Grinding Cultivation Toward Martial Saint

Dongling Marquis Mansion.

[Origin Point]: 173.1

Jiang Ning sat cross-legged under the ancient pine tree by the lake, his gaze sweeping over the panel again.

"One hundred seventy-three points." He silently mused, "It should be enough for the breakthrough of the Taixu Yin Yang Sword."

Then, he gently closed his eyes.

The next moment.

When he opened his eyes again.

The dome above was circular, surrounded by vast heavens and earth.

Beyond the heavens and earth was a sea of swirling clouds.

Here, it was his Inner Realm.

A world of the spirit.

He was already intimately familiar with this world.

Having achieved the status of an Immortal, the Inner Realm had become even more expansive.

He could also feel that he was fully capable of leaving his Inner Realm.

Yet, he still dared not attempt it.

Because the Inner Realm was too mysterious.

In various ancient texts, there was too little description of the Inner Realm.

No one could guide him on this path.

Now, the Inner Realm, for him, was merely a means to enhance some aspects of his cultivation technique.

Like the internal comprehension of the cultivation technique, in the Inner Realm where a hundred days pass like a moment, there was a certain enhanced effect.

But the unreality of time made him unable to stay here recklessly.

The next moment.

Sword light surged like a tide, clearing away the void, spreading like ripples.

Black and white energies condensed out of thin air, manifesting in all directions.

He could feel that with the emergence of the black and white energies, his Inner Realm was silently undergoing some changes, becoming more realistic.

...

Vajra Temple.

An ancient temple of millennia, the sound of the bell resonated distantly.

In the depths of the main hall, an emaciated old monk slowly opened his eyes, captivating golden lotuses blooming in his gaze, the aura of Buddhism flowing.

He wore an old yet clean kasaya, sitting on a prayer mat.

At this moment, the gilded Great Buddha in the hall was bathed in sunlight from above, as if it were a Buddha awakening, its radiant glow illuminating the entire hall in a golden brilliance.

And the old monk’s body too radiated golden light, occasionally spreading out, sometimes forming into a shadow of a golden bell enveloping him.

Suddenly.

The temple door slid open silently, and a middle-aged monk bowed as he entered, presenting a scroll of brocade: "Abbot, someone just delivered a scroll outside the mountain gate, saying it’s from an old friend of the abbot."

"Old friend!" the old monk murmured.

Then he said, "Present it."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged monk bowed forward, coming to the old monk, holding the brocade in his hands, bending over respectfully presenting the brocade scroll.

The old monk lifted his gaze, causing the brocade to fly from the middle-aged monk’s hands, slowly unfolding before him.

The old monk’s gaze swept over it, and over a hundred words instantly imprinted themselves in his vision.

Then, his eyes lowered slightly, silent for a moment.

Inside the hall, golden light flowed, incense smoke spiraled, only the ancient bell’s sound slowly came from the distant exterior of the hall.

"Mr. Xia... how deeply you have schemed," the old monk slowly spoke, his voice hoarse from years of disuse, "Using Vajra Temple to probe into the depths of Dongling Marquis, and more so to stir up turmoil and disrupt the new order of Great Xia."

The middle-aged monk stayed silent.

Because the person before him was the abbot of Vajra Temple, the second strongest under heaven, a being far beyond his reach.

"Kongxiang, what do you think?" the old monk lowered his gaze, asking the middle-aged monk before him.

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged monk became even more respectful, and then said, "Abbot, in this disciple’s opinion, this matter involves much, Dongling Marquis Jiang Ning is now in the limelight, further favored by the Martial Saint, and it is rumored that Dongling Marquis’ strength is already on par with Wang Jixuan, ranking second under heaven."

"Our Vajra Temple has always remained above worldly affairs, uninvolved in court disputes, and if we respond to the Xia family’s request to probe Jiang Ning now, we might get drawn into unnecessary causality, possibly even incurring the Martial Saint’s displeasure. Therefore, I believe we should adhere to ’tranquility and non-action’ and politely decline this matter."

The old monk shook his head.

"Second under heaven, it’s just someone secretly fueling it!"

Then, he added, "Previously, I owed the Xia family a favor. Now, using favor as a reason to ask me to act, I have no reason to refuse!"

"Very well!" the old monk slowly rose, his emaciated figure under the Buddha’s light appeared exceptionally tall, as if merging with the gilded Great Buddha behind him.

The kasaya fluttered without wind, faintly with golden Sanskrit flowing.

"This old monk indeed wants to meet this young one, who at less than twenty years of age, can stand equally with Ji Xuan in the realm of the Primordial Spirit Immortal, to truly see what astonishing foundation he holds. Yin Yang as the foundation, a superior Immortal Foundation... rarely recorded even in ancient times. Such a figure, if not witnessed personally, would remain a knot in my heart."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged monk Kongxiang became more respectful, and softly said, "Abbot, your intention is..."

"Go make some preparations." The old monk closed his eyes again, the golden light around him gradually receding, "This old monk will personally go to the Royal Capital to meet this Dongling Marquis. Not for the Xia family’s request, nor for fame, but for... the Dao."

Kongxiang bowed deeply: "Disciple understands. However, Abbot, if the Martial Saint..."

"No worries." The old monk interrupted him, his voice calm yet leaving no room for doubt, "The Martial Saint’s state has long transcended worldly conflicts. As long as we do not violate great morality or harm heavenly principles, he will not intervene. This trip is purely for discourse and verification, not for life and death struggle."

Kongxiang bowed once more, "Disciple will prepare immediately."

The old monk nodded slightly: "Inform Jin Chan and Ran Teng."

"Understood!" Kongxiang responded again.

Subsequently, the hall returned to silence, only the distant bell sound penetrating the serenity of the ancient temple, slowly spreading outward beyond the mountain.

...

At the same time, beyond Qingxu Temple in the rear mountains, atop the sea of clouds.

An ancient Daoist temple hung silently in the mist, ethereal and illusory.

The stone platform before the temple was smooth as a mirror, with several gnarled ancient pines standing at the edge, their needles verdant, adorned with glistening dewdrops.