The Song Dynasty was the king for thirteen years before he knew that he was Tianlong.

Chapter 297 Green Bamboo with Yellow Beards and White Bamboo Shoots, Scholar's Hat and Taoist Shoes, White Lotus Flower (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
As the two walked to the front of the massive steps, the Kunlun people and the demon monks all looked over, their eyes filled with surprise.

At this moment, regardless of whether one was on or off the steps, there were only two kinds of attire: tall hats and ancient robes, and monk's robes. The two men's attire was so different from the others that it immediately surprised them.

Seeing this, Zhao Ti couldn't help but smile. What was originally the most normal clothing became unique and unconventional in this context.

His gaze swept over the groups of three or five people, and he saw that Kunlun and the demon monk were clearly separated. Although they did not fight each other, they kept their distance.

"You all arrived quite early," Zhao Ti chuckled.

The people in front of the steps looked at each other, no one spoke, their faces full of doubt.

Zhao Ti strode a few steps and said with a smile, "As the saying goes, 'Don't think you're early, there are always those who are earlier.' I thought I was early to arrive in Shambhala, but I didn't expect you all to be ahead of me."

Upon hearing him utter the words "Shambhala," both Kunlun and the demonic monk visibly breathed a sigh of relief, as if they knew that the two were not outsiders who had stumbled in by mistake, and were somewhat at ease.

Zhao Ti observed the situation and couldn't help but speculate. The two families had stopped fighting, which meant they had reached some consensus to focus on inheritance.

A smirk played on his lips as he continued to probe, "Why are you all still lingering here? Why don't you hurry to enter the Buddhist Kingdom? Aren't you in a hurry to pass on the Dharma lineage?"

One of the Kunlun disciples frowned upon hearing this: "You make it sound so easy. Didn't you see how difficult this step is? It tests not only internal strength but also mental state."

Another person said, "If you make even the slightest mistake, you'll be thrown off. At best, you'll suffer some physical injuries; at worst, your mental state will be damaged, and your skills will never improve again."

Zhao Ti said "Oh," indicating that his prediction was correct. Judging from the situation above, he felt that the steps were a trial ground, and the person who fell down must have failed the test. If he couldn't get through this place, he wouldn't be able to enter the Buddhist Kingdom.

At this moment, a gaunt monk among the group of monks chanted a Buddhist prayer: "The two benefactors are dressed strangely, and we do not know where they come from..."

The Kunlun people also said, "By the way, where are you from? Although your clothes are a bit strange, you all have hair. Could you be from the Kunlun Mountain lineage?"

The gaunt monk shook his head upon hearing this: "That's not necessarily true. Does having hair mean you're not a member of our Buddhist community? In ancient times, the Western religion practiced long hair."

A man with a clear and refined face, wearing a wooden crown, appeared in Kunlun and said, "Nonsense! You yourself claim to be an ancient Western religion, but who from your lineage still has hair left in the world today?"

The gaunt monk said, "The monks in this world are all false monks. They are not descended from my Western Sect. They were replaced by your Jie Sect thousands of years ago. How can they be the same?"

The man with the wooden crown and a clear, shrewd face snorted, "This world is ruled by my Biyou Palace. If Biyou Palace says that this monk is a true monk, then he is true."

The gaunt monk shook his head and said, "Biyou Palace is in charge? That's not necessarily true..."

The man with the wooden crown and a refined appearance angrily retorted, "If you hadn't come after us, what could possibly have happened!"

The gaunt monk clasped his hands together and shook his head: "How do you know that neither the Human Sect nor the Chan Sect has come?"

"You..." Upon hearing this, the man with the wooden crown, whose face was clear and bright, couldn't help but change his expression.

At this moment, a plump white monk stepped out from the side, waving his hand with a grin and saying, "Don't argue, don't argue. We are only here to inherit the lineage. We cannot make decisions on those important matters. They are left to the Buddha and the Heavenly Venerable. Why don't you ask the two newcomers which lineage they belong to?"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Zhao Ti and Tong Guan. Zhao Ti narrowed his eyes, understanding that although the two families were not fighting each other at the moment, it was hard to say what would happen once they obtained the legitimacy. Therefore, they needed to recruit more people to prevent future problems.

He smiled slightly and said, "You all ask me which lineage I belong to. Let me tell you. I am half god, half saint, and half immortal. I am a complete Confucian, a complete Taoist, and a complete sage. My mind is filled with ten thousand volumes of true books, and I control half of the world in both literature and martial arts."

The group exchanged puzzled glances. The man with the wooden crown and refined features said, "From what you're saying... it seems to have more to do with my Taoist school?"

Upon hearing this, the demonic monks frowned, their expressions revealing displeasure.

Zhao Ti took a few steps forward, looked at the massive platform, and said, "My identity in the mortal world is the leader of the Ming Cult, who advocates light and freedom from darkness and believes in the Great Ming God."

"Ming Cult?" the gaunt monk said. "Isn't that Manichaeism? It was established by the incarnation of Mani Buddha who traveled the world. So you are a member of our Buddhist sect."

“How could he possibly be a Buddhist?” The man with the wooden crown shook his head and said, “The verse just now clearly comes from a Taoist, at most a bit of Confucianism. What does it have to do with Buddhism?”

“But you say your secular identity is that of the leader of the Ming Cult,” the plump monk said with a smile.

"The leader of the Ming Cult may not be a Buddhist. The secular Ming Cult has long been independent of Buddhism. Although it has many followers, the Great Ming Venerable is the main god."

"The Ming Cult was founded by the incarnation of Mani Buddha, and all Ming Cult members should be members of our Buddhist sect."

"No, no, do you see any members of the Ming Cult who shave their heads, wear monk's robes, and chant Buddhist mantras?"

"Those are false monks from your Jie Sect. There are quite a few monks in my Western Sect who grow their hair long!"

"Ahem..." Seeing that the argument between the two sides was getting more and more heated, Zhao Ti couldn't help but interrupt and said, "Everyone, please stop arguing and listen to me."

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at him, only to hear him recite: "White lotus, green leaves, red lotus, the three religions are originally one family, the three flowers gather at the top of the white sun, the five elements converge at the dragon flower."

"Doesn't this mean that I, the Taoist, am the master?" the man with the wooden crown asked happily.

Zhao Ti glanced at him and continued, "The blue, red, and white suns are all the same; when the three Buddhas are born, how many people understand them? When one Buddha becomes a Buddha, a thousand Buddhas are made; when one ancestor becomes an ancestor, ten thousand ancestral ancestors are made."

“What you say is rightly in line with the teachings of Buddhism,” the gaunt monk chanted.

Zhao Ti smiled and recited again: "Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism are interconnected, the three teachings have always shared the same ancestral style. Understanding it will enable one to know the way in and out, and clear understanding will allow one to feel broad and generous. Who can compare with one's spirit and energy? One can be the same as the sun, moon and stars. With understanding principles and knowledge, one can attain purity and tranquility, and look at the void above the clear sky."

"This, this..." Everyone was puzzled upon hearing this. What kind of sect or lineage did this person belong to? It was impossible for everyone to believe in him, right?
Zhao Ti looked at the crowd and laughed, "Everyone, there's no need to think about it anymore. I say that the three teachings are one family. If you disagree and insist on arguing about which school you belong to, then I belong to the Confucian school."

A Confucian? Kunlun and the demonic monk were both dumbfounded.

Zhao Ti began to recite: "Green bamboo with yellow whiskers and white shoots, Confucian cap and Taoist shoes with white lotus flowers, red flowers, white lotus roots and green lotus leaves, the three religions are originally one family. Since there are no Confucianists here, then I shall be the master of Confucianism."

"I, I am also a Confucian..." Just then, a young man's voice came from behind, excitedly shouting.

Zhao Ti turned around and saw a person running from the grass in the distance, wearing a scholar's robe and walking quickly. It was Duan Yu.

He narrowed his eyes, not expecting that Duan Yu would also stumble into this Shambhala Buddhist kingdom. However, although the other party was well-read, he had long studied Buddhism. Coming to find Mu Wanqing, it was not too surprising that he accidentally entered Shambhala.

Duan Yu ran up to Zhao Ti and said, "Brother Zhao, how come I see you here? Am I dreaming?"

Zhao Ti laughed, "Of course it's not a dream. I didn't expect Brother Duan to have entered the Buddhist Kingdom as well." Duan Yu glanced at the Kunlun people and the demonic monk, and whispered, "So it really is the Buddhist Kingdom. I was doubtful when I entered. I wonder which Buddhist Kingdom it was?"

As soon as he said this, the people of Kunlun and the demon monk all looked over. Even though his voice was low, everyone present was highly skilled in martial arts and they all showed surprise.

Zhao Ti said, "This is the Kingdom of Shambhala."

Duan Yu asked in surprise, "The Shambhala Kingdom of Amitabha Buddha?"

Zhao Ti nodded and said, "This is the place. Taoists and Buddhists are gathering here now. They want to inherit the legacy of Buddhism, but they lack the Confucian school. So I will make myself the leader of Confucianism."

“Brother Zhao, then if I join, I will be a member of Confucianism…” Duan Yu said, then suddenly paused: “Brother Zhao, what is this ‘Legendary Journey’?”

Zhao Ti glanced at the Kunlun group and the demon monk, and laughed, "It is the inheritance of the God King, but if you claim to be proficient in Buddhism, you can also try the inheritance of the Bodhisattva."

Duan Yu was stunned upon hearing this, and after a long while, he finally said, "The inheritance of the God-King and the Bodhisattva? Why would there be an inheritance? Aren't the God-King and the Bodhisattva doing well? How, how could there be a gap in their schedules..."

Zhao Ti slowly shook his head: "Brother Duan, don't worry about these things. Just remember that there is a lineage within the Buddhist Kingdom. We'll ascend the steps ahead and search for it later."

After a long pause, Duan Yu finally asked, "Brother Zhao, since there are the lineages of gods and bodhisattvas, does the Buddha... does the Buddha also have a lineage?"

Zhao Ti said with a strange expression, "Brother Duan, if you are not afraid of your true self disappearing and becoming another person, you can go and see if it exists or not."

Duan Yu paused for a moment, as if he had thought of something, and shook his head, saying, "No, no, this is not a good thing. If you want to become a Buddha, you should cultivate yourself. It's best not to pass it on, and it's even better if... you don't ask anyone to help you."

At this moment, one of the demonic monks said unhappily, "It is extremely difficult to become a Buddha. How can you cultivate it just because you want to? Even the inheritance is not something that outsiders can obtain. Not to mention that outsiders cannot obtain the Buddha's inheritance, even Bodhisattvas cannot. Only when the God King's heart towards the Buddha is not entirely sincere and he has many ulterior motives can you outsiders take the opportunity to obtain it."

Upon hearing this, Duan Yu blinked, looked the monk up and down, and said, "You will never become a Buddha."

The monk immediately glared and said, "I have been diligently studying Buddhism since I was a child, and I have devoted myself to the Buddha. My heart is filled with only the Buddha and all Buddhas. How could I not succeed?"

Duan Yu said, "You can't even become a Bodhisattva, let alone an Arhat, and don't even think about becoming a God-King."

The monk immediately retorted angrily, "What do you mean by that?"

Duan Yu said, "You are full of anger, irritability, greed, selfishness, arrogance, jealousy, ignorance, and all sorts of other thoughts. How can you become a Buddha?"

The monk's eyes widened in disbelief, and he retorted angrily, "Nonsense, nonsense! I may have a bad temper, but where am I jealous?"

Duan Yu laughed and said, "I just said I had some concerns and didn't want to seek the lineage of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, but wanted to cultivate Buddhism on my own. You made sarcastic remarks and contradicted me at every turn. Aren't you just jealous that I will become a Buddha?"

Upon hearing this, the monk's face darkened, and he said, "Shambhala is originally a Buddhist country. There is no reason for outsiders like you to come here. You have only managed to take advantage of the situation. It is impossible for you to receive the Buddha's or Bodhisattva's teachings, let alone cultivate Buddhism on your own. Am I wrong?"

Duan Yu shook his head: "It's not just wrong, it's completely wrong. What does becoming a Buddha have to do with being inside or outside the monastic community? Haven't you heard of becoming a Buddha in a single thought, attaining enlightenment in an instant, seeing one's true nature in a moment, overcoming calamities in a flash, and achieving enlightenment in an instant? It has little to do with whether one is in a Buddhist monastery or not."

"How can it be of little importance?" the monk roared. "If you're not in the Buddhist order, how can you uphold all the precepts, discipline yourself, cultivate your character, and wholeheartedly turn to the Buddha!"

"Pfft..." Duan Yu couldn't help but laugh.

The monk shouted, "What are you laughing at?"

Duan Yu shook his head and said, "What I'm laughing at is that you have no wisdom at all, yet you still have such thoughts. A person with true Buddha-nature doesn't need the constraints of the Buddhist order. The deeper one goes into the mortal world, the more one's wisdom is planted, and the more one can understand one's mind and see one's true nature. If one still needs rules and regulations to restrain oneself, then even if one cultivates until death, one will not be able to reach the level of an Arhat, let alone a Buddha."

"You, you..." The monk trembled with anger, pointing a finger at Duan Yu, unable to utter a word.

“However, now that the Buddhist kingdom has descended, it has given you, a foolish person who has never even reached the level of an Arhat in your entire life, a chance.” Duan Yu shook his head and said, “But I’m afraid there are conditions for inheriting the lineage, which you may not be able to meet, and in the end it may all be for nothing.”

"If it weren't for the fact that it's difficult to take action in Shambhala, I would kill you right now, you bigmouthed brat!" The monk was furious at this moment, jumping more than half a meter high and roaring angrily.

Duan Yu was so frightened by his terrifying appearance that he took a step back.

The monk landed, pointing at Duan Yu and trembling, "What use is all this empty talk? Forget about becoming a Buddha or inheriting the Dharma lineage, you, you should first climb up those trial steps!"

"Trial steps?" Duan Yu looked at the massive stone steps in front of him, then turned to look at Zhao Ti.

Zhao Ti said, "Those steps contain a hidden mechanism that tests both martial arts skills and mental state. If you are not qualified, you will be overturned and will not be able to climb to the end."

Duan Yu said, "Martial arts and mental state? Martial arts are easy to understand, but mental state is probably closer to Buddhism, isn't it?"

Zhao Ti smiled and said, "That should be the case."

Duan Yu nodded upon hearing this: "Brother Zhao, this is something I excel at. If my martial arts skills are up to par, my mental state won't be a problem..."

He then looked at the wicked monks with a puzzled expression: "Why didn't these masters go up?"

Upon hearing this, the monks either ignored him or glared at him angrily. Duan Yu hurriedly said, "It must be that the masters' martial arts skills are slightly inferior; it's absolutely impossible that their mental state is not up to par."

Zhao Ti smiled slightly, looking thoughtfully at the top of the steps. He couldn't see Mu Wanqing, Kumārajīva, Huo Linglong, and the other two, so they must have already entered the Buddhist Kingdom. He also couldn't see Murong Fu, so he must have gone in as well.

"Boy, why don't you come up here!" the monk sneered. "You're just all talk and no action!"

Duan Yu glanced at the monk and said loudly, "I'll show you how to climb up and broaden your horizons!"

After he finished speaking, he looked at Zhao Ti and said, "Brother Zhao, shall I try climbing the steps?"

Zhao Ti nodded: "Go, but don't disgrace the Confucian school."

Duan Yu nodded vigorously: "Don't worry, Brother Zhao, I will definitely be able to reach the Trial Platform level."

As he spoke, he quickly walked a few steps to the massive steps and announced loudly, "Followers of the Confucian school, ascend the steps!"

The Kunlun monks and the demon monks all stared at him, their expressions a mixture of mockery and sarcasm.

Duan Yu didn't care and stepped onto the first step.

(End of this chapter)