Getting a Sugar Mommy in Cultivation World!!
Chapter 699 - 699: Abbot Mu Lian

"You must be Abbot Mu Lian, the first patriarch of the Temple of Eternal Body."

Noah glanced at Xu Tianhua standing on the side, still standing with his eyes closed and his brows furrowed, before turning his attention to the front.

Standing before him was an old monk; his back was straight despite his aged appearance. He looked so old that his skin was sagging and his eyes were popping out, not to mention his body appeared to be translucent.

His expression confirmed one thing: that he was not standing before Noah in his body, but instead it was his soul form that was present before him.

"Who I am is a whisper of the past." The old man smiled warmly, "And you are someone intriguing. Even though you could have left the illusion at any point, you chose to continue anyway."

Despite the carefree warm behavior he was letting on, Noah could read what he was trying to hide beyond it. His gaze slowly moved towards the thing he was holding in his hands, a wooden prayer bead bracelet, each bead polished smooth from years of use.

But unlike his illusionary soul body, these beads were very real. Just as he glanced at the beads, Noah sensed the hidden worries inside the monk's heart intensify.

"I was curious about the contents of the trial. Thought it was a wonderful way to relax when you can live a year in a second." Noah chuckled, sensing his reaction, and acted as if he had not noticed it.

But then, something unexpected happened.

The beads in the monk's hands suddenly started glowing; they escaped the monk's tight hold and flew towards Noah and fell into his extended palm.

In his palm, the beads suddenly started emitting warm light and changed. Right under their eyes, the wooden beads in the bracelet morphed into shining golden beads that radiated righteous light and gave off the feeling that they were capable of vanquishing all evil.

Seeing this, the monk did not seem to be surprised; on the contrary, he showed a bitter smile to Noah before explaining, "This trial was to test the heart of the participants and choose a worthy wielder for this treasure."

"I don't know why you took the path you took, but these praying beads have judged you to be someone worthy of its power." Noah could see the monk glancing in the direction of the junior monk in the room, and a flicker of pity flashed through his eyes.

"Where are the others?" Noah rubbed the beads in his hands, smelling the sweet, mellow scent radiating from them, and looked around curiously.

"They have already failed in their trials and have been moved to another trial room where they are exploring other opportunities that are meant for them."

Noah accepted his words with a nod and turned to look at Xu Tianhua once more; this time, the expression on the young man's face was resolute.

"I wonder if a fellow Daoist is willing to listen to a request of mine." Not being able to contain the agitation in his heart, the monk sighed and gestured towards the golden beads in his hands and said, "The bracelet of a thousand echoes is an item of great power; those who can channel its power can fight against even those powerhouses who are the budding soul realm."

"And this bracelet has also been the legacy of the Temple of Eternal Body. I used these praying beads to establish a place for wandering monks like me and give them a place they could call their home."

Mu Lian looked at the bracelet in Noah's hands with a melancholy look and let out a long sigh. "And with my death, this part of the legacy has been away from the world for too long, and I was hoping—"

His words were cut short as a slow hum echoed in the room, catching their attention. Xu Tianhua, who had been trapped in the illusion, finally woke up. His eyes fluttered in recognition as he saw Noah standing beside him, but when he saw Mu Lian, he immediately bowed to the monk.

"Greetings, Ancestor!" Tianhua clearly recognized the man before him and gave him the proper respect required by a person of his stature.

"Rise up, my child." The monk smiled kindly, his expression instantly warming up to the boy. Xu Tianhua followed his instructions and straightened his back, but then he noticed something.

"Ancestor… your body!" He exclaimed in shock and worry, making Mu Lian chuckle, "Disciple, I am already dead, and this is a part of my soul body, swimming against the tide of death and life, just to pass on my legacy to the destined one."

As he talked about the destined one, his eyes involuntarily moved towards Noah before he continued, "This way, I won't have my regrets before leaving."

Xu Tianhua said nothing; he lowered his head, seemingly lost in his thoughts, until Noah called him out.

"What did you witness in the illusion?" He asked curiously, holding on to the bracelet in his right hand.

"I was sent to a pitiful place called Brandis City; the city was affected with plagues and diseases. They were also being extorted by the bandits."

Xu Tianhua snapped towards Noah and started recounting everything in a daze. From the start, Noah realized that their experience had been very different, but the core of the trial still remained the same.

"I walked around the city providing my help where I could, but then things only got worse as the time went on; people started treating me as some kind of Messiah and came to me for every single problem."

Xu Tianhua's voice choked with heaviness, "Even the city lord came to me for help with the bandits, and people of the city seemed to hate him for some reason, but the man was only trying to keep them all alive."

His eyes started darting towards the old monk, filled with guilt and sadness. " At one point I even thought about killing those adults because they were fighting little kids for food and resources."

"I have never seen humanity at such a low point." After reaching this point, silence filled the room. The older monk did not offer any word of comfort, as he already knew about everything that had happened with his trial.

"What happened next?" Noah was different; he knew nothing about it. So he asked it openly with curiosity.

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