Ace Of Terrans

Shi Lang was flying through the void and he soon found a small town. The town appeared to be a tribal camp, he landed on the ground and found many people wearing thick woolen clothes and gathering in front of their houses, huddled around bonfires.

There were children who were making snowmen and Shi Lang was surprised, this place did not appear to be a village in the realm of cultivation, but it seemed to be a place from the mortal world and from the primitive era at that. The Terran was surprised, and then he caught a faint murmur generating from the center of the town.

He smiled and walked forward with a calm step. The people from the town saw him and they bowed respectfully. Shi Lang found it odd and asked one of the elders, "Elder, why are you bowing to me?"

The old man smiled and replied, "Esteemed Immortal, you hold the spear and unlike us common folk you do not need to wear such thick clothes to keep yourself warm. Anyone with power is to be respected."

Shi Lang did not agree with this logic and asked, "What if the strong person holds ill-will?"

The old man shook his head and erupted in laughter, followed by his fellow town folks. One of them said, "Esteemed Sir, in the land of the Spear Saint, no evil doer can survive. He is the guardian of lives, and moral of the continent. He is our god."

Shi Lang smiled and remarked, "I did not expect Prince Beiming to have such a cult following. You people are really good. May I look at the monk in the center of the village?"

The people nodded and Shi Lang moved deeper in the village. He did not expect that the prestige of the Spear Saint would be so high in these lands, and the biggest shock was that he could not detect any single shred of malice coming from these people.

In his mind, such people were either to weak to protest and just followed the will of the strong, or they were beaten into their current stance. Shi Lang wasn't interested in finding out the truth behind this stance. He simply made his way to the depth of the town and found a young monk sitting on the ground as he turned his rosary and chanted the sutras.

Shi Lang sat down before him and called out, "Little master, can you tell me what are you chanting?"

The monk looked like a teenager, but he did not stop chanting when he heard the question. However, he increased his volume.

Shi Lang heard the monk say, "Dao begets everything, and everything is Dao. One begets two, in turn two begets three, and three begets all. The world generates from three...."

The Terran raised his brow and mumbled, "Tao Te Ching."

The young monk flinched, but he did not stop in his chanting. Shi Lang did not disturb him again and just listened to his words, he was surprised that as the Young monk read, he was also explaining the meaning of these chants with example, this was very surprising to him.

After an hour, the young monk stopped chanting and opened his eyes, as he looked and Shi Lang and asked, "May I ask the patron, where did you hear about Tao Te Ching?"

Shi Lang shook his head and replied, "I come from a lower realm, we have a similar sutra there. What about you little master, where did you hear it?"

The young monk hesitated and Shi Lang also did not say anything. The Terran could wait for the answer, and so he did. He sat before the monk calmly with a faint smile on his face. The monk replied, "I heard it from the Mandala."

Shi Lang asked, "What kind Mandala?"

The young monk replied, "The Tiger Subduing Mandala. She is my master."

The Terran was surprised and asked, "Can you take me to meet your master?"

The young monk was taken aback and shook his head as he said, "My master, does not welcome strangers."

Shi Lang sighed and took out a recording stone. He recorded a message in it and then handed it to the young monk as he said, "You can take this to your master, and if she wants to meet me, you can find me here. Little Master, tell your master, that the issue is of great importance, and I hope that she can find some compassion in her Buddhist heart. The world can really use someone who walks the real path of Buddhism and Dao."

The little monk nodded and stood up to run away from the place. Shi Lang did not follow him, and watched the young monk dash in the barren woods. The eyes could only see black trees standing against the spread of white all over the place.

He took a deep breath and asked the town folk if there was a place to stay here. He did not mind waiting for the response of the Mandala. This entity, if possible, could be used to share the load of countering the influence of Monk Supreme.

....

The young monk ran through the woods and came to a cavern hidden behind a wall of boulders. He came inside the cave and sat down before a flower that was swaying from side to side. The young monk said, "Master, I have returned. I did not gain any alms today as well."

The leaves of the mandala flower shivered and made a noise. After a few minutes, the cave fell silent once more, and the young man replied, "Yes, I don't blame them. This place is so far from those big cities I hear about. The people have so little for themselves, how can they give alms? However, someone came over today. This patron was like a mighty immortal. He carried a spear and had a valiant aura.

He knew about Tao Te Ching without me telling him about it. Then he gave me a stone and asked to pass you a message. He said that after listening to this if you wish to call him over, he would come."

The leaves shivered and made some sound once more. The young monk took out the recording stone and after some confusion he said, "I forgot to ask him how to use this."

The flower swayed and the young monk nodded forcefully as he said, "I will go and ask him about this tomorrow Master."

…

The next day, Shi Lang went back to the center of the village early in the morning, and found that the young monk was walking over from the woods calmly. The young monk raised a small bowl to the people passing by and asked for alms.

Shi Lang was shocked, from the rules of buddhism in his past life, a monk can only ask five people for alms in a day. He suddenly realized the reason behind this young man being so skinny. He took a deep breath and walked over to the young monk, and took out a spirit fruit from his space ring and placed it in the bowl of the young monk.

The monk was surprised and then he bowed his head and said, "Thank you for your alms, Patron."

Shi Lang nodded and asked, "Little Master, did you pass my message to your master?"

The young monk suddenly stood up straight and scratched the back of his bald head, and said, "That, Patron, can you teach me how to use that stone?"

Shi Lang was stunned and then he chuckled and said, "Little Master, you are really a buddhist master."

He then taught the young monk about how to use the recording stone and also handed him a few pills. He said, "Little master, you can use these pills to strengthen your dharma body. As you grow older, and walk down the path of Buddha, you will need to have a stronger body so that you can do what you wish to do. Only with strength can you hold the power to forgive those who do wrong. The one who is weak will not be able to forgive, or even forget."

The young monk was stunned and nodded, as he said, "Thank you for your guidance, Senior."

Shi Lang smiled and shook his head and said, "I will see you tomorrow. Please go ahead with your prayers."

The young monk nodded and sat down in the center of the village as he began to chant the sutras again. He was calm, patient and didn't let the world around him bother his heart even in the slightest. Shi Lang appreciated this dedication from a poor monk who hardly had enough to eat.

When the young monk finished his chants, he greeted Shi Lang before disappearing in the woods. The Terran went back to the room in the inn and began to cultivate as well. He was not worried about handling the situation in the continent because he did not wish to resort to force like he had to on the Southern Continent.

…

The next day, Shi Lang met the young monk again, and the latter said, "Patron, my master wishes to meet you. Would you please accompany me?"

Shi Lang smiled and said, "Yes, surely."