Becoming a Deity from Planting the Bodhi Tree

Taian City, the lower level.

Here, day and night do not exist; the place is enveloped in psychedelic neon lights all the time.

In the narrow alley deep inside, Li Buyi hums a song, feeling at ease after a long absence.

Thus, even when President Wang told him that the recruitment of followers was not going very smoothly, he didn't fuss much about it; instead, in front of President Wang, he casually lit one of his subordinates as if he were a candle to encourage President Wang to work harder.

Well then, another soul is saved tonight.

At this moment, Li Buyi received a message from the church.

He frowned.

They were actually asking him to deal with Yang Yan Martial Arts Hall as soon as possible.

This was unacceptable; dealing with Yang Yan Martial Arts Hall would mean he'd have to confront the official powers of Taian City head-on.

And that old master of the hall was not easy to deal with.

He reviewed the footage of the fight that night; the opponent was a formidable fighter within the fourth realm and was likely trapped by his Spirit Realm, unable to break through, with his combat skills honed to their limits.

Such an established fourth realm Martial Artist would surely have a deadly trick up his sleeve; Li Buyi didn't want to foolishly fight a life-and-death battle.

After pondering for a moment, Li Buyi crafted a message: "The enemy has external support, their strength is too great, backup is needed!!!", specifically adding three exclamation marks to emphasize the urgency and severity of the situation.

After clicking send, he shut down the terminal.

This way, even if his superiors rejected his request, he wouldn't see it.

As Buddha says, ignorance is not a sin.

Having shut down the terminal, Li Buyi felt a bit better.

Thinking of the youth with profound Zen and deep Buddha's Destiny, Li Buyi felt even better.

The Blood Buddha was a commendation he received years ago for shedding blood for the church, containing a strand of "Resting Thoughts" from a powerful church member.

When worn by a follower, it can guard against the risks of getting lost in the Spirit Ocean and anchor oneself.

For non-followers, it can subtly suggest and alter the wearer's disposition, guiding them into the embrace of the church.

Thinking about the chance to turn this person into a "Buddha's son" made Li Buyi incredibly pleased.

He didn't care at all whether Taian City had a Daoist Collection; even if it did, it wouldn't end up in his hands.

But bringing in a Buddha's son would be a real achievement, smoothing the path after shaping the Heart Image.

Li Buyi suddenly stopped walking, a thought emerging in his mind.

Should he just convert the boy directly?

His eyes lit up.

Come to think of it, what would it be like to burn the flesh of a Buddha's son as incense?

No, not possible…

His expression became conflicted.

Tantalizing as a Buddha's son may smell, it wouldn't be worth sacrificing a complete Ten Grounds Bodhisattva heritage.

That's a grandmaster's heritage, a heavenly path!

Well, a half-month's psychological suggestion from the Blood Jade should be enough, right?

A bit more patience, a little less impatience, just wait for the flower to bloom.

Li Buyi reassured himself.

After all, dealing with a Buddha's son required a gentle approach, not the crude methods like skinning and deboning used in the past; otherwise, if the Buddha's son bore a grudge against him, how would he continue mixing in the church?

...

...

In the Inner Realm world.

Ji Jingqiu followed the small tree's mysterious solution, burying the Blood Jade under the tree roots.

It was somewhat strange.

Holding the Jade Buddha, he entered meditation.

When his Spirit God appeared in the Inner Realm, he was surprisingly also holding a blood-colored Jade Pendant.

This Jade Buddha was clearly extraordinary, containing some kind of power at the level of the Spirit God, allowing it to appear in the Inner Realm with him in this form.

Ji Jingqiu secretly thought that the buzz-cut man was indeed up to no good.

But no matter what schemes were hiding inside this Jade Buddha attempting to harm him, it has now turned into fertilizer.

Ji Jingqiu, holding a tiger cub, waited eagerly beside the small tree.

According to the small tree's feedback, the main source of his hunger this afternoon was not his body but at the level of the Spirit God.

At noon in the Inner Realm, he practiced Breathing Skills. With the small tree's blessing, his spirit and body achieved perfect synchronization, allowing him to quickly cultivate a strand of Qi Force.

And this was also the second level ability of the Bodhi Tree as a nascent form of Martial Arts Divine Power — Wisdom Light.

Under the enhancement of Wisdom Light, all Martial Arts practice was twice as effective with half the effort.

The unfolding of Pure Land and maintaining the Inner Realm, including the enhancement from Wisdom Light...

These all relied on the functions of the Bodhi Tree and all required energy.

Merely relying on regular sleeping and resting to recover the Power of the Spirit was no longer sufficient to support the current expenditure.

It had worked hard, but income was less than outgo.

Simply put, the child was hungry.

And this piece of Blood Jade was the "food" it needed.

As the Blood Jade was buried, the branches of the small tree gently swayed, scattering a light glow all around, radiating a joyful mood.

Before long, a leaf slowly grew on the branch, so tenderly green it seemed almost dripping with moisture, lightly fluttering at the tip of the branch.

Ji Jingqiu was overjoyed.

This fellow might be called a small tree, but it seemed more like a freshly planted sapling.

The few branches were bare, bearing only three pitiful leaves.

With the nourishment of the Blood Jade, a fourth leaf emerged, resulting in a growth rate of 33.3%!

The newborn leaf drooped slightly, from its tip a drop of blood-red dew condensed and slowly fell.

Before Ji Jingqiu could react, the vicious tiger beneath his palm pounced and swallowed that drop of blood-red dew with a growl.

Ji Jingqiu grabbed it by the scruff of its neck, holding it mid-air as it licked its lips, blinking its pitch-black eyes, obliviously looking around.

Ji Jingqiu frowned, observing the tiger cub to ensure there were no malignant changes before he sighed in relief.

According to the Bodhi Tree's feedback, that drop was an impurity from the Blood Buddha, a filthy substance, not the bones left after the flesh was picked clean!

Unexpectedly, this little one was quick-eyed and swift-handed, taking a flying leap to swallow it.

Without mercy, Ji Jingqiu gave the foolish cub a chestnut knock on the head before putting it down.

Looking at the tiger cub fluttering beside him, Ji Jingqiu suddenly realized.

Why does it feel like the space has widened?

Has the Pure Land expanded?

After a thorough check, his senses were indeed correct; the coverage of the Pure Land had expanded from three feet to four feet.

This confirmed his guess: the range of the Pure Land's coverage could be expanded.

And directly associated with this was the growth of the Bodhi Tree.

Ji Jingqiu looked up towards the blood-red world outside the Pure Land.

He had always been curious, what exactly is outside, is it also a part of the Fire House Buddha Hell Visualization Method?

In that moment just now, he felt a strange calling.

That familiar sense of calling came from a far place, beckoning him to go there.

Just like when igniting the Heart Fire, it was not intense, silent like the undercurrents passing through the seabed, and like roots quietly spreading beneath the prairie, slowly yet firmly touching each sensitive nerve.

It seemed like that was his homeland where he had been away for a long time; it was time to return to his roots, where fallen leaves return to the ground.

This feeling made Ji Jingqiu quite uncomfortable.

He decisively detached from the Inner Realm, returning his consciousness to his body.

The first sensation he felt was the previously surging hunger subsiding.

Next was the Jade Buddha in his hand.

Previously under the moonlight, the Jade Buddha emitting a blood-red glow had dimmed a lot, its surface as if covered in a layer of dust, losing all its luster.

The Buddha statue's wickedly upturned corners of the mouth had also inexplicably sunk in.

According to the small tree's response, this object was now a waste, not worth collecting.

But Ji Jingqiu did not throw it into the trash; instead, he carefully preserved it.

If he could get more Jade Buddhas, wouldn't his little Bodhi Tree grow exceedingly well?

Wouldn't he handle the Evil Poison Disease easily once the tree crown spreads like a canopy propping up the sky?

Speaking of which, that person earlier mentioned he had profound Zen, could it be related to the Fire House Buddha Hell Visualization Map?

Ji Jingqiu thought to himself, this Visualization Method sounded like it was related to Buddhism.

Unfortunately, he was currently unable to contact Elder Mu and Mei; otherwise, he really wanted to clarify things.

Next time they met, he definitely needed to probe more about this Visualization Method.

Ji Jingqiu was in a very good mood now.

With the expansion of the Pure Land, the time he could stay in the visualization state should also have increased, which means he would suffer less.

Of course, this also meant that his Spirit Realm had taken another step ahead of his physical body…

Ji Jingqiu adjusted his state and began practicing Stance.

As the clear light fell within the Inner Realm, he started his afternoon attempt, transforming the Hidden Dragon Stance into his own style.

Have you ever seen the sun in Taian City just before two in the morning?

...

The next afternoon.

After finishing a day's Stance training.

The sponge once again squeezed dry the last drop of water.

With a foreboding heart and a hungry stomach, Ji Jingqiu sought out Master Yang.

Yang Yan plucked a small clump of his beard, exclaiming in shock:

"You've cultivated Qi Force? When did this happen?"

"Yesterday?"

After listening to Ji Jingqiu's purpose, he carefully examined the latter's body.

After a while, Master Yang, frowning in thought, remained silent.

This made Ji Jingqiu somewhat anxious.

It's not fearing the doctor saying there's illness, but fearing when the doctor stays silent!

At this moment, Yang Yan was baffled.

He had checked Ji Jingqiu's Innate Root Bone yesterday, which was only mediocre; however, in this era, Innate Root Bone doesn't really matter, so he didn't care much.

Considering Ji Jingqiu's inadequate Innate Root Bone and fearing slow progress in his Stance training, he specifically chose the Hidden Dragon Stance for this young fellow.

Although the training process of Hidden Dragon Stance involves quite a bit of hardship, its later progression is the fastest among Stance skills.

A mediocre root bone, how could it possibly cultivate Qi Force within a day?

Moreover, he just checked, and Ji Jingqiu currently has a significant deficiency in Qi and blood!

Even though Ji Jingqiu had cultivated Qi Force, it was hard to explain.

Because this young man's appetite at noon was witnessed by all!