He hadn’t neglected the Celestial Gnomon Light or the Nine Forces Shocking Dragon either, accumulating their power at every moment.

He had accumulated so much power by now that he couldn’t even estimate how terrifyingly potent it would be when unleashed.

Besides that, Yang An wasn’t focused on the Shell Nourishing Technique he had learned from Elder Zhuan Yu.

To avoid exposing him, Elder Zhuan Yu had placed a separate Concealment Seal on his Spinal True Feather before he even arrived at the Great Virtue Temple.

Otherwise, since the Shell Nourishing Technique was one of Elder Zhuan Yu’s signature techniques, it could have easily exposed his identity.

Everything was proceeding in an orderly manner, but even now, Yang An still didn’t know Elder Zhuan Yu’s ultimate purpose for sending him to the Great Virtue Temple as a mole.

The Golden Thread Pavilion and the Great Virtue Temple were rivals. There was no doubt they would eventually clash to become the sole hegemon of the Treasure Temple Domain.

All Yang An could do for now was to keep improving his strength and accept whatever tasks Elder Zhuan Yu assigned him.

He didn’t feel much loyalty to the Golden Thread Pavilion, let alone the Great Virtue Temple.

If it weren’t for the Rule Seal placed upon him, he wouldn’t give a damn if the two sects fought to the death.

Subconsciously, though, Yang An still hoped the Golden Thread Pavilion would be the one left standing in the end.

After all, if the Great Virtue Temple became the sole hegemon of the Treasure Temple Domain, who knew what kind of trouble those bald donkeys would stir up.

But even putting all that aside, he had his own agenda.

Two matters were of the utmost importance.

First, he had to secretly improve his strength. No one knew when a full-blown war might erupt between the Great Virtue Temple and the Golden Thread Pavilion, and now that he was caught in the middle, there was no escaping it.

Second was the Earth Spirit Stele.

The Earth Spirit Stele had to be revived! He also had to obtain the follow-up cultivation techniques from the *Mystic Path Decoded*; otherwise, his path would end at the Zombie God level.

Everything was for the sake of becoming stronger. Only by becoming stronger could he break free from the control of others.

Right now, his plan was to find a body double. This would create confusion and help hide his identity as the Buddha’s Son from the Golden Thread Pavilion.

Yang An left the Quiet Chamber and went downstairs. But as soon as he saw the Golden Buddha Statues in the corner, the feeling of being watched crept over him again.

Before he could react, a gust of wind howled outside the Zen Room. Instantly, tendrils of green smoke began to pour in through the cracks in the door and windows.

The green smoke enveloped him, but Yang An did not resist.

The moment the feeling of being watched appeared, he had already guessed what would happen next.

Sure enough, when the green smoke dissipated, Yang An found himself in another place.

The Ten Thousand Buddha Hall!

During his three months of cultivation, he hadn’t been disturbed at all, which was clearly a deliberate arrangement by someone in the temple.

The moment he completed his cultivation, he had drawn their attention.

The person watching him was, without a doubt, Elder Monk Hai Shu.

The surroundings were dim, lit only by the glow of burning incense and candles.

Seeing the benevolent-looking Elder Monk Hai Shu on the Lotus Platform, Yang An seemed to snap out of it, chanting the Buddha’s name as he bowed in greeting.

"Yuan Ji pays his respects to the Bodhisattva!"

Hai Shu Bodhisattva sat upright, holding the exact same posture as the last time Yang An had seen him, as if he were an eternal, unchanging statue.

He smiled, looking Yang An up and down, his grin growing ever wider.

"Yuan Ji, did you succeed?"

Hai Shu Bodhisattva asked with a beaming smile, the wrinkles on his old face practically dancing.

Although he had dearly hoped Yang An would succeed in cultivating the Jade Kala Vajra Body, Hai Shu hadn’t truly held out much hope.

Since the creation of the Jade Kala Vajra Body, the number of successful cultivators could be counted on one hand, a testament to its immense difficulty.

It was only upon sensing that Yang An had left the Quiet Chamber that he had forcibly pulled him here, desperate to learn the outcome.

The very fact that Yang An had attempted to cultivate this technique and emerged unscathed was already causing a flicker of joy to stir in Hai Shu Bodhisattva’s heart.

But he wanted to hear the official answer from Yang An.

In response to Hai Shu’s question, Yang An bowed his head respectfully.

"Thanks to the Bodhisattva’s protection, Yuan Ji has successfully mastered the first physical transformation of the Jade Kala Vajra Body and fused with the Golden Dust!"

Words alone were not enough.

As soon as the words left his mouth, countless particles of Golden Dust surged from his body, surrounding him in a brilliant, dazzling display.

"Good! Good! Good!"

The smile on Hai Shu Bodhisattva’s face instantly bloomed like a chrysanthemum as he let out three consecutive cries of praise.

"In the thousand-year history of our Great Virtue Temple, a second person has finally appeared who can master this technique! Yuan Ji, your affinity with the Buddha is profound indeed!"

Moreover, Hai Shu also sensed the aura of Yang An’s Cultivation Level—he had actually advanced to the Primordial Feeding Realm.

When Yang An had entered the Great Virtue Temple, his Cultivation Level was only at the Middle Stage of Fake Food. In just a few short months, he had become a Primordial Feeding Cultivator.

’This boy is truly a genius,’ Hai Shu thought. ’The *Nine Yang Divine Technique* he practices must be a remarkable cultivation technique as well. Though it’s not a Buddhist Cultivation Method, it’s not as if he’s gone astray.’

At this thought, Hai Shu Bodhisattva, still seated upon the Lotus Platform, slowly raised a hand and made a gesture in the empty air.

Yang An was looking at Elder Monk Hai Shu, waiting for his next words.

But at that moment, the surroundings underwent a bizarre transformation!

In the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall, the countless Golden Buddha Statues instantly took on a sinister air. The burning incense and candles were extinguished in a flash, and the world was abruptly plunged into dim, lightless gloom.

At the same time, a foul, rotting stench assaulted his senses, completely replacing the scent of incense that had filled the air just a moment before.

’This stench...’

Yang An felt a sudden chill as the disgustingly familiar stench struck him, and his heart jolted in alarm.

He looked back toward Elder Monk Hai Shu. Amidst the darkness, Hai Shu Bodhisattva was calmly lowering his hand, his expression completely unruffled.

This was clearly Elder Monk Hai Shu’s doing; no sudden calamity had occurred.

Nevertheless, Yang An was instantly on high alert, his guard raised.

"Bodhisattva, where is this?"

he asked slowly.

The compassionate smile never left Hai Shu Bodhisattva’s face.

"Amitabha! This is the Eternal Prison within our Land of Great Virtue and Goodness!"