The biting cold wind whizzed through the cliff, like a sharp steel knife scraping bones. Even though Meng Qi had changed into thick monk robes and undergarments, he still shivered with cold, unable to help but circulate the Shaolin inner energy, letting it flow slowly within his body to dispel the bitter chill.

  The road to the back mountain has a sentry post every three steps and a watchtower every five steps. Even on the seemingly inaccessible cliff edges, there are monks guarding them. Meng Qi and Zhen Hui, Zhen Ding were arranged at the front of a narrow path that leads directly to the back mountain, with cliffs on both sides and dense forests in front.

  "Senior brother, are there any White Bone Spirits or Spider Spirits in the back mountain?" Zhen Hui had not yet opened up his dantian and his internal energy was growing slowly. He jumped lightly on the spot, his eyes fixed intently on the darkness at the end of the narrow path, which belonged to the back mountain.

  "Bai Gu Jing? Spider Spirit?" Zhen Yong was stunned for a moment, then shifted his gaze to Meng Qi, with that "what kind of weird story did you tell my little brother" look again.

  Meng Qi chuckled and, aside from the pressure of life and death in the cycle world due to his intense martial arts training, this was also one of his few hobbies: "Since True Marvelous Master said its a demon, ghost or monster, then there must be some kind of spirit."

  In this regard, he is still not very clear, so he deliberately raised it to see if Zhen Yong can answer one or two.

  Zhen Yong also stared blankly at the end of the narrow road, muttering to himself: "Real demons and monsters... how many people have seen them? Since the era of chaos on earth passed, the demon tribe has been silent and invisible. At least we ordinary people rarely see them, only occasionally hearing rumors of scholars encountering fox spirits or high-ranking officials subduing snake demons. Hehe, anyway, Ive never seen one."

  Meng Qi nodded and didnt ask more questions because Zhen Yong seemed to know very little indeed.

  The long night was endless, the frosty wind grew colder and colder. Zhen Hui had already found a stone to sit cross-legged on, while Zhen Yong paced back and forth to dispel the bitter cold.

  Because it had been quiet and soundless, with the high monks of Damo and Bodhi temples watching from behind, Meng Qi gradually put his mind on pondering the last step of the Divine Steps. Suddenly, a piercing cold wind blew by, Meng Qi shivered, his head cleared, and in a flash of insight, all sorts of difficulties were resolved.

  After understanding the key to the last step of Shen Xing Ba Bu, Meng Qis heart was burning with impatience, eager to practice.

  Although Zhen Yong "knew" he had a familys martial arts, Meng Qi was still not used to practicing the steps directly, unless using knife techniques to cover it up, but that would make too much noise and be easily discovered by people like Zhen Miao who were patrolling around, and suffer from scolding.

  Looking around, Meng Qi covered his stomach and said to Zhen Yong: "Brother, I have a stomachache, can you help me find a restroom? Its inconvenient here."

  At the time in the Scripture Library, Zhen Yong had such experiences several times and didnt think it was strange. He smiled and said: "Go quickly, if True Miao Shixiong and the others come over, I will help you explain."

  Meng Qi carried his sword and quickly entered the forest in front of him, not daring to go too far, just by the cliff wall, he began to practice his footwork around a giant tree.

  "The Eight Trigrams" was mysterious and unpredictable, and now that it was deep in the night with a dark sky, Meng Qi seemed like a ghost, appearing and disappearing from time to time.

  "Not bad, indeed it is!" Meng Qi practiced for a few more rounds, nodded his head in satisfaction, and decided to return.

  He was just about to take a step when he suddenly heard a faint rustling sound coming from the cliff wall, and his spirit tightened instantly. His heart sank to his feet as he quietly slid behind a large tree without making a sound.

  "Bad luck wont be this bad, right? Arent there Master Uncle and Master Brothers guarding the inner layer? And its also separated by a thick mountain ridge!" Meng Qis first instinct was that it was a demon or ghost.

  He stole a glance and saw that beside a huge stone with a faint reddish tint, the cliff wall had silently cracked open to reveal a large cave, from which a figure cautiously emerged.

  The figure fumbled around at a certain position behind the giant stone, and the rustling sound started again. The stone wall slowly closed in.

  "What kind of secret escape route did the monsters and ghosts dig out?" Meng Qi thought bitterly, regretting why he had to enter the forest.

  He originally thought that there would be at most some wild beasts here, and in the cold winter days, the beasts wouldnt come out to move around, it was a completely safe place, but who knew he would encounter such a bad thing!

  That figure turned around and was about to run towards the other side of the forest.

  At this time, with the help of the dim moonlight, Meng Qi saw clearly the face of this figure.

  He? Meng Qi was shocked and stunned, almost shouting out loud, but managed to bite his lip and hold it in.

  The person who came out from behind the mountain was actually Zhen Guan!

  That attack on oneself, painful with no hope of revenge!

  "Wasnt he already expelled from the mountain a long time ago?" Meng Qi thought in puzzlement, and on this point, he believed that Xuan Xin had not deceived himself, because Zhen Yan, who was close to him in the Miscellaneous Duties Courtyard, said that after that day, he had never seen Zhen Guan again.

  Meng Qi didnt make a move, watching Zhen Guan disappear into the distance, because he thought to himself that his own strength was still far from enough to get involved in affairs with demons and ghosts.

  "People should have some self-awareness, not everyone is the protagonist..." Meng Qi muttered to himself.

  If I rashly open that secret path and go in, Im afraid what awaits me isnt getting the demon beasts inner elixir or the demon tribes divine abilities, but rather being directly killed to silence me, having my flesh and blood devoured, or becoming a puppet. After all, only "main characters" get that kind of treatment, and it seems I dont have that kind of "destiny halo" right now.

  He quietly left the forest, deciding to find someone capable of handling this matter to investigate. Although he had long made up his mind to return to secular life, at least for now he was still within the Shaolin Temple. If Shaolin were to fall into chaos, it would be hard to say that he wouldnt suffer a calamity like a fish in a dried-up pond.

  "Zhen Ding, little brother, did you eat something bad?" Zhen Yong teased with a smile as he saw Meng Qi return late.

  Meng Qis face turned serious as he said, "Zhen Ding Shixiong, I encountered a strange thing when I went to the bathroom. Im afraid we need to report it to the inner sects Shifu and Shiniang!"

  "What? Then quickly release the fireworks!" Zhen Yong was startled, his eyes rolled around, and without asking what it was about, he directly let Meng Qi send out an emergency signal.

  Meng Qis mouth twitched slightly, this was indeed his senior brother, who was usually warm and straightforward, generous and righteous. At critical moments, he was still quite slippery, and unexpectedly didnt ask anything, trying to stay out of the matter.

  He didnt mind Zhen Yongs little thoughts, and simply decided to secretly guard against him. At this time, Zhen Hui rushed ahead of him, took out a small bamboo tube from his arms, aimed at the sky, and opened the lid.

  Whoosh! A red light shot up into the sky and exploded in mid-air, creating a dazzling spectacle.

  "Little Shidi is indeed a man of action, sending out signals without asking anything...". Meng Qi wiped the cold sweat and stood in front of Zhen Hui with his knife at the ready, on guard against any possible attack.

  After two or three breaths, Meng Qis vision blurred and he saw a middle-aged monk with a handsome appearance but an exceptionally worried look. He was wearing a yellow monk robe, draped in a red kasaya, his right hand grasping a string of black beads carved with Buddha images.

  "Yellow monks robe, red cassock...... Which is the abbot or elder of this temple?" Meng Qi opened his mouth to address him, but when he got to the edge of his lips, he suddenly froze. Should he call him Shifu, Shishu, or Taishishu? He didnt even recognize each other, and this generation gap was a headache.

  However, seeing such a high-ranking monk come over, Meng Qis heart was somewhat at ease.

  When the middle-aged monk arrived, his face was solemn, but after seeing that everything was calm here, his expression also eased. Seeing Meng Qi hesitating, he guessed what he was struggling with and smiled slightly: "My Buddhist name is Xuan Bei, why did you send out an emergency signal just now?"

  Is Xuanzi already the first seat or elder? Meng Qi was shocked, but still suppressed the turmoil in his heart and said what he had been thinking about earlier: "Xuan Bei Shu Shu, just now I went to the forest over there to relieve myself, and saw a secret door on the cliff..."

  Xuan Beis expression remained calm and unruffled as he listened to Meng Qi finish speaking, nodding his head slightly: "You did well, not reckless or secretive. That figure in the distance, are you certain it was Zhen Guan, who was previously expelled from the mountain gate?"

  "The disciple recognized his appearance, but didnt know if he was a monster transformed." Meng Qi replied honestly.

  Xuan Bei asked clearly about the location of the secret door and its surrounding features, then ordered: "Wait a moment, you follow Xuan Chi back to Wu Seng Yuan, leave things here to Lao Na."

  "Yes, Master Xuan Bei." Meng Qi couldnt bear to leave this place, now he was always worried that there would be monsters and ghosts lurking in the darkness nearby.

  With a mysterious and sorrowful air, his feet didnt move and his body didnt sway. Suddenly he vanished into thin air, only to reappear at the edge of the forest. Around him, the faint sound of Buddhist chanting could be heard, with flashes of Buddhas light flickering about. He was majestic and sacred, transcending the mundane world, as if a Bodhisattva had descended upon the earth.

  "This is the power of being close to the pinnacle of the outside world......" Zhen Yong muttered to himself, looking in the direction where Xuan Bei had disappeared.

  Meng Qi looked at him in surprise: "Really, Brother Yong Shi, do you know this Shifu?"

  Zhen Yong returned to his senses, filled with emotion, and said: "Except for the usual Xuan Chi, Xuan Ku, and other masters, I dont recognize any of the others. But this Xuan Bei master has a great reputation, Ive heard Zhen Chang Shixiong mention him before."

  Zhen Chang, is he the first of the three great disciples of Zhenzi? Meng Qi knew Zhen Chang, and its said that he was even more formidable than Zhen Miao and Zhen Ben.

  Zhen Yong continued: "Xuan Bei Shifu was originally a top-notch master who roamed the world, nicknamed Seven Extremes Hand. However, he later suffered a calamity and his entire family was exterminated. Although he eventually avenged himself, the other party had a deep background and a sect master-level figure came to capture him. He was already disheartened and disillusioned, and with this incident as a catalyst, he fled to my Shaolin Temple, devoted himself to Buddhism, severed worldly ties, and became a monk."

  "Because of his exceptional talent and devotion to Buddhism, he was highly valued by the abbot, who made an exception and accepted him as a direct disciple. He learned the "Mò Kē Fú Mó Quán" (Devil-subduing Fist) and quickly achieved a breakthrough, entering the ranks of the masters. Later, he became the first high-ranking monk of the Xuánzì generation to set foot in the outer Eight Heavens, just one step away from the pinnacle."

  "This kind of person is always full of legend..." Meng Qi thought quietly, while Zhen Hui listened with relish.

  Later, Zhen Miao and others rushed over, as well as many yellow-robed monks that Meng Qi did not recognize. The three were then led back to the Wu Seng Yuan by Xuan Chi.

  Every other morning, just as Meng Qi was about to go out and practice his writing and investigate the outcome of this matter (since he didnt have to get up early to fetch water after watching over the back mountain the day before), the door to the house was suddenly pushed open, and that rather ominous-looking monk Xuan Kong walked in, followed by Zhen Yong with his head hung low.

  "Your discovery yesterday foiled a plot by some evil spirits in the back mountain, and the Bodhi Institute will reward you, but it wont be for several days. However, since you abandoned your post while guarding the main road, the Precepts Institute has no choice but to punish you. Taking into account your contributions this time, youll just have to face the wall in the meditation room for three days."

  Is it just facing the wall for three days? Meng Qi let out a sound, and he didnt take this punishment to heart because it was too light, which suited him just fine as he could calm down and refine his inner power.

  He was eagerly looking forward to the reward from Bodhi Temple, would it be one of the seventy-two ultimate skills?

  Three days later, Meng Qi finished his meal and completed his meditation. He pushed open the door with a relaxed and joyful expression.

  "Hey, little brother, why dont you look very happy?" Meng Qi met Zhen Hui as soon as he went out.

  Zhen Hui said angrily: "Today, Master and Uncle came to choose a disciple, but you, Senior Brother, were punished to face the wall and cannot come out."

  Meng Qis face suddenly darkened, so this was the real purpose!

  Is it because of the previous disrespect, or is it really the brother in the Vinaya Hall?

  He narrowed his eyes and said calmly to Zhen Hui: "Lets go to the Martial Arts Hall."

  Although Meng Qi didnt really want to become a disciple, it would be difficult for him to leave Shaolin Temple if he did, but facing this situation still wouldnt make him happy.

  As soon as the words fell, Meng Qi suddenly saw two lines of words on the thin snow in the courtyard:

  "The Second Cycle Begins!"

  "Please make psychological preparations, and when reopened later, you will no longer be notified, but directly pulled in."