The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, becoming a disciple of Yue Buqun.

Due to the climate and terrain, it rains frequently here, the cloud cover is low, and the mountainous areas are often shrouded in fog, creating a scene resembling a fairyland.

Mount Emei is a famous Buddhist mountain. This famous mountain has more than just the Golden Summit Temple. It's just that the Emei Sect used to be more famous in the martial arts world. Although its fame is not as great as before, as long as Mount Emei is mentioned, people will know about the Emei Sect.

Mount Emei also has many other temples, but they are all secular temples where the monks or nuns do not practice martial arts or participate in matters of the martial arts world.

Qingyun Temple?

Jiang Ning stopped in front of a temple and looked it over.

Jiang Ning saw many temples along the way down from Mount Emei, but they were all quite grand and imposing. However, this particular temple looked rather dilapidated.

A nun in worn robes was sweeping fallen leaves in front of the gate.

Chapter 134: Night Rider

Jiang Ning looked at the dilapidated temple and curiously stepped inside.

"Esteemed benefactor, have you come to the temple to offer incense?"

When the nun at the door saw Jiang Ning approaching, she put her palms together in a gesture of respect.

"Ah."

Jiang Ning nodded and casually asked, "May I ask, Master, Mount Emei is a famous Buddhist mountain. When I came down the mountain, I saw many temples, all of which were very popular with worshippers. Why is it that this place is a different story?"

Some people may have asked, but the nun didn't seem to mind. She simply chanted a Buddhist prayer and said, "All things follow their own course."

He then added, "If you wish to offer incense, please come inside."

Jiang Ning nodded, told Maodou to wait outside, and went into the temple himself.

The temple was quite small. Upon entering, I found that the buildings were very old, with cracks in the corners of the walls. There were only a few Bodhi trees in the courtyard, making it seem very desolate.

Besides the nun from earlier, there were other people in the temple, also nuns.

However, they weren't all nuns; there were also some women with long hair. These nuns or women were busy with their own things in the temple, such as chanting scriptures or taking care of the temple environment. They were all surprised when they saw Jiang Ning.

"Are you here to offer incense at the temple?"

A middle-aged nun approached, clasped her hands together in a gesture of respect, and asked.

"Ah."

Jiang Ning nodded.

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged nun said, "Please come with me."

Then he led Jiang Ning to the main hall, where a statue of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva was enshrined.

Jiang Ning was not surprised.

Legend has it that Mount Emei is the sacred site of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, so it is normal for this temple to enshrine Samantabhadra Bodhisattva.

"Please wash your hands, benefactor."

A nun came in carrying a basin of water.

You must wash your hands before offering incense; this is a necessary step.

After Jiang Ning washed his hands, the middle-aged nun asked, "How many sticks of incense would you like, benefactor?"

"Three, please."

Jiangning Road.

There are specific rules for offering incense, usually divided into three, six, and nine sticks. Three sticks means three incense sticks, and nine sticks means nine incense sticks.

Although there is a limit to the number of incense sticks that can be offered, more is not necessarily better; most people offer three sticks.

Three incense sticks represent precepts, concentration, and wisdom, and are for praying for oneself; six incense sticks are for praying for one's children and grandchildren; and nine incense sticks are for praying for three generations of one's children and grandchildren.

Jiang Ning is all alone; burning three incense sticks is the best course of action.

The middle-aged nun nodded, then took out three incense sticks, lit them, and handed them to Jiang Ning.

Jiang Ning received the incense with both hands, left hand on top and right hand on the bottom, raised it above his head and bowed. Then he inserted the incense sticks into the incense jar one by one, with the first incense stick in the middle and the second and third incense sticks on the sides.

After doing all this, Jiang Ning worshipped the Buddha statue, and then it was over.

"Benefactor, did you not make a vow in your heart?"

The middle-aged nun standing nearby looked somewhat surprised.

Normally, ordinary people come to burn incense and worship Buddha with wishes in mind. When they hold incense and bow, they usually pause for a moment to make a wish in their hearts. But Jiang Ning did not pause at all just now. His movements were smooth and seamless, as if he had simply come in to offer incense.

Jiang Ning smiled upon hearing this: "I have no wishes that I need gods or Buddhas to fulfill for me."

"Amitabha."

The middle-aged nun chanted a Buddhist prayer and said, "If you do not ask for anything before the Buddha, blessings will come naturally. Your wisdom and affinity are profound, and I admire you greatly."

Jiang Ning smiled and said nothing more.

After offering incense, Jiang Ning donated some money for the incense offerings and left without doing anything else.

He came in out of sheer curiosity.

After leaving the temple, Jiang Ning went straight down the mountain. He had spent too long in Sichuan and was preparing to return to Mount Hua.

Before that, however, he needed to go to Dujiangyan again to see what the Green Gang was all about.

But after the incident involving the cabbage, people on Jiangning Road were more vigilant than before and even changed their routes.

night.

After traveling for four days, Jiang Ning took a temporary rest in a field.

There were no other houses for miles around, nor any dilapidated temples or caves where he could temporarily stay, so he had no choice but to spend the night outside.

Jiang Ning sat by the campfire, with a hillside not far away.

The moon hangs high in the sky, and its shimmering light falls on the ground like a layer of silver.

Jiang Ning sat quietly by the campfire, feeling the internal energy within her body.

Last year, his innate skill had already entered the third stage. After more than a year of cultivation, his internal strength has become more and more powerful, but he is still at this stage and there is still a long way to go before reaching the peak of the fourth stage.

Before leaving, Yue Buqun also revealed to Jiang Ning that he was still in the third stage of the Innate Skill, but he was about to reach the threshold of the fourth stage. However, Yue Buqun's progress seemed to have stagnated. No matter how much he practiced, he did not make much progress, and it was as slow as a tortoise.

When Yue Buqun practiced the Innate Skill, he was no longer a pure yang body. He was able to maintain that speed before because he had decades of Zixia internal energy as a foundation. Now that he has used up most of his foundation, his speed has naturally slowed down.

But Jiang Ning was different. Since entering the third stage, Jiang Ning did not feel any stagnation. His internal strength was increasing every day, which may be because he had not yet reached the bottleneck. In any case, his training speed did not slow down.

At Jiang Ning's current steady pace, without any extraordinary encounters, according to Yue Buqun's calculations, he will reach the threshold of the fourth stage in about a year, just like him.

It's unclear whether it's because Jiang Ning is a virgin, or because the Innate Skill is so compatible with him, but he practices it in a completely irrational way. The Taoist principle of gradual progress in internal energy cultivation doesn't apply to him at all; the Innate Skill seems tailor-made for him.

Even Yue Buqun was speechless at this unreasonable speed.

He had witnessed the glory of Mount Hua and knew that the Mount Hua Sect had many geniuses back then, but none of them were as talented as Jiang Ning.

However, the more extraordinary Jiang Ning becomes, the happier Yue Buqun is.

The main reason is that the pressure from the Huashan Sect is too great. The world is becoming increasingly chaotic, and Yue Buqun urgently needs a disciple from the Huashan Sect who can shoulder the responsibility. Jiang Ning has greatly relieved his pressure.

Crackling sound~

The campfire crackled as the branches burned, and Jiang Ning prepared to lie down and rest.

Ta-da~

Ta-da~

The sound of horses' hooves could be heard in the distance.

Jiang Ning's ears twitched slightly as the sound of horses' hooves came from the southeast.

Before long, a group of people on horseback appeared in the night and headed straight for Jiangning.

They only stopped when they got closer.

Jiang Ning looked at these people, his brows furrowing slightly.

His eyesight was enhanced by his innate skill, so even in the dark of night, he could see clearly.

There were more than twenty people in the group. The leading men were clearly highly skilled in martial arts, and the people behind them were also experts.

These people, holding lanterns, rode on horseback and looked at Jiangning. None of them spoke, and the atmosphere was somber.

"May I ask if you are Jiang Ning of the Huashan Sect?"

The burly man at the front spoke up, his voice loud and clear.

Chapter 135: Night Battle

Ok?

Jiang Ning narrowed his eyes upon hearing this; this was directed at him.

"it's me."

Jiang Ning directly admitted it.

It's pointless to admit or not to acknowledge the situation now; the people on the other side all reek of blood and are clearly not to be trifled with.

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, a man raised his lantern and shone it forward, then laughed and said, "Indeed young! Truly, heroes emerge from among the young! Hahaha!"

The others also burst into laughter, their deep voices carrying far, clearly indicating that they possessed considerable internal strength and were all skilled fighters.

Seeing their attitude and tone, Jiang Ning knew that these people had come with ill intentions.

These people didn't reveal their purpose in seeking him out, but Jiang Ning already had a general idea that they were probably sent by Ren Yingying.

"Boy."

One of the men squeezed his horse with both legs, took two steps forward, and said to Jiang Ning.

"I think you're quite good, so I won't beat around the bush. Someone appreciates you and wants you to join my cult. Are you in?"