Chapter Thirty-Two: First Arrival at the Grand Fuyan Lingjiu Monastery

Chapter Thirty-Two: First Arrival at Dafulingjiu Temple
Part Five: The Tiger Leaps and the Dragon Soars, Contesting with Roars; the Mystic Blade and Spirit Sword Battle for Supremacy (VIII)

The young disciples from Qixian Temple immediately quickened their pace in flight and vanished from sight in an instant. Watching them depart into the distance, Qingxia let out a faint, cold laugh. “What a Qixian Temple! Who would have thought that even temples nowadays are so brazen and arrogant!”

Ye Hua reached out and gently tugged at Qingxia. “Fourth Brother, keep your voice down! Don’t let Master hear you. Remember what Master instructed before we left? We haven’t even reached Dafulingjiu Temple, and already we’ve gotten ourselves into this kind of trouble!”

Qingxia glanced at Ye Hua and smiled. “Junior Brother, that pockmarked youth was as ugly as sin, yet his name is Wang Jun—how shameless can one be? Oh, of course, shamelessness is his forte, ha!” Ye Hua forced a smile but said nothing.

Their group sped along, and on the way, they encountered several more groups of monks from various temples, making the journey lively indeed. Not long after, Ye Hua saw that the land ahead spread vast and wide, with only a single verdant mountain rising abruptly—its cliffs sheer as walls, extremely steep. From a distance, the lush greenery shimmered with mist and an aura of tranquility.

“That is Lingjiu Peak—we’re almost there!” Qingxia said, a hint of excitement in his voice. While still several miles from Lingjiu Peak, the group descended to the base of the mountain. Surveying the surroundings, Ye Hua saw an enormous plaza, clearly man-made. In the distance stood a grand stone gate tower, upon which gleamed the gilded characters for “Dafulingjiu Temple.” The stone inscription soared more than ten zhang high, its eaves tiled in green, with two massive stone lions flanking either side—majestic beyond compare.

“We must walk through this gate on foot. After passing through, we are forbidden to fly,” Qingxia explained to Ye Hua. Ye Hua nodded toward Qingyu. “So that’s why we landed here. I was just wondering about that a moment ago.”

Passing through the stone gateway, the path wound upwards. On both sides, ancient trees stood thick and towering, their emerald canopies blotting out the sky. Hidden among them were numerous pavilions. Through the trees, one could glimpse stone incense burners shrouded in fragrant smoke, and solemn statues of the Buddha. At intervals along the roadside cliffs, Buddhist aphorisms were carved in stone. After a few more miles, the path ran with the mountain on one side and a deep ravine with a murmuring brook on the other. Novice monks passed by in a steady stream.

After climbing nearly seven or eight miles, they finally glimpsed the grand temple ahead. Ye Hua had long heard tell of Dafulingjiu Temple’s renown—its grounds spanned more than two hundred acres, with over four hundred buildings. The central axis was lined with seven great halls, each unique in style, none repeating the other. The temple’s scale was truly magnificent, a worthy first among all temples of Mount Wutai.

Arriving at the temple gate, a welcoming monk stepped forward. “Master Zhiku, please proceed to the Mahavira Hall for council. The rest of the brothers, please follow me to the assembly hall to rest.” The welcoming monk led the group into the temple.

Upon entering, Ye Hua found himself in a vast courtyard, crowded with people and filled with a cacophony of voices. Most were young, and many female cultivators were present as well. The welcoming monk led their party through the throng toward a side hall.

Ye Hua glanced about the courtyard. In the center stood two towering incense burners. Nearby grew a dozen ancient cypress trees, their luxuriant branches forming a canopy overhead. Beneath them rose strange, picturesque rocks. Directly ahead was the Hall of Guanyin, with its multi-tiered eaves soaring grandly, richly adorned with wood carvings and colorful paintings—a solemn and imposing sight. Within, the Buddha statues loomed tall, resplendent in gold and jade.

“Junior Brother, well? Ha! It’s really crowded, isn’t it?” Qingyu sidled up, grinning.

“Fifth Brother, are all these people disciples from various temples here for the examination?” Ye Hua asked, gesturing at the crowd.

“That’s right,” Qingyu replied. “These are all disciples from the temples of Mount Wutai, here for the competition. There must be over a thousand!”