TODC Chapter 4

Master Xiekong finally gave in to his disciple.

Reluctantly, he retrieved an ancient string of prayer beads from a chest beneath his bed, secured with five locks. He carefully took them out, treating them with the utmost care.

The string of beads consisted of 36 beads, each roughly the size of a thumb, with a deep purple hue. They appeared to be crafted from rare wood, carved, and polished to perfection.

Intricate Buddhist teachings and symbols were etched on the beads, and just a glance at them could bring inner peace as if they could banish all distracting thoughts and malice.

Baoyu’s eyes gleamed as he stared at the beads in his master’s hand, his mouth almost splitting into a grin. He eagerly reached out, but Master Xiekong pulled the beads back, evading his grasp.

“You little rascal, you’ve been eyeing these beads for a while now, haven’t you? Do you even know what they’re for?”

“These are the prayer beads you personally consecrated, right? They can calm the mind, ward off spirits, and protect against harm, bringing good fortune and averting disaster.”

Baoyu’s eyes were fixed on the beads without blinking.

“Hah!”

Master Xiekong gazed at the beads in his hand and murmured, “I crafted these from a rare piece of wood I came across while traveling the world as a young monk at Shaolin Temple. I asked a friend of mine, a renowned master craftsman, to personally carve them. Then, I inscribed Buddhist teachings on them and consecrated them myself.”

“They are called ‘Purple Buddha.’”

“Purple Buddha…” Baoyu repeated in awe.

“Yes, you’ve got a good eye. This is one of my most treasured possessions, and indeed, it brings good fortune and wards off harm. But that’s not all. The Purple Buddha can also stabilize the soul and protect against external dangers. It’s a rare defensive and offensive artifact.”

“Master, please, let me see them!” Baoyu gulped in excitement.

Seeing his disciple’s eagerness, Master Xiekong stopped teasing him and handed over the Purple Buddha beads.

Baoyu was his most favored disciple, having inherited all his teachings in both Buddhist doctrine and practice. Even if Baoyu didn’t take these beads now, they would eventually be his, so there was no harm in giving them to him early.

Baoyu carefully took the beads and studied them closely.

…

Master Xiekong waved his hand. “I get annoyed just looking at you. Get out of here and go study them on your own. I’ve already arranged for your ticket to Mount Longhu. You leave tomorrow. Someone will pick you up at the base of the mountain and take you to the station. And don’t even think about backing out!”

“Got it, Master! I won’t back out. I’ll take my leave now!”

“Don’t forget to bring your ID!” Master Xiekong shouted as Baoyu walked out the door.

…

Back in the courtyard, Baoyu’s senior brother Baowen had already disappeared. Baoyu quickly returned to his own meditation room, closed the door behind him, and set the Purple Buddha beads aside. From the folds of his robes, he pulled out his cracked-screen phone.

He wanted to use what little time he had left to search for any information he could find about this world.

Over the past three years in the monastery, he had fully immersed himself in the serene life of the temple. Waking up at 5 a.m. for morning prayers and lectures on Buddhist scripture had become routine. In the afternoons, he trained in martial arts with his senior brother in the back mountain, practicing techniques passed down from his master.

One of the most well-known practices was the “Muscle and Tendon Transformation Classic,” a method that strengthened both body and mind.

But the techniques he had learned went far beyond that. The Muscle and Tendon Transformation Classic was just one method for cultivating inner strength. There were also more advanced techniques for cultivating internal energy.

Baoyu had a natural talent for cultivating energy, and within three years, he had nearly mastered the basics. In this aspect, he had already surpassed his senior brother, Baowen, who had been training for decades.

Of course, this didn’t mean Baoyu was stronger than Baowen. Cultivating energy and physical strength were different matters, and true combat was another story altogether.

Baowen, with his decades of daily training, had perfected various Buddhist martial arts like the Muscle and Tendon Transformation Classic, the Great Compassion Hand, the Heavenly Gang Body Shield, and Lightness Skill. In these areas, Baoyu couldn’t compete. Baowen could probably defeat him with one hand.

…

Baoyu sat cross-legged on his bed and opened his browser, hoping to find any public information about the world of the supernatural. For the past three years, he had been so absorbed in monastic life that he had barely kept up with the outside world.

After a long search, he found nothing. There was no public information about the supernatural world online. It seemed that the government had successfully hidden any information about such matters to maintain social order.

He searched for terms like “Tianxia Association” and “Mount Longhu,” but all he found were company profiles and tourist information.

With no other options, he set his phone aside, closed his eyes, and tried to recall the stories from his past life. Slowly, fragmented scenes from various shows and animations came to mind, forming a vague picture.

The Tianxia Association…

The Seven Great Districts and their temporary workers…

The Ten Lords…

The All-Sects Association…

The Tianshi Mansion of Mount Longhu, home of the Orthodox One Sect…

Recent rising companies, such as the Tianxia Association and its chairman Feng Zhenghao…

The famous sorcerer of the Northeast, Master Deng…

The Feng family…

The spirit-capturing master Feng Xingtong…

Wudang Mountain…

The miraculous strategist Wang Ye…

The descendants of Zhuge Wuhou and the mystical Zhuge Qing…

The Lü family and the mysterious elder Lü Jin…

The powerful Wang family, including Wang Ai and Wang Bing…

The Lu family, with their reverse life-force technique, and Old Master Lu Jin…

…

Baoyu continued piecing together these fragmented memories, recalling key figures and events. Although much of it was still fuzzy, these fragments were starting to form a clearer picture.

…

After more than two hours, Baoyu opened his eyes, took a deep breath, and smiled.

“This world is far more exciting than I ever imagined!”

…

But for now, his most pressing task was to complete the mission his master had given him and participate in the Mount Longhu Celestial Gathering.

And then, of course, there was the Purple Buddha.

Baoyu gently picked up the Purple Buddha beads and rubbed them with his fingers, a smile spreading across his handsome, refined face. He caressed the beads as if they were the skin of a lover.

Anyone witnessing this scene would probably get goosebumps, as he looked just like one of those monk protagonists from online anime or BL novels.

…

He remembered that in the second season of one of the anime, there was an old master craftsman dressed in green who also used beads as his weapon. Baoyu wondered if his beads could compare to this Purple Buddha.

In this world, the art of controlling objects was truly mystical.

Some people specialize in infusing their energy into objects, nurturing them with their energy, and eventually controlling them.

This was called object control.

When an item, having been nurtured with energy, could be used to enhance one’s strength, it was called transformation.

While many people could control and transform objects, there was another level—a person who could imbue an object with special abilities using their own energy. This was called artifact crafting.

These people, called artifact craftsmen, were the ones who created legendary treasures from old tales.

However, crafting artifacts required immense talent, and because the knowledge had been lost over time, very few people in the world possessed the skill.

As a result, truly powerful magical treasures had become increasingly rare.

So, to have obtained the Purple Buddha, which could calm the mind, heal wounds, protect against attacks, and harm an opponent’s soul, was nothing short of a stroke of incredible luck.