Chapter 1

Bai Chen was extremely unlucky. While traveling to Songshan Shaolin, he was crushed to death by the sudden collapse of the Sutra Pavilion. Of course, if it weren't for saving a mother and her child, he wouldn't have died such a tragic death. It could be considered a sacrifice for righteousness.

Bai Chen felt extremely frustrated. "Damn, I haven't even achieved my full credit and full academic year dominance plan. What a waste of talent!"

When Bai Chen opened his eyes again, he found himself no longer at Songshan, his mind somewhat confused. "Wasn't I already dead?"

Pain— The pain proved he wasn't dead; at least, the dead don't feel pain.

The air was filled with a pungent stench of decay. Bai Chen's face turned grim as he looked around. He found himself in a wasteland, with twisted tombstones, coffins, and bones scattered everywhere.

"Is this hell? How can there be a mass grave in hell?"

"This is not the era or world you know."

Suddenly, a strange voice sounded in Bai Chen's ear, making him shudder. In such an environment, any movement could scare him to death.

"Who? Who's speaking? Are you human or ghost? Come... out... I'm not afraid..."

"I? I'm not human..."

"Help... Ghost..." Bai Chen, as if injected with adrenaline, no longer felt any pain in his waist or legs. He jumped far away and fled from the mass grave in a flash.

While running, he let out strange screams, clearly terrified by the voice.

However, the voice continued to follow him, echoing in his ear: "I'm not a ghost either..."

Bai Chen paused, his steps suddenly stopping. He looked around in confusion. "Then what are you? Where are you now?"

"I'm in your consciousness."

"Consciousness? Where is it?"

"Inside your head."

Bai Chen almost fainted from fright. "What are you doing in my head?"

"Do you think I want to be in your head?" The voice sounded extremely impatient or unwilling. "It's complicated to explain. Come in!"

"Come... in?" Bai Chen didn't understand what was happening. Suddenly, he felt dizzy, and his consciousness seemed to fade as he collapsed on the ground.

Flowers and mist swirled before his eyes, and in a moment, everything became clear. A golden tower stood before him, shimmering with light.

Vedic chants gradually rose, and auspicious clouds swirled around. A stone tablet stood before the tower, with three golden characters inscribed, containing profound Buddhist principles: Sutra Pavilion!

The red-painted door slowly opened, and Bai Chen stood there, bewildered and at a loss.

A misty aura flowed out from the door, and Bai Chen kept muttering to himself, wondering if he was about to meet the Buddha in the Western Paradise.

The door finally opened, and the next visual impact almost made Bai Chen suffocate. Inside the Sutra Pavilion, it wasn't a benevolent Buddha but a burly monk in a gray robe, with a bare upper body and a golden band holding his messy hair.

The monk had a beard, looking as if he had never groomed himself. He had a fierce appearance and a dirty body, resembling a bandit or a butcher.

"Ma... Master..."

"Your grandpa, my dharma name is Jiesha." The monk, named Jiesha, opened his mouth and cursed angrily.

"Master Jiesha, I am Bai Chen, a student. I greet you, Master." Bai Chen dared not offend him, as he was in a different place and didn't know the monk's background, so he decided to be cautious.

"I know your background. You are Bai Chen, twenty years old, a fourth-year student, with excellent grades. You had terminal stomach cancer, came out for a walk, and ended up sacrificing yourself to save a mother and her child. You died a tragic death."

Bai Chen widened his eyes. "Did you do a census?"

"Your grandpa, my master calculated it with his fingers." Jiesha said impatiently.

"May I ask which school you belong to, and what is your dharma name?"

"Shakyamuni."

Bai Chen almost spat out a mouthful of blood. "Shakyamuni could teach someone like you?"

"Your grandpa, what kind of look is that? Do you think I wanted to be Shakyamuni's disciple?" Jiesha cursed angrily, as if "your grandpa" was his catchphrase. It was unclear how Shakyamuni tolerated such a disciple.

Bai Chen laughed dryly, realizing there was no need to explain. The facts were clear.

"In my past life, I was a bandit. Don't disbelieve it. In this life, I never killed innocents. Then I met an old monk, who turned out to be Shakyamuni, and he tricked... enlightened me, bringing me into the Buddhist path and giving me the dharma name Jiesha."

Jiesha's depressed expression made Bai Chen understand his feelings. A bandit who had killed many people suddenly had to put down his sword and live a life of abstinence. No one could bear it.

Jiesha, finding a confidant, continued with a sad face: "Entering the monastic life is one thing, but not being able to kill evil people or help good people, what kind of monk is that?"

"Then what?" Bai Chen asked, driven by some unknown force.

"Then... I won't have the chance to attain Buddhahood in this life. I cultivated for three hundred years to become an Arhat. I don't care much for the title, but seeing those Bodhisattvas and Buddhas, who preach compassion but never intervene in human affairs, makes me uncomfortable. My master saw through my nature and sent me on a mission."

"Mission? What kind of mission?"

"To compensate you." Jiesha looked around and pointed upwards. "This is your consciousness, given to you by my master."

"What do you mean? Explain clearly."

"Let me put it this way. My junior brother saw that the sect he founded was declining, and the slogan of Buddhism was being violated. So he decided to destroy the Sutra Pavilion. Unexpectedly, you sacrificed yourself to save the mother and child, saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. Although the mother and child were destined to survive, your good deed cannot be erased. Moreover, you were not supposed to die, but your physical body was destroyed. Unless the Buddha helps you rebuild your body, but a Buddha with a golden body is not suitable for Earth, as it might interfere with Earth's destiny. So, the Buddha found a body for you in this world, the Divine Land, and gave you a new life."

Bai Chen was stunned, and Jiesha continued talking, ignoring his shock.

"Actually, the Buddha knew you were interested in martial arts, so he chose the Han-Tang Dynasty of this world, which is very similar to Earth, even in culture and geography. He also gave you a Sutra Pavilion to help you achieve your dreams."

"Damn!" Bai Chen couldn't help but curse. "I didn't plan to make my dreams come true. Is your master crazy?"

"I... No, my master understands the world, and this arrangement must have a deeper meaning. Also, what you said just now is probably noted in my master's little book."

Bai Chen was speechless. He wondered if he would suffer any consequences for losing control just now.

"Don't worry, my master isn't that petty. At most, you might be reborn as an animal in your next life." Jiesha's indifferent attitude made Bai Chen roll his eyes. This wasn't being petty.

"By the way, who is the junior brother you mentioned?"

"Damo. That guy had better luck than me. He also entered the path of martial arts and founded a sect before attaining Buddhahood, achieving boundless merit and becoming a Buddha in just a few decades."

"What about you? What did the Buddha send you here to do?" Bai Chen wondered if someone like him could ever become a Buddha.

"What else? My master said to help you rebuild your life. You can live as you wish, and I will help you when necessary. The merit you gain, I will gain too, and then I will have enough merit to become a Buddha. So, my future depends on you."

"Live as I wish? What if I do evil?"

"Haha... You need the ability to do that." Jiesha pointed to the Sutra Pavilion. "The Sutra Pavilion contains all the martial arts manuals in the world. There are 3,000 realms, each with its own wonders. Although the Buddha has given them all to you, you won't get a single manual without merit."

"Damn." Bai Chen couldn't help but vent. Although he didn't plan to do evil, the idea that martial arts manuals required merit to obtain made him feel depressed. There was no free lunch in the world.

"Let's go inside and take a look."

Bai Chen stepped into the Sutra Pavilion, and his eyes lit up. Rows of bookshelves lined the room, like a library.

"Worldly martial arts are diverse, but they can be categorized into four main types: internal cultivation techniques, external cultivation methods, elemental secret arts, and combat techniques." Jiesha pointed to the bookshelves, each clearly labeled with the type of manual.

"This is the first floor of the Sutra Pavilion, containing only the lower nine levels of martial arts manuals." Jiesha pointed to the second floor. "If your total merit reaches 100,000 points, you can enter the second floor."

Bai Chen walked to the internal cultivation techniques section and reached out to take a book. Jiesha suddenly stopped him. "By the way, you have 20 points of merit for saving a mother and her child."

"Saving one person gives 10 points of merit?" Bai Chen was surprised and asked curiously.

"Saving one person gives 10 points of merit, saving a good person gives 100 points, saving a great good person gives 10,000 points, saving a nine-generation good person gives 100,000 points. Killing an evil person gives 1 point, killing a great evil person gives 100 points, killing a demon gives 1,000 points, and killing an ultimate demon gives 100,000 points. Not only that, if you do a good deed, you will receive different merit rewards, more or less, depending on the heavenly judgment."

"Damn, so complicated. Do I need a calculator?" Bai Chen complained.

"No need. The merit is in your heart, and you can check your merit points."

"Is it that high-tech?"

Jiesha immediately raised his head, looking proud. "Of course, it's a perfect combination of technology and divine power. This is just the basics. You'll soon see what real high-tech is... By the way, did you play online games before?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Bai Chen was taken aback, feeling helpless at the sudden jump in the conversation.

"You'll understand soon! Hehe..."