Chapter 252: You Still Say You’re Not a Monk

Translator: yikaii Editor: yikaii

Four days passed quickly. When the Five Heroes of Eagle Mountain gathered at the city gate as agreed, they were surprised to see Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou.

“Young heroes, where is your hair?” The hook-nosed leader asked the question immediately upon seeing that Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou were completely bald.

He regretted asking as soon as the words left his mouth. Both young heroes’ faces turned noticeably darker.

Meng Jingzhou’s hair hadn’t grown back yet and, optimistically, would take a few more days.

To apologize and calm Meng Jingzhou’s anger, Lu Yang had shaved his own head as well.

These past few days, the Everlasting Fairy hadn’t stopped laughing.

The hook-nosed leader speculated silently: could it be that these young heroes are disciples of Buddhism and had been wearing wigs all along?

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. The young heroes had never mentioned their backgrounds, likely because they came from a Buddhist sect that didn’t flaunt their status.

Now, in the contest for the Twin Stem Lotus, they needed not only strength but also the intimidation of their identity!

As for killing and eating demon beasts, that could also be understood. There were meat-eating monks in Buddhism, though rare, they did exist.

“Let’s go,” Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou said in a muffled voice, unwilling to explain further.

Following the map provided by the commerce guild, the group quickly arrived at the lake where the Twin Stem Lotus were located.

By now, the lake was already surrounded by people. Looking around, there were few cultivators below the late Foundation Building stage; most were at the late Foundation Building stage, followed by Golden Core stage cultivators.

The Twin Stem Lotus had miraculous effects on core formation, attracting many cultivators on the verge of forming their cores.

For Golden Core stage cultivators, it was less useful, otherwise, the fish that guarded the lake wouldn’t have been able to keep it.

In the center of the lake, two lotus buds were about to bloom, pink and tender, like twins, drawing everyone’s attention.

“There’s water everywhere. When the time comes to snatch them, it will be inconvenient to fight,” a late Foundation Building stage cultivator frowned. He wasn’t good at water battles, and if his opponent was proficient in water techniques, it would be very disadvantageous.

“Let’s drain the water.”

Saying this, he took out a storage ring and started filling it with lake water.

Seeing this, others thought it was a good idea and followed suit to help.

Storage rings could only store non-living things, so they could store just the water without the living creatures in the lake.

“He’s the White Tiger Saint Child of the Four Symbols Sect! It’s said he’s mastered lethal techniques, and even though he’s only in the mid Foundation Building stage, he can fight against half-step Golden Core stage cultivators!” The hook-nosed leader hadn’t been idle these past few days, investigating who might compete for the Twin Stem Lotus.

The White Tiger Saint Child was one of them.

The Four Symbols Sect was a renowned first-grade sect, known for its Four Symbols legacy, consistently producing outstanding successors and rarely declining.

In the central continent, sects were habitually categorized by grades. Sects without Spirit Transformation stage cultivators were considered unranked, at the lowest end.

Third-grade sects had one to several Spirit Transformation stage cultivators.

Second-grade sects had one to several Void Refinement stage cultivators.

First-grade sects had one to several Unity stage cultivators.

Above the first-grade sects were the super sects, which had a Tribulation Crossing stage expert.

Above the super sects were the Five Great Immortal Sects.

The apparent standard for the Five Great Immortal Sects was having a Tribulation Crossing stage cultivator and techniques equivalent to such cultivators.

But how many hidden cards they had was anyone’s guess.

“And that female cultivator, An Ke, the closed-door disciple of the Clear Moon Sect’s sect master, at the late Foundation Building stage, the strongest among the Clear Moon Sect’s Foundation Building stage cultivators. Even the Clear Moon Sect’s sect master admits that at the same level, he isn’t a match for her.”

Rumor has it that the Clear Moon Sect is backed by the Moon Palace, though no one has been able to confirm this.

“That’s Duan Hongchen, the Heaven Inquiry Blade. He has repeatedly killed Golden Core stage demon beasts. People assumed he had already formed his core, but he’s actually at the half-step core formation stage, still looking for the right opportunity!”

The hook-nosed leader pointed out notable individuals one by one. Some came from various prestigious sects and families, with remarkable legacies, while others were local powerhouses from the Demon Subjugation Pass, known for their fierce reputations.

In comparison, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou were relatively unknown. They had only arrived at the Demon Subjugation Pass a few days ago and had spent most of their time in the dense forest, not interacting with others. Very few people knew them.

“Who are those two bald guys? Disciples of the White Horse Temple or the Floating Pagoda Temple?”

Someone noticed Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou. Their bald heads made them stand out in the crowd.

The White Tiger Saint Child frowned: “I’ve visited both the White Horse Temple and the Floating Pagoda Temple with my master, but I’ve never seen these two.”

“Are they wild monks? Or from some obscure temple?” As a member of the Four Symbols Sect, he regarded any sect below first-grade as insignificant and not worth his attention.

An Ke glanced at Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou out of the corner of her eye. Not recognizing them as any of the powerful Foundation Building stage cultivators she knew, she dismissed them.

Duan Hongchen, the Heaven Inquiry Blade, saw that Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou were only at the late Foundation Building stage and ignored them. His opponents were the Golden Core cultivators hidden in the crowd.

These Golden Core cultivators were here to seize the Twin Lotuses for their juniors’ core formation and wouldn’t fight to the death. In a life-and-death battle, they would be the first to retreat.

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou overheard people guessing which Buddhist temple they were from, causing veins to pop on their foreheads. “You’re the monks! Your whole family are monks!”

“It’s all your fault for making me shave my head!” Lu Yang was the first to lash out.

Meng Jingzhou had anticipated this: “My fault? It’s obviously your Arhat Fist that’s crooked! I’ll write a recommendation letter to get you into the Hanging Temple!”

With Lu Yang’s talent, he was certainly qualified to enter the Hanging Temple, which would likely welcome him warmly.

After all, finding someone with magical talents comparable to Eldest Senior Sister’s was nearly impossible worldwide.

“Lu Yang, are you going to become a monk?” The Everlasting Fairy asked reluctantly.

“No, Dao Seeking Sect is my home. I’m not going anywhere!” Lu Yang declared his position, stating that he was a Dao Seeking Sect disciple in life and in death.

“Look, the lotus is about to bloom!” Someone shouted, drawing everyone’s attention.

As the Twin Lotuses bloomed, a delightful fragrance filled the air, inciting a frenzy among the crowd.

With a roar, the White Tiger Saint Child made the first move, a “king” character slowly appearing on his forehead, white fur sprouting on his cheeks, and his pupils becoming vertical, resembling a tiger.

“The Twin Lotuses are mine! No one else should dare to take them!” He roared, moving as swiftly as the wind.

“You think they’re yours just because you say so? Arhat Fist!” Meng Jingzhou struck, his face showing compassion and benevolence, as if he had twenty years of monk training.

His punches were overwhelmingly powerful, sending the White Tiger Saint Child flying into the mud pit, dazed and confused.

The White Tiger Saint Child was stunned. This was his first time failing in a cross-level challenge.

He had always won cross-level battles, easily defeating late Foundation Building stage opponents while being in the mid Foundation Building stage, and had never lost before.

But this time, he failed.

“Definitely a monk!” An Ke confirmed her earlier suspicion.

“You’re the monk!” Meng Jingzhou retorted angrily.

“Bald head, uses Arhat Fist, and still claims not to be a monk?”

(End of the chapter)