He waited for two breaths.

Yang An received no response. It was as if Elder Monk De Hou had been struck by an Immobilization Spell, and Yang An's heart pounded with increasing anxiety.

The situation had spiraled completely out of his control. Who could have guessed that these Magic Lights would just manifest on their own? They were utterly beyond his command. Yang An was completely lost, with no idea what to do next.

'This so-called "great cause and condition" is supposed to reveal the true state of the world. Don't tell me it's actually revealing *my* true state?'

Just then, Elder Monk De Hou raised his trembling hands and pointed at Yang An, his voice a murmur.

"The Buddha's Light Wheel... and the Great Brightness Buddha! The others... what are the others? That Glazed Light! And the Great Golden Body... is that the East Buddha? Could it be the East Buddha?!"

His voice grew higher and higher, betraying a sense of disbelief and a confusion that mirrored Yang An's own.

"I don't know!"

Of course, Yang An couldn't admit these were actually Techniques he had mastered. He just didn't know why the auras of these Techniques had all manifested on their own.

As for the "East Buddha" that Elder Monk De Hou mentioned, it must be referring to the Golden Body Skillful Method of Liberation.

He had obtained this Technique from the Jueyun Sect when he accompanied the Scripture Defector Association there.

According to the appraisal from the info-box, the Golden Body Skillful Method of Liberation originated from the East Buddha Temple, which lined up with what Elder Monk De Hou said about the "East Buddha." But as for the history of this East Buddha Temple, he was completely in the dark.

"A... Amitabha Buddha!"

Elder Monk De Hou seemed to be actively suppressing a surge of excitement. Even his usually smooth recitation of the Buddha's name hitched, and he nearly choked on the words.

It took a long while before he finally calmed down.

"I will ask, you will answer!"

The command was brief and direct.

"Yes!"

Yang An nodded. 'Anyway, I've already used Purification. I'll just have to play it by ear.'

"What is your name?"

"Zhang Wuji."

Ever since entering Cyan Lotus State, he had never once revealed his true name. Therefore, no one knew what he was called.

"Where are you from?"

"Wudang Mountain!"

'Anyway, this world is full of countless mountains and rivers. There are so many even within a single state.'

The Secret Seal showed no abnormal reaction whatsoever. Just as he'd expected, Elder Monk De Hou had no suspicions.

"What technique do you practice?"

"Nine Yang Divine Technique!"

Elder Monk De Hou paused for a moment as if mulling it over, but he quickly moved on to the next question.

"Have you ever had contact with Buddhist Cultivators?"

"When I was young, my father sent me to Shaolin Temple. I swept the grounds there for a few years, but I returned to secular life after I came of age."

Among Cultivators, there was no concept of "returning to secular life." That was a custom of the mortal world. In a single sentence, he had made it clear that the temple he'd stayed at was merely a place for ordinary mortals.

De Hou didn't doubt this at all.

"Then do you know the origin of these phenomena surrounding you?"

"To be honest, Abbot, ever since I was a child, I've had a recurring dream. In it, a Monk I don't recognize tells me that I was once a Buddha.

He said my name was Lamp Burning and told me to remember it.

It was because of this that my father believed I had an affinity with the Buddhist Sect and sent me to the temple to sweep the floors."

Yang An knew that even though the Monks of this world cultivated Buddhist Techniques, their practices were completely different from those in his previous life. There was no overlap whatsoever.

That's why his lies were so smooth and elaborate; he had no fear of being exposed.

"Lamp Burning… Lamp Burning…"

After hearing Yang An's story, Elder Monk De Hou murmured the unfamiliar name, which stirred no memories for him.

However, judging by the Secret Seal on Yang An's head, he wasn't lying.

'The Three Thousand Buddhas... In the Buddhist Sect, "three thousand" refers to all phenomena. Thus, there are infinite Buddhas.

Just because I have never heard of this name doesn't mean it doesn't exist. The Buddhas are infinite.

So, whether a Buddha named Lamp Burning exists isn't what's important. What matters is the identity of this "fated one" named Zhang Wuji.

He's actually a reincarnated Buddha!

No wonder! It all makes sense now!

To think that my Cyan Lotus State has produced a Holy Child! A legendary Holy Child, the reincarnation of a Buddha! If I can guide him into Great Virtue Temple, the merit I would gain would be immeasurable.

What is this? This is a True Buddha returning to his throne!

And I, De Hou, Abbot of Yan'an Temple, will be the True Buddha's Crosser!'

At this thought, Elder Monk De Hou's body began to tremble visibly once again.

The next moment, the Secret Seal above Yang An's head transformed back into cyan Prayer Beads and returned to De Hou's hand. The smooth, mirror-like surface of his face distorted rapidly, finally settling into the features of a man in his seventies or eighties. It was a face that commanded respect at a single glance.

As the Secret Seal vanished and De Hou's face appeared, the strange phenomena around Yang An instantly disappeared, and everything returned to normal. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"Come with me. I'll take you to the Glazed Tower!"

De Hou's voice was thick with excitement, his very beard trembling. He grabbed Yang An's hand and, without a second glance at the other person standing beside them, started to pull him away from Yan'an Temple.

He didn't even consider asking the procedural question of whether Yang An had committed the five grave offenses.

The five grave offenses were a concern only for ordinary "fated ones."

'This is a Holy Child, the reincarnation of a Buddha! So what if he committed the five grave offenses? That would merely be a tribulation a reincarnated Buddha must endure on his path.'

At this, the man standing nearby grew frantic. Abbot De Hou seemed to have completely forgotten about him.

"Abbot! What about me? What about me!"

'I'm the one who passed the third trial! Even if I wasn't as dazzling as Yang An, I'm still the first "fated one" in Celestial Buddha City to pass the third trial in nine years!'

Hearing the man's anxious cries, De Hou stopped in his tracks and came to his senses.