Becoming a Deity from Planting the Bodhi Tree

"Alive..."

Leng Dao murmured.

The Martial Arts legacy, naturally, could not be a living thing.

Zhang Chongba was referring to the existence that carried the Martial Arts legacy.

The Federation had vigorously promoted the path of divine religion so far, not without reason, and it held profound significance.

Years ago, the Mu Family of Donghe paid a great price to try to use a sliver of their ancestor's remaining mental thoughts as a foundation to create a Divine Body, enshrined in a temple as their deity.

As a result, that sliver of thought, powered by the force of faith and will, which was known as the incense power in ancient legends, fully manifested in the mortal world, astounding the upper echelons of the Federation.

Upon awakening,

the Mu Family ancestor who dared to pioneer the world, cared nothing for family affairs, concerning himself only with worldly matters.

Faced with the Divine Temple prepared for him by the Federation, he turned away without hesitation, leaving only one sentence—

"The temple is a prison, trapping heaven in its four corners, uneasy lies my heart."

After that, no one knew his whereabouts.

Legend has it that he had already reached the realms of "One Thought Becomes Void" and "One Thought Eternal," so no one could find his footprints. Shortly after manifesting in the mortal world, he journeyed to the depths of the Spirit Ocean.

There are also rumors that he still silently meditates somewhere in this world, waiting for someone.

Zhang Chongba said in a low tone, "The information we received indicated that this supreme path to transcendence was left by Marshal Ji back in the day.

Furthermore, it's stated explicitly that none of the Six Family Bloodline should harbor delusions, as the original owner of this path would not even glance at them."

The original owner...

Leng Dao took a deep breath.

It was as if he had just arrived on this planet, unfamiliar again, scrutinizing the city before him.

On this star, long reduced to the edge of civilization, there wandered a ghost who, in life, had once ascended to the status of Supreme Grandmaster...

Leng Dao suddenly had a thought, his expression sharpened to an unprecedented edge, his gaze like a blade in his hand, and he said gravely,

"The supreme path on East 3 Bright Star was left by Marshal Ji back in the day? Is it a known one, or...?!"

Zhang Chongba fixed his gaze on him, speaking in a low voice,

"The Federation is over ten thousand years old, and many say that even if one day the Federation falls, the Six Great Families would not. But don't forget, the Founding Marshals were seven, not six!"

Leng Dao seemed to suffer a psychological shock; his hand gripping the hilt turned slightly white, lips pressed tight, speechless, breathing gradually becoming rapid.

After a long while, he hoarsely asked, "How many people know about this?"

"It's still sealed. Otherwise, besides the Six Great Families, each family, giant enterprise, and academy, like sharks smelling blood, would madly gather here."

"Where did you get the information? The Six Great Families?"

"It was from Marshal Ji back then," Zhang Chongba remarked solemnly, "This was a will left by Marshal Ji to the Ji Family before his death. The timing was precise to the year, requiring the Ji Family to announce it to the world this year. Due to the significant nature of the matter, the Ji Family conferred with us first."

Leng Dao was stunned, "What does Marshal Ji want to do?"

"Marshal Ji cultivated 'Yi Sword,' which was said to be a game against heaven using the world as pieces. Who could guess what he was thinking?" Zhang Chongba bitterly smiled, continuing slowly, "Besides the will, Marshal Ji also left one more message."

"What did he say?"

Zhang Chongba enunciated each word, "In ten thousand years, he will reascend this mountain."

Leng Dao looked puzzled.

Zhang Chongba spread his hands, "Don't look at me; even the Ji Family doesn't know what this sentence means."

Leng Dao steadied his mind, suddenly asking, "Why me?"

He initially thought his trip was just to capture the heretic Li Buyi.

But now Zhang Chongba suddenly laid his cards on the table, making all the twists and turns clear to him.

Zhang Chongba replied earnestly,

"Because you are the one with the best talent in the current generation of the Religious Administration, and you hold the deepest sincerity and enthusiasm for the blade.

Back then, that great man also wielded a blade, and his fame and power even surpassed those of the so-called Heroic Blade, Marshal Yang!

If any of us had the best chance of being chosen, it would only be you."

...

Ji Jingqiu, following Officer Yang, arrived at a hall.

A significant number of people were gathered inside.

"Special Commissioner Ji—'Special Commissioner' is what we call martial artists involved in external battles."

Officer Yang explained some basic and common issues to him while walking.

For instance, the people packed into the hall, making it watertight, were martial artists ready for combat power assessment.

Only by passing the assessment could one qualify for the next step in the selection, eventually being incorporated into the Order Office's external warfare system.

This situation existed not only due to strict audits but also because of the peculiarities of today's Martial Arts.

Officer Yang smiled and said,

"The recruitment standards for the external warfare system differ in the Body Refining and True Seed stages.

The Body Refining Stage looks at talent, whether they can open the Heavenly Person Door, which directly determines a martial artist's upper limit. Therefore, only young martial artists who have opened the Heavenly Person Door can pass the preliminary examination.

In the True Seed Realm, it assesses combat power. Even within the True Seed Realm, whether or not one's cultivation body is built makes all the difference in strength, from heaven to earth.

After all, even the cheapest body skills cultivation technique, combined with corresponding resources, requires over a million Federation Coins!

The resources spent alone are worlds apart, and naturally, the martial artists produced are as well.

The Order Office will not support a martial artist who completed Opening Veins and directly broke through to the True Seed Realm—these are watered-down True Seeds, not worth cultivating.

But if someone invested personally in building their cultivation body in the True Seed Realm, they could still be decent combat power, and the Order Office would offer appropriate policy support based on their performance, such as citizenship rank."

Saying this, he glanced around at the martial artists nearby, smiled, and candidly said,

"Most of these guys are just trying their luck."

These words weren't finished being heard.

Ji Jingqiu was stunned there.

The True Seed Realm, even with the most inexpensive body skills cultivation technique, required spending over a million Federation Coins altogether?

*This was too outrageous...*

But then he thought of the Purifying Divine Incense worth three hundred thousand. Ji Jingqiu let out a long sigh.

*Spiritual Cultivation was the real expenditure!*

He was quite frugal, able to meditate without needing the guidance of Purifying Divine Incense.

Officer Yang smacked his lips, resolving his desire to rant.

*A million to build a cultivation body was just the start.*

Talented martial artists often spend millions on establishing their foundation in the Body Refining Realm alone.

He had tried Martial Arts in the past but realized that the path was a trap, not one that ordinary people could walk.

He finally decided to give it up, turned to the civil service exam, and, with the help of his family, entered the Order Office system. This was the wisest decision he'd made to date.

After entering the Order Office and seeing so many watered-down True Seed Martial Artists in the hall, he increasingly felt fortunate for his decision back in the day and took pride in it.

Learning Martial Arts was a trap; taking the civil service exam was the way out!

Ordinary people without money or talent, learning martial arts was just for fitness.

Spending tens of thousands on fitness, why not give it directly to the boss?

Officer Yang subconsciously looked at Ji Jingqiu beside him, still feeling envy in his heart.

His theory was flawless but only applied to ordinary people like himself.

Young martial artists like Ji Jingqiu, who hadn't even completed Opening Veins yet but were already treated and invested in advance by the Order Office, were basically talented.

Officer Yang was helping Ji Jingqiu with identity registration as Ji Jingqiu sat beside him.

Suddenly, Ji Jingqiu received a message from Lord Blade.

Lord Blade inquired about his recent progress in the martial arts and then invited him to a dinner two nights later, leaving the location to Ji Jingqiu.

After setting the time with Lord Blade, Ji Jingqiu put down the terminal communication.

Looking at the many martial artists waiting in the hall, he suddenly remembered the bold red font at the end of the document sent by Lord Blade.

"[In today's Martial Arts, it's not about who walks fast but who walks slow.]"

Previously, he hadn't understood this.

Now, he had some realization.

After Opening Veins, one could attempt to break through to the True Seed at any time.

But such impatient breakthroughs to the True Seed Realm were meaningless.

What Lord Blade meant by "slow" was likely going further and higher in the same realm, which would naturally result in taking things more slowly.

For instance, the Five Limits of the Heavenly Person.

While Officer Yang was entering information, Ji Jingqiu engaged in a conversation with Zhang Xingshan beside him.

Zhang Xingshan also aimed to join the external warfare system, so he came to see what the situation was like.

Unlike Ji Jingqiu, who had taken up martial arts just recently, Zhang Xingshan had been exposed to martial arts since childhood and was extremely knowledgeable about Federation Martial Arts.

"I'm certainly going to attempt to Break Limits. Not doing so would be ruining my future!"

"True Inheritor disciple of the dojo? That requires Breaking All Five Limits of the Heavenly Person!"

"Unfortunately, there is no dojo on East 3 Bright Star, but we can first pay online, and then in the future, we can..."

Ji Jingqiu, chatting with Zhang Xingshan, had his thoughts soaring.

For him, Breaking All Five Limits of the Heavenly Person was a must. With the help of the Bodhi small tree, he was confident.

Maybe, in the future, he could even achieve the status of True Disciple at a dojo!

According to Zhang Xingshan's description, a True Disciple of the dojo, a master's disciple, held extremely high status within the Federation, comparable to certain Direct Lineage members of families or heirs to giant corporations!

If that happened, wouldn't he take off directly?

Even interstellar travel would require VIP seating!

After Officer Zhang completed the identity information entry, he informed Ji Jingqiu that some things still needed to go through procedures.

However, his social citizenship rank had already been upgraded to level three, and he could upgrade his terminal himself upon returning.

After finishing, Ji Jingqiu was escorted by Zhang Xingshan to a special car that took him back to his residential community.

Upon entering the door,

he was surprised to find his grandfather's shoes at the entrance.

He glanced at the clock on the wall; it was only eight o'clock.

Returning at this time was rare.

"Not playing mahjong tonight?"

He tentatively called out towards the room.

Footsteps were heard coming from the kitchen.