"However, you needn’t worry too much. I have already contacted the upper echelons of the Donghua Martial Arts Realm through special channels. The people of Donghua have profound ties to us, and most importantly, they also stand in opposition to the Celestial Demons. At a critical moment, they may be able to lend us their aid."

Rajana said calmly.

’Donghua...’

Boku muttered to himself, his face devoid of emotion.

"Make your preparations as soon as possible. This is a battle for the National Fortune of Tai Lan Country, and for its people."

"If the Starry Sky Country stays away, then so be it. But if they truly intend to act, to defile our Pure Land Buddha Country and plunge this Angel City into chaos, they will have to step over our dead bodies first."

Rajana spoke softly, preparing to turn and leave.

"Venerable."

Just then, Boku called out from behind him.

Rajana turned, a puzzled look on his face.

"If I may be so bold, how powerful was Buddha Shakyamuni, exactly?"

Boku had posed a question that would seem almost heretical to any other Monk.

The Buddha was high and mighty, his Mana boundless. How could he be compared to a mere mortal? Even looking upon him directly was considered a grave insult.

Besides, the Buddha was a figure of legend. Who would compare themselves to someone from a myth?

Hearing this, Rajana fell silent for a moment before finally speaking. "The world of today is not the world of two thousand years ago. The people of today are not the ignorant masses of two thousand years ago. And the Buddhist Teachings of today are not the Buddhist Teachings of two thousand years ago."

A faint smile touched Rajana’s lips as he spoke. He paused briefly, then continued.

"Buddha Shakyamuni was merely on par with you and me. Once, there was but a single Buddha in the entire world. Today, Golden Lotuses bloom everywhere."

Rajana’s answer was even more shocking than Boku’s question.

A Monk, claiming his own power was on par with the Buddha’s—what astounding arrogance!

Yet, Rajana’s expression remained placid; he saw nothing amiss.

The Buddha was the Buddha not because of his power, but because he pioneered a path. He was a venerable forerunner.

He was not a God, but a living, breathing person.

Since he was a person, why couldn’t others be his equal?

It was merely that the masses were ignorant and unwilling to face the world’s truth.

How many people knew only *of* the Buddha and how to worship him, but knew nothing of his actual Buddhist Teachings?

"Then, what the Buddha accomplished back then, we can accomplish too," Boku said with a matching smile, offering no rebuttal.

·····

·····

As an undercurrent of turmoil swept through Tai Lan Country, new waves were also stirring in the Donghua Martial Arts Realm.

For the Donghua Martial Arts Realm, the most influential recent event was, without a doubt, Principal Zhou of the Martial Arts University publishing a new paper online.

Although the Martial Arts University had not yet officially opened, most of the admissions work was already complete. The campus intranet had also been established early on and was incredibly lively, gradually developing into one of the most authoritative forums in the Martial Arts Realm.

*An Exploration of the Thunder Strike Technique for Tempering the Body’s Acupoints*

In this new paper, Zhou Yuanjue detailed his personal experiences during the process of Refining Acupoints with a Thunder Tribulation. He recorded the specific changes in the nature of his Acupoints and even attached data from researchers, including specific measurements of the lightning’s intensity.

In the paper, he pointed out that a certain degree of electrical stimulation could potentially activate specific changes within the human body, holding great importance for further exploring its mysteries. He hoped the paper would inspire people throughout the Martial Arts Realm and that Martial Artists from various schools possessing similar secret techniques would actively participate, aid in deeper research, and provide more useful data.

Instantly, the paper caused a huge uproar within the circles of the Donghua Martial Arts Realm.

One reason was the novel training method Zhou Yuanjue mentioned, and the other was the description and specific data regarding the Thunder Tribulation.

"My god... this description, this data... did he really go through a Tribulation?"

"There was a huge thunderstorm here yesterday. Was that Principal Zhou Crossing the Tribulation?"

"Summoning celestial lightning to temper the body... What have we mere mortals done to deserve reading a paper of this caliber..."

"More importantly, I actually read the whole thing from start to finish..."

"I think I can handle tempering my body with 220V. I’m gonna go try it later."

"Bro, hit me up if you need funeral arrangements..."

"..."

Amidst the flood of discussions, a new meme was born.

"Principal Zhou is Crossing the Tribulation" became the internet’s favorite new way to describe a thunderstorm.

While the Martial Arts Realm marveled at the terrifying power of an S Class Martial Artist, Zhou Yuanjue was not idle.

Over the past few days, he, Ji Yunzhou, Jiang Jiushan, and Zhang Zhizhen had been meeting frequently with Ge Honglin, Hong Miao, and their third companion. Together, they discussed magnetic fields, sparred to test their abilities, and debated the mysteries of the human body.

After the negotiations concluded, Hong Miao and the other two Spirit Guardians had not left Shangjing. Instead, they were assigned to Shangjing Prefecture as a mobile unit, ready to be dispatched as reinforcements anywhere at a moment’s notice.

Furthermore, they were also eager to gain a deeper understanding of the Martial Dao and the Martial Arts Realm, and even wanted to join the Martial Arts University, so it was a perfect match.

After their customary sparring session for the day, Zhou Yuanjue washed up and returned to his private room at the Secret Inspection Bureau. He planned to meditate for a while, then head to the roof to absorb the light of the Southern Dipper Six Stars and further explore the intricacies of the Southern Dipper Immortal Seat.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

Just then, someone knocked on his door.

"Come in," Zhou Yuanjue said.

Ning Muqing opened the door and walked in. She was holding a file, which she placed on the table in front of him.

"What’s this?"

Zhou Yuanjue asked, looking at the file quizzically.

"It’s some intelligence analysis from the intel team," Ning Muqing said. "It includes data on the opponents you might be facing. You should look it over first."

"The intel team analyzed the Starry Sky Country’s usual tactics. They believe that if the Starry Sky Country decides to make a move against Tai Lan Country or any other nation, they won’t deploy their own forces at the outset. The group most likely to strike for them first is the Celestial Organization."

"The Celestial Organization?"

His interest piqued, Zhou Yuanjue picked up the file in front of him.

He had heard of the Celestial Organization before. It was an elusive, global, mega-organization rumored to have been founded back in the era of the Ya’an Empire.

Its core members were all Celestial Demon People. No one knew how many members the organization had across the globe, how much industrial power it held, or the extent of its military might.

What was certain, however, was that the cooperation between the Starry Sky Country and the Celestial Demons was facilitated through this organization. Or perhaps, to some extent, the organization represented the Celestial Demon People as a whole.

He opened the file, and his eyes fell on a striking title.

The Seven Mo Luo.

"The Seven Mo Luo. Their specific identities are unknown. It’s a special, honorific title within the Celestial Organization. This group is composed of seven individuals who are said to be the organization’s most elite force. They are scattered across the globe and rarely appear together."

"Even our intelligence department has very little concrete data on them. All we know is that their power is terrifying, far beyond that of an ordinary First Generation Level Celestial Demon. It’s highly probable that they have reached the Peak of the First Generation, and they all possess extremely unique Talent Magnetic Field Abilities. Each one is capable of dominating an entire region on their own."

"The situation in Tai Lan Country is special. Since it is the World Buddhism Headquarters, it has the highest number of Saint Awakenings in the entire East Luoni region. Therefore, if the Celestial Organization decides to intervene, they will surely dispatch a Crushing Level force. The Seven Mo Luo are the most likely ones to be sent," Ning Muqing said with a solemn expression.