The true time of death for "Lionheart" was actually twenty-six years ago.
At that time, Huo Hengxuan had already become a soldier in the Liang Kingdom.
During a war, he was gravely injured and, while evading the enemy, stumbled into a small village to recuperate, there, he bore witness to the final chapter of a story that once belonged to the Bodhisattva known as Lionheart.
But Chen Kuang, in this life, was only nineteen years old, it was naturally impossible for him to have appeared twenty-six years ago. He could only shift the timeline to a more plausible period.
Eight years ago, Chen Kuang had been traveling and studying the zither under Xi Mengquan. With a Saint at his side, even if one of the Pure Land's Grand Meditation Masters personally investigated the matter, they would find no evidence of what truly occurred.
That was the perfect point in time to claim the encounter.
Upon hearing this, Duguan revealed a complex expression. He took the sarira with a long sigh and said:
"Senior Brother Lionheart has been missing for nearly forty years. I once believed we'd only retrieve his sarira after a century had passed, when my own life was nearing its end. I never imagined we'd meet it again today..."
As he spoke, he suddenly froze.
Because, if Chen Kuang was the one returning the sarira... and if he had met Lionheart eight years ago...
Then logically, Chen Kuang himself was the most likely Karmic Heir!
Duguan abruptly looked up, staring at the young man before him.
Chen Kuang gave a faint smile, then pressed his palms together, eyes lowered solemnly, making no attempt to conceal the aura of his own "Mud-Forged Gold Body Technique".
He needed to provide a proper source for this cultivation technique.
Otherwise, once he became established, if someone accused him of having stolen the teachings, he would have gained yet another powerful enemy. This, too, was one of the reasons he had come to the Pure Land.
Chen Kuang was well aware that his explanation would likely be doubted. His true objective in coming here would soon be guessed. So he had to demonstrate his talent as fully as possible.
A genius who came of his own accord was far better than a scheming outsider with hidden intentions...
"Boom-!"
First Aspect: "Descent from Tusita Heaven"!
The wind and sand that had been blowing against him now diverted of their own accord. The sand beneath his feet was swept away by an invisible force, revealing the white stone summit hidden below.
In an instant, a one-meter radius around Chen Kuang seemed to become a miniature Pure Land.
Unlike when he first began cultivating, when he could only push away the dust around him, now this First Aspect, merely by being activated, could already withstand violent winds and sandstorms.
Second Aspect: "White Lotus Rebirth"!
A phantom white lotus bloomed with thirteen petals on Chen Kuang's forehead, brilliant yet held in reserve, releasing dazzling radiance that lit up the entire temple and the two people beside him.
At last, Xiuzhu came to his senses, recognizing the top-tier Buddhist cultivation technique that they both practiced.
""Mud-Forged Gold Body Technique"?!"
He stared dumbly at the thirteen-petaled lotus and muttered:
"White Lotus Rebirth...? I've only reached six layers of force..."
Normally, White Lotus Rebirth only allowed three layers of force to be cultivated.
Xiuzhu, though not specializing in the Mud-Forged Gold Body Technique, had already displayed exceptional talent by reaching six layers.
And yet today, he had witnessed a monster who had cultivated thirteen layers!
But what he didn't know was, this still wasn't Chen Kuang's limit.
Back in the Ancient Battlefield of Meditation, thanks to the passive ability "Heavenly Demon Mimicry", which let him replicate the "Double Pupils, Ancestor Summoning", Chen Kuang had already achieved thirteen layers of force.
And now, after stepping into the river of "Time" and making rapid progress in cultivation, he could already manifest twenty-one layers.
But that was seven times the original limit of White Lotus Rebirth, Chen Kuang himself found it terrifying. It was best to keep some cards hidden.
Third Aspect: "Twin Dragons Bathe the Buddha"!
Phantom dragons coiled around his waist and arms. Golden light flashed in his eyes, and the dragons let out majestic roars.
Perhaps because Chen Kuang had once nourished a true dragon with his own blood, these two dragons were unusually affectionate toward him.
Their bodies even appeared more solid than usual. With their awe-inspiring presence, even Chen Kuang himself seemed more solemn and divine.
Fourth Aspect: "Moon-Clad Kasaya"!
Moonlight condensed into a pale white Buddhist robe draped over his body.
Even his skin became fine and translucent like jade, softening his sharp aura. If not for his black hair cascading behind him, he could easily be mistaken for a merciful Bodhisattva who delivers all beings.
Chen Kuang paused for a moment, then hesitated slightly, but still chose to continue, unveiling the Fifth Aspect:
"Vajra Bodhi"!
Within the lake of his divine soul, his spiritual manifestation surged, and suddenly, golden light erupted from the cracks within.
"Crack..."
Chen Kuang vaguely heard a shattering sound from deep within his Sea of Consciousness. More fractures spread across his divine soul, and even his jade-like skin seemed to reveal glowing golden fissures.
Yet he felt no pain, only a liberating sense of having thrown off all restraint.
His earlier intuition had been right.
Because he had never built a Dao Foundation, the passive "Destruction and Rebirth" had not been nullified, it had simply taken effect outside the realm of cultivation.
Originally, Chen Kuang had never truly grasped Vajra Bodhi. Only in moments of desperate insight or life-or-death trials could he activate a portion of its power.
It was akin to simulating the Buddha's process of enlightenment, struggling against inner and outer demons.
But now, the Fifth Aspect, with its principle of "Unbroken and Unextinguished," seemed on the verge of becoming his permanent state.
In other words, he was about to master the Fifth Aspect.
Once those golden fissures completely covered him, and both his divine soul and physical body broke free like a butterfly from its chrysalis, Chen Kuang would finally attain a true Golden Body.
When Duguan saw Chen Kuang manifest the Fourth Aspect, he was already seventy percent certain that this youth was the Karmic Heir of Lionheart.
This Mud-Forged Gold Body Technique was impossible to achieve to such a level in so short a time without direct guidance.
Chen Kuang's name had already reached the Pure Land. Other than the expelled disciple Huo Hengxuan, there was no one around him who followed the Buddhist path.
And though Huo Hengxuan had once been a True Pearl Disciple, he had been expelled from the Pure Land very early on and had never even come into contact with the Mud-Forged Gold Body Technique.
Besides, how could an expelled disciple have cultivated this supreme technique to such heights?
Other than a karmic inheritance, there was no plausible explanation.
And when Duguan saw the Fifth Aspect manifest,
His expression trembled. He didn't hesitate for even a second.
He grabbed Chen Kuang's arm and said anxiously:
"Come with me, at once, to see the Three Grand Meditation Masters!"
His intense reaction came from one simple fact:
Since Lionheart's death, the Pure Land had only produced three Bodhisattvas, but none of them had ever succeeded in mastering the Fifth Aspect of the Mud-Forged Gold Body Technique!
This technique, supreme among Buddhist arts, was correspondingly extremely difficult. The transition between the Fourth and Fifth Aspects was a bottleneck, the same one that marked the threshold of the Buddha's Enlightenment.
To attain the Fifth Aspect meant that Chen Kuang had a very real chance of becoming a Saint through the Dharma!
With a wave of Duguan's hand, the statue niche behind them instantly vanished, revealing a hidden inner realm.
This tiny temple had always been the "Gate" to the Pure Land.
Behind that gate, boundless sunlight poured forth, and countless glazed golden halls shimmered in the distance.
But Chen Kuang didn't move.
Duguan also suddenly furrowed his brows and looked into the distant Gobi Desert.
There, three cultivators were flying toward them, their auras fierce and filled with killing intent.
One of them shouted:
"Which one of you is Chen Kuang? Hand over the Elixir of Immortality!"