The Young Monk could no longer conceal his astonishment, staring in disbelief at the Faceless Great Buddha, whose control over spiritual power was gradually weakening.
What in the world was happening?
This wasn’t a matter of understanding the situation—it was more like being sealed away for a thousand years had rotted its brain!
The Young Monk quickly shifted his gaze to Chu Xingchen and Xu Jin. Given Chu Xingchen’s earlier nonsense and intimidation, this black-hearted schemer likely wouldn’t keep any promises—especially since he hadn’t made any in the first place.
But what if Chu Xingchen’s mind had also been warped by the seal, making him insist on rescuing the Faceless Great Buddha?
In the Young Monk’s line of sight, Chu Xingchen’s expression remained as calm as still water, while Xu Jin’s face mirrored his own bewilderment.
Though outwardly composed, Chu Xingchen was inwardly unsettled—had he really resolved this with just words?
In the past, his silver tongue had been used to undermine enemies psychologically, claim moral high ground, or invoke vague notions of justice—never to outright solve problems. Most conflicts still required force or victory to settle.
This was the first time he’d talked someone into complete submission.
After all, Chu Xingchen had his limits. With someone like San Dong, whose intelligence was on par with a mascot’s, he’d at most coax them gently. High-level persuasion was rarely used, lest they burst into tears after just a few sentences.
A peculiar gaze from the side caught his attention. Chu Xingchen glanced over to see Xu Jin wearing an indescribable expression, though his eyes conveyed the message clearly—Is this the power of a chosen one?! This actually worked?!
Chu Xingchen wasn’t in the mood for banter. Ignoring Xu Jin’s look, he focused his divine sense on Yuan Kong, ensuring no hidden traps had been left behind.
Moments later, Yuan Kong—trembling violently with his eyes shut—suddenly snapped them open, forcing out a strained voice:
“You fed me three of those?! Save me! Hurry and save me!”
Chu Xingchen didn’t rush. Instead, he swiftly scanned Yuan Kong with his divine sense and checked his system panel.
[Target: Yuan Kong]
[Cultivation: Early Foundation Establishment]
[Golden Trait: Born Buddha Child]
[Purple Trait: Piercer of Illusions]
[Blue Trait: Wisdom]
[Blue Trait: Mind Reader]
[Temporary Black Trait: Weakened Divine Sense]
[Meets Disciple Recruitment Criteria]
[Reminder: Only one slot remains for first-generation personal disciples.]
Chu Xingchen withdrew his gaze, confirming Yuan Kong was unharmed before turning his attention back to the Faceless Great Buddha.
Since entering the main questline, the system hadn’t issued any further disciple-recruitment tasks. This sudden reminder wasn’t entirely unexpected—the system likely couldn’t support an infinite number of disciples.
After all, the ability to upgrade traits was borderline cheating. Even Li Yingling’s elusive luck could be enhanced.
Chen Baiqing’s orange-tier trait could probably advance to gold—a leap Chu Xingchen knew all too well, having witnessed the absurdity of Li Yingling’s [Genius of Cultivation] trait.
If he could recruit disciples indefinitely, no so-called "great calamity" would stand a chance against an army of disciples with upgraded traits and systematic buffs.
He wouldn’t even need to cultivate himself—sheer numbers would overwhelm the catastrophe.
The cultivation world would usher in a new era overnight.
This wouldn’t even be a main quest anymore—just a side mission.
Still, the end of the first phase likely meant a second was coming.
Whether that meant recruiting more disciples himself or having his disciples take on their own remained unclear.
Based on current speculation, the latter seemed more probable.
But those second-generation disciples probably wouldn’t enjoy the same perks—complete cultivation methods, divine abilities, and treasures—as the personal disciples.
That, however, was a concern for the future.
“I have done as you asked. I beg you to free me from this suffering. I am no malevolent Buddha—I only sought to save the world from its torment.”
“The golden lotus is for all to sit upon, not for the masses to toil beneath, chanting sutras without liberation.”
The Faceless Great Buddha’s voice was faint, yet carried the intensity of a shout. Without Yuan Kong’s divine sense controlling it, the Buddha was rapidly losing its grip.
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Yet it still strained to speak:
“The Buddhist order is no longer what it once was. Those seated atop the Thunderclap Pure Land are blind—they refuse to see the suffering of mortals, content only with the praises of their devotees.”
“I bear a great vow! I should not be trapped here.”
“A thousand years imprisoned, ten thousand years—my vow remains unbroken by spiritual power, untainted by worldly dust.”
“Benefactor, I have seen your heart with my Buddha’s eyes—you are a good man.”
“I place my faith in you, and I ask that you place yours in me.”
“As for that Buddha child… in hell, one must sometimes wield hellish means. This is what I learned after a millennium sealed away. But my heart remains pure—I beg you to understand.”
The Young Monk stood silently, his expression forcibly composed. Only the tight grip on his Nine Dragons Staff betrayed his tension.
His gaze remained fixed on Chu Xingchen—the one currently steering the situation.
Xu Jin’s deferential demeanor made it clear who was in charge.
“I hate being called a good man,” Chu Xingchen said flatly.
The Young Monk exhaled in silent relief.
But the next moment—
Chu Xingchen’s weapon, Wan Ban, dissolved into flowing light and vanished. A faint ripple of spiritual energy followed.
Brilliant azure streaks flashed momentarily before—
BOOM!
Dozens of golden chains binding the Faceless Great Buddha shattered, dispersing into golden motes.
The Young Monk’s eyes widened. Countless thoughts raced through his mind as time seemed to stretch infinitely.
Why?
How could this happen?
“But my heart is pure.”
Chu Xingchen’s next words snapped the Young Monk back to reality.
The Young Monk watched as the Faceless Great Buddha shattered in an instant, as radiant Buddhist light erupted from beneath it.
A voice, both compassionate and solemn, rose from the depths:
“Benefactor’s kindness… Liu—” A brief pause, then it continued, “This humble monk, Bright Buddha, shall never forget!”
The Young Monk clenched his Nine Dragons Staff, wrestling with the urge to stop the malevolent Buddha at all costs. But a glance at Chu Xingchen and Xu Jin forced him to suppress the reckless thought.
Needless casualties and emotion-driven actions were forbidden.
The subterranean light grew brighter. Within moments, an emaciated, gaunt-faced monk in tattered robes emerged, seated atop a lotus of Buddhist radiance.
The aged Bright Buddha met Chu Xingchen’s gaze.
Chu Xingchen smirked. “A bit too bright, don’t you think?”
The Bright Buddha raised a hand slightly, dimming the light behind him.
"Many thanks, benefactor. However, I cannot linger here for long. Our paths are intertwined by fate, and when we meet again, the karmic debt shall be repaid with kindness."
Chu Xingchen casually waved his hand. "Just remember to pay back a little extra."
The Bright Buddha pressed his palms together in a reverent bow. Without even glancing at the Young Monk beside him, he swiftly transformed into a streak of rainbow light and vanished into the distance.
Xu Jin remained silent, only speaking once the radiant glow had completely faded. "How can you be so sure he’s a good person? Relying on your divine intuition again?"
Chu Xingchen quickly parsed the meaning behind those words—How do you know he’s trustworthy? Because your protagonist’s luck tells you so?
"Of course not," Chu Xingchen replied with a hint of pride, lightly tapping the space beside his eye. "I’ve always had a sharp eye for character. That Buddha? Clearly a saintly figure."
Xu Jin’s expression turned mildly disdainful. At this point, he’d rather believe it was just divine intuition.
"Could… could you save me first before chatting…?"
Yuan Kong finally spoke up, unable to hold back any longer.
He’d endured in silence while the serious matters were unresolved, but now that everything was settled, they were just casually talking? Couldn’t they rescue him first and chat afterward?
Save me, and I’ll even join the conversation!
【Prologue: The Beginning of It All – Use holy water to heal the saintess tainted by demonic energy, then converse with her.】 Shen Nian stared at his older sister sipping yogurt, lost in thought. So you’re telling me my sister is the saintess, and yogurt is the holy water? 【Main Quest 1: Brave Youth, Become an Adventurer! Reward: Rookie Adventurer Title.】 【Side Quest 1: Find the Adorable Kitty! Reward: 1000 Gold Coins.】 Shen Nian: "Wait, I’m a high school senior here—did some guy who got isekai’d accidentally bind his system to me?" Hold on, completing quests gives gold rewards? Titles even boost stats? Is this for real? (A lighthearted, absurd campus comedy—not a revenge power fantasy.)
. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"
th】 【No prior gaming knowledge required】【The First Cultivation + Game Design Novel on the Platform】 In a world where the righteous path dominates and crushes the demonic sects, Lu Ze unlocks the "Son of the Demon Path" system. Killing righteous cultivators now grants him power-ups. Wait—deaths in illusions count too? As a former game designer, Lu Ze decides to give the cultivators of this world a little—no, a massive—shock... Sect Elders: "What is this 'Escape from the Demon Sect' game? Why have all our disciples abandoned cultivation to play it??" Elite Disciples: "You're saying... mastering 'Demon Slayer' can help us counter demonic schemes?" Reclusive Masters: "Why did I leave seclusion? Ask that backstabbing rat who ambushed me in 'Eternal Strife' yesterday!" Rogue Cultivators & Civilians: "'Immortal Abyss Action' is addictive! You can even earn spirit stones by loot-running..." Sect Prodigy: "My Dao heart is unshakable... except for that cursed black hammer." Royal Scions: "Can skins have stat boosts? I’ll pay 10,000 spirit stones for one!!" Sect Leader: "WHO IS CORRUPTING MY DISCIPLES?!!!"
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
