Chapter 1

The moment Hong Yu opened his eyes, he thought he had been rescued. His body was in pain all over, and he was still holding something in his hand. The ancient-style wooden bed, the balcony, the round table, the stools, the vases, the ancient books, the inkstone, the writing brush, and the faint sounds of arguments coming from outside all indicated that this was definitely not a hospital, nor was it his humble abode...

He raised his hand, and the sight of those unfamiliar hands made him realize instantly that this body was not his own.

He then clearly saw what he had been holding since he woke up: a brick.

Hong Yu guessed that this body had probably been beaten up. Seeing the brick in his hand, a thought suddenly popped into his mind: Could it be that in this world, even fights are popular with bricks? This original owner did have a bit of a fierce and brave spirit.

Just as he thought of the original owner, he immediately felt a splitting headache, a side effect of the soul crossing over. The memories of the original owner flooded into his mind like a force-fed duck, and the poor compatibility between his soul and this body made his limbs weak. He fell back onto the bed, drenched in cold sweat.

Some memories gradually became clearer in his mind.

"Hong Yu?" he muttered subconsciously, then smiled bitterly: Could this be what they call fate? And the praise for the original owner's "fierce and brave spirit" had become a joke.

The original owner, Hong Yu, was actually a very prominent figure, born into one of the top families of the Great Xia Dynasty, the Hong family.

In the city of Wudu, there were enthusiasts who grouped the Hong family with the He family, the Baili family, and the Song family as the "Four Pillars of the Great Xia Dynasty." Although the Great Xia government would never officially recognize this, it was widely spread among the people. Everyone knew that these four pillars were the true top families, second only to the royal family.

As for the other noble families in the "Noble District," their strength was far inferior, and they dared not and could not compete with them.

The ancestor of the Hong family, Hong Shengri, was the top general of the Great Xia Dynasty, holding the title of National Protector. Forty years ago, Hong Shengri, who came from a humble background, was just a minor officer in the logistics camp, commanding three hundred logistics soldiers. They traveled back and forth between the Great Xia and the Di Rong through the "Qingxia Corridor," supplying food and fodder to the Great Xia elite troops who were battling the Di Rong cavalry.

In the final decisive battle at the Mo'er River, the Great Xia elite troops' conical shield formation was about to collapse under the assault of the Di Rong elite cavalry. Hong Shengri suddenly appeared, leading his three hundred logistics soldiers into the heart of the Di Rong camp. With three moves, he killed the Di Rong's top general, Jin Guini, and from thirty zhang away, he used a flying blade to cut down the Di Rong commander's flag.

The morale of the Di Rong was severely damaged, and the Great Xia elite troops took the opportunity to counterattack, achieving a great victory, beheading 30,000 enemies, capturing countless prisoners, and seizing 12,000 horses. This was the greatest victory of the Great Xia Dynasty against the northern Di Rong in the past twenty years!

After that, this greatest victory was continuously refreshed by its creator, Hong Shengri.

Hong Shengri rose from a humble background, hardening himself with iron-like military achievements, step by step, to the peak of human subjects, looking down on the Great Xia!

The three hundred logistics soldiers of the past have now become the Great Xia's first mighty army, the "Wulie Elite Camp."

The current Hong Shengri is truly the first person in the Great Xia military! No one in the entire city of Wudu dares to provoke him. Even the heads of the other three families of the Four Pillars would give way to him.

However, the original owner, Hong Yu, was an unpopular figure in the Hong family.

If Hong Yu, who had nothing in his previous life and had to work hard to make a living, were to summarize the original owner, he would say that the original owner was a completely useless person.

With such a good family background, he did not know how to cherish and utilize it. By the time he was twelve, he was already proficient in drinking, eating, whoring, and gambling. By the time he was fifteen, in just three years, he had already ruined his health. He was exceptionally stupid, yet he thought he was the smartest person in the world!

If you were really bad and really a playboy, at least you should have the appearance of a playboy. Even if you got into trouble, you could stand on the main street of Wudu, beat your chest, and shout, "I'm just that arrogant!"

At least that would be a kind of responsibility.

But the original owner? When he got into trouble, he was more fierce than anyone, but as soon as the other party came to his door, he immediately cowered, doing nothing but one thing: hiding back home.

Over the years, because of Hong Yu, the prestigious Hong family, one of the Four Pillars, had been besieged and cursed at their door countless times. People indeed feared the power of Grandfather Hong, but standing at the door and cursing, everyone could hear it, and the Hong family would be the ones to lose face. Did Grandfather Hong have to bully people with his power every time?

The prestigious Four Pillars, disgraced to this extent!

At first, Grandfather Hong would personally handle these matters and then beat Hong Yu severely. Later, Grandfather Hong was so angry that he pretended this grandson did not exist. Then it was Hong Chengye, the father of Hong Yu and Hong Lie, who handled the matters. By the time that incident happened, Hong Chengye had become sensitive, and the entire Hong family was left with only the elder brother, Hong Lie, who still protected this younger brother.

This incident was caused by the brick in Hong Yu's hand.

This thing actually cost the original owner 100,000 taels of silver! Hong Yu shook his head and casually threw it aside.

The brick hit the ground with a "kong" sound. Hong Yu was stunned; this sound was unusual, not at all like a brick falling on the ground.

If it had to be described: it sounded like a mountain being struck in an empty valley!

Hong Yu quickly reacted in his mind, as if it were the sound of a hundred-year-old wooden fish in the hands of an old monk beside a bronze Buddha in a deep mountain temple!

And at that moment, a faint golden light sand suddenly floated up from the open "Miyen Jing" on the desk in the outer room. The scattered light sand seemed to follow a certain trajectory, gathering together to form a character!

But it lacked the strength to succeed and gradually dissipated, returning to the scroll, becoming invisible and formless.

Hong Yu was stunned, thinking he was seeing things. He rubbed his eyes hard and looked at the "Miyen Jing" again, everything was normal. He picked up the brick suspiciously and threw it again.

"Kong!"

The "Miyen Jing" again released a patch of golden light sand with the sound, as if it had a life of its own, swirling and rising above the pages, mysterious and beautiful!

Hong Yu was greatly surprised. He looked down at the brick, wondering if the original owner had really stumbled upon a treasure without realizing it?

Speaking of this brick, it actually had a significant background, as it came from the Yunkong Temple.

Twenty years ago, the Yunkong Temple was at its peak. At that time, the Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucian sects coexisted, but the Yunkong Temple, representing Buddhism, was the strongest.

The Mother River of the Qingyuan Continent nurtured all living beings, and besides the human race, there were countless wild beasts in the vast wilderness, full of dangers! The Great Xia warriors practiced martial techniques and cultivated martial qi. Once they condensed "martial qi" in their bodies, they could be ranked among the nine grades of martial artists, a step to the heavens!

The first grade, "Hezhen," was the strongest, unparalleled!

The ninth grade, "Yongquan," was the initial stage, the mighty of the human world!

In between, there were the eighth grade, "Shengang," the seventh grade, "Hunxing," the sixth grade, "Zhenqiu," the fifth grade, "Yuan Ding," the fourth grade, "Tongfa," the third grade, "Xiansheng," and the second grade, "Kaishen."

At that time, the Yunkong Temple had 500 martial monks at the fifth grade, "Yuan Ding," 100 at the fourth grade, "Tongfa," 30 at the third grade, "Xiansheng," and 8 at the second grade, "Kaishen." Even the legendary, nearly divine first grade, "Hezhen," had 3 people!

At that time, there was a saying in the Great Xia: "Half of the Great Xia's martial artists come from Yunkong!"

This saying was not exaggerated. Among all the martial artists in the Great Xia, nearly half were either directly from the Yunkong Temple or practiced martial techniques and methods closely related to the Yunkong Temple.

In the three major lists of the Great Xia: the Martial Student List, the Martial Marquis List, and the Martial Emperor List, nearly half of each list were Yunkong Temple martial monks.

In comparison, the Yuqing Temple representing the Taoist sect and the Liling Academy representing the Confucian sect were far inferior in strength to the Yunkong Temple.

At that time, among the top "Ten Great Martial Techniques," the Yunkong Temple possessed three!

But no one could have imagined that such a powerful Buddhist sect would disappear twenty years ago.

The official explanation was that the Great Xia Emperor, who believed in Taoism, honored the leader of the Taoist sect, the abbot of the Yuqing Temple, Zhiyi Daochang, as the national master, and thus revered Taoism and suppressed Buddhism.

How powerful was the entire nation? The suppression of Buddhism in one night made the Yunkong Temple disappear, and temples across the land were quickly destroyed.

Even the vast number of Buddhist scriptures were burned, and only three were allowed to be passed down.

The "Fashuo Jing," the "Miyen Jing," and the "Abuluye Jing."

The Yunkong Temple, which had been prosperous for hundreds of years, had accumulated immense wealth, all of which was transferred to the imperial treasury. It is said that the treasures were countless and became the private collection of the royal family. Not only that, but all items that had come from the Yunkong Temple became forbidden items, and only the royal family could collect them. Any commoner or minister, regardless of their status, who dared to privately collect forbidden items would be sentenced to death!

This strict ban was terrifying at the time, and even a first-grade official of the current dynasty was reported for privately collecting a Buddhist scripture from the Yunkong Temple, which his wife, a devout Buddhist, had kept. The result was the confiscation of his property and the extermination of his entire family!

However, it is now twenty years later, and the Yunkong Temple has become a thing of the past, with its once glorious site now reduced to ruins.

This ban, though not entirely ignored, is not taken seriously by many. In the city of Wudu, a trend has quietly emerged among the major families: collecting forbidden items!

This seems to be a way for the major families to demonstrate their power: daring to collect forbidden items and being able to obtain them.

Before Hong Yu's soul took over this body, the original Hong Yu was collecting forbidden items from the Yunkong Temple—his forbidden item was this brick, which was laughable!

According to the seller, this was a brick from the main hall of the Yunkong Temple, under the feet of a nine-zhang-tall, pure gold Buddha statue embedded with countless gems!

Due to the enthusiasm of the major families and the passage of twenty years, items from the Yunkong Temple have become increasingly rare and highly sought after. Hong Yu, provoked by others, vowed to obtain a forbidden item.

He was proud: In the prestigious Hong family, one of the Four Pillars, there was not a single forbidden item! How could this be? Once I get a forbidden item, from my little sister to my grandfather, everyone will look at my abilities with new eyes!

He treated this dangerous task as a "feat"! This shows how foolish the original owner was!

Thus, the original owner, after much inquiry, finally contacted a group of people willing to sell a forbidden item. However, they did not specify what it was, as this was a secret transaction.

The original owner did not care what it was; as long as it was a forbidden item, it would be a matter of face.

The price was extremely high, and he did not have enough money, so he extorted the wealth of a merchant's family in the eastern part of Wudu, finally gathering enough silver.

However, when the transaction took place, and he saw the brick, the original owner was completely stunned. No matter how much the seller talked, the original owner knew he had been cheated. The Yunkong Temple had indeed become ruins, but finding other items might be difficult, while finding a brick was too easy, as only bricks remained!

Thus, the original owner refused to agree and even tried to hold the seller accountable. The sellers, however, were ruthless and did not care about his status. In the chaos, they took the silver and fled.

The original owner, who was not favored by his family, was accompanied by only two ninth-grade "Yongquan" martial artists. The sellers were well-prepared and stronger, and the two guards fought to the death. The original owner was directly killed, and it was only discovered by passersby and eventually brought back to the Hong family after several twists and turns.

Perhaps due to his last moment of stubbornness, the original owner clung to the brick and was brought back to the Hong family with it.

By a twist of fate, Hong Yu became Hong Yu, with the same body but a different soul.

The "Miyen Jing" is one of the three scriptures allowed to be passed down after the Great Xia Emperor suppressed Buddhism, a basic scripture of Buddhism. The original owner treated the acquisition of forbidden items as a way to "turn over a new leaf" in the family, so he studied the situation of the Yunkong Temple and bought a copy of the "Miyen Jing." However, with his limited knowledge, he only read the first page and then threw it on the desk.

The scripture was just a product of a printing house in Wudu, with at least 5,000 copies printed. This ordinary item could cause such a phenomenon, clearly because of the brick.

Although Hong Yu was reluctant, he had to accept the fact that he had become a useless second-generation heir and a foolish playboy. However, as long as he was alive, he had to find a place in this world. He did not want to be looked down upon for the rest of his life and knew that this world was still chaotic, with martial artists being respected. If he could inherit the secret techniques of Buddhism, even if they were not openly recognized, he would at least have some means to protect himself!

He carefully placed the brick on the desk and then reopened the "Miyen Jing." He took a deep breath and prepared to start the experiment. At that moment, he suddenly had a clear understanding: Perhaps his future in this world would depend on the result of this experiment.

He picked up the brick and tapped it on the edge of the desk.

"Kong!"

Again, that sound—though not loud, it gave a sense of grandeur. Hong Yu couldn't help but imagine a huge vajra mace falling from the sky and striking a mountain heavily.

From the "Miyen Jing," a patch of faint golden light sand emerged, confined to a small space above the scroll. The light sand struggled to gather but lacked the strength to succeed.

Hong Yu, inspired, continued to tap the brick on the edge of the desk.

"Kong kong kong..."

The sound was vast and distant, as if it came from the ancient source of the river of time.

Each time the sound was made, a patch of faint golden light sand emerged from the "Miyen Jing." The light sand accumulated more and more, and the power grew stronger. Gradually, a golden character formed above the scroll.

The original owner did not recognize it, and neither did Hong Yu. However, he did not stop but continued to tap. Each tap released new light sand from the "Miyen Jing," and the faint golden light was no longer confined to above the book but began to spread, enveloping his entire room. A vast, broad, profound, and benevolent aura spread, and Hong Yu, who had lived two lives, was moved to tears by this light and aura!

He continued to tap, and the light sand continued to release, forming many golden characters. These characters began to stack, and when they reached a certain level, they suddenly exploded, scattering into a faint golden light that then evolved into the image of a small monk.

The small monk had a low, serene expression, hands clasped together, as if he had been sitting there motionless since ancient times, regardless of the rise and fall of the sun and moon, the birth and death of the universe.

The戒疤 on his head emitted a solid golden light, bringing a sense of peace to Hong Yu's heart. From the golden light, he could see birth, aging, illness, death, hatred, separation, unfulfilled desires, and the five aggregates... He could see the sun and moon shining again, and the stars fading.

Hong Yu had stopped tapping and was bathed in the Buddhist light, feeling a sense of enlightenment. This enlightenment could only be felt, not expressed, and as time passed, the benefits for him would increase.

After an unknown amount of time, a ripple appeared in the calm lake of Hong Yu's heart, and the golden image of the small monk rapidly shrank, shooting into Hong Yu's body and transforming into a