"One times one equals one, two times two equals four, three times three equals nine. Now, my cultivation is only at the limit of the second stage of tendon refining, yet I can already change color four times. I suppose even if I am not as good as them, I won't be too far behind. After all, there is still a third stage."
Soon, Lin Yang stopped thinking about it and continued with the identification.
"Huh, this is a gourd vine that needs to be watered with innate spiritual energy to grow. Depending on the situation, it can grow three to nine gourds with different functions? Could this be the so-called Calabash Brothers? And I am that tragic old man?"
"Oh, this is a fire phoenix with mediocre bloodline. Not bad, I'll give it to Qing'er. At least it's fire-attribute, and it might even undergo rebirth. In a critical moment, it can save her life."
"Is this a young dragon still in its embryonic stage? Lacking its essence? It's a wood-attribute azure dragon. After its essence is replenished, it has the potential to reach the seventh rank? Not bad, not bad. Although I didn't obtain that phoenix that had the potential to reach the eighth rank, having this azure dragon is not bad either."
"Huh? Is that a dragon horse? Is that a tortoise? Is that a fox spirit? And what is this...?"
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Chapter 94: The Struggle for the Orthodox Lineage
Outside the main hall of the Duke of Wu's mansion, five hundred future nobles stood in unison, awaiting Lin Yang's summons.
Today is the day of the formal investiture. It is said that the Duke of Wu will personally appear. Afterwards, the imperial edict will be issued.
With the imperial edict in hand, even if something unexpected happens in the future, a nobleman will emerge in the family after thirty years, allowing them to leap over the dragon gate and truly become a member of the nobility.
Therefore, everyone was still very excited. Most of them were chatting happily and looking forward to the future.
Where is Wang Yan?
"The words of the King of the Capital?"
"My family lives near the capital, and my ancestors were the kings of Zhongshan in Jizhou," Hu Feng said loudly, looking at the relevant documents in his hand.
"Yes, yes, yes, I'm here." As he spoke, a fat young man jogged towards Hu Feng, taking one step at a time.
At the same time, a series of thumping sounds emanated from it. With each step, the ground beneath its feet seemed to shake. Simultaneously, the fat on its belly rolled up and down like waves.
"Alright, you can go in now. His Highness is inside," Hu Feng said loudly. At the same time, he subtly took two steps back. The sheer size of Wang Yan's body was simply too oppressive.
Back when he was still in Huang County, Hu Feng, although not the strongest among the younger generation, was still considered outstanding.
However, after arriving in the capital with Lin Yang, he encountered countless geniuses and suffered numerous setbacks. Although he didn't know the true extent of the talent of the person before him, his strength was certainly greater than his own.
And, I don't know how this guy grew so big, he looks almost eight feet tall. His waist is a full six feet; if you didn't know better, you'd think he was square-shaped.
"Oh, thanks a lot." After saying that, accompanied by a series of thumping sounds, Wang Yan jogged inside.
However, the smile vanished instantly, replaced by deep worry. Was being summoned first a sign of exposure? Was he going to fail this time as well?
"Alright, the next one is Li Qing, also from the capital. His ancestors were from the Li family of Longxi. Please prepare in advance. When the signal is received, you can go straight in."
"Next up, Zhang Lun, then Li Qing..."
...
"Wang Yan, a native of the capital region, contracted a strange illness in his childhood. His parents spent all their money trying to cure him, but they were still unable to cure him. Later, they passed by an ascetic monk who discovered that it was not an illness, but rather a result of his extraordinary talent."
"Then, I took you as my disciple and taught you Buddhist teachings and martial arts, nurturing you with great care. Now, in terms of martial arts, you are proficient in the Golden Bell Cover and the Mad Demon Staff Technique. I wonder if there is anything wrong with what I said?" Guo Jia said with a sneer, looking at the fat man in front of him.
Upon hearing this, Wang Yan knew something was wrong.
Why is the influence of Buddhism still so bleak after two cycles of reincarnation?
It's important to understand that in many other worlds, Buddhism is in no way inferior to Taoism. In fact, in many other worlds, so-called earthly Buddhist kingdoms have been established.
Therefore, it is common knowledge that Buddhism has a bright future and powerful practices. However, after two cycles of reincarnation, it has still not risen to prominence, and the reasons for this are intriguing.
A few days ago, his fellow disciples had considered taking this opportunity to seek refuge with the newly chosen ones, but the result was far from satisfactory.
Often, out of ten fellow disciples, only two or three would successfully enter officialdom, while the remaining seven or eight would all be rejected. Compared to the Taoist sect's supposedly 100% success rate in securing official positions, the difference was enormous.
The future of a sect is inextricably linked to the prospects of its disciples. Taoist disciples generally have bright futures. But what about Buddhism? How can it possibly flourish in the long run?
"Master's cultivation is superb, his realm is profound, and I greatly admire his philosophy. But unfortunately, this place is not suitable for you. Please seek a more suitable place."
These kinds of words have been the most frequently heard by many Buddhist monks during this period. Of course, these are the words of either good-tempered or cunning individuals.
If you encounter someone with a bad temper, all sorts of foul language will follow.
"Your doctrines are no good. If you believe in Buddhism, won't you be childless and have no descendants? What? You have to shave your head? You have to believe in Buddha? Go back to where you came from, I don't have time for you."
Therefore, upon hearing Guo Jia's words, Wang Yan's first reaction was, "It's over. It seems that this Duke of Wu has also been misled."
After all, thanks to the machinations of certain individuals, Buddhism's reputation is really not good these days. As a result, in many remote areas, when ordinary people hear the name Buddhism, their first reaction is, "Oh, those guys who worship barbarians as their ancestors."
Given the pride of the Han people, once such a misunderstanding arises, even the most eloquent and virtuous monks will have to put in far more effort than the Taoists to accomplish the same task.
If it weren't for those ascetic monks who set an example day and night, constantly doing good deeds to enhance the reputation of Buddhism, the situation would probably be even worse now.
“What you say is true, sir. I am proficient in the Golden Bell Cover and the Mad Demon Staff Technique, and my martial arts skills are passable. I am also a Buddhist, as my master is Master Jingchen of the White Horse Temple. If the Duke does not like this, I will take my leave now,” Wang Yan said with a touch of arrogance.
If they don't want me here, there are plenty of other places that will. Even if I can't get this position, so what? As the top lay disciple of the White Horse Temple in this generation, surely I can find a job?
It's a pity, just a lowly rank. And more importantly, the Daoist sect in Jiangdong isn't very powerful. A great opportunity to spread their teachings has simply slipped away.
"Ahem, whether you're from the Buddhist or Taoist sect is none of my concern. To be precise, I have no prejudice against Buddhism," Lin Yang suddenly said.
It's not that there's no prejudice, but rather that the Buddhist sects in the main world, despite the suppression by the Taoist sects, still adhere to the rules quite well.
I wouldn't dare say that every one of them is a highly virtuous monk, but overall, they are far superior to those high-sounding but hypocritical monks in other worlds.
Therefore, isn't it easy to have Guo Jia play the good cop and himself, the Duke of Wu, play the bad cop? Although the method is very old-fashioned and has no originality at all, it works.
Moreover, this person will surely be even more grateful to me after this. Of course, he might have some complaints about Guo Jia because of this, but isn't that even better? As a duke, it would be even more troublesome if his subordinates were truly united.