Night came and went. When the first light of dawn broke, the melodious sound of a bell rang throughout the entire Blissful Mountain.
The bell sound was loud, but it wasn’t deafening or noisy. In fact, it induced a feeling of peace and auspiciousness in its listeners. The minds of those who were blurry from sleep became clear instantly.
This was the effect of the Mind Waking Bell. It heralded the beginning of a new day and the Trueman feast.
As expected, two female attendants knocked on Ye Qing’s door a short while later. After he was done washing up while they attended to his needs, they led him to the venus of the Trueman feast—the Blissful Peak.
The Blissful Peak was located at the peak of Blissful Mountain. Constantly shrouded by mist and clouds, traversing the Blissful Peak was akin to walking on a sea of clouds or exploring the celestial realm, blissful and divine.
The Blissful Peak was also the venue the Buddhist Hall of Joy often used to hold their important events and celebrations. Specifically, they were held in a six-storey Buddhist pagoda with a vast road leading up to it.
Countless people were already gathered at the Blissful Peak when Ye Qing showed up. However, most of them could only linger at the lower floors as the higher floors were reserved for esteemed guests such as Ye Qing himself.
Height was the theme of the Blissful Peak. The higher up you were, the greater your status.
Usually, when the Buddhist Hall of Joy held an in-house event, the first floor would host the slaves, servants and attendants, the second floor would host the ordinary disciples, the third floor would host the inner disciples, the fourth floor would host the direct disciples and the middle management, the fifth floor would host the deans, guest warriors, Arhats, protectors and more, and the sixth floor would host the Wisdom Kings, Wisdom Queens, and Joy Bodhisattva herself.
Of course, some of the guests on the fifth floor were famous people in Northern Xinjiang, but they were incomparable to those residing on the sixth floor. Therefore, he didn’t stand out too much.
Ye Qing had just taken his seat when a couple of female disciples came over and served him wine, fruits, snacks and more. All around him, people were greeting each other and making small talk. Judging from their conversation, Ye Qing had a sense that they were all prestigious figures from all across Northern Xinjiang. There were sect masters who ruled over a corner of the region, wandering warriors who drifted from place to place according to their whims, orthodox warriors whose sect or behavior was famed for their righteousness, vile heretics whose notoriety preceded them, cultured people whose every word and action was measured with a ruler, thieves and assassins who usually clung to the shadows like their life depended on it, and more.
At least one representative from every facet of the jianghu was present. Normally, this was a very bad thing. Birds of a feather flock together, and these people most definitely did not belong in the same group or even the side. If this was outside, they would be bringing down the heavens or unleashing hell upon their enemies. But today? It would be too much to claim that the atmosphere was joyous and harmonious, but at the very least, they weren’t killing each other. At worst, they pretended that their loathsome enemies did not exist.
In a sense, it was a miracle.
This would have been a great opportunity for Ye Qing to make connections and build up relationships, but alas, he did not recognize a single face in this place. There was no way for him to insert himself into any conversation even if he wanted to.
Time passed slowly as more and more people gathered at Blissful Peak. When the first ray of sunlight pierced through the thick clouds, dreamy, rainbow-colored halos abruptly manifested into existence.
All sorts of strange yet fascinating things slowly began to take form amidst the halo. They saw Buddhas holding a mudra and smiling gently at the masses. They saw Bodhisattvas flying across the heavens on a magnificent lotus. They saw Arhats sitting in a lotus position, auspicious beasts and rare birds running or flying across the heavens, jewels and golden light flowing through the clouds like a stream and more.
It was an illusion of the Kingdom of Buddha, and everyone was entranced by it.
Clearly, this was one of the Three Wonders Miaoyin had told him yesterday, the Blissful Kingdom of Buddha.
According to Miaoyin, the Blissful Kingdom of Buddha only appeared during a special day, but it was up to debate exactly what counted as a special day. Generally speaking, it was rare for the Blissful Kingdom of Buddha to manifest, so he did not think that he would be lucky enough to witness this phenomenon.
While the Kingdom of Buddha continued to illuminate its radiance upon everyone, Joy Bodhisattva flew into the sky. A dozen or so breaths later, the golden light shining down from the sky suddenly doubled in intensity, and a massive golden lotus suddenly descended from the heavens. Sitting on top of the lotus was none other than Joy Bodhisattva herself.
The light of the Buddha shone brightly above her head as she held a mutton fat kalasa in her left hand and an equality mudra in her right. Her eyes were shut lightly, her expression was solemn and dignified.
When the golden lotus landed on Blissful Peak, Joy Bodhisattva slowly opened her eyes. The Kingdom of Buddha in the sky suddenly froze for an instant, and its deities abruptly grew so solid they might as well be real. Then, something shocking happened. The Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arhats, Vajrapanis and more stepped off the Kingdom of Buddha and walked up to Joy Bodhisattva. Then, they dropped to their knees and prostrated themselves before her.
The Buddhas were descending from the sky to prostrate themselves before a Bodhisattva on the earth. To say that everyone was stunned would be an understatement. The phenomenon was grand, but not nearly as grand as Joy Bodhisattva’s audacity. It was one thing to manifest the Kingdom of Buddha to entertain their guests, and another to make the Buddhas prostrate before her as if she was the founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama himself!
There was one and only one Buddha in the entire religion who could compel all Buddhas to his side and listen to his teachings, and he was Siddhartha Gautama. However, Joy Bodhisattva was clearly alluding that she was his equal, no, his better! After all, Siddhartha Gautama had never compelled his fellow Buddhas to kneel before him, but Joy Bodhisattva took it a step further and made them prostrate before her! This was blaspheme of the highest order!
If the orthodox Buddhist sects learned about this, they might very well blow their top and ascend to the heavens prematurely!
In any case, it was clear that Joy Bodhisattva cared little for their opinion. After the humble ritual was complete, Joy Bodhisattva opened her palm and waited for the Buddhas to rise to their feet. They slowly shrank to the size of a grain before flying into Joy Bodhisattva’s palm.
Joy Bodhisattva closed her palm. It felt like a declaration that all Buddhas in the world were in her grasp.
As if on cue, the bell rang three times in a row, and the phenomenon abruptly disappeared all at once. At the same time, a man and a woman appeared next to her.
Ye Qing did not recognize the man, but he recognized the woman. She was Worriless.
Worriless spoke up, “The Buddhist Hall of Joy is honored to welcome all of you and congratulate our Bodhisattva in becoming a Trueman. Let the Trueman feast begin.”
Her voice wasn’t loud, but everyone could hear her as clear as day.
“Congratulate the Trueman…”
As soon as the three words were said, divine music filled the entire Blissful Mountain. It truly felt blissful and dreamlike.
The first event of the Trueman feast was “Congratulate the Trueman”. To put it simply, it was a congratulatory ceremony where the guests announced their background and congratulated Joy Bodhisattva.
This was an opportunity for both sides to flaunt their status. Joy Bodhisattva would get the honor of being congratulated by all these powerful and famous people. The more, the better.
The guests would get to show their face and announce their sect to the world. They had come a long way to participate in her celebration. It was only natural that she gave them a chance to announce themselves to the world.
The congratulatory ceremony might be extremely boring, but it was also necessary.
An old man in his fifties with a thin but spirited face immediately rose to his feet. He declared, “I am the Sword Executor Elder of Sword King City, and I come bearing a Phenomenon-class Strange Artifact named the Falling Snow Sword, a block of All Solving Spirit Jade, and a sarira. May auspiciousness always be with you, Bodhisattva.”
“Thank you,” Joy Bodhisattva replied. “Please, take your seat.”
Sword King City was considered to be the strongest sect in the northern lands, and the Buddhist Hall of Joy was just a second-rate sect. Although they had only sent a Sword Executor Elder to deliver a gift, it was still a favor to the Buddhist Hall of Joy.
The gifts were pretty impressive as well. The Phenomenon-class Strange Artifact was one thing, but the All Solving Spirit Jade was a rare natural treasure. It could be used to set up arrays, improve one’s cultivation, forge artifacts and more. As for the sarira, it was the remnant of an enlightened Buddhist monk. Naturally, it was even more valuable and had many applications as well.
After Sword King City was done, a sexy woman wearing a fiery red dress rose to her feet. She looked to be in her thirties.
“I am the Vermillion Bird Envoy of Earthfire Palace of Demons, and I come bearing a Phenomenon-class Strange Artifact named the Earthfire Fan, a Spirit Crystal of Crimson Flame, and a bottle of Infinite Water of Supreme Radiance. May auspiciousness always be with you, Bodhisattva.”
The Earthfire Palace of Demons was the number one demonic sect of the northern lands and no less inferior to the Sword King City. Just like them, they had sent a single envoy to congratulate the Buddhist Hall of Joy.
Of course, the Vermillion Bird Envoy was pretty high-ranked in the Earthfire Palace of Demons as well. She was inferior only to the head and the deputy head.
The value of their gift was more or less the same as Sword King City as well.
“Thank you,” Joy Bodhisattva repeated. “Please, take your seat.”
The third person to rise to their feet after the Vermillion Bird Envoy sat down was a tall, muscular man with a powerful aura.
He was none other than Xiong Kuohai.