"A secret realm, huh? Looks like I need to find a way to enter." Lu Yang muttered to himself. His Senior Brother couldn’t have investigated in Buddha Country for so long without finding a single useful clue.

Good thing Xin Ding is eligible.

"You have a way?"

"The Green Peak Sword has a Small World within it where I can hide undetectable. At the Western Paradise Temple, I happen to know a little monk who can just get me into the secret realm."

"That suits perfectly," Ye Zijin smiled. He had been troubled about how to enter the secret realm, even considering possessing a little monk. Unexpectedly, his Junior Brother had already made a move faster than him.

In the letter, Eldest Senior Sister had been full of praise for Junior Brother and even highlighted his good fortune.

Eldest Senior Sister’s judgment of character is as accurate as ever.

"When does the secret realm open?"

"In another two months."

"Looks like I’ll be staying in Buddha Country for a while longer." Originally, Lu Yang was ready to leave Buddha Country, otherwise, he wouldn’t have arranged for the future Sky Void Sovereign to possess Xin Ding.

It’s rare for brothers to meet, and as the Senior Brother, Ye Zijin naturally wanted to treat him well.

"Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go. You’ve been hiding in the Western Paradise Temple and haven’t really walked around Western Heaven City, right? Your Senior Brother will take you out to enjoy yourself."

Lu Yang didn’t refuse Senior Brother’s kind offer and left the Western Paradise Temple.

"No, no, this place is absolutely not okay."

Lu Yang stood in front of a brightly lit and bustling pavilion, refusing to move another step forward.

Once they left the Western Paradise Temple, Ye Zijin dragged Lu Yang straight to a brothel, scaring him into repeatedly declining.

"Junior Brother seems to really value purity," Ye Zijin said with a teasing smile at Lu Yang, making him somewhat embarrassed. He quickly changed the subject.

"Senior Brother, why is there a brothel at the foot of Western Paradise Temple?"

Ye Zijin laughed heartily, "What you say! Not everyone in Western Heaven City is a monk. You might think that Western Heaven City is a Buddha City where every household worships Buddha statues, but in reality, how many devout Buddhists are there? Most of them are just pretend."

"Where there’s demand, there’s an industry."

"People from other places try every means to settle in Western Heaven City, seeking proximity to Western Paradise Temple. Do you think it’s because they’re devout? Of course not, it’s so they can feel at ease, seeking spiritual solace."

"How do they become at ease? Just burn incense, offer prayers, contribute incense money, and the rest, Buddha will take care of everything."

Ye Zijin shrugged: "At least, that’s what they believe."

𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Actually, I am also a cultivator who values purity. It’s just that brothels are the easiest place to gather information. To get that information, your Senior Brother could only lower himself to come here."

"With your Shapeshifting Technique, why didn’t you just transform into a monk and enter the Western Paradise Temple?" Lu Yang was puzzled. Senior Brother’s Shapeshifting Technique had reached the realm of utter believability, surely he could have deceived those Elders, which would have made gathering information much easier?

Speaking of this, Ye Zijin sighed, "Do you think I haven’t tried that? Initially, I lowered my realm successfully and blended in as a Dining Hall monk. Aside from the moments when I secretly used my cultivation to show off and put others in their place, I always kept a low profile and the monks in the Dining Hall never found out."

"One day, though, the Hall Master cooked too little food, and just as it was the Martial Monk Institute Head’s turn, there was no rice left. He was the only one in the whole temple who didn’t get to eat, and the atmosphere got really awkward."

"In an attempt to ease the tension, I went up there, smiling apologetically. I said to the Institute Head, ’It’s lucky that it’s only the rice that’s missing, not you.’

"Then I was discovered."

"I didn’t want to say it, but as the words came to my lips, they changed."

With a troubled expression, Ye Zijin shook his head and sighed as he explained to Lu Yang, "This is the lingering affliction from the Golden Core Stage. I didn’t expect it to persist into the Body Integration Realm. That’s why I sometimes say things that are inappropriate for the situation."

"You’re so understanding of human nature; you understand what I mean, right, Junior Brother?"

"...I can’t really say."

Seeing that the junior brother didn’t go to the brothel, Ye Zijin brought Lu Yang to a hot pot restaurant instead.

"This is a specialty of Buddha Country. You definitely can’t find this anywhere else. This is the most authentic ’HUHU’ hot pot in the entire Buddha Country."

The hot pot had spread from Great Xia and, once it reached Buddha Country, the hardworking and wise people there modified it.

The result of their modifications was so successful that people in Great Xia didn’t acknowledge it originated from their land.

Lu Yang looked at the murky yellow-brown pot bubbling away and couldn’t muster any appetite.

But not eating would mean not giving face to his senior brother.

Lu Yang didn’t dare to go first, so he only observed his surroundings and was surprised to discover that everyone eating here was a cultivator.

"Senior brother, is this place specifically for cultivators to eat..."

Before he could finish his question, Lu Yang saw his second senior brother scoop up slices of meat from the boiling pot with his hand, looking up in confusion at his junior brother, "What did you just ask?"

"Nothing."

Lu Yang’s eyelids twitched as he watched; no wonder only cultivators came here to eat—without cultivation level, one couldn’t even manage to eat.

With many deserts and scarce vegetation, the people of Buddha Country had become accustomed to eating with their hands.

Seeing that his second senior brother was eating, Lu Yang had no choice but to stiffen his neck and mimic others in fishing out food from the hot pot.

After overcoming the psychological hurdle, Lu Yang was shocked to discover that he now had to overcome the challenge of taste.

It tasted terrible.

"Shall this Immortal give it a try?" This sparked Fairy Eternity’s curiosity, leading her to attempt fishing food out of the hot pot after possessing Lu Yang.

"Indeed, it’s really bad."

After struggling through an unpleasant meal, Lu Yang, worried that his second senior brother might lead him on another bizarre experience, left his contact information and looked for an excuse to leave.

"Senior brother, I’ll be returning to the Sect in a couple of months. Do you want to come back with me?"

If not even the Secret Realm had any clues left by the Time Immortal, Lu Yang felt there was no need to stay in Buddha Country any longer—it was time to go back.

Being away for so long, the Eldest Senior Sister was sure to worry about him.

Ye Zijin thought for a moment, "That sounds good. I haven’t been back to the Sect for a long time. By the way, is Master still not at the Sect as usual?"

"He’s not. I haven’t seen him for two years now. I heard he’s always busy dealing with enemies in the outside world, with no time to return."

"That’s good." Ye Zijin heaved a sigh of relief, "In Buddha Country, I accidentally provoked a few at the Transcendance Tribulation Stage, and had to divert this trouble to Master."

"...No wonder the number of Master’s enemies hasn’t decreased."

Lu Yang returned to the Martial Monk Institute and slept soundly as Xin Ding.

Previously, when his second senior brother and the Elders were battling in the sky above Western Paradise Temple, Xin Ding was woken by the noise, set up a soundproofing Array Method, and continued to sleep.

To Xin Ding, the outcome of Ye Zijin’s and the Elders’ battle was not important, so there was no need to specifically wake up to watch.

Upon entering the Green Blade Sword Small World, he was surprised to find a small wooden house that appeared quite elegant, evidently a lot of hard work had gone into it.

Qing Yan, with hands rubbing together and a sheepish smile, said, "We saw there was nowhere to live here, and we were worried it would be beneath you. So, taking the initiative, we built this little wooden house. If you’re satisfied with this small house, we’re relieved, but if there’s any design you’re displeased with, the three of us will rebuild it anew."