Looking at Nezha and Yang Jian, who were continuously trying to persuade him beside him, Shen Gongbao felt a wave of emotion in his heart.
Though he had only met these juniors a few times and they had never given him a favorable look in the past, they were not yet too deeply influenced by the Chan Sect and still knew enough to care about his current plight.
On the other hand, those senior brothers and sisters who should have been closest to him regarded him, their fellow junior brother, like a thief. It was enough to chill a person to the bone for no reason.
Shen Gongbao let out a soft sigh and slowly drew a crystal-clear feather from his sleeve. It was Baihe's natal artifact, containing a wisp of her aura and spiritual power. Shen Gongbao handed it to Nezha beside him:
"This is the natal feather of our fellow apprentice-niece Baihe. I will trouble the two of you to hand it over to her. As for Qingxu Daode Zhenjun, you need not concern yourselves with him."
"But..."
Looking at the feather in his hand, Nezha wanted to offer more advice, but Shen Gongbao stopped him:
"The rules of the Chan Sect came first, and Qingxu Daode Zhenjun broke the rules afterward. I do not believe that Master would punish me for this. Furthermore, through the battle just now, I have gained some insight into the doctrines of our Chan Sect. Right now, I have no time to deal with that Qingxu Daode Zhenjun."
With that, Shen Gongbao said no more, sat cross-legged directly, closed his eyes to gather his focus, and began the meticulous refinement of the cultivation within his body.
Twelve consecutive infusions of cultivation, like trickling streams converging into a river, had long since been enough to propel Shen Gongbao's cultivation past the shackles of the Mid Mysterious Immortal stage and toward a brand-new realm.
For him, the most pressing matter at this moment was to strike while the iron was hot and thoroughly break through to the Late Mysterious Immortal stage.
Watching Shen Gongbao suddenly enter a state of cultivation, his power continuously rising, and then breaking through directly to the Late Mysterious Immortal stage in the span of just a quarter of an hour, Nezha and Yang Jian exchanged glances, both of their eyes filled with utter disbelief.
"Junior Uncle Shen, making a breakthrough so effortlessly is simply too astonishing!"
"It seems Junior Uncle Shen's natural talent is far higher than we previously imagined. Before this, he could defeat Qingxu Daode Zhenjun at the Mid Mysterious Immortal stage. Now that his cultivation has broken through once more, his strength is probably not at the very bottom even among the Twelve Golden Immortals!"
For a long time, in the introductions given by their master, Shen Gongbao was the most incompetent among the second-generation disciples of the Chan Sect.
Whenever he was mentioned, it was with the utmost depreciation.
Yet now, having truly witnessed Shen Gongbao's strength, the two of them realized that this Junior Uncle Shen of theirs did not seem as mediocre as their master had claimed.
...
Inside Yuxu Palace,
Yuanshi Tianzun waved his sleeve, and the images before everyone dissipated, though their minds remained somewhat unsettled for a long time.
Shen Gongbao's cultivation had actually broken through once again.
Coupled with that previous breakthrough when he emerged from the Ice Prison,
in merely half a month, he had broken through from the Early Mysterious Immortal stage all the way to the Late Mysterious Immortal stage.
Such a rapid ascent in cultivation, even with everyone present being the cream of the crop among humans, compelled them to secretly call it madness.
At this moment, Master Yuding stepped forward, his expression solemn and his words earnest:
"Master, if Shen Gongbao's cultivation really is due to his comprehension of our Chan Sect's doctrines..."
Yuanshi Tianzun raised a hand to stop Master Yuding from continuing.
He understood Master Yuding's meaning.
Yet he could not muster the slightest shred of goodwill toward Shen Gongbao. The faster Shen Gongbao's cultivation improved, the more it felt like a slap to the face of him, a Sage of Heaven and Earth.
He began to divine the heavenly secrets, yet still gained nothing. This situation was not happening for the first time.
What made Yuanshi Tianzun feel even more uncomfortable was that, over these past few days, he had faintly sensed the favor of this world toward their Chan Sect waning. Yuanshi Tianzun was well aware of what such a situation implied.
"According to previous calculations, although our Chan Sect is also included in this God-Conferring Tribulation, isn't it true that as long as we hold the God-Conferring Board, we can minimize the impact of the tribulation on our Chan Sect? Why do I now sense a massive crisis for the Chan Sect?"
Yuanshi Tianzun turned his gaze toward the southeast:
"Could Junior Brother have done something outside my expectations, causing the crisis of this God-Conferring Tribulation to return to our Chan Sect once again?"
Just as Yuanshi Tianzun was pondering the possible causes of this change and what it represented, Qingxu Daode Zhenjun, battered and covered in wounds, hurried into Yuxu Palace and wailed loudly before him:
"Master, that animal Shen Gongbao not only destroyed your disciple's Five-Fire Seven-Fowl Fan, but even dared to make a move against your disciple. You must seek justice for me!"
A trace of displeasure flashed across Yuanshi Tianzun's eyes.
He truly disliked beasts in human guise like Shen Gongbao. Back then, had he not mistakenly believed that Shen Gongbao was the person predestined to be conferred a god, he would never have taken him in as a disciple.
Later on, it was only out of regard for the reputation of the Chan Sect that he did not expel Shen Gongbao from Yuxu Palace.
Yet you, a dignified member of the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect and the true face of the entire sect, could not even defeat a newcomer like Shen Gongbao. Do you have any shame left?
This was not only slapping your own face, but also slapping the face of your master!
Yuanshi Tianzun's voice was as cold as frost, piercing every inch of space within the hall with unquestionable majesty:
"As dignified second-generation disciples of the Chan Sect, you have actually learned to fight among yourselves. You are all doing just fine! Your Eldest Senior Brother has already gone to fetch Shen Gongbao. As for you, kneel right here first!"
Shen Gongbao slowly gathered the spiritual energy surging around his body. With this period of seclusion, not only had he successfully stepped into the Late Mysterious Immortal stage, but nourished by this torrent of cultivation power, he had also tempered his newly advanced foundation until it was as solid as a rock, without the slightest trace of hollowness.
Shen Gongbao slowly opened his eyes, which flashed with the composure and confidence brought by his new realm.
However, upon seeing the person before him, the joy of Shen Gongbao's cultivation breakthrough instantly vanished, and he said in a calm tone:
"Eldest Senior Brother, what instructions do you have in seeking your junior brother?"
Feeling the sudden change in Shen Gongbao's expression, Wuliang Xianweng felt a pang in his heart.
Before this, among all his fellow apprentices, Shen Gongbao had trusted him the most.
Whenever he was bullied by other fellow apprentices, Shen Gongbao would confide in him, but now, Wuliang Xianweng clearly felt Shen Gongbao growing distant from him.
With a complex expression, Wuliang Xianweng said:
"Master already knows about the conflict between you and Junior Brother Qingxu Daode. Come with me to Yuxu Palace now."
Shen Gongbao nodded and said:
"Alright."
"Junior Brother Shen, has your cultivation now broken through to the Late Mysterious Immortal stage?"
"Mhm."
"Then I truly congratulate Junior Brother Shen. With your current cultivation, you are only a step away from the Golden Immortal realm. Once you break through to the Golden Immortal realm, you can contend for a position among the Twelve Golden Immortals."
"Mhm."
"Junior Brother Shen, the speed at which your cultivation has been improving lately is quite astonishing. Is there any secret to it?"
"Just luck."
...
Along the way, Wuliang Xianweng kept trying to strike up a conversation with Shen Gongbao, but all he received were perfunctory replies.
Sighing helplessly, Wuliang Xianweng finally chose to keep his mouth shut.
Beside him, Shen Gongbao sneered inwardly.
As the Eldest Senior Brother of the Chan Sect, Wuliang Xianweng always presented an amiable facade to the outside world, acting with great affection toward his disciples. But only Shen Gongbao, who had lived a second life, knew that the only thing he ever cared about was the Chan Sect itself.
In his previous life, what had all his pleas for help brought in return?
They were all met with Wuliang Xianweng's words:
"We disciples of the Chan Sect are all kind-hearted; they have never targeted you. You should examine yourself more and look for the problem within."
"Since you feel a barrier exists between you and the other fellow apprentices, you need all the more to treat them with sincerity and use your genuine heart to melt that invisible wall of ice. Only then can you win their true recognition."