Volume One: The Young Monk Returns to Secular Life Chapter Fifty: Return to the Monastery

“But… Master… my chicken isn’t cooked yet…” Mu Chen’s face turned pale; once the chicken was fried, it would be gone… and it was only a chick… He couldn’t help but feel a little regret. Yet, since his master had spoken, the chicken could not be saved.

“Oh…” Mu Chen frowned, but could only grit his teeth and prepare himself. He gathered his internal energy quickly.

“Haha… Beg for mercy, Xiao Yan!” Only when he was stocking up on fried chicken did Da Vinci’s fear dissipate. He was well aware of the drawbacks of this technique, but he had no choice—he had to do it.

“Heh… Your name is Mu Chen, right? Why not learn to cook with me… Forget about your fried chicken…” Xiao Yan shook his head and stepped forward slowly. But it was already too late; the wild surge of internal energy was steadily taking shape.

Amidst the chaos, Xiao Yan’s lips curled into a subtle smile, though neither Da Vinci nor Mu Chen noticed. Xiao Yan’s fist flattened into a palm, and in the center of his hand a black vortex began to form, as if it could devour all things.

“This…” Though Da Vinci couldn’t see it, he could feel the unique aura. His face changed drastically. “You bastard! You peeked at my ‘Star-Absorbing Technique’? Impossible… Even if you did, there’s no way you could master it so quickly…”

But Da Vinci didn’t know that there were indeed geniuses in this world who could learn a skill at a single glance—and even improve upon it. As it happened, Xiao Yan was exactly such a freak of nature.

“Heh…” The black vortex in Xiao Yan’s palm grew wider, its aura making those around break into a cold sweat.

Chen’s brother and sister stared wide-eyed. It had only been an hour since Xiao Yan got his hands on the ‘Star-Absorbing Technique’—yet he had already mastered it to this extent. What kind of perception did that require? Or perhaps, this was beyond what perception alone could achieve—only a true prodigy could do such a thing.

Though it wasn’t a peerless martial art, it was the supreme manual of the Skyward Alliance. Rumor had it, the leader of the Alliance spent a decade becoming proficient, barely producing a small black dot in his palm. Yet now, Xiao Yan’s vortex was as large as a plate.

It was incomprehensible. The siblings exchanged glances, finding only shock in each other’s eyes.

In truth, the ‘Star-Absorbing Technique’ was perfectly suited to Xiao Yan. It didn’t require much internal energy to begin with, only the size of one’s dantian. When the Skyward Alliance recruited new disciples, the size of their dantian was always a key criterion.

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Da Vinci, sensing the strange disturbance in the air, was astonished, but remained confident in his fried chicken. “Die, you bastard!” Da Vinci roared.

Mu Chen straightened his body in desperation, wild internal energy rampaging within him. If this chicken went off, he’d probably die too.

At this moment, a thousand thoughts ran through Mu Chen’s mind. If that wretched woman hadn’t broken off the engagement, he wouldn’t have gone to the back mountain, wouldn’t have met Da Vinci… and wouldn’t be here today frying chicken. But it was all too late.

In the next instant, Xiao Yan pressed his palms together and struck Mu Chen.

A rush of wild internal force surged into Xiao Yan.

“Damn… It really is the Star-Absorbing Technique…” Da Vinci realized something was wrong, but then sneered. “Heh… It’s useless. The principle of the Star-Absorbing Technique is to store stolen energy in the dantian. With the intensity of fried chicken’s internal energy, your dantian won’t be able to contain it. You’ll die all the same…”

“Heh…” Xiao Yan’s expression didn’t change, a slight smile lingering at the corner of his lips, and the aura within him remained completely steady.

“How… how is that possible…” Da Vinci had no way of knowing that Xiao Yan housed a Fa Hai within him—a veritable bottomless pit. He had no fear of his dantian being overwhelmed.

Thus, the terrifying black vortex appeared.

…

The chamber returned to stillness, as if nothing had ever happened. Each person inside wore a different expression.

Fa Hai’s face was one of fury, but when he realized the fried chicken was a dud, he quickly withdrew his anger, looking momentarily awkward.

Mu Chen, having lost all hope, now felt the wild joy of survival. Glancing down to see that the important part was still intact, he jumped up in exhilaration.

The Chen siblings’ faces were frozen in astonishment, their mouths agape enough to fit an egg.

Only Xiao Yan wore a calm, faint smile.

…

Several minutes of silence passed in the secret chamber as everyone mulled over and sorted through what had just occurred.

“Damn it…” Da Vinci had a bad feeling again. He grabbed Mu Chen and bolted.

“Hey… Little Mu Chen… You forgot your underwear… Come back…”

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The next day.

Sunlight poured down, the breeze was gentle, and not a cloud could be seen above Golden Mountain Temple.

Along the path to the temple, a bald young monk was gnawing on a plump chicken leg as he drove a carriage up the mountain.

These past days at Golden Mountain Temple had been dreadfully dull, the monks listless and weary. The abbot had decreed that only one vegetarian meal would be served each day, causing much discontent among the monks.

Still, there had been a piece of good news not long before. The little sweeping monk, by some chance, had met Li Bai, the greatest martial artist in the world. Impressed by the boy’s unusual bones, Li Bai had taken him as a disciple, and now the boy was off learning martial arts with him. His future seemed boundless, and the other monks were green with envy.

But Lin Dong felt no envy at all. He cheerfully continued his work as the “latrine boy.” After Xiao Yan slipped away, the five-star privy was left in his care.

He continued collecting fees from the martial artists who used the lavatory, delivering the silver to the abbot’s quarters just as Xiao Yan had instructed—never once pocketing any for himself, knowing full well what the money was for.

Of course, he was often bullied by the martial artists when collecting the fees, but with his trusty “Dung-Shoveling Sword Technique,” the little monk always succeeded in his task.

…

No one knew that the peace of Golden Mountain Temple would soon be shattered as the carriage on the mountain road drew nearer.

“Th-this is bad…”

It all began with a startled cry from the old sweeping monk.

“What’s all this shouting about? Where are your manners?” Elder Hui Ren had just exited the abbot’s quarters and scolded the old monk.

“No… it’s not that… Someone’s coming up the mountain… It’s a monk?” The old monk was breathless, panting as he spoke.

“A monk? Perhaps someone from another temple, here to discuss the Dharma?” Elder Hui Ren asked, puzzled.

“It’s… Xiao Yan!”

ps: Feeling unwell, requesting a day off. The stats make me feel like I can’t hold on. Please recommend and bookmark.