"Is big brother about to make a breakthrough? Is he not on the verge of ascending to a Daluo Golden Immortal?!"
Yang Jian sat in a lotus position on the ground, channeling the Nine-turn Mysterious Skills with all his might. Three Flowers Gathering at the Top was the hallmark of ascending to a Daluo Golden Immortal!
The first step was to nurture the Heaven Flower. A white flower bud condensed above Yang Jian's head, and as mana continued to pour in, the Heaven Flower began to sprout petals.
One petal, two petals... nine petals!
With each additional petal, the mana required grew exponentially, yet Yang Jian was not satisfied!
He clenched his teeth and ramped up the intensity of his cultivation even further.
"Converge for me!"
Yang Jian roared within his heart, and under the extreme operation of his cultivation technique, the lustrous white Heaven Flower finally began to form its tenth petal slowly!
Ten-grade Heaven Flower!
Yang Jian let out a sigh of relief. A Ten-grade Heaven Flower was already of extremely rare quality; many ancient powerhouses only had a Nine-grade Heaven Flower.
As the Heaven Flower faded away, a black flower bud appeared. One petal, two petals...
Suddenly, Yang Jian's expression stiffened. Damn it, the forced Ten-grade Heaven Flower had drained too much energy, and now he was running out of strength.
However, a resolute light flashed in Yang Jian's eyes. In the next moment, multiple Spiritual Treasures materialized before him.
Although skilled with the Three-pointed Double-edged Blade, as the first of the Chan School's third generation, how could he lack Magical Treasures?
But compared to Magical Treasures, he had more faith in his own strength!
With a wave of his hand, a Spiritual Treasure instantly burst open, its energy flooding into his body!
Six petals!
It wasn't over yet. One could hear the sounds of explosions as more Spiritual Treasures shattered.
Eight petals! The Earth Flower was complete!
Yet Yang Jian felt not the slightest joy but utter despair instead. One mistake had led to another; he no longer even had the strength to condense the Human Flower's bud.
Was he going to fall short at the last hurdle?!
He had no mana left to protect himself now. The backlash from failing to ascend to the Daluo Golden Immortal realm could even harm his true self.
It wouldn't just be a matter of falling in realm; his cultivation would struggle to advance ever again.
Yang Jian bit down on his teeth, wanting to muster every last bit of energy, even if it was just to condense the bud of the Human Flower.
What should have been an easy task had become an extravagant hope.
The six brothers of Plum Mountain, who had just left, were alerted and returned, all except for Xiaotian Dog, who was nowhere to be found—after all, spring had arrived.
After understanding the situation from Yang Chan, the six felt a mix of joy and worry; this was all too hasty.
Without another word, the six positioned themselves in formation, settling around the residence to protect Yang Jian, but they were unaware of the dire situation he was in.
Just as Yang Jian was engulfed in despair, as the Human Flower gradually dissipated, something unexpected happened!
"Ding, Lord Erlang Yang Jian has broken through to the Daluo Golden Immortal realm by consuming beef noodles. Would you like to obtain the insights from ascending to the Daluo Golden Immortal realm?"
Chen Nuo was leisurely behind the counter when suddenly he heard the system's voice in his mind.
"Yang Jian?"
Chen Nuo was taken aback. How did Yang Jian get his beef noodles, which were surely taken away by a young girl?
That's not right!
Chen Nuo's brows furrowed as he recalled the girl's words about taking a portion to her brother; if the brother is Yang Jian, then wouldn't the girl be the famed Third Holy Mother, Yang Chan, in the future?
Chen Nuo smiled. It's clear who has the superior aptitude and fortune. Yang Chan ate it with no effect, but Yang Jian became a Daluo Golden Immortal after eating it.
While it wasn't Divine Skills, the insights of a Daluo Golden Immortal could grudgingly be accepted.
"Accept," Chen Nuo murmured silently.
Memories flooded in all at once, the scene of Yang Jian's breakthrough vivid before his eyes.
After accepting the memories, Chen Nuo couldn't help but give a wry smile; this Yang Jian was really a fool. Wasn't it clear to him what his foundations were? Yet he dared to attempt breaking through to the tenth rank of Heaven's Blossom.
Had it not been for this bowl of beef noodles, his cultivation level might have even fallen to the Golden Immortal Realm!
However, this move of his could be considered a risky strategy that turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
Just as Chen Nuo was thinking of resting, the system's voice rang out once more.
"Ding, Erlang Shen Yang Jian has gained the Divine Skill One Thought Slash from consuming beef noodles. Do you wish to synchronize and acquire it?"
Above the sky, Arhats formed a protective guard, and Bhikkhuni led the way, with the foremost person wearing a treasured crown, his long ears dangling to his shoulders.
Adorned in a Kasaya that shimmered with flowing light, he was chanting Buddhist texts with eyes closed, his voice vast and resonant, holding a Flying Dragon magical staff, awe-inspiring.
"Which part of the Earth Realm have we reached?" Lingji ceased his chanting and asked.
The silver-haired Bhikkhuni approached and said respectfully, "Bodhisattva, we have now arrived at the Guan River Mouth."
"Bodhisattva, shall we continue the search?"
Upon hearing this, Lingji spoke indifferently, "Why not search?"
The silver-haired Bhikkhuni hesitated and said, "But Erlang Shen Yang Jian is the Jade Emperor's nephew, he boasts the peak of Taiyi Golden Immortal cultivation, and holds the identity of a Chan School follower. Do we really search?"
"So what? The great flourishing of Buddhism is decreed by heaven itself; who dares obstruct it? Hasn't even the Jade Emperor compromised with our Buddhism, agreeing to a three-day truce?" Lingji snorted coldly, unimpressed.
No matter how glorious you are in the Divine Enthronement, you are but a mere Taiyi Golden Immortal; how can you compare to me, a Daluo Golden Immortal?
The silver-haired Bhikkhuni truly didn't want to confront this renowned War God of the Three Realms, but had no choice but to comply with Lingji's commands.
Arriving above the Guan River Mouth, the silver-haired Bhikkhuni shouted loudly, "Is Manjushri True Lord Erlang present? We are here by the decree of the Buddha Ancestor to search for a monkey, and we hope there will be no obstruction!"
The voice spread to every corner of the Guan River Mouth, causing the brows of the Plum Mountain brothers to furrow deeply.
The arrival of Buddhism indeed came at an inconvenient time.
Kang Anyu stood up and said, "Brothers, please help protect our eldest brother; I'll go to negotiate."
Having said that, he leapt up, and beside him, Yang Chan pondered thoughtfully, a monkey?
She saw a monkey today in that magical restaurant as well.
"My eldest brother has urgent matters and is not conveniently available. Could I ask you to please come back another day?" Kang Anyu said politely with cupped hands.
At this critical juncture of the breakthrough, they absolutely couldn't afford any disturbances.
"I am Bhikkhuni Lingji, I've seen the Donor. We are here by the Buddha Ancestor's decree, and we ask for your cooperation," Lingji said with a smile as he descended from the clouds, not waiting for the silver-haired Bhikkhuni to speak.
Bodhisattva Lingji!
Kang Anyu's pupils shrank; as one of the few widely-known Bodhisattvas in Buddhism, how could he not recognize him?
This was a Great Luo Golden Immortal!
Cold sweat broke out on Kang Anyu's forehead. He was well aware that Buddhism had recently been in search of a certain monkey, thinking that it would only be Arhats who came, which gave him some confidence, but it turned out to be Lingji!
He was just a minor Golden Immortal, not even worthy to be considered a side dish.
"Donor, please rest assured, we will merely conduct a quick search," Lingji said indifferently, observing Kang Anyu's apprehensive expression.
Seeing Lingji's resolve to search, Kang Anyu felt a retreat in his heart; perhaps, he should just let them search?
Just as he was about to agree, he suddenly remembered something, and his complexion changed drastically, "I apologize, but without my elder brother's permission, I am not in a position to agree!"
Who was his elder brother? The foremost disciple of the third-generation Chan School, an authentic follower of Mysterious Gate. If he conceded to Buddhism, would it not be tantamount to Buddhism delivering Mysterious Gate a resounding slap?