience of maintaining the great formation left by the predecessors of Pudu Temple.

Logically speaking, this kind of thing should definitely not be shown to outsiders.

However, these individuals are in special circumstances, and the current situation is also special, so an exception should be made.

Besides, we'll be teaching them how to repair the array bases anyway.

At that time, it will inevitably involve some basic knowledge, and there seems to be no point in hiding it; it's just a matter of sooner or later.

Think about this.

Zen Master Jingchi then took out the book containing the instructions on cleaning and repairing the array base: "The specific procedures are all in here."

"You can also take a look at the back beforehand, where there are some tips and experiences on repairing the array base."

"We'll be able to use it tonight."

There's a secret!
Zhang Shouquan's eyes lit up when he saw the book handed to Gangyuan Zhenjun.

He immediately said, "Fellow Daoist Gangyuan, how about I go and demonstrate for Fellow Daoist Xiao?"

Since we've already been granted permission to watch, a little longer won't make a difference.

But he was secretly overjoyed and couldn't wait any longer.

Gangyuan Zhenjun didn't mind at all: "No problem. Since Fellow Daoist Zhang wants to go, then it's up to you."

Zhang Shouquan immediately reached out to take the book.

However, another hand reached out and took it away first.

Zhang Shouquan turned his head and saw that it was Xiao Chen who had intercepted the prize.

"Let me see, this thing is quite thick."

Xiao Chen smiled as he held the book and looked up at Zhang Shouquan: "Then it will be up to Fellow Daoist Zhang to teach us from the first page."

"Fellow Daoist Xiao, please let me hold onto the book first."

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, let me keep this for reference."

"Fellow Daoist Xiao, may I take a look first?"

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, don't be in such a hurry. There will be plenty of time to look at it slowly later."

Zhang Shouquan was getting a little frantic.

He knew that nothing good could come of being with Xiao Chen.

(End of this chapter)