The Martial Unity

The air tingled.

It tingled with peril as Rui’s brazen tone ignited the tension in the atmosphere.

Bodhisattva Maitreyi stared at him with a deep gaze.

“And why do you care what we do with her?” She asked with a calm tone. “You met her a few days ago. In fact, this is none of your business whatsoever, is it not? It does not involve you in any way.”

Rui’s eyes narrowed.

She wasn’t wrong.

And yet, she was. He had reason to care for her. They were the only ones who could understand each other. They were the only ones who shared the same tribulations, burdens, and suffering. They were the only ones who faced the same challenges.

All his life, he had lived as an alien among people. The experience of remembering his past memories was something he could tell almost no one. It drew a firm line between him and normal people.

It put distance between him and normal people. And now, for the first time in his entire life, he had come across someone who was within the same circle as him.

The idea that he could lose her to religious crazies who would hijack her life and turn her into a slave of worship was something that he truly detested. His own revulsion and biases against religious extremism heightened his paranoia that the Gen Temple would shackle Amare if they perceived her to be the Progenitor.

After all, he had almost fallen prey to this himself many years ago with the Virodhabhasa Theocracy, a visit he was still dreading.

Bodhisattva Maitreyi observed him keenly as a soft smile emerged on her face.

“Your deep concern for Amare’s well-being so as to confront me, a peak Bodhisattva and the Abbot, is as touching as it is mysterious,” Bodhisattva Maitreyi calmly informed him. “Regardless, you have reassured me that entrusting her to you is the right decision. Rest assured, your concern is misplaced.”

She gazed at Rui with clear eyes. “So long as I am Abbot, Amare will live her life the way she wants. She will live her life when and where she wants and how she wants. I would never even dream of shackling her agency.”

Rui stared at her with a discerning gaze. He wasn’t sure if she was telling the truth.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t sure if he could stop her, even if she was lying.

He certainly didn’t have the power. Rui was not delusional enough to believe that he could pose even the most remote and mildest threats to a Bodhisattva of Maitreyi’s caliber. She would erase him with casual ease if she chose to.

He did have leverage, of course.

The Gen Temple really needed his gifts.

He also had ways to threaten the Gen Temple, but he didn’t deem it wise to rely on them.

“Now then, let’s proceed with the purification process, as promised,” Bodhisattva Maitreyi remarked. “We will purify you of impure desires and give you the clarity you need to learn who you are.”

Rui’s expression grew complicated and grim at her words.

Frankly, he had completely forgotten that he was supposed to go through with the purification process.

“I… have decided not to go through with the purification process.”

“Oh?” A mischievous smile appeared on Bodhisattva Maitreyi’s face. “I wonder what changed your mind.”

“Oh, you know,” he shrugged. “Nothing in particular.”

“Really? This is one of the most important decisions of your life, and ‘nothing in particular’ changed it?”

“I just figured that these desires are part of being human and are important for the drive of people.”

“Yes, I’m sure that is the reason that you have decided to retain impure desires like gluttony, greed, and of course…” her smile deepened. “Lust.”

He coughed. “Anyway, more importantly. Let’s get on with the Hellbringer embedding and breakthroughs as fast as possible.”

Bodhisattva Maitreyi shook her head lightly. “Very well. Let us commence what you came to the Gen Temple in the first place. I suspect that Amare will still require more time to make up her mind on the matter.”

And thus, Rui immediately got to work. In a training chamber in the temple were plenty of Martial Artist aspirants, Squires, and Seniors.

The Bodhisattvas gathered to witness the momentous occasion. They truly looked forward to gaining more Martial Seniors and Masters. Their shortage of Seniors and Masters meant that while they had more Sages than most Sage-level powerhouses, they weren’t able to fully capitalize on their high Sage-level breakthrough rate.

Thus, he commenced the breakthroughs once all the Martial Artists who weren’t fighting on the front lines of the defensive perimeter had gathered.

And shortly after, Martial Artists began breaking through to a higher Realm like popcorn. His Apprentice breakthrough rate among the explorer students was extremely high, causing the Gen Temple to gain a flood of Apprentices.

He only yielded plenty of Seniors and Masters.

An entirely mundane chore to him, and yet it shocked the Bodhisattvas of the Gen Temple, who were witnessing his power for the first time. And yet, what happened next shocked him as well.

RUMBLE!!!

Rui’s eyes widened as he felt a surge of power from one of the newly broken-through Martial Masters.

He shook to the depths of his soul when he realized what it was. A second breakthrough!

The elder man, having just broken through to the Master Realm, had already acquired Enlightenment of Self as a Martial Senior. However, due to the absence of the Martial Mind, which expanded one’s conscious mind to the very edge of the subconscious mind, he could not discover his Martial Soul.

The absence of the Martial Mind was the only thing stopping him from becoming a Sage.

Thus, the moment he gained it from Rui, triggering his breakthrough into the Master Realm, he also discovered Martial Soul as the ephemeral barrier that separated mind and soul ceased to exist, allowing the two to exist as one in spiritual harmony.

Rui watched with shock as a Martial Senior broke through to the Sage Realm!

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