The Demon with Holy Radiance
Chapter 296 - 244: Nip It in the Bud! A Test for Him?
The Great Virtue Temple established the four institutes of the Disciple Temple to cultivate fated individuals who possessed Wisdom Root and talent.
However, the Buddha's Son was the sole exception and would not enter them.
This was because every individual who became the Buddha's Son of Great Virtue Temple possessed exceedingly rare talent and Buddha Nature.
To preserve the purity of their Buddha Nature, a Buddha's Son was not instructed by the Zen Masters of the Disciple Temple. Instead, they were taught personally by a Bodhisattva from the Great Virtue Temple.
It could even be said that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, anyone who became a Buddha's Son was groomed to be one of the future highest-ranking figures in the Great Virtue Temple.
Even Saint Child Ming Hui from a moment ago, a reincarnated Bodhisattva, could only enter the Saint Buddha Institute within the Disciple Temple; he could never become the Buddha's Son.
This showed just how difficult it was to become the Buddha's Son.
And yet, Hai Shu Bodhisattva had just named a Holy Child from Cyan Lotus State as the Buddha's Son. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚
This was enough to show the difference between this Holy Child and Ming Hui.
Though they were both Holy Children, there was a vast gap between them.
A significant gap already existed between a reincarnated Bodhisattva and a True Buddha Reincarnation, to say nothing of the fact that everyone present had witnessed the phenomenon of two True Buddha Golden Bodies with their own eyes.
The difference was immense.
At that moment, both Qing Nan and Qing Yuan were stunned, but the expressions on their faces were entirely different.
Qing Yuan could never have imagined that Qing Nan would bring back a Holy Child who was a True Buddha Reincarnation, let alone that Hai Shu Bodhisattva would name him the Buddha's Son.
The Holy Child he had brought, a reincarnated Bodhisattva, had entered the Saint Buddha Institute of the Disciple Temple—already the highest honor among all the fated ones.
But compared to the Buddha's Son, he paled in comparison.
He had thought Golden Lotus State was already deeply favored by the Buddha, but it turned out Cyan Lotus State was the one truly blessed by the True Buddha.
He couldn't even contain the jealousy in his heart. His eyes turned red, and he no longer wanted to even look at the Holy Child he had brought.
It was just as they say: comparisons are odious.
Meanwhile, Qing Nan couldn't be bothered with Qing Yuan's state of mind. His own breathing had grown ragged.
Not even he had imagined that the Holy Child he brought would be named the Buddha's Son.
This meant that the reward he would receive for his contribution to the Great Virtue Temple would be greater than what he'd get for finding more than ten fated individuals over three consecutive Buddhist Assemblies combined.
This was the very definition of 'one big score feeding you for years.' In fact, compared to this, what was a mere nine years?
'The True Buddha's blessing! This is truly the True Buddha's blessing!'
"What is your name?"
At this, Hai Shu Bodhisattva's face once again broke into a kind and amiable smile as he warmly asked Yang An.
"This disciple's name is Zhang Wuji."
'If I'm going to go for thrills, I might as well go all the way.'
'In any case, the name was out now. From now on, he, Yang An, would use this name and not reveal his true identity.'
'This alias was only a temporary placeholder, though—just a transitional name.'
'After he officially entered the Great Virtue Temple, he would be given an exclusive dharma name. At that point, this name would be discarded, so it didn't really matter.'
"Zhang Wuji... Wu Ji... A fine name!"
Hai Shu Bodhisattva praised, though it seemed more like an attempt to close the distance between himself and Yang An.
"Qing Nan, for now, take Wu Ji to the Mingxin Zen Courtyard to settle in. We will have other arrangements for him later."
Hai Shu Bodhisattva then instructed Qing Nan.
"Yes! I shall obey the Bodhisattva's decree!"
Qing Nan replied with the utmost reverence. However, he hesitated for a moment before speaking again to relay all of Yang An's information.
Although the phenomena of the Great Brightness Buddha and the East Buddha had appeared around Yang An earlier, the most crucial point was the guidance he had received: that he was the reincarnation of a True Buddha named Lamp Burning. This had to be reported to Hai Shu Bodhisattva.
When Qing Nan revealed that Yang An was the reincarnation of the True Buddha Lamp Burning, everyone in the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall once again fell silent. Even Hai Shu Bodhisattva sank into deep thought.
"If I may ask, Bodhisattva, in all the records of our Great Virtue Temple, we have never heard of such a True Buddha. But among the three thousand Buddhas, have you ever heard of this one?"
Qing Nan asked, his face full of confusion.
Hai Shu Bodhisattva pondered for a long while before finally shaking his head.
"I have not. Although the temple keeps records of the Buddhas, they are not complete. We are constantly searching for information about the ancient Buddhas. Perhaps we will find something in the future. There is no need to rush this for now."
The phenomena and Buddha Nature related to the Great Brightness Buddha and the East Buddha had already manifested around Yang An. This was more than enough to prove the boy was a True Buddha Reincarnation; of that, there was no doubt.
The only question that remained was which True Buddha he was.
The simultaneous appearance of two types of True Buddha Nature didn't necessarily mean he was the reincarnation of either the Great Brightness Buddha or the East Buddha. It could be that he had a significant connection to them in a past life. This too was difficult to determine.
'Lamp Burning?'
Hai Shu silently committed the revered name of this True Buddha to memory.
Hearing the exchange between Hai Shu and Qing Nan, Yang An, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but sigh in relief.
'I can't believe the Great Virtue Temple's records of the Buddhas are incomplete,' he thought. 'No wonder I was able to get in so smoothly.'
'This means I don't have to worry about my identity being exposed because of this fabricated True Buddha Reincarnation. As long as the Great Virtue Temple's records on True Buddhas remain incomplete, my cover is safe.'
'This is a good thing.'
Soon, everyone respectfully took their leave from the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall. Under Qing Yuan's jealous gaze, a proud and elated Qing Nan led Yang An away, splitting off to head toward the Mingxin Zen Courtyard.