Yang An immediately entered the Quiet Chamber and shut the heavy door, blocking out all external sounds. Finally, it was quiet, and he felt a sense of relief.

The Quiet Chamber not only blocked out all movement and sound from the outside but could also block spiritual perception. No external senses could penetrate it.

Yang An suddenly had a question for the Bow Lady. He removed the bow from his person and asked her why she had reacted with such fear earlier in the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall.

In fact, from the moment they entered the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall until they left, Yang An could barely sense the Bow Lady's presence at all.

It was as if she had curled up and hidden in some dark, unnoticed corner, suppressing her presence to the point that the bow on him felt like a lifeless object.

Yang An's curiosity was quickly answered, but the Bow Lady's tone was bewildered.

"I don't know. What happened back there? I can't remember! I just remember that place felt terrifying. Something was calling to me, and I knew I couldn't answer it. I absolutely couldn't respond in any way!"

This was the first time Yang An had ever sensed such terror from the Bow Lady. For her, who always referred to herself so imperiously, to show such a vulnerable side was rare indeed.

However, the Bow Lady's answer also sparked a guess in Yang An's mind.

'Could the Bow Lady have some sort of connection to the Great Virtue Temple?'

"Did you feel that way throughout the entire Great Virtue Temple?" Yang An asked, puzzled.

"No, only in the place you just were."

'The Ten Thousand Buddha Hall!'

Yang An nodded.

He and the Bow Lady had known each other for a long time, and he had come to consider her his closest friend. Since his friend was in this state, he naturally had to do everything he could to help her.

'I'm an undercover agent now, after all. As an agent, it's only natural and perfectly reasonable for me to gather as much information as possible about the place I've infiltrated.'

'But logically, the Bow Lady was created by the Workshop Master. He might know something about this. I could ask him.'

'However, the Workshop Master is currently busy helping members of the Scripture Defector Association achieve Corpse Transformation to break through the limits of death. He probably doesn't have time right now, so I'll have to put it aside for now.'

'I'll ask him whenever he's free.'

'As for now, I should focus on cultivating. If necessary, I can lift some of the restrictions on my Cultivation Level to fake a breakthrough. I also need to think carefully about my next move.'

His master, Elder Zhuan Yu, had only told him to infiltrate the Great Virtue Temple first. He hadn't given any follow-up missions yet, so Yang An would have to wait for his instructions.

But no matter what, cultivating was always the right thing to do.

「Meanwhile, in the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall.」

After taking Yang An to the Mingxin Zen Courtyard, Qing Nan rushed back to the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall. Hai Shu Bodhisattva had a confidential matter to announce and had therefore summoned all the Zen Masters of the Great Virtue Temple.

As soon as he entered, the tall, heavy bronze doors swung shut behind him. He was clearly the last to arrive. A large crowd had already gathered, and as far as he could see, they were all Zen Masters from the temple with Cultivation Levels equal to his own.

Hai Shu Bodhisattva was seated upon a Lotus Platform, his eyes closed in rest as he softly chanted scriptures. He only opened his eyes slowly after everyone had arrived.

He looked toward a Zen Master named Qing Cheng standing at the very front. Qing Cheng immediately understood, turning to face the crowd behind him.

"By the Bodhisattva's decree! This year's Buddhist Assembly across the Sixty-four States has guided two hundred and seventy-three chosen individuals to us. Among them are one Holy Child, a Bodhisattva reincarnation, and one Holy Child, a True Buddha Reincarnation. All Zen Masters who guard the Glazed Towers in their State Territories shall be rewarded. Zen Master Qing Yuan guided the Holy Child of the Bodhisattva reincarnation, and Zen Master Qing Nan guided the Holy Child of the True Buddha Reincarnation. Both Zen Masters have performed a great service. Zen Master Qing Yuan is awarded a Glazed Lotus Platform, and Zen Master Qing Nan is granted the promise of attaining the rank of Bodhisattva."

Upon hearing Qing Cheng's announcement, everyone below bowed in unison toward Hai Shu Bodhisattva in gratitude, but they also cast extremely envious gazes at Qing Nan, who stood at the very back.

The "promise of attaining the rank of Bodhisattva" meant that the temple would expend vast resources to help Qing Nan establish his Bodhisattva Attainment, break through the Insect Dao, and give him a high probability of becoming a new Bodhisattva of the temple in the future.

As for the Glazed Lotus Platform that Qing Yuan received, while it was also incredibly valuable, it was nothing compared to a Bodhisattva Attainment.

Qing Nan was ecstatic, his face beaming with joy, while Qing Yuan's expression was stiff, his heart filled with bitter resentment.

After the rewards had been distributed, Hai Shu Bodhisattva began to speak of recent important matters, once again capturing everyone's attention.

"According to our informants, the Golden Thread Pavilion has made new moves against the Buddhist Assemblies in the State Territories of our Land of Goodness. Although all the chosen ones have passed their trials, we must still carefully investigate the temple's new disciples and treat the matter with caution."

"Informants," or spies, were undercover agents the Great Virtue Temple had planted within the Golden Thread Pavilion. They specialized in gathering crucial information about the Pavilion for the temple, so their intelligence was always highly reliable.

"Word is that Zhuan Yu, one of the Golden Thread Pavilion's Internal Affairs Elders, has a disciple named Mu'an who has defected from the Pavilion. It is highly likely that he has entered our Great Virtue and Goodness's territory of the Sixty-four States. However, this is, in all likelihood, a deliberate act by the Golden Thread Pavilion."

"When you conduct your investigations, remember to pay close attention to any news regarding this person. Do not let a single clue slip by."

This was the primary reason Hai Shu Bodhisattva had summoned all of the temple's Zen Masters here.