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

At 7:00 AM that morning, Duan Rong prepared to officially begin his cultivation of the Great Vajra Mandala.

Before the training, he repeatedly instructed the craftsmen and guards that the ritual must be performed as usual. If anything went wrong, the dungeon of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs would remain empty after the Bloodstained Case.

The craftsmen knew the gravity of the situation and had been punished frequently over the past two weeks. Moreover, Duan Rong always had a dark expression and was very stern, showing that this ritual was no ordinary matter and required great care.

Duan Rong had given all the instructions, and the craftsmen and guards were already lined up and standing there. Only then did he slowly walk to the altar in the center of the valley, where he sat cross-legged and suddenly let out a long howl.

The whistling sound echoed through the valley, as he and Jiang Hanyan had agreed upon. As soon as the whistling sound began, the cloud gong, chime bells, flutes, and other instruments in the pavilion also began to play almost simultaneously, weaving together into a solemn and majestic chant.

As the chanting of Buddhist hymns began, the procession of artisans and guards, carrying Buddhist banners and incense burners emitting blue smoke, began to circle the altar, chanting incantations as they went.

Soon, wisps of smoke filled the valley.

A wisp of smoke and solemn chanting filled the valley. The four painted mountain statues, amidst the rising smoke and pervasive chanting, appeared even more ferocious and terrifying.

Duan Rong entered his spiritual sea of ​​consciousness amidst this strange ritual.

The Great Vajra Realm Mandala differs from the Garbhadhatu Sutra in that its practice does not require auxiliary medicines. In fact, those so-called auxiliary medicines were a last resort method adopted by the founder of the school, Lan Ruoshui, as a second-best option.

The true Vajra Mandala doesn't need any auxiliary medicines. Those things are just cheap and insignificant.

As soon as Duan Rong entered his spiritual sea of ​​consciousness, he discovered that the entire sea of ​​consciousness was submerged by the sound of Buddhist chants. Faint rays of light, like the aurora borealis, appeared intermittently in the dark sky.

Duan Rong sat cross-legged on the black earth and instantly entered a meditative state.

He began practicing Buddhist techniques while in meditation. After half an incense stick's time, a milky white light curtain appeared around him, enveloping him within it.

As soon as the milky-white light screen appeared, golden dragons soared above it. Gradually, the golden dragons disappeared, and the milky-white light screen slowly shimmered with golden light, making Duan Rong's face appear as if it were covered with a layer of gold leaf.

The moment the solemn golden light screen appeared, the chanting of Buddhist hymns became even clearer and more resonant.

In the four cardinal directions, majestic divine statues, like mountains supporting the sky, began to emerge.

Buddhist practices, rituals, and deities are integrated into the Vajradhatu Mandala, forming an inner and outer mandala.

After the four mountain deity statues, seemingly solidified, appeared in the four-dimensional realm, rays of light emanated from the heads of their ferocious forms.

The glow of the sunset intertwined in the sky, and suddenly, within that glow, the light and shadow of the procession surrounding the altar in the valley appeared.

The light and shadow of the honor guard were both ethereal and clear, with each person's face and eyes clearly visible.

At this moment, the artisans and guards appeared in the rosy glow of the sky, each one resembling a deity. It was a solemnity bestowed upon them by the rituals and techniques themselves.

At this moment, Duan Rong truly understood why the Great Vajra Realm Mandala had such a complex ritual.

The ritual is part of the mandala.

The statue, the ritual deity in the glow of the sky, and himself sitting cross-legged in the center of the black earth, surrounded by golden light, these three elements constitute the complete mandala.

This is the true mandala of the Vajradhatu Mandala. The Trinity, resonating with each other, exudes a powerful aura of divine authority, within which spiritual strength continuously grows.

At that moment, the overwhelming chanting of Buddhist hymns and the overwhelming pressure of divine power surged and merged into one. Duan Rong's soul experienced a complex mix of tearing pain and cool, tingling sensations.

Just then, suddenly, large swathes of light rose up from the Tree Spirit Sea, like a school of deep-sea fish, swimming towards Duan Rong and surrounding him.

Those cyan-glowing divine soul threads actually merged into Duan Rong's body, who was sitting cross-legged in the center of the black earth.

As the azure light seeped in, the cool, tingling sensation that Duan Rong felt intensified wave after wave, completely masking the tearing pain in his soul.

As the pain was masked, the chanting of Buddhist hymns suddenly became even louder, and the waves of tearing pain grew stronger.

As the two sides waxed and waned, a new balance was eventually reached.

In this new balance, Duan Rong could even feel his spiritual power growing taller and taller in the night, like sorghum in a summer field...

Although the patriarch Lü Yinlin instructed Chu Wushang to report to him daily on Duan Rong's situation in the valley, Duan Rong had been rehearsing rituals in the valley for more than ten days in a row.

Chu Wushang found it really boring, so in the following days he only came over once at dusk, checked on the situation, and left.

At dusk that day, Chu Wushang transformed into a streak of black light and landed on a mountain peak in the valley. Wei Yan was already standing there.

Chu Wushang glanced into the valley and immediately sensed something strange. On the altar, Duan Rong sat cross-legged, his body enveloped in a solemn golden light.

The golden aura, bathed in the twilight and swirling smoke, appeared exceptionally clear and bright. Enveloped within it, Duan Rong resembled a holy and virtuous monk.

"This...!?" Chu Wushang stood there, stunned. The scene before him was completely beyond his expectations.

Wei Yan seemed to want to say something to Chu Wushang, but as soon as he opened his mouth, Chu Wushang transformed into a black streak and flew away into the distance. He had to tell the patriarch about this bizarre scene.

In a short while, the ancestor Lü Yinlin transformed into a wisp of green smoke and appeared on the mountain peak.

Upon seeing Lü Yinlin approach, Wei Yan immediately prostrated himself and knelt down, saying, "Wei Yan pays respects to the Ancestor."

Lu Yinlin, however, acted as if he hadn't seen him at all, only staring at the valley with astonishment in his eyes.

In the center of the valley, on the altar, Duan Rong was enveloped in a golden light, with a neat procession surrounding the altar, and wisps of smoke and solemn chanting filling the valley...

Lü Yinlin was far more perceptive than Chu Wushang and Wei Yan; he could sense much more from the scene before him.

The chanting and the procession, along with the four mountain deity statues in the valley and Duan Rong, bathed in golden light above the altar, were clearly integrated into some kind of whole.

This overall feeling stirred Lü Yinlin's emotions, giving rise to a sense of sanctity within him.

At this moment, the valley is the outer mandala, while Duan Rong's spiritual sea of ​​consciousness is the inner mandala.

The inner and outer mandalas are inherently mutually reflective.

"This is... the esoteric ritual of the Faxiang School...!?"

Lu Yinlin felt a jolt of electricity running through his scalp; in truth, he only had a vague feeling. He had only witnessed the rituals of the Faxiang Sect, but he did not know that this was the practice of the Great Vajra Mandala.

However, the golden light emanating from Duan Rong on the altar was clearly some kind of extremely profound Buddhist technique.

Chu Wushang followed as well. Lü Yinlin watched for a while before turning his head and noticing that Wei Yan was still kneeling there. He then said, "Wei Yan, get up."

Wei Yan then got up.

Lu Yinlin looked at Chu Wushang and said, "Duan Rong, that kid, somehow got hold of the esoteric rituals of the Faxiang Sect... and it seems he's also practicing Buddhist techniques..."

Chu Wushang was quite surprised to hear this, thinking to himself: What has this kid been doing these past few years? Not only did he achieve the mid-stage of the Cave Realm using miasma, but he also got involved in so many messy things.

Lu Yinlin looked at the valley again, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Let him do what he wants. I don't think he's acting recklessly. Maybe he can actually cause some trouble."

Lu Yinlin was initially just curious about Duan Rong's antics, but now he was quite looking forward to them.

"Keep an eye on him. Report any changes to me immediately," Lü Yinlin instructed before turning into a wisp of green smoke and flying away.

Chu Wushang and Wei Yan stood on the mountain peak. Chu Wushang's expression grew increasingly strange. After a long while, he suddenly said, "Wei Yan, don't you think the scene in this valley is a bit eerie?"

Wei Yan said, "Is it strange? I feel like Duan Sizuo is sitting on that altar like a god or Buddha."

Chu Wushang said, "It's precisely because they resemble gods and Buddhas that they possess an evil nature."

As Wei Yan pondered Chu Wushang's words, he gradually began to understand their meaning and said, "It is somewhat eerie. The longer I watch it, the more I feel the chanting of Buddhist hymns drilling into my brain..."

The cultivation of the Great Vajra Mandala consumes the tree spirits within the Tree Spirit Sea at a much faster rate than the cultivation of the Womb Sutra. By dusk, the tree spirits within the Tree Spirit Sea had been completely exhausted.

Without the replenishment of the serene light threads, the cool, tingling sensation gradually weakened.

But due to inertia, the tearing pain in his soul continued to surge in waves at the peak. However, without the soothing and nourishing coolness, the pain became unbearable for Duan Rong.

Duan Rong grunted and withdrew from the meditative state, the golden light shield surrounding him immediately dissipating.

The inner mandala of the trinity, suddenly without Duan Rong in the center of the black earth, instantly receded like a tide due to the tearing pain that was still at its peak.

Duan Rong's eyes flashed with lingering fear, because the surge of serene light threads had pushed the cool, tingling sensation to its peak, feeling almost like being on drugs. Then, waves of pain surged forth.

But when the serene light was completely depleted, the pain, which was still at its peak, almost caused him to convulse within a few breaths. If it continued any longer, he even worried that he would faint.

However, this was, after all, his first time cultivating the Great Vajra Mandala, so some minor issues were inevitable. In future cultivation, he would need to be careful of the Tree Spirit Sea of ​​Light, stopping before it was completely depleted. Otherwise, the intense, surging pain would be excruciating.

"The golden light is gone," Wei Yan shouted from the mountaintop.

Chu Wushang naturally saw it too, and his pupils contracted slightly.

Above the altar, the golden light shield surrounding Duan Rong dissipated on its own. Duan Rong opened his eyes and wiped the fine sweat from his forehead. The inner and outer altars were as one. Duan Rong dispersed the Buddhist cultivation technique he was practicing on the black earth of his spiritual sea of ​​consciousness, and the golden light shield above the altar also dissipated at the same time.

Duan Rong stood up and suddenly let out another long howl.

The whistling sound was like tearing silk, reaching straight to the sky.

Because the solemn chanting of Buddhist hymns was spreading throughout the valley, his roar had to penetrate the chanting so that Jiang Hanyan in the pavilion could hear it. Therefore, Duan Rong's roar was a result of his inner strength, and he even unconsciously used the Buddhist Lion's Roar technique.

Upon hearing the whistling sound, Jiang Hanyan stopped playing the cloud gong and the chime bells, and all the flutes, drums, and wooden fish in the pavilion also stopped.

As soon as the chanting stopped, the craftsmen and guards also stopped circling the altar and stood there, looking at Duan Rong with weary expressions.

Duan Rong stood on the altar, his voice booming like a bell, and said, "You may all go and rest. Gather here at 7:00 AM tomorrow morning. Anyone who is late will be severely punished."

Upon hearing this, the craftsmen and guards felt as if they had been granted a pardon. They removed their heavy robes, put the Buddhist banners, incense burners, and other items they were carrying back into the pavilion, and then scattered like birds and beasts.

Duan Rong walked up to Jiang Hanyan in the bustling crowd.

Jiang Hanyan and her twelve female disciples all looked tired. Because Jiang Hanyan was there, the female disciples didn't dare to play the instruments recklessly, even though they were very tired.

Jiang Hanyan had already told them that this training was part of their assessment, and if they didn't perform well, she wouldn't recommend them to Lin Youjian. These female disciples, naturally, were very diligent in order to learn sonic energy from Lin Youjian, and dared not make a single mistake.

Duan Rong knew that these female disciples were delicate. If it weren't for Jiang Hanyan being there, these female disciples might not have been able to endure such a hard day.

Seeing how hard Jiang Hanyan had worked, Duan Rong felt grateful. He smiled, looked at Jiang Hanyan, and said, "Hanyan, you've had a hard time these past few days. If you don't mind, I've prepared some wine at the Lü family residence, and I'll offer you a few bowls."

Jiang Hanyan smiled wearily, the evening breeze ruffling her temples, making her look quite beautiful. "Thank you, Brother Duan, but I'm a little tired. I'll accept your hospitality another day."

Jiang Hanyan was actually willing to drink with Duan Rong, but she didn't want to see Xiao Yu and the others. Besides, if Duan Rong invited a woman like her to drink at his home, Xiao Yu and the others would have their own thoughts, even if they didn't say anything.

Jiang Hanyan didn't want to cause trouble for Duan Rong.

Duan Rong said, "Alright. You all get some rest."

After Jiang Hanyan and her female disciples bowed to Duan Rong, they left the valley.

After everyone had left, the once bustling valley suddenly fell silent.

Duan Rong transformed into a black ray of light and landed on the hilltop where Chu Wushang and Wei Yan were standing.

Duan Rong smiled and looked at Chu Wushang, saying, "Mr. Chu is here too?"

Chu Wushang said, "You've made such a big fuss, how could I not come and show my support?"

Duan Rong said, "Mr. Chu, do you think I want to do this? Training those craftsmen and guards is giving me a real headache."

Chu Wushang stared at Duan Rong for a while, and he felt that he understood Duan Rong less and less.

Duan Rong turned to Wei Yan and said, "Elder Wei, do you have any wine? I've had a long day and would like to have a drink."

Wei Yan laughed and said, "Others may not have it, but if you, Chief Duan, want it, we have the finest fruit wine and the best fat chicken."

Duan Rong was not only exhausted, but the aftereffects of his headache had not completely subsided. He wanted to have some wine to calm down, so he looked at Chu Wushang and said, "Mr. Chu, shall we have a drink together?"

Chu Wushang said, "Didn't you hear him say that if others don't have any, why would I be standing in the way?!"

After Chu Wushang finished speaking, he transformed into a streak of black light and shot into the distant sky. (End of this chapter)