Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely

The name Chilong Lake existed even before Dajue Temple arrived.

There are roughly two versions regarding how it got its name:

The first is quite simple, saying that decades ago, someone at Qinghepu reportedly witnessed a red Jiao Long emerge from the clouds and dive into the lake;

The second version suggests that because the lake is meandering and narrow overall, resembling the shape of a dragon, and in February each year, the lake water suddenly becomes red as blood, hence the name Chilong.

Xu Ning has been staying in Lower River Village for half a year, and he has inquired about many rumors around Qinghepu, and since Dajue Temple is right on Chilong Lake, he naturally focuses on this area.

"This place, it's kind of... eerie!"

Following a dozen or so men in black through the Zen Temple, Xu Ning saw Dajue Temple built by the lake from a kilometer away, and an unusual feeling instantly surged in his heart.

The entire Dajue Temple, aside from an outer circle of five-meter-high yellow walls, has only one three-story bright white temple building.

White buildings are extremely rare, let alone such a bright one, and it's currently daytime, with the temple shimmering in the cold light like jade, reflecting intense white light, adding a few sacred aspects, arousing a strong urge to worship.

Xu Ning looked down at the silver jade pendant in his hand, which showed no reaction, frowned slightly, and continued to follow behind those dozen people towards Dajue Temple.

Those dozen or so men in black dispersed from different directions, and they moved very quickly, with someone approaching the walls in less than ten breaths.

Xu Ning turned his head to look at the great battle on the west side of Qinghe Village, understanding that time was of the essence, dared not waste time, avoided those in black, swiftly circled to the south, and then directly rushed towards the walls of Dajue Temple.

"Which family are you from, so weak?"

Still a hundred meters away from the walls, Xu Ning suddenly heard a puzzled voice coming from beside him. He turned his head to see that tens of meters to the right, there was also a man in black, just like him, rushing straight at the walls.

Coincidentally, Xu Ning had temporarily infiltrated Qinghe Village this time and was also wearing a set of black clothes, so without careful observation, his attire was almost the same as these men in black.

The other person had mistaken him for someone from Nine Towns!

Realizing this, Xu Ning naturally didn't dare to start a conversation; saying anything now could easily give him away. He could only continue running towards the walls.

The man in black said he was weak, and Xu Ning didn't argue because he had noticed that he couldn't discern the strength of any of the dozen men in black.

He was nearing Peak of Cold Resistance, with Basic Strength reaching as high as eighteen, and even he couldn't see through them, meaning the strength of these men in black was at least above twenty, possibly even higher.

"Although not strong, I do have some courage. Speed up! The twenty-eighth of each month is the day when those official bhikkhus fast and listen to teachings under the guru's seat. This is the only chance; I must seize it."

Though the man in black talked a lot, it happened to let Xu Ning know why Eight Towns chose to strike at this time today.

After speaking, the man in black quickly approached the walls, all faster than Xu Ning by more than a notch.

Fortunately, the distance wasn't too far. So, after all the men in black jumped onto the city wall, Xu Ning reached the bottom of the wall in just four or five breaths.

Just as he was about to jump onto the wall, he suddenly saw an eerie scene upon looking up.

The man in black who had just jumped onto the wall in front of him suddenly froze, completely motionless.

Xu Ning was startled, glanced around at other spots, and only then did he notice that not just the man beside him, but all the dozen or so men in black were all facing the direction of the temple, stuck on the wall, unmoving.

"Have they seen something terrifying?"

Since these men in black had their backs to him, Xu Ning couldn't see their expressions. After mulling over it, he gritted his teeth and decided not to jump onto the wall like them but lightly leapt, clinging to the wall, and then stretched his head towards Dajue Temple to look inside.

Inside the temple, the view was of a circular plaza, with the ground paved with magnificent green glaze, along with the only crystal white temple building within, and the surrounding yellow walls. The three contrasted each other, the entire temple glowing with brilliance, dignified and splendorous, making one dizzy while uncontrollably filled with a strong yearning.

Xu Ning shook his head violently. After clearing his mind, he looked towards the front of the plaza, right at the main entrance of the Great Awakening Hall, and his face immediately filled with horror.

"This..."

In front of the main entrance of the Great Awakening Hall, hundreds of bald official bhikkhus dressed in white were gathered. They looked calm, appearing only fifteen or sixteen years old, facing away from the hall with their eyes closed and lips lightly moving, continuously chanting scriptures.

"Five... six... seven, eight hundred, at least eight hundred, so many official bhikkhus, this..."

At this moment, Xu Ning's mind was wildly shaken. In the five days he squatted in front of Qinghe Village, he had not been without any gains; he had accidentally heard others mention the strength of Dajue Temple's official bhikkhus.

All were above twenty!

Eight hundred official bhikkhus with strength over twenty, what does that mean?

Namo Bhavatu... Bhadrabhisna... Arhate... Bhishaji... Bhishaji... Sammatih... Svaha...

A string of dense Sanskrit suddenly reached his ears, and the huge shock in Xu Ning's heart instantly calmed down. He suddenly sensed something, lifted his eyes towards the main entrance of the Great Awakening Hall.