Chapter 297: Reading the Apocrypha

An apocrypha of the Vajra Monastery? Shu Province used to be the Vajra Monastery's territory, so I suppose it's no surprise that the prominent clans here have collections of scriptures that came out of the Vajra Monastery after it fell.

With that thought in mind, Chu Qiguang opened the scripture and discovered that it contained a story about the Buddha.

However, the language used was rather archaic and difficult to understand, so Chu Qiguang could only read through it very slowly.

Thankfully, the five hundred Buddhist scriptures he had read on Jade Face Mountain served him well, allowing him to interpret the scripture's contents.

"The Buddha ignited the first flame of wisdom in the world, and ever since then, man has pursued the secrets of divinity. The Buddha spread the flame of wisdom, bringing light to the world while also setting it aflame, much to the ire of the gods. Before the Buddha's departure, he left behind a final flame in the Buddha Realm in the hope that everyone could become new Buddhas..."

According to the scripture, the flame of wisdom was the key for man to become Buddha, so it was also known as the Buddha flame, and the Buddha had left this type of fire behind in the Buddha Realm in order for more people to become Buddhas.

Thinking back to the Vajra Monastery diary he had read, Chu Qiguang wondered if the Vajra Monastery had tried to use the Buddha flame to increase one's chances of mastering the Sumeru King Scripture.

After he finished reading the scripture, the Ring of Ignorance conveyed a sense of joy to him, but it granted him no boon.

Another dud?

Chu Qiguang's expression darkened slightly. Even after reading so many books, he still hadn't been able to discern any pattern behind the boons granted by the Ring of Ignorance.

Heaving a frustrated sigh, Chu Qiguang returned the book to its original place on the shelf before continuing his search.

After walking past five rows of bookshelves, he finally came across another book that caught his interest.

The text revealed by his Dao pursuer eyes read: "Scripture of the Tribulation Religion passed down from Nine Saints Mountain. A cultivator well-versed in Dao arts and Buddhism can read this scripture to glean some of the secrets of the Tribulation Religion's Dao arts. It's said that when the monks of the Vajra Monastery strayed down wrong paths in their cultivation, the cultivators of Nine Saints Mountain began exploring the secrets of the Buddha flame."

Upon reading the scripture, Chu Qiguang discovered that it contained not only the Tribulation Religion's doctrines related to refining to demons, but also some Buddhist methods for exercising the mind through speculativism.

Not only was Chu Qiguang a fifth-state Dao artist, but he had also read over five hundred Buddhist scriptures by this point, so he was quickly able to derive some deeper insights from the Tribulation Religion scripture.

Judging from the language and script used in this scripture, it most likely came from the early days of the Great Han Empire.

The Great Han Empire had existed for over a hundred years, and its societal values had naturally undergone some changes over time.

In the early days, the Great Han Empire had been a rather conservative place, but as its economy developed, the ideals and culture gradually became more liberal.

Didn't the first large-scale demonic tainting incident also take place during the early days of the Great Han Empire? After that, the Vajra Monastery's cultivation began straying down the wrong path, and it seems the Tribulation Religion seized the opportunity to study the Vajra Monastery's Dao arts.

Hold on a second, wasn't Li Yaofeng once a disciple of the Vajra Monastery? Could he have belonged to a generation of spies that preceded Ning Chigong? What about those who came before Li Yaofeng? Perhaps the Tribulation Religion had infiltrated the Vajra Monastery a very long time ago.

Before long, Chu Qiguang finished reading the scripture. This time, his efforts were rewarded with a boon and a list of cultivation arts appeared in his mind.

Primordial High Zenith Demonic Arts (4), Twelve Infernal Palms (1), Star Shifting Cloud Piercing Step (4), Blood Activation Arts (4), Raging Tempest (0), Steel Tendon Iron Bone Arts (0)...

Of course, Chu Qiguang chose the Steel Tendon Iron Bone Arts.

His qi and blood circulation was instantly accelerated, surging through every tendon and bone in his body.

He felt as if his entire body had been broken down into countless microscopic particles before being reassembled with enhanced structural integrity.

Once the transformation was complete, he reached the first level of the Steel Tendon Iron Bone Arts, and a faint metallic sheen appeared on his skin.

The Primordial High Zenith Demonic Arts only took effect when channeled, whereas the Steel Tendon Iron Bone Arts functioned more like a passive ability, almost like a permanent suit of armor.

Eager for more, Chu Qiguang continued searching through the scripture library.

The Miao Clan was far too busy dealing with the aftermath of Ning Chigong's martial gathering to be worrying about potential intruders in its scripture library, and Chu Qiguang intended to take full advantage of that.

***

The next day, Chu Qiguang emerged from the scripture library just as the sun began to rise.

The Miao Clan was one of the most powerful clans in Shu Province, but its scripture collection was still far inferior to that of the scripture library on Jade Face Mountain. Even after searching throughout the entire night, Chu Qiguang only managed to find four books that were useful to him.

Of those four books, three granted him boons. He used two of the boons to elevate the Steel Tendon Iron Bone Arts to the second level, while the final boon was used to fuse the Iron Arm Arts with the Steel Tendon Iron Bone Arts.

Looks like I'll have to go elsewhere tonight.

Chu Qiguang made his way to the northernmost point of the Miao Clan's estate, where he saw the clan's servants and maidservants preparing breakfast for their masters.