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Chapter 4: The Scripture Pavilion, Five Years Later
Chapter 4: The Scripture Pavilion, Five Years Later
"Little one."
"Let me see your hand."
As the abbot and the head monks were lost in their thoughts, the elderly monk with long eyebrows stepped forward and spoke gently.
"Okay," Lin Yuan replied without refusing.
In fact, he couldn't refuse.
As he looked at the elderly monk, Lin Yuan felt the trace of innate Qi that he had just cultivated in his dantian tremble.
It was evident that this elderly monk possessed strength far beyond Lin Yuan's imagination. He was far more powerful than the abbot and the head monks. Lin Yuan hadn't felt such pressure from them.
"Martial arts perfection breeds innate Qi," the long-browed monk murmured as he gently touched Lin Yuan's right hand, and a surge of scorching Qi spread, causing him to sigh.
"Innate Qi?" The abbot and the head monks of Da Chan Temple breathed a sigh of relief simultaneously, despite their initial suspicions.
In this world of martial arts, there are four stages: Postnatal, Prenatal, Grand Master, and Great Grand Master. Typically, the Grand Master stage is considered the pinnacle, and a Great Grand Master may not appear for centuries.
The majority of martial artists are in the Postnatal and Prenatal stages. There are three ways to transition from the Postnatal to the Prenatal stage:
First, one could consume a rare heavenly elixir. Even an ordinary person could become a Prenatal stage martial artist by absorbing the full power of such a pill.
Second, a Postnatal peak martial artist could seize the opportunity to break through and enter the Prenatal stage. This path is the most common, and almost all Prenatal stage martial artists achieve it this way.
Third, one could cultivate an advanced martial art to perfection.
Advanced martial arts are the product of blood, sweat, and tears of Grand Master stage martial artists. When cultivated to perfection, these arts push the human body to its absolute limit in a particular aspect, naturally giving birth to innate Qi.
However, those who achieve the Prenatal stage through this method are usually in their fifties or sixties, having dedicated decades to studying advanced martial arts day and night before finally having a eureka moment one day.
The abbot and head monks had never heard of anyone as young as Lin Yuan, at the age of three or four, comprehending an advanced martial art. Only a once-in-a-millennium martial arts genius born with innate knowledge could possibly explain such a feat.
"Little one, would you like to become my disciple?" The long-browed monk looked at Lin Yuan with a complicated expression and suddenly made the offer.
Upon hearing this, the abbot, the head monks, and the other monks did not show any signs of surprise. Now that they had confirmed that Lin Yuan had comprehended an advanced martial art and cultivated it to perfection, they realized that his martial arts talent was undoubtedly the best Da Chan Temple had seen in a millennium.
Only the long-browed monk, the sole Grand Master in the entire Da Chan Temple, was qualified to teach such a prodigious talent. As for the abbot and the head monks, they were technically at the same Prenatal stage as Lin Yuan, so they weren't in a position to accept disciples.
"Disciple greets Master," Lin Yuan immediately bowed to the long-browed monk.
Becoming the long-browed monk's disciple indeed saved Lin Yuan a lot of time. According to the rules of Da Chan Temple, all disciples, regardless of identity or background, had to undergo twelve years of training. Three years as a running monk, three years as a menial monk, three years in the lecture hall, and finally, three years in the precepts court. Only after enduring these twelve years would they be qualified to formally learn the true martial arts of Da Chan Temple.
If Lin Yuan had not revealed his talent and remained an ordinary little monk, he would have wasted countless years.
Although his heaven-defying comprehension ability would have allowed him to gain insights even from mundane tasks like watching the mountains and waters, starting on different footing would naturally lead to vastly different results in the same amount of time.
With the premise that he could only stay in this world for twenty years, it was clear that hiding his talent was not an option.
By becoming the disciple of the long-browed monk, the only Grand Master in the temple, and combining his guidance with Lin Yuan's heaven-defying comprehension, Lin Yuan's progress would undoubtedly be unprecedentedly rapid.
Two months later, Lin Yuan sat across from the long-browed monk.
"From now on, you will move to the Scripture Pavilion," the long-browed monk said, his lips twitching slightly.
The implication was clear—the long-browed monk felt that he could no longer teach Lin Yuan.
It was unavoidable. Lin Yuan's comprehension ability was simply too extraordinary.
At first, the long-browed monk could offer him guidance, but after a few days, he felt that something was amiss.
Throughout history, the phrase "one example and three implications" has been used to describe intelligent individuals. But Lin Yuan was far beyond that.
He could take one example and infer ten implications! He could take one example and infer a hundred implications!
No matter what the long-browed monk said, Lin Yuan could quickly understand and derive even more profound insights from it.
What truly astonished the long-browed monk was that Lin Yuan's talent wasn't limited to martial arts; he displayed equal aptitude in Buddhist scriptures and teachings.
Facing such an abnormal prodigy, even a master like the long-browed monk felt overwhelmed.
As time went on, rather than the long-browed monk guiding Lin Yuan, it became more like two eminent monks engaging in an equal debate.
Lin Yuan's insights even benefited the long-browed monk, who was already a master.
And all of this progress was achieved in just two months.
"The Scripture Pavilion?"
Lin Yuan's eyes lit up.
The Scripture Pavilion was where Da Chan Temple housed its collection of martial arts manuals.
It was an extremely important and heavily guarded location.
The Seventy-Two Ultimate Techniques, a collection of seventy-two superior martial arts, were kept on the second floor of the Scripture Pavilion.
Moreover, on the third floor, there were even more profound martial arts that surpassed the Seventy-Two Ultimate Techniques.
Lin Yuan had wanted to visit the Scripture Pavilion for a long time, but the long-browed monk had never given his permission.
He had always said that Lin Yuan was too young and that exposure to such advanced knowledge at a young age would be detrimental to his mental state.
"The myriad martial arts housed in the Scripture Pavilion were authored by the successive generations of grand masters of Da Chan Temple."
"There, you should be able to learn a lot more," the long-browed monk said, waving his hand dismissively, as if he had given up trying to teach Lin Yuan.
Since he couldn't teach Lin Yuan anymore, he would let the grand masters of Da Chan Temple do it through their writings.
In fact, the Scripture Pavilion, as a heavily guarded location within Da Chan Temple, was off-limits to ordinary disciples.
But Lin Yuan was no ordinary disciple, and with the permission of the long-browed monk, the only grand master in the temple, he would face no obstacles in accessing the Scripture Pavilion.
After that day, the long-browed monk announced his seclusion.
Lin Yuan, on the other hand, took up residence in the Scripture Pavilion.
At the mere age of three, Lin Yuan began perusing the extensive collection of martial arts manuals.
The Scripture Pavilion housed an ocean of martial arts knowledge, and the Seventy-Two Ultimate Techniques were just the most famous among them. There were numerous other martial arts as well.
"The Muscle Refining Sutra?"
On the second floor of the Scripture Pavilion, Lin Yuan picked up an ancient manual.
The Muscle Refining Sutra was a unique martial art that could cleanse and reshape one's tendons and meridians, enhancing one's martial arts aptitude.
Its value was even higher than that of the Seventy-Two Ultimate Techniques.
However, despite its great potential, no one in Da Chan Temple had managed to master this martial art.
This was because the Muscle Refining Sutra had extremely high requirements. It not only demanded martial arts insight but also a deep understanding of the essence of Buddhist scriptures.
The long-browed monk might have had the foundation to cultivate the Muscle Refining Sutra, but for a grand master, it was no longer a priority.
Lin Yuan picked up the original manual of the Muscle Refining Sutra and began reading it intently.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
[Your heaven-defying insight has allowed you to observe the special martial art, Muscle Refining Sutra, and comprehend the special martial art 'Muscle Refining, Marrow Cleansing, Body Forging, Blood Replacing, and Spirit Tempering Technique'.]
Lin Yuan's heart leaped with joy.
He felt a mysterious energy coursing through his limbs and bones, gradually strengthening his meridians and flesh.
This power wasn't limited to his physical body; it also nurtured his spirit and soul.
"The original Muscle Refining Sutra could only cleanse and reshape one's tendons and meridians, which was a rather singular effect. Now that I've comprehended the 'Muscle Refining, Marrow Cleansing, Body Forging, Blood Replacing, and Spirit Tempering Technique', I can enhance all aspects of my being without any shortcomings. Even a grand master would probably be envious of this art," Lin Yuan thought, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
With the guidance of the long-browed monk, a grand master, for two months, Lin Yuan was no longer completely ignorant of the martial arts in the world.
Grand masters didn't focus on physical strength or their tendons and bones.
Or rather, every grand master had already developed their physical strength and tendons and bones to the peak of human potential.
However, body forging, blood replacing, and spirit tempering could still have a significant impact on a grand master.
Especially spirit tempering, as it was said that even grand masters yearned for martial arts that could enhance their spiritual power.
"With this 'Muscle Refining, Marrow Cleansing, Body Forging, Blood Replacing, and Spirit Tempering Technique', I should be able to enter the grand master realm ahead of schedule," Lin Yuan mused, nodding slightly to himself, feeling quite satisfied.
After comprehending the 'Great Buddha Fist', Lin Yuan had indeed taken a huge leap forward, skipping the Postnatal realm and directly entering the Prenatal realm.
However, his Prenatal realm cultivation was somewhat shallow.
After all, other Prenatal martial artists had cultivated abundant qi and blood, nurturing their Prenatal qi, before finally breaking through to the Prenatal realm.
In contrast, Lin Yuan, still in the body of a three-year-old child, had cultivated Prenatal qi that was naturally inferior in both quality and quantity compared to that of a typical Prenatal martial artist.
But now that he had achieved the Prenatal realm, it was only a matter of time before he strengthened himself further.
Now, with the 'Muscle Refining, Marrow Cleansing, Body Forging, Blood Replacing, and Spirit Tempering Technique' to nurture his body and spirit, Lin Yuan had even saved himself some time.
This martial art far surpassed the Muscle Refining Sutra, as it could enhance every aspect of Lin Yuan's being.
And so, Lin Yuan stayed in the Scripture Pavilion for five years.
(End of Chapter)
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