Chapter 191 - 160: Bodhi Tree

Chapter 191: Chapter 160: Bodhi Tree

That night.

Zhang Ji met Qu Wuyin for the first time.

Just as the information Zhang Ji had received from Ling Xuzi described, she wore a veil and white robes. Her eyes were exceptionally lively, and she exuded a faint, cold aloofness—an air that warned others to keep their distance.

"Is everyone here?"

Qu Wuyin didn’t move her lips. The voice emanated from the space around them, ethereal and carrying a unique spiritual fluctuation that captivated the mind. This was a result of her also cultivating an Alluring Charm Skill.

Present were Zhang Ji, Huo Chuan, Yan Jiulin, and Cui Wei. Besides them, there were eight Golden Core cultivators and several dozen Foundation Establishment cultivators.

"Saintess, everyone is here," Yan Jiulin said to Qu Wuyin.

Although Yan Jiulin’s rank in the Ascetic Order was theoretically one level higher than Qu Wuyin’s, and he was also stronger than her, Qu Wuyin’s status was equal to his.

This was because Qu Wuyin was once the adopted daughter of Master Yu Yi.

Within the Blood and Flesh Ascetic Order, she was a crucial symbolic figure. She also controlled the Order’s intelligence network and held a certain position within the Celestial Dao Alliance, which was why even Yan Jiulin treated her with considerable courtesy.

"Mister Jiulin, fellow cultivators, you have seen for yourselves how tyrannical and unjust the Celestial Dao Alliance is. These Thirty-Three Heavens hoard ninety-nine percent of the world’s Spiritual Qi. Back then, Master Yu Yi merely discussed with them the possibility of taking a small fraction to share with the Abyss of Eternity. For this, she offended the four elders of the Celestial Dao Alliance. They took advantage of her secluded cultivation, using the Heart Demon Skill to corrupt her Dao heart, ultimately causing Master Yu Yi to die from cultivation deviation.

Now, we struggle for a sliver of hope amid this hardship, seeking only a small place to stand and cultivate. Yet, the Celestial Dao Alliance continues to press us at every turn, refusing to let us pursue the Dao.

The Dao belongs to the heavens and the earth, but it also belongs to us.

However, the Celestial Dao Alliance seeks to claim the Celestial Dao as its own, allowing only their chosen few to cultivate. How shameless, how immoral is such an act?

Though we leave these Thirty-Three Heavens today, we will surely return one day to destroy this decadent city....

Tribulation fire forges my bones, chilling frost tempers my soul. Though my spiritual altar sits empty, a bell-ringer will one day come...."

As Qu Wuyin spoke, the crowd began to chant the slogan.

"Tribulation fire forges my bones, chilling frost tempers my soul. Though my spiritual altar sits empty, a bell-ringer will one day come..."

Zhang Ji mumbled a few lines for show, just to blend in.

He wasn’t one of these Demon Possessed People; he had no deep-seated belief in the Ascetic Order’s cause.

Zhang Ji’s gaze fell on Cui Wei. He noticed that something in Cui Wei’s eyes had changed.

They were no longer sharp, but rather dull and vacant.

He had clearly been taken over by a Heart Demon.

’He’s finished. Once a Heart Demon takes control, being alive is no different from being dead.’

After her morale-boosting speech, Qu Wuyin prepared to lead the group away.

Using the excuse of visiting relatives, she and Yan Jiulin led everyone to a floating lift, preparing to depart.

In Qu Wuyin’s hand was an identification token from the Celestial Sword Group. It was entirely gold, indicating a very high rank.

When she presented it, Zhang Ji saw the character "Yao" on it.

If he remembered correctly, Qu Wuyin’s backstory involved her infiltrating Linghu Yao’s side and serving as his Sword Attendant for a time.

’A manager from an enemy faction infiltrated the side of one of our own top executives, and no one even noticed.’

’The Celestial Dao Alliance’s internal vetting system is completely shot.’

’Absolute power corrupts absolutely. That saying really fits here.’

They encountered almost no resistance, riding the floating lift to Chenxiao Hub and then proceeding all the way to the Abyss of Eternity.

Once they reached the Abyss of Eternity, they were officially out of the Celestial Dao Alliance’s sight.

Everything had gone so smoothly, thanks in no small part to Linghu Yao’s identity token.

....

Meanwhile, a violent explosion suddenly rocked a factory belonging to Zhenyuan Technology. A pillar of Spiritual Power shot into the sky, dazzling even in the night.

Many surrounding buildings were caught in the blast, damaged beyond recognition.

Soon, news that Zhenyuan Technology had suffered a retaliatory strike from the Ascetic Order appeared on the Spirit Net.

By this time, Qu Wuyin had already returned to the Floating City.

In Duobao Heaven, the area where the Zhenyuan Technology facility had been located was now a field of ruins.

"Senior Sister, Senior Sister... My father... WAHHHH..."

Qu Wuyin crouched on the ground, clutching her head and weeping bitterly, her face a mask of grief.

Linghu Yao’s face turned ashen. He knelt and embraced Qu Wuyin, saying, "Wuyin, don’t worry. I will find the culprits and bring them to justice!"

"WAHHHH~!"

....

In the Yu Yi Grotto-Heaven.

Zhang Ji held the jade vial he had stolen from Lingcui Heaven and extended his spirit into it.

He immediately sensed the dew stored within.

The amount, if measured in drops, was roughly seven or eight.

In other words, it was enough to nurture a Spirit Plant to an age of seven or eight thousand years.

It was more than enough to grow that Bodhi seed into a Bodhi Tree.

For the first time in this world, Zhang Ji entered the Hope Boat.

Inside, there were already many exotic plants.

After arriving in this world, all these exotic plants had undergone various changes in the Spiritual Qi-rich environment.

After several generations of growth, some had already evolved into Spirit Plants.

Spirit Plants were different from ordinary plants; they possessed traits modified by Spiritual Power.

Their medicinal properties were stronger, and they had superior abilities to reproduce and survive, among other things.

At their natural evolutionary speed, they wouldn’t have reached this stage so quickly, but the environment inside the Hope Boat, combined with the Spiritual Qi, had accelerated the process.

Zhang Ji found an open space and buried the Bodhi seed.

Planting a Bodhi seed wasn’t as simple as just having Shennong’s Dew.

It also required a suitable environment.

A Spirit Plant seed of the Bodhi seed’s caliber already possessed a degree of self-awareness and instinct.

If the external environment wasn’t right, a seed like this wouldn’t sprout and grow even if it received nutrients.

It knew full well that sprouting in an unsuitable environment was a dead end.

This was why the Bodhi Temple had never succeeded in cultivating it.

But inside the Hope Boat, it was different.

The environment here was perfectly suited for plant growth.

It could cultivate exotic plants from Origin Star, Spirit Plants from the Celestial Essence Realm, and even Demon Plants.

This was the unique quality of an independent small universe.

It drew its Energy Origin directly from the great void, and this energy was, in essence, far more advanced than Spiritual Qi, as Spiritual Qi itself was a converted form of this energy.

The Bodhi seed could also get nutrients by sprouting here.

After planting the Bodhi seed, Zhang Ji took out the jade vial and carefully dripped out a single drop of the dew.

The vibrant green dew shimmered as it soaked into the soil.

Even Zhang Ji could feel its potent life force.

He had a feeling that if he consumed a single drop, he could regrow severed bones and regenerate flesh.

"RUSTLE RUSTLE~!"

At that moment, Zhang Ji noticed the surrounding plants, even those farther away, begin to stir. Their roots visibly strained to grow in his direction.

Even the few molecules of dew that had diffused into the air seemed to affect them.

Blue Immortal Pharmaceutical normally diluted this substance thousands of times before use. Zhang Ji had used a pure drop, so potent that an ordinary Spirit Plant might not even be able to absorb it.

Suddenly, the buried Bodhi seed began to change.

A tender sprout emerged from the soil.

Then it began to grow at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Zhang Ji’s spirit particles could sense its roots spreading deep into the soil, rapidly absorbing every bit of nutrient from the drop of dew, not intending to leave any for the surrounding plants.

The roots of the other plants that reached over were simply pushed aside.

In less than two minutes, a small sapling over a meter tall had grown before Zhang Ji.

A strange Force Field fluctuation formed in a three-meter radius around it.

Zhang Ji could feel that within this field, his thoughts, his body’s functions—everything was accelerating, receiving a buff.

[Bodhi Aura].

This was the buff that the Bodhi Tree had in the game.

Its straightforward description was an increase in the efficiency of gaining skill experience.

In reality, however, what Zhang Ji felt was far more comprehensive.

Many technical concepts that Zhang Ji hadn’t quite grasped before, he now understood almost instantly.

He practiced [Solitary and Honored] from the for a moment.

This Palm Skill was very difficult for him to practice.

He could execute it, but without any finesse.

But next to the Bodhi Tree, when Zhang Ji performed it again, he felt the execution was much smoother. He noticed many details he had previously missed.

Flaws and omissions were quickly corrected, and he even came up with many of his own ideas.

In essence, the [Solitary and Honored] palm technique used yuan qi and spirit particles to disintegrate and restructure matter.

If done with enough precision, one could even expend energy to transmute matter.

Like turning stone into gold.

However, his current Spirit wasn’t capable of such a feat; his precision was lacking.

But even with a cruder application, there were many possibilities.

Zhang Ji immediately extrapolated several new possibilities from the original, fixed model of the Palm Skill.

’I feel like a genius among geniuses right now.’

’This thing’s effect is so much stronger than when it was just a Bodhi seed.’

"Two more drops. I’ll take the rest back to study."

Zhang Ji raised his hand and added two more drops. The Bodhi Tree gradually grew to a height of about ten feet, its lush leaves all golden and marked with special patterns, showering down warm, golden motes of light.

Standing under the tree, Zhang Ji felt as if he was on the verge of enlightenment.

He experienced a sense of clear, empty wisdom that could see through the affairs of the world.

Most of the distracting thoughts in his mind were suppressed. His thoughts unified, no longer fighting with each other.

Simply put, his internal friction was gone.

He felt no anxiety, no impatience. Many unnecessary desires had faded away.

Zhang Ji frowned slightly, stepped out of the aura’s range, and turned to look at the Bodhi Tree, murmuring, "Is this considered a side effect?"

’It’s hard to say whether that feeling is good or bad for a person.’

’The Bodhi Tree may enhance wisdom and increase one’s comprehension...’

’...but it also eliminates distracting thoughts and reduces one’s desires.’

’Fortunately, its influence is limited to the aura’s domain, its intensity isn’t high, and a firm will can resist it. Plus, the effect vanishes upon leaving the area. Otherwise, Zhang Ji really wouldn’t dare to use it.’

’But it makes sense when you think about it.’

’It’s certainly not easy to do something well when your mind is full of distracting thoughts and desires.’

’The Bodhi Tree’s ability to enhance focus and eliminate distractions is a great help for learning.’

’But if this buff were permanently active on a person, reducing their desires too much, they would lose their motivation to advance.’

"All in all, the pros outweigh the cons. The side effects are manageable. In fact, to that bunch of monks, this probably wouldn’t even be considered a downside," Zhang Ji muttered to himself.

Having successfully planted the Bodhi seed, his mood improved considerably.

Then, he turned his attention to the stolen Flood Dragon egg.

The blue Flood Dragon egg, over two meters tall, lay quietly there.

When Zhang Ji’s spirit particles approached, they were repelled by its spiritual force field. It was clear the Flood Dragon inside had already formed an embryo.

’Should I still eat it?’

Zhang Ji hesitated. If he didn’t eat it, was he supposed to raise it?

’My resources are barely enough to support myself. How could I afford to raise a pet? Does it even deserve it?’

’I have to eat it and turn it into my own nourishment!’

The moment this thought appeared in Zhang Ji’s mind, his killing intent enveloped the Flood Dragon egg. Sensing it, the Flood Dragon egg suddenly began to tremble, transmitting a thought pleading for mercy.

"It’s a clever one!"

Zhang Ji was slightly surprised.

He knew that most Spirit Beasts possessed intelligence comparable to humans, and that in the Ancient Era, there were even Spirit Beasts that could take human form, known as yao.

But for the Flood Dragon inside this egg to possess such wisdom before even hatching was truly extraordinary.

"Forget it. I’ll take it to the Physics Department and Robby’s team for research later. I’ll decide whether to eat it after that."

Zhang Ji changed his mind, having found a new use for the egg.