Who Let Him Cultivate?!-Chapter 1045 - 1044: The Treasure of the Temple

Master Mingyu’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably, grateful that he was now in charge of the Secret Realm and not the one being tested by it. Otherwise, the words "Xin Ding" would have been enough to kick him out.

With Master Mingyu’s appearance, Xin Ding regained his memory and remembered he was in the midst of the second trial.

However, he didn’t quite understand why the task of ferrying someone across a river would cause the Abbot to appear again.

Could this be a matter of great significance?

It must be that the Abbot’s actions held some profound meaning. It’s just that his own perception was mediocre, unable to penetrate the Abbot’s profound intent.

Not knowing is nothing to be ashamed of, it’s better to ask for guidance.

"May I ask, Abbot, if there is a problem with how I ferried the person?"

The initially eager to speak Master Mingyu was stunned into silence by Xin Ding’s question.

Indeed, what could be wrong with ferrying someone?

"There’s nothing wrong. You did well," said Master Mingyu with a complex expression as he gazed at Xin Ding, unsure if Xin Ding’s response was a mere coincidence or a genuine insight. Regardless of which it was, Xin Ding might have a chance to pass the trial of the Secret Realm.

It seems that Xin Zhen isn’t the only promising candidate in this trial.

Having said this, Master Mingyu turned and left, leaving Xin Ding standing there, utterly bewildered.

Why would the Abbot leave directly without giving an answer after he’d asked his question?

The pass rate for the second round of trials is even lower than the first, with ninety percent of the young monks unable to surpass this challenge.

After the two rounds of trials, only a handful of young monks remain, besides Xin Ding, the rest are renowned for their profound Buddha Nature.

The thick Buddha Breath once again enveloped the area, signaling the onset of the third trial. ƒгeewebnovёl.com

Xin Zhen found himself in an Illusionary Realm recalling his identity within the realm — a Zen Master. Someone who took great displeasure at him was cursing him.

"You uncultured beast, born without manners..."

The person’s words were incredibly vile and offensive to the ears.

Xin Zhen brought his palms together and closed his eyes, entering a Meditative Trance, as if he hadn’t heard the other person’s insults at all.

Eventually, the person grew tired of cursing and looked at Xin Zhen with confusion: "I’ve been cursing you for so long, why haven’t you reacted at all?"

Xin Zhen opened his eyes, his gaze as calm as the surface of a still pond, and with a faint smile, observed, "If someone gives you a gift, but you refuse to accept it, to whom does the gift belong?"

The person replied: "It belongs to the person who was giving the gift."

Xin Zhen smiled and said, "Exactly. If I don’t accept your insults, you’re essentially cursing yourself."

Xin Zhen passed the trial.

This round tested "Jie Chen," the ability to remain calm in the face of others’ insults.

"Not harboring anger or hatred, well done," Master Mingyu silently assessed Xin Zhen, who was neither arrogant nor rash, standing out among the monks. He made the same choices as Master Mingyu in the three trials.

"How is Xin Ding doing?" After two rounds of trials, Master Mingyu had already placed Xin Ding on the same level as Xin Zhen.

No sooner had Master Mingyu entered Xin Ding’s Illusionary Realm than he heard Xin Ding’s forceful retort.

"You’re the uncultured beast, born without manners..."

The two exchanged insults vehemently, a scene so intense that even passing dogs weren’t spared a cursing.

"Stop!"

Unable to hold back, Master Mingyu made his presence known once more, surprised by how this young monk’s choices were continually unexpected.

Those who had made it to the third trial were all Buddhist Cultivators with innate Buddha Nature, who, even if irritated, would at most show anger, but would not stoop to cursing each other.

Xin Ding, on the other hand, engaged in a verbal brawl.

"Abbot, why have you come again?" Xin Ding looked at Master Mingyu in astonishment.

"How could I not come when you managed to start arguing with the other party?" Master Mingyu said, annoyed.

"Because he insulted me," Xin Ding replied as if it were only natural.

"He insults you, and you insult him back?"

"Abbot, if someone offers you a gift, but you refuse to accept it, what would you do?"

"Of course, I would return the gift to him."

"Right, and isn’t that what I am doing? I’m just returning the gift exactly the way he gave it to me—returning his insults in kind."

"…"

For the first time, Master Mingyu entertained the thought that perhaps his understanding of Buddhist teachings was not yet complete.

Looking at Xin Ding’s calm demeanor, he suddenly remembered that Xin Ding had been completely serene while trading insults, not at all resembling someone in a quarrel!

Xin Ding truly believed he was merely "returning a gift"!

The third round of trials ended, and only Xin Zhen and Xin Ding passed, with the other monks being eliminated, a precedent unseen in previous trials.

In the past, either no one passed all three trials, or only one person did.

"Both of you have done very well," Master Mingyu said with a look of approval, although his gaze toward Xin Ding was more complex.

"These three trials test your Buddha Nature. Only those who pass these trials demonstrate profound Buddha Nature, unaffected by Buddha Breath, and are qualified to attempt a connection with the temple’s treasure."

Master Mingyu led the two deeper into the Western Heaven Secret Realm.

Upon entering this deeper space, the thick Buddha Breath was like a fog of chaos, obscuring the path ahead completely.

"Hoo."

With a gentle breath, Master Mingyu cleared away the Buddha Breath, revealing a path that led to an altar at the end. The altar displayed Shariputra, an incense burner, scriptures, and other items for venerating the temple’s treasure.

Lu Yang finally saw the treasure clearly—it was an axe. The blade was damaged, and the surface had an elegant handprint pressed into it.

"The Sky Opening Axe?!"

This was the very Immortal Axe that the Yingtian Immortal boasted of—an unparalleled Immortal Object from Ancient Times.

The Yingtian Immortal had forged the axe from countless pieces of Immortal Gold, after a thousand hammerings and a hundred refinings. The axe’s handle was a segment of the Time Immortal’s main stem, containing the power of time, enabling it to cleave the heavens with the capacity to open the sky.

The Yingtian Immortal had once said that he was ambushed by Ashy Bean during the Great Qian Period, and after that battle, the Sky Opening Axe went missing. So, it had ended up in the possession of the Western Paradise Temple?

Lu Yang understood that the battle between the Yingtian Immortal and Ashy Bean must have been a fierce one. During the fight, the Sky Opening Axe had endured the power of Yingtian Immortal’s tribulation as well as Ashy Bean’s annihilating force.

The handprint on the axe’s surface must have been left by Ashy Bean.

"This object is very likely the legendary Sky Opening Axe, accidentally acquired by our temple in the early days of Great Qian," explained Master Mingyu. "Upon obtaining the Sky Opening Axe, it contained a force that could destroy everything, and no one could approach it. A mere fraction of its released power could lead to utter devastation."

"In order to purify this force, generations of our eminent monks worked tirelessly, finally purifying the axe completely while also imbuing it with Buddha Breath."

"However, an Immortal Object is no ordinary item. Not just anyone is worthy of it. To earn its recognition, one must first pass through the three trials of Buddha Breath, be able to withstand the Buddha Breath within the axe, and then the Immortal Axe chooses its owner, granting only those it selects the right to wield it."

During the Qi Cultivation Stage, Master Mingyu had passed the three trials of Buddha Breath but did not gain the Sky Opening Axe’s recognition. It was uncertain whether either of the two who had passed the trials this time would earn that recognition.

"So, the treasure of the Western Heaven Temple is the Sky Opening Axe," a proud voice suddenly emitted from Xin Zhen’s body.

A cultivator with patterns of hourglasses and coronae on his clothes flew out from Xin Zhen’s Storage Ring, stretching his limbs.

"After lying in wait so many times, I finally found a little monk capable of passing through the three trials of Buddha Breath."

"Who are you?" Master Mingyu’s expression changed drastically as he realized the intruder had entered the Western Heaven Secret Realm undetected on multiple occasions.

The fact that the stranger had made such a brazen appearance meant he must have come prepared!

"The Divine Monarch of Great Qian, Sichen. I wonder, Master, have you heard of him?"