Chapter 361: Ancient Bodhi Tree, Space Cutting

"No need to be so polite."

The Elder waved his hand.

"By the way, if you don't have anything urgent, it's best not to run around. It's very unstable outside right now; even near the academy, demons have been spotted."

Zhou Chen gave a word of acknowledgement and left the Mission Hall.

He didn't return to his Immortal Cave immediately, but instead walked toward the academy's Scripture Pavilion.

Since he now had one million contribution points, he planned to exchange them for some useful items first.

The Scripture Pavilion was located in the deepest part of the academy, an ancient building standing a hundred zhang tall. The perimeter was covered in Restrictions, and only academy Disciples could enter.

Zhou Chen showed his token, and the Disciple guarding the gate immediately let him through.

Entering the Scripture Pavilion, Zhou Chen went straight to the exchange area.

Various treasures were displayed here, everything from Cultivation Technique Secret Manuals to Spirit Pills and medicines, and from Magic Treasure weapons to rare Materials.

Beside each treasure, the required contribution points were marked.

Zhou Chen's gaze swept across the rows of shelves, finally stopping at a special area.

Extremely precious Cultivate resources were placed there, each one of immense value.

Among them, one item caught Zhou Chen's attention.

[Ancient Bodhi Tree Enlightenment Opportunity: 300,000 contribution points / one month]

The Ancient Bodhi Tree was one of the Jixia Academy's ultimate treasures.

Legend has it that this tree has existed for tens of thousands of years. Its trunk contains traces of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth; meditating beneath it can significantly enhance one's understanding of Laws.

Many academy Elders would apply to meditate under the Ancient Bodhi Tree before attempting a Realm Breakthrough.

"Three hundred thousand contribution points isn't too expensive."

Zhou Chen calculated in his mind.

He was already at the Eighth Layer of the Emperor Realm, just one step away from the Ninth Layer of the Emperor Realm.

If he could meditate under the Ancient Bodhi Tree, he might be able to Breakthrough directly to the Ninth Layer of the Emperor Realm, or even touch the threshold of the Venerable Realm.

Thinking of this, Zhou Chen did not hesitate and directly exchanged for one enlightenment opportunity.

The Elder in charge of exchanges saw the item Zhou Chen was redeeming, and a flash of surprise crossed his eyes.

"Zhou Chen, are you sure you want to exchange for an enlightenment opportunity at the Ancient Bodhi Tree?"

The Elder reminded him.

"This costs three hundred thousand contribution points, and whether you gain anything from it depends entirely on your personal Comprehension Ability."

Zhou Chen nodded. "I'm sure."

Seeing his firm attitude, the Elder said no more and processed the exchange.

"The Ancient Bodhi Tree is located in the Forbidden Land of the academy's back mountain. You can enter with this token."

The Elder handed Zhou Chen a green token.

"Remember, you only have one month. After a month, the Restriction will automatically teleport you out."

Zhou Chen took the token and turned to leave the Scripture Pavilion.

Following the guidance on the token, he arrived at the academy's back mountain.

The back mountain was the academy's Forbidden Land, where few people came on normal days. The mountains rolled and mist swirled, with Spiritual Qi so dense it almost condensed into substance.

Zhou Chen activated the token, and the space before him suddenly distorted. The next second, he appeared in a space that looked like a hidden paradise.

Before him stood an ancient tree a thousand zhang tall.

The ancient tree was lush with foliage, each leaf emitting a faint golden light. The trunk was covered in dense patterns that seemed to contain the ultimate truths of Heaven and Earth, making it impossible not to be immersed in them at a single glance.

This was the Ancient Bodhi Tree.

The Ancient Bodhi Tree was one of the Jixia Academy's greatest treasures, rumored to have been planted by an ancient powerhouse over a million years ago. It could help people comprehend Cultivation Techniques and Laws.

Meditating under the tree could increase a Cultivator's perception of the Dao several times over; many Bottlenecks that had troubled them for years would often be suddenly resolved here.

Zhou Chen took a deep breath, walked under the tree, and sat down cross-legged.

As soon as he sat down, he felt a mysterious ripple emanating from the ancient tree.

The ripple was extremely gentle yet contained infinite Dao charm, causing Zhou Chen's Divine Soul to tremble.

Zhou Chen closed his eyes and began to meditate.

In his mind, all his previous combat experiences surfaced one by one.

The slaughters against various powerhouses, the confrontation with the Lord of the Inner Demon…

Every battle and every insight turned into nourishment, nurturing his Dao Heart.

And the Dao charm of the Ancient Bodhi Tree was like a key, linking these insights together to form a complete system.

Zhou Chen adjusted his breathing and completely sank his mind into his body.

The four Laws of Perfection—the Law of Severance, the Law of Slaughter, the Law of Ice, and the Law of Water—slowly circulated within him.

These Law powers had already reached their limit, but Zhou Chen knew that to Breakthrough to the Venerable Realm, relying on Laws of Perfection alone was not enough.

He needed to master and integrate these Laws to form his own Dao.

Time passed minute by minute.

The leaves of the Ancient Bodhi Tree swayed gently in the breeze, and with every sway, they scattered specks of golden light dust.

This light dust fell on Zhou Chen and slowly seeped into his body.

Zhou Chen's consciousness began to become ethereal, as if he had entered a mysterious state.

Countless images appeared before his eyes.

There were scenes of him slaying Jiang Family powerhouses at the Demon Burial Ridge, his experience purifying Heart Demons in the South Sea's Ancient Mermaid Kingdom, and the process of him exterminating the Lord of the Inner Demon at the Great Thunder Sound Temple in the West Desert.

Every image was crystal clear.

Zhou Chen could feel every detail from those times, the trajectory of every Law operation, and the frequency of every spiritual energy ripple.

He began to re-examine these battles.

Previously, he had only fought based on instinct and experience; looking back now, he discovered there were so many areas that could be improved.

Zhou Chen murmured to himself, a flash of realization crossing his eyes.

"The four Laws seem contradictory, but in fact, they can complement each other."

"In severance, there is destruction; in destruction, there is freezing; in freezing, there is inclusion; and in inclusion, there is severance once again."

"This is the cycle of Laws and the essence of the Dao."

Boom!

A terrifying ripple suddenly erupted from within Zhou Chen's body.

The four Laws of Perfection began to interweave and fuse, finally forming a perfect cycle.

These Laws interwove and operated within him, forming a mysterious cycle.

And at the center of this cycle, a golden seed was slowly taking root and sprouting.

That was the prototype of the Venerable Realm.

Time passed minute by minute.

Zhou Chen was completely immersed in his meditation, forgetting time and everything in the outside world.

This cycle was Zhou Chen's Dao.

Law of Severance!

Zhou Chen opened his eyes, a sharp light flashing within them.

He could feel that his understanding of the Dao had reached a brand-new height.

Although his Realm was still the Ninth Layer of the Emperor Realm, his strength was more than several times greater than before.

"It's still not enough."

Zhou Chen took a deep breath and continued to meditate.

The Great Void Eight Desolations Formless Scripture is divided into six layers; Zhou Chen had previously only cultivated to the second layer, Space Shuttle.

Now, he was going to charge toward the third layer, Space Cutting.

The third layer of the Great Void Eight Desolations Formless Scripture required an extremely deep understanding of Space Law.

One must not only be able to perceive space and shuttle through space but also be able to manipulate spatial power to destroy enemies.