Chapter 113: Newly Discovered Function of the Bodhi Branch

Chapter 113: Chapter 113: Newly Discovered Function of the Bodhi Branch

Watching Xiaojiu tie on her apron and enter the kitchen, listening to the CHOP CHOP CHOP of vegetables from within, Shen Yun felt rather satisfied and in a very good mood. Because he had finally gotten his hands on the necessary Grand Array, it wouldn’t be long before the cities of Huaxia regained their former prosperity, perhaps even surpassing it.

He also had to keep working hard and cultivating diligently. After all, the higher his cultivation, the faster the Bodhi Branch would accumulate energy, which meant more powerful companions. Shen Yun had a strong intuition. Once he reached the Golden Core stage, the Bodhi Branch would inevitably undergo some new transformation.

He was getting ready to head back to his room. Passing by Erin’s room, he noticed the door was slightly ajar, not closed tight. From inside came the faint, intermittent sounds of MEOW, MEOW.

It sounded different from usual—softer, more delicate, as if someone were scratching a kitten’s belly. It made one’s heart itch just listening to it.

He wondered what she was doing. Shen Yun couldn’t help but feel a bit curious. Usually, aside from helping with chores and watching him play video games, Erin spent almost all her time holed up in her room. He wondered if...

Shen Yun gently pushed the door open. Such an action should have been glaringly obvious to a Cultivator at the Divine Thought Stage, but Erin didn’t seem to notice at all. She was on all fours on the bed, her back to him, her tail swishing back and forth.

"Ahem." Shen Yun coughed lightly.

"MEOW!"

Letting out a clearly startled sound, Erin jumped in fright. The fur on her tail instantly puffed up as she hid her hands behind her back, looking at Shen Yun nervously. It was obvious she was hiding something.

"What are you doing?" Shen Yun asked, his curiosity growing.

"N-nothing, meow!" Erin stammered.

She really was terrible at lying, and her suddenly fast-swishing tail gave everything away. So Shen Yun simply held out his hand. He kept a straight face, much like a high school homeroom teacher. "Hand it over."

"Meow..."

Sounding extremely wronged, Erin naturally didn’t dare disobey her Master. She obediently brought out whatever she was hiding behind her back. It was a piece of colored paper. More accurately, it was a supermarket flyer. It seemed to have been brought back, tucked among the groceries, the last time Xiaojie went shopping.

What was so interesting about this?

Shen Yun turned it over. Then he saw a massive item printed on the back: a life-sized fish body pillow! On sale for ninety-nine. He didn’t need to look any further.

"You’ve spent this entire week hiding in your room just looking at this?" Shen Yun didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Was a fish-shaped body pillow really that big a deal?

Erin’s ears instantly drooped. She wore a look of immense grievance, like a child being scolded for doing something wrong.

"I’m not blaming you," Shen Yun said, petting her head gently. "If you wanted it this badly, why didn’t you tell me?"

"I can’t ask Master for things, meow." Seeing Shen Yun’s expression, Erin’s wronged look slowly faded, though she kept her head bowed.

"Then let’s just say it’s a reward from me."

Shen Yun naturally wouldn’t be so stingy as to refuse to buy a toy for his little cat, especially when she liked it this much. She was practically obsessed with it.

"But..." Erin shook her head. "I haven’t done any good deeds, meow. I can’t accept a reward, meow."

Growing up among the Cat Race People, one rule was deeply ingrained in her heart: you only get what you earn through hard work. After her father died, there was absolutely nothing she could obtain without paying a price.

"I see..." Shen Yun didn’t want to destroy her values, so he thought for a moment. "Then how about you do something for me? That way, you can earn your reward. It’s not a very expensive item to begin with."

"Meow?" Erin’s eyes lit up. She really, really wanted it. She had fallen in love the second she laid eyes on the picture on the flyer.

"Let me think." Shen Yun’s gaze swept over the cat-eared girl’s entire body. She was currently wearing a simple button-down shirt tied in a knot at her waist, paired with denim hot pants. She looked youthful, beautiful, and incredibly well-proportioned. Naturally, she didn’t know how to dress herself; Xiaojiu must have picked out this outfit for her.

Ultimately, Shen Yun’s eyes landed on her hands. "Give me a shoulder massage," he said with a smile. "Do you know how to do that?"

"Meow, meow!" Erin nodded eagerly.

There were a few elderly members of her tribe who often needed shoulder massages. She had learned how to do it in order to trade for stitched leather clothes.

"Let’s give it a try then." Shen Yun turned his back to her and sat on her small bed.

In the past, he used to watch short videos online where pet cats would often climb onto their owners and knead them with their paws, almost like a massage. It was incredibly heartwarming and adorable. He hadn’t expected to be able to enjoy the same treatment, even if this particular "little kitty" was a bit on the larger side.

Wearing an incredibly serious expression, Erin reached out and began to gently massage Shen Yun’s shoulders. Though her hands looked human on the outside, they still retained some traits of the Cat Race People. For instance, her sharp claws could extend and retract a few centimeters, and the pads of her fingers and palms were exceptionally soft and squishy.

It actually felt quite comfortable. Shen Yun half-closed his eyes, silently enjoying the massage.

Xiaojiu had naturally massaged his shoulders before as well, but that experience had been way too stimulating. It was completely different from this.

After quite some time, hearing Xiaojiu call them for dinner, he finally stood up and stretched his arms. "That was really nice. Just wait a bit, I’ll go buy you that body pillow tomorrow."

"MEOW-OO!"

Erin threw her hands in the air, cheering and smiling radiantly.

Shen Yun couldn’t resist patting the top of her head again. As they spent more time together, their bond would definitely deepen.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. He wanted to see if the Bodhi Branch could grant Enlightenment to Erin.

The answer he received was—yes, it could! Moreover, it didn’t require much energy; it was roughly the same amount needed to grant Enlightenment to the villa.

This... A hint of surprise flashed through Shen Yun’s eyes.

He had tried it on his younger sister before, as well as on small animals like cats, dogs, birds, and even insects like ants. However, none of them worked. They couldn’t be Enlightened. Yet, plants could be. He had once believed that any living creature with its own independent consciousness couldn’t be granted Enlightenment. So why did it work on Erin?

"Master, meow? Xiaojiu is calling us, meow." Erin looked obediently at her Master, wondering why he was just standing there motionless.

"Oh." Shen Yun snapped out of his daze. "Let’s go." He was actually quite pleasantly surprised.

This was a brand-new discovery. The Bodhi Branch didn’t have a mind of its own. Unlike those talkative, cutesy systems in web novels, he had to figure out all its functions through trial and error. How much energy Enlightenment required, whether it would upgrade in the future, and what the prerequisites were—he could only find out by experimenting and drawing his own conclusions.

And the fact that Erin could be Enlightened gave Shen Yun a hypothesis. It wasn’t that creatures with their own consciousness couldn’t be granted Enlightenment. Rather, there was a specific condition—for instance, their loyalty to him.

At the dining table.

He shared this new discovery with Xiaojiu via a mental link.

"Master." Sitting beside him, Xiaojiu’s eyes widened slightly, her transmitted voice carrying obvious surprise. "There’s a high probability that your guess is correct. Next time, you can try it on Vierlia or Alicia."

"Sure." Shen Yun naturally had no objections. Then he added, "I wonder what kind of changes granting Enlightenment to a creature that already has a soul will bring about."

"We can actually guess that," Xiaojiu explained. "Strictly speaking, Master, your Bodhi Branch has two functions: granting Enlightenment to the soul, and instilling Heavenly Dao Insights. The former is the reason why I could come to life, while the latter is the reason why I was a peak Golden Core Cultivator the moment I appeared."

"Put it that way..." Shen Yun seemed to somewhat understand. The Bodhi Branch was essentially a cheat tool that directly added experience points.

Why couldn’t he just grant Enlightenment to himself? Shen Yun felt a little depressed. He had originally thought he was the ultimate hacker, only to realize he was actually just an EXP booster for others. He really wanted to tie himself up with the Bodhi Branch and instantly turn into a peak Golden Core Cultivator.

"Master, you need to cultivate hard and reach the Golden Core stage as soon as possible," Xiaojiu said, dealing Shen Yun another critical hit. "There will definitely be new changes then."

"...Let’s just eat." Shen Yun channeled his grief into his appetite.

He really did need to focus on his cultivation. Shen Yun felt that if he pushed himself a little harder, the time it would take him to reach the Golden Core stage might just coincide with Xiaojiu advancing to the Void God stage.

Around five or six months.

Half a year wasn’t considered a long time. After that day, following his unexpected new discovery about the Bodhi Branch through Erin, Shen Yun’s life became even busier. More accurately, he cut down on his gaming time to use for cultivation.

Half a month later.

Wei Er was finally ready to fuse the two Bronze Halls.

During that time, Shen Yun also took a trip to the number two Otherworld and tested his theory on Vierlia. He received completely different feedback from the Bodhi Branch.

Insufficient level.

That’s right. It wasn’t the usual feeling of "cannot be Enlightened" or "insufficient energy." Instead, it clearly conveyed that his current level wasn’t high enough to grant Enlightenment to a Golden Core powerhouse.

There was no mistaking it now. Shen Yun was absolutely stuck with the title of History’s Strongest EXP Booster.

"Master, do you want to grant Enlightenment to Erin?" Xiaojiu suddenly asked on their way to Wei Er’s location.

"No," Shen Yun rejected the idea. "We should prioritize increasing your combat power. At the same realm, your advantages far surpass those of biological beings. So, it’s better to save the energy to grant Enlightenment to the fighter jet. I’m actually really looking forward to seeing what kind of laws it will comprehend. As for Erin and the others, we can consider boosting their strength later, once things have settled down."

He had even held back from rushing to grant Enlightenment to his own house, because it simply wasn’t cost-effective. Right now, he was far from having an abundance of energy. It wasn’t the time to do whatever he wanted.

"Then, Master, have you thought of a name for our future new companion?" Xiaojiu vibrated twice against Shen Yun’s chest, her tone entirely teasing.

"Do you want a spanking?" Shen Yun’s face darkened instantly.

"Hehe, if Master wants to spank me, you can do it anytime," Xiaojiu giggled, her voice soft and sweet.

Back then, Shen Yun had confidently picked out a name for Xiaojie, only to suddenly change it after granting him Enlightenment—especially since the new name wasn’t even that good.