Stepping out of the Merit Hall, Zong Shou felt a pang of genuine pain, almost twisting his mouth. He had just watched, with his own eyes, the wealth that had landed in his grasp slip away, bit by bit. But Han Fang wasn't willing to let him go just yet.

He pursued from behind, a smile playing on his lips, saying, "Junior Brother, why the distress? The merits of this sect can be used for more than just exchanging for scriptures. You will surely learn the true benefits of merit in the future." Zong Shou scoffed inwardly; no matter what, he certainly hadn't profited.

Yet, a spark of curiosity had been ignited within him. Merits weren't just for exchanging sect martial arts secrets and spiritual technique manuals? What else could they possibly be used for?

More than curiosity, however, was a sense of caution. Just a few days prior, he had witnessed Senior Brother Han’s cold indifference when it came to burning bridges. This sudden shift from arrogance to deference must mean he had an ulterior motive.

As expected, the next moment, Han Fang’s tone turned mild: "Did Junior Brother not recently acquire a spiritual pet to guard him within the Spirit River?" Zong Shou’s gaze sharpened, and with a wave of his sleeve, he flung out Biao Xi, who had been tucked away there. "Senior Brother, are you referring to this one?" "Precisely!" Han Fang gave a slight nod, then scrutinized the humanoid spiritual pet with a complex look, his deep gaze seeming to pierce straight through the seventh-tier insect spirit beast. Biao Xi sensed it too; its drowsy state vanished completely, and its violet-gold eyes snapped open, blazing with ferocity.

Seeing this, Han Fang showed no concern. After a slight smile, he averted his gaze again, his eyes filled with emotion. "Truly a naturally born aberrant species.

Junior Brother is blessed indeed." Zong Shou remained silent, listening intently, aware that Han Fang still had more to say. "Thus, these Heaven and Earth Aberrant Species are born imbued with the intent of slaughter and belligerence, naturally wild and untamable. Since ancient times, instances of them turning on their masters are countless.

However, if Junior Brother one day reaches the Immortal Realm, you will realize the benefits of a naturally born aberrant species extend far beyond having combat power comparable to divine beasts. Treat it well in the future; once you can completely subdue it, it will surely become an enormous aid to you." Hearing this, Zong Shou frowned. Why was Han Fang speaking so vaguely today, using veiled language, only finishing half his sentences?

Han Fang refused to elaborate further, his expression turning grave. "There is one more matter! I have thought about it carefully since earlier.

That matter of gathering the Dharma Body is too ethereal and overly risky; it will hinder Junior Brother’s future prospects. In my view, Junior Brother should focus on reconstructing his foundation. Han Fang will assist with all his strength; I guarantee you can recover your former state within six months!" Zong Shou’s heart sank slightly, and his mouth turned inwardly bitter.

What Han Fang had said a few days ago was indeed just comforting talk. He probably already suspected that Zong Shou wouldn't achieve much in spiritual arts. This sudden change in attitude was most likely due to his guardian pet.

He clenched his fists tightly, then forced a smile back onto his face. "Reconstruct the foundation? There is no need.

I have already reviewed those few Dharma Body scriptures, and they are definitely useful!" Han Fang was stunned for a moment, then his brow furrowed again. "I won't hide it from you, Junior Brother. Condensing a Dharma Body is indeed a path.

I didn't mean to mislead you before. But do you know? These Buddhist Dharma Bodies are also divided into nine ranks: Supreme, High-Middle, High-Low, and so on?

Although the Swallowing Heaven Primordial Transformation Art is a unique technique in this world, it is primarily martial arts-based. If used to condense a Dharma Body, it will likely only reference the Whirlpool manifestation. Even if successful, it would only be a Middle-grade form at best—" Whirlpool?

Middle-grade? A hidden smile touched Zong Shou's eyes. The Dharma Body he intended to condense was not that.

It was the invisible power capable of destroying the world. Even the peak experts of this era might not know of it. The Vajra Realm Great Sun Tathagata Heart Mantra—he hoped the rest of this book would not disappoint him.

Suddenly stopping, Zong Shou turned his head. "Senior Brother, you are knowledgeable. Have you ever encountered something called a Black Hole?" Han Fang stopped dead as well, his mind filled with confusion.

A Black Hole? What was that? This term was completely new to him.

Zong Shou said no more, similarly leaving his statement hanging. His wide sleeves billowed, and he walked directly toward the Scripture Tower. ※※※※ "True intent condenses into stillness.

Mingling with purity, they share the same taste. Intrinsic nature remains tranquil, enveloping the inside and out as one body. The great abyss is deep and clear; waves of clarity and turbidity no longer exist.

The full moon is round; where is the scene of waxing and waning?" "The sound 'Vairocana' is another name for the Sun, meaning 'Illuminating darkness everywhere.' Yet the sun in the world has directional divisions. If it shines externally, it cannot reach the interior. Light illuminates one side but not the other.

Moreover, it only shines by day, its light not reaching the night. The wisdom light of the Tathagata Sun, however, is not so; it illuminates everywhere." "—This means dwelling in the equality of all Buddhas. It means all phenomena, such as cause and effect, self and other, conditioned and unconditioned, enter this true wisdom, achieving ultimate equality, one true reality.

Because it holds this seal of wisdom, it is so named. The strength of the Great Narayana Power—" In the small, quiet room, Zong Shou held a scripture, reading it over and over. The book in his hand was naturally not the original Vajra Realm Great Sun Tathagata Heart Mantra from the Scripture Tower, but a copy he had transcribed himself.

Only forty pages in total, roughly five thousand characters, yet Zong Shou had read it continuously for thirty days straight. Apart from attending classes and training, all his time was devoted to this book, studying it tirelessly and reviewing it repeatedly. This was based on his experience from his previous life: if he couldn't understand it the first time, reading it multiple times would always bring clarity to the obscure and difficult parts.

Buddhist teachings were profound, filled with esoteric terminology. Many parts of the text required corresponding lineage knowledge to truly comprehend. However, through days of continuous study and deduction, Zong Shou had managed to grasp more than half of this tenth-grade Buddhist cultivation secret scripture.

"It should be about enough! Reading further offers diminishing returns. These Buddhists are truly stingy.

Why learn the grand rhetoric of Confucianism—" Casually tossing the book aside, Zong Shou flashed to the window ledge at the back of the room. Looking out from here, he saw Chu Xue practicing her sword forms. Occasionally, she emitted a soft, delicate 'ha, ha' sound.

Her graceful figure seemed to be dancing, yet she was clearly practicing swordsmanship. Beside her was a fifth-tier Soul Beast, a Cold Nether Tiger, moving in coordination with Chu Xue's movements; they were relatively well-matched. The sword style was very specific, frequently summoning wisps of spiritual energy.

But every time this energy brushed against Chu Xue's true essence, it instantly dissipated. This sword technique was one Zong Shou had specially created for Chu Xue a few days ago. This came from an offhand suggestion by Zong Yuan.

If Chu Xue were judged solely on martial arts, she was second to almost no one among them. Even Zong Yuan found it challenging to fight her with equal strength. However, the girl consistently failed to smoothly deploy spiritual techniques in combat, unable to blend them seamlessly with her martial arts.

Zong Shou had wrestled with this problem for a long time until he heard Zong Yuan's casual advice: instead of exhausting himself trying to make Chu Xue master spiritual technique combat, it would be better to maximize her martial talent and focus on fusing spiritual energy into her movements. Zong Shou was suddenly inspired and created these few dozen sword forms. It was just a small experiment; if it worked, great; if not, he would only lose a bit of time.

But watching Chu Xue now, her progress was far from optimistic. "As expected, fusing spiritual energy into sword forms requires unity between the spiritual and the martial. I was too simplistic in my initial approach." Zong Shou sighed.

Making Han Fang regret his judgment was proving far from easy. After watching for a while longer, he noticed that Chu Xue’s focus was not on the sword at all. Every time she practiced a set, her gaze involuntarily flicked sideways to look at something else.

Over there on the edge of the training ground stood a small spirit array, less than ten feet in diameter. It was filled with Fire Glow Stones, and nestled within was a Phoenix Egg. Zong Shou couldn't help but smile.

Ever since the egg was close to hatching, Chu Xue had been like this, constantly glancing over. This Crimson Fire Golden Phoenix Egg was one of the guardian beasts Zong Shou had selected for her. The Crimson Fire Golden Phoenix is a subspecies of the Fire Phoenix, its combat strength nearly equal to the latter.

Its phoenix blood is extremely potent, and its offspring’s bloodline undergoes minimal degeneration. Upon hatching, it will be at the peak of the sixth tier. Finding even a drop of true Phoenix blood could elevate it to a genuine Fire Phoenix.

Selecting a few excellent guardians for Chu Xue was also part of his experiment. If she couldn't use spiritual techniques herself, she could have her guardians use them. In his previous life, he had read an arcane beast taming technique that allowed guardian spirits to share their master's soul power.

Furthermore, depending on the tier, they could even learn several unique spiritual techniques aside from innate abilities. The Cang Sheng Dao also possessed similar arcane arts. Naturally, with Chu Xue’s soul power, she couldn't command too many guardians.

A Spirit Master, over their lifetime, could have a maximum of ten to twenty spirit pets, with exceptional talents reaching thirty. However, the maximum number that could be actively commanded in battle simultaneously was only three to five; even those with the strongest talent could manage only seven or eight at most. Maintaining the spirit contract and controlling the beasts required immense soul power and powerful mental focus for suppression.

The higher the tier, the harder it was to control. Zong Shou himself had three spirit pets that were equivalent to naturally born guardians. Moreover, Long Ying Shi Xiao Zhi willingly submitted, requiring no deliberate control.

Most of his soul power was consumed by the Demon Eye Silver Bear, allowing him to control five creatures simultaneously. Chu Xue’s aptitude in this area was only considered slightly below average. Even if she could command one or two high-tier spirit pets, it wouldn't help her much.

However, Zong Shou knew of a secret method developed ten thousand years later to reduce spirit contract consumption. That method was to gather the Five Spirits of Heaven and Earth: Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Black Tortoise, Vermilion Bird, and the central Qilin. With the Five Spirits gathered, a natural cycle would form through a unique soul contract formation, reducing soul power consumption to an absolute minimum.

At that point, even with Chu Xue’s aptitude, commanding the Five Spirit guardians simultaneously might not be impossible—having the Five Spirit exotic beasts display spiritual techniques on her behalf could perfectly compensate for Chu Xue’s shortcomings and aid her comprehension of the world.