"Little friend Xu, there must have been a mistake somewhere. You are the one chosen by the Buddha."
Half an incense stick later, the Second Elder, having found no trace of the anointment on Xu Yi, had to give up.
Yet, he remained steadfast in his belief that Xu Yi had indeed received the anointment and blessings.
He had seen it with his own eyes; it could not be false.
"Second Elder," Xu Yi scratched her head in distress and whispered, "Even if I have a connection with the Myriad Buddha Sect, I am already a disciple of the Xuanji Sect. I cannot join the Myriad Buddha Sect. Please don't trouble yourself further."
The Second Elder was taken aback, then chuckled.
"Little friend Xu, you worry too much."
The Second Elder offered no further explanation. He had originally intended for Xu Yi to understand the changes in her, to feel indebted to the Myriad Buddha Sect, and then to confide in her.
Now that the situation had changed, he would naturally adapt his strategy.
"Little friend Xu, I have something I wish to bestow upon you."
Xu Yi's heart tensed. Recently, those eager to give her gifts were always seeking a favor.
She said calmly, "One does not receive rewards without merit. Second Elder is too kind."
"Little friend Xu, perhaps I should first tell you about the Myriad Buddha Sect's secret realm, which you will be visiting next."
As if seeing through Xu Yi's thoughts, the Second Elder changed the subject, suddenly mentioning the secret realm.
Upon hearing this, Xu Yi's interest was piqued. After all, the top ten disciples of this grand competition would be training in the secret realm for a year. If she could understand the situation in the secret realm earlier, she could prepare accordingly.
"This secret realm is located outside Ping An City in Shi Zhou. It was formed from the personal spatial domain of our sect's Ancestor Yi Cheng after his passing. Within it lies not only the treasures he left behind but also existences that you would not expect."
The Second Elder spoke with a deep tone, his eyes fixed on Xu Yi.
Xu Yi frowned slightly, then suddenly felt a premonition and blurted out, "Could it be the demons!"
The Second Elder looked at her with surprise. "Little friend Xu is indeed wise. Yes, it is the demons."
It turned out that the late Ancestor Yi Cheng cultivated the Hell Buddha Path. He used himself as the prison to contain the demons.
Even after Ancestor Yi Cheng's death, the demons could not break the cage he had set.
Xu Yi suddenly understood, no wonder the Second Elder's expression was so grave.
Demons and humans had similar appearances. The biggest difference was their blood-red eyes and their conspicuous demonic features.
For example, some demons had two horns on their heads, some had wings under their ribs, some had three heads and six arms, and some dragged long tails.
They were inherently cruel, bloodthirsty, and uncontrollable, feeding on flesh and blood.
Since ancient times, humans and demons had been irreconcilably opposed. The human-demon wars had lasted for over a thousand years.
It was not until a thousand years ago that Liu Jinghong made a covenant with the Demon King, restricting the demons within Zhu Zhou, and the Nine Continents Continent gradually regained peace.
Liu Jinghong, with his own power, quelled the grievances between the two races, which is why he became the revered Ancestor Jinghong.
Xu Yi deeply admired her for this.
Upon learning that the Myriad Buddha Sect's secret realm also contained demons, Xu Yi's curiosity about them was piqued. She had never seen a demon before.
"Little friend Xu, demons are far more terrifying than what is recorded in ancient texts. Their nature is to destroy everything. Wherever they appear, they bring disaster."
The Second Elder seemed worried that Xu Yi might underestimate the demons, so he described them as extremely fearsome.
The Second Elder was overthinking this.
Although Xu Yi was curious about demons, she would never underestimate them. This was because she was born two thousand years ago, during the most intense period of the human-demon wars.
She was found on the battlefield of the human-demon war by her master, Sect Leader Yuan Ming, and brought back to the Xuanji Sect.
Although Xu Yi did not know who her parents were, she guessed that they must have died in that human-demon war. This meant that the demons were the murderers of her parents, her enemies.
But if demons were so dangerous, why would the Myriad Buddha Sect allow them to enter for training? Were they not worried about them dying in the secret realm?
Xu Yi's questioning expression was too obvious, so the Second Elder directly explained for her.
"Little friend Xu, rest assured. Although there are demons in the secret realm, they have already been cleared out by the Myriad Buddha Sect. The highest cultivation of the remaining demons is only at the early Nascent Soul stage."
The Myriad Buddha Sect would naturally not let the elite disciples of this grand competition die in vain; they had made thorough preparations.
The Second Elder then added, "The gift I wish to bestow upon you is the Spirit Demon Pearl."
With a wave of his wide sleeve, the Second Elder produced a black pearl radiating an ominous aura.
Upon seeing the Spirit Demon Pearl, Xu Yi frowned, and a strong sense of dislike immediately welled up within her.
This emotion came on so intensely that it surprised her.
"The Spirit Demon Pearl can absorb the demonic energy from demons, so you need not worry about being contaminated by demonic energy, which could obscure your magical artifacts and give rise to inner demons."
Demons were far fewer in number than humans, yet they had contended with humans for thousands of years due to the demonic energy that cultivators feared.
When magical artifacts were contaminated with demonic energy, their spirituality greatly diminished, their quality plummeted, and they were prone to turning on their masters.
If a cultivator was tainted with demonic energy, their wounds would take a long time to heal, and it could also affect their state of mind, leading to inner demons.
The Spirit Demon Pearl, by absorbing demonic energy, was a powerful weapon against demons.
Hearing this, Xu Yi's pupils vibrated violently, and her hands itched to reach out.
It would be too regrettable to miss such a precious treasure.
Perhaps she should accept it for now?
Xu Yi twitched her fingers, but then forcefully suppressed the craving in her heart.
No, if she truly accepted this Spirit Demon Pearl, she would owe the Myriad Buddha Sect a great favor, and she didn't know how she would ever repay it.
Thinking this, Xu Yi's emotions gradually calmed. Just as she was about to refuse again, the Second Elder stated a reason that she could not refuse.
When Xu Yi walked out of the Great Hall of Heroes, she clutched the Spirit Demon Pearl in her hand, her brows furrowed as if burdened by heavy thoughts.
"Xu Yi, I will see you in a month."
Hong Jing stood outside the Great Hall of Heroes and bowed to Xu Yi in a Buddhist manner.
Xu Yi returned the bow and hurried away, her figure quickly disappearing from Hong Jing's sight.
Only after Xu Yi was far away did Hong Jing quietly enter the Great Hall of Heroes.
"Second Elder."
"I have already gifted the Spirit Demon Pearl to little friend Xu."
"Very good, very good."
...
Xu Yi continued until she reached the casino, her thoughts jolted back to reality by the noisy din. She absently put away the Spirit Demon Pearl in her hand.
She glanced at the casino in front of her, suppressed her chaotic thoughts, and chuckled.
She had instinctively gravitated to this place, truly…
She hid to the side and changed back into her previous disguise before entering the casino.
The moment she entered, she spotted Steward Kong amidst the crowd and her lips curled upwards.
Her spirit stones were finally within reach.
At the same time, Steward Kong also saw Xu Yi. His lips twitched slightly at first, then he put on a smile.
He had already consulted his master and knew how to handle this.
Half an incense stick later, Xu Yi walked out of the casino swaggeringly, carrying five storage bags. She successfully shook off her pursuers and took a small path back to her residence.