Chapter 8

As the sun set in the west, the Medicine Valley was dyed a rosy hue.

The lake surface seemed to be covered with a colorful silk, gently trembling.

The tranquil valley became magnificent.

Faning carried three lunch boxes and strode briskly to the pine table by the lake. He put down the lunch boxes and called out, "Uncle Lianxue, it's time to eat."

Lianxue was standing on a protruding rock a hundred meters high on the mountain wall.

She stood steadily on a rock the size of a fist.

Holding an iron pickaxe, she easily dug a hole in the rock, then leaped down, picked up a bucket of wet mud, and leaped back up.

She filled the hole with the wet mud and planted a few flowers.

"Fangning, let's eat first," Fangning called out.

"Coming," Lianxue replied, floating down like a white cloud to the lakeside.

She washed her hands and sat down at the table.

Fakong had already taken his seat.

Faning eagerly handed him a pair of bamboo chopsticks and said, "Brother, be careful these past two days. There are experts from other realms who have infiltrated."

"Hmm—?"

"Two nights ago, a senior brother discovered traces of an infiltrator, but unfortunately, he couldn't track them down. It might have been one or a few of them, so we can't let our guard down."

"Didn't catch them?"

"This time, the intruder was very slippery, and we couldn't find them," Fangning shook his head. "Uncle Lianxue, be careful."

Lianxue smiled gently, "I'm not fully recovered, but I'm not defenseless, and we're so close to the Vajra Temple."

The Medicine Valley was only a hundred steps away from the Vajra Temple. Once there was any movement, the experts from the Vajra Temple would arrive in an instant, surrounding the valley, making it impossible to escape.

No expert with any sense would dare to intrude into the Medicine Valley.

"You're right," Fangning nodded.

When he sparred with Lianxue, he was thoroughly outmatched despite his best efforts.

Fakong said that for Lianxue to recover faster, she needed to move more, so she would often spar with Fangning to exercise her muscles and bones, allowing Fangning to experience the prowess of the previous generation's genius disciple from Bright Moon Nunnery.

"Brother, you're getting paler," Fangning smiled. "Your complexion is getting better and better."

Fakong looked down at his palms.

His skin was smooth and white, like fine white jade, indeed much different from before.

The Little Arhat Fist is extremely yang, and to achieve perfection, one must reach the extreme of yang and generate yin. It's almost impossible to achieve this with just the Little Arhat Fist.

The Yin Treasure Tree inside the Time Wheel Pagoda is five meters tall, more robust than the one that recently grew in Bright Moon Nunnery, and it bears twenty-six Yin Fruits at a time.

With the Yin Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill and twenty-six Yin Fruits, he was even more extravagant than the disciples of Bright Moon Nunnery. Combined with his compatibility with the Small Yin Cultivation, he naturally perfected it.

The Small Yin Cultivation further helped him perfect the Little Arhat Fist.

Fakong didn't want to reveal this yet, so he changed the subject, "Are those few demons still behaving?"

Faning scratched his head, "They mostly ignore me. I just deliver the food and leave."

"Have they offered to teach you demonic arts?"

"They have, but I didn't accept. Practicing demonic arts will definitely lead to a mental breakdown. I remember the lessons from my senior brothers."

"Demonic arts have the power to seduce the mind," Lianxue shook her head lightly. "Your senior brothers understood this, but they couldn't suppress their inner desires. They felt itchy and thought they were unique, that they might not suffer a mental breakdown, given the power and speed of demonic arts."

Just look at herself to see the power of demonic arts.

She was once an outstanding disciple of Bright Moon Nunnery, a first-rate expert at the fourth rank. After being injured by demonic arts, the elders of the temple used all their skills to keep her alive until now.

The Residual Heaven Finger is extremely vicious, and the damage is irreversible.

It's like being struck by lightning, even if the wood sprouts again, the scorched part cannot be restored.

The one who injured her was a young man from the Residual Heaven Sect, younger than herself.

This shows how quickly demonic arts can be mastered!

Faning was puzzled, "Everyone knows that demonic arts are harmful and shouldn't be practiced. What's there to be itchy about?"

"How do you think your own talent is, Fangning?"

"Pretty good."

"You are one of the best in the Fa generation. Others can't practice both Buddhist and demonic arts, but with your talent, you might be able to."

"That would lead to a mental breakdown."

"Others might suffer a mental breakdown due to insufficient talent, but you might not."

"It's still too risky. I know they don't have good intentions," Fangning said.

"It's rare to have such a clear head," Lianxue smiled. "Many people can't help but have侥幸 thoughts, and with the seduction of demonic arts, it's even harder to resist."

"Brother recites the Clear Mind Mantra for me every day, and it's very effective," Fangning said.

Fakong said, "It's because you can control yourself. Otherwise, the Clear Mind Mantra wouldn't suppress your greed."

The more he recited, the more profound insights he gained into the three major Buddhist mantras.

These insights are hidden within the mantras and gradually revealed with more recitations.

The Clear Mind Mantra has ten levels:杂念, anger, desire, greed, fear, sadness, despair, guilt, shame, and heart death.

His current Clear Mind Mantra is only at the second level, which can suppress杂念 and anger but not the fourth level of greed.

To advance, he needs to recite more, with no shortcuts. Each recitation earns him experience and increases his proficiency.

Moreover, reciting must have an object; he can't just recite to the sky or the air.

The object also affects the proficiency gained from each recitation. Reciting the Revitalizing Mantra for Lianxue once is equivalent to reciting it a hundred times for plants.

For Buddhist mantras, helping others is also helping oneself.

He now recites faster, taking only half the time, and the power of the mantras has doubled.

---

After eating, the three of them strolled along the lakeside.

Several wooden poles had been erected in the valley, with oil lamps hanging from them, casting a soft glow.

Lianxue talked about some matters in the martial world.

As a lay disciple of Bright Moon Nunnery, she had trained in the secular world for several years, originally seeing through the world and deciding to shave her head, with a dharma name already chosen. However, before she could shave her head, she encountered an expert from the Residual Heaven Sect.

She didn't even know his name before being severely injured. If not for the profound martial arts of Bright Moon Nunnery, she wouldn't have escaped.

Her opponent was younger but far more powerful. She barely managed to return to the temple and survive for five years.

If she hadn't met Fakong, she would have passed away within a year or two.

Through Lianxue, Fakong also learned that Bright Moon Nunnery was extremely strict in accepting disciples, even more so than the Vajra Temple.

The Small Yin Cultivation requires extremely high talent.

This talent is not physical but intelligence.

The smarter one is, the faster they can master it.

Without enough intelligence, even with Yin Fruits, one cannot master the Small Yin Cultivation.

He could easily master the Small Yin Cultivation not because of his physical compatibility but because he was sufficiently intelligent.

"Sister Ning!" Fangning suddenly called out in surprise.

Fakong turned to look.

Under the moonlight, Ning Zhenzhen, dressed in white, looked like a fairy from the Moon Palace.

Ning Zhenzhen quickly approached, smiling, "Uncle!"

She lightly clasped her white, jade-like hands and glanced at Fakong and Fangning.

Fakong smiled and clasped his hands in return.

Fangning blushed and hurriedly clasped his hands in greeting.

Lianxue smiled gently, "Why are you here now?"

Ning Zhenzhen said, "I just got back from outside."

"Anything happen?"

"Killed a few bandits, nothing serious."

"Didn't you get hurt?"

"Of course not, ... Uncle, don't worry. If I encounter someone stronger, I'll run faster than anyone," Ning Zhenzhen giggled.

Under the moonlight, her smile was like a blooming flower, making Fangning stare in a daze.

Ning Zhenzhen's eyes turned to Fakong.

Fakong smiled, calm and composed.

"Thank you, Brother," Ning Zhenzhen's smile faded, becoming faint.

Fakong said, "It was nothing."

Ning Zhenzhen said faintly, "Congratulations, Brother, on perfecting the Small Yin Cultivation."

"Just luck," Fangning smiled.

He secretly shook his head.

As expected of Ning Zhenzhen, her insight was sharp, immediately seeing through his true state.

"Just luck won't get you to master the Small Yin Cultivation," Ning Zhenzhen also smiled. "Brother's talent far surpasses mine."

In just five days, he perfected the Small Yin Cultivation, which is astonishing and unprecedented.

No disciple of Bright Moon Nunnery has ever achieved this, no wonder he can perform Buddhist mantras. He truly has something extraordinary.

Lianxue looked at Fakong in surprise.

She had been in a daze and hadn't noticed Fakong's original appearance, thinking his skin had always been like fine jade.

Fakong smiled, "Sister Ning is too kind."

"Brother, you were born in the wrong place. You should have joined Bright Moon Nunnery."

"Ha ha..."

The two looked at each other and smiled, but it was a forced smile.

"Zhenzhen, come with me," Lianxue tugged at Ning Zhenzhen's sleeve.

Ning Zhenzhen was still looking at Fakong, seemingly with deep affection.

Ning Zhenzhen withdrew her gaze and followed Lianxue into the nearby pine house.

Fakong turned away and continued strolling.

Fangning followed him, constantly looking back at Ning Zhenzhen until her graceful figure disappeared into the house.