A thousand enlightenments in one night, starting from being a menial apprentice.

The repair work on Cave No. 3 was completed a few days later.

Because of the hard work involved in this trip, everyone spent the next few days doing small tasks in the workshop, which served as a form of rest.

That day, Duan Rong was working at the long table with Luo Xian when he suddenly heard several craftsmen whispering about something—a raccoon dog, the sound of a flute…

Duan Rong's heart stirred, and he pricked up his ears to listen carefully.

In fact, after Duan Rong left that night, the monk who guarded the cave containing the mountain statue wandered around the cave in deep thought all night.

The next day, at daybreak, he went to the monastery and reported his experience to the monks in charge of discipline.

The cave containing the mountain statues is also a secret place of the sect. When the monks who enforced the law heard that something strange had happened there, they were quite nervous at first, but after listening for a while, their expressions became somewhat impatient.

Although the guard monk spoke in a very formal and serious manner, his words were so absurd that the enforcing monks couldn't help but be suspicious. Therefore, they asked many questions, half questioning and half making things difficult for him.

At first, the guarding monk answered, but gradually he sensed the attitude of the enforcing monk and then fell silent. The report ended abruptly and without resolution.

As the monk who was in charge of the monastic discipline walked out of the monastic discipline hall, he couldn't help but feel a little regretful. He felt that he shouldn't have come to the monastic discipline hall at all.

The monk enforcing the law stumped him with just one question: "That raccoon dog is playing its flute outside the cave, and you just let it play? Why don't you just ignore it?"

He was speechless at the monk's question because he felt the monk was right. If he had just stayed inside the cave and never come out, this whole thing would have been avoided.

Therefore, he felt deeply remorseful and decided to return to the cave to meditate and recite Buddhist scriptures. He even felt that the raccoon was an incarnation of a Buddha or Bodhisattva, sent to test his meditative concentration.

That night, he was meditating and chanting Buddhist scriptures when he suddenly heard the melodious sound of a flute. He then used his spiritual sense to investigate and realized that he had been moved.

The rebuke from the discipline master was like a wake-up call; if he hadn't gone out, nothing would have happened.

From then on, the monk guarding the cave hid away, meditating and chanting Buddhist prayers, and never mentioned the matter again.

Although he didn't mention it, the matter was so absurd that it spread like wildfire within the monastery, eventually reaching the entire Faxiang sect. However, the monk guarding the cave remained unaware of this.

Duan Rong overheard the two craftsmen discussing a version of the story, which had been distorted beyond recognition. They said the raccoon had nine tails and could transform into beautiful women one moment and Buddhas the next…

Duan Rong listened and smiled slightly. He had overheard people talking about this matter in the cafeteria yesterday, with almost a different version every day.

Such a bizarre story has long buried the truth.

If the Faxiang School truly wanted to investigate this matter thoroughly, it would at least not allow rumors to spread unchecked. This shows that those people in the Vinaya Institute simply thought the cave-guarding monks were mentally unstable.

That night, after the Craftsmen's Building fell into silence, Duan Rong suddenly walked out of his room and went to Tang Xiong's room next door, gently knocking on the door.

There was a rustling sound inside, then the door opened, Tang Xiong stood there, glanced at Duan Rong, and silently stepped aside.

Duan Rong went inside, and Tang Xiong closed the door behind him.

Duan Rong hadn't come to see Tang Xiong at night for a while, so Tang Xiong figured he must have something to say when he came again tonight.

Tang Xiong poured tea for Duan Rong on the table, while he himself stood respectfully to the side.

Duan Rong took a sip of tea and said, "How many years have you been with the Faxiang Sect?"

Tang Xiong said, "It's been six years. It will be seven years after this year."

“That’s quite a long time,” Duan Rong said, then asked, “Are the painted statues of deities inside the mountain cave the largest statues in the Faxiang Sect?”

Tang Xiong was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, wondering why Duan Rong would ask such a question, and then said, "Yes. The statue in that mountain cave is the largest statue in the Faxiang Sect."

"Are you sure?" Duan Rong raised his voice at the end, glancing sideways at Tang Xiong.

Tang Xiong said, "It's confirmed. In the past seven years, even the statues in the mountain caves have been repaired twice, and the statues in the other caves have been repaired many times. Moreover, the statues in the mountain caves are already quite terrifying; if they were any larger, it would be simply unbelievable."

Looking at Tang Xiong's expression, Duan Rong was almost certain that he wasn't lying. Moreover, the records in the booklet corroborated this conclusion: the statue inside the mountain cave was the largest statue.

However, if viewed from another perspective, namely from the perspective of the technique that Duan Rong devoured, the result is not like this.

Inside the mountain cave, Duan Rong devoured the spirits of four large mountain statues and obtained the cultivation techniques of the twenty-second to twenty-fifth levels of the Great Vajra Realm Mandala, a total of four levels of techniques.

If he practices this technique, his mental strength can be raised by four more levels.

However, this is still not the complete set of practices for the "Great Vajra Realm Mandala".

The complete set of techniques for the Great Vajra Mandala consists of twenty-eight levels. This was not only something Lü Yinlin had told him, but he himself could also discern the clues from the techniques he had absorbed. He was certain that the twenty-fifth level was definitely not the final level of the Great Vajra Mandala; there must be more to come.

But where are the subsequent techniques?
To cultivate this technique, one must rely on the statues of the Four Great Wisdom Kings, and the higher the level of the technique, the larger the statues must be. Duan Rong, after comprehending the Great Vajradhatu Mandala, has already understood this. Behind this appearance lies a esoteric practice, a correspondence between inner and outer mandalas.

The size of the external divine statue is used to increase the oppressive aura that governs spiritual power, thereby refining spiritual power. This is one of the core mechanisms of the entire Divine Soul Cultivation Technique.

Therefore, to cultivate the later techniques, a larger statue of the deity is needed.

But where is the larger idol?

The statues inside the mountain caves have become as majestic as mountains themselves.

Just how big is the larger statue? If such a large statue truly existed, how could Tang Xiong, who had been with the Faxiang Sect for six or seven years, not know about it?
But if the larger statue doesn't exist, does that mean the subsequent cultivation methods don't exist either?

This question has been lingering in Duan Rong's mind for the past few days. Therefore, he couldn't help but confirm it with Tang Xiong today.

Since Tang Xiong was unaware of this, and it wasn't recorded in the booklet, this matter could only be put aside for now.

However, having mastered the techniques for the twenty-second to twenty-fifth levels of the Great Vajra Mandala, there is still one urgent matter: the corresponding Buddhist techniques.

The practice of the Great Vajra Mandala, besides its intricate rituals, also involves correspondence with Buddhist techniques. At lower levels, it corresponds to techniques like the Golden Bell Shield and the Great Nirvana Hand, but the higher the level, the more profound the corresponding Buddhist techniques become. This problem must be solved, and it can only be solved within the Faxiang School.

In fact, Duan Rong already had a plan for this problem. He came up with it while flipping through the booklet Tang Xiong had given him.

The booklet recorded all kinds of work done by the craftsmen's workshop, big and small, including one task: maintaining and repairing the ritual implements for the Dharma Hall.

The reason Duan Rong absorbed some of the weaker Buddhist martial arts techniques last time was mainly because he was maintaining and repairing ordinary magical artifacts. However, if he could maintain and repair magical artifacts at the Bodhidharma Academy, he could absorb the spirits of the artifacts there. In that case, what profound Buddhist martial arts techniques wouldn't he have?

He might even have learned all the secret techniques of the Faxiang Sect that were not passed down to others.

Duan Rong asked, "When will there be a job maintaining and repairing the magical artifacts for the Bodhidharma Academy?"

Tang Xiong's eyes widened in surprise. From his perspective, Duan Rong's questions were jumping around too quickly, swerving left and right. Just moments ago he was asking about the statue, and suddenly he was discussing the repair of magical artifacts at the Bodhidharma Academy. Tang Xiong said, "It should be soon. Probably in a month or two."

Duan Rong asked, "Could Yu Dai arrange this job for you?"

Tang Xiong said, “This is a good job. The Dharma Hall has many large and complex ritual implements, and the requirements for maintenance and repair are also high. It takes two or three months to complete once we take on the job. In previous years, it was not easy to get this job. Although Yu Dai and I have a good relationship, we still have to treat each other fairly, otherwise, trouble will arise over time. However, this year is different. We just took on the hard work of repairing the statues in Cave No. 3. If we take on the job from the Dharma Hall, no one will say anything. It's a good balance.”

Duan Rong said, "That's good. You should tell Yu Dai in advance, just in case something goes wrong."

"Yes," Tang Xiong replied.

Duan Rong's eyes suddenly lit up, as if he had thought of something. He picked up his teacup, took two sips, pondered for a moment, and then said, "When you see Yu Dai, try to find out what he thinks."

Tang Xiong's heart tightened, and he asked, "Investigate what?"

Duan Rong said, "Try asking him if the statue inside the mountain cave is the largest statue in the sect."

Tang Xiong was startled, not expecting Duan Rong to bring up the matter again, and even asking him to sound out Yu Dai's opinion.

Duan Rong said, "Act according to the situation, and don't arouse his suspicion."

Tang Xiong said, "Yes. We can only wait for the right opportunity. We'll ask again when the time is right."

Duan Rong said, "Well, you'll have to figure that out yourself, depending on the implications of the conversation. Once you've got it, let me know."

"Yes," Tang Xiong replied, but his heart was filled with turmoil, wondering what Duan Rong's series of actions were all about.

Previously, Duan Rong had assigned him the task of repairing the statue in Cave No. 3. This task caused quite a bit of complaints from the craftsmen in the team, but so far, Tang Xiong still couldn't figure out what Duan Rong was planning.

Now, it seems they're looking for a statue even larger than the one on the mountain, which is puzzling for Tang Xiong. And to make matters worse, he's been given the job of maintaining and repairing the magical artifacts at the Bodhidharma Academy.

However, there seemed to be a connection between all these things, but Tang Xiong couldn't figure out what that connection was.

After Duan Rong left, Tang Xiong lay on the bed, tossing and turning in thought for a long time, until he finally drifted off to sleep in the middle of the night.

The next few days passed as usual.

Duan Rong spent his days in the workshop, working alongside the craftsmen and chatting idly, finding it quite pleasant. And it was through these casual conversations that he learned more and more about the Faxiang School.

Duan Rong also inadvertently steered the conversation toward the mountain statue, since they had just recently repaired the statue in Cave No. 3.

Duan Rong kept talking about how the statues in Cave No. 3 were unbelievably large, and the old craftsmen started to laugh. Then they told him that was nothing compared to the terrifying statues in the caves in the mountains.

Duan Rong casually asked them with a smile, "Is the mountain statue the largest statue in the Faxiang Sect?"
After asking his question, he carefully observed the expressions of the craftsmen present. As a result, everyone remained calm and told him that the mountain statue was the largest.

Because some of the veteran craftsmen in this team had been in the craftsmen's building for over ten years, even longer than Tang Xiong. If any of them muttered anything or showed a slightly strange expression, Duan Rong would try to go down and try to get more information out of them.

But now everyone looks normal, which makes Duan Rong suspicious. Is this mountain statue really the largest statue?
Could it be that the techniques following the Great Vajra Mandala have been lost over tens of thousands of years, and that the Dharma Aspect Sect only has techniques up to the 25th level?
If not, why are there no larger statues?
About two weeks later, one day, not long after dinner...

Tang Xiong then arrived at Yu Dai's door and shook Yu Dai's wind chimes.

The door opened, and upon seeing Tang Xiong, Yu Dai smiled and ushered him inside.

Yu Dai made tea while chatting with him.

Since giving Duan Rong that painting of a lady, Tang Xiong could sense that Yu Dai's attitude towards him seemed to have become more cordial.

After exchanging pleasantries, the two took their seats and chatted about various matters concerning the Craftsmen's Building while drinking tea.

"Have you heard about that?" Yu Dai suddenly looked at Tang Xiong with a mysterious tone and asked.

Tang Xiong asked, "What is it?"

Yu Dai said, "It's the nine-tailed cat demon that caused such a stir some time ago. It's said that this cat demon bewitched the sorcerer guarding the mountain cave."

Tang Xiong chuckled and asked, "How did you bewitch them? Did you transform into a beautiful woman to seduce them?"

Tang Xiong's tone was somewhat reckless at this point, but he knew that although Yu Dai was a monk, he always had a worldly heart. Otherwise, he would not have collected paintings of ladies. If this were taken to the monastic community, it would be a violation of the precepts.

Yu Dai also smiled and said, "Some say it transforms into Buddhas..."

Tang Xiong's heart skipped a beat. He suddenly realized that the question Duan Rong had asked him to ask was a perfect opportunity, so he immediately said, "Even if there is a cat demon, why did they specifically choose the mountain cave?"

Yu Dai laughed and said, "Who knows?"

Tang Xiong asked, "The statue inside the mountain cave seems to be the largest statue in the sect, right?"

Yu Dai said, "What do you mean by 'seems'? It is of course the largest statue in the sect."

Tang Xiong fell silent after Yu Dai spoke. Yu Dai had grown up in the Faxiang Sect, so if he said so, it must be true.

Yu Dai said, "What? You suspect that the cat demon was after the statue?"

Tang Xiong said, "That's possible."

The two chatted for a long time afterward. It seemed that Yu Dai not only liked paintings of court ladies, but was also quite interested in myths and legends. He even talked with Tang Xiong about myths and strange tales for a long time, including some rather erotic stories about female demons and monks.

Seeing that the pot of tea was almost finished, Tang Xiong finally got down to business. "Master, in a little over a month, it will be time to maintain and repair the ritual implements for the Bodhidharma Academy. Do you think this task could be assigned to my team?"

Yu Dai smiled upon hearing this and said merrily, "So, why did you take on that arduous task of repairing the statue in Cave No. 3 last time? Turns out you were waiting for me here! You little rascal, you've got a very clever plan! But it's alright, after a month of hardship in Cave No. 3, you can rest and recuperate for two or three months at the Bodhidharma Academy, which is acceptable."

Tang Xiong said, "Whether I'm clever or simple-minded, Master knows it all perfectly well. I know that Master would never bully me because I'm simple-minded, nor would he indulge me because I'm clever."

Yu Dai laughed and said, "Are you praising me or making fun of me?"

Tang Xiong said, "How dare I? It's just a joke."

Yu Dai said, "Don't worry. I'll assign you the work from the Bodhidharma Academy. You won't be left out."

Tang Xiong immediately stood up, clasped his hands in thanks, and said, "Thank you, Master."

Yu Dai said, "Stop with the formalities. Sit down and have some tea."

The two drank several more cups, until the entire pot of tea was finished, before Tang Xiong took his leave. (End of Chapter)