The closing ceremony of the sect competition was held with great success.
This time, Xuanji Sect not only secured first and second place in the Nascent Soul stage competition but also achieved victories in the Core Formation stage disciples' competition. Elder Qingfeng’s smile never left his face.
Xu Yi and Lu Zaiye, along with several others, ascended the ceremonial platform to receive their rewards for the competition. Additionally, they were granted a spiritual key that would grant them access to the secret realm of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect.
They would be heading to the secret realm with their spiritual keys one month later.
After they descended from the platform, Lu Zaiye suddenly spoke to Xu Yi, "The Second Elder of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect has been watching you."
Standing beside Xu Yi, he noticed many gazes directed at her, with the most intense being from the Second Elder of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect.
Xu Yi was startled, then nodded, not finding it surprising.
Her expression caused Lu Zaiye’s gaze to darken.
Indeed, her ancestor held many secrets he was unaware of.
Meanwhile, Xu Yi was subtly nodding in the direction of the Second Elder of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect. She had just received a telepathic message from him, asking her to stay behind after the sect ceremony concluded.
She had agreed.
She felt today might be the time to unravel the mystery.
Perhaps due to her preoccupation with a certain matter, Xu Yi felt momentarily lost, and the sect ceremony had already reached its conclusion.
"Elder Qingfeng, now that the competition has ended, when do you plan to return?"
Xu Yi asked softly, standing beside Elder Qingfeng.
Elder Qingfeng, unable to conceal his joy, replied, "I plan to bring them back in three days."
Elder Qingfeng was aware that Xu Yi and Lu Zaiye would not be traveling with them and had already made arrangements.
Xu Yi nodded, thinking that after meeting with the elder from the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect, she would need to go to the casino to collect her winnings and deliver them to Elder Qingfeng before he departed.
Otherwise, she would have to help Bei Xinghan overcome his inner demons tomorrow, which would likely cause a delay of several days, and if she missed this opportunity, she would have to wait until their next meeting.
As the ceremony ended, many cultivators on the scene still had looks of lingering enjoyment.
They had found the competitions over the past few days to be exhilarating, wishing the grand competition could be extended by a few more days, allowing them to observe further and gain more insights.
Meanwhile, just as Xu Yi parted ways with the Xuanji Sect disciples, she saw Hong Jing, the Buddhist Son of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect, approaching her.
"Buddhist Son Hong Jing."
"Fellow Daoist Xu, there's no need for formalities. Just call me by my Dharma name, Hong Jing."
Hong Jing's tone was peaceful and carried a sense of familiarity.
"Then you don't need to call me Fellow Daoist Xu. Just call me Xu Yi," Xu Yi replied.
Her eyebrows arched as she spoke with a smile.
"Alright, Xu Yi, please follow me."
Hong Jing chuckled softly and led Xu Yi into the inner precincts of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect.
Xu Yi followed behind Hong Jing, looking around.
Since entering the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect, she had only visited the Xuanji Sect's encampment, the casino, and the competition grounds. She truly had no idea what the inner workings of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect looked like.
It was serene and solemn, with the sound of morning bells and evening drums. As she walked, she could smell the faint scent of sandalwood wafting from an unknown source, subtly dispelling distracting thoughts and clearing the mind.
"Please."
Hong Jing stopped before an ancient and simple hall. Xu Yi looked up and exclaimed, "The Grand Hero Hall?"
Hong Jing smiled slightly and pushed open the hall doors.
Xu Yi's gaze naturally followed inside, and she was instantly stunned.
*Bzzzz—*
Xu Yi's mind went blank, her senses completely captivated by the golden Buddha statue within the hall.
The Buddha statue was nearly a hundred zhang tall, seated with its legs crossed. Its left hand rested on its left foot, while its right hand hung straight down, its expression solemn and imposing with an inherent majesty.
What astonished Xu Yi the most was the layer of dense golden light surrounding the Buddha statue, so concentrated it seemed almost tangible.
If she wasn't mistaken, that should be the Golden Light of Virtue.
Such concentrated Golden Light of Virtue must have accumulated over many years.
Xu Yi felt a profound sense of reverence, unaware that a faint golden light had also flashed briefly upon her.
However, Hong Jing noticed this, and the smile on his lips grew increasingly meaningful.
"Little friend Xu, please come in for a chat."
A resonant voice boomed in Xu Yi's ears, jolting her back to reality.
She then noticed that the Second Elder of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect was kneeling on a prayer mat beneath the Buddha statue.
Xu Yi stepped forward, stopping before the Second Elder of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect, and solemnly performed three Buddhist salutations to the Buddha statue.
The Second Elder of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect nodded with a smile, seemingly unsurprised by Xu Yi's actions.
"Second Elder..."
As Xu Yi was about to speak, she was interrupted by the Elder's cheerful voice, "Come, please have a seat."
The Second Elder, from somewhere, produced a prayer mat and pushed it towards Xu Yi.
Xu Yi lifted her robes and knelt on the prayer mat, just like the Second Elder, following the local custom.
"Little friend Xu, I mentioned a few days ago that you have a connection with my Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect. Seeing you now, our bond is indeed profound."
The Second Elder smiled with benevolent eyes, and Xu Yi couldn't understand why.
It was no wonder the elders of Xuanji Sect had told her that the cultivators of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect often spoke in a way that was difficult to comprehend. Xu Yi was experiencing it firsthand.
She frustratingly touched her dark hair and stated directly, "Second Elder, please speak plainly. My aptitude is dull, and I cannot grasp the deeper meaning of your words."
"Little friend Xu is too humble."
The more the Second Elder looked at Xu Yi, the more he felt she possessed Buddha-nature, lamenting internally that she was not a disciple of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect.
"The other day, as soon as you entered the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect, you attracted a bestowal of enlightenment. Have you felt any changes within your body recently?"
The Second Elder smiled enigmatically, his words full of implication.
"Bestowal of enlightenment?"
Xu Yi recalled the golden light that had surged into her body.
After emerging from the massive golden cocoon that day, she had pondered the origin of the golden light. However, she hadn't expected it to be the unique bestowal of enlightenment of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect.
She had never seen any records of such bestowal of enlightenment in any of the texts at Xuanji Sect.
Buddha cultivators who received the bestowal of enlightenment not only saw their comprehension of Buddhist teachings advance by leaps and bounds but also had their physiques improved. Some even became the legendary pure and immaculate bodies.
After emerging from the light cocoon, she had experienced no changes whatsoever, so she had subconsciously dismissed this possibility.
"Second Elder, could you be mistaken? I haven't experienced any changes," Xu Yi replied softly.
"Impossible," the Second Elder stated definitively. "Little friend Xu, I am certain that was the bestowal of enlightenment from our Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect. One hundred years ago, Buddhist Son Hong Jing also received the Buddha's blessing."
"But I truly haven't experienced any changes."
Xu Yi spread her hands in resignation.
She also wished to confirm the Second Elder's words, but she simply couldn't.
"This is impossible." Seeing that Xu Yi's expression was not feigned, the Second Elder said, "May I trouble Little friend Xu to extend your hand so I may examine it?"
Xu Yi readily extended her arm.
The Second Elder placed his hand on Xu Yi's wrist with a solemn expression, and a look of increasing doubt and uncertainty gradually appeared on his face.
"This, this..."
Seeing this, Xu Yi knew the Second Elder had not found anything unusual on her and let out a slight sigh of disappointment.
As expected, such rare and fortuitous opportunities would not fall upon her.
The one who truly received the bestowal of enlightenment from the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect must have been Liu Jinghong.
The Buddhist Son of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect must have misunderstood, which was why they had been so friendly towards her.