Chapter 4 Five years later

"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

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.