Chapter 262: Struggle Between Buddhism and Daoism

Inside the great hall, two "Monarchs" sat at the top.

The scene fell into an eerie silence for a time.

"I heard that the organizer for this martial arts exchange competition has not been determined yet?"

In the end, it was the Crown Prince who broke the silence and asked.

"That's right; inviting representatives from all the universities to the Daluo Sect this time is to discuss this matter."

True Lord Qingxu said.

"Then has any result been discussed?"

The Crown Prince looked curious.

True Lord Qingxu: "Your Highness, the banquet has only just started tonight; everyone hasn't started discussing yet."

"Since that's the case, I do have a suggestion."

The Crown Prince said with a smile.

It's coming!

Everyone present sat upright, staring tightly at this Crown Prince.

"Your Highness, please speak."

True Lord Qingxu's expression was calm.

"Father Emperor ordered me to inspect the seven provinces in the southwest; next, I am going to Cang Province. The geographical location of Cang Province is not too far from other universities, so I think it would be better to hold this martial arts exchange competition at Tianqu University."

The Crown Prince said with a smile.

Hearing this, many people immediately looked at the representatives of Tianqu University, only to see their expressions calm, with smiles on their faces.

It looked like they had premeditated this.

"I think it's feasible."

True Lord Qingxu followed the trend and agreed directly.

Regarding this, everyone present didn't feel surprised.

Losing the elixir for His Majesty the Emperor was the Daluo Sect's fault to begin with, and True Lord Qingxu presiding over the Qionghua Banquet in person this time was to express his stance to the palace.

Now that the Crown Prince had come in person, True Lord Qingxu naturally had to give him face.

"What do you all think?"

The Crown Prince looked at the representatives of all the universities present and asked with a smile.

"We will follow Your Highness's words."

Everyone expressed their stance one after another; no one would jump out to sing a different tune at this time.

"Hahaha, then thank you all."

The Crown Prince clasped his fists toward everyone with a smile.

He was a Crown Prince, but he also had a somewhat playful temperament and didn't put on airs.

Perhaps it was because he wasn't in the palace.

"Oh, right."

The Crown Prince patted his head, as if he had just remembered.

He looked at True Lord Qingxu: "The Shangqing Sect is in Cang Province. Since the venue is set at Tianqu University, I think it would be better for the Shangqing Sect and Tianqu University to co-host this competition, so the Daluo Sect can be free to handle its own affairs."

The martial arts exchange competition had always been participated in by the three great Daoist sects and all the universities, so there had actually always been two organizers: one was the Daoist lineage, and the other was the university hosting the competition.

The first competition was co-hosted by the Daluo Sect and Wu'an University, and now it was to be changed to the Shangqing Sect and Tianqu University co-hosting.

And the Crown Prince's sentence, "so the Daluo Sect can be free to handle its own affairs," was truly thought-provoking!

True Lord Qingxu glanced at True Lord Xuanchen sitting beside him and smiled:

"Since the Shangqing Sect is willing to take on this errand, then it will be hard work for you, Junior Brother Xuanchen, later."

Xuanchen secretly breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

In fact, using this kind of "forcing the palace" method to make True Lord Qingxu back down today, even with the Crown Prince supporting him, he was still somewhat afraid in his heart.

After all, True Lord Qingxu had been the number one person in the Daoist lineage for over a hundred years, and his accumulated prestige was too deep!

"Senior Brother Qingxu is too polite; my Shangqing Sect is duty-bound."

Xuanchen bowed to True Lord Qingxu.

"Good!"

The Crown Prince clapped his hands and picked up the wine glass on the table, "Come, let's wish for this martial arts exchange competition to be held smoothly."

Everyone present raised their glasses one after another.

In this way, the organizer and venue for the second martial arts exchange competition were both determined.

After drinking this cup, just when everyone thought the Crown Prince's purpose had been achieved, he opened his mouth again:

"I have one more matter."

True Lord Qingxu's expression changed slightly, and he turned to look at the other party:

"Your Highness, please speak."

The Crown Prince smiled: "I have invited a friend to come over tonight, and he should be here soon."

"Oh? I wonder who it is?"

True Lord Qingxu asked.

"The True Lord also knows this person."

The Crown Prince said.

As soon as his voice fell, a magnificent voice came from outside the great hall:

"Huikong of Pudu Temple, at the invitation of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, has come to pay a visit to the mountain—"

This voice was like a great bell in a temple; after it was struck, it vibrated in all directions, and the lingering sound echoed.

The final two words "pay a visit" echoed in the great hall.

Huikong of Pudu Temple!

Hearing this name, many people present changed their expressions.

Magic cultivation originated from Buddhism and Daoism from the beginning.

Embryo-Nurturing, Body-Breaking, Spirit-Transformation, and Possession; for these first four realms, the titles of Buddhism and Daoism were the same, because there was no essential difference.

But from the Possession stage onward, Buddhism and Daoism were different.

The titles of True Person and True Lord both originated from Daoism.

In Buddhism, the realm above the Possession stage is called the "Zen Fruit Realm"; by realizing the Zen Fruit, one can attain the Luo Han fruit position.

So powerhouses of magic cultivation above the Possession stage are not called True Person in Buddhism, but Arhats.

The "Zen Fruit Realm" further up is the highest "Bodhi Realm"; by realizing Bodhi, one can be called a Buddha in the world!

So the highest achievers of magic cultivation in Buddhism are also not called True Lords, but Buddhas.

Huikong of Pudu Temple was a "Great Luo Han," the highest fruit position below a Buddha, equivalent to a Martial Arts Grandmaster.

This person suddenly came to pay a visit to the mountain, and was invited by the Crown Prince?

Everyone present had different expressions, and even True Lord Xuanchen of the Shangqing Sect showed an expression of surprise.

He seemed to have been unaware of this beforehand!

True Lord Qingxu glanced at the Crown Prince: "I didn't know, when did Your Highness become friends with the people of Pudu Temple?"

"Haha."

The Crown Prince laughed, "I once said I would make friends with heroes all over the world; the high monks of Pudu Temple naturally count as heroes, how could I miss them?"

"Since it is the Crown Prince's friend, then please invite Great Master Huikong up the mountain."

True Lord Qingxu said with a blank expression.

It turned out that when Great Master Huikong spoke, he was still at the foot of Daluo Peak; his voice was transmitted directly from the foot of the mountain to the summit!

After True Lord Qingxu spoke, someone soon went down the mountain to invite Great Master Huikong up.

The great hall fell silent again.

Ten minutes later, footsteps came from outside the hall.

This "Great Luo Han" of Pudu Temple climbed the mountain no slower than a martial artist.

Soon, a middle-aged monk wearing red monk robes walked into the great hall.

"Amitabha, this poor monk Huikong, greets His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, True Lord Qingxu, and everyone."

Great Master Huikong put his palms together and bowed to everyone present in turn.

Facing a "Great Luo Han" equivalent to a Great Grandmaster, everyone present didn't dare to be negligent and returned the bow one after another.

"Great Master, you have traveled a long way, you have worked hard."

While the Crown Prince spoke, he stood up, walked out from behind the main table, walked up to welcome Great Master Huikong in person, and then pulled the other party to the main table and sat to his left.

"True Lord."

After sitting down, the Crown Prince looked at True Lord Qingxu, "The original intention of Father Emperor holding this martial arts exchange competition was to let the university Stop-Conflict Departments exchange with the world's top martial arts sects, let the students increase their knowledge, and also to test the teaching results of each university.

Pudu Temple has been passed down for a thousand years, is the sect with the longest inheritance in the world, and is a Buddhist holy site, a first-class martial arts sect in the world; if Pudu Temple could also join this martial arts exchange competition, I think it would add a lot of luster to this competition."

Hearing this, several people from the Daluo Sect at the main table changed their expressions.

"Your Highness?"

True Lord Xuanchen looked at the Crown Prince in surprise, as if he also only knew this news at this moment.

The struggle between Buddhism and Daoism had existed for a long time and had lasted for hundreds of years!

Before the Great Lan Dynasty, Buddhism had always suppressed Daoism, until the Great Lan Dynasty unified the Eastern Continent, and Daoism began to raise its head.

Over a hundred years ago, Emperor Wencheng even planned to exterminate Buddhism!

At that time, Pudu Temple handed over a large number of its secret manuals to the Imperial Court and offered endless wealth, which prevented this extermination crisis.

But since then, the number of Buddhist temples had been limited to one hundred and eight, and its influence had fallen directly to the bottom.

For over a hundred years, Daoism had become the true dominant learning, and its influence was reflected in all aspects, such as the title of "Dao Energy."

The pinnacle figures praised by the world, "One Supreme, Three Evils, Five True Lords, Seven Martial Saints," among these "Five True Lords," there were actually not five Daoist True Lords.

The real situation was: four True Lords, one Buddha.

This Buddha was the Abbot of Pudu Temple, also the highest achiever of magic cultivation, but he was called a "True Lord" by the world.

From this, one could see to what extent Daoism had suppressed Buddhism!

But even under such circumstances, Pudu Temple still had the world's top strength.

Besides the Abbot being the highest achiever of magic cultivation, Pudu Temple also had two human Martial Saints!

Just in terms of top combat power, even the Daluo Sect couldn't compare with Pudu Temple.

If talking about comprehensive strength, the three great Daoist sects combined could steadily suppress Pudu Temple.

So the Crown Prince saying that letting Pudu Temple join this martial arts exchange competition could add a lot of luster to the competition was not false at all!

It was just that Daoism had suppressed Buddhism for so many years; how could they give the other party a chance to raise their head?

Li Fei and Ke Yan below looked at each other, both seeing helplessness in each other's eyes.

Li Fei originally thought that this time he was only encountering the internal struggle of the Daoist lineage, and perhaps it also involved the struggle of the Imperial Court, but he never expected that it would also involve the struggle between Buddhism and Daoism.

He also didn't know if Shi Caiming sending him to "go on this errand" was right or wrong...

"Letting Pudu Temple join this martial arts exchange competition, I wonder if it is the Emperor's will, or the Crown Prince's own intention?"

True Lord Qingxu fell silent for a moment and asked.

The Crown Prince's smile remained unchanged: "Father Emperor did not give a clear decree; it is just my own suggestion."

"So that's how it is."

True Lord Qingxu nodded, "Thank you for your trouble, Your Highness."

Crown Prince: "Just sharing the worries for Father Emperor."

True Lord Qingxu said calmly: "It's just that this martial arts exchange competition was originally designated by the Emperor for my three great Daoist sects and all the universities to participate in. If other sects are added rashly, I'm afraid it's inappropriate. If the Crown Prince wants Pudu Temple to join, it would be better to wait for the next session and have the Emperor give a clear decree."

He could agree to the previous two things.

But this matter, no!

The Crown Prince's smile remained unchanged: "True Lord, since this exchange competition is participated in by the three great Daoist sects and all the universities, if it is just your Daluo Sect opposing it, I'm afraid it's not enough, right? Shouldn't we also listen to the opinions of the other participants?"

This was to make all the university representatives present express their stance!

Li Fei secretly applauded the Crown Prince's methods in his heart.

First divide the Daoist lineage, then introduce Buddhism, and finally force everyone to express their stance on the spot.

If there hadn't been the Shangqing Sect's "rebellion," True Lord Qingxu could have directly represented the Daoist lineage to refuse the Crown Prince's proposal.

After all, the martial arts exchange competition was an exchange between the Daoist lineage and all the universities; if the Daoist lineage didn't participate directly, how could this exchange competition proceed?

The Crown Prince also couldn't forcibly push this matter.

But the other party first won over the Shangqing Sect and gave the hosting rights to the other party.

In this way, even if True Lord Qingxu intended to turn against him, without the Daluo Sect, there was still the Shangqing Sect, and the Daoist lineage was still there!

As for the Shangqing Sect, even if they didn't know beforehand that the Crown Prince would finally pull Buddhism into the game, in the situation where they had already publicly torn their faces with the Daluo Sect and had already obtained the hosting rights, could they still jump off the Crown Prince's boat?

They had to bite the bullet and follow along!

Finally, these university representatives present; Li Fei believed that the Crown Prince must have communicated with some of them beforehand and "canvassed for votes" in advance.

So he secretly applauded this Crown Prince.

With such methods and strategies, no wonder he could sit firmly in the position of the Eastern Palace!

"The first competition was held at Wu'an University; it would be better to first listen to Wu'an University's views on this matter. I wonder who is the team leader for Wu'an University this time?"

At the main table, the Crown Prince suddenly opened his mouth.

Li Fei: "..."

He was secretly applauding the Crown Prince, but suddenly the melon-eating reached himself.

"Junior Li Fei, is the team leader for Wu'an University this time, greets His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Li Fei stood up and bowed to the Crown Prince.

"Li Fei?"

The Crown Prince showed an interested expression, "I have heard of you! Fastest breakthrough speed in history, truly amazing!"

Li Fei bowed neither humbly nor arrogantly: "Thank you for your praise, Your Highness."

The Crown Prince looked at him: "Then tell me, regarding letting Pudu Temple join this martial arts exchange competition, what is Wu'an University's view?"

For a time, everyone's gaze was focused on Li Fei.

Ke Yan on the side secretly broke into a cold sweat for Li Fei.

The bird that sticks its head out gets shot; at this time, whether refusing or agreeing, it would offend one side!

Li Fei raised his head and looked at the Crown Prince sincerely:

"Your Highness, junior is currently just a student at Wu'an University, and it is Principal Shi's favor that allowed junior to serve as the team leader this time. But this matter is major; junior is just a student and dare not represent Wu'an University to express a view, and I hope Your Highness will forgive me."

His choice was to "abstain from voting."

Sometimes choosing neutrality might offend both sides, but Li Fei felt that using such a reason to "abstain from voting" should be understandable.

And under such circumstances, it was indeed impossible for him to express opinions on behalf of Wu'an University randomly.

The Crown Prince carefully looked at Li Fei.

He originally thought that such a genius who was the fastest in history must be arrogant and domineering, like a sword out of its sheath.

But Li Fei looked righteous and acted neither arrogant nor impatient, with a sincere expression.

He looked like an honest, duty-bound, good child who didn't like to cause trouble.

So a smile appeared on the Crown Prince's face:

"Well, it is indeed difficult for you; sit down."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

The "honest, duty-bound, doesn't like to cause trouble" Li sat down again.

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