Chapter 47

Xishan Province's Wutai Mountain has been one of the Buddhist holy sites since ancient times, with temples scattered throughout the mountains, their incense never ceasing.

There are nearly a hundred large and small Buddhist temples on Wutai Mountain, distributed in a staggered manner. Among them, Nanshan Temple covers the largest area and has the most temple buildings. The bell that rings every morning from Nanshan Temple is the loudest.

Nanshan Temple is divided into nine levels: the top three levels are called Youguo Temple, the middle three levels are named Shande Hall, and the bottom three levels are known as Jile Temple. The entire temple has over five hundred monks, which is quite rare on Wutai Mountain.

The hazy moonlight enveloped Wutai Mountain, and Yang Chen, who had climbed the mountain at night, walked along a winding mountain path paved with stone slabs. On both sides were quiet and sparse forests, and occasionally, the chirping of insects could be heard.

After walking for about eight minutes, he looked up and saw the low and steady temple gate of Nanshan Temple standing quietly ahead.

Yang Chen had visited Nanshan Temple more than once in his previous life, so he was very familiar with the internal layout of the temple.

He glanced at the not-so-tall temple gate and chuckled, then walked up and casually pressed a few inconspicuous stones on the stone wall to the left of the temple gate.

Soon, hurried footsteps came from inside the tightly closed gate, and a shiny head poked out from the crack. The young monk was clearly taken aback when he saw Yang Chen but spoke kindly, "Sir, what brings you here at such a late hour?"

The stone wall to the left of the temple gate was actually a communication facility arranged with a Buddhist array, which only people in the metaphysical community could understand. This was one of the ways to distinguish between people in the metaphysical community and ordinary tourists.

Yang Chen smiled and bowed, "I have an important matter and seek guidance from Master Lefan."

The young monk hesitated, "It's late, and the abbot is probably already asleep..."

If it weren't for Yang Chen's extraordinary demeanor and his status in the metaphysical community, the young monk wouldn't have given him such a good attitude!

What a joke? It was past midnight, and he wanted to see the abbot for guidance... guidance for what? Was the abbot supposed to stay up all night just to guide him? Monks have tempers too!

However, the young monk's words didn't make Yang Chen give up. He said, "This matter can only be resolved at dawn. Please help me inform the abbot... I am a disciple of Wufeng Zhenren from Nanhu Province's Wufeng Mountain, seeking an audience with Master Lefan."

The young monk nodded doubtfully and said, "Amitabha... I will inform the abbot, but if he is already asleep, you will have to rest in the guest room for the night."

Yang Chen bowed in gratitude, "Thank you, young monk."

The temple gate was opened wider, and the monk said, "Please come in, sir."

"Thank you..." Yang Chen smiled and nodded, stepping into the temple gate of Nanshan Temple.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he entered, he saw a young woman with long flowing hair standing in front of a large shadow wall, carefully examining the carved scriptures under the moonlight.

"This is..." Yang Chen was stunned. What was a young woman doing wandering around a mountain temple at dawn?

The young monk couldn't help but laugh awkwardly and whispered, "This young lady has been in the temple for over forty days. She comes to the shadow wall every dawn to observe and contemplate, and the abbot has specially allowed her to stay in the temple..."

Yang Chen looked up and saw that the shadow wall, 17.3 meters wide and 8.2 meters high, was adorned with three white marble carvings of Buddhist scriptures. At the top center were the four large characters "Dafang Guangming," and on the sides were the ten large characters "Fenghua Shenmeng Zhong" and "Milu Tianzuhe," exuding a profound Buddhist atmosphere.

The young woman with black hair seemed to have heard the commotion behind her but merely glanced at Yang Chen and continued her observation, treating the two of them as if they were invisible.

What truly caught Yang Chen's interest was that this young woman was also a cultivator in the metaphysical community, having reached the third stage of the Meteor level at a young age. Although she had only recently begun to understand the basics, she was already one of the best among the younger generation!

However, since she wasn't interested in talking to him, Yang Chen didn't force himself to strike up a conversation.

After a light laugh, he followed the young monk through the archway and continued up the mountain.

After another three minutes, the young monk led Yang Chen to an open area, clasped his hands, and said, "Please wait here, sir."

"Thank you, young monk." Yang Chen bowed in gratitude, politely.

The young monk turned and climbed the steps, heading straight for the abbot's quarters at the mountain's peak.

Yang Chen's luck was good, and Abbot Lefan was still awake. The young monk returned from the mountain after just a few minutes, looking at Yang Chen, who was only a few years older than him, with a somewhat curious expression. He clasped his hands and said, "Amitabha... the abbot invites you, sir. Please follow me."

"Thank you." Yang Chen thanked him again, but his expression didn't show much surprise.

Wufeng Zhenren was a frequent visitor to Nanshan Temple in the past and had a close relationship with the abbot at that time. A stone stele inscribed by Wufeng Zhenren is still preserved in the abbot's quarters. It was understandable that a young monk might not know who Wufeng Zhenren was, but if even the abbot didn't remember, it would be truly abnormal.

Abbot Lefan was a tall, kind-looking monk with a long white beard, around sixty years old, and a dark eye condition that left his left eye half-open.

When Yang Chen was led to the abbot's quarters by the young monk, Abbot Lefan had already prepared a pot of clear tea.

"Amitabha... you have finally come, sir!" When Yang Chen entered the courtyard, Abbot Lefan smiled, stood up, and said, "Nanshan Temple has resolved a karmic debt. Well done, well done..."

"I greet you, Master." Yang Chen smiled and returned the greeting.

"You may rest now." Abbot Lefan said to the young monk who had led Yang Chen.

"Yes, Abbot..." The young monk replied and left the quarters.

Abbot Lefan looked at the young Yang Chen and said with a sigh, "Wufeng Zhenren left a stone stele in our temple before his ascension, stating that a disciple from a later generation would come to retrieve it... It has been nearly two hundred years, and I never thought his prediction would come true..."

"I thank you on behalf of my master..." Yang Chen sighed, "Fortunately, the stele has been preserved in Nanshan Temple. Otherwise, it might have been lost."

Abbot Lefan didn't inquire about the current state of Wufeng Zhenren's sect but looked at Yang Chen with a keen interest, stroking his beard and praising, "Young sir, you have extraordinary talent. To reach the fourth stage at your age... Wufeng Zhenren must be pleased."

Yang Chen's aura couldn't be completely hidden from a sixth-stage peak Buddhist monk.

Hearing Abbot Lefan's praise, Yang Chen humbly replied, "Master, you flatter me..."

"Among the young generation of the Chinese metaphysical community, you are the most accomplished. Even the young lady from the Celestial Master's Mansion is not as advanced as you. How can it be flattery?" Abbot Lefan smiled and shook his head. "To see a disciple like you continue Wufeng Zhenren's legacy a hundred years after his ascension brings me great joy... You came tonight for the stele, didn't you?"

"Yes." Yang Chen nodded, sighing deeply.

Wufeng Zhenren was a renowned Daoist cultivator in his time, but his knowledge of extraterrestrial matters was limited. He had taken a piece of 'Nine Meteorite Gold Rock' and turned it into a stele to inscribe Daoist scriptures!

Worse, the existence of this stele was not mentioned in the lineage, and if not for Yang Chen's fortunate discovery in his previous life, he would have missed this treasure entirely!

The monks of Nanshan Temple only knew that the stele was part of Wufeng Zhenren's legacy, unaware that such a large piece of Nine Meteorite Gold Rock would be a rare treasure in the future, capable of causing a great calamity in the world of cultivation!

In the vast universe, one gram of Nine Meteorite Gold Rock could be exchanged for a bucket of gold sand, and the piece Wufeng Zhenren discovered weighed at least a hundred kilograms!

But Wufeng Zhenren had split it into a stele, leaving less than sixty kilograms of Nine Meteorite Gold Rock!

In his previous life, Yang Chen had even spent a period of time frantically searching for the site where Wufeng Zhenren might have split the Nine Meteorite Gold Rock, hoping to recover the at least forty kilograms of Nine Meteorite Gold Rock he had discarded as waste.

But he searched for many years without finding the original site and eventually had to give up.

The unique property of Nine Meteorite Gold Rock is its ability to alter the original structure of metals. Metal materials containing Nine Meteorite Gold Rock are the only choice for the core components of many super instruments!

Only new metal materials with Nine Meteorite Gold Rock can withstand the immense energy injected into the spirit arrays micro-engraved under a microscope, allowing the instruments to function properly.

Researchers studying energy particles and related scientific topics cannot do without advanced equipment like 'Reverse Particle Strippers,' 'Energy Particle Colliders,' and 'Super Particle Accelerators.'

Without the addition of Nine Meteorite Gold Rock, it would be impossible to manufacture the core components of these instruments!

Even in the field of spirit plant research and development, the importance of Nine Meteorite Gold Rock cannot be overlooked!

Research is the primary driver of scientific progress... and in the future, it was said that Nine Meteorite Gold Rock was the primary driver of scientific development! At its peak, one gram of Nine Meteorite Gold Rock powder could fetch nearly a million dollars on the black market.

And Wufeng Zhenren had discarded over forty kilograms of Nine Meteorite Gold Rock as waste in some remote mountain!

Just thinking about it made Yang Chen's heart ache...

Abbot Lefan looked at Yang Chen, who was clearly pained, and said after a moment, "The stele is in my meditation room. It emits a faint golden light at dawn, indicating it is no ordinary object..."

"Master, please rest assured. I will never forget Nanshan Temple's kindness!" Yang Chen, regaining his composure, said, "But this stele is of great importance to me and to Wufeng Zhenren's sect... May I retrieve it now?"

Abbot Lefan looked at the teapot and smiled, "The tea is ready. Why not have a cup first?"

"Sure." Yang Chen nodded, picked up the teacup, and gulped down the scalding tea in one go. He then stood up, wiped his mouth, and said, "Thank you for your hospitality... Can we go now?"

Abbot Lefan stared at the teapot for a moment before laughing, "Young sir, you are indeed extraordinary!"

Yang Chen blushed, feeling a bit embarrassed but also justified, "My master's legacy, as a disciple, I dare not be disrespectful!"

"Please follow me, young sir..."

"Thank you, Master..."

Following Abbot Lefan into a nearby meditation room, they found a rectangular stele, looking ancient, standing in a corner, emitting a faint golden glow.

Seeing the stele he remembered, Yang Chen's heart ached again.

Without waiting for Abbot Lefan to say anything, Yang Chen ran over and carefully touched the surface of the stele. He then took out a cloth bag from his pocket and, under Abbot Lefan's astonished gaze, used a small brush to carefully sweep the area around the stele...

Under normal conditions, Nine Meteorite Gold Rock is not very hard, but it becomes extremely hard in high-temperature environments.

The stele had been here for some time, and a layer of powder had fallen from it, also emitting a faint golden light, though very weak and hard to notice without careful observation!

Yang Chen carefully collected all the powder into the cloth bag and then stood up, a bit embarrassed, and asked Abbot Lefan, "This stele was moved here later, right? Do you know where it was stored before it was moved here?"

"..." Abbot Lefan stared at Yang Chen for several seconds before laughing bitterly, "Young sir, you are indeed extraordinary!"

Clearly, Yang Chen had come at dawn to take advantage of the golden glow emitted by the Nine Meteorite Gold Rock at that time, determined to take it all, even the few grams of powder!

"My master's legacy, as a disciple, I dare not be disrespectful!" Yang Chen smiled awkwardly but firmly...

"Please follow me, young sir..."

"Thank you, Master..."

In the meditation room, they found the ancient rectangular stele standing in a corner, emitting a faint golden glow.

Seeing the stele, Yang Chen's heart ached again.

Without waiting for Abbot Lefan to speak, Yang Chen ran over and carefully touched the surface of the stele. He then took out a cloth bag and, under Abbot Lefan's astonished gaze, used a small brush to carefully sweep the area around the stele...

Under normal conditions, Nine Meteorite Gold Rock is not very hard, but it becomes extremely hard in high-temperature environments.

The stele had been here for some time, and a layer of powder had fallen from it, also emitting a faint golden light, though very weak and hard to notice without careful observation!

Yang Chen carefully collected all the powder into the cloth bag and then stood up, a bit embarrassed, and asked Abbot Lefan, "This stele was moved here later, right? Do you know where it was stored before it was moved here?"

"..." Abbot Lefan stared at Yang Chen for several seconds before laughing bitterly, "Young sir, you are indeed extraordinary!"

Clearly, Yang Chen had come at dawn to take advantage of the golden glow emitted by the Nine Meteorite Gold Rock at that time, determined to take it all, even the few grams of powder!

"My master's legacy, as a disciple, I dare not be disrespectful!" Yang Chen smiled awkwardly but firmly...