Volcanic Age

Zhou Xuchuan returned to the Abbot's chamber and sat down with Hui Mian for a private meeting.

"Namu Amitabha. We've been greatly discourteous to you, Benefactor Zhou. Please forgive us," Hui Mian said.

"Divine Monk, sir. Please speak informally to your junior."

Zhou Xuchuan freaked out when a senior from the same generation as Mount Hua's Sect Master, who happened to be the Shaolin Temple's current Abbot and one of the Ten Empyrean Overlords, addressed him too politely.

Hui Mian smiled gently as if his earlier display of anger was a figment of Zhou Xuchuan's imagination.

"According to what I've been able to confirm recently, Benefactor Zhou has miraculously discovered the divine art and even safely delivered it to us. That makes you the Shaolin Temple's benefactor. I wouldn't dare speak so casually under such circumstances."

"But, sir. I merely got lucky in discovering the divine art. And as a fellow denizen of Murim, it was my duty to deliver it to the Shaolin Temple. So, please, I beg you to speak informally with this junior."

Zhou Xuchuan was practically on his knees begging at this point. His stomach was churning, and it was becoming harder to maintain a straight face.

"I see. Then, I shall do so," Hui Mian said.

"That aside…"

Hui Mian narrowed his eyes to scan Zhou Xuchuan, before growing a little stunned by what he saw.

"The rumors in the gangho tend to get exaggerated all the time, but it seems that is not the case with you, Benefactor Zhou. If anything, rumors have greatly underestimated you."

Earlier, when Hui Mian heard the news and rushed to the scene, he was too busy scolding his disciple for his reckless behavior to pay much attention.

But now that they were back in his chamber, enjoying the tea brewed by Hui Mian himself, he couldn't help but be stunned by this young man's hidden cultivation realm.

He had to doubt his eyes for a moment when a youth who was around twenty years of age turned out to be not at the Peak or Transcendent realm, but in the Harmony realm instead!

Huh-uh! To think Mount Hua had such a genius among its ranks!

The Shaolin Temple was often called the number one under the heavens, yet even it could count on one hand how many of its geniuses had reached the Harmony realm before the age of thirty in the sect's lengthy history.

Not even the shame of the Shaolin Temple, who possessed unprecedented talent, Blood Monk, was talented to this extent.

'Namu Amitabha…! Now I see why the Head of the Alliance was so confident back then.'

The Alliance Head guaranteed that, even though he couldn't reveal the identity of the courier, they didn't need to worry about the divine art's safety.

Hui Mian heard that and began wondering about all sorts of things. Maybe the Martial Alliance had dispatched a special team consisting of members from One Hundred Experts Under Heaven?

However, the truth turned out to be quite different from his imagination. Forget a special team, just one person had been tasked with delivering the divine art! Thankfully, however, that individual was an expert at the Harmony realm.

Even Hui Mian would've had a hard time believing it without the proof sitting right before his eyes.

To think a cultivator who wasn't even thirty but in his early twenties had already reached the Harmony realm! How did this make any sense?

So young, yet already at the Harmony realm! His talent is truly extraordinary. And he's even born with a martial physique, too. Undoubtedly a child born for cultivation!

In reality, Zhou Xuchuan's original physique had been average, but going through the Bodily Reformation gifted him with a skeletal structure and a body ideal for cultivation. Since that was the case, the Divine Monk's misunderstanding was unsurprising.

A genius of his level would inevitably become arrogant, yet this young man remains humble despite his talent…

A man still in the hot-blooded phase of his youth would want to boast about his achievements. And that tendency would be even more pronounced if he was from a famous sect.

However, Plum Blossom Order Sword only achieved fame relatively recently. Of course, he had a prior nickname before his current fame, and that was the Phoenix Slayer.

And look at how clear and pure his eyes are. I should be ashamed for suspecting Benefactor Zhou of sinister intentions even for a moment.

Hui Mian recited Buddhist sutras in his mind and reflected on himself.

"I'm genuinely sorry for burning the Blood Muscle and Tendon Classic and destroying the Shaolin Temple's opportunity to fulfill its long-held wish, sir. Please forgive this foolish junior."

Zhou Xuchuan bowed deeply in a show of extreme sincerity.

"No, no. It's fine. I'm sure you acted with pure intentions, trying to prevent bloodshed over a demonic cultivation manual. Besides, you've come all this way to apologize in person. And on top of that, you discovered a divine art long thought to be lost to time."

Whew…!

Zhou Xuchuan inwardly sighed in relief as the conversation flowed smoothly in a favorable direction.

'If it weren't for the divine art, I might have become the Shaolin Temple's irreconcilable enemy.'

A friendly atmosphere like this wouldn't have been possible without the Prajna Divine Art. Zhou Xuchuan was so thankful for acquiring it ahead of time.

"Sir, since this junior has fulfilled his mission safely, I'd like to set off immediately."

"Wait, are you planning on leaving so soon?" Hui Mian asked, his eyes widening in surprise. "Even though we're a humble monastery, our circumstances aren't so challenging that we'd treat our valued guest so poorly. Most of all, I should spread this good news around as quickly as possible so that you can receive an appropriate welcome from everyone."

The Shaolin Temple was obviously no 'humble' monastery. Offerings submitted by secular disciples alone would have ensured that the Shaolin Temple would never face financial troubles.

Zhou Xuchuan could only smile bitterly at Hui Mian's words.

Safely delivering a cultivation art long thought to be lost would certainly make you a benefactor of a sect. And this wasn't just some cultivation art, but the Prajna Divine Art, no less.

But the benefactor in this case was also the same person who destroyed the Shaolin Temple's chance to fulfill its long-held wish.

Some people within the Shaolin Temple, like Hui Mian, wouldn't mind this turn of events. However, others like Hong Gao wouldn't be so gracious about it.

Even if they were Buddhist monks, rage and hostility would still remain in their hearts as long as they hadn't ascended to Nirvana.

What worried Zhou Xuchuan in this case was the possibility of getting tangled up in unnecessary trouble.

"No, sir. I'm fine. If I had some leeway, time-wise, I wouldn't have minded imposing on your sect for a little longer. Unfortunately, I'm still in the middle of my other mission, sir. I can't afford to stay for too long."

"Is that so…" Hui Mian muttered while smacking his lips ruefully.

Zhou Xuchuan stared at the Divine Monk before asking, "But, sir. If there's anything this junior can do for you, please don't hesitate to ask. As long as it's within my power, I'll do my best to assist you."

Humoring the Shaolin Temple's requests would be a good move. Having the sect indebted to him would come in handy in the future.

"Can I hold you to your word?" Hui Mian asked immediately, his face lighting up.

Zhou Xuchuan nodded, although he was inwardly regretting his decision already.

Thankfully, Hui Man's request wasn't anything tricky in principle. Unfortunately, from Zhou Xuchuan's perspective, it was a bit tricky to take on!

"I'd like you to exchange a few moves with Hong Gao."

As the Shaolin Temple's Abbot, Hui Mian had many concerns. One that had been weighing on him for a long time involved his only disciple, the Hundred Paces Fist Monk, Hong Gao!

Hong Gao was a naturally gifted cultivator. Although not to the extent of being ranked as one of the best in the Shaolin Temple's history, he still had what it took to become a peak expert.

From a young age, he had always been a diligent student. He was never lazy and worked earnestly to deepen his cultivation and his understanding of Buddhist teachings.

His sincerity wasn't his only good point, as he also possessed a benevolent character that compelled him to help others.

Hong Gao also carried himself humbly and never looked down on younger monks within the Shaolin Temple.

Despite being fawned upon since he was young, Hong Gao never grew up conceited. He was so flawless in this regard that even older monks experienced epiphanies from merely observing his conduct.

If one were to pick faults with him in his early days, then Hong Gao's pride in the Shaolin Temple and its teachings bordered on being excessive. However, no one in the monastery found that strange or questionable.

After all, what was so strange about a disciple being proud of the sect's, and his master's, teachings? Especially when the teachings were from the Shaolin Temple, one of the greatest sects under the sun?

Unfortunately, when the time for Hong Gao to journey into gangho came… Hui Man ended up lamenting how he should've noticed his disciple's strangeness sooner.

"Hong Gao, that child… holds a deep disdain toward others who are not from the Shaolin Temple," Hui Mian said.

Hong Gao didn't care in the slightest if others insulted him. Rather than getting angry, he even smiled faintly at times. So much so that at one point, people called him a living Buddha.

Even when the mortal enemy of the Shaolin Temple, a demonic cultivator, threw insults his way, Hong Gao brushed it aside with little concern. However, when the same demonic cultivator dared to insult the temple, he immediately lost his temper and went from a monk to an Asura.

To a cultivator of Murim, insulting one's sect was as grave as insulting one's parents or entire family. So, losing one's temper was understandable, but Hong Gao took it too far.

How far? Once, he was conversing with a fellow cultivator from the righteous faction. However, when that cultivator dared speak sarcastically of the Shaolin Temple, Hong Gao beat him within an inch of his life.

Hong Gao was no mere Daoist, but a Buddhist monk who was taught not to succumb to anger or take another's life, which was an act forbidden as one of three poisons. But he behaved this way, and that posed a serious issue.

Hui Mian belatedly recognized his disciple's issues and tried to scold the latter several times, hoping to fix Hong Gao's ways. Unfortunately, it was too late to do so.

Hui Mian continued to explain.

"Being proud of one's sect being number one under the heavens isn't inherently bad. But my disciple's issue is that his pride is too excessive. I fear he will lose himself to arrogance if he doesn't learn to understand those around him."

Arrogance like this usually was resolved by tasting harsh defeats while journeying through gangho, but that didn't apply to Hong Gao.

Hong Gao could not accept the idea of defeat despite mastering the Shaolin Temple's martial arts, which he considered to be the best under the heavens. That was why he trained harder than anyone despite possessing a genius-level talent, so that he'd not lose to any opponent.

But he considered the results of his efforts as a part of the Shaolin Temple's teachings, as well as the superiority of its martial arts. In a way, his mindset was quite remarkable.

Urgh…!

Zhou Xuchuan barely suppressed a pained groan from escaping his lips.

Sparring with Hong Gao wouldn't be difficult. He was confident he could subdue an opponent in the Transcendent realm without unleashing his killing intent.

It wasn't as if his experience was lacking in this regard, either. He couldn't even count how many battles against lower and mid-tier experts he had fought in the previous life.

Is it alright for me to interfere like this?

In Zhuge Shengji's case, he was destined to live a wretched life before dying ignobly without Zhou Xuchuan's interference.

However, other heroes would continue on their predestined path even if left alone. Since that was the case, Zhou Xuchuan didn't see a need to interfere.

Even though Hong Gao caused several incidents before the Era of War and Chaos, he would ultimately become the Shaolin Temple's hero.

Zhou Xuchuan feared changing the future in some unknown manner. More than that, he didn't want to get involved with someone who didn't think well of him. However…

"Please lend your help to this old monk who foolishly took in a lacking disciple."

"D-Divine Monk, sir!" Zhou Xuchuan freaked out again when Divine Monk Hui Mian tried to bow to him while fidgeting with his Buddhist prayer beads. Quickly stopping him, Zhou Xuchuan said, "I'll do it, sir! So I beg you, please stop!"

"Namu Amitabha. Thank you, Benefactor Zhou. Truly."

****

On one hand, Hong Gao understood where Hui Mian's anger was coming from. On the other hand, he couldn't understand why exactly Hui Mian was angry.

His crime of not immediately reporting the news of the divine art's arrival to his superior was indeed grave.

But he could not understand why he deserved to get scolded for demanding answers from the culprit responsible for burning the Blood Muscle and Tendon Classic.

Yes, Prajna Divine Art was indeed important to the Shaolin Temple. However, wasn't the opportunity to wash away the Shaolin Temple's humiliation just as important?

Even if the Shaolin Temple had a pact with the Martial Alliance, gangho operated under the rule of favors and grudges. Hong Gao found it inconceivable that the peerless Shaolin Temple chose to brush this matter aside.

Since he couldn't ignore this injustice, Hong Gao decided to delay the report so that he could lead the culprit to somewhere 'quiet'.

Hong Gao didn't resent the monk who defied his gag order. Even if he was doing this for the good of the Shaolin Temple, it was still true that he acted unilaterally and withheld his report. So, the other monk did the right thing as far as Hong Gao was concerned.

"Namu Amitabha!"

Hong Gao was fully prepared to face the consequences of his actions today. As such, his disappointment at not getting the answer he wanted from the culprit was immeasurable. But now…

"Master, did you really arrange this with him?" Hong Gao asked, narrowing his eyes as he glanced at Hui Mian.

The Divine Monk theatrically nodded away.

"Yes. If you win in a spar against Benefactor Zhou here, not only will I forgive you for your crimes, I will also give you permission to ask any questions you want. However, if you lose, you must rid yourself of negative feelings toward Benefactor Zhou and seek his forgiveness."

"Namu Amitabha!" Hong Gao recited a Buddhist chant while clapping his hands together. "Since that's the case, I'll be in your care, Benefactor Zhou!"

"Yes, I'll also be in your care," said Zhou Xuchuan while awkwardly scratching his head, then politely cupped his fist.