When the jade box was fully opened, a Buddha bead appeared before everyone.
"That’s it! This is the very Buddha bead!" the Abbot exclaimed as he inspected it, the excitement on his face self-evident.
The members of Qingyin Temple also showed expressions of joy. One of the Supervisors, however, had a strange, almost sinister glint in his eye.
"Thank you so much," the Abbot said gratefully to Chu Lingjun and Long Chen. "You’ve traveled thousands of miles to return this Buddha bead to our Qingyin Temple. This Buddha bead is simply too important to us."
"Abbot, may I be so bold as to ask a question?" Chu Lingjun asked.
"I imagine you wish to know the origin of this Buddha bead," the Abbot said, stroking his beard.
"Yes," Chu Lingjun nodded. "To be honest, our Disciples of Martial Sect were ambushed by the Sword Ancestor while escorting this item. Of the original ten Disciples of Martial Sect, only the two of us made it here."
"The other disciples were all killed, and one more is still missing, their fate unknown. They all met this fate because they participated in this assessment, so..."
"Something like that actually happened?" The Abbot’s brow furrowed, his expression turning grim. "Amitabha."
Long Chen and Chu Lingjun remained silent, watching the Abbot.
The Abbot slowly began to speak. "This Buddha bead is of great importance to our Qingyin Temple. It contains one of our temple’s inheritances. Unfortunately, we have never been able to break its seal. While we were searching for a way to undo it, the bead was unexpectedly stolen by a mysterious person and vanished without a trace.
"It wasn’t until recently that our disciples discovered the bead’s whereabouts. They retrieved it after enduring great hardship, but they were gravely injured and on the brink of death. One of them was a close friend of your Martial Sect Elder and entrusted the Buddha bead to his care. Your Elder then notified us that it would be sent back to Qingyin Temple, turning the escort mission into an assessment.
"We just never imagined that you would encounter such a thing on your journey..."
BANG!
Taking advantage of everyone’s distraction, the Supervisor launched a surprise attack on the Abbot! A powerful palm strike landed squarely on the Abbot’s back.
SPURT!
The Abbot immediately coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Everyone’s expression changed drastically. Chu Lingjun and Long Chen were also stunned. No one had expected the Supervisor to launch a sneak attack on the Abbot!
The Supervisor seized the opportunity to snatch the Buddha bead and leaped toward the entrance of the main hall.
"Abbot!!"
The people of Qingyin Temple rushed to the Abbot’s side, asking with concern, "Are you alright?"
The Abbot, his face deathly pale, waved his hand. "Don’t worry, it’s just a minor injury. I’m not dead yet."
The Supervisor frowned slightly. How could this old bastard’s Inner Strength be so profound that a palm strike like that hadn’t killed him? Still, at least he’d succeeded in getting the Buddha bead.
The Abbot stared intently at the Supervisor and shouted sternly, "Fu Ming, do you realize what you are doing?"
"Of course, I do," Fu Ming replied with a cold smile.
The members of Qingyin Temple looked on in disbelief, questioning Fu Ming.
"Why?"
"How could you attack the Abbot?"
"You committed such a vile act! Don’t even think about leaving Qingyin Temple! We will deal with you according to the strictest temple regulations!"
Facing the questions from his fellow sect members, Fu Ming gave a cold laugh. "Rest assured, I never had any intention of leaving Qingyin Temple. I have been lying in wait for so many years, all for this very moment!"
As his voice fell, Fu Ming took out a marble and flicked it into the sky. The marble exploded mid-air, releasing a plume of smoke. He was signaling his allies.