Under the Bodhi Tree

"Long time no see."

Once the other monks had left, Su Min finally relaxed a little and sat cross-legged in front of him. However, just then, a young monk around fifteen or sixteen years old suddenly stepped forward.

"Benefactor Su, you should show more respect to my master. He is— Ow!"

Before he could finish, Su Min shot him a glare, making him shrink back. But that brief moment of eye contact gave her pause.

"He feels familiar… Could he be—?"

"He is Hui Ming's second reincarnation. Back then, he built his foundation too early, resulting in instability. Combined with the poor environment, I advised him not to advance to the Golden Core stage and instead pass away naturally after the Foundation Establishment phase, entering the cycle of rebirth. I've only recently retrieved his reincarnated self."

"A similar flower, but not the same."

Su Min's voice was calm. This was not Hui Ming. The original monk would never have spoken to her like that. Even their auras were completely different.

"Amitabha. Benefactor, this is our Buddhist reincarnation technique. As for whether the reincarnated person is still the same… that is something no one can truly know."

Kong Hui interrupted her thoughts. Buddhists believed in reincarnation—but not in the sense of "suffering in this life for rewards in the next." Every lifetime was equally important, so there was no concept of enduring misery now for future prosperity.

"Aside from the Ten Thousand Buddha Physique, everything else is different. It seems Kong Hui had him rebuild his foundation from scratch, even severing parts of his past… Tsk."

Su Min didn't voice her thoughts. The true nature of reincarnation was unknowable—even the Buddhists couldn't explain it. And in any case, it had nothing to do with her. She had more important matters to attend to.

"What tier are the two alchemists I'll be competing against? Even if they're both fifth-grade, there are still low, mid, and high divisions."

This was what concerned her the most. Right now, she was stuck at fifth-grade (low-tier). Breaking through to mid-tier wouldn't be easy unless she forcibly raised her cultivation to late-stage Nascent Soul—something she absolutely refused to do.

Even though the Dark Blood Era was approaching, she wouldn't recklessly rush her progress. That would damage her future potential. Besides, she was confident she could obtain the Northern Water's Profound Origin before that era arrived. Still, at her current level, her alchemy skills were unstable.

"Both are at the Divine Transformation (mid-stage). Their alchemy level should be fifth-grade (mid-tier)."

"Well, I'm still a step behind."

Su Min shrugged helplessly. As a mere Nascent Soul cultivator, competing against those two was a bit of a stretch. Of course, if she could match their cultivation level, she'd crush them effortlessly. At Divine Transformation (mid-stage), she was confident she could refine at least sixth-grade (low-tier) pills.

"Benefactor, there's no need to rush. After the fourth-grade, the gap between major tiers is vast, but the differences within minor tiers are much smaller."

"Does your sect have a method to help? Just know that I won't accept anything with side effects."

"Have you heard of the Bodhi Tree? It is said that the Buddha attained enlightenment beneath its branches."

"One of the Heavenly Divine Trees… So the Bodhi Tree is in your possession?"

Su Min wasn't too surprised. Divine Trees weren't unique—some factions undoubtedly had their own.

"Correct. Benefactor Su possesses the Eastern Azure Wood, but its nature is entirely different from the Bodhi Tree. However, meditating beneath the Bodhi Tree is an opportunity even our Great Thunder Temple does not grant lightly."

"What are the restrictions?"

She was intrigued. There was no reason for her to refuse.

"Meditating under the Bodhi Tree is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Even if you reincarnate, you cannot experience it again. Thus, only those who have never done so before are eligible. The Bodhi Tree grants one chance every hundred years, and each of the three major Buddhist sects may recommend one candidate. I can recommend you, but the other two senior brothers will also put forth their own disciples. If you were a member of our sect, the spot would undoubtedly be yours. But since you are not, you must compete for it."

"Sigh. How do we compete?"

Su Min rubbed her temples. In a long-established sect like this, power structures were complex. Even Kong Hui couldn't simply dictate things. Of course, Su Min's own sect was different for several reasons: She was the founder; She was an alchemist; The divine beasts and spirits obeyed her.

So unless her demands were outrageous, no one in her sect would oppose her.

"Combat."

"That straightforward?"

Su Min blinked. Fighting someone who only had one lifetime's worth of experience didn't sound too difficult.

"Only one person can challenge you—the beloved disciple of our eldest senior brother. He possesses the Great Sun Tathāgata Physique, the most supreme constitution in Buddhism, fully compatible with our sect's techniques. Its effects are no weaker than your Five Elements Holy Body."

"Hmm. His cultivation level?"

"Nascent Soul (late-stage)."

"!!!"

Su Min was genuinely shocked.

"That fast?!"

"Our Buddhist sect has its own sacred training grounds, similar to the Golden Core Avenue—though much smaller in scale. It only contains our sect's inheritances, and the upper limit there is early-stage Nascent Soul."

"I see…"

"Indeed. For him, waiting another hundred years wouldn't be an issue. His lifespan is long, and advancing to Divine Transformation is extremely difficult."

Kong Hui added. While this opportunity was valuable, the disciple's rapid advancement had caused some instability in his spiritual energy. A century of tempering would be necessary for him. Moreover, the Dharma Assembly had multiple competitions, one of which was the "First-Gen Battle."

That disciple was already guaranteed first place—since the other participants were, at most, early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators. In short, Su Min needed this more. If she were a Buddhist disciple, she'd have gotten the spot outright. But this arrangement was meant to silence any dissenters. As for her chances of winning? Most here estimated 60%.

After all, they knew what had happened in the Golden Core Avenue—even Yao Xian'er had lost to her. Though there was a gap between early and late-stage Nascent Soul, it wasn't insurmountable.

"So I have to fight? Fine, I accept."

Since things had come to this, Su Min had no objections. She wasn't afraid of a fight—as long as her opponent wasn't at the Divine Transformation stage, she could handle it. But she couldn't afford to underestimate a genius disciple from such a mysterious and powerful sect.

"When will this take place?"

"One week from now. Prepare yourself in peace. Hui Ming, escort Benefactor Su to the guest quarters."

"Understood."

Soon, Su Min was led to a guest room. Under the curious gazes of young monks along the way, she firmly shut the door behind her. Outside the room, whispers spread among the monks.

"That benefactor isn't one of us, right?"

"Who knows? But she's beautiful."

"Remember the precepts. Breaking them isn't just a minor offense—it could cause cultivation backlash."

"Uh…"

The group fell silent. The Great Thunder Temple wasn't without nuns, but female cultivators faced strict restrictions. Unless they reached the Divine Transformation stage, all women were required to shave their heads and wear monastic caps. This wasn't discrimination—it was a doctrinal necessity.

Buddhist cultivation techniques came with strict vows and precepts. Violating them wasn't just a matter of punishment—it could cause technique deviation, leading to catastrophic consequences. Buddhist inheritance was so complete that disciples didn't even need to enter the Golden Core Avenue.

But this power came at a cost—rigid constraints, much like certain religions in her past life. The three greatest taboos in Buddhism were: Greed; Hatred; Delusion

Falling into any of these could trigger internal backlash. The strict rules were meant to suppress these tendencies. However, those who reached the Divine Transformation stage had unshakable willpower. As the saying went: "Follow your heart's desires, yet never overstep the bounds."

Those who failed to reach this state would be consumed by inner demons during their breakthrough, perishing utterly—not even reincarnation would be possible. This was why Buddhism's reputation in this world wasn't entirely negative. As for Su Min?

She had no intention of fully committing to Buddhist cultivation. The Great Sun Tathāgata Sutra was one of the few techniques that didn't backlash, but mastering it required passing a unique trial. Of course, not cultivating the supporting skills and techniques came with a drawback—she couldn't unleash the sutra's full potential.

That required a vast array of Buddhist spells, skills, and secret arts—something she didn't need. Even in its basic form, the Great Sun Tathāgata Sutra was a significant boost for her. Back in her room, Su Min began strategizing.

"A late-stage Nascent Soul Buddhist disciple… I can't afford to underestimate him."

Whoever could advance so quickly was no ordinary talent. At most, his foundation might be slightly unstable, requiring tempering—but there'd be no permanent damage. After all, his master was a half-step Enlightenment expert. Who knew how strong he'd been in his prime?

Under such a person's guidance, foundational flaws were impossible. This meant Su Min was in for a hard-fought battle. And with the gap between early and late-stage Nascent Soul, she couldn't afford to be careless. In this world, every genius was a force to be reckoned with.