Master Danyang and Dao Heir Lucas Lin walked out of the capital one after the other, unhurried, traveling a hundred or so miles to the outskirts. There, by the surging Torr River, they saw an old and a young monk riding the waves downstream.
Right then, a massive Jadehide Ox stood in the vegetable patch, munching leisurely on greens and flicking its tail to chase away flies.
The two monks quickly halted atop the water, pressed their palms together, and returned the greeting: "Senior brothers."
The old monk, with white brows drooping, said, "Senior brother, are you returning from the Imperial Academy? Has it been three days? By the way, I heard there's a Jadehide Ox in the back mountain gardens—massive, jade-green, with dragon scales on its neck and breathing jets of white air. Quite a spirit beast!"
This Jadehide Ox was all bulging tendon-like muscle, towering and upright on two hind legs like a person. Leaning against a post, its forehooves had hardened into horn-like hands gripping a bunch of fresh greens, which it ate with lazy satisfaction.
Quinn sized up the ox—it was two or three times his own height, with not a scrap of fat, just knots of muscle everywhere. Its hide gleamed jade-green, polished and glossy like a piece of fine stone, as if someone had buffed it for ten years straight.
Most striking of all, when the Jadehide Ox breathed, its nostrils sprayed twin jets of white air; along its neck, dragon scales had sprouted. Quinn was sure this ox had cultivated on the mountain for years, breathing nine-dragon qi and slowly dragonizing.
After Master Danyang and Dao Heir Lucas Lin left, everyone at the Imperial Academy—from the Grand Rector down to the scholars—let out a long sigh of relief. But as for who had defeated Dao Heir Lucas Lin, no one could say for sure.
Strangely enough, defeating Dao Heir Lucas Lin should have been a great thing, yet the expert who did it never stepped forward to claim credit. It was quite odd.
Everyone speculated wildly. Some said a prince from the Royal Courtyard secretly intervened, forcing Dao Heir Lucas Lin to retreat. But since the princes openly and covertly fight among themselves, this prince might have kept it secret to avoid drawing the ire of his royal brothers.
Others said it was Sword-mad Elias Yun from the Divine Abilities Residence. Obsessed with sword-dao, Elias Yun cared nothing for fame or fortune.
Some claimed it was one of the senior brothers who had graduated from the Imperial Academy, heard about the challenge, rushed back to defeat Dao Heir Lucas Lin, and then hurried off to the front lines again. Many Academy graduates now serve as generals, leading troops in battle. Others wondered if it was Quinn Shepherd, the infamous abandoned one from the Great Ruins, who always pops up where trouble brews.
The Jadehide Ox had a fiery temper. Without warning, it charged at Quinn, snorting, "Brat, wipe that wicked grin off your face! No way are you a good person. Who’s your brother—certainly not me!"
At the Imperial Academy, Lina the Spirit Fox led Quinn Shepherd toward the back mountain. "There’s a vegetable garden out back. A few days ago I was wandering the mountain looking for rare herbs and treasures, passed by the garden, and saw a few spirit grasses. Then I ran into that ox—it bawled at me several times. It’s so protective of those spirit grasses that it really annoyed me. I’ve been wanting to eat them for ages."
Lina the Spirit Fox glanced back as she ran, just in time to see Quinn Shepherd—eyes swollen, nose bruised—bolting up the mountain. The cowherd from Oldridge Village had just been thrashed by a Jadehide Ox.
Quinn was surprised. "In a vegetable garden? Must be a wild ox—who’d let a beast eat vegetables in their own garden?"
"True enough. Young master, why does the Dragon-Qilin at the gate want to eat that ox?"
"No idea," Quinn guessed. "Maybe the ox pissed off the Dragon-Qilin—probably by sneaking vegetables from the garden all day. Must have gotten on its nerves."
Suddenly, Monk Yun Que’s expression shifted. “Could it be that abandoned one?”
Azure Rainbow (Claire Yue) also felt a stir in her heart. Though she’d been embarrassed by Quinn Shepherd slamming her into a bronze pillar, she still greatly admired his skills. “That abandoned one is full of unique techniques—battle skills, spells, sword-arts, all of them strong. Could it be him?”
"Master, someone’s bullying your Moo-Moo!"
The Jadehide Ox quickly bowed and grinned toward the courtyard, "He tried to steal vegetables from Master’s garden, but Moo-Moo chased him off."
Everyone nodded and laughed, “He made a fool of himself in front of the whole Academy at the Grand Academy Hall. Honestly, we all felt pretty good about it—wherever he hit us, it actually felt better!”
Just then, a commotion rose from the foot of the mountain. Someone shouted, “An old monk and a young monk just arrived and sat down at the mountain gate!”
The scholars exchanged glances. Wayne Shen’s eyes flashed, and he said gravely, “The Dao Gate experts just left, and now monks from Great Thunderclap Temple are here! That young one must be the Buddha-child from Great Thunderclap Temple. I didn’t get to fight Dao Heir Lucas Lin, but I must face this Buddha-child! Brothers and sisters, I need half a day’s rest to recover my strength.”
The scholars all took their leave.
Wayne Shen lay down fully clothed and soon fell into a deep sleep.
The next day, Wayne Shen woke up refreshed, washed up, ate, and hurried down the mountain, only to learn that the Buddha-child from Great Thunderclap Temple had already defeated many of the Academy’s top experts.
This Buddha-child practiced Mahayana, protected by vajra power, and had mastered the Buddhist battle arts. When he cast spells, his body expanded several times over, his strength was overwhelming, and Buddha-light flowed from him. Sometimes the light became a great bell, sometimes a pagoda to suppress his foes. With a wave, he summoned a golden bowl to trap people inside; with a flip, he brought down a Sumeru Mountain.
Wayne Shen stepped up to fight. After more than ten rounds, he broke the Buddha-child’s vajra defense with the Drill Sword Form, injuring the Buddha-heart Buddha-child. But the Buddha-heart was still far stronger and defeated Wayne Shen in the end.