Today, the four corners of the world were shrouded in demonic miasma, and Jiangshi (hopping vampires) plagued the countryside. The Taoist priests of Mount Mao had long made a name for themselves in the mortal realm: Shi Jian traveled the Lingnan region slaying malevolent spirits, while Lin Fengjiao (Uncle Jiu) patrolled the night in Shanghai to suppress corpses.
Lin Yan didn't just want to cultivate the Buddha's path; he wanted to live in the vibrant world of men.
The mortal world was vast, with beauties as numerous as clouds—take Ren Tingting from Ren Family Town, for instance; she was one of the peerless beauties in this world of Jiangshi. Moreover, he knew that after Ren Tingting returned from abroad, her fate would be entangled in a catastrophic disaster. If this curse weren't broken, the Ren family would face total extermination. And the source of that omen was none other than her own grandfather—Master Ren, who was about to transform into a corpse.
At that moment, in the depths of a dense forest two hundred miles from the Hanging Temple, an old monk was stumbling and running for his life.
His cassock was tattered, and bloody gashes crisscrossed his shoulders. Black energy steamed from the wounds, looking as if something alive was writhing beneath his flesh. He used his last breath to charge toward the temple gates. Looking up at the three gold-embossed characters—Hanging Temple—his face turned as pale as ash.
"Finally... I'm back."
He pushed the gate open. Lin Yan, hearing the commotion, rushed out to meet him and froze. Where was the dignified air of his Master?
Lin Yan's brow furrowed. "Master, how did you end up like this?"
The old monk entered and gulped down a large bowl of cold tea. His chest heaved violently as his eyes locked onto Lin Yan's face.
"Xiuyuan, pack your bags. Leave the mountain immediately!"
"Leave? Go where?" Lin Yan was stunned.
"From this day forth, you are no longer my disciple. Return to secular life and go, now!" The old monk shoved his back, his strength urgent and heavy.
"Master, what exactly happened?" Lin Yan stood his ground, unmoving.
The old monk's breathing steadied slightly, his voice raspy. "A month ago, I said I was going to perform a ritual... in truth, I was hunting a long-standing Malicious Ghost. To my surprise, it had already evolved into a Specter (Li Gui), possessing heaven-shaking ferocity. I fought with my life to tear open a path of survival. But that Specter is relentless; I fear... she will strike the temple gates by tomorrow."
Lin Yan's heart jolted as the truth dawned on him. "Master, with your cultivation, even you couldn't suppress a single Specter?"
"I couldn't hold her back. To deal with such a calamity, I would need to step into the Dharma Master realm—but that threshold is not easily crossed."
Before the words could fade—
A sudden Yin wind rose in the courtyard, wailing like a blade. A crimson ghostly shadow shot through the air. It was the Red-Clothed Specter.
Vicious aura billowed around her, and the air reeked of metallic rust. "Baldy, you won't escape today! And don't think this little monk will live either—neither of you is leaving!"
Her voice was like an ice pick, scraping against the bone.
The old monk's pupils shrank. Without hesitation, he stepped in front of Lin Yan, his tattered cassock fluttering. "Lin Yan, run! I am at the end of my tether and can only hold her for a few moments. Run as far as you can and don't look back!"
He lunged forward, biting his index finger and flicking blood to draw a glowing golden seal in his palm.
At that moment, Lin Yan spoke calmly: "Master, step back. Let your disciple handle this."
As he spoke, he moved. A single step shook the ground like thunder. In an instant, he was in front of the ghost. The Red-Clothed Specter bared her claws, tearing the wind as she aimed for his throat.
The old monk roared in despair, "Disciple, get out of the way—!"
In the spark between flint and steel—Lin Yan's throat vibrated as he released a shout:
"BEGONE!"
His right fist exploded outward. Buddha-light erupted, and the Subduing Demon force surged like an angry dragon, striking the ghostly claw dead center!
BOOM!
With a dull explosion, the ghost's entire arm shattered inch by inch, splashing black blood into the air. Her massive form was sent flying, smashing into the brick wall. As she curled on the ground convulsing, her shriek was piercing and shrill.
"A mere Specter dares to trespass on my Buddhist sanctuary?" Lin Yan's cold gaze swept over her. His voice wasn't loud, but it suppressed the wind in the courtyard.
Behind him, the old monk froze. His eyes nearly split from staring at the back of his disciple, who had just overturned a Red-Clothed Specter with a single punch. He sucked in a breath of cold air, his hands shaking uncontrollably.
"Disciple... you... how can this be?"
He stared at the Buddha-light flowing over Lin Yan's skin. That golden glow was warm and vast, like the sea and the mountains—it was more than ten times thicker than the faint shimmer on himself. They weren't even on the same level!
Suddenly, a realization exploded in his mind: The Dharma Master Realm!
"Dharma Master?! It's actually the Dharma Master realm! My disciple, it's only been thirty days... you actually crossed over?!" The old monk's voice trembled, nearly breaking.
"Master, the Specter is not yet purged. I will explain later." Lin Yan's brow pressed down, his tone sharp. First, he would clear this root of evil.
The Red-Clothed Specter struggled to rise, her spine twisted and her face a mess of mangled flesh. Her eyes burned with ghostly green fire. "Little baldy... I will devour your soul alive!"
She turned into a blur of blood-red shadow again, her fingers like hooks. Lin Yan flipped his palms, and his Buddhist power surged as golden light rose like flames. Before the ghost could get within three feet, his strike was already out—
Subduing Demon Palm!
Layer upon layer of palm shadows filled the sky, like a thousand Buddhas pressing down together. The moment the ghost touched the golden light, her body exploded like paper. The black energy was ground into nothingness by the light, leaving only a wisp of blue smoke.
Lin Yan withdrew his stance and pressed his palms together, his breathing steady. The power of a Dharma Master was truly not to be underestimated—one palm, one Specter annihilated.
[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for slaying a Red-Clothed Specter. Obtained: Rich Gift Bag.]
The old monk stood there, mouth agape. "Disciple... are you truly a Dharma Master? One month... how did you train?"
"I meditated on the Subduing Demon Scripture you taught me, day and night. I simply progressed along the path," Lin Yan replied calmly, never mentioning the System.
The old monk gazed at him, his shock bordering on a trance. "A one-month breakthrough... you are a genius the likes of which my sect hasn't seen in a century! I am ashamed—I toiled for fifty years and couldn't move an inch past the threshold, yet you kicked the door open! Admitting you into the sect was truly the best thing I've done in my life. At this rate, within three years, you will certainly form a Sarira and ascend to the High Monk realm!"
"Sarira?" Lin Yan paused.
"Indeed. A Buddhist Sarira—the condensation of a lifetime's Buddhist power. Once achieved, one enters the High Monk realm! It isn't just a symbol; it's an infinite source of power, like the Inner Dan of a Taoist Heavenly Master!"
Lin Yan's heart warmed. He returned to his room and opened the System interface.
[Ding! Congratulations Host, obtained:]
Bodhi Pills (x2)
Buddhist Secret Art: Dragon Claw Hand!
Buddhist Divine Ability: Heavenly Eye!
Dragon Claw Hand: The ultimate "hard" external technique. At mastery, the fingers can tear through wind and clouds; demons shatter upon contact, and mountains crumble under the grip.
Heavenly Eye: One of the Five Eyes of Buddhism. At its basic level, it sees through illusions, identifies demonic auras, and tracks ghosts. At its peak, it can discern karma and see through the cycle of reincarnation.
Lin Yan felt the Heavenly Eye fuse with his sight. A cool sensation washed through his pupils. When he opened them, a golden shimmer rippled within. He then looked at the two Bodhi Pills in his hand.
After a moment of thought, he decided to give one to the old monk. Without the old man picking him up on that snowy night years ago, he wouldn't even be alive.
Lin Yan quietly placed a pill in a hidden compartment behind the Great Buddha statue. He then called the old monk over. "Master, there seems to be a box behind the Great Buddha."
The old monk rushed forward and opened it. A refreshing fragrance hit him. "This... this is a Bodhi Pill!" His voice shook. "This is a sacred pill lost for over a hundred years! It must have been left by a predecessor of the Hanging Temple!"
"Congratulations, Master, for finding such a treasure!" Lin Yan bowed.
The old monk trembled. "Disciple, you have deep roots and a natural affinity for the Buddha. You found it, which means it is the Buddha's will—you should take it!"
Lin Yan shook his head with a smile. "Thank you, Master. But I have already reached the Dharma Master realm; the effect of this pill on me is limited. You, however, have been stuck at the Peak of Awakening for years. You need this to knock open the door to the new realm."