Time passes like a white steed flitting past a crack, and five days vanish in an instant.

On the eighth day of the fourth month, the Bathing of the Buddha celebrates the Buddha's birthday, also known as the Buddha Bathing Festival.

On this day, Buddhist monks gather at the Great Zen Temple to discuss the future direction for Buddhism.

"The Abbot of Baima Temple has arrived~"

"Master Du Sheng of Cold Mountain Temple has arrived~"

"The Mountain Hermit has arrived~"

······

In front of the newly built mountain gate of the Great Zen Temple, the Guest Monk calls out the names of the arrivals one after another.

Those who come to this occasion are all virtuous high monks of Buddhism, either abbots or masters from various temples, or reclusive hidden masters of the Buddhist community.

This Guest Monk, specially arranged to welcome the guests, is a master of the True Pill Realm. Yet even he, in just four hours, has met no fewer than ten high monks whose depth was hard to fathom.

These more than ten high monks all have realms that far exceed the Guest Monk, with even some being transcendental warriors of the Divinity Realm. Of this, the Guest Monk is firmly convinced.

Although Buddhism's development time is not as long as other Great Sects, due to its numerous followers and teachings that are easily accepted, its development path is quite vast. With a large base of followers, Buddhism has produced many talents over the generations, accumulating a deep legacy.

However, now Buddhism is facing a crisis unseen in a thousand years, and its heritage can no longer be hidden. Those strong individuals who have either retreated from the world or gone into seclusion must now reveal themselves.

This time, Xinyuan has directly used the Pure Land to gather all the wise Buddhists, attracting those with even the slightest interest in the secret realm left by the Buddha, to contribute to the opening of the Pure Land.

"Master San Shan has arrived~"

The Guest Monk called out again, suddenly feeling a surge of Pure Saint Energy, causing his mind to become tranquil, giving rise to a sense of meditation.

"Amitabha, this Layman, may I ask who you are······" The Guest Monk respectfully asked the Buddha before him, who seemed to have a halo of Brahma light behind his head.

Although the well-versed Guest Monk did not know the identity of the high personage before him, just by the aura, he knew that this was a warrior far beyond his reach.

"I am Yi Yeshu, a mere hermit in the mountains. Buddhist Friend, I salute you."

The layman, wearing white robes and with a shaven head, lifted his right hand adorned with Bai Yu prayer beads, placing it on his chest to nod.

"Not at all, not at all, I dare not accept such an address from you, Senior. Please, come!" The Guest Monk, somewhat flustered, waved his hands and called out loudly, "Mountain Hermit, Layman Yi Yeshu has arrived~"

Although he did not know which elder this was, he was certain he was a wise Buddhist. After all, several hermits had arrived today, and while the Guest Monk felt honored by his courtesy, he was not surprised that he had never heard of Yi Yeshu's name.

"Thank you!"

Yi Yeshu offered a sincere thanks to the announcing Guest Monk and slowly walked through the mountain gate.

The Great Zen Temple, in fact, has not just one mountain gate. There's one at the foot of the mountain, another halfway up, and the last one is the temple's grand entrance, which Qing Yu was now entering.

Entering the mountain gate, the buildings that came into view were filled with a solemn atmosphere, but lacked a certain sedimentary richness.

The Great Zen Temple was destroyed once; except for the grand main hall at the front, the rest were built later. Given the astounding speed of construction in the martial arts world and various Array aids, it would otherwise take years to complete the massive project of rebuilding the Great Zen Temple.

Even so, this ancient temple is only half-rebuilt, with many areas still in ruins. Some corners still bear traces of the catastrophe that beset the temple back then.

The noontime sun shone into the newly rebuilt temple, and the fresh scent of timber filled the air. Along with this came a bunch of shining lights into Yi Yeshu's view.

Too bright, these bald heads of the monks······

Yi Yeshu realized that laymen with hair like himself were very few; virtually all he could see were the shiny bald heads, dazzling even to someone of Yi Yeshu's profound realm.

"That Layman, I salute you."

The approaching figure was finally not a bald monk. He wore a white robe, loosely arranged, giving off a casual demeanor. His unkempt hair fluttered in the wind, appearing quite carefree.

With a hearty smile, he cupped his hands toward Yi Yeshu and said, "Layman, did you come alone? Why not join me?"

As he spoke, he leaned in slightly and whispered, "Around here are all monks, we lay practitioners with hair feel quite lonely."

Yi Yeshu glanced once more at the shiny surroundings, and agreeing wholeheartedly, nodded: "Together."

It's not that monks are hostile to lay practitioners with hair, it's just that in this place where there are so many bald monks, the few with hair stand out noticeably amongst the bald crowd.

Moreover, compared to the monks who agreed to wear monk's robes or cassocks, the lay practitioners with differing attire truly feel out of place.

Though Yi Yeshu wore a cassock, it was adorned with silver cloud patterns on the edges, plus the overlay of a mantle and cloth folds, with broad sleeves, giving him a discreet and elegant aura. If not looked at closely, it wouldn't even seem like a cassock.

"I am Mountain Hermit, a hermit from the wilds. May I ask your name, Layman?" Mountain Hermit asked as they walked.

"I am Yi Yeshu, also a hermit," Yi Yeshu nodded in greeting.

"Did you come for the Pure Land mentioned by Abbot Xinyuan?"

"Indeed," Yi Yeshu said leisurely, "Who in the world would not yearn for the secret realm left by the Buddha?"

In truth, not only the people of Buddhism, but also those from other sects, families, and even Taoist practitioners, yearn for the Pure Land.

They do not seek to join Buddhism but are attracted by the secret realm left by the Buddha.

As the progenitor of Buddhism, the Buddha's name, even after being weathered by thousands of years, has not faded in the slightest. Instead, because of the deification by Buddhism and its followers, it is extolled by the world, with even three-year-olds knowing the Buddha's name.

"If it weren't for the news of the Pure Land, I wouldn't have had the heart to come here at all," Yi Yeshu said with a faint smile.

"You are refreshingly honest about your self-interest, Layman. Truly carefree!" Mountain Hermit laughed aloud.

This comment attracted quite a few gazes, seemingly wanting to see who spoke so candidly and clearly expressed their thoughts.

In reality, those who came today, nine-tenths or more, were here for the Pure Land. After all, it is the legacy of the Buddha, and not even a life-long Buddhist monk of great virtue would dare say their purpose here was solely to pay respect.

Otherwise, given the Great Zen Temple's current reputation, it's doubtful many would be willing to come here and lend their strength.

However, though private intentions remain private, openly stating them like this was only done by the two present. The onlookers' gazes lingered on the two for a moment, then shifted away, ignoring what they heard.

With no other choice, it's better not to provoke these two, whose depth and strength are hard to discern.

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