Quickly conquer the martial arts world, and let your fists dominate the heavens!

Chapter 298 Don't rush, take it one step at a time!
Having said that, Xuanhe turned to look in Shen Tong's direction, his gaze calm:
"Lord Shen and all the officials appointed by the court, would you be willing to give it a try?"

"With everyone watching, and Guangyuan Temple located within the capital city limits, this old monk would never harm any of you. That would be tantamount to opposing the imperial court, a rebellion that would be a losing proposition. What would be the point?"

These words were spoken frankly and openly, leaving no room for doubt.

Even if Guangyuan Temple had the greatest audacity, it wouldn't dare harm an official of the imperial court in front of the entire martial arts world, unless the monks were planning a rebellion.
Upon hearing this, Shen Tong frowned slightly. Xuan Kong was right. Although he also felt that the monk wouldn't be so kind, there were indeed no flaws in his story.

His purpose in coming here was to investigate the relic, and it would be best if he could test it himself.

As he hesitated, Pei Qian suddenly stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting to Shen Tong, and said, "Lord Shen, why don't you let me give it a try?"

Although Shen Tong was leading the team, he had not yet actually become the garrison commander, so he was naturally not arrogant: "Of course, Lord Pei, please be careful."

Pei Qian responded, turned around and strode into the hall, arriving before Xuan He.

Seeing this, Xuan Kong said no more. With a flick of his wrist, the white relic in his hand shot out like an arrow, flying straight towards Pei Qian.

Pei Qian was prepared and caught it steadily.

The moment I held the relic, I felt a warm and gentle aura spreading through my palm. It was warm, comfortable, and had a smooth, delicate feel, like jade.

But that's all; I didn't feel anything else.

It doesn't feel like a Buddhist or Taoist treasure that can help people break through spiritual barriers, or has miraculous effects such as healing or prolonging life.

Pei Qian looked down and examined it closely. He saw that the relic was crystal clear, like the finest mutton fat jade. Under the light in the hall, he could vaguely see wisps of red light flashing by inside, so fast that it seemed like an illusion.

Pei Qian couldn't see anything unusual about the bead in his hand, nor did he feel any threat. Remembering what the monk Xuan Kong had said, he grabbed it with all his might.

The beads remained completely still.

Pei Qianning channeled his inner strength into his palm, his five fingers suddenly tightening, his knuckles turning white from the force, and the veins on his palm bulging.

With his Innate Realm cultivation, he could even dent refined iron, yet this jade relic remained unchanged.

It was like a natural treasure, perfectly integrated, showing no signs of being subjected to force.

“Strange.” Pei Qian murmured, no longer hesitating, and slowly poured his innate internal energy into the relic through his palm.

In an instant, the red light inside the relic suddenly became active!
What was originally just wisps of red light now surged like magma, weaving back and forth within the crystalline bead at lightning speed, casting a faint blush on Pei Qian's palm.

But apart from that, there were no other unusual phenomena. There was neither a powerful backlash of energy nor any strange aura emanating from it, as if the relic was merely a container for absorbing internal energy.

Pei Qian tried to increase the output of his internal energy, and the internal energy in his dantian flowed in continuously, but the relic still did not react. Although the frequency of the red light flashing increased, it remained inside the bead and did not leak out at all.

He frowned and tried different methods of circulating his internal energy, using hard force, soft force, and spiral force in turn, but the result remained the same.

After a while, Pei Qian withdrew his inner force, and the red light within the relic gradually subsided, returning to its original faint appearance.

He shook his head, turned and walked towards Xuan Kong, handing the relic back: "I am powerless to help, Master, please find someone more capable."

Xuan Kong accepted the relic: "Lord Pei, there's no need to worry. Lord Shen, why don't you give it a try? I've wanted to destroy this thing for a long time, and it's really troubling. It would be a good thing if someone could absorb it."

Shen Tong nodded and stepped into the hall.

He took the relic, and its texture was just as Pei Qian had described—warm and smooth like jade, without any sharp edges.

Following the same pattern, he first gripped the gourd tightly with brute force, then channeled his inner energy into it. The process was exactly the same as Pei Qian's, and the result was the same.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't budge the bead at all, let alone activate its power.

"Indeed troublesome." Shen Tong sighed softly and returned the relic to Xuan Kong.

Xuan Kong's gaze swept over the Jinyiwei guards: "If you gentlemen are interested, you may also give it a try."

Several centurions from the Embroidered Uniform Guard exchanged glances, then stepped forward one by one to take the relic and try it out.

Some tried to use their powerful internal energy, while others tried to probe with gentle and subtle methods, but all their efforts were in vain.

Finally, it was Jin Yichuan, Shen Lian, and Lu Jianxing's turn.

When Jin Yichuan received the relic, he couldn't help but be a little surprised. The relic that his master had been searching for for so long and that people in the martial arts world were fighting over it could be held in his hands so easily.

But he couldn't see anything mysterious about it either.

After the three men took turns trying, they all shook their heads and gave up, returning to their seats as members of the Imperial Guards.

Inside the Great Buddha Hall, the martial arts community witnessed the court officials test the relics one by one, confirming that they were harmless and not something that could be easily activated. Their doubts were immediately dispelled.

"Since the imperial officials have already tried it, then I will give it a try!"

A rough voice rang out, and the speaker was a burly man who strode into the hall.

"I'm coming too!"

"Count me in!"

Immediately, everyone in the hall could no longer contain themselves and stepped forward to volunteer.

Xuan Kong didn't refuse, "Don't rush, take it one at a time."

Xuan Kong handed the relics to everyone one by one, allowing them to try them out using their own methods.

Some tried channeling their inner energy into the relic, some struck it with weapons, and some even attempted to activate it with their own blood and essence, but no matter what method they used, they could not elicit any reaction from the relic other than a flash of red light. Later, disciples and even the leaders of major sects such as Wudang, Hengshan, and Huashan joined the effort.

It still had no effect.

If there is any change, it is that as more people input their internal energy, the red light inside the relic gradually increases, becomes faster, and flickers more intensely.

After each expert finished their attempt, they all returned to their original positions with disappointed expressions, and discussions gradually arose in the hall.

"No wonder the monk Xuan Kong is so selfless."

"Yes, a treasure that can't be deciphered is worthless."

Even the desire of the people to fight over the relics has faded.

Everyone also realized a problem: they had never thought about how to use this thing after obtaining it.
Guangyuan Temple has many eminent monks, whose Buddhist teachings and martial arts skills are no less than those of other sects.

If we could unlock the secrets within, whether it be a breakthrough in martial arts or an extension of lifespan, how could they possibly have the chance to snatch it away?

Even if Xuan Kong placed the relic in front of them now, it would have no effect.
What's the point of risking your life to snatch this?

There were not many people present, but not few either. Apart from the Imperial Guards, there were about a hundred people, all with different and bizarre appearances.

Most people have already tried, and there are still a few left, including Chen Zhan and Han Tiange.

Chen Zhan stood in the crowd, wearing the Impermanence Ghost Mask, his gaze fixed on the relic.

What he felt was a sense of familiarity.

Han Tiange moved closer to Chen Zhan and secretly transmitted his inner force, saying, "These people are wasting their time. To activate the relic, you need the Holy Sect's 'Yellow Court Scripture' mental cultivation method. Ordinary inner force is completely useless."

Chen Zhan also compressed his voice into a thin line and asked, "Where are the people from the Nanyang Demonic Sect?"

Han Tiange understood Chen Zhan's meaning and replied, "They...it's hard to say. I don't know how much of the Huangting Jing's fragments they know."

Her fingertips trembled slightly, her gaze fixed on the relic in Xuan Kong's hand, and her throat bobbed.

Her "Nine Shadows of Spiral" lightness skill had reached a state of perfection. As long as she could obtain the relic and take advantage of the chaos to escape from the Great Buddha Hall, she might be able to leave unscathed, given that Yan Tieshi and the other three had already prepared an escape route outside the temple.

The thought had barely formed when Chen Zhan gently pressed down on her wrist.

"It's still early."

"The three sects of Buddhism are using the tactic of feigning injury to deceive others."

Chen Zhan's voice reached her ears: "The so-called destruction of the root of the disaster is nothing more than luring the snake out of its hole. Once the power within the relic is activated, that will be the time for them to seize it. If you make a move now, it will be tantamount to walking into a trap."

Han Tiange's heart skipped a beat. Looking at the seemingly calm expressions of Xuan Kong and the other two, he indeed sensed a hidden wariness and immediately suppressed his impulse.

At this moment, no one in the hall dared to try again. Everyone looked at the gleaming white relic with disappointment in their eyes.

Xuan Kong's gaze slowly swept across the entire scene, finally landing on Chen Zhan and Han Tiange. His tone was calm: "Why don't the two benefactors of the Huanhua Sect of Nanling give it a try?"

Chen Zhan, still wearing the mask of the Impermanent Ghost, remained silent. Han Tiange stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Our sect's cultivation is meager; I fear it is difficult to activate the sacred artifact. It is better not to humiliate ourselves."

Xuan Kong nodded slightly and did not press the matter further.

He turned to look at two Tibetan monks dressed in scarlet robes at the corner of the hall.

These two men, with high noses and deep-set eyes, and skull prayer beads around their necks, were Tibetan Tantric monks. They looked very similar, the only difference being that one was taller and the other shorter, with a horizontal scar on the shorter monk's face.

Although the Tantric tradition originated in Tibet, it also had its own branches in the Ming Dynasty, so Guangyuan Temple could not refuse a disciple with a waist token.

"Since you two masters have come from afar, why not give it a try?"

The two Tibetan monks exchanged a glance, a flash of red light passing through their eyes, before rising and walking into the hall.

The short, Tibetan monk on the left said in a hoarse voice, "Since Master Xuankong has invited me, this humble monk will make a fool of myself."

The short Tibetan monk took the relic and first tried to circulate his energy, but the relic did not react.

He then formed strange hand seals and chanted incantations. The obscure spells echoed in the hall. His movements were somewhat clumsy, and he just kept repeating the same hand seals over and over. Apart from the red light still flashing inside the relic, it showed no unusual activity.

"Hahaha, is he chanting the Rebirth Mantra?" Someone in the audience couldn't help but sneer.

"Tibetan Tantric Buddhism is nothing more than a bunch of charlatans and sorcerers."

Laughter rose and fell, but the two Tibetan monks seemed not to hear it, chanting their incantations more and more rapidly, veins bulging on their foreheads.

At this moment, a sudden change occurred!
Two intense red rays suddenly burst forth from the bodies of the two Tibetan monks, echoing the red ray inside the relic.

The crimson light burned like a raging fire, instantly enveloping the two. Their originally clumsy figures suddenly became swift, their hands gripping the relics tightly. At the same time, their toes touched the ground, and their figures, like two crimson shooting stars, streaked towards the outside of the hall.

"Oh no! They want to leave!"

While the discussion was still going on in the audience, the two monks had already transformed into shooting stars and sped away.

Han Tiange tensed up and was about to unleash the Spiral Nine Shadows to give chase, but Chen Zhan stopped him.

“It’s still early.”

(End of this chapter)