Kongming of Fayan Temple is taking a nap.

Although in the eyes of outsiders, this inner disciple from Huayan Temple was as still as a mountain and looked like an old monk in meditation, he was actually taking a nap. This was also the basic skill that Buddhist disciples had practiced since childhood - how to make napping look like meditation is a science.

Although it was very noisy all around, with those Taoist brats who had never seen the world staring at Yun Jing and pointing at him curiously, it did not stop Kong Ming from taking a nap due to boredom.

The Shengxian Sect was originally a Taoist internal disciple selection ceremony, including the subsequent Daoism Conference, which was also a grand event within the Taoist sect and had nothing to do with their Buddhist sect. Most of their Buddhist sects regularly recruited some good seedlings with enlightenment and affinity with Buddhism from believers for training, and they would not hold any grand disciple-recruiting ceremonies.

However, in order to give face to the Taoist sect, every time the sect ascends to immortality, some large temples in the Buddhist sect will send senior officials to watch the entire ceremony. Of course, they will also bring some outstanding disciples to discuss the outcome of the Taoism meeting and exchange ideas with the Taoist disciples.

This year, the Shengxian Gate is destined to have the fewest visitors from the Buddhist sect.

The abbots of major Buddhist temples such as the Fahua Temple, the Six Paths Sect, and the Pure Land Sect were all absent. They only sent a few Zen masters from their sects to attend the event. Even the number of outstanding disciples who participated in the seminar was much less than in previous years.

Such "cold treatment" did not cause any dissatisfaction from the Taoist sect.

In recent days, the Buddhist sect's search for the Buddha's son was no secret among the Taoist high-ranking officials. In order to find the Buddha's son, the Buddhist sect's hundreds of large and small temples sent out almost all the Zen masters and outstanding disciples in the temples, working day and night, wishing they could dig three feet into the ground to find the whereabouts of the Buddha's son.

Compared with Shengxianmen, Buddha's son was much more important. So this time, the Buddhist sect sent a few people to Shengxianmen, and the rest were sent out to look for Buddha's son.

Speaking of Buddha's son, Kongming thought of Master Huitong of the Pure Land School. That day, the master suddenly had a prophetic dream, in which he dreamed of the birth of a Buddha's son.

When this incident happened, the entire Buddhist community was shocked!

Son of Buddha, that is a son of Buddha!

What is a Buddha's son? Born as a Buddha.

For ordinary people, spiritual practice is a detour and a hindrance, but for Buddhists, it is a smooth road and a journey. For them, spiritual practice is just like eating and drinking. For Buddhists, bottlenecks and demons do not exist. As long as they practice step by step, they will definitely be able to cultivate a golden body and attain enlightenment and become a Buddha.

It is precisely because of such extraordinary qualifications that he is called the Son of Buddha.

In a sense, the Buddha's son is the symbol of Buddhism, and he is the incarnation of Buddha on earth.

For many believers, a Buddhist disciple is equivalent to the reincarnation of Buddha, and is the spiritual sustenance and support of countless people.

Therefore, Buddhism is determined to obtain Buddhist disciples.

But this is where things get difficult.

No one knows what the Buddha looks like, even Master Hui Tong, who saw the Buddha in his dream. After waking up, Master Hui Tong strangely forgot what the Buddha looked like.

This is also the Buddha's protection for his disciples, but it makes them suffer.

There were countless boys in the world of cultivation and in the mortal world, and their search was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

If it were anyone else, they could still figure out the direction, but this was a Buddhist! A Buddhist was born with six pure senses, untainted by karma, and blessed by countless gods and Buddhas, so they couldn't even figure it out!

Because they couldn't find the Buddhist disciple, not only the abbot of their Fayan Temple was anxious, but even Kongming himself was worried about this matter every day these days. Even when he was taking a nap now, he couldn't help but worry about the safety of the Buddhist disciple.

Master Hui Tong said: "Buddhists and Buddhism are predestined. There is no need to look for it deliberately. If there is a predestined relationship, they will meet naturally."

So it can be seen that finding a Buddhist disciple is like hitting the jackpot. If you try a few more paths, you never know when you will meet him.

To be honest, he would rather go find a Buddhist than sit here and doze off out of boredom.

"Huh? This illusion... is interesting."

"How old is that child? Judging from the bone structure, he is only eight years old. At this age, he has such clear thinking and understanding... He is really terrifyingly smart."

"Extreme wisdom will lead to harm..."

"If he can't let go of his fear, his path will be cut off, and he will go astray and fall into the devil's way."

"Hey, isn't it strange? As soon as I saw this child, I was delighted. I liked him very much. This child really suits my taste."

Kongming moved his ears and opened his eyes. The Zen masters around him were staring at Yunjing intently and whispering about something.

He felt something strange in his heart and asked, "Who are you talking about?"

His junior fellow apprentice, Kong Yan, replied, "Fifth row, the eighth cloud mirror from left to right."

Kong Ming looked as he was told, and was caught off guard by a pair of glass eyes. The light was sparkling, clear inside and out, pure and flawless. For a moment, he was a little dazed.

Although this was only their first meeting, the boy gave Kong Ming a sense of familiarity. He was filled with joy when he saw the child, and his restless heart calmed down a lot.

While Kong Ming was in a stagnation, Yun Jing seemed to have changed again. The Zen masters screamed one after another. The Zen master who had just said that the examinee would fall into the devil's way said excitedly: "Amitabha, all appearances are false, and so is fear. He saw the fear, realized the fear, and then let go of the fear, so that his mind was clear and empty. This boy has a deep Buddha nature! He should enter my Buddhist sect!"

"What's the point of this? This boy has such good talent, how can those Taoists give us such a good material and jade?"

"Look, even Master Xingyuan can't sit still anymore."

"The True Lord hasn't accepted a disciple for a hundred years. I didn't expect that he would come out today."

Kong Ming was awakened from a dream. Seeing the Zen masters chatting enthusiastically, he was silent for a while and asked quietly, "Do you think he could be a Buddha?"

This was the most shocking thunderclap in the world. Zen masters from all schools and sects were struck by this thunderclap and felt dizzy, not knowing what day it was.

After a while, someone stammered, "So, his age seems to be right..."

"At such a young age, he is very smart..."

"And he is very talented and has a very Buddhist nature..."

Everyone talked for a while, and after discussing it over and over again, they just felt that the boy seemed like, maybe, maybe... he was a Buddhist?

only……

"This boy has a free mind, so he should go to our Zixiao Sword Sect!"

"This child has a free and easy character. He seems to be affectionate but actually he is heartless. This is exactly in line with our principle that only when one is in love can one forget about love. That's why he wants to go to our Tiandao Sect!"

"No, this young master has great ambitions and is after the whole world. Only the Confucianism and Legalism of our Qingshan Mathematics can teach him how to educate the people and help the country!"

Not far away, the respected leaders and elders of various sects and schools were arguing with each other until their faces turned red and their necks were thick, with no manners at all, just like mortals fighting for the last juicy cabbage in the vegetable market.

Kongming was speechless. Looking at the other Zen masters, they seemed to be practicing silent meditation, with strange expressions on their faces.

"This...what is going on!" Kong Ming couldn't help but sigh, "A Buddhist disciple joining the Taoist sect, isn't this nonsense!"

"Whether he is a Buddhist disciple or not is hard to say now. We will know after we verify it after the exam."

The person who is speaking is Master Hui Wu of the Pure Land Sect. In terms of seniority, he is the senior brother of Master Hui Tong, the current abbot of the Pure Land Sect who had the precognitive dream. In addition, he has a profound knowledge of Buddhism and a steady personality, so monks from all temples respect and believe in him.

So someone asked, "What if he is really a Buddha?"

Hui Wu raised his eyelids, and his calm pupils flashed with golden light, revealing an ancient golden aura of majesty. "If he is really a Buddhist, we must snatch him back from the Taoist sect, even if we have to rob him. A Buddhist must be in the Buddhist sect."

…

"Would you like to be my disciple?"

Le Jing blinked. The exam hasn’t even ended yet, but this guy is already in a hurry to accept a disciple?

"I'm sorry, I don't have any plans to become your disciple for the time being."

On the surface, the Shengxian Sect is a sect that selects disciples, but isn't it also the disciples who select the sect? Just like the annual college entrance examination, the admissions departments of prestigious schools regularly stage a "war for talent". Le Jing is not stupid. The exam is not over yet, and he doesn't even know the details of this person. He doesn't know much about the world of cultivation, so it's impossible for him to become a disciple.

Xingyuan Zhenjun felt a little regretful, but he had no intention of forcing it. Everyone has their own destiny. At his age, he has long since taken everything lightly. He just accepted a disciple because he loved talented people and it was just a whim. Now that the other person is unwilling, it only proves that there is no destiny between them.

…

The old man disappeared just as mysteriously as he appeared. The thick fog slowly dissipated, and Le Jing could finally see his surroundings clearly.

Wherever you look, you can see the candidates lying down, some standing, some standing, laughing, mumbling, some happy, some sad.

Su Jian was standing next to him. His eyes were blank, his expression was dull, and his whole body was stiff. It was obvious that he was also trapped in the illusion.

What surprised Le Jing was the big wolfdog.

He was lying at Le Jing's feet, yawning, not affected by the illusion at all. When he found Le Jing suddenly moved, he jumped up and wagged his tail happily.

Le Jing patted his head and laughed, "You are so relaxed."

“Woof woof woof!”

"Okay, let's go."

Without the interference of the illusion, the ladder is just an ordinary ladder. No matter how long it is, it will always reach the end.

Le Jing walked for about half an hour and finally saw the scenery at the end of the ladder: a white jade gate and two gatekeepers.

The gatekeepers were dressed in white robes with long flowing hair, looking like immortals. One of them held a sword and the other played the piano.

The sword shines brightly, the piano sounds melodiously. No sun or moon can be seen, only the white jade capital in the sky.

Seeing Le Jing, the man holding the sword asked, "Who are you?"

"Le Jing."

"Why are you here?"

"Of course, I came here to practice Taoism."

“What is your way?”

The boy raised his eyebrows and smiled, his eyes were as hot as the morning sun, yet as clear as ice and snow, "My way is to liberate all living beings."

The piano music stopped abruptly, and the person playing the piano looked up at him, "What is freedom?"

"To be the master of one's own destiny is freedom."

“What is freedom for all beings?”

“Farmers can become officials, officials can become carpenters, carpenters can become generals, and generals can farm. No one has to submit to unreasonable rules and restrictions. This is the freedom of all beings.”

On the white ladder, under the blue sky, the boy's eyes were pure, yet filled with the determination to move forward and never give up.

The man playing the zither was silent for a moment, then asked, "How will you realize your Tao?"

"With mercy, with swords and guns, with rain and dew, with thunder and lightning, with tenderness, with blood."

Le Jing smiled gently, thinking aimlessly. To put it in a more childish way, it might be: Wherever my sword points, there is justice?

This time the two of them remained silent for a little longer.

Le Jing waited patiently.

Finally, the man holding the sword looked at Le Jing with a complicated expression and nodded, "Forget it, you go in." The tightly closed door slowly opened.

"How can you have such dangerous thoughts at such a young age?" He muttered quietly, "I don't know which master would accept you as his disciple."

Le Jing smiled calmly and walked forward safely. The big wolf dog followed happily. Then there was a loud bang, and he was blocked by an invisible wall and could no longer move forward.

Le Jing turned around and heard the man holding the sword say coldly: "Dogs are not allowed in."