At this moment, Huiming came to report, saying that two monks had arrived and were waiting outside the courtyard. They claimed to be from Wutai Mountain's Manjusri Monastery and said they had come to help Shaolin in its current crisis. They requested to meet with the abbot.
Huo Yuanzhen and Guan Shanyue exchanged glances, both surprised.
Manjusri Monastery on Wutai Mountain was a prominent Buddhist sect, the seat of the Bodhisattva Manjusri. Its abbot, Pudu Chan Master, was a powerful figure who had reached the Innate Realm, and the monastery had a significant reputation in the martial world.
However, why would monks from Manjusri Monastery come to Shaolin? The two monasteries were thousands of miles apart, and they had no particular connection. It was hard to believe they would come all this way just to offer help.
But since they had arrived, Huo Yuanzhen could not ignore them. He quickly instructed Huiming to bring the guests inside.
A short while later, two monks entered the room, both wearing gray robes. One was older, around forty, while the other was a young monk, about twenty years old.
Upon entering, they looked around and quickly noticed something was off.
In the room were Huo Yuanzhen and Guan Shanyue, but Huo Yuanzhen was seated in the main position, while Guan Shanyue sat to the side.
From their outward appearance, Guan Shanyue looked older, mature, and steady, which made him seem like the abbot, while Huo Yuanzhen, being younger, probably appeared to be a junior monk, perhaps one who served tea and ran errands.
But why was Huo Yuanzhen sitting in the main position?
The two monks were confused and hesitated for a moment.
Guan Shanyue quickly stood up and said, "Masters, this is our abbot, Master Yijie."
Both monks showed expressions of surprise and quickly saluted. "Master Yijie, I am Puhang. Greetings."
Huo Yuanzhen did not stand up but sat there and softly chanted, "Amitabha, please take a seat, masters."
Puhang, the older monk, looked at Huo Yuanzhen with some displeasure, but still sat down. The younger monk, Puyin, was even less pleased and was about to speak when Puhang pulled him back, signaling him to remain silent.
Guan Shanyue, seeing that Huo Yuanzhen was treating the two monks somewhat dismissively, wanted to say something but stopped himself, as if understanding the situation.
"Master Yijie, I come from Manjusri Monastery on Wutai Mountain, and I am the head of the Discipline Hall," Puhang said, a hint of pride in his voice, fixing his gaze on Huo Yuanzhen, waiting to see his reaction.
Manjusri Monastery certainly had a great reputation, but Huo Yuanzhen had come from another world and wasn't very familiar with such martial sects. Even the Demon Sect, which was considered the strongest sect in the world, was just a name to him.
So when Puhang tried to show off, he received no response from Huo Yuanzhen, who simply nodded indifferently, "I've heard of it."
Puyin's face turned pale, and he suddenly stood up, as if about to lash out.
Puhang quickly pulled him back again, signaling him to remain calm.
With a colder expression, Puhang said, "Abbot, my disciple and I have been traveling, and upon hearing about the situation between Shaolin and the Fa Wang Temple, and hearing the praises of your monastery from the people, we knew that Shaolin is facing tough times. Out of compassion for our fellow Buddhists, we came to offer help. But it seems that Shaolin is not very welcoming of us."
Huo Yuanzhen smiled faintly, "It's easy to add flowers to something already beautiful, but offering help in times of hardship is more valuable. If you have come to show your support for Shaolin, then as the abbot, I naturally welcome you."
Hearing Huo Yuanzhen's arrogant tone, Puhang sneered, "Master Yijie, you speak with great confidence. Though my disciple and I have come from afar, I have heard of Shaolin's situation. Without external help, your monastery will likely struggle to overcome this crisis. But here you are, still pretending to be confident in front of us. Does this not go against the teachings of our Buddha?"
Huo Yuanzhen silently cursed in his heart, "Teachings? What teachings? If I didn't want to return to the secular world, I wouldn't care about this 'abbot' title. Why should I let you speak so grandly in front of me?"
But he still replied, "You misunderstand, masters. Shaolin has already made plans. There are many things that are not for outsiders to know."
"Hmph."
Puhang snorted twice, then reached into his robe and pulled out two objects.
Huo Yuanzhen raised an eyebrow in curiosity as Puhang revealed two iron balls.
They didn't appear to be made of iron, but it was certain they were metallic. They resembled the porcelain balls some elderly people liked to twist around in their hands for exercise.
Puhang began spinning the iron balls in his hands, then spoke, "It seems that Master Yijie does not trust my disciple and I."
Huo Yuanzhen thought to himself, "I'd be a fool to trust you. You came here to help Shaolin, but I don't believe your goodwill. You must have some hidden agenda."
He chuckled, "Master Puhang, let's speak plainly. If you truly wish to help, then I welcome it. But I wonder if your abilities will catch my eye?"
Puhang glanced at Huo Yuanzhen with disdain and then said to Puyin, "Disciple, show the abbot a demonstration."
The young monk, Puyin, nodded and stood up.
Huo Yuanzhen wondered what kind of skill could be demonstrated in such a small room, but he was about to find out.
Puyin closed his eyes, standing completely still, as if cultivating inner energy.
To Huo Yuanzhen's surprise, Puyin's robes suddenly began to stir, puffing up as if filled with air!
"Could it be a balloon inside?" Huo Yuanzhen thought, genuinely baffled. He was still quite inexperienced with martial arts, especially internal energy, and hadn't yet reached the mid-stage of the Postnatal realm, so he couldn't manipulate his internal energy well enough to perform such feats. He figured this monk might be performing a magic trick.
But Guan Shanyue, standing nearby, looked serious and spoke solemnly, "He is releasing internal energy. Peak late-stage Postnatal, impressive for such a young age."
After a moment, Puyin opened his eyes and retracted his energy, causing his robes to return to normal. He sat down, looking pleased with himself.
Puhang had been watching Huo Yuanzhen closely, and when he saw that although Huo Yuanzhen was surprised, he wasn't shocked, he began to feel uncertain about his own mission. It seemed that this young abbot had quite a high level of discernment.
A person with high standards likely wouldn't be easily fooled, and it seemed his disciple wasn't enough to impress him.
It was time for Puhang to act himself.
Standing up, Puhang said, "Master Yijie, my disciple is only nineteen years old. He has shown you some basic skills, but they are unworthy of being seen by someone as esteemed as yourself."
Huo Yuanzhen smiled, "No problem. You're young, and there will be plenty of opportunities."
Puyin shot a glare at Huo Yuanzhen, thinking to himself, "You're probably not even older than me, yet you're pretending to act wise."
"My disciple's abilities are now clear to the abbot. I wonder if they can be of use in the upcoming Dengfeng Martial Arts Arena challenge?" Puhang asked.
"Fairly average," Huo Yuanzhen replied vaguely.
Puhang's expression darkened a bit, then he said, "Then allow me to demonstrate my own abilities, to see if I am worthy of your trust."
With that, Puhang handed one of the iron balls to Huo Yuanzhen, signaling him to take it.
Huo Yuanzhen, still confused, accepted the ball.
As soon as he grabbed it, he was shocked by its weight.
This was no ordinary metal. Even with his new strength from mastering the seventh level of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Skill, Huo Yuanzhen felt the weight of the ball was considerable—about seventy or eighty pounds.
Huo Yuanzhen was furious. "You think you can embarrass me by making me hold this heavy thing? You're lucky I've been practicing."
With a smile, Huo Yuanzhen thought, "You pushed your luck, but I'll show you just how much strength I have now."
Huo Yuanzhen quietly thought to himself, "I won't let you get away with this."
Having tested his strength, Huo Yuanzhen returned the iron ball to Puhang and said, "Your abilities have been made clear, but I wonder what else you require of us?"
Puhang's face grew more serious, and he said, "Helping Shaolin isn't hard. My disciple and I are willing to fight in the challenge. We have no other intention, other than to help as fellow Buddhists. If you don't mind, we can stay here for a while and have some food and shelter. This way, we don't have to beg for alms and suffer outdoors."
Huo Yuanzhen nodded, but thought to himself, "What do these monks want? They come for free lodging and food, but I don't trust them. They must be after something."
Although he was uncertain about their true intentions, he gestured to Guan Shanyue, saying, "Please show them to their quarters."
The two monks nodded and followed Guan Shanyue out.