Statue of the Arhat

“To gain attribute points, I need to absorb the special energy from the jade pillow earlier. I wonder if the Gao family’s collection holds anything else with such energy?” Chen Fengyun was instantly filled with anticipation.

As the saying goes: the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.

Indeed, the old adage proved true. When Chen Fengyun eagerly examined each remaining item from the Gao family’s collection, he found nothing that caused the cultivation panel to stir, nor did he receive any special energy or attribute points.

“It seems that obtaining attribute points isn’t so easy after all—it’s something one may encounter by chance, not by seeking. Still, discovering the cultivation panel’s condition today will benefit my future cultivation. I just need to keep searching for objects with special energy; surely, I’ll find more in time.”

Although there were no other gains, Chen Fengyun was still in high spirits. After all, he had spent days trying to figure out the cultivation panel without seeing any changes or being able to practice techniques. Today’s discovery gave him hope.

A little after four in the afternoon, Chen Fengyun had helped Gao Xiaohua with her homework before heading home. Yet, he didn’t go straight back; instead, he rode his bicycle slowly along Jinjiang Road.

After his cultivation rose to the second level of Qi Refining, Chen Fengyun could distinctly feel a current of spiritual energy circulating through his meridians. Compared to the first level, the amount of energy had doubled.

Moreover, once his spiritual power reached the second tier of the Mortal Grade, he noticed his senses became sharper. He could vaguely perceive the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, though most places lacked it—only in a few spots could he sense faint traces, far from what he needed for cultivation.

Jinjiang Road was a favorite leisure spot for the people of Rong City; every day, many would stroll there. Vendors lined the street, selling snacks, toys, souvenirs, and various wares.

As he rode on, Chen Fengyun suddenly noticed several people gathered around a street stall. He stopped his bicycle and craned his neck to see. At the center was an elderly man in his fifties or sixties, sitting before a square of plastic sheeting with several Buddha statues of various sizes laid out.

These statues, however, were not golden Buddhas. Their colors were mottled, giving them the appearance of antiques, and some still bore traces of earth, as if recently unearthed.

“Old man, I’m afraid these are just replicas. Though you’ve aged them, most Buddha statues depict kind, benevolent faces—yours all look fierce,” a middle-aged man nearby remarked, shaking his head.

“Young man, you don’t understand. These aren’t Buddhas, but ancient images of Arhats. In Buddhist tradition, Arhats are like the warrior monks of Shaolin, guardians of the faith. Their visages are naturally fierce,” the elderly man replied with a cold chuckle.

“How do you plan to sell these, old man? How much for each?” Some asked about the price, while others debated whether they were genuine antiques.

“Let me take a look. Are these truly Buddhist guardian Arhats?” At this moment, a young man squeezed into the crowd, crouched down, and picked up one of the Arhat statues to examine it.

The youth was, of course, Chen Fengyun. He hadn’t planned to stop, but when he heard the old man mention Arhat statues, he was suddenly intrigued, so he squeezed through to have a closer look.

Remembering his earlier find at the Gao family, Chen Fengyun was now particularly interested in old objects. If he happened to encounter an antique imbued with special energy, it would be a stroke of fortune—so a little time spent was nothing, but missing out would be a shame.

“You’re welcome to look, just be careful not to break anything. If you do, you’ll have to buy it,” the old man cautioned.

“Don’t worry, old man. I’m just looking, I won’t break your things.” Chen Fengyun picked up each statue, pretending to examine them closely, but in truth, he was feeling for any special energy.

After inspecting several, the cultivation panel remained silent. Chen Fengyun was disappointed; it seemed these Arhat statues were either not true antiques or just ordinary old items.

But then—

As he touched the last Arhat statue, still caked with earth, a sudden tremor jolted his heart—the cultivation panel vibrated again, signaling its eagerness to absorb energy. Unexpectedly, this particular Arhat statue held special energy.

“Absorb.”

Without betraying his excitement, Chen Fengyun turned the statue over repeatedly in his hands, secretly draining all its special energy before preparing to set it down.

Just then, information flooded his mind—a technique called Golden Bell Shield, which the cultivation panel had extracted from the Arhat statue.

“My goodness, this is incredible! Not only can it absorb special energy, but it can also absorb techniques. Clearly, this panel is no ordinary thing. From now on, I’ll call it the Cultivation System.”

Chen Fengyun thought to himself, then nonchalantly put down the statue. As someone else squeezed in, he stepped aside, secretly checking the information in his Cultivation System.

A smile broke across his face. The attribute points had risen to three, and under the techniques tab, Golden Bell Shield had appeared. Though it was only at the first tier of the Mortal Grade, it meant he now had one more technique.

He also learned that once Golden Bell Shield reached the third tier of the Mortal Grade, it could form an invisible bell-shaped shield around him for a minute, capable of withstanding impacts of over a thousand pounds.

“Now I can upgrade my spirit, cultivation, or Golden Bell Shield. Should I enhance my cultivation or the Golden Bell Shield first?” Chen Fengyun noticed the plus signs next to all three options were lit, and he hesitated, weighing his choices.

“Hey, whose bike is that? Someone’s stealing a bicycle!” Just then, a woman nearby shouted. Chen Fengyun looked up—his own bicycle, parked beside him, was gone. Dozens of meters away, a man in black was pedaling furiously.

“My bicycle! Stop! Give me back my bike!” Chen Fengyun roared, immediately giving chase. To the surprise of bystanders, he seemed to vanish, reappearing a dozen meters ahead—running faster than the bicycle itself.

Chen Fengyun had always been physically fit. After reaching the first Qi Refining stage, his constitution doubled; upon advancing to the second stage, his physical strength doubled again, making him three times stronger than an average person.

The thief, hearing the shouts, pedaled even faster, the bicycle whirring ahead. But with so many people strolling on Jinjiang Road, he had to weave through the crowd, frantically ringing the bell.

Yet Chen Fengyun was relentless, closing the distance with every stride. As he sprinted, the spiritual energy within him gradually fused with his body, so he felt no fatigue—only growing vigor and speed.

“Give me back my bicycle!”

“Stop right there!”

As he ran, Chen Fengyun shouted, making the thief increasingly nervous—the voice behind him was getting closer.

“My goodness, he’s a flying man!”

“This young man runs so fast, he could win an Olympic gold medal!”

“Young people these days really know how to have fun, chasing each other down the street.”

The chase between man and bicycle drew the attention of many pedestrians. Some marveled at Chen Fengyun’s speed, others were convinced he could win Olympic gold, while some simply thought it was a game.