Yuanshun Temple was already a temple deserted by worshippers. The walls inside were entirely leaning to and fro, teetering on the verge of collapse and posing a fatal hazard to anyone beneath them.
Despite this, Wuming hurried back to the temple. He did not return to retrieve anything, but rather to take one last look before his departure, so as to set his mind at rest.
In truth, the temple had long been stripped bare of everything. Aside from a tattered quilt on a bed of hay, there was virtually nothing else to be found.
The temple appeared utterly desolate, overrun everywhere with wild grass and brambles. Even the flagstones and the bases of the walls were carpeted with green moss.
He and his master had devoted themselves solely to cultivation day in and day out, leaving no spare time to clear away the debris.
Even so, Wuming instinctively walked into the temple. He first went to look in the bedroom, where there was fundamentally nothing worth taking along.
Wuming and his master had lived here for sixteen years. Now that the time had come to leave, a deep nostalgia welled up in his heart. Who knew when, in what year or month, he would ever be able to return?
Yet there was no help for it; reality demanded it. For now, he had to leave this place, venture out into the pugilistic world, and seek his biological parents.
Wuming stood in a daze for a short while before turning and heading to the Mahavira Hall. At the very least, he had to bid his farewells to the Patriarch!
Upon reaching the Mahavira Hall, Wuming dropped to his knees and pressed his palms together in a greeting. Facing the statue of the Patriarch, he murmured, "Respected Patriarch, please accept the bow of your disciple's descendant."
With that, Wuming immediately kowtowed three resounding times, then took an oath: "This disciple is leaving the temple in accordance with my master's dying wish. Once my search for my family succeeds, I will rebuild this temple and revive its incense offerings. I shall not break this vow."
His oath completed, Wuming stood up and cast one final glance at the Patriarch's statue.
Just as Wuming was about to leave the Mahavira Hall, he suddenly noticed a small green snake wriggling near the Patriarch's feet, though he had no idea when it had gotten there.
Wuming felt not the slightest bit of fear toward the little green snake. After all, having grown up from childhood in the deep mountains and ancient forests, he was truly accustomed to seeing all kinds of snakes.
There were countless species of snakes, broadly categorized into venomous and non-venomous ones. Sometimes snakes would even crawl into his quilt and sleep right beside him.
Snakes possessed spiritual awareness as well; as long as one did not provoke them, they would not attack unprovoked.
Yet he felt that today's little green snake was somewhat special. To be precise, it should be called a Little Green Dragon, for this Little Green Dragon had limbs, claws, and dragon whiskers.
Regardless of whether it was a snake or a dragon, Wuming still intended to catch it and see what it truly was, so as to avoid any lingering regret or remorse later on.
When it came to catching snakes, Wuming was an expert. No matter how massive the fierce serpent might be, he could capture it with ease, never once making a mistake.
Moreover, Wuming's snake-catching technique was as fast as lightning; no matter what kind of snake it was, it would have no chance of escape.
Sure enough, Wuming accurately seized the Little Green Dragon right by its vital spot.
Who could have imagined that this unassuming Little Green Dragon possessed immense might? Had it not been for Wuming's masterful skill, it would have nearly slipped away.
That being the case, how could this seemingly tiny green dragon pack such tremendous power? It was unmatched by even the most ferocious giant serpents.
Once captured, the Little Green Dragon proved extremely restless, suddenly soaring into the air and shattering the roof of the Mahavira Hall.
Seeing this, Wuming could not help being startled. What on earth was going on with this Little Green Dragon?
Wuming had no time to ponder further, nor was he willing to give up so easily. He immediately channeled all his internal strength and gripped the Little Green Dragon tightly, soaring upward into mid-air along with it.
The Little Green Dragon tossed and turned with Wuming in mid-air for quite a while, yet remained entirely unable to shake off Wuming's hold. With no other choice, the Little Green Dragon finally softened, obediently returning to the Mahavira Hall.
Upon landing, Wuming looked closely at the Little Green Dragon once more, only to discover that the creature in his hand was no longer a Little Green Dragon at all, but rather a small, brilliantly emerald-glowing treasured sword.
How strange! What he had clearly been holding in his hand was a Little Green Dragon; how had it turned into a small treasured sword now?
Driven by curiosity, Wuming brought the small treasured sword close to his eyes and examined it carefully, only to discover a line of inconspicuous small characters inscribed upon the hilt.
"Spiritual Deity Sword"
The name slipped involuntarily from Wuming's lips.
Right, wasn't this the legendary "Spiritual Deity Sword" spoken of among martial artists? It seemed the legend was indeed true; he simply never expected the Spiritual Deity Sword to be concealed right beneath the Patriarch's feet.
In that case, this must be a treasure bestowed upon him by the Patriarch. Truly, heaven was aiding him!
He never imagined that such a treasure would fall into his hands. It seemed he must be the direct descendant of the Patriarch.
Seeing such a priceless treasure, Wuming found it impossible to put down, constantly cradling it in his palm and gazing at it intently.
As he watched, a sudden trace of regret stirred within Wuming, and he muttered involuntarily, "It's just a pity this Spiritual Deity Sword is too small. How wonderful it would be if it could be a bit bigger!"
Before Wuming could finish speaking, the Spiritual Deity Sword actually grew larger, expanding to twice its previous size.
Witnessing this, Wuming was struck dumb with astonishment. Just now, he had merely spoken offhand—how had it actually come true?
This meant the Spiritual Deity Sword could understand human nature! This was truly miraculous, capable of growing or shrinking at will.
Wuming looked at it and tentatively said, "It would be even better if the Spiritual Deity Sword could grow a little larger."
Sure enough, the Spiritual Deity Sword expanded further.
Seeing that the Spiritual Deity Sword possessed such capabilities, joy bloomed across Wuming's face. He began chanting variations of growing, shrinking, lengthening, and shortening until he could wield the Spiritual Deity Sword with complete ease.
Beholding his beloved Spiritual Deity Sword, Wuming could not resist brandishing it. As he unleashed his moves, the sword stirred fierce winds and kicked up clouds of dust.
Realizing this, Wuming hurriedly reined in his stance, fearing that a single burst of excessive force might demolish the temple, leaving him with no face to meet the Patriarch.
With this thought, Wuming dared not practice any further. Instead, he quickly shrunk the Spiritual Deity Sword down until it was very tiny, placing it directly against his chest to stay alongside Little Jade Rabbit.
Only then did Wuming ask playfully, "Little Jade Rabbit, I've let the Spiritual Deity Sword stay with you—you won't blame me, will you?"
"How could I? I'm too happy for words, because the Spiritual Deity Sword can protect me."
Hearing Little Jade Rabbit speak filled Wuming with boundless joy. With this, someone would be chatting with him, and he would no longer feel lonely.
Wuming replied happily, "Thank you, Little Jade Rabbit, for understanding me!"
"Don't thank me. The one you truly need to thank is the Patriarch."
"Right, right, right. What you say is true; I must definitely thank the Patriarch."
Once more, Wuming dropped to his knees and pressed his palms together, saying to the Patriarch, "I thank the Patriarch for your boundless grace in bestowing this priceless treasure, the Spiritual Deity Sword, upon your disciple."