Palace of the Polestar, the immortals assembled.

When Song Lin opened his eyes, he found himself standing at the center of the Palace of the Polestar.

The surrounding immortals were all looking at him, and the Jade Emperor rarely showed a smile.

At this moment, Song Lin knew he had gambled correctly.

The reason for his nonresistance was precisely his guess that the Jade Emperor might step in to protect him.

After all, with such notable disturbances, it was impossible for the Three Realms to remain unaware.

The Jade Emperor and the assembled deities were likely watching the live broadcast in real-time.

As a part of the Heavenly Court, coupled with the Buddha shamelessly intervening, the Jade Emperor would surely step in to protect him.

"Well done, Xuandu! Truly brings pride to me!"

The Jade Emperor said cheerfully.

He hadn't expected the Buddhist Sect to be this despicable, sending four experts to besiege Song Lin.

Fortunately, Song Lin proved resilient, defeating the Buddhist Sect under the watchful eyes of all.

If this battle had been lost, the Heavenly Court's dignity would have been swept away once more.

The incident with Sun Wukong back then already caused the Heavenly Court to lose its standing; if such a thing were to occur again, the entire world would mock him, the Jade Emperor.

Back then, Sun Wukong didn't actually rampage through the Palace of the Polestar; it was merely the conjecture of common folk.

The Sun Monkey at that time did break through the South Heavenly Gate and reach the plaza behind it, causing trouble at the forefront of the Palace of the Polestar.

Within the palace, a meeting was in progress, while only Wang Lingguan and a few Divine Generals contended with Sun Wukong in the plaza.

The Jade Emperor was utterly unperturbed then, about to dispatch forces, but the Buddha arrived unexpectedly and suppressed Sun Wukong beneath the Five-Finger Mountain.

This led to the perception among the beings of the Three Realms that the Heavenly Court was defenseless and had to depend on the Buddhist Sect for aid, with rumors that the Jade Emperor was hiding under a table out of fear, hurriedly summoning Tathagata.

Such notions were surely influenced by the Buddhist Sect's maneuverings, leaving the Jade Emperor no way to refute.

He couldn't very well issue an edict forbidding public discussion; doing so would only cement the narrative further.

Now, with Song Lin openly humiliating the Buddhist Sect, the Jade Emperor felt utterly exhilarated.

Perhaps some were unaware of what it meant for the Buddha himself to act.

Imagine, in a mortal dynasty, court generals deploy troops to suppress bandits, yet not only do they fail, but they also fall into peril, prompting the Emperor to personally don his armor and engage.

Such a scenario not only tarnishes the Emperor's prestige but leaves all other generals mortified as well.

"Haha! Thoroughly crush the audacity of the bald donkeys."

Facing the Jade Emperor's praise, Song Lin humbly replied, "Your Majesty overpraises. Were it not for Your Majesty's favor, I would not have escaped the Buddha's grasp."

Song Lin continued to call him Buddha and refrained from using the Jade Emperor's derogatory "bald donkey." After all, the Buddha was a True Immortal-level expert. The Jade Emperor, being a peer, could say it casually, but if Song Lin joined in, he'd likely come across as disrespectful.

"From now on, feel free to stir up trouble. If the Buddha steps in, I'll take care of it myself just to suppress his arrogance."

From the Journey to the West onward, the Heavenly Court had been at a disadvantage for thousands of years.

Now, finally, someone fearless enough to stand against the Buddhist Sect had emerged, and how could the Jade Emperor's heart not rejoice?

"As you command!"

Song Lin accepted without reservation.

This is what they called sanctioned mischief.

From hereon forward, wielding the Jade Emperor's authority to pressure others would become perfectly legitimate.

The nearby Heavenly Monarch Divine Generals watched enviously, wishing they could take Song Lin's place.

Of course, they were also self-aware: this was a skillful art. If one couldn't fend off and counter-kill all four adversaries, it would only result in a disgraceful performance.

Seizing the moment of the Jade Emperor's joy, Song Lin seized the opportunity to present the roster of deities.

The Jade Emperor skimmed through it briefly; there were no significant experts listed, so he barely paid any attention.

Not only that, but he also permitted Song Lin to enter the Book Collection Pavilion and the treasure vault to select items.

"May I view all cultivation techniques?"

"Yes, all of them."

The Jade Emperor, naturally, wouldn't be stingy with these things; cultivation techniques weren't Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures—they were resources available for everyone to learn.

If not for the risk of widespread leaks causing turmoil across the Three Realms, the Jade Emperor might well have wanted everyone to cultivate them.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Thus, Song Lin immersed himself in the Book Collection Pavilion.

Called a "pavilion," it was actually a small world, housing not only books but also ancient stone tablets, tortoise shells, bamboo slips, and various other objects passed down through the ages.

These contained numerous cultivation techniques and details on Magic Veins.

They were precisely what Song Lin needed, for the Heavenly Court's cultivation techniques held immense potential for enhancing the Donghua Dharma Lineage.

Although Song Lin understood that the most secret aspects of these techniques remained in the hands of each sect's founders, having access to the common parts was already significant.

So he reasoned.

"And what of the Secret Techniques to counter the Buddhist Sect?" Song Lin thought.

Given the Heavenly Court's years of dealings with the Buddhist Sect, there couldn't possibly be no countermeasures.

Indeed, in a cave sealed with runes, Song Lin discovered the Secret Techniques to counter the Buddhist Sect.

An entire cave was dedicated to Heavenly Masters' research into restraining methods.

"Counter Heavenly Vision, method 165—Wanxiang Seal. The Heavenly Vision sees through all; illusions can confuse its sight."

"Method 15—Bright Technique…"

"Counter Vajra Body—Qiankun Breaking Magic Cone…"

Most of the books bore seals indicating their ineffectiveness.

Evidently, even the Magic Veins of this realm were not immutable. When the Taoist School devised methods to challenge Buddhist sect skills, the Buddhists developed countermeasures in turn.

It was evident through these books how intensely the two sides engaged in tit-for-tat struggles.

The conflict between Taoism and Buddhism wasn't just philosophical; plenty of private confrontations took place as well.

"These spells are probably useless now."

The techniques were outdated; the Buddhist Sect had long developed counterstrategies, and falling into their traps would be unforeseeable.

"Hmm, but they could be useful in the Real World."

Song Lin mused.

These spells were the ingenious output of countless Heavenly Immortals, after all. In the World of the Great Sun World Venerable, which lacked such fiercely competitive dynamics, these spells and methods for crafting Magic Artifacts might yield remarkable effects.

"This could work, let's proceed with it."

For the following years, Song Lin focused on two things: searching for information about the Time-Space Dao and transcribing cultivation techniques for use in the Real World.

To know one's opponent is to win a hundred battles.

If the people of the Donghua Heavenly Court grasped even one or two spells to counter the Buddhist Sect, dealing with the Great Sun World Venerable would become considerably easier.

Three years passed.

Song Lin, immersed in the Book Collection Pavilion, partly sought to lay low. There was no knowing how many in the Buddhist Sect desired to rise by stepping over him. Though unafraid, dealing with petty schemes was undeniably tedious.

But there was another purpose: self-reflection and growth.

After exploring so many spells, Song Lin grasped a profound truth.

"The Great Dao is simple; no wonder Great Divine Ability wielders duel so inconspicuously."

Supernatural powers are fundamentally similar. To cultivators who've lived for eons, mastering tens of thousands of spells is far from difficult.

Surely one's opponent would be the same.

Rather than wasting effort maneuvering counter-for-counter, it was better to opt for direct confrontations of mana and the Great Dao.

This explains why low-level cultivators often show off ornate displays during duels, occasionally triumphing with an innovative spell their opponent cannot counter.

Among the wielders of Great Power, duels often resemble brawls instead.

"It's time to leave."

Song Lin stood up and stretched lazily.

Having thoroughly combed through most of the Magic Veins within the Book Collection Pavilion, Song Lin decided to seek out Kui Wood Wolf. Several years had passed; who knew if the fellow had already wandered off?

After reporting to the Jade Emperor, he departed from the Heavenly Court.

At this moment, Song Lin suddenly paused.

"Having forged enmity with the Buddhist Sect, open attacks are easy to guard against, but clandestine plots are trickier. Why not proactively establish a 'stable' enemy?"

Song Lin thought of his alternate identity, Le Tian, now known as Jin Naluo Bodhisattva.

It was time to activate this chess piece.

A Taoist and a Buddhist.

A pair playing off of each other, gaining the trust of their respective leaders.

And in the future, should the puzzle finally unravel, Song Lin could emerge laughing: "Actually, it was all me." The scene would be quite entertaining, wouldn't it?

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