Little Toad Followed You First, Yet Never Received Your Favor...
Lu Ping sighed upon seeing this.
Millions of lives perished on the same day.
The Dharma of universal salvation, seemingly compassionate, is actually extremely domineering. It binds the fate of all beings to one's own, so that their prosperity or loss is shared by all.
Previously in Stone Gate Ravine, Xingren said, "Only save yourself, not others." This is probably related to the actions of the Marici.
Little B, you get the Performance Assessment this time.
Lu Ping chose B.
[You chose B.]
[You stand in the center of the ruins, feeling the immense power that could easily overwhelm someone, but you simply shake your head.]
"We cultivators seek ultimate freedom and the unity of our True Self."
"You try to save others by saving yourself, and then you cause the deaths of all living beings because of your own faults."
"That is not what I would accept."
The faint light on the Buddha statue suddenly flickered.
[The voice rang out again.]
This world was born because of you, and it continues because of you.
"Born because of me, and continuing because of me."
[The moment the words fell, the Buddha statue began to fade, transforming into countless points of light that rushed directly into your body.]
[Your body rises slowly into the air uncontrollably, and a lotus platform emerges beneath your feet.]
[Your clothes transformed into a cassock, your skin glowed with golden light, and the prayers of countless beings washed over your Sea of Consciousness like a tsunami.]
[Salty Fish, in effect.]
[Your Dao Heart is as strong as gold, stronger than iron, and indestructible.]
[However, the Principle of this realm are far too powerful. Your aura is rapidly rising, even faintly surpassing the Nascent Soul Perfection and touching the edge of the Spirit Transformation.]
[You finally became Buddha Lord, or rather, you became Buddha Lord Lu Ping.]
[Your face is solemn and majestic; you sit on a lotus throne, overlooking these ruins.]
[At this moment, you have actually begun to touch the very essence of this world.]
[Palm-Center Buddha Kingdom]
[Marici opened the supreme Dharma gate of Mount Sumeru within a mustard seed.]
[You have witnessed how this world was created, how space folds, and how the Principle operate.]
[Reverse Engineering, in effect.]
[Trait like "Multiskilling" and "Artisan Spirit" are circulating wildly...]
[As you take control of the origin, this world seems to be reviving.]
[The mummified corpses on the ruins began to sprout bits of flesh, and the collapsed hall showed signs of rebuilding.]
[But you sensed the danger.]
[You notice your face is gradually changing.]
[Your facial features are beginning to blur, gradually transforming into the likeness of Marici.]
For this world to recover, there must be a "Marici". If you accept the karmic consequences, you will no longer be Lu Ping; you can only be Marici.
You sighed.
"It's ultimately a dead end."
[Early Leave, start.]
[The next instant, everything before your eyes vanished.]
[A myriad of causes and effects had just entangled the Buddha Lord, only to find that all that remained was an empty shell.]
[You felt like you'd escaped from an extremely crazy company party, pushing open the doors to the venue amidst the deafening noise.]
[When you opened your eyes again, you were already far away from the Palm Realm.]
[You are still sitting cross-legged on the stone bed in the cave abode Buddha Palm Cliff.]
[Outside the cliff, the sea of clouds rolls and swirls; a mountain breeze blows through the Herb Garden, carrying a cool, refreshing scent of herbs and plants.]
You touched your face; it was still Lu Ping's face.
[You examined your Dantian; it was overflowing with the cultivation power of Nascent Soul Perfection.]
You made it out alive.
[You subconsciously scanned the Storage Ring with your Divine Sense.]
[Tsk tsk, this Early Leave deduction is only 15,999. Lu True Lord, with his tens of millions in assets, can afford it.]
Looking at the number, Lu Ping strongly suspected that Tongzi had taken the money to buy some latest gadget.
[You withdraw your Divine Sense and open your palm.]
A faint, ethereal light appears in your palm.
This ray of light seemed to belong to another world; it was both a tangible entity and a phantom.
[This is precisely the Origin Fragment that you forcibly analyzed and extracted from your Palm-Center Buddha Kingdom using Reverse Engineering.]
[You gaze at this fragment, and a realization dawns upon you.]
You've reached the threshold of the Spirit Transformation Stage.
[In the Palm Realm, the experience of "transformation into mortal" and the brief experience of "becoming a Buddha" allow you to come into contact with the underlying rules of that realm.]
[You believe that once you digest this fragment, you can activate your inner energy and take that step.]
[However, behind this fragment lies the immense power of the Palm-Center Buddha Kingdom's vows and Marici in the palm of one's hand.]
[You're reminded of that eminent monk from Great Forest Temple who passed away after emerging from the Palm Realm.]
[Options pop up.]
[A: Just to be on the safe side, let the hardworking Little Toad do it for you...]
[B: Little Marici...]
[C: Immediately apply for patents and trademarks for this fragment, name it "Lu Clan World Heart 1.0," then find a big-time, gullible venture capitalist and tell him it's a metaverse concept stock that can create independent servers. Scam him out of 320 million in angel investment first!]
Wow, I never expected that Little A, who always has thick eyebrows and big eyes, would be like this.
Little A's words are exactly what I thought.
Let's make that decision happily then.
As for Little B, if you just stopped using ellipses, the host would have given you a second thought.
Lu Ping chose A.
[You chose A.]
[You summoned the Moon Palace Fire-Devouring Furnace.]
[This low-grade magic Law Treasure -level Pill Furnace has been with you since your time at the Greenwood Sect. Its primary function has always been alchemy. However, it also occasionally serves as an Artifact Refining furnace.]
[In critical moments, they can even help you take the fall.]
[Hardworking and reliable, durable and long-lasting.]
You looked at this old fellow, a slight smile playing on your lips.
"I've been with you for so long, and I've never given you a year-end bonus. Today, I'm giving you a big upgrade."
The quality of Law Treasure is determined by two factors: the method of crafting and the quality of the materials used.
[The grade of most magical Law Treasure is fixed the moment they are completed.]
[Of course, this is not absolute.]
[For example, a cultivator's natal Life-Bound Law Treasure, which is intertwined with their life.]
[Taking Sword Cultivator's natal flying sword as an example, it advances in power as the cultivator nurtures it. The stronger the cultivator, the stronger the natal flying sword. A single flying sword can accompany Sword Cultivator as they soar through the heavens and traverse the netherworld.]
[Your life-or- Life-Bound Law Treasure is the Star River Myriad Blades.]
[Although Little Toad was one of the earliest followers of yours, she has never received your favor and is therefore not included in this list.]
Even ordinary Law Treasure can be forcibly enhanced by Artifact Refiner who can complete the Restrictions and incorporate heavenly materials and earthly treasures.
[The Azure Nether Rings you crafted for Qinghe is one example.]
[You deliberately left a core Restriction layer unrepaired; when Qinghe obtained the Azure Nether Rings, it was merely a top-grade magic Law Artifact.]
[Later, when her cultivation level reached a certain point, she completed the Restriction herself, and the Azure Nether Rings instantly became a low-grade Law Treasure.]
[The Moon Palace Fire-Devouring Furnace and the Azure Nether Rings are somewhat different. It is originally a complete Law Treasure, with all its Restrictions in place.]
[To upgrade, another layer needs to be forcibly added on top of the already perfect Restriction.]
[In the eyes of other Artifact Refiners, this would be a dead end.]
[But it's not impossible for you.]
[You are now using pills, talismans, formations, and weapons simultaneously.]
[In the art of Artifact Refining crafting, you went from initially forging the Star River Myriad Blades by following a blueprint, to later custom-making the Azure Nether Azure Nether Rings specifically for Qinghe.]
[You calling yourself a "master of Artifact Refining" is not an exaggeration. Your Artifact Refining skills are only two or three parts inferior to your Dao of Alchemy attainments.]
[And you are extremely familiar with the Moon Palace Fire-Devouring Furnace. You can draw every Array Patterns and every layer of Restriction with your eyes closed.]
[Options pop up.]
[A: Just forcibly fuse the fragments into the Moon Palace Fire-Devouring Furnace. If the Little Toad can't withstand it and explodes, we can just treat it as a work-related injury and give it a few more days off. Anyway, we don't need to pay its salary...]
[B: Only children make choices! A master who excels in multiple fields naturally wants it all. First, he deduces and stacks new Restrictions, then he steadily integrates the fragments of the world. He has to do both well!]
[C: Patting the lid of the Moon Palace Fire-Devouring Furnace, he earnestly painted a rosy picture: "Little Toad, the company's performance isn't good this year, and this fragment was originally meant for you. How about this, I'll help you convert it into 3,200-year stock options? As long as you keep working hard and taking the hits, we'll go public in the Celestial Realm..."]