The day started with the morning bell of the temple.
Mu Xin woke up absentmindedly and slowly raised himself from the straw mat.
Shu Hua appeared beside him and greeted him with her usual gentle smile.
"Morning, little Xin. How is your sleep?"
Mu Xin rubbed his eyes slightly before facing her.
"Morning, Sister Hua. I slept rather well last night."
Shu Hua, as if sensing a presence outside, immediately disappeared.
The old monk opened the door and looked at Mu Xin kindly.
"I see that the sleep has helped you. Your complexion is better than last night."
The monk looked visibly happy for Mu Xin.
"How about breakfast? I'm sure last night's sweet potato was not enough for you."
"Thank you, Elder. If it's not too much, I'd be happy to."
The monk chuckled slightly.
"It's not too much. Right now, you are a guest here. Let's go to the communal hall to eat together."
The monk started walking, leading the way.
Mu Xin followed closely behind as he looked around, noting the temple layout.
Soon, they arrived at the communal hall, with long tables filled with people sitting with food in front of them, yet no one was eating.
"Brother Chu, is this the troubled child you talked about last night?"
One of the older monks called out to the old monk as he looked at Mu Xin kindly.
Old Monk Chu patted Mu Xin on the shoulder.
"Wait at the table. I'll get our food first."
Monk Chu walked toward the serving monk at the food counter while Mu Xin walked to the empty seat beside the older monk who had called out earlier.
"Elder."
Mu Xin bowed slightly in greeting.
The older monk chuckled softly as he replied.
"Hello, young friend. You can rest easy and stay in this temple until you find your purpose."
"Thank you, Elder, for the help."
"No need for gratitude. The temple exists to help people."
Soon, Monk Chu returned with two bowls. He sat beside Mu Xin and placed one of the bowls in front of him.
"Eat slowly, child."
Mu Xin looked down at his bowl. Despite being just vegetable porridge, it gave off a delicious smell.
Mu Xin wanted to eat, but seeing that none of the monks had started, he waited.
After a few more monks arrived and everyone was seated, the sound of a gong echoed, and all the monks clasped their hands in prayer.
"Amitabha."
Then they started eating in silence.
Mu Xin started eating as well. The slightly salty and sweet porridge warmed him from the inside. Before he realized it, he had unknowingly finished his bowl.
Mu Xin sat there awkwardly with his empty bowl while the others were still eating.
"Child, how about you walk in the city? Sometimes when one's heart is uncertain, looking around can help."
Monk Chu advised kindly while Mu Xin looked troubled.
"Uh… where do I wash my bowl?"
Monk Chu smiled.
"It's alright. Leave it there. Someone will wash it."
The older monk spoke as well.
"That's right, young friend. Don't think too much. What is most important for you right now is to resolve your heart."
Mu Xin felt touched and bowed to both of them.
"Thank you, Elder. Then I'll be leaving for a bit."
Mu Xin turned around and walked out of the communal hall.
"It would be nice if he found himself quickly. Too young, yet already lost..."
Monk Chu replied calmly.
"If he does, then that is good for him..."
Mu Xin walked out of the temple gate and saw the activity of people on the road.
'Little Xin, you want to look for a job again?'
Mu Xin shook his head in response as he walked among the crowd.
People were busy moving about, with sellers promoting their goods in loud voices.
"Warm and delicious meatballs!"
"Come here and look at this spirit-grade sword! Forged from spirit steel, it cuts iron like tofu!"
"Come here for fresh third-grade beast blood cores!"
Walking through the crowd, Mu Xin felt awed by the vastly different culture compared to the modern world.
(So this is a cultivation world...)
"Hey! There is a duel in the arena between fourth-level martial disciples!"
Most of the crowd immediately headed in that direction.
Mu Xin, feeling deeply curious, decided to follow them.
After a moment, Mu Xin could hear the clashing of weapons.
CLANG
CLANG
The sound was sharp and powerful, as if both fighters were trying to kill each other.
Mu Xin tried to squeeze through the crowd.
Thanks to his small body, he managed to reach the front.
What he saw was a massive arena, raised slightly, with two people on top exchanging attacks fiercely.
The one who wielded the sword avoided the thrust of the spear with minimal movement to the side and immediately struck with his sword.
The spear user did not falter and instantly used the shaft of the spear to block.
The sword user took a step back. His sword glowed white as he slashed from a distance. The sword light split into three, surrounding the spear user from the front, left, and right.
The spear user infused his spear with qi, causing the spearhead to glow red. He rushed forward, piercing through the frontal sword light while ignoring the two behind him. The attack shattered easily as he continued charging toward the sword user.
The sword user did not expect this and hurriedly raised his sword to block. He was pushed out of the arena.
He landed while still in a sword-guard position, a trace of blood visible at the corner of his mouth as he glared at the spear user without saying anything.
The crowd cheered loudly for the winner as the spear user stood proudly in the arena.
Mu Xin, on the other hand, finally released the breath he had unconsciously been holding throughout the battle.
He looked at the sword user sheathing his sword and then at the spear user standing tall in the arena.
The scene of their weapons glowing with power replayed repeatedly in his mind.
"Cultivator… so amazing..."
He looked around at the cheering crowd and then up at the bright sky.
"This world is… so interesting..."