Fan Family's genius disciple, Fan Chen, possessed a grade fourteen average martial spiritㅡgrade fourteen! On the whole Snow Wind Continent, the people with such talent could be counted on the fingers on one hand. Fan Chen was already a legendary figure in Blessed Buddha Empire, so much that there were people comparing Fan Chen with their Emperor, Shi Fantian.
Is he saying the kid in front of them now was more talented than Fan Chen!? Indirectly implying that this kid's talent was higher than Emperor Shi Fantian's!
The seven other old men were inexplicably shocked. After all, these words came from Old Law's mouth!
"Since the Blessed Buddha Altar had chosen the fated one, we should pass this message to the Emperor!" Old Law spoke again.
Only then did the seven others recover from their shock, nodding their heads in agreement.
At this time, inside a grand palace on the south side of Blessed Buddha Empire's Imperial City, a middle-aged man dressed in a gold-threaded kasaya robe was meditating in midair, exuding Buddhism power, with Buddha luminescence glow gathering around him in the images of ancient Buddhas.
This man was none other than the sovereign Emperor of Blessed Buddha Empire, Shi Fantian.
The meditating Shi Fantian suddenly opened his eyes, and with a casual flick at the void, a transmission talisman appeared in his palm.
"Eh?! The Blessed Buddha Altar has chosen the fated one already?!" A bright light shone in Shi Fantian's eyes and continued reading, "What? Old Law actually said this child's achievements will be higher than Fan Chen's!"
With a bright burst of Buddha luminescence, Shi Fantian disappeared from the grand hall.
When Shi Fantian received the message, Huang Xiaolong was still in the Thousand Blessings Square, accepting the sanctification ritual from the Buddhism power flowing into his body. Six hours had passed, counting from the time Huang Xiaolong triggered the four sides Buddha painting on the Blessed Buddha Altar.
Six hours had passed.
In these six hours of sanctification ritual, Huang Xiaolong's body looked like it was painted with a layer of golden paint, making him look like a golden sculpture from afar.
Six hours passed, from the surface it was as if Huang Xiaolong was no different from six hours prior, but only Huang Xiaolong knew of the immense changes happening inside him. Regardless if it was his meridians, Qi Sea, internal organs, flesh, skin, even his hair was twice stronger!
Huang Xiaolong's battle qi and internal force rose at rapid speed.
Half a day passed when Huang Xiaolong's body suddenly shook, a glaring of inky-purple light burst out, the atmosphere emanating from him changing just as abruptly.
Xiantian Third Order!
His cultivation, which was at peak late-Xiantian Second Order, finally advanced into Xiantian Third Order!
One must know, it was barely two years since Huang Xiaolong participated in Duanren Empire's Imperial City Battle, in that period of time, Huang Xiaolong had just broken through to the Xiantian realm.
More and more people were arriving on the Thousand Blessings Square. Watching Huang Xiaolong breakthrough so easily made endless envious eyes cast on him.
Whereas the jealousy in Chen Dingyuan's eyes became even more erratic and rebellious.
Even after Huang Xiaolong successfully broke through to Xiantian Third Order, the Buddhism power coming from the Blessed Buddha Altar continued to envelop him, seeping into his body, being absorbed and refined, which further enhanced his battle qi and internal force.
A full day and night passed.
Only after one day and one night did the Blessed Buddha Altar occlude its Buddhism power, and soon after, it vanished from view in midair. The entire time, Huang Xiaolong had been absorbing and refining the Buddhism power, his battle qi breaking through from the initial peak late-Xiantian Second Order to peak early-Xiantian Third Order and then onward to peak mid-Xiantian Third Order. It only halted because the Blessed Buddha Altar stopped and vanished.
The crowd stirred again watching the Blessed Buddha Altar disappear and Huang Xiaolong awaken.
Joy flashed across Huang Xiaolong's face as he opened his eyes and tried sensing the changes inside his body using his spiritual sense.
The result of the Blessed Buddha Altar's sanctification ritual exceeded his imagination by far. His initial assumption was early-Xiantian Third Order.
Converging his emotions, Huang Xiaolong scanned the surroundings, and in the end, his gaze fell on Chen Dingyuan's body.
When he was receiving the sanctification ritual, the poison needle attack Chen Dingyuan made, Huang Xiaolong was very well aware. Seeing Huang Xiaolong looking in his direction, Chen Dingyuan sneered disdainfully, their gazes collided midair.
The tightly packed crowd suddenly parted a small path in the middle, allowing a group of people wearing Blessed Buddha Empire's minister uniforms to approach Huang Xiaolong. Leading them was an old man with a long white beard, who had a pair of bright spirited eyes.
"That's Blessed Buddha Empire's Archduke Ma Bo!"
"Archduke Ma Bo is here! The last time Fan Chen was chosen by the Blessed Buddha Altar it was also Archduke Ma Bo who came to pick him up to meet with his Imperial Highness in the Blessed Buddha Temple."
"It was said that last time, when the Emperor summoned Fan Chen, he bestowed to him a heaven grade spirit stone!"
Listening to the discussions around him, Huang Xiaolong was secretly surprised.
Heaven grade spirit stone!
It was rumored that a top grade spirit stone had an awareness. Other than being used to refine heaven-grade spirit pellets, wearing it close to the body aided in cultivation, speeding up the process of absorbing the spiritual energy around. Keeping it close also brought many beneficial advantages to cultivation.
By this time, the white bearded old man, Archduke Ma Bo, was already in front of Huang Xiaolong. Nodding at Huang Xiaolong in a friendly manner, Archduke Ma Bo spoke, "Congratulations to this Young Noble for being chosen by the Blessed Buddha Altar. According to the rules, the chosen one can have an audience with the Emperor and be granted a request. Now, kindly follow me to Blessed Buddha Temple."
"Okay." Huang Xiaolong nodded.
Archduke Ma Bo gestured politely with his hand, turned around and led Huang Xiaolong out from the Thousand Blessings Square with the same group of people he arrived with earlier.
When Huang Xiaolong passed beside Chen Dingyuan, the latter sneered coldly in a voice transmission to Huang Xiaolong's ear, "Brat, don't get complacent just because you were chosen by the Blessed Buddha Altar. You've made this master dislike you, so you better turn and flee as far as you can when you see me, otherwise, I'll beat you up every time I see your face!"
Huang Xiaolong retorted with cold indifference, "Really?" His murderous aura flitted too quickly to be noticed.
Soon, Huang Xiaolong left the square grounds following Archduke Ma Bo, thus the crowd gradually dispersed.
With Huang Xiaolong gone, Chen Dingyuan and Luo Wuyi too left the square.
Out from the Thousand Blessings Square, Archduke Ma Bo led Huang Xiaolong to an hour's walk before stopping to a grand looking building structure, towering over a hundred zhang, built with Bright Granite Rock. On the four sides of the granite walls were carvings of Buddhas in many forms.
"Young Noble, this is Blessed Buddha Temple, the Emperor has been waiting for you inside. Let us enter." Arriving in front of the towering structure, Ma Bo said with a smile. Then he turned around and continued leading the way in front of Huang Xiaolong.
The moment Huang Xiaolong entered the grand hall, an overwhelming Buddhism power rushed towards him. Before this Buddhism power, a feeling of wanting to prostrate in submission rose in Huang Xiaolong's mind but at this precise moment, the black and blue dragons in Huang Xiaolong's body shook, releasing a mighty aura that rushed out of Huang Xiaolong's body.
In an instant, the Buddhism power that overwhelmed Huang Xiaolong faded..
Sensing the mighty dragon aura from Huang Xiaolong's body, Ma Bo was shocked, taking a while before he managed to gather himself, continuing to lead the way.
Blessed Buddha Temple sat on quite a large land area, comparable to Thousand Blessings Square. Huang Xiaolong surveyed the place as he walked, noticing the many beams of white jade pillars with Buddhist beasts1 carved at the very top.
After walking for some time, they reached the front of the grand hall. A man stood there with his back to them, both hands clasped at his back.
"Emperor, this Young Noble is the chosen one of the Blessed Buddha Altar." Ma Bo spoke, making an introduction.
1. Buddhist beasts