As soon as they entered the Myriad Sutra Tower, a scent of ink greeted them.
The first floor of the Myriad Sutra Tower was lined with bookshelves, filled with scriptures.
Xu Yi, upon seeing so many books, was awestruck.
Nowadays, most of the ancient texts passed down or the insights of powerful cultivators were recorded on jade slips, making handwritten books like these rare.
She didn't linger on the first floor for too long before, guided by the Second Elder, she ascended the stairs.
Second floor, third floor…
She continued until the sixth floor. Seeing that the Second Elder had no intention of stopping, Xu Yi took the initiative to halt.
"Does the Second Elder intend to lead me to the seventh floor?"
"That is my intention."
Xu Yi's lips twitched slightly, "The seventh floor must house the most important scriptures of the Myriad Buddha Sect. It might not be appropriate for me to go, would it?"
Xu Yi wasn't truly embarrassed, but rather feared trouble.
If she ascended to the seventh floor and the Second Elder suddenly gave her a treasure similar to the Spirit Demon Orb, then coaxed her into a secret realm to kill demons, wouldn't she be the one to suffer in the end?
"Junior Xu, don't you wish to know why I always say you have a connection with the Myriad Buddha Sect?"
Xu Yi's heart stirred; of course, she wanted to know.
But she always felt that if she were to ascend, she would learn of some earth-shattering event, so she hesitated.
"Then, Junior Xu, don't you wish to know about the past of Fairy Jinghong?"
Xu Yi: !
What did the Second Elder mean by that?
Did he know she was from the Xuanji Sect and thus assumed she would be curious about the deeds of Fairy Jinghong, also from the Xuanji Sect?
Or did he know something she didn't?
The Second Elder's smile suddenly became detestable in Xu Yi's eyes.
The Second Elder was clearly setting a trap for her, yet she had to brace herself and leap into it.
Gritting her teeth, she followed the Second Elder onto the seventh floor.
The seventh floor was not much different from the other floors. The only distinction was that in the center of the seventh floor stood an ancient desk, upon which lay a rolled-up scroll.
"Junior Xu, please unfurl this scroll."
Xu Yi looked at the scroll, her feet seemingly rooted to the ground, unable to take a step.
She had a premonition that something momentous would be revealed upon opening the scroll.
The Second Elder watched her with a smile, not urging her, yet exuding immense pressure.
Xu Yi took a deep breath, her gaze firm, and strode forward, abruptly unrolling the scroll.
As the scroll unfurled, her expression gradually froze, leaving her standing there in a daze.
The painting depicted a woman with sharp brows and piercing eyes, dressed in green robes. Her posture was as straight as a drawn sword.
Her lips curved upwards as if smiling, yet her aura, even through the parchment, instilled fear.
More importantly, she held a black disciplinary ruler in her hand.
"This, this is me?"
Xu Yi's expression flickered for a moment, then her gaze fixed intently on the portrait, examining it inch by inch.
It was her, yet it was not her.
Although her face and the artifact were identical, the aura was completely different.
Even as a cultivator in the Integration stage, Xu Yi couldn't achieve the realm depicted in the painting.
This wasn't a portrait of her, but rather as if someone had created a painting based on her likeness.
Xu Yi's gaze gradually moved down, finally settling on the inscription in the lower-left corner.
Hongjing.
Xu Yi's pupils contracted. This painting was done by Hongjing?
"Second Elder!" Xu Yi turned to look at the Second Elder, "Don't you plan to offer me an explanation?"
The Second Elder clasped his hands together and softly said, "I'll let the painter explain it to you personally."
Xu Yi blinked in surprise, then looked behind her. Indeed, Hongjing was slowly emerging from behind a bookshelf. "Xu Yi."
"Hongjing."
Xu Yi looked at Hongjing, whom she had met only a few days prior, and suddenly felt an immense sense of unfamiliarity. They had fought side-by-side just days ago, yet now a chasm seemed to lie between them.
"Xu Yi, this is my fault. I apologize."
Hongjing's voice carried an apology.
Xu Yi's brows furrowed, a sense of stifled frustration welling up within her.
Lu Zaiye kept things from her, Bai Shan concealed his identity to follow her, and now even Hongjing harbored secrets.
What about Bei Xinghan, Xiong Zhuangzhuang, Yu Xiaoyu? Were they also hiding secrets of their own?
Xu Yi gritted her teeth, suppressing her wandering thoughts. The most important matter now was the painting.
"Then explain to me the origin of this painting."
Having spent time with Hongjing, Xu Yi believed she understood him reasonably well.
Hongjing was devoted to Buddhism, his mind free of distractions, making it impossible for him to harbor romantic feelings for her. Thus, the painting could not be a product of wild imagination.
"Xu Yi, before you received the Myriad Buddha Sect's Heaven-tier Anointment, I also underwent the Heaven-tier Anointment ceremony," Hongjing said slowly.
Xu Yi remained silent.
She knew of this matter; it was through this anointment that Hongjing became the designated Buddha Son of the Myriad Buddha Sect.
"However, besides receiving the baptism of Buddha power, I also glimpsed my past and present lives within it. This painting was created after I received the anointment."
Xu Yi's eyelids twitched. Past and present lives?
She couldn't help but recall the dream she had before leaving the Xuanji Sect.
That dream was too vivid, and it had proven incredibly accurate. Xu Yi had even suspected it wasn't merely a dream, but perhaps her past life.
Could Hongjing have seen her past life as well?
But that didn't seem right. Her past life was clearly tragic, ending in a nameless grave. How could it be as awe-inspiring as the person in the painting?
"Xu Yi, haven't you realized that you possess great fortune?" Hongjing asked.
"Great fortune?"
Xu Yi felt like laughing. She had never thought these words could apply to her. The one with great fortune should clearly be Liu Jinghong, and she was merely…
Wait, if we disregard past lives and only consider the present, she had indeed encountered many fortunate circumstances.
To begin with, her artifact, the Disciplinary Ruler, was kept in the sect's inner vault, yet no one knew of it.
It wasn't until she entered the inner vault that the Disciplinary Ruler revealed itself and became her natal artifact.
Later, no matter how dangerous the realms she experienced or how many lightning tribulations she endured, this Disciplinary Ruler remained by her side, unchanged.
Then there was the Trial Space for demon servants within the Yang Shen Zhen, where she comprehended a peculiar stellar energy, which she had yet to fully grasp.
Following that were the secret realm of the artifact refining grandmaster in Barren City, the anointment of the Myriad Buddha Sect, and even the recently acquired Heart of the Earth Azure Flame. One after another, Xu Yi suddenly realized that without her even noticing, she had already gained so many opportunities.
Xu Yi's gradually dazed expression revealed her thoughts to Hongjing.
"Xu Yi, you need not doubt. You are indeed a person born with great fortune. The Myriad Buddha Sect's Heaven-tier only bestows Buddha power upon the Son of Fortune."
"Then you are also a Son of Fortune?" Xu Yi asked dazedly.
Hongjing smiled and shook his head, "No, I merely obtained great merit through you, which earned me the favor of the Heaven-tier."
Xu Yi shook her head. She no longer understood what Hongjing was saying.
What did it mean to obtain great merit through her?
She hadn't done anything.
Unless…