Bodhi Heaven

A massive brown pillar of light descended onto the mechanical fish, engulfing Lin Jing.

Every disciple aboard the mechanical fish was dumbstruck. Elder Yu and Elder Li struck almost the instant the pillar descended, but even with their Golden Core Divine Abilities, they were knocked back by the light, unable to alter where it landed.

"This is bad!" Elder Yu's heart lurched, and he nearly thought the Corpse Yin Sect had come to the Beast Taming Sect to snatch someone away.

But once he recovered his senses, something suddenly occurred to him, leaving disbelief written all over his face.

"All disciples, heed my command!" Elder Li called out. "Enter this pillar of light at once! Opportunities await inside! Anyone who enters will be exempt from the Inner Gate Examination and promoted to the Inner Gate afterward! However, entering carries a certain amount of risk. Make your own decision quickly! If you find you cannot compete for the opportunities, give Outer Gate Disciple Lin Jing your full support."

Elder Li began explaining.

"This is a grotto-heaven."

"In ancient times, our Heavenly Origin Continent was a lower realm under the Immortal Palace of the Immortal Realm."

"To nurture talents in the lower realm, the Immortal Palace of the Immortal Realm placed the 'Ten Great Grotto-Heavens' and 'Thirty-Six Lesser Grotto-Heavens' on the Heavenly Origin Continent. These grotto-heavens descend randomly across the continent, at irregular intervals drawing in a certain number of heaven's chosen blessed with great fortune-sometimes three or five, sometimes seven or eight. They contain all manner of opportunities."

"Though the Immortal Palace has fallen, the grotto-heavens remain."

"In theory, only the chosen prodigies can enter a grotto-heaven. But people later discovered that, aside from those chosen, cultivators in the same realm as the prodigies also have a chance of slipping inside when a grotto-heaven descends and obtaining opportunities!"

While Elder Li spoke, aside from Lin Jing, who had been given no choice, seven people had already reacted and swiftly leaped inside.

They had acted almost the instant Elder Li told them to enter.

As for the remaining twelve, by the time they had heard most of the explanation and wanted to enter the grotto-heaven to seek resources, it had already fully formed, barring further entry.

Kept outside, they could not help feeling bitter regret.

Seeing this, Elder Li looked at them.

"There is no need for regret. Given your abilities, even if you slipped into the grotto-heaven, you would struggle to compete for resources with the talents drawn inside. Though you have lost an opportunity, you have saved your lives."

The four from the Demon Hunting Hall had, without question, entered immediately. The other three were He Yiming, Qin Caixin, and Ziran.

"A grotto-heaven..."

Throughout Elder Li's explanation, Elder Yu had stood beside him sighing.

He did not know whether to call Lin Jing lucky or unlucky.

To think he had actually been swept into a grotto-heaven.

"To think this Lin Jing could be chosen by a grotto-heaven. Since the Beast Taming Sect's founding, he is the third person to enter one, isn't he?" Elder Li said.

"Now is not the time to discuss that..." Elder Yu sighed.

The next moment, several streaks of rainbow light descended. Elder Mo, the Black Bear Monster, and several other Golden Core elders all gazed silently at the pillar of light.

"Damn it." Elder Mo was somewhat agitated. He had accounted for every possibility. Even if the Corpse Yin Sect came to abduct someone, with the Sect Guardian Deity holding the fort, they would be left with more than they could swallow. Lin Jing could be said to be quite safe around the Beast Taming Sect.

But Elder Mo had never expected Lin Jing and the Pineleaf Squirrel to be swept away by an unpredictable mechanism like a grotto-heaven.

Inside the grotto-heaven, no one would be there to protect Lin Jing.

Even a mighty cultivator on the verge of Ascension probably could do nothing about a grotto-heaven placed here by the Immortal Realm.

"Master, look on the bright side."

"At least the blessings of a grotto-heaven won't pit Qi Refinement Realm cultivators against Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators. Everyone competes within the same realm! Aside from Lin Jing, the talents being drawn into this grotto-heaven from across the continent will also be in the Qi Refinement Realm at most!"

"Against others in the Qi Refinement Realm, as long as those two keep their heads down, their lives should be safe."

"Considering their circumstances, you should even be worried that the other Outer Gate Disciples and the talents from other sects might get blown to death!"

"I suppose that's true..." Elder Mo still felt uneasy.

Within a mysterious space.

A massive stone tablet stood towering.

Not far away, three ancient trees surrounded the tablet in a triangle.

Their leaves were gold, silver, and green respectively.

Still dazed, Lin Jing and the Pineleaf Squirrel were transported in front of the stone tablet. Aside from them, several other figures arrived one after another.

"Ha ha!"

"Bodhi Heaven! It's actually Bodhi Heaven, one of the Thirty-Six Lesser Grotto-Heavens!"

A bald body cultivator clad in animal hides laughed heartily. "I never imagined such good fortune would fall into my lap!"

"A grotto-heaven? You're saying this is a grotto-heaven?"

An elegant scholar in a long scholar's robe spoke in surprise as he surveyed their surroundings.

"I've only ever read about them in books. I never imagined I would enter a grotto-heaven myself one day!"

"So that's it. With my talent, it's only natural that a grotto-heaven would choose me." Another young female cultivator, dressed in an alchemist's robe, chuckled softly.

"Junior Brother Lin..."

Before long, Senior Brother Ziran and the others also entered the grotto-heaven through the loophole. As they surveyed their surroundings and the other strange young cultivators, they all grew wary.

"How did all of you get in too?" Lin Jing looked in surprise at Senior Brother Ziran, Senior Sister Caixin, and the others.

Listening to the others' discussion, Lin Jing had gained a rough understanding of what had happened to him.

He knew a little about grotto-heavens as well.

"Squeak!!!" Lin Jing understood what was going on, but the Pineleaf Squirrel did not. All it knew was that something seemed to have gone wrong with the Inner Gate Examination. After all that preparation, could its bigger Storage Bag be gone?

The Pineleaf Squirrel nearly had a heart attack.

"Everyone!" At that moment, the body cultivator who had spoken first said, "This is Bodhi Heaven of the Thirty-Six Grotto-Heavens. There are three bodhi trees here."

"Rumor has it that beneath a bodhi tree, a cultivator's comprehension increases severalfold. It is the ideal time to study cultivation methods and spells, or even create them."

"It is said that the founder of the Sun Temple gained enlightenment here in Bodhi Heaven, which enabled him to establish the Sun Temple and ultimately become a Buddha of Dao Inquiry."

"Even the Heavenly Origin Ancient Emperor's True Dragon Secret Art was perfected here in Bodhi Heaven."

"However, there are only three bodhi trees, while there are so many of us. So the opportunity to gain enlightenment should belong to those with the ability to claim it. No objections, right?"

"I would like the golden bodhi tree all to myself. How about the rest of you squeeze under the other two?"

No one paid that fool any attention.

Everyone's attention had been drawn to the words on the massive stone tablet.

Creation Tablet.

Ranks entrants according to the potential of the cultivation methods, spells, secret arts, and Divine Abilities they create within Bodhi Heaven.

Those whose names enter the tablet may receive Bodhi Heaven's blessing.

1.

Ancient Emperor, created the True Dragon Secret Art in Bodhi Heaven at the Spirit Transformation Realm.

2.

Feng Xian, created the Immortal Art Seal in Bodhi Heaven at the Void Mystery Realm.

...

9.

Sun Buddha, created the Sun Scripture in Bodhi Heaven at the Nascent Soul Realm.

...

The tablet bore a hundred names in total, all illustrious figures throughout the history of the Cultivation World.

Lin Jing and the Pineleaf Squirrel exchanged a glance.

The Pineleaf Squirrel wanted to ask whether it could create an internal-space Divine Ability here.

Lin Jing shook his head. We're both in the Qi Refinement Realm. Our foundations are too shallow. Creating arts is still far beyond us. It's impossible, so stop daydreaming.

Improving your proficiency with the Red Flying Leaf would be more realistic.

"The problem now is that there are too many people and too few trees..." Lin Jing swept his gaze over the strange body cultivator, the elegant scholar, the narcissistic female Alchemist, and a boy with a sword on his back who had remained quiet all along. None of them looked simple, and they were certainly beyond comparison with this group of Beast Taming Sect disciples.