“Junior Brother Xinding, I see that you’ve grown quite agile. You must have made a breakthrough recently. How about we have a spar?” Xincheng sneered. This was an unwritten rule in the servants’ courtyard—when two sparred, the loser would have to give the winner ten merit points.

If Xinding refused, Xincheng would lead others to harass him relentlessly, making it impossible for him to do anything!

“Excellent. Since you have already extended an invitation, Senior Brother, how could your junior brother refuse?”

Xincheng was taken aback. He hadn’t expected Xinding to agree so readily.

Still, this is good; it saves trouble. With the Martial Vihara Selection just around the corner, it’s best that I save time.

Seeing that a fight was about to break out, a quick-witted monk ran to fetch the administrator, a junior uncle, for help.

“Junior Brother Xinding, please,” Xincheng said with feigned courtesy.

But Xinding wasn’t about to stand on ceremony. He struck without hesitation.

All disciples of the servants’ courtyard learned Bodhi Fist, the most basic fist technique. Xinding and Xincheng were no exceptions.

Xinding attacked first. With his spiritual consciousness greatly expanded, his control over his body had improved tremendously, making his Bodhi Fist movements far more precise.

Xincheng was shocked. This punch is fast and fierce. When did Xinding’s fist techniques become this formidable?

“Look! Isn’t Junior Brother Xinding overwhelming Senior Brother Xincheng?”

“That shouldn’t be the case, though. Doesn’t Senior Brother Xincheng have the Fragrant Elephant Crossing the River painting fragment?”

“Could it be that Senior Brother Xincheng hasn’t been practicing visualization seriously since getting it?”

Hearing the chatter around him, Xincheng felt so aggrieved that he nearly vomited blood. I’ve been practicing visualization ever since obtaining the visualization painting. By all logic, none of the other Level Five Qi Training menial monks in the servants’ courtyard should be able to defeat me. So why is the unremarkable Xinding gaining the upper hand?

Xincheng’s mind was in disarray. His punches and kicks grew clumsy, even worse than before he had acquired the Fragrant Elephant Crossing the River painting fragment.

Xinding seized the opportunity. He widened his stance and sent Xincheng flying with a Crushing Fist.

The crowd erupted in an uproar. Xincheng, a strong candidate for the Martial Vihara, had lost!

“Stop this at once! Xincheng, what are you doing?!” The junior uncle administrator’s voice came from behind the crowd. The monks quickly parted to let him through.

“Xincheng, you deliberately—Hmm? Why are you lying on the ground?” The administrator had intended to reprimand Xincheng, but found him sprawled on the floor instead.

“Did you do this?” The administrator turned to ask Xinding.

“To answer Junior Uncle, yes, it was me.”

The administrator gave Xinding a meaningful look. “Not bad. I never expected you to be such a promising talent. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, feel free to come to me. Xincheng, one who bets must accept their loss. Give Xinding ten merit points.”

The menial monks looked at Xinding with envy. Being able to approach the administrator for any difficulties implied that Xinding had become his trusted confidant. Who would dare provoke Xinding from now on?

Moreover, difficulties in cultivation also counted as difficulties. The administrator might even guide Xinding in his cultivation.

It was said that the administrator had originally been a Golden Core expert who had fallen to the Foundation Establishment Stage after failing a breakthrough. Disheartened, he had come to the servants’ courtyard to serve as an administrator.

Although his cultivation level has fallen, his level of experience remains.

Xincheng got up from the ground and grudgingly prepared to hand over the merit points. However, Xinding made no move to accept them, putting Xincheng in an awkward position.

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

Xinding pressed his palms together and said earnestly, “Senior Brother, we monks abstain from anger and gambling. What we just had was a friendly spar; there was no wager.”

With that, Xinding turned and walked away, leaving the crowd with nothing but his retreating figure.

Inside the Qingfeng Sword’s small world, Lu Yang was deeply moved as he watched this scene.

Yes, exactly! This is the feeling! With a golden finger cheat, this is the kind of treatment one should receive!

It has been so long since I’ve resurrected the Immortal Fairy, yet as my golden finger cheat, she has never let me enjoy the treatment of publicly defeating a strong enemy and leaving in style.

The Everlasting Immortal Fairy was indignant, feeling that Lu Yang was being ungrateful. “Who says I haven’t? Didn’t I use your body and your status as acting sect leader to let you challenge beyond your level and leave in style?”

Lu Yang pressed his hand to his forehead. That’s not the plot I want.

~~~

“Little monk, do you wish to enter that so-called Martial Vihara?”

“Mmm, I do.”

“Although your spiritual consciousness has improved, the fist technique you’ve learned is honestly unremarkable, and your cultivation offers no advantage.”

Xinding’s gaze was resolute. “I must at least try.”

“It’s good that you have such an attitude.” The Tofu Heavenly Sovereign sounded somewhat gratified. “Cultivation is not to be rushed. Take it slowly, lest an unstable foundation leave hidden problems. As for the fist technique, we can think of something.”

“Heavenly Sovereign, are you going to teach me fist techniques?” Xinding asked excitedly. The Heavenly Sovereign’s fist technique must be unparalleled in the world.

The Tofu Heavenly Sovereign chuckled. “How could that be? My fist technique sweeps across the nine heavens and ten earths, silencing gods and ghosts alike. If you learn it, others will easily notice something amiss.

“Here’s what we’ll do. Go to the scripture library. This esteemed one will help you find a good fist technique.”

“Heavenly Sovereign, we menial monks can only access the first floor of the scripture library. The best fist technique there is the Bodhi Fist.”

“Just go,” the Tofu Heavenly Sovereign said with a smile.

Despite his skepticism, Xinding headed to the scripture library.

~~~

The first floor of Xitian Temple’s scripture library was not inferior to the Dao-Seeking Sect’s. The collection of books could only be described as “vast.”

Xinding wandered around the scripture library, unsure of what he was supposed to do. Then the Tofu Heavenly Sovereign’s voice streamed into his ear. “Little monk, go to the twelfth row, sixth bookshelf, and the edge of the third shelf. The book you need is there.”

Xinding did as he was told and found a fist technique hidden there. On its cover were the characters that said, “Arhat Fist.”

“So this is the legendary Arhat Fist that enables one to attain the Arhat Fruit Realm when cultivated to the highest level?” His voice quivered as he spoke.

Even if I pool all the merit points from everyone in the servants’ courtyard, I still wouldn’t have enough to exchange for the Arhat Fist!

“Heavenly Sovereign, how did you know the Arhat Fist book was here?”

Lu Yang replied inwardly, Of course, I know. I just put it there last night.

If you want to learn something else, I can let you find it in the scripture library, too.

Receiving no response from the Tofu Heavenly Sovereign, Xinding assumed such a trivial question wasn’t worth the Heavenly Sovereign’s answer.

“Some sage or expert probably hid it here, waiting for a fated person,” Xinding murmured. This was common in stories, so he didn’t dwell on the book’s origin.

Hearing Xinding’s mumbling to himself, a question suddenly occurred to Lu Yang. “By the way, Immortal Fairy, does the first floor of the scripture library actually have any cultivation techniques left behind by past sages?”

“Yes, there are many. The Ultra-Strength Vajra Palm is hidden here; the Prajñā Chan Palm is next to it; the Minor Formless Heart Sutra is over there; the Dragon-Subduing Tiger-Vanquishing Scripture is under the floor tiles; and at the far end, if you drip blood on the entry-level Buddhist text, the World-Honored One’s Enlightenment Visualization Painting will appear.

“Do you want map fragments? There are plenty hidden here, too, along with various tokens, śarīra relics, storage rings, and so on.”

“...” Lu Yang.

Why is the first floor of Xitian Temple’s scripture library so lively, while the first floor of our Dao-Seeking Sect’s scripture library only has the Dragon Phoenix Transformation?