"Little one,"
"Let me see your hand."
While the abbot, head monks, and others were immersed in their thoughts, the long-browed old monk stepped forward, speaking in a gentle tone.
"Alright."
Lin Yuan did not refuse, and, in fact, he couldn't refuse.
As he looked at this long-browed old monk, Lin Yuan felt the prenatal Qi he had just condensed in his lower abdomen trembling. It was evident that this long-browed old monk's strength far exceeded Lin Yuan's imagination, at least stronger than the abbot, head monks, and others, as Lin Yuan didn't sense such pressure from them.
"Perfect mastery in martial arts, self-generating inner Qi."
"Indeed, you have perfected a superior martial art to such an extent."
The long-browed old monk gently touched Lin Yuan's right hand, and a scorching inner Qi spread out. Shortly after, he sighed.
"Self-generating inner Qi?"
The abbot and the head monks, hearing this, simultaneously let out a sigh of relief.
Even though they had speculated earlier, they still found it inconceivable. In this world of martial arts, practitioners were categorized into postnatal, prenatal, master, and grandmaster levels.
In general, reaching the master level was considered the ceiling, and it might take several centuries to produce one.
Postnatal and prenatal practitioners constituted the vast majority of martial artists in the world.
To transition from postnatal to prenatal, there were three main paths. One: Ingesting some rare spiritual medicine from heaven and earth. After absorbing its power, even an ordinary person could become a prenatal martial expert.
Two: A postnatal peak practitioner seizing a breakthrough opportunity, successfully advancing into the prenatal realm. This was the mainstream path, followed by almost all prenatal martial experts.
Three: Cultivating a superior martial art to perfection.
Superior martial arts were the painstaking works of master-level martial experts. When such martial arts were cultivated to perfection, individuals naturally developed prenatal inner Qi. This wasn't a strange occurrence.
However, entering the prenatal realm through this path usually happened to martial experts in their fifties or sixties, dedicating decades to the relentless study of superior martial arts and, finally, experiencing a fortuitous event where they comprehended something.
To have someone like Lin Yuan, who comprehended a superior martial art at the age of three or four, at least according to the abbot and the head monks' knowledge, was unheard of.
This kind of feat could only be vaguely explained by a martial prodigy, someone born with innate knowledge, a rarity occurring once every thousand years.
"Little one, are you willing to accept me as your master?"
The long-browed old monk looked at Lin Yuan with a complex expression and suddenly spoke.
As these words were uttered, the abbot, head monks, and other monks did not show any surprise. After confirming that Lin Yuan had comprehended a superior martial art and perfected its practice, they realized that Lin Yuan's martial talent was undoubtedly the greatest in the thousand-year history of the Great Zen Temple.
As a martial prodigy of such caliber, only the long-browed old monk had the confidence to teach him in the entire Great Zen Temple. As for the abbot, head monks, and others, strictly speaking, they were also in the prenatal realm. Where was the qualification to take disciples?
"Disciple pays respects to Master."
Lin Yuan immediately bowed respectfully to the long-browed old monk. Becoming the disciple of the long-browed old monk undoubtedly saved Lin Yuan a significant amount of time.
According to the rules of the Great Zen Temple, any disciple, regardless of their identity, had to undergo three years of running monk duties, three years of miscellaneous monk duties, three years in the scripture hall, and three years in the disciplinary court. Only after enduring these twelve years would they qualify to formally engage with the true martial arts of the Great Zen Temple.
If Lin Yuan did not showcase his talent and remained among ordinary little novices, he would waste a considerable amount of time. Although, with his extraordinary comprehension ability, he might gain insights even by observing mountains and rivers, the difference in starting point would lead to significantly disparate outcomes in terms of achievements over the same period.
Under the premise of being limited to a stay of only twenty years in this world, such an approach was clearly not feasible.
By taking the long-browed old monk as his master, Lin Yuan would receive direct guidance and transmission of knowledge from the only master in the Great Zen Temple. Coupled with his extraordinary comprehension ability, Lin Yuan's progress would be unparalleled.
Two months later, Lin Yuan and the long-browed old monk sat facing each other.
"From now on, you can move to the scripture repository."
The long-browed old monk's mouth twitched slightly. Implicit in these words was the acknowledgment that the long-browed old monk felt incapable of further instructing Lin Yuan.
There was no help for it. Lin Yuan's comprehension ability was too exaggerated. At the beginning, the long-browed old monk could still provide guidance to Lin Yuan. However, a few days later, he began to feel that something was amiss.
Throughout history, individuals with exceptional intelligence were often described as being able to extrapolate from one example. However, Lin Yuan was not merely extrapolating from one; he was extrapolating from ten, even a hundred!
No matter what the long-browed old monk said, Lin Yuan could quickly understand and derive even deeper insights. What made the long-browed old monk find it more incredible was that Lin Yuan not only had such talent in martial arts but also in Buddhist scriptures and teachings. Facing such a prodigy, even an accomplished master like the long-browed old monk felt somewhat overwhelmed.
So, as it progressed, rather than saying that the long-browed old monk was instructing Lin Yuan, it seemed more like two eminent monks engaging in an equal debate. In some instances, Lin Yuan's words even greatly benefited the master long-browed old monk.
And all of this had been achieved in just two months.
"The scripture repository?"
Lin Yuan's eyes lit up.
The scripture repository was where the Great Zen Temple stored its martial arts. It was an absolute key location. The seventy-two superior martial arts, known as the seventy-two transcendent skills, were stored on the second floor of the scripture repository. Additionally, on the third floor, there were even more profound martial arts surpassing the seventy-two transcendent skills.
In fact, Lin Yuan had long wanted to visit the scripture repository, but the long-browed old monk had never agreed. He kept saying that Lin Yuan was too young, and exposure to things of such high levels would be detrimental to his state of mind.
"The various martial arts stored in the scripture repository were authored by generations of masters of the Great Zen Temple. There, you should be able to learn more."
The long-browed old monk waved his hand, adopting a somewhat resigned posture. Since he couldn't teach Lin Yuan, he decided to let the masters of the Great Zen Temple throughout the ages be Lin Yuan's instructors.
In reality, the scripture repository was a restricted area, and ordinary disciples had no qualification to enter. However, Lin Yuan was different.
With the permission of the long-browed old monk, entering the scripture repository posed no problem.
After that day, the long-browed old monk declared seclusion. Lin Yuan, on the other hand, resided frequently in the scripture repository. At the young age of three, Lin Yuan began perusing numerous martial arts. The scripture repository housed an extensive collection of martial arts, with the seventy-two transcendent skills being just the most renowned part. There were many other martial arts as well.
"The Muscle Transformation Scripture?"
On the second floor of the scripture repository, Lin Yuan took out an ancient scroll. The Muscle Transformation Scripture was a unique martial art that could reshape the muscles and enhance martial aptitude. Its value might even surpass that of the seventy-two transcendent skills.
However, this particular martial art had not been mastered by anyone in the entire Great Zen Temple. The reason was its high threshold, requiring not only martial comprehension but also an understanding of Buddhist scriptures.
Perhaps the long-browed old monk had the foundation to master the Muscle Transformation Scripture, but for a master, it was not as crucial.
Lin Yuan picked up the original Muscle Transformation Scripture and began reading it attentively.
Three days later: [Due to your extraordinary comprehension, watching the special martial art Muscle Transformation Scripture, you have comprehended the special martial art 'Muscle and Bone Cleansing, Body Forging, Blood Exchange, and Spirit Refinement Technique'.]
Lin Yuan felt a slight joy in his heart. A mysterious force began circulating between his limbs and bones, gradually strengthening his meridians, flesh, and blood.
This force wasn't limited to his physical body; it extended to Lin Yuan's spirit and soul, nurturing them.
"The original Muscle Transformation Scripture had a limited effect, but this 'Muscle and Bone Cleansing, Body Forging, Blood Exchange, and Spirit Refinement Technique' I've comprehended now can strengthen every aspect without any shortcomings. Even masters would probably envy it."
Lin Yuan couldn't help but smile. After two months of guidance from the long-browed old monk, Lin Yuan was no longer ignorant of the current martial arts world.
Masters emphasized muscles and bones, and each master had developed their muscles and bones to the pinnacle of an ordinary person.
However, the subsequent forging of the body, blood exchange, and spirit refinement had a significant impact on masters.
Especially spirit refinement, it was said that even masters were eager to enhance their mental martial arts.
"With this 'Muscle and Bone Cleansing, Body Forging, Blood Exchange, and Spirit Refinement Technique,' stepping into the realm of a master should be achieved ahead of time."
Lin Yuan nodded slightly, highly satisfied. After comprehending the 'Great Buddha Fist,' Lin Yuan had advanced into the prenatal realm, surpassing the ordinary prenatal martial practitioners. However, his prenatal realm was somewhat lacking, given that others achieved it with abundant vital energy and blood.
In contrast, Lin Yuan, with the body of a three-year-old, naturally couldn't match the quantity and quality of the prenatal internal energy of regular practitioners.
Nevertheless, with this 'Muscle and Bone Cleansing, Body Forging, Blood Exchange, and Spirit Refinement Technique,' Lin Yuan could save time and improve his physical and spiritual attributes comprehensively.
And so, Lin Yuan stayed in the scripture repository for five years.
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