Great Zen Temple, ancient lamps illuminating the timeless tranquility of the Buddhist sanctuary.
Five years had etched no mark on this place.
Inside the Scripture Pavilion, Lin Yuan sat cross-legged, his gaze deep and contemplative.
Unknowingly, he had been in this world for five years.
A quarter of his twenty-year stay had already passed.
During these years, Lin Yuan wasn't just immersed in the study and practice of martial arts, but he also gained a fair understanding of this world's intricacies, largely through the channels of the Great Zen Temple.
As a sacred ground of the Buddhist Sect and a major force in the martial world, the Great Zen Temple could hardly become truly isolated.
Instead, its information network had penetrated every corner of the land, using the guise of spreading Buddhism, leaving no stone unturned.
From what Lin Yuan understood, the current Great Li Dynasty ruled over the Central Plains at the height of its power, compelling submission from the Four Seas and Eight Wastelands alike.
Even a prestigious sect like the Great Zen Temple had to bow before its might.
Information gathered by the temple suggested that at least six martial grandmasters served the dynasty, a force formidable considering only a handful of such experts existed in the entire land.
With one grandmaster safeguarding it, the temple could dominate the martial world.
But the dynasty's six such experts painted a clear picture of its intimidating strength.
The foundation for such power lay in its founding Grand Ancestor, a supreme grandmaster.
The difference between a grandmaster and a supreme grandmaster was like heaven and earth.
Historically, every era birthed several grandmasters—sometimes a mere handful, other times dozens.
Yet a supreme grandmaster might only appear once in several centuries.
The Great Li Dynasty, having swept across the world and subdued even the Great Zen Temple, stood firm on the reputation of its invincible founding Grand Ancestor.
Even after his passing, his legacy continued to command numerous martial grandmasters.
While postnatal, innate, and even grandmaster ranks focused on the physical body's enhancement, a supreme grandmaster marked a transcendence of spirit and soul.
Just the gaze of a living supreme grandmaster could make ordinary grandmasters shiver with fear.
"Spiritual power," Lin Yuan mused, touching his forehead.
Thousands of years ago, the founding master of the Great Zen Temple, Patriarch Bodhidharma, was also a supreme grandmaster, leaving behind knowledge about such exalted figures.
The defining trait of a supreme grandmaster was their exploration and mastery of spiritual and soul powers.
Achieving the rank required consolidating a unique spiritual force.
But how profound and elusive the spirit and soul were! Many grandmasters could never even sense it in their lifetime.
Even if one managed to glimpse it, a mistake during the process of forging spiritual power could lead to eternal doom.
Physical injuries could heal over time, but the spirit and soul tolerated no negligence.
Typically, out of a hundred grandmasters, eighty would never touch the spiritual and soul realms.
Nineteen might feel its presence, only to fail and perish while condensing their spiritual power.
Ultimately, just one might ascend to become a supreme grandmaster.
"The one hundred sixty-third method to become a supreme grandmaster seems almost risk-free now," Lin Yuan pondered.
Four years ago, he nurtured his body using the Muscle-Tendon Cleansing and Blood Refining Technique, smoothly stepping into the grandmaster realm.
But Lin Yuan faced challenges beyond insight—he sought to forge spiritual power without any risk.
Given the soul's intrinsic nature, even Lin Yuan had to proceed with utmost caution.
Though the Great Zen Temple's Patriarch Bodhidharma left a method for becoming a supreme grandmaster, it carried a staggering ninety-six percent fatality rate.
While this was an improvement over the usual ninety-nine percent, it was still unacceptable to Lin Yuan.
Thus, he aimed to devise a foolproof method using his extraordinary comprehension.
After creating one hundred sixty-two methods, Lin Yuan was notably pleased with the recent one hundred sixty-third breakthrough technique.
This method not only minimized the risk but also allowed recovery even if unexpected external disturbances interrupted the process or if Lin Yuan himself decided against proceeding.
"Today is the day to become a supreme grandmaster," Lin Yuan resolved, ready to take the decisive step.
At the same time, the abbot of the Great Zen Temple chatted casually with Hui Wen, the head of the Martial Monk Academy, and several other heads.
"It's been about three or four years since Junior Brother Hui Zhen last stepped out of the Scripture Pavilion, right?" mused the head of the Discipline Academy.
Hui Zhen, another name for Lin Yuan, had, after apprenticing under the Long-browed Old Monk, become part of the 'Hui' generation, on par in status with the temple's leaders.
"Indeed," the abbot nodded.
Since moving into the Scripture Pavilion five years ago, Lin Yuan had hardly emerged in the last four years, showing incredible dedication to his martial studies, unlike ordinary people.
"Who knows how far Junior Brother Hui Zhen has progressed in his training?" another head wondered, hinting at curiosity.
Just watching the martial monk's demonstration of the Arhat Fist had elevated Lin Yuan to the innate realm.
Now, after five years in the pavilion, everyone speculated on his current level.
"With Junior Brother Hui Zhen's talent, he might already be at the peak of the innate realm," guessed the Discipline Academy head.
"Innate peak?" The abbot hesitated.
In this world, martial ranks included postnatal, innate, grandmaster, and supreme grandmaster.
While Lin Yuan had achieved the innate realm at the tender age of three, his youthful energy was lacking, and he likely spent years restoring his foundation to reach ordinary innate strength.
Attaining the peak seemed far-fetched.
"Perhaps," the abbot conceded after pondering, reluctant to dismiss Lin Yuan's potential outright due to his rank of being a peer of their own generation.
"You two old folks doubt Junior Brother Hui Zhen this much?" The Martial Monk Academy head laughed, glancing toward the Scripture Pavilion.
"For all we know, he might already be a grandmaster."
"A grandmaster."
The Discipline and Miscellaneous Academy heads exchanged looks, shaking their heads slightly.
Even as a jest, the notion seemed improbable—after all, becoming a grandmaster was a monumental feat, one of the towering pillars of the world.
"Let's stop the speculation about Junior Brother Hui Zhen," suggested the abbot, cutting off the increasingly exaggerated conversation.
Yet, at that moment, a sudden, powerful surge shot skyward, rippling in every direction.
"Is that spiritual power? A supreme grandmaster's spiritual power?" The abbot and the heads felt their pupils shrink, a chill coursing through them.
When did the land give rise to a supreme grandmaster, and why had one appeared at their temple?
"No, this power comes from the Scripture Pavilion—it’s Junior Brother Hui Zhen's presence!" The head of the Discipline Academy gasped in realization, eyes wide.
"Junior Brother Hui Zhen's presence? Spiritual power? Supreme grandmaster?" The abbot and the head of the Martial Monk Academy were speechless, as if seeing a ghost.
Recognizing the source and aura of the spiritual power, an unsettling possibility formed in their minds.
Could it be that Junior Brother Hui Zhen, who had secluded himself for five years, had stepped into the realm of the supreme grandmaster?
The notion seemed absurd, yet undeniable—a three-year-old reaching the innate realm might be excused as remarkable, but an eight-year-old supreme grandmaster?
Is this still a human? Is this still a human?!