Leaving behind gifts, Masters Shi Cheng and Shi Yuan refused Zhang Yang’s pleas to stay and departed from Changjing immediately. Shi Fang remained, and Zhang Yang arranged lodging for him in his own villa.

In the following days, many people came to visit Zhang Yang, including the patriarchs of the three great families. Zhang Yang did not keep any of these visitors in the villa; even Li Changfeng and Long Jiu stayed in nearby hotels.

His villa was not small, but too many people simply wouldn't work; he couldn't host everyone, so in the end, he hosted no one. However, Shi Fang was an exception.

Although a Saintess Pill had been given away this time, Zhang Yang now owed Shaolin another favor—a very, very large one. A Five-Layer cultivation insight, whose value was absolutely no less than any spiritual medicine.

This kind of favor warranted an exception from Zhang Yang, allowing him to keep Shi Fang to host. “Abbot Senior Brother, are we truly doing the right thing by doing this?” Inside an inconspicuous commercial van, Shi Yuan opened his closed eyes and asked Shi Cheng beside him.

The matter of gifting the cultivation insight on energy materialization had undergone an intense discussion within Shaolin before they agreed to voluntarily present this treasure to Zhang Yang. “Whether it is right or wrong has already been done.

Such are the ancestral teachings; following them will never bring harm. Moreover, I find this child Zhang Yang to possess fine character.

There should be no issue this time!” Shi Cheng gently shook his head, a hint of melancholy in his expression as well. Zhang Yang was unaware of how difficult it was for him to receive this cultivation insight.

At least forty percent of the people within Shaolin had been opposed, unwilling to lend out such a treasure. This was Shaolin’s wealth; it should remain within Shaolin.

When the Great Rejuvenation Elixir was sent previously, the opposition had not been this fierce. At that time, Zhang Yang had demonstrated decent strength, but a larger factor was his connection to the lineage of the Medical Saint; Shaolin was universally willing to foster good relations with those of the Medical Saint’s line.

Shaolin also possessed its own master alchemists, but overall, they could not compare to the Medical Saint lineage in terms of prescription compounding. In that aspect, the Medical Saint lineage was absolutely unrivaled.

But gifting the cultivation insight was different. Zhang Yang had already displayed immense potential, even the potential to reach the Fifth Layer.

To give away the insight was tantamount to aiding his cultivation, allowing him to advance to the Fifth Layer sooner. The division within Shaolin lay precisely here: many of them did not wish to see another Fifth-Layer expert emerge in the world.

Because a Fifth-Layer expert would inevitably shatter the existing balance; the Fifth Layer was simply too powerful. In the end, the Abbot had to intervene, and numerous elders agreed.

Even the Great Perfection Guardian of Shaolin stepped forward before the resolution passed. After speaking, Shi Cheng glanced back toward the direction of Changjing with a complex look.

Deep down, he too did not wish for Zhang Yang to advance, nor did he wish to help him. However, Shaolin had always adhered to an ancestral teaching—one known only to the Abbot, the Abbot Progenitor, the Great Perfection Guardian, and select important elders: when encountering anyone with the hope of reaching the Fifth Layer, one must not obstruct them.

In fact, one should deliberately foster good relations and offer any assistance possible. This ancestral teaching was left directly by the Patriarch Bodhidharma.

If it were anyone else, it would be one thing, but Bodhidharma’s words were something no one in Shaolin dared to defy. This was the most crucial reason they brought the Five-Layer cultivation insight to Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang knew none of this; his mind was still somewhat hazy. Shaolin’s posture this time was placed far too low, lower than he could have ever imagined.

If Zhang Yang had already advanced to the Fifth Layer, or was already a Great Perfection expert, Shaolin acting this way might make some sense. Currently, he was only at the mid-Fourth Layer, not truly at the Fifth, posing no immediate threat to Shaolin.

For them to adopt such a low attitude truly baffled Zhang Yang. What he couldn't understand, Zhang Yang stopped thinking about.

Long Feng was still in seclusion. Zhang Yang called Mi Xue over, and together they warmly hosted Shi Fang.

Only after dinner did he return to his study. The cultivation insight, handwritten by Patriarch Bodhidharma himself, had been tormenting his mind with curiosity.

He had maintained his reserve, only coming to examine it after entertaining his guest. “This...

was written by a Fifth-Layer expert?” After flipping through it once, Zhang Yang’s eyes widened instantly. He wasn't astonished by the content itself, but by the nature of such things he had encountered before.

The first time reading the material here gave one the feeling of not paying much attention to it. Fortunately, Zhang Yang was no longer an ordinary person; he possessed a profound understanding of energy materialization and could already achieve it himself.

On the first reading, he sensed the difference within. Flipping through again, Zhang Yang read it a second time.

This reading brought deeper comprehension and further astonished Zhang Yang. This feeling was exactly the same as when he studied the Heaven-Shattering Sword Art—that miraculous manual where each reading brought greater enlightenment than the last.

Composing his spirit, Zhang Yang lowered his head and reopened the book. This time, he read with greater scrutiny.

The insight gained from this pass was indeed different from before, making him feel it was far more profound. Moreover, much of the content was now incomprehensible, even difficult to grasp.

This made Zhang Yang close the book without daring to attempt a fourth reading. His eyes were not focused on it, but his mind involuntarily drifted to the contents.

He constantly felt the urge to cultivate; his fingers twitched naturally, and streams of Heaven and Earth energy began to condense, but each time they gathered, they would fail. With repeated failures, Zhang Yang felt a growing sense of agitation.

He hadn't been like this while cultivating the Heaven-Shattering Sword Art. “Pfft!” After a full hour, Zhang Yang suddenly gasped and spat out a mouthful of blood.

An hour of failure had rendered his state of mind anxious and somewhat chaotic. Under this pressure, he eventually injured himself and spat blood.

Fortunately, after spitting out the blood, Zhang Yang’s consciousness cleared. Looking at the bright red stain before him, he couldn't help but shake his head.

He finally understood why Master Shi Cheng said that ordinary people shouldn't casually peruse such things. The content here differed from the Heaven-Shattering Sword Art; it carried an alluring magnetism.

Once read, one couldn't help but try to act upon what was written. Those unable to materialize energy, or those whose comprehension of the Way of Nature was shallow, who forced themselves to try would only end up injured.

Zhang Yang himself had suffered an injury, but luckily, his comprehension of the Way of Nature was deep, and he possessed the ability of energy materialization, so the harm this time was not great. In fact, spitting the blood only made him clearer-headed.

“If I had known it was like this, I would have asked for a few more days!” Stroking the book, Zhang Yang shook his head with a wry smile. Three days would likely be too short to truly comprehend something like this.

Moreover, secrets or other materials written by Fifth-Layer experts had to be reviewed personally, pass after pass. Relying on mere memory was useless; without the book, having seen it was the same as never having seen it.

At this moment, Zhang Yang even harbored a fleeting thought of forcibly keeping the book. He also wondered if Shaolin possessed other items left behind by more Fifth-Layer experts—things that held immense appeal for him.

However, as soon as this thought arose, he suppressed it. Shaolin had treated him so well—first sending the Great Rejuvenation Elixir, then personally bringing a heavy gift, and holding such thoughts now would be truly improper.

But at this moment, he seemed to gain some understanding of why Shaolin adopted such a low stance. Three days passed in a flash.

During these three days, Zhang Yang rarely left home—a rarity for him. Mi Xue also didn't go to school for these three days, remaining by Zhang Yang’s side to accompany him.

When the three days were over, Shi Fang proposed his departure. He hadn't exchanged many words with Zhang Yang over these three days, but having lived together for three days, the initial awkwardness between them had dissolved.

“Brother Zhang, it seems you have gained much!” Looking at Zhang Yang, Shi Fang spoke first. Zhang Yang’s strength hadn’t changed, but Shi Fang sensed something different about him.

The previous Zhang Yang wasn't so outwardly sharp; he exuded a feeling of stability and simplicity. The current Zhang Yang seemed even more subdued than before, appearing like an earnest young man.

Simple, sincere—this was the feeling Shi Fang had now, a strange sensation akin to facing an ordinary person. If he didn't possess the Heavenly Eye Divine Sight, he might genuinely mistake Zhang Yang for a regular person rather than a cultivator.

“I must sincerely thank your esteemed sect this time, Brother Shi. Zhang Yang has noted your kindness.

Please convey my thanks to Master Shi Cheng. I will absolutely fulfill what I promised him, and if you ever need anything in the future, feel free to seek me out anytime!” Zhang Yang smiled faintly and handed the pouch in his hand directly to Shi Fang.

No one knew what extraordinary items were contained within that unassuming pouch. Shi Fang nodded, exchanged a few more courtesies, and then departed.

He didn't know what the Abbot had told Zhang Yang, but since Zhang Yang had agreed, it meant the Abbot’s goal had been achieved, and his own mission was complete. Leaving Zhang Yang’s villa complex, Shi Fang couldn't help but look back.

In the past, Shi Fang always believed himself to be the most outstanding cultivator—reaching the late Third Layer at such a young age, and being on track to break through to the Fourth Layer before the age of forty, which was rare even in his Shaolin. The elders in the temple also took great care of him; many believed he was an indispensable future force for the temple.

All of this had seemed perfectly natural before. Unfortunately, Zhang Yang’s sudden emergence had completely altered everything.

Four Layers of Inner Strength before the age of twenty, and reaching mid-Fourth Layer at twenty-one—such a rapid cultivation speed left him with no desire to chase; the speed was utterly despair-inducing. If he hadn't always been a devout Buddhist, having long since tempered his disposition to be incredibly resilient, these setbacks might have shattered his proud heart.

Even now, he couldn't entirely suppress a sense of jealousy toward Zhang Yang—a jealousy that one genius feels for another. However, this jealousy was deeply hidden, undetected by others.

Of course, it was only jealousy. Anyone aware of Zhang Yang’s achievements would feel envious.

Even Long Feng was no exception. This was human nature.

The difference was that Long Feng and others like Shi Fang would push themselves to work even harder; even if they couldn't catch up to Zhang Yang, they couldn't afford to fall too far behind. Other individuals, upon feeling this jealousy, only conceived of destruction, like the Second Elder of the Hu Yan family and Hu Yan Feng.

Their actions ultimately brought ruin upon themselves and their families.