Ten Directions Sword Master

Chapter 217 The Golden Body of the Arhat

The next day.

Led by a junior eunuch, Lu Li bypassed the palace, traversed the gardens, and arrived at the deepest part of Zhanghua Terrace.

Receiving no answer, the young eunuch remained silent the entire way, and after completing his task of providing directions, he turned back and left.

A moment later, Kumarajiva also appeared.

After just one night, he looked much better.

His breathing was still weak, but at least the feeling of being on the verge of death was gone.

"Benefactor Lu has arrived early. I had a terrible night. I broke about a hundred bones in my body, and they all need to heal and be tied back up."

Kumarajiva chuckled, seemingly unconcerned about the defeat and the serious injury.

"The key is that your sword strike temporarily severed my wisdom root, so I have to return to the temple to ask the Dharma King to perform another initiation."

"Severing cause and effect with a sword, karmic burdens are placed upon you, making it difficult to escape—Benefactor Lu has a bright future ahead of you, but do not become so intoxicated by this sword technique that you will ultimately harm yourself."

Lu Li did not expect that Kumarajiva would give him advice in return, but considering that Buddhism has always emphasized cause and effect, it was not surprising that he could perceive the true meaning in the sword.

It seems that the causal connection severed by this sword is not irreversible, and the resulting backlash will not be as severe as imagined.

Kumarajiva is right. The sword of cause and effect is illogical and mysterious, and it is easy to become dependent on it.

However, if the triggering is repeated too many times, the only outcome will be being entangled in karma and unable to extricate oneself.

Ultimately, drawn by karma and cause and effect, they die without a proper burial.

His opponent couldn't block the sword, and neither could he.

However, Kumarajiva was unaware of the profound changes in the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Sword Technique. When the true meanings of the Spring and Autumn Sword Techniques were integrated, they matched the imagery of spring planting and autumn harvest, a natural cycle of destiny.

The backlash is mostly borne by the seeds, reducing it to a level that can be ignored under normal circumstances.

It's fine if people have this misunderstanding, thinking that the "Karma Sword" is a killer move with strict limitations.

In fact, you can use it whenever you want, and it can catch people off guard.

He nodded slightly, smiled but did not answer.

Almost half an hour later, the last person finally arrived.

Only after asking did I learn that Chuhe left the palace yesterday and stayed at the home of a close friend of my father's, and then returned to Zhanghua Terrace this morning.

This fuss slowed things down.

"Please forgive me, both of you. After returning home, I took medicine to heal my injuries. My vital energy was severely depleted. The medicine powder contained sleep-inducing ingredients, and I slept until the sun was high in the sky before I could get up."

Chu He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, becoming somewhat reserved.

Before the gathering of heroes began, everyone was a top ten genius on the leaderboard.

Despite their different ranks, they feel they are on the same level and there is no qualitative difference between them.

The gathering of heroes shattered illusions and provided a clear understanding of the gap in strength.

He only qualified because he was ranked high on the leaderboard and was a seeded player.

If they switch groups, they'll most likely suffer a crushing defeat.

Even among the top ten on the list, there are differences.

"It's alright, a little more time won't make a difference in comprehending the Holy King's Golden Book."

Lu Li nodded slightly.

Once the three arrived, four unfamiliar eunuchs soon came, carrying a stone box, their steps silent.

"By imperial decree, I have brought the Holy King's Golden Book for the three young heroes to study—one incense stick for each of them, no more and no less."

The leading eunuch had a deep, resonant voice and was broad-shouldered and burly.

The stone box was opened, revealing pages of books, their colors subtly hidden, shimmering with golden light.

The ancient and worn-out book is blank, but if you stare at it for too long, you will feel dizzy and as if you are about to fall into it.

It is the most precious treasure of the Great Chu royal family, the Holy King's Golden Book!

"Shall I go first?"

Knowing that his strength was far inferior to the two, Chu He took the initiative to step forward.

The Holy King's Golden Book is rarely made available to martial artists outside the royal family. Everyone has only heard of its great name, but they only have a vague understanding of the specific process of comprehending it.

Being able to observe the experience of others when you play later is naturally a great advantage.

Kumarajiva remained noncommittal, as did Lu Li, whose attention was diverted by the four eunuchs.

All four are at the Refining Spirit Realm, which is quite an exaggeration—the Inner Palace Department alone is comparable to a near-first-tier sect.

Lu Li was astonished by the immense power of the imperial court after only a brief deduction.

Despite the fact that the Great Chu was restricted in many ways and could not resist the Northern Zhou, it could only passively defend itself.

If they could not wipe out the pirates to the south, they would have to stand by and watch as the bandits landed, looted, and massacred villages and households.

In the southwest, numerous vassal states colluded with and controlled the prefectures and counties, disregarding the laws of the Great Chu, rendering the government virtually ineffective.

Internally, sects and aristocratic families carved out their own territories, quickly becoming independent kingdoms.

Subconsciously, people might think that the imperial court is nothing special, outwardly strong but inwardly weak.

But that's because the power is too scattered. If they really pool their strength to attack a particular group, even a top-tier power would have a hard time.

Chuhe arrived before the Holy King's Golden Book, which had no writing on it and looked identical to all of them.

A stick of incense burned in the blink of an eye, and he had already switched to the third card. Apart from a slight fluctuation in his breathing, there were no unusual phenomena.

He was slightly sweating and clearly a little anxious. This was a rare opportunity; the imperial court was not often so generous.

It's unclear when the next gathering of heroes will be held, but one thing is certain: by then he will be past the age limit.

Chu Wentian, known as the Great Hero of Guanzhong, ranked thirty-ninth on the Earthly Ranking. His father was just an ordinary martial arts master; it was only through him that his family's glory was brought to the forefront.

Even his swordsmanship was an innovation and improvement based on a second-rate martial arts technique.

A legacy of the Saint King's Golden Book is definitely not something one can produce.

As the incense stick was about to burn out, several meteor streaks suddenly flashed across the sky, followed by the appearance of a dark blade that struck with unerring accuracy.

The starlight shattered, breaking into countless fragments that scattered in all directions, like a torrential rain of falling stars.

The rain stopped and the stars dimmed; it was just the right time.

The imposing eunuch stepped forward at the opportune moment, disrupting the rhythm of everyone's study of the Holy King's golden book and subtly causing Chu He to withdraw from his state of comprehension.

"Brother Lu, Brother Kumo, please excuse my lack of experience. My swordsmanship has only improved slightly due to insufficient accumulation, which will save me a year of effort. At the latest, I will be able to advance to the Great Mastery next year."

Chu He's face showed a mixture of relief and admiration.

"I am not as good as the two of you. I will not be able to directly comprehend supernatural powers in the future. I can only take the path of slow refinement and gradual improvement. After achieving great success, it will take several more years before I have the opportunity to enter the realm of transformation and achieve supernatural powers."

Aside from a few exceptionally gifted geniuses who can directly grasp the essence of the law, most martial artists can only elevate a martial art to a supernatural power through the slow and persistent process of gradual progress.

Improve step by step, and then break through after mastering the skill, so that it truly becomes part of you, and all changes in moves become instinctive.

That is the state of perfection.

While these meticulously crafted supernatural abilities may appear to have a solid foundation, their potential is far less than that of those achieved overnight.

The supernatural abilities they acquire are often the lowest level of unorthodox techniques.

This was also due to Chu He's self-deprecating tone; he had improved his swordsmanship to a higher level, which was only slightly better than gaining nothing from studying the Holy King's Golden Book.

Before coming here, he even fantasized that he could see into the inner world and help him quickly advance to the level of Refining Spirit.

Only when actually facing the golden pages did I suddenly realize that my mind was blank, unable to form anything of my own.

Fortunately, near the end, the sword technique he had practiced countless times since childhood played out in his mind from beginning to end.

The original doubts suddenly became clear, and I realized that I had not wasted this hard-won opportunity.

"All forms are illusory—if one sees all forms as non-forms, then one sees the Tathagata."

Kumarajiva picked up a flower with his fingers, and sat down with a smile.

Without even choosing, he randomly picked out a page from the Holy King's Golden Book and placed it in front of him.

Before long, lines of Sanskrit characters lit up on the blank golden book, constantly being arranged and combined in various ways.

Golden lotuses sprang from the ground, and chanting filled the air. The light and shadow in the hall shifted, as if one had been transported to a Buddhist temple.

Judging from the sheer scale of the event, it's clear that Kumarajiva's understanding of the Holy King's Golden Book far surpasses that of Chuhe.

"The Golden Body of the Arhat —"

The burly eunuch gasped, his heart skipping a beat.

One by one, the Sanskrit characters detached from the golden book and merged into Kumarajiva's body, forming a vague golden body.

With a serene face and a massive body, a terrifying aura appeared simultaneously with the golden body, stirring up a storm in the hall.

The group felt insignificant and a deep unease arose within them.

The golden body of an Arhat is a symbol of a grandmaster, yet it has appeared on a Foundation Establishment martial artist. How could this not be astonishing?

This eunuch had witnessed too many scenes of royal family members studying the Holy King's golden book, and he was well aware of the unusual phenomena that would occur.

These wondrous sights are the result of the Holy King's Golden Book illuminating the path of Kumarajiva, manifesting itself in the real world in this form.

However, the Golden Book cannot be created out of thin air; it can only reinforce the principles that one has already comprehended.

The appearance of the Arhat's golden body indicates that there is great hope for the realization of Kumarajiva's Dharma body.

Rather than having only combat power, they will show signs of fatigue after refining their spirit.

As time passed, the blurred golden body changed, with one hand pointing to the sky and the other standing on the ground.

Golden lotuses on the ground withered and fell, their petals condensing into strands of dark yellow that seeped into the golden body.

It seems the mechanism of the Holy King's Golden Book is to provide feedback based on the individual's level of comprehension. Only content that is truly absorbed and integrated into one's own path will be refined and elevated by the Golden Book—hence the uniqueness of the experience; each person's feedback from studying the Golden Book will be different.

with.

Lu Li figured out some patterns and seemed to have grasped the rules of the Holy King's Golden Book.

Chu He looked down on the unity of heaven and man achieved after half a step into the Divine Refinement realm, but his understanding of the inner world was still too shallow, which was why he remained unmoved—only his swordsmanship, honed over a decade, had its essence thoroughly understood, making every move instinctive, and the Golden Book illuminated his future grand mastery. Meanwhile, Kumarajiva, with his profound Buddhist spirit and enlightenment of the Buddha-land within his palm, directly pointed him to the most fundamental path.

I wonder how the Holy King's Golden Book will react when I take the stage?

When the incense stick had burned out, Kumarajiva slowly rose, clasped his hands together, and his eyes shone with a wise light.

The golden body shrank to a single point, deep and chaotic, and entered from above his head.

His pupils were dyed gold, radiating an astonishing aura, as if flames were burning within them.

The page of the Holy King's Golden Book in his hand instantly aged for thousands of years, its golden luster fading.

The eunuchs were shocked. The original Holy King's Golden Book consisted of three volumes and forty-eight pages, but now only one and a half volumes remained.

On average, a single page of a golden book can be studied and comprehended at least a hundred times before its power is exhausted and it turns into ordinary paper.

This means that Kumarajiva used up the quota of at least fifty people for one visit.

How could the four eunuchs not change color?

The fact that the royal family used the Holy King's Golden Book as a reward does not mean they were happy to see their savings being wasted in this way.

For every additional unit used by outsiders, the number of available members of the imperial family and talents recruited by the court decreases.