Innate Spirit, Billionfold Talent, Bestowed!

All around Lu Yuan lay divine artifacts. Every single one possessed extraordinary qualities, and once their proper use was known, they yielded unimaginable benefits. Anyone privy to the truth behind the cataclysm would surely be overjoyed at the sight of them, itching to claim them all to pave their future path. Yet Lu Yuan was different. He understood precisely what needed to be done to maximize the potential of every divine artifact. Without knowing how to use them, one would only be squandering heaven's gifts. And he knew the ways of each by heart. With the global mutation underway, all living beings seeking to evolve required either an extraordinary bloodline or the fusion of a divine artifact into their flesh—which, plainly put, served as a medium. Yet the bloodlines of most people were utterly mediocre, making it nearly impossible for them to become Awakened. Lu Yuan fell into this ordinary category, which meant he needed a medium. The stronger the medium, the greater the benefits, the grander the potential, and the higher the talent. Both paths fell under the broad umbrella of talent. Therefore, the first thing Lu Yuan had to do was fuse the Ancient Bodhi Tree into his body. The Ancient Bodhi Tree was hailed as the tree of wisdom. Once integrated, it would instantly grant a billionfold talent. What did a billionfold talent mean? A heavenly defiance of comprehension! To view any doctrine or cultivate any divine ability and master it in an instant, blessed by heaven and earth! At the same time, the physical body would shatter its shackles, fully unlocking the hidden treasuries of the human frame, awaiting excavation. In Lu Yuan's memories, many mediums could turn a person into an Awakened. Yet if one spoke of the absolute strongest—unrivaled in this world—it was only the Ancient Bodhi Tree. That was the paramount reason he had expended so much cost and time to claim it at all costs. Right now, Lu Yuan fixed his gaze upon the Ancient Bodhi Tree, his eyes resolute. Without the slightest hesitation, he produced a dagger and plunged it into his chest. The next instant, a spurt of fresh blood flew from his breast. Indeed, fusing with the Ancient Bodhi Tree required heart's blood. Only in this way could heart and mind commune with it, merging into one. An ordinary person would never dare attempt such a thing, for it was far too perilous and risked mortal peril. But Lu Yuan was different. His physique had been tempered by the essence of divine elixir pills, already transcending normal humanity. To him, such an injury was far from fatal; it hardly even counted as a minor wound. In that moment, his heart's blood splashed squarely onto the Ancient Bodhi Tree. *Hum!* The following instant, the Ancient Bodhi Tree radiated unprecedented brilliance. As if answering a summons, it absorbed the heart's blood directly. It quivered continuously, its emerald-green leaves producing a resonant hum, like the strumming of some exquisite melody. Aura upon aura of Buddhist radiance surged across its canopy, and one figure of a Buddha after another manifested into view. Some sat cross-legged, some reclined on their sides, some slumbered peacefully, some subdued dragons, and others tamed tigers. *Dong!* *Dong!* *Dong!* At the same time, thunderous booms echoed through Lu Yuan's mind. He closed his eyes as the light of wisdom manifested behind his head. The manifested Buddha visions encircled him, their mouths chanting scriptures as though delivering a mortal toward ascension. "A world in a grain of sand, a heaven in a single flower, a bodhi in every tree, a Tathagata in every form..." Profound, mystic chanting reverberated through his consciousness. Without realizing it, Lu Yuan had assumed a seated posture, hovering in midair level with the Ancient Bodhi Tree. Beams of brilliance blossoming from the ancient tree sank into his body one after another. As time ticked past, these radiant rays began fusing with the cells of his flesh and blood. Lu Yuan could distinctly feel his physique strengthening. The muscles throughout his body seemed to undergo a total metamorphosis, every microscopic cell experiencing death and rebirth in an endless cycle. With every cycle, his physical might surged exponentially. It was the human body breaking through its shackles, its latent treasuries springing open. Ordinary humans possessed no medium. No matter how desperately they struggled, they could never awaken and evolve to obtain extraordinary power. And even for those blessed with a medium, the path remained arduous, requiring endless trial, error, and adaptation. Yet in this single moment, Lu Yuan completed the transition from ordinary mortal to Awakened almost instantaneously. He had formally transcended humanity. And his power was still climbing. *In my past life, it took me several years and countless brushes with death just to accomplish this step,* Lu Yuan reflected. He could not help but marvel at this medium unrivaled in the present age. The Ancient Bodhi Tree, under which the Buddha was said to have attained enlightenment, was truly formidable! Naturally, it was far from over. To fully unleash the billionfold talent, the ancient tree had to be integrated completely. Now that the heart's blood had been offered, only two tasks remained for him: wait and endure. Just as he had anticipated, as beam after beam of light poured into his frame, the Ancient Bodhi Tree trembled, its branches swaying as it uprooted itself from the earth. It shrank at a pace visible to the naked eye until it became the size of a palm. The entire tree turned translucent like fine jade, shimmering and resplendent. The phantom Buddhas entered into it one by one, before the miniature tree shot forward with a sharp *whoosh*, vanishing straight between Lu Yuan's brows. In that instant, Lu Yuan looked within his own sea of consciousness—a vast, silent expanse of pure white. Directly before him, the Ancient Bodhi Tree stood roughly sixty feet tall, brilliant emerald throughout, brimming with boundless vitality. And beneath the ancient tree sat a tiny golden figure. It sat cross-legged in silence with eyes closed, reminiscent of Shakyamuni attaining enlightenment beneath the tree countless eons ago. Bathed in golden brilliance, the tiny figure bore features identical to Lu Yuan's own, yet radiated sheer divinity. "Legend has it that upon fully fusing with the Ancient Bodhi Tree, one awakens the god of wisdom and innate spirit, bestowed with a billionfold talent, allowing one to comprehend all things between heaven and earth." The moment Lu Yuan laid eyes on the golden figure, he recognized it immediately, wild joy surging through him. This was his very own god of wisdom, his innate spirit. One had to realize that even the strongest Awakened across the globe in his previous life had never managed this. As for fusing with the Ancient Bodhi Tree, Lu Yuan was the sole person across both lives to achieve it. Because this ancient tree was of monumental importance, it had been revered as a sacred relic, only to vanish later for reasons unknown. Thus, across both lifetimes, he was the one and only. Lu Yuan opened his eyes, and a streak of brilliant light flashed from his gaze. At this moment, he abruptly discovered that the chaotic world had gained order in his sight. It felt as though a moment of serious contemplation would allow him to grasp the underlying principles of nature, his thoughts becoming exceptionally lucid, as if blessed with transcendent wisdom. *A billionfold talent... is it truly this terrifying?* Sensing all of this, Lu Yuan could not help but smile. Three months of preparation had not been in vain after all; the payoff was immense! "Huh?" Soon, beyond the billionfold boost to his talent, Lu Yuan felt a stark difference in his physical form. His skin was crystalline, giving off a soft, pure glow. His muscles in particular, though far from bulky, clearly held a terrifying reserve of explosive force. Almost instinctively, he threw a casual punch. *Boom!* A sonic boom ripped through the air instantly, blasting away the surrounding atmosphere, while the stone pavers beneath his feet cracked apart. "This strength is dozens of times greater than before." Lu Yuan froze, deeply astonished. This had merely been the most casual, effortless punch, yet it yielded such a terrifying result. If he grew even slightly serious, wouldn't he level a two- or three-story building in a single blow? He then calculated his current power. By rough estimate, his current strength was at least that of a Rank Eight Initial Realm Awakened!