Chapter 111: The Bodhi Seed

“Take it easy! I’m feeling awful right now.”
The wild ginseng’s first words were so earth-shattering that Lin Fan was left speechless for a moment.

“What’s wrong with you? It’s just that you didn’t manage to knock down the Bodhi tree stump.”
Lin Fan gave the wild ginseng a helpless glance, knowing full well that this was no ordinary character—its mind was full of mischief.

“Exactly, so I don’t know anything beyond this point unless you give me that bead.”
The wild ginseng shook its roots, looking as if it were about to cough up blood. “If it weren’t for your enemies showing up, I might have already taken a piece of the Bodhi tree bark. You have to know, that’s something akin to an ancestral artifact. I don’t care about anything else—you owe me!”

Lin Fan couldn’t help but chuckle bitterly. To be honest, the troublemaker Yi Yuan was indeed causing problems. Still, he doubted that the Bodhi tree stump could be chipped away so easily.

“Don’t waste time with nonsense—tell me the origin of this bead, or I’ll start pulling out your roots one by one. And just so you know, there’s no chance you’ll get your hands on this bead.”
Lin Fan dashed the wild ginseng’s hopes. Though he couldn’t discern the bead’s origins, it was undoubtedly an ancient relic, likely endowed with unfathomable power.

The wild ginseng curled its lips, realizing that Lin Fan wasn’t joking. Besides, the bead was useless to it anyway. Being a mysterious entity itself, it wasn’t necessarily inferior to the bead’s power.

“The Bodhi tree blooms once every thousand years, and its flowers can be preserved for a hundred thousand years. Only after ninety-nine flowers gather can something like the bead you hold be formed—we call it the Bodhi Seed.”
The wild ginseng spoke honestly, with no intention of concealing anything.

Lin Fan had never even heard of the Bodhi Seed before; in fact, he knew very little about the Bodhi tree itself.

“So this Bodhi Seed truly has an extraordinary origin, but what use does it serve?”

It wasn’t surprising that Lin Fan was unfamiliar with it; very few people in this world even knew of the Bodhi Seed. The Judgment Spear might have some knowledge, but it was not currently by Lin Fan’s side.

“The Bodhi Seed’s purpose is to illuminate the mind and reveal one’s true nature, drawing one closer to the Great Dao. But more importantly, it can see through all illusions in the world. In other words, all formations lose their effect before the Bodhi Seed. That said, this is relative—some ancient deadly formations remain terrifying. Even with the Bodhi Seed, you can’t break through them. But an emperor-level being could easily defy all recorded formations in the heavens.”

The wild ginseng spoke fluently, explaining the Bodhi Seed’s uses clearly and thoroughly, leaving Lin Fan gasping in astonishment.

Formations might sound insignificant at lower realms, as those below the Celestial Realm rarely encounter them. But once one reaches the Celestial Realm or beyond, formations become incredibly formidable.

True grand formations are designed specifically for those at this level. The reason is simple: those beyond the Celestial Realm are difficult to kill without overwhelming force. They can survive injuries that would be fatal to others, regenerating limbs and such. But formations can trap enemies indefinitely, making them invaluable. Now that Lin Fan possessed the Bodhi Seed, unless faced with an overwhelmingly powerful opponent, his life would be fairly secure upon reaching the Celestial Realm.

“Besides this, the Bodhi Seed has other abilities. First, it can store energy for a single absorption. Second, and most importantly, the Bodhi Seed might actually grow into a Bodhi tree, though the chance is minuscule.”

Without giving Lin Fan much time to react, the wild ginseng dropped another bombshell, only to immediately dismiss it.

“Don’t think too much about it. Cultivating a new Bodhi tree is incredibly difficult—it’s a sacred root of the heavens and earth. Legend has it only gods can wield it, and it’s extremely rare in the mortal realm.”

The wild ginseng’s words were truthful, without a hint of fabrication. There have always been three sacred roots in the world, but apart from the Buddhist sect and the Phoenix clan, none have ever possessed them. Even the sacred lands and divine dynasties cannot claim these three sacred trees.

“I’m not thinking that far ahead. Cultivating a Bodhi tree is beyond my ability, and even the sacred lands can’t do it. My focus is solely on the energy contained within the Bodhi Seed.”
Lin Fan’s words seemed ambiguous. Though he claimed not to have such thoughts, only he knew his true intentions.

“That’s good. Don’t entertain unrealistic ideas. With the Bodhi Seed, I think you can consider advancing your realm.”
The wild ginseng glanced at Lin Fan, somewhat puzzled. Previously, Lin Fan’s realm was at the third tier of the Meridian Condensation Realm, so why had it suddenly jumped to the fourth?

“That’s inevitable. Breaking through the Meridian Condensation Realm depends entirely on energy accumulation. There’s no big problem. With the Bodhi Seed, I’m definitely making further progress.”

Seemingly ignoring the wild ginseng’s confusion, Lin Fan avoided the topic of his realm. Even if asked directly, he wouldn’t reveal it—not out of secrecy, but because even he didn’t fully understand what had happened. He only felt that he had taken on another layer of karmic fate.

“That’s excellent. I can only tell you that the Little Thunder Sound Temple is about to face a major crisis, and it’s already heading in a bad direction. More strength means a higher chance of survival.”
The wild ginseng fell silent after that, casting a covetous glance at the Bodhi Seed before retreating once more into the Space Bag, knowing Lin Fan was about to breakthrough.

“A major crisis?”
Lin Fan stood still, silent for a long while.

An entire hour passed before Lin Fan finally withdrew his spirit, gazing at the Bodhi Seed and sensing a vast, overwhelming power.

“Next, I’m going to break through to the fifth tier of the Meridian Condensation Realm. I wonder if by then I’ll be able to fight on par with a weakened Celestial Realm warrior.”
Lin Fan murmured to himself, his gaze drifting.

The Celestial Realm is divided into five major stages, known as the five declines of the Celestial Realm, each subdivided into early, middle, and late periods.

Currently, Lin Fan is at the fourth tier of the Meridian Condensation Realm. With his innate talent and the Fate Divine Fist, he can rival opponents across five tiers, effectively matching a ninth-tier Meridian Condensation warrior. Theoretically, one more breakthrough would allow him to rival an early-stage first decline Celestial Realm expert. But the problem lies in the barrier between the Meridian Condensation and Celestial Realms. Only by surpassing this limit can one truly enter the Celestial Realm’s domain.

“Though the chances are slim, if I don’t try, there won’t be even the slightest possibility. Now that I have this opportunity, I can’t let it slip away. I don’t expect to face Celestial Realm warriors head-on just yet, but at least I must become invincible within the Meridian Condensation Realm!”
Lin Fan closed his eyes and began to absorb the energy within the Bodhi Seed. His aura unfurled, slowly ascending in strength!