In front of the gate, two monks stood guard with staffs in hand. When they noticed figures approaching, they looked toward them and raised their eyebrows, instantly recognizing one of them.
As Aldrian and Venerable Karma Seeker neared, the guards imdiately bowed.
"Welco back, Master," they said.
Venerable Karma Seeker stopped and smiled at them.
"How are you two doing? Is everything alright?" he asked.
"We are good, Master. There is no problem, everything is normal," one of them replied.
"Good. Then I will bring our esteed guest inside," Venerable Karma Seeker said, prompting the guards to glance at the robed figure behind him. They wondered who it was but did not ask, and instead opened the gate for Venerable Karma Seeker and Aldrian to enter.
Once Aldrian entered, he was imdiately greeted by the bustling activity within the sect. Several training fields stretched out before him, each occupied by monks deep in their practice. They were training in Buddhist techniques such as the golden body, staff arts, sound elents combined with chanting, battle formations, and more.
Aldrian was stunned. What he saw was that the monks of the Buddhist Sect seed more prepared than anything. It was as if they already knew what was coming, and every one of them was ready for it.
He kept following Venerable Karma Seeker, watching the monks as they trained in their techniques. It was the first ti he had seen them in training, and it truly impressed him. These monks were incredibly strong with their techniques. He could sense their power—enough to fight across cultivation levels—even though the ones practicing were only lower-level Buddhist cultivators.
Every monk who saw Venerable Karma Seeker stopped their training and bowed in respect. They glanced at Aldrian as well, curious. Venerable Karma Seeker had never brought anyone inside personally like this before.
Aldrian kept walking toward the deeper part of the sect until they finally reached the main temple, a massive building with a towering golden statue of a Buddha inside. The mont he stepped into the temple, he was stunned by the sight of the statue.
It was because he knew who this Buddha was.
He pulled back the hood of his robe, revealing his face so he could see the statue more clearly.
He thought the Buddhist cultivators here would be more familiar with other Buddhas, like Amitabha, one of the most revered.
He did not expect to find this Buddha’s statue here. Did these monks know who this Buddha was? He doubted it, since this Buddha ca from a different world than theirs. But then again, he wasn’t sure—maybe Feng Xuanyan and Long Shentian had introduced his existence to this land?
The figure of the Buddha statue was the one that often appeared in his visions, along with a few other main figures who also frequently appeared.
"Tianlian, although it’s only your statue, at least I finally et you," Aldrian thought.
Tianlian is one of his followers who can be considered unique. Along with the heavenly demon, he rose from being a normal human to the top through hard effort. They mostly comprehend things based on their own experience, and his role in them is minimal. It can be said he only gives a slight push, and they handle the rest on their own.
Aldrian didn’t dwell on it further, as he noticed a few figures not far from the statue. Seven in total, all seated on their cultivation matrasses, spaced evenly apart. Three were on the left, four on the right, facing each other.
Even though they did not exude any aura and appeared as calm as still water, Aldrian could sense that all of them were emperor-stage cultivators. With their number, he finally knew who these figures were.
Venerable Karma Seeker kept walking toward the two vacant mats in the middle, which made Aldrian realize his seat would be beside him. As Venerable Karma Seeker passed, these figures slightly bent their bodies with clasped hands in respect.
Silence filled the space as Venerable Karma Seeker and Aldrian walked forward. Only after they both sat down on their mats did Karma Seeker finally speak.
"All of you have already received my ssage, and now is the right ti to do it. This is Aldrian—the one from the prophecy. The one who may bring light to this continent. After this, I will take him to the ’Lotus’ to fulfill his karma."
The others looked at Aldrian with curiosity and surprise. They had already seen him in the information crystal and knew how young he was despite his trendous strength. But seeing him in person gave them a different feeling.
He seed more mysterious, and they couldn’t help but feel drawn to him with a sense of reverence, as if standing before a mighty being.
Aldrian, the one being introduced, clasped his hands and slightly bowed.
"It’s truly my honor to et the famous Seven Arhats of the Buddhist Sect. I apologize for disturbing you all with my visit," he said.
"As expected of the prophesied one. Only by eting you in person can we truly experience how extraordinary you are," said one of the Arhats. He had an intimidating, burly body—each muscle seeming to contain explosive power and an impenetrable defense against any attack.
Aldrian recognized one of the Arhats fitting that description and looked directly at the monk.
"To be praised by the venerable Indestructible Fortress Arhat is truly an honor," he said.
The Indestructible Fortress Arhat smiled at the complint.
"You are far too humble, benefactor Aldrian. With your ability and strength, this monk’s praise is like a drop of water in the ocean—still not enough to describe your true self," the Arhat replied.
Aldrian simply smiled, then turned his gaze to another Arhat. This Arhat was slightly older, but what caught Aldrian’s attention were his eyes. Around the pupils, a faint golden glow shimred, and Aldrian could sense a strong presence of karmic and ti laws within them.
It was as if those eyes had witnessed countless things not ant to be seen.
Just now, Aldrian felt this Arhat was examining him with his eyes—and it seed those eyes were a technique in themselves. There was only one Arhat known to have such unique eyes, said to be one of the most difficult Buddhist techniques to comprehend or master.
This monk must be the Venerable Eyes of Destiny, the Arhat who had mastered The Heavenly Buddha’s Eyes.
This technique supposedly allowed a Buddhist cultivator to track anyone, uncover their mysteries, and even glimpse the future, much like clairvoyance. Aldrian felt intrigued—not only by the technique itself but also by what the Venerable Eyes of Destiny might have seen in him.
He must have used this technique on him, right?
But then, suddenly, Aldrian saw the Venerable Eyes of Destiny’s eyes bleeding before he closed them and clutched them with his hand.
"Ugh," he let out a grunt, as if in pain, which astonished the others. They knew that the Venerable Eyes of Destiny must have used his technique to check sothing about Aldrian, but to think it affected him like this? It was the first ti they had seen him like that.
Aldrian then stood up and approached the Venerable Eyes of Destiny. The others wondered what Aldrian would do.
The Venerable Eyes of Destiny also sensed Aldrian approaching, which made his body tremble slightly. What he had just seen was still vivid in his mind, and he did not dare to look again. His soul was affected, he was shocked that even from just a glimpse of Aldrian’s future, his soul and eyes had been injured.
He felt regret; he regretted that his curiosity had bested him, as his instinct had already told him it was not good to check Aldrian using his technique. He hesitated before deciding to use his Heavenly Buddha’s Eyes on Aldrian, which made him see sothing that was not ant to be seen.
His heart and body trembled slightly as Aldrian arrived in front of him. He wanted to back off, to keep his distance, because he felt unworthy in front of Aldrian. After what he saw and what he did without Aldrian’s permission, suddenly he felt unworthy. Aldrian then lowered his body onto one knee.
"Let heal you, teacher," Aldrian said as he touched the Venerable Eyes of Destiny’s hand, the sa hand he used to close his eyes. Suddenly, golden energy flowed through the hand, reaching his eyes and soul, which made him stunned by its warmth and comforting feeling.
He could feel the golden energy healing the wounds in his eyes and soul at a fast rate, and before long, all of them were healed, allowing him to open his eyes again. Although there were still bloodstains, everything had returned to normal.
He looked at Aldrian again, and his gaze seed much different—much more respectful. He slightly bowed his body to him.
"My apologies for my insolence. I ask benefactor Aldrian’s generous heart to forgive this monk," he said in a respectful tone, which made the others look at the Venerable Eyes of Destiny in astonishnt.
What had he seen to make him like that?
Aldrian only smiled and replied to the Venerable Eyes of Destiny,
"No, teacher, I am not in the slightest offended by it. In fact, I am intrigued. What did you see in for you to be like this?"
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