Within the great gate, in the Buddhist arena.
Time passed in the blink of an eye, and five days vanished. During these five days, following Ananda, thousands more people successively manifested Buddha statues. Ananda, however, manifested a second layer of Buddha statues, drawing considerable attention.
Even Golden Wheel Buddha Venerable showed a hint of shock in his eyes.
"Judging by this, my initial thoughts might have been mistaken," Li Xuan slowly opened his eyes and glanced at the surrounding crowd, noticing the faint golden light emanating from most of them. Li Xuan couldn't help but shake his head.
For the past five days, Li Xuan had attempted to comprehend the Buddhist Way. However, he discovered that despite possessing all the Buddhist energy within him, he was unable to condense it. Thus, after five days, he remained at a standstill, making no progress whatsoever.
In this Trial of Enlightenment, all participants were meant to gain their own insights after listening to the Buddhist chants. Fortunately, after these five days of contemplation, Li Xuan finally had a realization.
"Everything in the world exists for a reason. Since the Buddhist Way has endured for so long, it must possess its merits," Li Xuan pondered, setting aside his previous line of thought and closing his eyes once more.
*Dong.*
Between heaven and earth, a bell chime resounded again. Three consecutive chimes. Though the bells boomed thunderously, they did not affect the participants in the slightest. As the three bell chimes faded, waves of Buddhist chants once again filled the air.
In an instant, the golden light emanating from the participants seated on their meditation cushions showed signs of intensifying.
"Nine days have passed, and the number of those who have comprehended Buddha statues has reached over twenty-nine thousand. Amazingly, over three thousand have reached the third layer. The prosperity of our Buddhist sect is indeed benefiting from this. However, manifesting Buddha statues becomes increasingly difficult as one progresses, and I wonder how many will be able to manifest them all."
High above Mount Maitreya, Golden Wheel Buddha Venerable nodded slightly after sensing the situation.
"Strange. Nine days have gone by, and young friend Li still hasn't manifested even the first layer of Buddha statues. With young friend Li's comprehension, this shouldn't be the case," Jiang Shang, looking at the name of Li Xuan on the list with no change behind it, couldn't help but speak out.
"Pavilion Master Jiang, my senior brother has already manifested the second layer and I believe he will soon manifest the third, catching up to Ananda. You must know that my senior brother is the most gifted in comprehension within our sect. As for fellow Daoist Li Xuan, I suspect he might not be very familiar with the Buddhist Way," He Shuming replied immediately upon hearing this.
"Nine days of this month-long trial have already passed. If he doesn't manifest the first layer soon, he will likely be eliminated. With young friend Li's comprehension, how could this happen?"
Jiang Shang nodded slightly, his gaze fixed on the human-shaped figure behind Li Xuan's name. A discernible trace of disappointment flickered in his eyes.
The one-month Trial of Enlightenment was, in fact, divided into three stages. The first ten days constituted the first round, where listening to Buddhist chants and manifesting Buddha statues was the fundamental requirement.
Only those who successfully manifested Buddha statues could proceed to the second ten-day stage for further contemplation. As for the final round of competition, it required participants to have manifested three layers of Buddha statues.
Given that Li Xuan had not even manifested the first layer, it was no wonder Jiang Shang was so anxious.
*Buzz.*
The tenth day finally arrived, and the leaders of various factions and the spectators turned their attention. This first watershed moment had arrived, and the participants who could continue to the next stage naturally attracted the gaze of many powers.
All the participants within the great gate seemed to understand the importance of this day. Whether they had been accumulating their strength or were eager to shine, they now unleashed their golden light, forming Buddha statues that appeared above their heads. The entire realm was bathed in blinding golden light.
However, there were also many participants who, even on this day, could not successfully manifest the first layer of Buddha statues. Those who failed to manifest statues seemed to have given up on the competition and began cultivating on their meditation cushions.
After all, the spiritual energy within this Buddhist arena was extremely concentrated. Moreover, with the residual insights of numerous fallen Buddha Venerables present, cultivating for ten days here could be considered a valuable harvest.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, the tenth day was drawing to a close. As night fell, Golden Wheel Buddha Venerable slowly opened his eyes.
Jin Lun exchanged a glance with the Guanshiyin Buddha Venerable beside him and spoke, "In these ten days, out of over seventy thousand participants, more than half have manifested Buddha statues and entered the second stage. It is regrettable, however, that the rest must be eliminated. Alas, many of them possessed excellent potential."
"Fellow Daoist Golden Wheel, those who are not destined for our Buddhist sect naturally cannot enter its gates. There is still one hour left to conclude the first stage of contemplation. Whether they can enter the gates of our Buddhist sect will depend on this final hour."
Guanshiyin Buddha Venerable nodded slightly and shifted her gaze to the illuminated screen.
"Alas, it seems young friend Li will likely not have the opportunity to participate in the upcoming competition," Jiang Shang, from the void, sighed as he looked at the unchanged human-shaped figure behind Li Xuan's name. His tone was filled with disappointment.
He Shuming, upon hearing this, fell silent.
"Time is up, let us commence the second stage of contemplation," Guanshiyin Buddha Venerable glanced at the night sky and then spoke to Golden Wheel Buddha Venerable. Golden Wheel Buddha Venerable nodded slightly, made a series of hand seals, and began.
"Hmm? Someone has manifested a Buddha statue at this very moment? No! They've directly manifested four layers!" Golden Wheel Buddha Venerable, just about to act, suddenly felt a premonition and looked at the illuminated screen.
A human-shaped figure on the screen erupted with astonishing golden light, instantly manifesting from the first layer and soaring upwards, only slowing down upon reaching the fourth layer of Buddha statues.
This spectacle drew the attention of all the factions present, who then turned their gazes to the name in front of this Buddha statue.
"This young friend Li truly knows how to keep us in suspense." Jiang Shang, also drawn by the scene, burst into laughter upon seeing the name.
At the forefront of the figures before the Buddha statue was Li Xuan.
"Li Xuan? Who is this person? How did he burst forth so suddenly and manifest four layers of Buddha statues in one go!"
"This young man certainly knows how to endure, erupting at the last moment, even being only one layer behind Ananda, who ranked first."
"Which faction does this young man belong to? Such a temperament is quite surprising."
"..."
The leaders of various factions began to discuss amongst themselves upon witnessing this. In an instant, information about Li Xuan spread rapidly, with streams of spiritual light flying about, clearly indicating intelligence being gathered by different factions.
"This... this fellow Daoist Li Xuan is too terrifying! He instantly manifested four layers of Buddha statues." He Shuming, looking at the four-layered Buddha statue behind Li Xuan's name on the screen, was momentarily stunned before speaking in shock.
However, He Shuming quickly regained his composure, his eyes now holding a hint of awe as he looked at Li Xuan's name.
"To surpass others at the last moment, though not exceeding Ananda, the gap is not large. This participant seems to be the one you specifically made a move for, doesn't he?" Guanshiyin Buddha Venerable, with her keen insight, immediately located Li Xuan and then turned her gaze to Golden Wheel Buddha Venerable.
"Amitabha, Amitabha. I had thought this fellow was not destined for our Buddhist sect. Guanyin Buddha Venerable, as time has passed, let us first commence the second stage of contemplation," Golden Wheel Buddha Venerable said with a seemingly very satisfied smile, turning to Guanshiyin Buddha Venerable.
Guanshiyin Buddha Venerable nodded, formed hand seals once more, and a beam of golden light emerged, instantly merging with the beam of golden light from Golden Wheel Buddha Venerable and shooting into the great gate.