Zhou Chenghang fell miserably; his black coat was covered in snow, and his hair, styled in a 3-7 part, was in disarray, his head feeling dizzy.

He reached out to touch the back of his head, unexpectedly finding a big bump, touching it caused a sharp intake of breath, and it hurt so much he gritted his teeth.

He looked at his palm again and saw some blood...

The onlookers couldn’t understand how Zhou Chenghang had fallen, nor could they comprehend what Lin Tian and Wang Sijing were doing. One was making faces, while the other’s eyes were brimming with tears; the eyes filled with bloodshot veins, what great hatred could there be?

The elderly monk standing aside suddenly raised one hand in a gesture of Buddhist courtesy and said softly, "Amitabha Buddha~"

The voice was not loud, yet it seemed to resonate in everyone’s ears without diminishing in power.

In an instant, the noisy room quieted down, even the rowdy children became obedient.

Buddhist scriptures began to play gently in the hall, but no one paid attention to them. However, when it became quiet, all that could be heard was the sound of the scriptures.

Many people had heard bits of Buddhist scriptures in the temple before, but the feeling was often foreign and difficult to understand.

But until now, everyone felt such a serene and harmonious sensation, as if the troubles and grievances of the world were insignificant trivial matters. Problems that were previously incomprehensible were answered in an instant.

However, Lin Tian felt differently from everyone else; the Buddha’s chant flooded into his ears like a resounding awakening, causing his entire head to buzz, even the concentrated Spiritual Qi started to ripple.

All hostility and negative emotions dissipated.

This feeling was like encountering a rainbow after the rain.

Wang Sijing felt quite the same; the Inner Strength she gathered in her eyes also completely dispersed due to the elderly monk’s chant.

Their intense eye contact finally came to a halt.

Lin Tian felt nothing in particular; he merely turned his head to glance at the monk beside him, who smiled like a Maitreya Buddha with squinting eyes, as if nothing had happened.

Lin Tian’s mind could barely process it anymore; this monk was a master, a master whose depth he couldn’t fathom.

Could it be he is also a Golden Core?

This idea came to Lin Tian’s mind and startled him greatly.

The rarity of Golden Core masters is self-evident; he actually witnessed one here offering tea... truly Buddhist-like.

Wang Sijing was immensely curious, but now her eyes couldn’t open, even opening them slightly would feel like being pricked by needles.

Earlier, their eye battle almost exhausted Wang Sijing’s Inner Strength, subjecting her eyes to great strain; without proper rest, she could hardly open them.

The monk smiled at Lin Tian, saying, "Could you tell me, benefactor, why this tea is bitter?"

Lin Tian’s shock had settled; Golden Core masters were rare, but he was one too, nothing extraordinary.

Lin Tian laughed, "Buddhism speaks of eight sufferings of humans: birth, aging, illness, death, being with those you dislike, separation from those you love, unfulfilled desires. Do you think life is bitter, elder?"

This question rendered the monk momentarily speechless.

Is life bitter?

To say it is bitter might not be entirely true, since there are many beautiful expectations awaiting in life.

To say it isn’t bitter, then why are there separations from loved ones? Why are desires unattained?

Therefore, life is unbearably bitter!

After pondering for a long time, the monk finally took a deep breath, as if a heavy stone was pressing on his heart, he painfully uttered one word: "Bitter!"

Just this one word, with immense power.

The surrounding people, for some reason, also felt their mood become heavy.

Lin Tian continued, "All beings suffer, hence they pledge their hopes to Buddha, wishing to resolve their concerns. But life’s bitterness is excessive, one obstacle after another."

"This bowl of Buddha tea born beneath Five Pure Ones Temple, watered by flowing clouds, naturally endowed with Spiritual Qi, yet cannot relieve my heart’s bitterness, hence this Buddha tea carries a hint of bitterness."

"You’re simply twisting words!" Zhou Chenghang approached, clutching his bloody head, pointed at Lin Tian and said, "You’re just spouting nonsense!"

Although the onlookers understood what Lin Tian meant, they couldn’t grasp it, feeling the reasoning was overly forced.

The monk laughed, "Just personal insight; I find young benefactor’s view quite unique."

After saying this, the monk slightly bowed to Lin Tian, saying, "Thank you, benefactor." 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Like those around him, Lin Tian didn’t understand why the monk was bowing and thanking him instead.

"Elder, what is there for you to thank?" Lin Tian asked.

"Is Heavenly Dao difficult to tread?" the monk asked in return.

Heavenly Dao refers to the path of cultivation.

Is the path of cultivation difficult?

Truth be told, Lin Tian didn’t feel it was difficult. Because he had many inherent advantages, whether it was the Tyrant Emperor’s Record or the Golden Core in his body, countless pill recipes, Heart Methods were all his foundation.

These foundations are like heavenly gifts, effortlessly acquired.

But what comes afterward?

There is no end to the path of cultivation; with a solid foundation, he can reach Golden Core a hundred times more smoothly than others, but what about the path beyond?

"Harder than ascending to the heavens," Lin Tian said.

"At our level, what we need most is an opportunity; your insights just now were the chance I needed. Opportunities are extremely hard to find."

Opportunities are more than difficult to find; without an appropriate chance, it’s like rowing against the current, moving backwards if not advancing.

Lin Tian looked dumbfounded, could it truly be that simple?

The monk turned to the surrounding worshippers, saying, "Actually, our young benefactor is right, the Cloud Tea is indeed bitter. You can chew on the tea leaves, and you’ll understand. These tea leaves, soaked in mountain spring, have some body-strengthening effects."

Upon hearing this, everyone started trying.

Out of curiosity, Lin Tian also put a piece of soaked tea leaf in his mouth.

He gently chewed twice.

Hmm?

It’s very sweet, sweeter than the previous tea, almost like it had honey added.

But then, Lin Tian’s brow furrowed.

Bitter, unbearably bitter!

The sweetness was gone, replaced with extreme bitterness, so bitter and astringent that it felt like chewing Snake Gall.

"Wow~"

A child couldn’t endure the bitterness and began to cry on the spot, even adults wore bitter expressions, tears welled in their eyes.

Everyone seemed to forget about the ’body-strengthening’ effect, as they hastily spit out the Buddha tea leaves but still couldn’t escape the bitter taste.

Some even tried to rinse their mouths with water, hoping to wash it away, but the bitterness didn’t dissipate.

This strong bitterness stimulated the taste buds, almost like chili peppers, leaving a lingering taste in the mouth. Even rinsing wouldn’t help.

At this moment, Wang Sijing’s eyes had improved enough to barely open them.

Upon opening, her gaze briefly met Lin Tian’s.