At Squire Li's command, his servants rushed at Ethan Shu with sticks in hand. Surrounded, Ethan Shu remained calm and unshaken. Apart from his Buddhist skills, he was a martial arts grandmaster—mere untrained servants posed no threat.
Ethan Shu raised the purple-gold monk staff and struck it firmly against the ground.
Boom!
The copper rings on the staff vibrated, sending sound waves that left Squire Li and his servants reeling, their eardrums ringing and heads spinning. As Squire Li looked again, he saw multiple blurred images of Ethan Shu shifting and swaying. The monk's powerful aura had left them dazed, as if they were hearing the echoes of chants in a vast temple.
"Master Li, if you wish to find me, you can send someone to the inn," Ethan Shu's voice echoed, distant but clear. The disoriented servants exchanged looks, feeling both bewildered and deeply impressed. Even a slight display of his power left these ordinary folk awestruck.
One servant, Ah Fu, muttered, "Master, it seems this saintly monk may have true abilities."
Squire Li's face darkened. "Don't air family business to outsiders!" "Besides, didn't Daoist Master Kuxuan already devise a solution for my son? We don't need outside interference." With Squire Li's words, his servants remained quiet.
After leaving Squire Li's home, Ethan Shu walked around the town looking for an inn to spend the night. Oddly, each inn had already closed for the night, though darkness had barely fallen. Only one inn remained open: the Fortune Inn.
Ethan Shu glanced up at the sign and stepped inside. The inn was dimly lit and damp.
"Anyone here?" "Coming! Just one guest… oh, it's a saintly monk!"
The innkeeper's assistant, a wiry man with a monkey-like face, was startled by Ethan Shu's striking appearance. Ethan Shu took out a small silver piece. "Do you have a quality room available?"
The assistant quickly pocketed the silver and nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, yes! We kept our best room vacant just for you, Saint Monk!" "Lead the way. Also, bring up some simple dishes," Ethan Shu replied.
As he led the way, the assistant chattered eagerly, "Understood, monk! Simple vegetarian dishes, prepared with vegetable oil?"
Ethan Shu ascended the stairs, each step accompanied by a tap of his monk staff on the wooden boards. The hidden malevolent spirits lurking in the inn's dark corners recoiled, frightened into hiding.
"Does this inn serve meat?" Ethan Shu asked suddenly.
The assistant stopped, surprised. "Monk, you… want meat?"
Ignoring the assistant's shock, Ethan Shu nodded. "Yes. If there's meat, bring it up. Wine too. Good food and drink will do just fine for this monk."
The assistant stared at him, stunned. This distinguished-looking monk was… a meat and wine monk?
"'Let meat and wine pass through the stomach, but let the Buddha sit in the heart.' My mind holds the Buddha, which makes me a true monk." "Now go and prepare," Ethan Shu said, dismissing him.
Soon, the assistant returned with braised beef, nuerhong wine, and a few side dishes. "It's no Eight-Treasure Chicken, but it certainly beats a daily vegetarian diet in the mountains."
As he ate and drank, Ethan Shu's thoughts turned to Elder Monk Huiming. He took out a dim relic from his spatial system—the relic of Huiming.
Lost in thought, Ethan Shu murmured, "With Master's merit and Buddhist wisdom, he must have reached the Western Pure Land." "He had no regrets upon passing; why should I continue grieving?"
Tucking away the relic, he felt a knot in his heart finally dissolve.
Ethan Shu's philosophy was rooted in deep loyalty and sincerity. In his eyes, all beings were Buddhas, and Buddha was simply another form of life. The Buddha was human, and there was no need to sever all emotions or be bound by strict codes.
True nature, supreme freedom—this was the way of Buddha.
Ding! "Congratulations, host, for attaining the Supreme Freedom Buddha insight, advancing your cultivation to the Relic Realm and forming the Supreme Freedom Relic." Ding! "Congratulations, host, for attaining the Supreme Freedom Buddha insight and earning the World Sovereign Buddha Seal!"
With the system's notification, a surge of Buddha force condensed within him. His Buddha heart, thoughts, and nature united perfectly, forming a brilliant golden core—the Supreme Freedom Relic.
In an instant, Ethan Shu's mind emptied, achieving a profound Buddhist state as if beholding the Tathagata.
"I've reached the Relic Realm!" Despite his calm nature, Ethan Shu couldn't help but feel a wave of joy. His master had reached the late Relic Realm; now, he too had stepped into this level. Even at the initial stage, he was now qualified to be considered a high monk.
"World Sovereign Buddha?" Ethan Shu noted the system's reward—the World Sovereign Buddha Seal. "The World Sovereign Buddha, a Buddha of the past, is said to be the teacher of Amitabha Buddha." "This seal must be extraordinary."
Cross-legged on the bed, Ethan Shu began to comprehend the mysteries of the World Sovereign Buddha Seal. In the next moment, he felt his soul exit his body, enabling him to travel freely between heaven and earth. With a thought, he could journey to the east or the western Bitter Sea. He could explore the Three Thousand Worlds, vast and boundless, yet remain unrestricted.
When he invoked the seal again, his soul felt the pull of his physical body in the inn, drawing him back. Opening his eyes, a flash of brilliance passed through them.
"The World Sovereign Buddha Seal is indeed wondrous. With it, I gain supreme freedom, able to traverse any realm." "But while my soul is away, my physical body needs protection, or demons could exploit it." "Such as the demon here… show yourself!"
With a powerful Buddhist roar, his eyes blazed, and a lotus-shaped eye on his forehead emitted a golden light, scanning the room's furnishings. Suddenly, a strange phenomenon erupted from a painting on the wall.
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