Li Xuanling had traversed the Xu State for the past five years. After the battles between the Purple Mansion Realms and the Merciful Ones, the various powers were greatly weakened and focused on recuperation.
With the intervention of the Yue Cultivating Sect in Xu State after the war, rules were established to restrict rogue cultivators, resulting in a period of peace. The common people's lives were relatively decent, though not as prosperous as those under the Li Family's governance, but they were still livable.
Li Xuanling had made connections and recorded various methods of qi gathering in the Xu State. This year, he crossed over to Zhao State to assess the situation there. He saw the desolate land of Duanchen Village and expected the people to be full of complaints, but instead, the tenant farmers were ecstatic. This surprised him, and he asked softly, "How do I get to Mount Luoxia?"
Although the north had fallen under Buddhist control, there were still some Dao lineages and immortal cultivators who lived in seclusion in the mountains, avoiding worldly affairs. They usually had some background, so no one disturbed them.
Mount Luoxia was one such place, where many northern immortal cultivators were still active. Li Xuanling intended to see how the northern Purple Mansion Golden Core Dao differed from the southern ones.
"Mount Luoxia?" The people below exchanged glances with each other upon hearing this, looking puzzled. Li Xuanling shook his head and was about to ride away on the wind when he suddenly looked up, sensing something.
Standing on the ridge of a rice field was a shirtless man with well-defined muscles, his hands clasped together. He stared intently at Li Xuanling and said in a deep voice, "I do not know which path you follow, but you look unfamiliar. Greetings, I am Fahui of Duanchen Temple!"
"Ran into the real deal..." Li Xuanling muttered to himself, feeling awkward now. He wanted to speak but feared revealing his identity. He nodded and was about to ride away on the wind when the monk shouted loudly, "Ha! I knew there was something wrong with you, heretic."
Fahui leaped from the ridge like a soaring eagle, aiming a punch at Li Xuanling. Li Xuanling quickly rode the wind, alarmed, thinking to himself, Is this man crazy?! Why is he attacking me out of nowhere?
Without considering the consequences, he quickly performed a spell to create a mana shield around him while simultaneously grabbing the sword at his waist. His true essence flowed like water as he spoke, "We have no enmity. Why are you attacking, monk?"
The monk's eyes were wide with rage, and his fists, which were like iron, pounded on the shield loudly. Li Xuanling drew his sword, preparing to strike. Fahui kicked the shield, using the force to leap and dodge the sword, then descended like an eagle.
Li Xuanling felt a sharp pain from the cutting wind and raised his sword to block the attack. The sword emitted grayish light, but Fahui, with his steel-like body, grabbed the blade with his bare hands, trying to seize Li Xuanling's wrist.
"Hey!"
Seeing the monk's physical strength, Li Xuanling dared not let him grab hold. He did not want to abandon his sword either, so he thought quickly and cast a spell, aiming it at Fahui's hand while fully activating the sword, emitting waves of gray-black light to force him back.
Fahui was momentarily halted by the spell. He crushed it with his palm, but his other hand was hurt, and the golden light on it showed cracks. Fahui thought, For some reason, I find this person loathsome. My anger is uncontrollable! But this sword is sharp, and holding it will break my Dharma body. I must let go!
He threw a final strong punch at the shield, causing it to shatter with a loud boom, then released the sword and leaped away.
Li Xuanling had gained much experience from killing demons and people in Xu State. This was his first encounter with a Buddhist cultivator and had taken a beating. With a moment to catch his breath, he quickly realized, This person probably can't fly and is only staying aloft by leveraging my power. I don't need to fight him!
He did not pursue but immediately pulled back, leaving Fahui shouting angrily at him. Fahui struggled to stay in the air but eventually fell back to the ground like a heavy bear with a loud crash.
"Hmph! Heretics who lead people astray must be killed!"
Fahui was just a monk who could not ride the wind. Li Xuanling ascended even higher, leaving Fahui glaring angrily from below.
Li Xuanling, both startled and furious after the unexpected attack, cursed, "I only asked for directions. How am I leading them astray?"
Before achieving the status of a true monk, Buddhist cultivators were still ordinary mortals. Despite this, Fahui was highly skilled, breaking Li Xuanling's mana shield with only two punches. Li Xuanling, from his elevated position, could have attacked with his sword but hesitated due to Duanchen Temple's local influence.
The monk below continued cursing, shouting, "You're using illusion technique! How is that not leading people astray? Have you ever led anyone to a land of bliss with your heretical ways? All you seek is to..."
Fahui was still shouting, but Li Xuanling ignored him. He saw figures emerging from the distant mountain temples and knew he could not linger any longer. He sneered and said, "Nonsense! What land of bliss? It is just a pretense to eat people... a self-deceiving concept!"
Fahui's eyes widened in fury as Li Xuanling floated away in the wind. The monk roared in place until other monks arrived where the scene slowly quieted down, but they all glared in the direction Li Xuanling had left.
A monk beside Fahui spoke kindly, trying to calm him down. After a while, an old monk appeared, wearing a gray robe and holding a string of crystal-clear beads. He smiled and said, "Fahui, your destiny has arrived!"
"Abbot," Fahui responded, looking surprised. He asked, "Why do you say that?"
The old monk nodded, looking delighted, and quickly said, "You have been intelligent since young, progressing rapidly in your cultivation. You have the deepest roots of wisdom in our temple and are only a step away from becoming a master monk... I went to the great temple to inquire about you, and now it seems that the opportunity has come!"
"What do you mean?" Fahui asked in a low voice, and upon realizing this concerned his path of cultivation, he immediately shifted his attention, feeling overjoyed.
The old monk stroked his white beard and replied, "I crossed three mountains to seek enlightenment. The Merciful One sat at the head, and I detailed the situation. He said, This person was a fisherman in his past life, fond of snake soup. He fished year after year until he encountered a storm and was swallowed by a great whale. In this life, he's fortunate to become human. A Daoist riding the wind will appear, with mana and true essence like rivers. He is the reincarnation of a serpent dragon. If he can convert this person and thus eliminate evil, he will cultivate a land of bliss within his stomach and become a master monk. "
Fahui clapped his hands repeatedly, his eyes shining with divine light. He laughed and said, "I see... this must be it! No wonder I felt uncontrollable anger at the sight of this person... It was destiny and fate!"
The old monk laughed heartily and continued, "I then asked, is there a chance for him to become The Merciful One?"
Fahui's eyes widened at this and he licked his lips, staring intently at the old monk. "What was the answer?" he asked eagerly, his eyes gleaming in anticipation.