King of Immortal Herbs: Enlightenment Bodhi Flower

King of Immortal Herbs: Enlightenment Bodhi Flower

After he finished sighing with emotion, Wu Tong could not wait to step closer and take a look. Using the knowledge of immortal herbs from the Complete Guide to Immortal Herbs that Qian Renxue had found for him, he began searching this treasured land for its most precious treasures—immortal herbs.

Before he had gone far, Wu Tong's gaze was drawn to a flower. It was a large pale-pink blossom with no leaves, its stem three feet long. The flower itself was enormous, fully a foot across, and every petal looked as clear and crystalline as crystal. The pale-pink bloom swayed gently in the mist, growing on the bank where the red and white spring waters met. Its stamens were pale purple, like purple diamonds embedded there.

Its fragrance carried far, yet was not overpowering. Wu Tong took a light sniff, and a faint, delicate scent drifted into his nostrils. After he inhaled it, he felt the pressure brought by the Icefire Yin-Yang Well lessen considerably.

The moment Wu Tong saw the flower, he recognized it. "Aromatic Silk Beauty."

As expected, it was the Aromatic Silk Beauty among immortal herbs, the bane of a hundred poisons. It could not detoxify by itself, but it could neutralize and restrain all toxins.

But Wu Tong did not pick it. Instead, after quietly memorizing the Aromatic Silk Beauty's location, he continued searching for his own target and the other immortal herbs.

Before long, the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, Aromatic Silk Beauty, Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew, Narcissus Jade Bone, Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, Snow Swan Kiss, Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid, Nine Treasure Purple Mushroom, as well as the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot growing beside the Icefire Yin-Yang Well in the center, were all found by Wu Tong in different places.

Aside from these immortal herbs that had appeared in the original work, there were also some immortal herbs that had never been mentioned: Black Jade Divine Bamboo Shoot, Weaving Cloud Starflower, Manjusaka, Wither-Bloom Reincarnation Fruit, Feathered Ink Plum, Immovable Goldstone, Yellow Springs Three Lives Elixir, Eight Extremes Swordgrass...

Even the Earth Dragon Golden Melon, Earth-Burrowing Dragon Silkworm, and Earth Stone Heart Milk hidden deep underground were found by Wu Tong with his Mind's Eye.

However, what made Wu Tong happiest was that he found two king-level immortal herbs. One was the famous Lovesick Heartbreak Red, and the other was Wu Tong's true goal in coming to the Icefire Yin-Yang Well this time, an immortal herb never mentioned in the Douluo story—the Enlightenment Bodhi Flower.

He did not know whether Tang San's knowledge of immortal herbs was lacking, or Wu Tong's Complete Guide to Immortal Herbs was simply too comprehensive. Many immortal herbs that had never even been heard of in the original work were recognized by Wu Tong.

Wu Tong had still had questions at first, but after thinking about it, he was soon relieved. This was, after all, a real world, not to mention that there was also himself, this tiny little butterfly. So no matter what changes occurred, there was no need to be surprised.

The Complete Guide to Immortal Herbs described every immortal herb in great detail. Whether it was growing environment, appearance, medicinal properties, effects, or harvesting method, everything was written in the book in detail. If these immortal herbs were picked using the wrong method, not only would their medicinal effect vanish completely, they might even turn into poison.

As for the immortal herb Wu Tong longed for, the Enlightenment Bodhi Flower, its harvesting conditions were extremely harsh. It could not be seen by those without fate, and it would only quietly bloom at a specific time—the night of a full moon—in the place where a person of great wisdom had passed away in meditation. Each time, only one flower would bloom. After one bloomed, unless it was picked, the next Enlightenment Bodhi Flower could not appear.

The harvester had to be a person of great wisdom with kindness in their heart, and had to possess unique insight into Wisdom. Only by passing the flower's test could they pick it. Otherwise, even if they found it, they would be unable to harvest it.

It was also said that this immortal herb had a long-ago story behind it.

According to legend, in the ancient era ten thousand years ago, there was a flourishing empire. The king had a son, and their family had originally lived a happy, complete life. But this prince saw the suffering of the world, and so his heart filled with deep compassion for that suffering. Resolutely, he abandoned the luxury and power of the Royal Palace and set out on a journey to seek the true meaning of life.

He spent six years visiting famous teachers and bitterly cultivating in mountains and forests, using his flesh-and-blood body to resist nature. Yet endless suffering still could not grant the prince release.

Until one day, the prince realized that the true path to liberation did not lie in tormenting the body, but in awakening the soul. And so, he let go of everything and came beneath an ancient Bodhi Tree to think. The tree grew with luxuriant branches and leaves, as though it could shelter all the sorrows of the world.

Time seemed to freeze. The stars revolved, the sun and moon alternated, and the prince's figure remained completely still beneath the Bodhi Tree.

The prince endured the fear, desire, and confusion in his heart, experiencing one spiritual storm after another. Yet it was precisely these challenges that allowed him to explore his own heart more deeply, gradually lifting the veil from the mysteries of life.

At last, when the first ray of morning light pierced the clouds one dawn and shone upon the Bodhi Tree, an unprecedented joy and serenity surged in the prince's heart. He thoroughly comprehended the true meaning of life—dependent arising and emptiness, the cycle of cause and effect, nirvana and liberation.

In the end, by guiding the people of the world beyond suffering, the prince became an immortal god...

"Isn't this fucking the story of Shakyamuni attaining enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree?" Wu Tong could not help roasting it when he saw this story back then.

After roasting it, he immediately felt extremely puzzled. Why would the story of the Buddha Shakyamuni have a legend on Douluo Continent?

But the instant that doubt arose, Wu Tong snuffed it out. Before he transmigrated, the theories about worlds and information transmission in Dimensional Chat Group novels could explain this situation.

Whether it was the monkey typewriter theory or the idea that higher-dimensional worlds influenced lower-dimensional ones, both could explain where this story came from.

However, compared with these theories, Wu Tong agreed more with another explanation: true big shots could project their own information into multiple worlds.

Shakyamuni, the Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, a figure of myth. After experiencing something like transmigrating to Douluo Continent, Wu Tong knew that other story worlds must also exist. In many stories Wu Tong had read, the Three Pure Ones, the Dao Ancestor, the Buddha, the Heavenly Emperor... all existed. This was enough to prove that these mythical big shots could project their own legends across the multiverse, so it would not be strange to discover traces of them in any world.

The Complete Guide to Immortal Herbs had only one paragraph explaining the Enlightenment Bodhi Flower:

The Enlightenment Bodhi Flower, king of immortal herbs. Aside from increasing Soul Power, its effects included helping people attain enlightenment, awakening their Spiritual Root, and improving a person's Wisdom and comprehension.

Originally, based on the Enlightenment Bodhi Flower's origins, it could not possibly be merely at the level of king of immortal herbs. But because of Douluo Continent's unique Rule framework, the best medicinal herbs that could appear in this world were only of king of immortal herbs quality. This was probably what they called heroes being shaped by the times.

When Wu Tong first saw the effects of the Enlightenment Bodhi Flower, there was only one thought in his mind: he had to obtain this Enlightenment Bodhi Flower.

As the owner of the Brain Martial Soul, Wu Tong could be said to have the deepest understanding of the power of Wisdom. This immortal herb that raised Wisdom was extremely compatible with Wu Tong. Not only could it help Wu Tong improve his Wisdom and open his Spiritual Root, it might even allow Wu Tong's Brain Martial Soul to undergo a second awakening—and it would be a second awakening in the aspect of Wisdom.

After thinking of this, Wu Tong instantly connected it to the Icefire Yin-Yang Well. This treasure basin of immortal herbs was the place most likely to produce an Enlightenment Bodhi Flower.

This was also why Wu Tong wanted to help Dugu Bo detoxify himself. It was not only for Dugu Bo's friendship, but also because he had the idea of finding the Enlightenment Bodhi Flower.

Sure enough, it was just as Wu Tong expected. After arriving at the Icefire Yin-Yang Well, Wu Tong first rushed straight to the place most suitable for the Enlightenment Bodhi Flower to grow. As a result, he quickly discovered this king of immortal herbs. After discovering that the Icefire Yin-Yang Well did indeed have an Enlightenment Bodhi Flower, Wu Tong finally felt relieved.