I was a charlatan in India

Upon hearing this, Shenhe thought to himself that this matter was not simple; it was just a matter of a divine decree.

But then the thought changed.

Would frequently issuing divine decrees make the Heavenly Emperor seem too hands-on, or even... cheap?

That silly boy, Suliye, will obediently listen to you if you just say a few words to him.

If even he can stop me, then I might as well give up on this path to godhood.

In addition, he also wanted to hear Mahata's views.

After all, from Shenhe's perspective, all he knows so far is that Mahata was a high monk who had the desire to actively explore the heavens and possessed some supernatural powers.

As for his actual abilities, we'll have to wait and see.

This is similar to hiring your project manager through an interview, but you still need to conduct thorough evaluations in the early stages.

Shenhe countered, "What does the master mean...?"

"master?"

Mahata paused for a moment.

This term is somewhat unfamiliar; it doesn't belong to ancient India, and it wasn't used even in the later Gupta Dynasty.

Shenhe also noticed this reaction and explained.

"Similar to the 'great virtue' you mentioned, both are respectful titles for people who have achieved success in their spiritual practice."

"After all, you eminent monks primarily practice Buddhism, and now you are also willing to practice Brahmanical teachings. Your magnanimity is far beyond that of ordinary people, and I should respect you."

He also took the opportunity to win over the other monks.

After all, Surya had just offended them, so it was best not to let these guys develop too much resentment towards the Order because of this.

Sure enough, most of the monks found it very helpful.

Only the one with the long hair seemed lost in thought.

Mahata pondered for a moment and then said.

"It's simply about seeking common ground while reserving differences. I think that in education, we should add a few things that Sulier felt would be beneficial."

"For example... reverence for power, acceptance of caste, and gratitude and loyalty to the Lord."

"And by emphasizing and presenting these points when interacting with Surrey, you will naturally gradually become one of his own."

This monk is quite enlightened, not mentioning at all that nonsense about equality among Buddhists.

Shenhe secretly found it amusing.

Reverence for power, gratitude and loyalty to the Lord—these are things that naturally need to be cultivated.

The stronger a believer's servility, the shallower their expectations of the divine, and the easier it is for them to be manipulated.

suddenly.

The long-haired monk spoke.

"My lord, you're not worried about this, are you?"

Shenhe had noticed something different about him earlier.

Compared to other monks, he not only has a stylish appearance, but more importantly, he doesn't have the anxiety that comes with blindly following others.

"This eminent monk is...?"

He turned to Mahata.

After all, the person he was talking to was Mahata, his disciple, and it was not in accordance with modern etiquette to bypass him and talk to him directly.

Your subordinate's subordinate is not your subordinate.

"His name is Ajita, and he is my... friend."

Mahata seemed somewhat hesitant in his words.

"Master, according to etiquette, I am undoubtedly your disciple."

Aqilu Tuo corrected him.

His relationship with Mahata was clearly somewhat special.

As he spoke, Ajita turned towards the Shen River, seemingly waiting for the divine messenger to ask a question.

This guy has a thorough understanding of social etiquette and manners, and his attitude is subtly similar to mine: respectful, but not dependent, and even somewhat deliberately distant.

Shenhe immediately recognized this characteristic.

This feels so familiar.

Just like I've just witnessed countless lifetimes.

In addition, the name Ajita is somewhat unusual.

Although Shenhe didn't know him, he vaguely figured out a pattern: people whose names didn't sound like they were used by normal people were probably extraordinary.

Most of the miscellaneous fish have easy-to-remember names, such as Jiang Xiaoyu.

He hesitated for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Why do you feel that I'm not worried?"

"I don't know the reason, but I know the answer."

Aqilu Tuo's face showed clear doubt.

"Many things are like this: I can get the answer directly, but I often can't understand the reasoning behind it."

Extraordinary power!

Shenhe immediately became serious.

This undoubtedly belongs to extraordinary power, and it is completely different from his manipulation of incense ash or the Great Golden Bell of Mahakasyapa.

This extraordinary ability is not used for offense or defense, but it can be used to obtain intelligence information in an extremely brutal way.

He looked at Mahata.

Mahata nodded slightly: "Indeed."

"I found him in a cave. Ajita's memory was incomplete, but his Buddhist teachings and knowledge should be superior to mine."

"The reason he became my disciple was simply because I saved his life, not because I was truly qualified to teach him."

Aqilu Tuo shook his head slightly.

"Master's statement is wrong. The reason I... never mind."

He sighed and turned to the Shen River.

"In short, I can see that you are not worried about this matter. Is it because Shiva is there to protect you?"

As he spoke, Aqilutuo gazed at the Shen River.

With each breath, a faint golden light flowed from his eyes, and his long hair rose and swayed slightly without wind.

Shenhe's pupils contracted.

He was all too familiar with that light; it was the power of faith that connected him to countless believers.

Soon, Ajita showed a look of doubt.

"……Um?"

Shenhe felt that this bastard was most likely using his abilities on him.

We can't let him keep making baseless guesses.

Ajita's ability seems to be "to get the answer by skipping the process".

If he were to test him repeatedly, he might even figure out that he is the true god himself.

Moreover, this sense of familiarity made him feel terrible.

Skipping the process to get the answer always made him think about the operating logic of the blessing.

If you don't know how to do something, your blessing will do it in its own way.

But unless one goes to great lengths to obtain the answer, one will not know the process of doing things.

If blessing is close to omnipotence in a certain sense, then can the nature of Ajita be regarded as a crude form of omniscience?

He quickly changed the subject.

"I am not worried about this matter, because everyone is not here to compete for power and status, but only for the prosperity of the order, and there is no long-term conflict with Surya."

Shenhe carefully considered his words, but because of Aqilutuo's presence, he could only choose to use the truth to appease him.

This guy is such a nuisance, maybe I should just blast him to death with a big beam cannon.

Shenhe was terrified by his instinctive problem-solving approach, so he quickly dismissed the crude idea and continued to elaborate.

"I think that if you all are not greedy for worldly power, you should not be competitors with Surya."

That's the truth.

But something was concealed.

Ajita obtained this result instantly.

Moreover, he immediately learned that Shenhe did not want to be tested by him anymore.

The fact that someone is in a hurry to interrupt themselves means they want to hide something.

At the same time, Shenhe already sees himself as a threat.

So what exactly is he hiding...?

As soon as Ajita thought of this, he felt a chill, as if probing the answer would bring him enormous trouble.

They might even eliminate you.

These were answers obtained without any thought, and they should indeed be some kind of extraordinary ability, but he himself had no clue about them.

He followed Maha Tathagata not only because the latter had rescued him from the cave, but also because the moment he met Maha Tathagata, he knew that following him would give him a chance to find out about his origins.

And right now...

This opportunity shifted from Mahata to Shenhe.

A voice in his mind told Ajita that only by following Shenhe could he finally resolve his doubts.

He hesitated slightly, then decided to follow the voice in his head, forcibly suppress his curiosity, and stop probing Shenhe.

Acharya felt that he had regained his longevity.

In just a few words, Surya finished her work, arranged everything, and returned.

He displayed the grandeur of the host family with a sweeping gesture.

"My men have already prepared a place for you to stay. In addition, I have also arranged a house for you, Divine Messenger. I cannot allow you to live in this servant's quarters."

"Furthermore, servants have already set off to arrange a banquet to properly welcome everyone, allowing me to fulfill my duty as host!"

"Gentlemen, please follow me!"

Speaking of which...

Even Surya himself had no idea what kind of strange things his subordinates had prepared for the esteemed divine messengers and high monks.