"Let’s hear it, what’s your situation, and why are you hiding in the Servant Monk Institute?"

With his hands behind his back, Lu Yang paced before the three soul bodies. Even though Lu Yang was only at the mid-stage of Transforming Spirit and not of high seniority, the three soul bodies were still trembling in fear, not daring to hide anything from him.

"Speak the truth."

Immortal Fairy, standing behind Lu Yang, said fiercely.

"Yes, yes, yes," the three soul bodies hurriedly responded, not daring to utter a single word of dissent.

"I am here to learn the Arhat Fist," Mo Xiaochou confessed first.

"Tell the truth."

"I am here to steal the technique of the Arhat Fist."

"The discipline towards the Servant Monks in Western Heaven Temple is lax, providing the simplest way to infiltrate. I planned on possessing one of the Servant Monks and gradually climb the ranks. Eventually, there’d be a chance to come into contact with the Arhat Fist."

"My name is Duan Qingshui." The middle-aged man at the early Integration Stage said. His purpose for infiltrating Western Heaven Temple was the same as Mo Xiaochou’s—to steal techniques. Except, he aimed to steal one of the three great scriptures of Western Heaven Temple, the "Great Collection Sutra."

"Where are your physical bodies?"

"Hidden away outside."

"Why separate?" Lu Yang wondered. Separating the spirit from the body was dangerous, as it halved one’s combat power.

"We don’t have magic artifacts capable of carrying our physical bodies without being detected," Duan Qingshui explained helplessly. They didn’t want it this way; they had no choice. Such magic artifacts were extremely rare; they couldn’t buy them even if they wanted to.

Qing Yan Venerate had fought a fierce battle with Master Mingyu, one that left only his soul remaining. After employing the Escape Skill "Qing Smoke Transforming the Blue Sky," his soul was still gravely injured. Left with no choice, he had to possess the body of Xin Ping from the northern Servant Monk Institute.

In order to help Xin Ping advance to a higher institute, allowing Qing Yan Venerate to recover his strength and look for a chance to make a scene in Western Heaven Temple as revenge against Master Mingyu, he cultivated Xin Ping into possessing the Formless Physique using a secret method, ensuring it would go undetected by anyone.

"You’ve saved Western Heaven Temple a big trouble," Lu Yang could imagine that if Qing Yan Venerate really managed to stay hidden, he could indeed stir up significant trouble in Western Heaven Temple.

However, he acted righteously without seeking reward; there was no need to report such a minor matter to Western Heaven Temple.

"Leave these three in the Small World for now, and when we return to the Sect, lock them up in Captive Peak."

All three had seen Immortal Fairy, so there was no choice but to silence them or confine them to Captive Peak.

Lu Yang hadn’t expected that in just over half a month since his arrival at Western Heaven Temple, he’d helped Captive Peak capture three more individuals. The only issue was that Mo Xiaochou and Duan Qingshui were of too low a Cultivation Level, especially Mo Xiaochou, who would be bottom-ranked at Captive Peak.

"Never mind, a mosquito is still meat no matter how small," Lu Yang believed that doing good deeds didn’t discriminate by size.

Having dealt with these three, Lu Yang finally had time to continue watching Xin Ding’s match.

"What, Xin Ding at the sixth level of Qi Refinement actually defeated Xin’an at the seventh level!"

"This is a challenge beyond his level!"

The battle in the Green Blade Sword Small World had concluded, and the Martial Monk Institute selection competition was also nearing its end. Xin Ding, who no one had faith in, defeated the most likely candidate, Xin’an.

Defeating someone from the seventh level of Qi Refinement while at the sixth level was no small feat. It signified a mid-stage practitioner overcoming a late-stage one. How could the Servant Monks not cheer ecstatically at this scene?

Especially the Servant Monks from the eastern Servant Monk Institute, who were the most excited. How many years had it been since they last claimed victory? Now, finally, they could hold their heads high in front of the other three institutes.

Lu Yang rubbed his temples in pain. The disparity between the fights inside and outside the Small World was substantial, and sudden exposure was somewhat overwhelming.

"Zhi Yuan Senior Brother, you’ve taught a good disciple," a monk from the Martial Monk Institute remarked meaningfully to Zhi Yuan. He definitely didn’t believe that Zhi Yuan hadn’t taught Xin Ding.

It seems that these years of seclusion by Zhi Yuan were a facade. In reality, he had been secretly grooming a successor all along, and Xin Ding was the prime example.

Given Xin Ding’s display of talent today, there was a chance he could enter the Heaven-Earth-Man rankings and become a famed expert listed there.

Zhi Yuan couldn’t be bothered to reply; after all, even if he denied teaching Xin Ding, the other person wouldn’t believe it.

"However, once he joins the Martial Monk Institute, he might face targeting—after all, Senior Brother, you made quite a few enemies there back in the day," the monk from the Martial Monk Institute warned, having a relatively good relationship with Zhi Yuan. But as for others, that was less certain.

Zhi Yuan glared, "How dare they! Do they really think I’m dead?"

"In any case, I will do my best to take care of him, but I can’t guarantee anything beyond that," said the monk from the Martial Monk Institute.

Zhi Yuan calmed down, pressed his palms together in gratitude, "Then I’ll have to trouble Junior Brother."

…

"I announce, Xin Ding is the top candidate in this selection," the monk from the Martial Monk Institute declared loudly, prompting cheers from the Eastern Servant Monk Institute.

"Xin Ding, as the top candidate you can choose any hundred-year-old herb from the medicine warehouse. Have you thought about what you want?"

"This Master Uncle..."

"You may call me Master Uncle Zhi Kong."

"Master Uncle Zhi Kong, I’ve made my decision."

𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"Then follow me."

Zhi Kong said, leading Xin Ding towards the medicine warehouse.

Zhi Kong knocked on the warehouse door ring, "Master Uncle Wu Nian, the selection at the Servant Monk Institute has ended, I’ve brought someone to pick herbs."

"Come in, just remember not to trample the seedlings at the doorway."

The great doors of the medicine warehouse opened automatically, revealing a field of herbs, with a little old man going about sprinkling water from his watering can.

The little old man flew in front of Xin Ding with his hands clasped behind his back. Facing the little man, Xin Ding felt utterly naked, with no secrets to hide.

He was definitely a great master!

"He’s just at the early stage of Spirit Transformation," came the lazy voice of Tofu Heavenly Venerable beside Xin Ding. A random person from the Green Blade Sword Small World would be stronger than this little old man.

Knowing the little old man’s cultivation level, Xin Ding still thought he was very impressive. Being at the initial stage of Spirit Transformation was already an unattainable level for him.

He feared he might never reach the stage of Spirit Transformation in his lifetime.

"What herb do you want?" asked the little old man.

"Hundred-year Spirit Core Grass."

"So it is Spirit Core Grass," the little old man surmised upon seeing the Buddha beads Xin Ding wore, guessing that he would want the Spirit Core Grass.

Spirit Core Grass was rare, and not many knew about it.

The little old man sighed, "So Zhi Yuan still hasn’t forgiven me, his master, wanting to obtain Spirit Core Grass through you."

"Zhi Yuan was the most gifted and virtuous student I had ever taken, who would have thought that he, so devoted to Buddhism, would meet the Red Lotus Demoness on a mission, become entangled with her several times, and develop worldly affections, breaking the monastic precepts? If I hadn’t separated them, who would take the monastic precepts seriously?"

"Unexpectedly, even though I separated them physically, I did not separate their hearts. He rashly attempted to reach the Nascent Soul Stage, fell ill from longing, and his efforts fell short, causing him to drop back to the Foundation Establishment Stage."

"I intended to directly give him the Spirit Core Grass, but I never imagined he would hold a grudge against me, unwilling to accept anything from me, and he also didn’t have the qualifications to obtain Spirit Core Grass..."

The little old man rambled on for quite a while, and Xin Ding managed to roughly understand Master Uncle Zhi Yuan’s story.

"I’m puzzled about something and would like to ask Master Uncle to clear my confusion."

"Ask," said the little old man with a cheerful smile, seemingly treating Xin Ding as his grand-disciple.

"If Buddhism is a sanctuary far from worldly affairs, and marrying a person from the secular world means developing worldly affections, then why not let the Red Lotus Demoness also join our Western Paradise Temple? In that way, Master Uncle Zhi Yuan marrying her wouldn’t be a problem, right?"

The little old man began to doubt his own judgment.

Did Zhi Yuan truly teach this disciple?