As Li Xuan closed his eyes, Anan, who had also closed his eyes, reopened them. He then looked at Li Xuan, a hint of confusion in his eyes.
"My Buddha, the destined one, will it truly be him? I find it difficult to see this person's destiny. However, whether he is worthy of my following depends on your Buddha-nature."
A flicker of hesitation crossed Anan's eyes. After another glance at Li Xuan, he slowly closed his eyes.
Unaware of Anan's thoughts, Li Xuan was already immersed in deep contemplation. With Anan's hint and Li Xuan's understanding of the Way of the Sword, the two converged. Through comparison, Li Xuan gradually began to gain insight.
"My Way is myself. The Way is everywhere, and Buddha is everywhere. For those who believe, Buddha is everywhere. For those who do not believe, even if Buddha is before their eyes, they will not know."
"It seems this question, though seemingly simple, is actually testing the contestants' level of recognition of Buddha. Since I believe in the Way, then Buddha naturally exists. The Way and Buddha can be one; where the Way exists, Buddha also exists."
"Buddha is in the heart; if there is Buddha in the heart, Buddha is everywhere. However, my path must ultimately lead forward. Whether it is the Way or Buddha, I am who I am."
"Since you ask where Buddha is, my answer is that Buddha is between heaven and earth, perhaps a tree, perhaps a blade of grass. All sentient beings can be Buddha. I am also Buddha. And Buddha is not necessarily me."
Sounds echoed continuously in Li Xuan's mind, like thunder, causing his body to tremble slightly. However, the golden light around him once again appeared and condensed.
Outside Mount Sumeru, as the golden light appeared on Li Xuan's body, a muffled thunderclap suddenly reverberated through the heavens and earth.
Then, the lords of various factions were stunned, for in the sky above Mount Sumeru, Sanskrit runes appeared out of thin air and began to chant.
Even Golden Wheel Buddha and Guanyin Buddha were both visibly shocked. They exchanged glances, then simultaneously moved their divine senses, looking towards the Buddhist field within the great gate.
However, in a mere instant, they revealed expressions of disbelief. With their strength, they were unable to probe into it and find the person who had evoked the Sanskrit chanting.
"To be able to block our scrutiny. Who is this person? Could it be Anan?" Golden Wheel Buddha glanced at Guanyin Buddha, immediately realizing that the latter, like himself, had not probed within with their divine senses.
"Om Mani Padme Hum..."
At this moment, a loud, ancient, and resonant voice suddenly rang out through the heavens and earth. With a single utterance, both Golden Wheel Buddha and Guanyin Buddha were greatly shocked.
"This is... the Six-Syllable Mantra of my Buddha! Could it be that a reincarnated Buddha Venerable has appeared!" Golden Wheel Buddha spoke with some difficulty, his voice clearly trembling slightly.
"Could it be that in this Buddhist field, a fallen Buddha Venerable of my sect has reincarnated and awakened?" As Golden Wheel Buddha finished speaking, the other ten Buddha Venerables in the sky above Mount Sumeru also appeared before them and said,
"First the Sanskrit chanting, and now the Six-Syllable Mantra of my Buddha adds to its power. Among the fallen Buddha Venerables of my sect, who could it be?" Medicine Buddha also frowned slightly, looking at Guanyin Buddha and saying.
"Strange, in the past, when a Buddha Venerable appeared, we could all perceive some signs. But this time, it is difficult to see clearly."
"..."
"The destined one has appeared. You all must adhere to your duties and preside over this selection competition for Buddha's disciples. The destined one appearing on our Pure Land Continent, whether it is a blessing or a curse, is yet unknown."
As the twelve supreme beings spoke in speculation, a powerful voice suddenly sounded through the heavens and earth. Upon hearing this, Golden Wheel Buddha and the others immediately showed devout expressions and knelt towards the sky.
"We respectfully obey the Buddha's oral command."
"The destined one? Guanyin Buddha, you constantly listen to the Buddha's teachings at his side, have you ever heard of this destined one?" After Golden Wheel Buddha and the twelve rose, the extremely vast golden light had already disappeared. Aranyani Buddha looked at Guanyin Buddha and directly asked.
As Aranyani Buddha inquired, the other ten also looked towards Guanyin Buddha, clearly wanting to know about the destined one.
"Since the Buddha has issued an oral command, we need only obey the Buddha's arrangements. Regarding the destined one, I also know very little. However, what can be determined now is that the destined one is definitely within this Buddhist field. Who do you think could be the destined one?"
Guanyin Buddha's expression remained unchanged, but a hint of apprehension lay deep within his eyes.
"Among the contestants in this Buddhist field now, in terms of their allegiance to Buddha, it is naturally Anan. However, is the destined one truly Anan?" Golden Wheel Buddha pondered for a moment, then asked with doubt.
"Anan? This person once received a personal descent and enlightenment from the Buddha. Perhaps he is indeed the destined one." Luocai Buddha nodded in agreement upon recalling who Anan was.
"If Anan is the destined one, why did the Buddha not directly bring him back to Spirit Mountain?" Duobao Buddha shook his head and said.
"What Duobao Buddha said is not unreasonable. This point is indeed difficult to explain. Also, this destined one, what is destiny?" Dingguang Buddha also nodded in agreement.
"Everyone, it is most important to preside over the current selection competition for Buddha's disciples. As for who the destined one is, the truth will eventually surface. Furthermore, since the Buddha himself has personally appeared, we shall simply obey the Buddha's arrangements."
"To be disturbed by the destined one now shows that our cultivation is still insufficient." Seeing everyone speaking in speculation, Guanyin Buddha chanted a Buddhist phrase, and his voice rang out like thunder.
"Sinful, sinful. It is we who are deluded." Dingguang Buddha and Baorulai Buddha and others all chanted a Buddhist phrase, bowed to Guanyin Buddha, and then stepped into the void and departed.
"We shall continue to wait," Guanyin Buddha said to Golden Wheel Buddha after Dingguang Buddha and the others left.
Golden Wheel Buddha nodded and then, with a movement of his figure, returned to the sky above Mount Sumeru.
Within the Buddhist field.
As the Sanskrit chanting sounded outside and the Six-Syllable Mantra appeared, Li Xuan, who was seated on a cushion, had his golden light surge. This scene caused Anan to sense it and look towards Li Xuan, a hint of shock clearly in his eyes.
"Buddha's Sanskrit chanting, the Six-Syllable Mantra... It has actually appeared!" Anan murmured, his gaze towards Li Xuan becoming somewhat complex.
As Anan contemplated, Li Xuan, who had fallen into enlightenment, rapidly condensed the golden light on his body. Then, another layer of Buddha statues condensed above his head. After seven days passed, the number of Buddha statues Li Xuan had condensed finally reached the fifth layer.
"The fifth layer. It seems he has understood the true meaning of Buddha. However, such talent is still not enough for me to follow you." Anan nodded slightly as he looked at the golden light emanating from Li Xuan, then whispered.
"Hmm?" At this moment, Anan, who was about to continue condensing Buddha statues, suddenly looked astonished. The faint golden light on Li Xuan's body became bright again.
"The sixth layer..." Anan shook his head with a wry smile, clearly not expecting that his hint would allow Li Xuan to consecutively comprehend the Way of Buddha. Now, he had reached parity with his own comprehension of the Way of Buddha.
"Let me see how much you can achieve!" Although shocked by Li Xuan's change, Anan was a Buddhist practitioner, and his state of mind had long been cultivated to be like still water. After a brief moment of astonishment, Anan's expression returned to normal, and he slowly closed his eyes.
Around him, although Li Xuan's changes were significant, they attracted very little attention. After all, the contestants who had entered the second phase of the Buddhist field wanted to exhaust their potential and condense more layers of golden light.
Those contestants who did not quite understand the second phase's question-and-answer session also entered into cultivation. Therefore, even though Li Xuan had condensed six layers of Buddha statues, no one noticed. Otherwise, it would have surely attracted considerable attention.
However, on the light screen outside Mount Sumeru, the human figure behind Li Xuan's name shot out dazzling golden light. With the consecutive condensation of two layers of golden light, the solidity of the Buddha statue behind Li Xuan's name was becoming faintly discernible.
"Someone has actually caught up to Anan and successfully condensed the sixth layer of Buddha statues!"
"Seven days have already passed, and it's not too shocking to be able to condense the sixth layer of Buddha statues. However, this Li Xuan seems to be that contestant who suddenly burst forth towards the end of the first phase. I wonder where Manager Jiang Shang found this external help."
"Is Li Xuan's sudden outburst related to the previous Sanskrit chanting and the appearance of the Six-Syllable Mantra?"
"..."
As Li Xuan's Buddha statue condensation changed, the lords of various factions and onlookers around them began to discuss again.
Even Golden Wheel Buddha and Guanyin Buddha exchanged glances, nodding with a hint of speculation.
"Huh? Someone else has caught up to Anan."
At this moment, Golden Wheel Buddha looked at the light screen with a sense of premonition. He saw that the moment Li Xuan's name faded, Li Liqing's name also instantly brightened. Looking at the number of golden light layers, it had also reached six.
Not only that, but the light screen was filled with golden light, and in a short while, more than a thousand names floated up. Clearly, these people had all condensed six layers of Buddha statues.
This scene left everyone present stunned. They had originally thought that condensing Buddha statues was very difficult, but they did not expect this to be the scene now.
"Over a thousand people have condensed the sixth layer of Buddha statues in the second phase. Is their comprehension truly that strong?"
Golden Wheel Buddha looked at the light screen as it gradually dimmed, then said to Guanyin Buddha with a wry smile.
Guanyin Buddha pondered for a moment and then said, "Perhaps it is due to the appearance of the Buddha's Sanskrit chanting and our Six-Syllable Mantra that they have gained a deeper understanding of the Way of Buddha. However, this way, the selection of the chosen one seems to have become much broader."
"Could it not be Anan?" Golden Wheel Buddha asked in shock.
Guanyin Buddha pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly.