novelzi Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Three days later, at Hidden Dragon Temple.
After handling his Master’s funeral and respectfully placing the urn on the altar, Yi Chen went to the backyard to start his daily training.
Qing Yunzi was leading Qingfeng and Mingyue in reciting the “Supreme Lingfei Scripture” in the front hall.
This scripture was something Master insisted they recite every morning, claiming it would greatly benefit their awakening of ‘Spiritual Awareness.’
However, Yi Chen didn’t believe even a punctuation mark of it; the scripture was obscure and difficult to understand. He had recited it for ten years without any benefit, though it did make his speech incredibly smooth.
Later on, whenever there was a need for someone to preside over any funerals or weddings within ten miles, Bai Yunzi would usually send Yi Chen, because he did the job so professionally that even he felt inadequate.
Once Yi Chen started speaking, his eloquence and efficiency would ensure generous compensation from the hosts.
This was professionalism!
Now that Master had passed away, with no one to oversee him, Yi Chen decided to add a rule to Hidden Dragon Temple: the head of the temple didn’t need to recite the “Supreme Lingfei Scripture.”
Spiritual Awareness was an elusive concept for him; after ten years of no progress, he had basically gave up on it.
But the golden finger that awakened three days ago was truly effective.
Although he couldn’t find more deep red points in the short term, origin points could be obtained through physical training.
This was a stable path to becoming stronger.
“Chanting scriptures, what’s the use of chanting scriptures, the wicked don’t buy this, evil spirits don’t buy this either, for me, it’s better to lift weights and gain some real strength.”
Yi Chen, listening to his junior brothers reciting the scripture in the backyard, couldn’t help but criticize internally.
He had once shared his sentiment with Bai Yunzi, which infuriated him to the point of calling Yi Chen a stubborn stone.
In the backyard, Yi Chen had assembled a makeshift barbell using an iron rod and two large stone mills.
The stone mills, larger than cartwheels and weighing over three hundred pounds each, were a testament to Yi Chen’s increased physical strength after his breakthrough to the fifth level of the Minor Pure Yang Technique three days ago.
Bench presses.
Squats with the barbell.
Deadlifts.
Standing barbell curls.
Rear delt rows.
After completing this combination of exercises, even Yi Chen, with his superior physique, felt muscle soreness.
But pain was good.
The acquisition of origin points came from enduring pain.
With Master gone, Yi Chen turned his sorrow into motivation. Over the past three days, he found time to train, pushing himself harder and managing to accumulate 0.1 origin points.
“This is my way of cultivation, not reciting scriptures. That’s pointless!”
“This is my path.” Yi Chen, gasping for breath, chugged salt water from a bamboo tube.
Just as Yi Chen was considering whether to do another set of exercises, a flurry of panicked voices reached his ears.
The previously boastful Black Tiger now had his head missing, squashed directly into his chest by Yi Chen with a slap, obviously rendering him speechless for the rest of his life.
This move not only stunned the members of the Evil Tiger Gang but also Qing Yunzi.
Qing Yunzi finally understood why his Master repeatedly admonished the eldest disciple to lead with virtue and follow the path of righteousness before his death.
The eldest brother truly had a heavy hand and a dark heart if he didn’t hold back...
“Don’t move, anyone who moves gets killed!”
Yi Chen, with a smile, threw Black Tiger’s still-bleeding body to the ground, displaying his white teeth that gleamed in the sunlight.
His calm tone terrified the members of the Evil Tiger Gang, who immediately turned into scared kittens, huddling together.
However, Yi Chen felt no pity for them at this moment.
Had he not activated the golden finger and greatly improved his powers, the fate of him and his brothers would have been dire.
He had once advised Master to eradicate evil completely, but Master had spared Black Tiger despite his pleas, leading to today’s retribution.
Righteousness, righteousness.
Master Bai Yun had always hoped he would be a man of righteousness, even naming him Yi Chengzi (Child of Righteousness).
However, Yi Chen had always had a different understanding of righteousness compared to Bai Yun.
For the evildoers of the world, the path of righteousness should not apply.
To those scoundrels, who fear might but not virtue, practicing righteousness gives them leeway, but who practices righteousness towards those they harm?
When they are violated by the Evil Tiger Gang, where is righteousness?
Such righteousness infringes on the rights of the victims; it’s unfair, and Yi Chen does not approve.
Master Bai Yun’s righteousness was about universal love, a level of enlightenment and sentiment Yi Chen could not reach.
Regarding the path of righteousness, Yi Chen had his own comprehension.
In ancient times, the wise created the word “righteousness” (义), with a stroke and a dot in the middle.
This was clearly the wise hinting at him that for evildoers, the best form of righteousness was to smash their heads into their chests, turning their heads into the dot of the character for “righteousness” (义), achieving true righteousness.
Glancing at Black Tiger’s headless body, Yi Chen had a moment of enlightenment.
“Reward the good and punish the evil.”
“This is righteousness, the true essence!”
“The scholars were right!”
“Master, I have understood!”
“I will surely lead with virtue and implement the path of righteousness!”
At Hidden Dragon Temple, the sky was clear and the breeze gentle.
A robust Taoist looked at his palm and couldn’t help but smile knowingly, the sunlight casting a golden edge on his tall figure. Behind him, a shadow resembling the character for “righteousness” quietly formed.
(End of the chapter)