Chapter 418: The Secret of the Prajnaparamita Sutra

Ling Chen exclaimed in surprise, "Is he that formidable?"

"Although his actions are despicable, one must admit that his aptitude is truly outstanding. Whatever he does, he can reach the pinnacle in a short time. At that time, almost no one in the martial arts world could compare."

"What eventually happened to him?"

The Tea Girl said, "He stayed in the Buddhist temple for twenty years, only to be expelled."

"Why?"

"Because of the Prajnaparamita Sutra. The Prajnaparamita Sutra was an Internal Cultivation Method he developed within the Buddhist temple. Even though it is named after a Buddhist scripture, this method involves the forbidden elements of sensuality and killing, both prohibited by the monks. The abbot at the time ordered him to cease his research on this mental method, but he refused to repent, leading to his expulsion. Since then, no one has seen him."

Having finished speaking, the Tea Girl couldn’t help but ask, "Where did you obtain the Prajnaparamita Sutra from?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, she seemed to realize something and quickly corrected herself, saying, "Sorry, I forgot the rules. Please disregard my last question."

Behind a curtain, Ling Chen, greatly interested, looked at the Tea Girl and said, "You seem to be very informed about these centuries-old events."

"There’s nothing surprising about that. Ever since the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion was founded, it has continuously collected intelligence from within the martial arts world. Even after hundreds of years, that information has been organized and archived, well-preserved without omissions. Such outdated intelligence can be freely read by members of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion."

Ling Chen nodded and humbly asked for guidance, "You just mentioned that the Prajnaparamita Sutra involves sensuality and conflict. Could you explain that to me?"

When he first acquired the Prajnaparamita Sutra, its content was recorded in Sanskrit, and it was only with He Ziyun’s help that he was able to decipher the Internal Cultivation Methods written there. However, despite having practiced the Prajnaparamita Sutra, Ling Chen was still partially ignorant of many aspects.

He understood what the Tea Girl referred to in terms of sensuality—enhancing one’s Inner Strength by gathering Yin energy from women through sexual intercourse. He had experienced this himself, and the effects were indeed remarkable. However, he didn’t understand the killing aspect she mentioned. Could it be that the Prajnaparamita Sutra had other effects?

"These are matters related to the intelligence of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion. There are rules in the Pavilion: vital information such as this cannot be disclosed casually. If you really want it, you can buy it."

"Buy?" Ling Chen was momentarily stunned, then quickly understood and said generously, "Alright, name your price."

"You might not be aware of the rules of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion. Our intelligence is not measured by money. If you want intel, you must perform tasks for us."

"What kind of tasks?"

"That depends on the value of the information. The higher the value, the more tasks you’ll need to perform—perhaps three, maybe five."

Ling Chen thought for a moment and then asked, "What’s the price for the information I want?"

"Sorry, you don’t have the standing to discuss terms with me yet. With your current strength, even if we at the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion assigned tasks to you, you wouldn’t be able to complete them."

Hearing this, Ling Chen was immediately displeased. All that talking turned out to be a waste of breath.

Fine! If she won’t talk, I won’t ask, Ling Chen thought haughtily.

Immediately, he stood up and said, "Thank you for the tea, but I must be going." After speaking, he waved his hand and walked out of the room.

After Ling Chen had left, the Tea Girl sitting behind the curtain grasped a thin wire hanging from above her head and gave it a gentle pull. Accompanied by the sound of a crisp wind chime, the door quickly opened, and a delicate-looking woman walked in. She knelt down respectfully outside the curtain and asked, "Pavilion Master, do you have any instructions?"

The Tea Girl spoke in a cold tone, "Where were you just now? Didn’t you know someone had come in?"

The woman quickly bowed her head, her face filled with panic as she said, "I’m sorry, Pavilion Master. You hadn’t returned, so I left for a bit. I..."

"Enough!" The Tea Girl cut her off and said firmly, "I’ve taken care of it. Don’t let it happen again, or you know the rules of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion."

Hearing this, the woman’s body trembled slightly, and her delicate face turned extremely pale.

"Go tell Zhou Qi that when the Newcomer Challenge begins, I will be there to observe."

"Yes, Pavilion Master."

At this moment, Ling Chen was walking alone back to his room, still thinking about the Tea Girl he had met by chance. Suddenly, he seemed to remember something, stopped in his tracks, and his face showed a mix of confusion and shock.

"How could this be?"

Ling Chen muttered to himself. He clearly remembered that although the Tea Girl had stayed behind the curtain, he had met her face to face before. He had seen her appearance, her snow-white skin, and her full bosom. But now, looking back, the Tea Girl’s features had become blurry in his memory, and he could barely recall what she looked like. If he saw her again, he might not be able to identify her.

Ling Chen had always prided himself on his memory and should not be experiencing this kind of lapse. But the reality before him forced him to wonder whether the problem was with himself or with the Tea Girl.

That’s right!

A sudden thought struck him—he had drunk a cup of tea in the Tea Girl’s room.

Could there be something wrong with that cup of tea?

After pondering for a while, Ling Chen affirmed to himself that it must have been because of that cup of tea; otherwise, he could not have forgotten the Tea Girl’s face.

Very cautious indeed.

It seemed that the woman’s position within the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion was not low; otherwise, why would she resort to such measures?

Forget it, it doesn’t matter if I can’t remember her face; remembering her voice will suffice.

Upon returning to his room, Ling Chen lay on the bed, pretending to rest for a while. When it was close to noon, Qiu Yong and the others finally returned, bringing with them a sumptuous lunch for Ling Chen.

"Big brother."

Ling Chen greeted them with a smile but noticed that everyone looked rather upset.

"What’s wrong, big brother?"

"It’s because of those bastards from the Dangyang Sect," Xia Yue cursed indignantly. "They’ve publicized your agreement with Yi Shuiyan, claiming that you will have a showdown on the Newcomer Challenge arena. Now, everyone knows about it, and they’re all talking. Some say you’re overreaching, while others think you’re trying to make a name for yourself using Yi Shuiyan’s reputation. Not a single word in your favor."

Yuan Yun frowned and said, "The most important thing is, now that the news is out, if you back out or don’t respond to the challenge, your reputation will be completely destroyed. You won’t be able to continue in this circle."

"When Yi Shuiyan saw you were injured after leaving the training ground today, he probably feared you’d withdraw from the fight, so he used this despicable tactic to force you into a no-choice situation, unless you’re willing to lose face," Qiu Yong added.

Hearing Qiu Yong’s words, Ling Chen smiled faintly, "Let them say what they will. I never intended to back down anyway."