And the cause of this incident was precisely the brick now in Edward Howard's hand.

This thing actually cost its owner a hundred thousand taels of silver! William Howard shook his head in disbelief and casually tossed it aside.

When the brick hit the ground, it made a “kong” sound. Edward Howard was taken aback for a moment—the sound was rather unusual, nothing like what a brick should make when it falls to the ground.

If one had to describe it: the sound was like striking a mountain in an empty valley!

In Edward Howard's mind, he quickly recalled that it resembled the sound of a centuries-old wooden fish in the hands of an old monk, beside an ancient bronze Buddha in a secluded mountain temple!

And at the very instant that sound rang out, a faint golden dust suddenly drifted up from the open pages of the “Secret Research Sutra” on the desk in the outer room. The scattered golden dust seemed to gather along some mysterious trajectory, as if trying to form a character!

But it seemed to lack the strength, and before it could succeed, it gradually dissipated, settling back into the sutra, becoming plain and formless once more.

Edward Howard was stunned, thinking he was seeing things. He rubbed his eyes hard and looked again at the “Secret Research Sutra”—everything appeared normal. Suspicious, he picked up the brick and threw it again.

“Kong!”

Once more, golden dust danced out from the “Secret Research Sutra” with that sound, swirling and rising above the pages as if alive—mysterious and beautiful!

William Howard was greatly astonished. He looked down at the brick in his hand. Could it be that he, by sheer luck, had stumbled upon a rare treasure without realizing it?

Speaking of this brick, it actually had quite a “remarkable origin,” for it came from Yun Kong Temple.

Twenty years ago, Yun Kong Temple was at its peak. At that time, the Buddhist, Daoist, and Confucian sects stood side by side, but the Buddhist sect represented by Yun Kong Temple was the strongest.

The Mother River of Qingyuan Continent nurtured all living things. Besides the human race, countless wild beasts lurked in the untamed lands, making the world fraught with danger! The warriors of Great Xia trained in martial skills and cultivated martial qi. Once martial qi was condensed within, one could be ranked among the nine grades of martial artists—a leap to the heavens!

First grade, Unity with Truth, was the pinnacle—unsurpassable!

Ninth grade, Bubbling Spring, was the beginning—the heroes of the world!

In between were eighth grade, Body Gang; seventh grade, Soul Star; sixth grade, True Tempering; fifth grade, Yuan Stability; fourth grade, Law Mastery; third grade, Manifested Sage; and second grade, Divine Opening.

At that time, Yun Kong Temple had five hundred martial monks at the fifth grade Yuan Stability realm, one hundred at the fourth grade Law Mastery, thirty at the third grade Manifested Sage, and eight at the second grade Divine Opening. There were even three monks at the legendary first grade Unity with Truth, nearly godlike!

A saying circulated in Great Xia at the time: “Half of Great Xia’s martial artists come from Yun Kong!”

This was no exaggeration. Of all the martial artists in Great Xia, nearly half either came directly from Yun Kong Temple or practiced martial skills and techniques closely related to it.

Back then, on the three great rankings—the Martial Student List, the Martial Marquis List, and the Martial Emperor List—nearly half of each list consisted of martial monks from Yun Kong Temple.

By comparison, the Jade Pure Monastery representing the Daoists and the Liling Academy representing the Confucians were far inferior in strength to Yun Kong Temple.

At that time, among the “Top Ten Techniques Under Heaven,” Yun Kong Temple possessed three!

Yet no one expected that such a flourishing Buddhist sect would vanish into thin air twenty years ago.

The official explanation was that the Martial Emperor of Great Xia was a devout Daoist, honoring the abbot of Jade Pure Monastery and Daoist leader Zhuo Yi as the national preceptor, and thus revered Daoism and suppressed Buddhism.

How powerful is the might of an entire nation? In a single night, the campaign to eradicate Buddhism wiped Yun Kong Temple from existence, and Buddhist temples across the land were swiftly destroyed.

Even the vast sea of Buddhist scriptures was burned, with only three allowed to survive.

The “Dharma Discourse Sutra,” the “Secret Research Sutra,” and the “Abuluoye Sutra.”

Yun Kong Temple had flourished for centuries, amassing immense wealth, all of which was confiscated into the imperial treasury. It was said that countless treasures became the private collection of the royal family. Moreover, all items originating from Yun Kong Temple became forbidden objects, only to be collected by the royal family. Any subject or official, regardless of status, who dared to privately possess a forbidden item faced the death penalty!

This harsh prohibition was terrifying at the time. There was even a high-ranking official who, because his wife was a devout Buddhist and had merely kept a Buddhist scripture from Yun Kong Temple after its fall, was reported and his entire family executed!

But now, twenty years later, Yun Kong Temple was but a fleeting memory, its once-glorious site reduced to ruins.

The ban, while not entirely meaningless, was no longer taken seriously by most. In the capital, a quiet trend had emerged among the great noble families: collecting forbidden items!

It seemed to be a way for these families to demonstrate their power—daring to collect forbidden items, and actually acquiring them.

Before William Howard's soul took over this body, the original Edward Howard had been engaged in just such an activity—collecting forbidden items from Yun Kong Temple. And the forbidden item he acquired, to both laughter and tears, was this very brick!

According to the seller, this was a brick from beneath the feet of the nine-zhang-tall, solid gold, jewel-encrusted Buddha statue in the main hall of Yun Kong Temple!

Because of the nobles’ pursuit, and with twenty years having passed, items from Yun Kong Temple had become increasingly rare and priceless. Edward Howard, goaded by others, swore to obtain a forbidden item.