Chapter 7: Descend the Mountain, Enter the World

"As for you, Master..."

Lin Yuan looked towards Elder Long Eyebrow standing beside him.

Elder Long Eyebrow had granted Lin Yuan guidance and direction, even if it had been for only two months.

In addition, Lin Yuan had been able to smoothly move into the Sutra Pavilion because he had received a nod from Elder Long Eyebrow.

"In the Realm of Great Grandmaster, the essence lies in the spirit; external forces can hardly interfere."

"Several years ago, upon studying the 'Yi Jin Jing' within the Sutra Pavilion, I realized another martial art that should help in stepping into the Realm of Great Grandmaster."

The martial art that Lin Yuan mentioned was naturally the 'Yi Jin Washing Marrow Tempering Body Exchanging Blood Refining Divine Skill'.

This martial art, besides nurturing the physical body, could also temper the spirit.

The breaking through from Grandmaster to Great Grandmaster essentially involved awakening spiritual power.

And the purer the spiritual power, the easier it was to perceive and condense into a unique spiritual force.

It can be said that as long as one can cultivate this martial art to the state of Perfection,

the probability of breaking through from the Peak of Grandmaster to the Realm of Great Grandmaster could almost reach twenty to thirty percent.

"Buddha Child, there's no need to expend your energy on me; the path to Great Grandmaster requires a Moment of Sudden Enlightenment..."

Elder Long Eyebrow immediately said.

Before Lin Yuan, the common knowledge among the world's martial arts powerhouses was that the Realm of Great Grandmaster could not be forced.

Even a Great Grandmaster himself could hardly cultivate another Great Grandmaster.

A thousand years ago, Patriarch Bodhidharma, the founder of the Great Zen Temple and a Great Grandmaster, took one hundred and eight high monks of the Buddha Gate as disciples and established the Great Zen Temple.

Yet none of these one hundred and eight high monks were able to step into the realm of Great Grandmaster.

"It doesn't matter; just listen."

Lin Yuan didn't say much and slowly spoke of the 'Yi Jin Washing Marrow Tempering Body Exchanging Blood Refining Divine Skill'.

Seeing this, Elder Long Eyebrow listened patiently.

At first, Elder Long Eyebrow was quite at ease,

believing that what Lin Yuan said would be somewhat similar to the insights left by Patriarch Bodhidharma.

But just one-fifth of the way through, his brow furrowed, and his thoughts began to surge.

"This..."

As a Grandmaster, Elder Long Eyebrow's heartbeat quickened. With his basic discernment, he had realized just half-way through that the martial art Lin Yuan was imparting held great value.

It was actually a martial art for tempering the spirit.

Spiritual martial arts had appeared before.

On the third floor of the Sutra Pavilion, there were several spiritual martial arts left by Patriarch Bodhidharma.

However, all the known spiritual martial arts of the world could only be cultivated by Great Grandmasters, and only those who had condensed a unique spiritual force, meeting the basic condition for practicing spiritual martial arts.

But the 'Yi Jin Washing Marrow Tempering Body Exchanging Blood Refining Divine Skill' that Lin Yuan had realized could even be cultivated by martial artists of the Innate Realm.

This was simply inconceivable.

For a moment, Elder Long Eyebrow was at a loss for words.

He knew very well the value of this martial art; it could be said that if this matter were to spread, the Great Zen Temple would become the focus of the entire world.

The other Great Martial Sects and even the Dali Dynasty would shamelessly come over to snatch away this martial art.

After a moment,

Lin Yuan finished speaking and looked towards Elder Long Eyebrow, who was stunned.

The Abbot, the Abbot Huiwen, and a few others standing beside him had also listened once but didn't immediately realize the value of this martial art. They just felt that the martial art Lin Yuan spoke of was abstruse and difficult to understand, requiring gradual comprehension.

"Alright."

"You may all go back now."

Lin Yuan cast his gaze downwards and waved his hand.

"Yes."

Elder Long Eyebrow, as if awakening from a dream, suppressed the excitement in his heart and respectfully responded.

...

After Elder Long Eyebrow and the others left,

the Sutra Pavilion became quiet once more.

Lin Yuan went up to the third floor and picked up an ancient tome.

On the surface of the tome were the words 'Demon-Subduing Wisdom Scripture'.

The Wisdom Scripture was related to the spirit; this martial art was indeed a spiritual martial art,

left by Patriarch Bodhidharma a thousand years ago.

Before breaking through to Great Grandmaster, Lin Yuan had not mastered any unique spiritual force.

Although he possessed an Against-Heaven's Understanding, he had not delved much into such spiritual martial arts.

Now that he had already become a Great Grandmaster, he naturally began to comprehend this aspect.

Half a month flew by in a blink.

During these ten plus days, Lin Yuan had been observing the 'Demon-Subduing Wisdom Scripture'.

[Your understanding goes against heaven, deciphering the spiritual martial art 'Demon-Subduing Wisdom Scripture' and realizing the unique spiritual skill 'Heaven-Striking Earth-Shattering Skill']

Lin Yuan rejoiced in spirit.

Within the Niwan Palace at his brow, strands of unique spiritual force continually entwined and overlapped, forming an inexplicable pattern that imprinted itself upon it.

"Heaven-Striking Earth-Shattering Skill..."

"Unique spiritual skill..."

Lin Yuan felt that once he activated the pattern within the Niwan Palace, woven from unique spiritual force, he would unleash a type of spiritual domain.

Within the scope of this domain, even if another was a Great Grandmaster, their spiritual will would be suppressed and subjected to the torment of sinking and being lost.

"This defies all reason..."

Lin Yuan shook his head, feeling somewhat emotional.

Merely with this unique spiritual skill, Lin Yuan was confident he could be invincible within the Grandmaster Realm.

...

Time marched on.

Another five years had quickly passed.

Within the Sutra Pavilion.

Unnamed auras pervaded the space, halting just at the threshold.

"Above the Realm of the Great Grandmaster...."

Lin Yuan opened his eyes, and a white lightning bolt seemed to flash across the void.

Lightning born from the void.

This was the external manifestation of an extremely powerful spirit.

The spiritual force of a Great Grandmaster could kill a man, yet it couldn't shake the rules of matter.

For instance, lifting a rock using the force of one's spirit.

Since ancient times, not a single Great Grandmaster had managed to do this.

However, now, this ironclad law was broken by Lin Yuan.

For his realm had already transcended that of the Great Grandmaster, reaching an unparalleled level never seen before in this world.

With his Against-Heaven's Understanding, it took Lin Yuan merely five years to cross the three major realms—from Post-Heaven to Innate to Grandmaster—and achieve the body of a Great Grandmaster.

Now, another five years had passed, and it was not surprising that he broke the chains of the Great Grandmaster, accomplishing feats that no one in history had.

"Above the Great Grandmaster... let's call it the Mythical Realm."

Lin Yuan thought to himself.

The level beyond the Great Grandmaster was one of legends, of myths.

Therefore, naming it 'Mythical' seemed quite fitting.

"There are still ten years left to stay."

"It's time to take a look outside."

Lin Yuan eased his aura and looked out beyond the Great Zen Temple.

After stepping into the Mythical Realm, Lin Yuan had essentially absorbed all the accumulated foundations of the Great Zen Temple over a thousand years.

If he wanted to maintain the cultivation speed of the past ten years,

he would need to travel the world and experience other martial secret techniques.

After all, the Great Zen Temple was but one of the great martial sects.

Beyond it, there were still several other Great Martial Sects,

and even the Dali Dynasty that loomed large.

Experiencing martial arts utterly different from those of the Great Zen Temple and then refining them to their ultimate heights with his Against-Heaven's Understanding,

would make it easier for Lin Yuan to comprehend the path and realm that lay ahead.

...

Outside the Bodhi Yard.

Abbot Huaiyuan of the Great Zen Temple and a few abbots were convening once again.

"I can already feel the bottleneck of the Grandmaster Realm."

"In as soon as ten years, or at most twenty, I should be able to make a breakthrough into the Grandmaster Realm."

Abbot Huaiyuan said excitedly.

Normally, given his aptitude, the chances of stepping into the Grandmaster Realm were not high.

However, under Lin Yuan's guidance from several years ago, he now saw hope.

The other abbots also looked quite thrilled; Lin Yuan's advice had greatly benefited them as well.

Although they were not as confident as the abbot in making a breakthrough within twenty years,

they still had high hopes for thirty or forty years.

For those martial artists at the Innate Realm Peak in this age, living past a hundred years was not difficult, and most abbots were in their sixties or seventies, capable of one last struggle.

Just then,

a martial monk hurried in.

"Abbot, abbots, no, no good..."

The martial monk stammered, clearly very urgent.

"Take it easy, no rush..."

Abbot Huaiyuan comforted him softly.

"Buddha Child, Buddha Child..."

The martial monk took a deep breath, about to speak.

"What about the Buddha Child?"

Abbot Huaiyuan stood up abruptly, looking directly at the martial monk.

The other abbots were equally solemn.

At this point, the Buddha Child was seen as the hope of the Great Zen Temple for the next five hundred years.

Anything related to the Buddha Child was a major affair for the Great Zen Temple.

"The Buddha Child..."

Seeing the expressions of the abbots, the martial monk quickly said, "The Buddha Child has descended the mountain."

"What?"

"The Buddha Child has left the mountain?"

Abbot Huaiyuan was stunned, then quickly asked, "Did the Buddha Child say why he is leaving the mountain?"

"Exactly, what did the Buddha Child say?"

Abbot Huiwen of the Martial Monk Institute also asked urgently.

"The Buddha Child said, he is going to leave the mountain, to..."

The martial monk steadied himself, attempting to mimic Lin Yuan's tone.

"Have a look at this world."