The first prize point shot out.
Although Huo Yuanzhen had drawn the grand prize, it didn't necessarily mean he would get something valuable. What if the grand prize was just three silver taels? He wouldn't even have a place to cry.
While there might be patterns during the draw, the grand prize points were entirely random—this was automatic, all depending on luck.
After spinning a few times, the first prize point finally stopped.
Huo Yuanzhen looked closely and couldn't help but frown. What was this? A white horse!
Indeed, the first grand prize landed on the white horse symbol.
The first prize of June was a horse.
Before Huo Yuanzhen could even assess the quality of the horse, the second prize point shot out again.
After spinning around seven or eight times, the point finally came to rest on the Mountain Gate Construction Token.
This prize was much to Huo Yuanzhen's liking. Now that his temple was complete, the Buddha Tower was in place, but the facade still needed something—this token was just what he needed.
Unlike a temple gate, the Mountain Gate referred to the grand entrance at the foot of a mountain. It was a monumental archway, like a paifang, and passing through it signified officially entering the mountain territory.
Excited, Huo Yuanzhen watched as the points continued to move.
The third prize point shot out.
After receiving the Mountain Gate Construction Token, Huo Yuanzhen's mood improved significantly. As for the other prizes, he didn't mind as much. If he got something good, it was luck; if not, that was fine too.
With this laid-back mindset, the final prize point unexpectedly stopped on the "Yi Wei Du Jiang" (One Reeds Crossing the River) martial arts manual.
Huo Yuanzhen was familiar with this technique. It was a legendary light-body martial art, said to be created by the great Dharma patriarch when he traveled east. Passing the Yangtze River, instead of using a boat, he broke off a reed and walked across the river on it.
Later, martial artists adapted this technique, and some could actually reach the level of crossing the river with a reed. But it wasn't easy to master. One needed a teacher to teach them the methods of lightness, enabling such feats.
For Huo Yuanzhen, acquiring this manual was incredibly significant.
Light-body techniques were considered a key indicator of a skilled martial artist. Even if your inner power surpassed your opponent's, without proper lightness skills, you'd still have trouble dealing with them.
And light-body techniques didn't require the consumption of inner power, which made it extremely practical for Huo Yuanzhen at his current level.
Getting this manual wouldn't necessarily enhance his combat strength immediately, but it was an incredibly useful tool for escaping.
Once the three prizes were drawn, June's lottery ended.
After the draw, Huo Yuanzhen didn't immediately claim his prizes. One of them was a white horse, and he didn't want it neighing inside the temple, which could raise unnecessary questions.
While he could explain the construction token with the Buddha's blessings, a white horse wouldn't easily be explained as a gift from the Buddha. That would make it seem like the Buddha had too much time on his hands.
Heading outside to the back of the Ten Thousand Buddha Tower, where no one could see him, Huo Yuanzhen claimed his prizes.
The manual and construction token were small and easy to store, but the white horse was much more conspicuous.
Generally, red or black horses were larger, but this white horse was distinctly different. Standing still, it was about the same height as Huo Yuanzhen, who was over 1.8 meters tall. Its coat was pure white, except for a ring of black fur on its hooves, making it look extraordinarily majestic.
As soon as the horse appeared, it immediately came up to Huo Yuanzhen and gently nudged his cheek with its head. Being a system-generated creature, it recognized only him as its master.
Huo Yuanzhen spent a moment stroking the horse's mane, but didn't mount it right away. He could tell just from this interaction that this was no ordinary horse—it was a divine steed.
He let the horse stand at the Buddha Tower entrance, and as soon as he thought about it, the horse understood and obediently stood by the door.
With the manual and construction token in hand, Huo Yuanzhen returned to his room.
Living with the other monks was a bit inconvenient, so although his personal room was nearly ready, Huo Yuanzhen still wished for a place that he could call his own.
His thoughts wandered as he entered and closed the door. He took out the "Yi Wei Du Jiang" manual.
This was considered a high-level light-body technique, likely one of the best in the martial world. Huo Yuanzhen hadn't expected to get his hands on such a treasure—it was a pleasant surprise.
Excited, he opened the manual, and the illustrations and text quickly imprinted themselves on his mind, allowing him to absorb and learn them.
About half an hour later, the strange sensation faded, and Huo Yuanzhen had fully mastered the skill.
The biggest advantage of "Yi Wei Du Jiang" was that, as long as there was something to use for leverage, a person could maintain a light-body state without consuming internal power.
However, Huo Yuanzhen still couldn't manage the feat of crossing the Yangtze River with a reed, as that would require overcoming the strong winds and currents—something beyond his abilities.
If his internal power were strong enough, he could accomplish the feat, but for now, it was out of reach.
Having finished learning, the manual became ordinary, and Huo Yuanzhen put it away, not planning to pass it on just yet.
His "Iron Head Skill" wasn't even at a small level yet, and with this profound light-body manual, he felt it would be too much to handle. He could share it with others, but he didn't fully trust anyone in his temple yet.
Among the monks, only Yi Jing had potential for martial arts; the others weren't cut out for it, and Huo Yuanzhen didn't plan to teach them. In a temple, not all monks needed martial arts—some should focus on their own specialties.
After reviewing the manual, Huo Yuanzhen turned his attention to the Mountain Gate Construction Token.
Thinking about the old man still staying outside, Huo Yuanzhen suddenly had an idea.
The old man had status and seemed to be skilled in martial arts. He was a Buddhist devotee, and Huo Yuanzhen guessed that he had come hoping to acquire a Buddhist artifact. However, Huo Yuanzhen's only artifact was a wooden fish, which he wasn't willing to give away.
Looking at the old man's demeanor, though, Huo Yuanzhen suspected that if he didn't give something, the old man wouldn't easily let it go.
After thinking it over, Huo Yuanzhen decided to take a different approach, and the Mountain Gate Construction Token seemed like the perfect opportunity.
He decided to act, leaving his room and heading to the temple door.
Upon opening the door, he saw the old man standing outside, gazing inside.
"Oh, you're not resting?" Huo Yuanzhen asked as he closed the door behind him.
Seeing Huo Yuanzhen emerge, the old man hurriedly said, "Abbot, I heard someone coming out, so I came to greet you. I was about to rest."
"Mm," Huo Yuanzhen nodded. "In my dream, I once again communicated with the Buddha."
"You... You really spoke with the Buddha?" The old man's eyes shone with a fervent excitement as he stared at Huo Yuanzhen.
"Yes, I've been able to communicate with the Buddha since I was young. But the Buddha never showed any miracles, so I thought it was just a hallucination. I never dared to mention it to anyone. But a few days ago, the Buddha appeared in a dream and said he would manifest a miracle at Shaolin. Soon after, the Ten Thousand Buddha Tower appeared, and I realized that I truly have the ability to communicate with the Buddha."
"Huh... What... What did the Buddha say?" The old man pressed forward eagerly.
Huo Yuanzhen took a step forward. "The Buddha told me in the dream that he would again reveal his miracle here at Shaolin and bestow a Mountain Gate upon us."
Initially, the old man had been somewhat skeptical of Huo Yuanzhen's words, but now, hearing that the Buddha was about to show a miracle, he couldn't dismiss it. If Huo Yuanzhen was lying, it would quickly be exposed, but the old man's eyes filled with fervent light as he followed closely behind, eager to see the Buddha's miracle.
"Master, I'm sixty-three years old, and I've never seen a Buddha's miracle. I've never even seen something truly Buddhist. My greatest wish is to receive a blessed artifact from the Buddha. Please, master, let me follow you and see the Buddha's miracle," the old man pleaded.
Huo Yuanzhen glanced back at him. "Old devotee, the Buddha's miracles cannot be casually viewed by outsiders when they appear."
"I... I'm not an outsider! I'm a devotee!" The old man insisted.
"At Shaolin, you're not one of our own, so you are an outsider. There's no need to say more. I won't take you with me."
"No! No, I must follow!" Unexpectedly, the old man, over sixty, threw a childish tantrum, insisting on following Huo Yuanzhen.
Huo Yuanzhen helplessly looked at him. "Old devotee, if you insist on coming, I'll have to leave you behind. I'm young and strong, and you won't be able to keep up with me."
The old man snorted. "Master, although you are a great monk, you think you can shake me off... Heh, I'm not boasting, but in this region of Henan, there are no more than five people who can say such a thing."
"Is that so? If you can keep up, then come along!"
With that, Huo Yuanzhen suddenly leapt into the air and landed on the branch of a tree in the nearby forest.
It was his first time using light-body techniques, but he was already extremely skilled. Having fully mastered "Yi Wei Du Jiang," climbing onto a tree was effortless.
Seeing Huo Yuanzhen's extraordinary lightness skill, the old man was taken aback. He no longer dared to underestimate him, and quickly followed, leaping onto the tree branch. However, no matter how hard he tried, his movements couldn't match Huo Yuanzhen's speed.
Huo Yuanzhen didn't pay him any attention. Spreading his arms wide, he leaped like a bird into the air and quickly sped off in the distance.
For the first time in his life, and for both of his lifetimes combined, Huo Yuanzhen experienced the thrill of lightness skills. He felt so excited that he wanted to cheer. His feet sped up, and soon, he had left the old man far behind.