“Acolytes refer to Shaolin monks who are under twenty. Shouldn’t the young ones of Tantra be called junior lamas?”
But even as Cheng Dongfeng turned to find an unfriendly look on Jiang He’s face, he promptly changed his tune, “Of course, I’ve always thought that since both Shaolin and Tantra are Buddhist temples, lamas or acolytes or whatnot are all the same. Why bother with the distinctions?”
He lowered his voice then, saying, “Jiang He, the Tantra Sect is one of the five Holy Grounds and holds great depth and boasts many elites. Let’s be subtler.”
“That’s right.”
Fearful that Jiang He would start trouble here, Chen Jingzhou quickly added, “How precious are the Secret Realms? It’s said that disciples had to meet strict requirements even if they want to enter, and the Tantra Sect is already upset with Minister Wang’s demand of six entrants, so it’s understandable that they are acting arrogant.”
Even so, Jiang He ignored both Cheng Dongfeng and Chen Jingzhou’s words, putting a step forward as he looked up quietly at the mists above.
His spirit had already reached divine-tier two days ago, and since then, he had munched on several catties worth of purple-golden sunflower seeds—a treasure that improved spirit.
And that was not counting up to five bottles of rank-nine Origin Fluid that improved spirit as well.
Basically, Jiang He’s spirit was slowly growing with every second and minute.
As such, Jiang He could see through the mist even if the others couldn’t, to view the many grand buildings on the peak, his spirit slowly extending….
***
At the same time, within a majestic temple on top of the peak.
The bone-dry lama who was sitting cross-legged in meditation abruptly opened his eyes the moment Jiang He’s spirit extended. His murky eyes seemed able to see through everything, and despite the many obstructions, he glanced at Jiang He’ direction from the distance.
The old lama laughed and said, “Corban, Minister Wang’s people are here. Go down the mountain to lead them up.”
Outside, a burly lama holding an iron staff bowed reverently at the temple before turning to head down the mountain.
At the gates of the Diamond realm of Tantra, a monk stopped him, saying, “Elder Sangha’s orders—no disciples are to leave the mountain.”
Corban maintained a serene face and replied, “I am the Iron Staff Lama. The elder monk cannot lift a finger against me. Moreover, I am going down the mountain under orders! Make way!”
Sangha was a title and scholarly position at Tantra, usually charged with instructing disciples in sutra studies and martial arts practice… Of course, Sangha Lama had high-ranks, which was while most sutra studies and martial arts practice were carried out by the senior monks in the temple.
On the other hand, an Iron Staff Lama like Corban was not ranked lower than the Sangha Lama, in charge of maintaining the discipline within the temple. They were also known as prefect and disciplinarian, and because they would often carry a disciplinary iron staff around with him, they were often addressed as the Iron Staff Lama.
Unlike the Shaolin Temple, the Tantra Sect’s were not fixed. It would always change with knowledge and the martial world, just as seniority in the Tantra Sect follows the policy of monk officers) used in older times.
For example, the head of the Tantra Sect was called head monk.
The elders directly beneath him were also known as the sangha.
The Iron Staff Lama were the sojo, or equivalent to bishops.
“Living Buddha!”
The monk who had been obstructing Iron Staff Lama promptly made way.
Watching as Corban went down the moment, the monk promptly informed the higher-ups about Corban’s stepping out of the mountain… and soon, many of the Tantra Sect’s hierarchs were astonished.
One of them turned towards the sealed but majestic temple in confusion.
“Even the best amongst the six people under the mountain is rank-nine advanced. Why would Corban, our temple’s sojo and a divine-tempest elite need to personally receive him?”
One of the monks sought out the head monk then.
The head monk of the Tantra Sect was an equivalent to Shaolin Temple’s abbot, although he was the highest-ranked monk bar the Living Buddha. He had a beard, and all his hair was white—he had a monk’s tunic, red lama robes, and a cockscomb hat, smiling, “The Living Buddha naturally has his intention since he had spoken. The new age has come, ushering in a great future, and those chosen by Wang Hou would certainly be extraordinary.”
The head monk hence strode out of the temple, looking out into the distance with a smile, “The Old Martial Era is long gone, and the New Martial Era is the future. After the five Holy Grounds accomplished our duty, we would certainly assimilate into the new era.”
“Come!”
“Follow me to receive these new martial artists.”
How great an honor for the guests was it to have the head monk personally receive them?
After all, not even the head monk received Wang Hou when he climbed the mountain—of course, Wang Hou was already fighting even before he went up the mountain, after which he headed straight into the great temple where the Living Buddha secluded himself.
***
At the foot of the mountain.
Chen Jingzhou, Cheng Dongfeng, and the others were trying to persuade Jiang He to go up the mountain.
Nonetheless, Jiang He’s gaze twitched then and he smiled. “Someone’s coming.”
And in the instant that he spoke those words, the mist halfway up the mountain parted abruptly, with Corban coming down the steps in his iron staff, monk tunic, and red lama robes.
He smiled as he arrived before Jiang He and the others, saying, “I’m Corban, an Iron Staff Lama of Tantra Sect have come under the Living Buddha’s orders, to receive and escort your company up the mountain.”
Chen Jingzhou, Cheng Dongfeng, and the others promptly responded with fist-palm salutes.
They had done their homework before coming, and knew who the Iron Staff Lama of the Tantra Sect was. Moreover, the overflowing aura extending from Corban’s body showed that he was not much weaker than Three Blades Lin.
In fact, they could not help doubting inwardly even as they offered their salutes…
Was their group that impressive?
The Living Buddha of the Tantra Sect actually spoke out, even sending a high-ranked and powerful Iron Staff Lama to receive them…
“Corban?”
Jiang He, on the other hand, had no idea what the deal was with the iron staff or the silver staff. Han people were the majority while the Hui people were the minority in Lingzhou City, and there were not many temples—how would Jiang He get to learn that stuff?
All he knew that the monks of Shaolin Temple were known as monks, while the monks of the Tantra Sect were known as lamas.
Still, the name Corban invoked some of Jiang He’s memories. Looking at the monk from head to toe, he asked, “Master Corban, are you acquainted with a martial artist named Cordo?”
Corban smiled, shaking his head.
Beside Jiang He, Cheng Dongfeng’s face turned green instant and he promptly casted Secret Acoustics, saying, “Please, Jiang He, I’m begging you, stop talking… Cordo is a Sky Demon Cultist and Master Corban an Iron Staff Lama of the Tantra Sect and their sojo—how could you mention them on equal terms?”
The others did not know Cordo, a Sky Demon Cultist whom Jiang He had killed, but Cheng Dongfeng did.
“What does Iron Staff Lama even mean?”
Jiang He asked in return through Secret Acoustics, and Cheng Dongfeng gave him the rundown as Corban led them up the mountain gates of the Tantra Sect.
But on the way, Jiang He could not help asking, “Master Corban, why are the mountain gates of your sect known as the Diamond Realm?”
“The Diamond Realm is also known as the vajradhatu, and is the opposite of the Womb Realm. Both are the essence of my sect’s doctrine, which believes that everything in the universe is a manifestation of the Mahavairocana, of which the aspect of virtuous wisdom is known as the Diamond Realm, whereas the aspect of rationality is known Womb Realm.”
Corban smiled. “Of course, these are merely classical doctrines applied to enlighten the younger generation. The universe and its celestial bodies evolve, and neither are our sect’s disciples ignorant—most of them still believe in science.”
They arrived halfway up the mountain just then.
That was when Corban extended his hand and shoved, his hand muscles tightening. A dragon’s roar and an elephant’s trumpeting sounded as a wave of True Qi fired out of his palm into the mist and he cried, “Open!”
Boom!
The mist once again parted as a cloudy walkway appeared beneath everyone’s feet.
“This way, please.”
Corban continued climbing up the mountain, stepping on the cloudy stairs.
Chen Jingzhou and the others stepped on the clouds too, with Jiang He staying at the back as he recalled a certain scene where a Daoist persuaded people to trust in science, before turning and jumping down a mountain peak and flying away.
“Believe in science… my foot!”
Jiang He thought about something even as he complained.
Just now, a dragon’s roar and an elephant’s trumpeting could be heard from Corban’s body when he casted his technique, making it obvious that the Dragon-Elephant Prajna was used…
“The Dragon-Elephant Prajna… but why is it different from when I used it?” Jiang He was rather puzzled since the sound effects of Corban’s Dragon-Elephant Prajnaw as much weaker and almost nonexistent, and would not have been heard if he had been further away.
There were no special visual effects either.
“Could his cultivation be lacking?”
“No way. Corban’s cultivation would not lose out to Three Blades Lin. There’s no telling how many years an elite like him had trained, and if a martial arts newbie like me could cultivate Dragon-Elephant Prajna up to fifth tier, why would his cultivation be lower than mine?”
“Therefore, it must be because my Dragon-Elephant Prajna is stronger thanks to my revamping it, as such producing the special effects.”
Jiang He pondered.
When it comes to special phenomenon…
It made sense that there was no divine dragon or divine elephant jumping out when Corban used Dragon-Elephant Prajna, since those were special effects that Jiang He added in to his own revamped version.
And without special effects, there naturally wouldn’t be any special phenomenon.
Eventually, they reached the mountaintop, where the head monk was waiting outside the mountain gates with another group of monks.
Chen Jingzhou, Cheng Dongfeng, and the others were shocked and felt a sense of surrealism. Order from above was for them to be discreet at the Tantra Sect, since the disciples of the five Holy Grounds
Now, however, the sojo of Tantra personally came down the mountain to receive them while their head monk and other elites received them at the gates… what was with this reception?
Nonetheless, after introductions and preamble, the head monk suddenly turned towards Jiang He with a frown. “Young man, your cultivation is refined and your qi pure… but isn’t that the secret technique of our sect—the Dragon-Elephant Prajna?”
At his word, every monk around Jiang He turned towards him.
Jiang He’s heart skipped a beat!
That monk had a good eye.
Even so, he kept his expression unchanged and smiled. “I have indeed cultivated the Dragon-Elephant Prajna, but it’s not like the one your Dragon-Elephant Prajna teaches, but something I created myself.”
His answer left the scene silent immediately.
One of the senior lamas burst out in rage then, “What drivel! You, creating on your own? The Dragon-Elephant Prajna is a secret technique passed down in the Tantra Sect that not even average disciples get to cultivate! Speak! Where have you stolen our forbidden art from?”
Jiang He lifted a brow and turned towards the monk who spoke.
The senior lama had a red lama robe draped over his monk garbs, although he was not wearing a cockscomb hat.
He had one arm that was very tanned bared, the muscles on it as hard as steel and his aura overflowing. Jiang He felt that he was stronger than the Black King Drake, although he fell short against Feral Kings the likes of the Red Toad King and the Golden-Crowned Black Eagle.
“Senior Lama, one may eat anything that like but words must never be spoken on whims. I, Jiang He may be a martial arts newbie and had not touched the martial arts for long, but I’m quite talented in creating cultivation methods—so why couldn’t I develop Dragon-Elephant Prajna on my own?”
Jiang He smirked, casting a sweeping glance over the many infuriated lamas.
What would a bunch of frogs that remained beneath their well know?
