[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou":3,"chapter-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-132":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Ink Saint of Great Zhou",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2292095,4481,"Chapter 132","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-132",132,"\u003Cp>The monk, in his early thirties, had his dharma name “Huijie” embroidered beneath black lotus patterns on his sleeves and chest, with five additional black lotuses beneath his name denoting his rank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Judging by the color and richness of these five lotuses, Huijie was likely a fifth-rank, third-stage monk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This place is… a special site?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huijie’s deep voice carried surprise, yet he did not rush into the ruined, desolate temple; instead, he observed for a while, confirmed there was no danger, then stepped inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, Huijie discovered the “Minor Binding Array” behind the temple; after sensing its power, he stared at the thick mist of the array with reluctant frustration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With his strength, breaking the array would not be easy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But beyond this array might lie a special site capable of triggering sudden enlightenment—he paced back and forth, unwilling to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huijie lingered in the ruined temple for one or two hours, turning over every stone, yet found nothing useful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though reluctant, he finally departed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment Huijie entered the temple and touched the “Minor Binding Array,” Lu Fang sensed it immediately; yet he only knew someone had entered, not who or what rank they were.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt relieved he had set up the “Minor Binding Array” around the archway earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, if the intruder had been a fourth-rank, third-stage cultivator, entering the archway would have been catastrophic for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The “Minor Binding Array” was a fourth-rank artifact-class array; due to its complexity and profundity, even a fourth-rank, third-stage cultivator who lacked array expertise could not break it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, in this place, such an array would deter anyone from daring to enter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afterward, others touched the “Minor Binding Array,” yet none rashly broke through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang initially worried, but later let it be, focusing entirely on cultivating atop the lotus platform; during this time, he discovered colorful fish in the pond, their entire bodies infused with the aura of Ten Thousand Dao Stones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only were their flesh delicious, but they were also rare, potent tonics, offering unexpected benefits for cultivation and achieving sudden enlightenment to elevate one’s realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These spirit fish moved through the water with astonishing speed, yet they had no offensive ability and were endlessly curious about everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This allowed Lu Fang to catch several with a bamboo pole to stave off hunger; after consuming the spirit fish and resuming cultivation, the results far exceeded his expectations, and soon he reentered the profound state of sudden enlightenment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A soft pop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vast righteous qi surged forth, condensing into blue-green mist that formed strange phenomena, sinking into Lu Fang’s body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The later one cultivates, the slower the advancement—this was undeniable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet atop the lotus platform, without consuming the aura of scholarly ink, merely by eating a few spirit fish, Lu Fang directly ascended to sixth-rank, second-stage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And only three days had passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The special site of the trial ground truly had unexpected effects on advancement and breakthroughs; if possible, he truly intended to cultivate here indefinitely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But soon he noticed something wrong: his previous three episodes of sudden enlightenment had come easily, slipping into the state unconsciously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet afterward, he could no longer enter that state at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the aura of Ten Thousand Dao was abundant here, his cultivation progress had merely quickened slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spirit fish in the pond were the same: after eating a few, their enhancement effect gradually diminished, until now they offered no benefit whatsoever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This made Lu Fang realize it was utterly unrealistic to expect a rapid, massive leap in his realm here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He abandoned cultivation and began fishing for spirit fish instead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These spirit fish bit readily when baited with meat from the beast flesh stored in his storage bag; he was not greedy, releasing every small fish he caught, only smoking a few hundred large ones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afterwards, Lu Fang carefully searched the pond and found no other useful items; he dismantled the array and stepped out of the archway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This special site was indeed excellent, yet it had limitations; otherwise, if he could have elevated his realm here before leaving, he would have felt far more confident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang exited the temple, briefly oriented himself, then departed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a vast desert.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is my junior uncle in this direction?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yu, clad in white robes, stood atop the wind, gazing into the distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Lu Fang had told her several times to ignore him, she remained worried—after all, his realm was the lowest here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they could stay together, Lu Fang’s safety would be greatly assured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had originally intended to obey Lu Fang’s words, but after entering the trial ground, she encountered a black lotus sect evil monk, fought him, and still could not shake her unease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since she had time, she decided to find Lu Fang first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A female cultivator of fifth-rank, third-stage, a Confucian scholar—rare indeed. Your fortune must be considerable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As these words echoed, a black lotus sect monk appeared at a distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yu frowned; she sensed he was fifth-rank, third-stage—not the fourth-rank, third-stage evil monk who had pursued her before—and she exhaled in relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This black lotus sect monk was none other than Huijie, who had previously entered the temple and touched the “Minor Binding Array.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His malice was utterly unhidden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yu raised an eyebrow, unmoved: “Your black lotus sect is truly unlikable. To be honest, I have no intention of seizing anyone’s fortune—but for evil monks like you, I kill one whenever I meet one.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huijie’s lips curled slightly as he clasped his hands together:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve long heard the Zhou Confucians are formidable. To meet you today, if we don’t test each other, it would be a pity.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without warning, Huijie’s body radiated black lotus-patterned Buddhist markings, enveloping a region centered on him and Li Yu, forming a Buddhist light barrier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huijie smiled confidently as he slowly approached Li Yu: “You probably didn’t expect me to form a barrier. At the same realm, with similar strength, I couldn’t truly harm you—but with this barrier, it’s different.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yu stood motionless, a faint smile on her lips: “Oh? Then let’s see.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment she spoke—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huijie began chanting sutras; black lotuses flickered in and out of the space. Suddenly—BOOM! The black lotus mark before Li Yu exploded the instant it appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The violent clash sent shockwaves rippling outward, whipping up swirling sandstorms that obscured Li Yu at the epicenter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is that all you’ve got?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yu walked calmly out from the explosion.\u003C\u002Fp>",1079,"2026-06-20T03:56:21.568Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","571f0139a4f910e65a234e86360f7eff76f95351de0d05dea1d233dcb5bee274","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-133","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-131",289,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-cover.jpg"]