Chapter 245: You still say you're not a monk

Four days passed quickly. When the Eagle Mountain Five Heroes gathered at the city gate as agreed, they looked at Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou in surprise.

“Young Heroes, where is your hair?” the Eagle-nosed leader blurted out the question upon seeing that Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou had not a single strand of hair on their heads.

He regretted asking as soon as the words left his mouth; the two young heroes' expressions clearly darkened at the question.

Meng Jingzhou's hair still hadn't grown back; an optimistic estimate was that it would take a few more days.

To apologize and appease Meng Jingzhou's anger, Lu Yang had no choice but to shave his own head as well.

Throughout these days, the Immortal Fairy had been grinning from ear to ear, never closing her mouth.

The Eagle-nosed leader secretly speculated, "Could it be that these two young heroes are Buddhist disciples who had been wearing wigs all this time?"

The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. The two young heroes had never mentioned their background, likely because they came from a Buddhist sect that preferred not to flaunt its power.

Now, to compete for the Twin Lotus of One Root, not only martial strength was needed, but also a deterrent identity!

As for killing and eating demonic beasts, that was also understandable; there were indeed such "wine-and-meat monks" in Buddhist sects, though not many.

“Let’s go,” Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou mumbled, unwilling to offer further explanations.

Following the map provided by the Guild, the group soon arrived at the lake where the Twin Lotus of One Root was located.

By now, the lake was already surrounded by people. Looking around, there were very few cultivators at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage; most were at the late Foundation Establishment stage, followed by those at the Core Formation stage.

The Twin Lotus of One Root had a miraculous effect on Core Formation, attracting a large number of cultivators who needed to form their cores.

Its utility significantly diminished at the Core Formation stage; otherwise, the lake's owner, a mere fish, would not have been able to protect the Twin Lotus of One Root.

In the center of the lake, two lotus flowers were poised to bloom, pink and tender, like twins. Everyone’s gaze was fixed on them.

“It’s all water here; it will be inconvenient to fight when we snatch it,” a late-Foundation Establishment cultivator frowned. He was not skilled in water combat, and it would be a significant disadvantage if his opponents were adept at water magic.

“Let’s drain the water.”

With that, he took out his storage ring and began vigorously collecting lake water.

Seeing this, others thought it was a good idea and followed suit, helping out.

Storage rings could only store inanimate objects, so they could conveniently hold only water, not the living creatures within the lake.

“He’s the White Tiger Saint Son of the Four Symbols Sect! It's said he has mastered formidable combat techniques; although he's only at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, he can even contend with half-step Core Formation cultivators!” The Eagle-nosed leader hadn't been idle these past few days, diligently investigating who might compete for the Twin Lotus of One Root.

The White Tiger Saint Son was one of them.

The Four Symbols Sect was a renowned First-Rank sect, famous for its Four Symbols heritage. It had produced outstanding successors throughout history and rarely declined.

On the Central Continent, sects were customarily divided into different ranks. Any sect without a Spirit Transformation stage cultivator was considered 'unranked,' the lowest tier.

Next were Third-Rank sects, possessing one to several Spirit Transformation stage cultivators.

Second-Rank sects had one to several Void Refinement stage cultivators.

First-Rank sects had one to several Body Integration stage cultivators.

Super-Rank sects had one Tribulation Transcending grand expert in existence.

Above the Super-Rank were the Five Great Immortal Sects.

The Five Great Immortal Sects’ stated standard was to have at least one Tribulation Transcending cultivator and methods comparable to such a cultivator.

However, their actual hidden strengths remained unknown.

“And that female cultivator, An Ke, the Clear Moon Sect Leader’s personal disciple. She is at the late Foundation Establishment stage and is the strongest among the Clear Moon Sect's Foundation Establishment cultivators. Even the Clear Moon Sect Leader himself admits that he is no match for An Ke at the same cultivation level.”

Rumor has it among martial artists that the Clear Moon Sect is backed by the Moon Laurel Immortal Palace, though no one has ever been able to confirm it.

“That’s Heaven’s Question Blade Duan Hongchen. He has slain Core Formation stage demonic beasts multiple times, leading people to believe he had already formed his core. In reality, he is only at the half-step Core Formation stage, constantly seeking the right opportunity to form his core!”

The Eagle-nosed leader pointed out notable individuals one by one. Some came from various prestigious sects and families with astonishing legacies, while others were locals from Demon Suppressing Pass, having earned their reputation through combat.

In comparison, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou had far less renown. They had only arrived in Demon Suppressing Pass a few days prior, had been living in the dense forest, and rarely interacted with others, so very few people knew about them.

“Who are those two monks? Disciples of White Horse Temple? Or Floating Pagoda Temple?”

Someone noticed Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou; as the only two bald individuals among the crowd, they stood out significantly.

The White Tiger Saint Son frowned. “I have visited White Horse Temple and Floating Pagoda Temple with my master, but I haven't seen these two before.”

“Wild monks? Or from some unknown temple?” As a member of the Four Symbols Sect, he always considered any sect below First-Rank to be 'unknown' and unworthy of his attention.

An Ke remained expressionless. She cast a sidelong glance at Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, mentally cross-referencing them with the Foundation Establishment stage experts she knew. Finding no match, she paid them no further mind.

Heaven’s Question Blade Duan Hongchen, seeing that Lu Yang and the other man were merely at the late Foundation Establishment stage, simply ignored them. His true opponents were only the Core Formation cultivators hidden within the crowd.

These Core Formation cultivators were here to seize the Twin Lotus for their juniors' Core Formation, so they wouldn't fight too desperately. If a life-or-death battle erupted, they would be the first to retreat.

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou’s veins pulsed on their foreheads as they heard others speculating about which temple they belonged to. “You're the monk! Your whole family are monks!”

“It’s all your fault, forcing me to shave my head!” Lu Yang launched the first accusation.

Meng Jingzhou had a ready retort: “My fault? It’s clearly your Arhat Fist that’s ridiculously off! Just wait, one day I'll write a letter recommending you to the Hanging Temple!”

Given Lu Yang’s talent, he was indeed qualified to enter the Hanging Temple, or rather, it was possible the Hanging Temple would warmly welcome him.

After all, a magical talent comparable to the senior disciple sister's was truly one of a kind in the world.

“Lu Yang, are you going to become a monk?” the Immortal Fairy asked reluctantly.

“No, Ask Dao Sect is my home; I'm not going anywhere!” Lu Yang declared his stance. Alive, he was a member of Ask Dao Sect; dead, he would be a ghost of Ask Dao Sect.

“Look, the lotuses are about to open!” someone shouted, drawing everyone’s attention.

As the Twin Lotuses bloomed, they emitted a refreshing fragrance, inciting a frenzy of grabs among the crowd.

With a tiger’s roar, the White Tiger Saint Son was the first to act. The character for “King” (王) slowly appeared on his forehead, white fur sprouted on his cheeks, and his pupils became vertical slits, making him resemble a tiger.

“The Twin Lotus is mine! No one dares to snatch it!” he roared, moving as fast as the wind.

“You say it’s yours and it’s yours? Arhat Fist!” Meng Jingzhou struck, unleashing the Arhat Fist. His face was compassionate and filled with pity for the world, a punch that couldn’t be delivered without twenty years of monastic experience.

The punch was absurdly heavy, leaving the White Tiger Saint Son disoriented and dazed, sending him sprawling into the muddy water.

The White Tiger Saint Son felt somewhat bewildered. This was his first failure in an over-level challenge.

He had always excelled at challenging opponents beyond his cultivation level, effortlessly defeating late-Foundation Establishment cultivators while only at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, with an undefeated record.

He hadn't expected to fail this time.

“They truly are monks!” An Ke affirmed her earlier guess.

“You’re the monk!” Meng Jingzhou retorted angrily.

“Bald, knows Arhat Fist, and you still say you’re not a monk?”