Outside the martial hall, the slender old man, Yuwen Pan, watched as the figure of the Southern Sea Sword Saint disappeared.
"To consider Master Hui Zhen as a stepping stone to break through the grandmaster realm... This is really..." Yuwen Pan, the slender old man, was at a loss for words. A touch of sympathy appeared on his face.
Actually, using the pressure of life and death to break through bottlenecks was not uncommon. With the Southern Sea Sword Saint's talent and comprehension, it was quite possible for him to break through under the pressure of a grandmaster.
Compared to Yuwen Pan, the Southern Sea Sword Saint had reached his current state entirely through his own efforts. His potential was beyond doubt.
However, the Southern Sea Sword Saint's greatest mistake was setting his goal on Master Hui Zhen. In Yuwen Pan's eyes, Lin Yuan's strength undoubtedly surpassed that of an ordinary grandmaster, perhaps even the strongest among all grandmasters throughout history.
This belief had become nearly certain through almost a year of interaction.
Moreover, Yuwen Pan had a more terrifying speculation: "Has the Master's strength really broken through that level?"
Yuwen Pan felt his whole body trembling at the thought.
Throughout history, for thousands of years, grandmasters had been unquestionably recognized as the strongest. It was the ultimate realm pursued by all martial artists. As for realms beyond grandmaster, surpassing the grandmaster realm... Yuwen Pan dared not think about it and wouldn't think about it.
It was as meaningless as pondering why the sun hung in the sky.
However, after experiencing the might displayed by Lin Yuan's roar, Yuwen Pan finally began to doubt.
Perhaps, beyond the grandmaster realm, there was a higher realm? Something like what Lin Yuan possessed?
It wasn't unreasonable for Yuwen Pan to think so; Lin Yuan's demonstrated strength was simply too extraordinary. The grandmaster from the Great Dali Dynasty hadn't died many years ago, and Yuwen Pan remembered the descriptions of grandmasters vividly. Even the strongest grandmaster wouldn't be this strong.
In addition to this, Yuwen Pan had felt the bottleneck of the grandmaster realm under Lin Yuan's occasional guidance in the past year. If the guidance of a grandmaster was so useful, there wouldn't be sayings like "a grandmaster can't cultivate another grandmaster."
Inside the martial hall, Lin Yuan sat cross-legged.
Since the martial arts competition began half a year ago in the capital, Lin Yuan's insights had not ceased. Countless martial artists participated in the martial arts competition, and even though their strengths might not be high, they each displayed various martial arts.
Lin Yuan, with his extraordinary comprehension, gained insights from countless perspectives, far more useful than just observing a few high-level martial arts.
[Your comprehension is extraordinary. You gain insights into the world of martial arts, improving your understanding of martial arts beyond the mythical realm.]
[Your comprehension is extraordinary. You gain insights into the world of martial arts, subtly grasping the essence of the natural world.]
[Your comprehension is extraordinary. You gain insights into the world of martial arts, creating the 'Cloud Mist Refining Qi Technique.']
[Your comprehension is extraordinary. You gain insights into the world of martial arts, beginning to perceive the breakthrough direction of the subsequent realm.]
Lin Yuan was completely immersed in the world of enlightenment, only waking up if faced with a life-threatening situation. With Lin Yuan's current physical body and the self-protecting mythical realm 'Yuan Li,' he wouldn't be harmed even if a group of grandmasters attacked him.
After half a month.
Lin Yuan opened his eyes.
"Finally found it," Lin Yuan sighed softly.
With the assistance of his extraordinary comprehension, he had finally identified the path beyond the mythical realm. It was only a lock-on, and the actual journey would still require a considerable amount of effort. However, as long as the direction was correct, the rest for Lin Yuan was just a matter of time.
"It's time to go back."
Lin Yuan stood up and walked towards the exit of the martial hall. Although, with Lin Yuan's current strength, it didn't matter where he practiced, he still preferred the environment of Shao Shi Mountain, the serene atmosphere with the ancient Buddha, and the undisturbed surroundings.
Crack.
The door of the martial hall opened.
Yuwen Pan, who had been guarding outside, was suddenly startled.
"Master."
Yuwen Pan subconsciously looked into the martial hall, only to find that the young monk who should have been sitting there had disappeared.
"Master. Has he left?"
Yuwen Pan was stunned for a moment, feeling a bit lost. Even though he had anticipated it, knowing that powerful figures like Lin Yuan wouldn't stay in the imperial palace for long, he felt as if he had lost something at this moment.
Great Zen Monastery.
Abbott Hui Yuan, the head of the martial monks' hall Hui Wen, and several other hall leaders gathered at the gate of the monastery, looking worried.
A year ago, the imperial palace of Great Dali was pierced through by a mysterious monk with the strength of a grandmaster. The Great Zen Monastery had naturally heard about this event.
Unlike other martial artists and forces speculating about the identity of the mysterious monk, Abbott Hui Yuan and the hall leaders almost immediately recognized that the monk was their own disciple.
There was no doubt when it came to a young monk's appearance, combined with grandmaster-level strength. Who else could it be?
At first, they marveled at Lin Yuan's strength. A little over a hundred years ago, the grandmaster of the Great Dali Dynasty had attacked Shao Shi Mountain. Now, a monk from the Great Zen Monastery had single-handedly pierced through the imperial palace of Great Dali. It was a reciprocal courtesy.
However, as time passed, the abbott and others began to sense that something was wrong.
Did the monk intend to reside permanently in the imperial palace of Great Dali?
At first, Abbott Hui Yuan and the others didn't think that Lin Yuan would abandon the Great Zen Monastery. Instead, they were worried about what other intentions the Great Dali Dynasty might have.
While a frontal assault was easy to deal with, hidden schemes were hard to guard against. Certainly, with Lin Yuan's strength, no one in the Great Dali Dynasty could match him. But what if they employed some clandestine means? After all, the imperial palace was once the residence of the grandmaster, the founder of the Great Dali Dynasty, and there might be methods to deal with a grandmaster.
Abbott Hui Yuan also had deeper concerns.
As the martial arts competition progressed and several masters went to the capital to spar with Lin Yuan, rumors about his strength spread even more.
Grandmaster.
Peak Grandmaster.
Invincible Grandmaster.
The first Grandmaster of all ages, and so on.
These rumors came from other masters, and their authenticity was unquestionable. As a result, Lin Yuan's reputation grew larger and surpassed that of Patriarch Bodhidharma from a thousand years ago and the Grandmaster of Great Dali from over a hundred years ago.
This situation might not have much impact on other masters, as they had spent decades on their journey and their mental state had been tempered by various experiences. However, Abbott Hui Yuan was well aware that Lin Yuan was only in his teens.
At such a young age, could he withstand the worldly temptations and still return on the right path?
"Let's wait a bit longer. The disciple has only been down the mountain for a year. It's a short time. Even if influenced by the secular world, he can still turn back in time," said the head of the Precept Court in a solemn tone.
Not to mention a grandmaster, even for ordinary martial artists, one year was not a long time—it was considered the early stages of entering the martial world.
"The disciple has a simple heart."
The head of the Martial Monks' Hall frowned, about to say something when, at that moment, on the narrow mountain path of Shao Shi Mountain, a young monk in monk's robes and cloth shoes walked up step by step.
"The disciple, the disciple is back."
Abbott Hui Yuan was the first to notice Lin Yuan.
A moment later, Lin Yuan arrived at the entrance of the Great Zen Monastery.
"Venerable."
Several people nodded to Lin Yuan, wanting to say something but refraining from it.
"All matters have been resolved."
Lin Yuan only said this and returned to the third floor of the scripture repository, sitting down again, away from the world, away from the hustle and bustle of the martial world.
On this day, the young monk on Shao Shi Mountain, wearing cloth shoes and monk's robes, who had just entered the martial world a year ago, left the martial world.
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