"Little fellow."
"Show me your hand."
As the abbot, the heads of various departments, and others were lost in thought.
Elder Long Eyebrow stepped forward and spoke in a kind tone.
"Okay..."
Lin Yuan did not decline.
In fact, he couldn't decline.
Upon looking at Elder Long Eyebrow, Lin Yuan felt the thread of Innate Qi that had just been nurtured in his dantian tremble.
It was obvious.
This Elder Long Eyebrow possessed strength far beyond Lin Yuan's imagination.
At the very least, he was much stronger than the abbot and the heads of various departments.
Because Lin Yuan did not feel such pressure from the latter.
"Martial mastery brings forth Inner Qi."
"Indeed, it is refining a supreme martial art to the state of perfection..."
Elder Long Eyebrow gently touched Lin Yuan's right hand, releasing a wave of searing Inner Qi before he sighed.
"Inner Qi is born naturally?"
Upon hearing this, the abbot and heads of departments at the Great Zen Temple unanimously breathed a sigh of relief.
Even though they had speculated as much, they were still astounded.
In this world, the martial path is divided into the Acquired Realm, Innate Realm, Grand Master Realm, and Great Grandmaster.
Generally, the Grandmaster is already considered the limit, while a Great Grandmaster... might not appear once in hundreds of years.
And the vast majority of martial artists in this world reside in either the Acquired or Innate Realms.
There are generally three ways to transition from the Acquired Realm to the Innate Realm:
One: Consuming a rare spiritual medicine of heaven and earth, and, upon absorbing its power, even an ordinary person could become an Innate Martial Taoist.
Two: An Acquired Peak Martial Artist grasps a breakthrough opportunity and successfully steps into the Innate Realm.
This method is the mainstream one, and nearly all Innate martial artists have advanced in this way.
Three: Refining a supreme martial art to the state of perfection.
A supreme martial art is the painstaking creation of a martial expert at the Grand Master Realm.
A supreme martial art at the state of perfection has already developed one aspect of the human body to the ultimate limit.
It's not strange for Innate Qi to be naturally born from this.
However, those who advance to the Innate Realm through this approach are usually in their fifties or sixties, having devoted decades to the study of a supreme martial art, until they achieve a realization on a certain day entirely by chance.
Someone like Lin Yuan, who had grasped a supreme martial art at three or four years old... at least the abbot and department heads had never heard of such a case.
Only a martial prodigy, born with knowledge and encountered once in a thousand years, could vaguely explain this phenomenon.
"Little fellow, would you be willing to take me as your master?"
Elder Long Eyebrow looked at Lin Yuan with a complex expression and suddenly asked.
Upon these words, monks like the abbot and department heads did not show any signs of surprise.
After confirming that Lin Yuan had grasped a supreme martial art, and refined it to the state of perfection,
they all realized that Lin Yuan's martial talent could truly be classified as the best in a thousand years at the Great Zen Temple.
Such a martial genius... only Elder Long Eyebrow in the entire Great Zen Temple had the confidence to teach.
As for the abbot, department heads, and others... strictly speaking, they were in the same Innate Realm as Lin Yuan.
What qualification did they have to take disciples?
"Disciple pays his respects to the master," Lin Yuan promptly bowed to Elder Long Eyebrow.
...
Becoming Elder Long Eyebrow's disciple indeed saved Lin Yuan a great deal of time.
According to the rules of the Great Zen Temple, every disciple, no matter who, regardless of status.
Must first spend three years as a saddled horse monk, three years doing menial tasks, three years in the lecture hall, three years in the Discipline Academy.
Only after enduring these twelve years, do they qualify to formally come into contact with the true martial arts of the Great Zen Temple.
Had Lin Yuan not displayed his talent and merely lingered among the ordinary novice monks, it's unknown how much time would have been wasted.
Although, with his Against-Heaven's Understanding, even watching mountains and rivers could bring about realizations,
the outcome of the same time spent due to different starting points is naturally worlds apart.
Under the premise that he could only remain in this world for twenty years, merely getting by was clearly not tenable.
With Lin Yuan taking Elder Long Eyebrow as his master, having the only Grandmaster of the Great Zen Temple for direct instruction,
combined with his Against-Heaven's Understanding, Lin Yuan's progress would be exceptionally rapid, a rarity in the world.
...
Two months later.
Lin Yuan sat opposite Elder Long Eyebrow.
"From now on, you should move to live in the Sutra Pavilion," said Elder Long Eyebrow, his mouth twitching slightly.
The subtext of his words was that Elder Long Eyebrow felt he could no longer teach Lin Yuan.
There was no helping it.
Lin Yuan's understanding was just too exaggerating.
At first, Elder Long Eyebrow could still offer Lin Yuan some guidance.
But after a few days, he sensed something was amiss.
Since ancient times, a person with sharp wit was described as one who 'understands by analogy'.
But was Lin Yuan just seeing one and inferring three?
He saw one and inferred ten!
He saw one and inferred a hundred!
No matter what Elder Long Eyebrow said, Lin Yuan could quickly understand.
And from that, he would infer even deeper meanings.
What made Elder Long Eyebrow find even more incredible was that Lin Yuan's talent was not limited to the Martial Tao.
In the study of Buddhist scriptures and laws, it was the same.
Facing this abnormal prodigy, even a Grandmaster like Elder Long Eyebrow found it hard to keep up.
So, towards the end, rather than saying that Elder Long Eyebrow was instructing Lin Yuan,
It was more like two high monks engaging in an equal debate.
Even some of the things Lin Yuan said greatly benefited Elder Long Eyebrow, a Grandmaster himself.
And up to this step, it only took two months.
"Sutra Pavilion?"
Lin Yuan's eyes slightly lit up.
The Sutra Pavilion was the place where Great Zen Temple stored its martial arts.
It was an absolute core and crucial location.
The seventy-two great skills, those superior martial arts, were placed on the second floor of the Sutra Pavilion.
Moreover, on the third floor of the Sutra Pavilion, there were martial arts that surpassed the seventy-two great skills.
In fact, Lin Yuan had long wanted to visit the Sutra Pavilion, but Elder Long Eyebrow had not agreed.
He said that Lin Yuan was too young and that contact with too high-level things was detrimental to one's state of mind.
"The many martial arts stored in the Sutra Pavilion are the works of the Great Zen Temple's past Grandmasters."
"There, you should be able to learn even more."
Elder Long Eyebrow waved his hand, resigning himself to his fate.
Since he couldn't teach Lin Yuan, let the past Grandmasters of the Great Zen Temple teach him.
In fact, as a core part of the Great Zen Temple, ordinary disciples had no right to enter the Sutra Pavilion.
But Lin Yuan was different, with the permission of Elder Long Eyebrow, a Grandmaster, entering the Sutra Pavilion would not be a problem.
...
After that day, Elder Long Eyebrow announced he would go into seclusion.
And Lin Yuan often stayed in the Sutra Pavilion.
At only three years old, Lin Yuan began browsing the many martial arts.
The martial arts stored in the Sutra Pavilion were as vast as the sea of smoke, with the seventy-two great skills being just the most famous part, and there were many others besides.
"Yi Jin Jing?"
On the second floor of the Sutra Pavilion, Lin Yuan took out an ancient tome.
The Yi Jin Jing was a special martial art that could reshape the tendons and enhance one's Martial Talent.
Its value was even above that of the seventy-two great skills.
However, this martial art, throughout the entire Great Zen Temple, had not been mastered by a single person.
The reason was that the threshold for this martial art was too high, requiring not only Martial Tao comprehension but also touching upon the essence of Buddhist scriptures.
Elder Long Eyebrow might have had the foundation to cultivate the Yi Jin Jing, but for a Grandmaster, the Yi Jin Jing was no longer that important.
Lin Yuan picked up the original Yi Jin Jing and began to read it earnestly.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
[Your understanding is against heaven; while observing the special martial art Yi Jin Jing, you've comprehended the special martial art 'Yi Jin Washing Marrow Tempering Body Exchanging Blood Refining Divine Skill']
Lin Yuan's heart rejoiced.
Only to see an inexplicable breath circulating among his limbs and bones, slowly strengthening his meridians and flesh.
This force was not limited to the physical body; even Lin Yuan's spirit and soul began to be nourished.
"The original Yi Jin Jing could only reshape tendons, the effect being somewhat singular. Now, the 'Yi Jin Washing Marrow Tempering Body Exchanging Blood Refining Divine Skill' I've realized can enhance in all aspects without any weaknesses or shortcomings, even a Great Grandmaster would be jealous upon seeing it."
Lin Yuan couldn't help but reveal a smile at the corner of his mouth.
Through two months of instruction by Elder Long Eyebrow, a Grandmaster,
Lin Yuan was no longer ignorant about the martial arts of today's world.
Grandmasters don't focus on tendons and bones.
Or rather, every Grandmaster's tendons and bones have been developed to the extreme of ordinary people in that aspect.
However, the subsequent tempering of the body, exchanging blood, and refining the spirit could have a great influence on Grandmasters.
Especially refining the spirit, as it is said that even Great Grandmasters are extremely eager for martial arts that can enhance the spirit.
"With this 'Yi Jin Washing Marrow Tempering Body Exchanging Blood Refining Divine Skill,' entering the Grand Master Realm should be accelerated by some time."
Lin Yuan nodded slightly, feeling quite satisfied.
After realizing the 'Great Arhat Buddha Fist,' although Lin Yuan had soared to the skies, surpassing the Acquired Realm and directly stepping into the Innate Realm,
Lin Yuan's Innate Realm was somewhat hollow in strength.
After all, other Innate Martial Tao Experts had cultivated their Innate Qi on the premise of vigorous qi and blood, ultimately breaking through to the Innate Realm.
Meanwhile, Lin Yuan, with the body of a three-year-old child, whether in terms of quality or quantity, his Innate Qi was naturally far from that of a normal Innate Martial Tao Expert.
The realm had been achieved; the rest was just a matter of time.
But now, with this 'Yi Jin Washing Marrow Tempering Body Exchanging Blood Refining Divine Skill' nurturing his physical body and spirit, Lin Yuan was even saving time.
This martial art far surpassed the Yi Jin Jing, being able to comprehensively improve and enhance everything about Lin Yuan.
And so,
Lin Yuan stayed in the Sutra Pavilion for five years.