Chapter 714
Merit Golden Lotus Upgrades to Creation Green Lotus
He first took out the Three Lights Divine Water obtained from the Eight Treasures Merit Pool, and then took out 100,000 Merit Divine Water. Upgrading is not a simple matter of watering; it requires the Three Lights Divine Water as a guide to harmonize a massive amount of merit, and to re-refine and nurture the Golden Lotus's origin.
But before that, Lin Zhu had a sudden thought and took out the Chaos Green Lotus seedling that he had been nurturing in the system space.
This seedling, which originated from an ancient relic, was weak in life and has been slowly nourished by merit.
"Let's see if pouring in a large amount of merit can unleash its potential."
Lin Zhu carefully poured the 100,000 merits of divine water onto the roots of the Chaos Green Lotus seedling.
The seedlings swayed gently, as if they had been parched for a long time and were now receiving sweet rain, greedily absorbing the pure power of merit.
Its originally faint blue light gradually brightened, the leaves unfurled, and a profound Daoist rhythm flowed between the veins.
Even more surprisingly, a small bulge slowly rose up beside its main stem, grew rapidly, and eventually condensed into a lotus seed the size of a longan, with a chaotic color but faintly emitting a pure white light!
"These are... the seeds of the Pure White Lotus?"
Lin Zhu picked up the warm lotus seed and sensed the aura of the laws contained within it, which shared the same origin as the Golden Lotus of Merit but leaned more towards "purification" and "protection." He seemed to be deep in thought.
"Legend has it that when the Pure White Lotus shattered, its seeds were scattered to all directions. This one may be one of them, and it was reborn under the stimulation of the vitality and merit of the Chaos Green Lotus seedling."
If this lotus seed is carefully cultivated and nourished with merit, given time it may well grow into a new and complete Pure White Lotus, whose defensive and purifying power is by no means inferior to the existing Thirteen-Grade Merit Golden Lotus.
However, Lin Zhu only played with it for a few moments before casually putting away the lotus seed, which was enough to drive any powerful being mad, without much lingering affection on his face.
"The Pure White Lotus is good, but it is not necessary for me."
He muttered to himself.
"I already have the Golden Lotus of Merit, so having another defensive treasure of the same level wouldn't make much difference."
Moreover, even the Thirteen-Grade Golden Lotus of Merit couldn't completely defend against the bizarre attacks of the Glazed Illusionary Light; having an additional Pure White Lotus wouldn't guarantee absolute safety. My goal is to forge a unique and even stronger protective treasure that belongs solely to me! These lotus seeds might have other uses in the future.”
Putting away the lotus seeds, Lin Zhu cleared his mind of all distractions and focused all his attention on the upgrade of the Golden Lotus of Merit before him.
He took a deep breath and used a special technique to slowly transfer the precious Three Lights Divine Water into the core of the golden lotus.
The golden lotus trembled violently, radiating brilliant light, as if parched land had been nourished by the purest dew, and its essence began to stir and expand.
Immediately afterwards, Lin Zhu generously poured out a vast amount of merit-based divine water that he had prepared beforehand, like a celestial river hanging upside down, continuously irrigating the radiant golden lotus...
The upgrade has entered its most crucial stage. Inside the quiet room, golden light of merit intertwines with tri-colored divine radiance, Daoist charm permeates the air, and laws are faintly visible. An even stronger protective treasure is taking shape.
Lin Zhu's aura was also subtly changing under the baptism of this surging energy and laws, and the barrier leading to the Quasi-Saint realm seemed to have loosened a little more.
Inside the quiet room, a golden lotus of merit, shimmering with light, floated in mid-air. Below it, all the rare materials needed for this upgrade were neatly arranged in front of Lin Zhu.
Five hundred thousand merits of divine water were contained in several specially made jade urns, shimmering and exuding the aura of merit; the bottle containing the creative power of the sun, moon and stars stood quietly to the side, its bottle crystal clear; the lotus seed that had just been nurtured by the Chaos Green Lotus seedling, which resembled the Pure White Lotus, emitted a pure white light.
The golden relics obtained from the legacy of an ancient Buddha exude a peaceful yet resilient Buddhist power. In addition, there are some auxiliary spiritual essences, all of which are top-quality goods "found" from the Western Paradise.
Just as Lin Zhu was about to take action, the long-silent system interface silently unfolded in his consciousness, and lines of clear text appeared.
[Host detected to possess an upgradable magical artifact: Thirteenth-Rank Merit Golden Lotus.]
[The host has been detected to have collected all the key upgrade materials. A large quantity of Merit Water, Three Lights Water, Pure White Lotus Seeds, and high-level Buddhist relics... meet the requirements for a hidden upgrade.]
[Special Quest Triggered: A Manifestation of Fortune.]
[Task Description: Using the existing materials, attempt to upgrade the Thirteen-Petaled Golden Lotus of Merit to a higher-level form. The success rate and the final form are affected by the quality and quantity of materials, as well as unknown factors.]
[Mission Rewards. Upon successful promotion, corresponding rare rewards will be awarded based on the final rank.]
[WARNING. The upgrade process is irreversible. Regardless of success or failure, all materials invested will be completely consumed.]
The system's prompts were as concise as ever, yet they carried an unquestionable sense of rule.
"The Thirteenth Grade Golden Lotus of Merit, advancing to a higher form..."
Lin Zhu stared intently at the golden lotus floating before him, then glanced at the materials on the ground that had almost emptied his coffers of top-tier loot from this westward journey.
It would be a lie to say I'm not heartbroken. Five hundred thousand merits of divine water, three lights of divine water, the world-purifying white lotus seeds, golden light relics... which one of them isn't a treasure that even a Great Luo Golden Immortal would fight tooth and nail for? If the upgrade fails, it will truly be all for nothing.
Especially the Pure White Lotus seeds, although I can't use them for the time being, their potential value is immeasurable. The same goes for the Golden Light Relics; the ancient Buddha's insights and pure Buddha power contained within them are infinitely useful, whether for enlightenment or for other purposes.
"Success rate... unknown factors..."
Lin Zhu frowned slightly, his fingers tapping unconsciously on his knee. Based on his understanding of this "system" and his past experiences with "lottery" and "upgrades," the initial success rate was probably not high, possibly even pitifully low. And "unknown factors" often meant relying on luck, with the difference between the lucky and the unlucky being worlds apart.
Although Lin Zhu often took risks in his actions, he did not like to place his hopes entirely on vague luck.
"fortunately……"
A strange smile suddenly appeared on Lin Zhu's lips, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes that only he himself could understand.
"Our 'player' account seems to have... slightly different permissions."
He no longer hesitated, his mind sinking into the depths of that mysterious system. He no longer followed the conventional "confirm upgrade" process, but rather, as if he were fiddling with some hidden code, he touched upon deeper rules.
[Warning! Unconventional command detected... parsing...]
[Permission verification in progress...]
[Verification successful. Recognized as having advanced administrator debugging privileges.]
[Prompt. Administrator privileges allow limited adjustment of parameters for specific modules. Currently adjustable modules: Magic Item Upgrade Success Rate.] [Current estimated base success rate: 7.3%. Adjust?]
Lin Zhu was not surprised at all by the shockingly low success rate of 7.3%.
With a thought, he directly issued a command to the adjustment interface.
"Adjust the success rate to 100000%."
[Command received. Adjusting the value too much may cause rule conflicts and unpredictable consequences. Confirm?]
"confirm."
Lin Zhu answered decisively, a confident smile spreading across his face. A conflict of rules? A mutation? What he wanted was something beyond the norm! A 100% success rate was just the bare minimum; he longed for that "unpredictable" surprise.
[Command executed. Success rate has been forcibly overridden and adjusted to 100000%. Rule overflow detected, triggering hidden mutation coefficient... Upgrade program forcibly started!]
As the system notification sound faded, all the materials placed in the quiet room—500,000 Merit Divine Water, Three Lights Divine Water, Pure World White Lotus Seeds, Golden Light Relics, and other auxiliary spiritual essences—seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, simultaneously rising up and transforming into streams of light of different colors yet equally dazzling, converging towards the Thirteen-Petaled Golden Lotus of Merit in the center!
The golden lotus trembled violently, emitting a buzzing sound. Its petals unfurled, like a ravenous beast, greedily devouring the streams of light containing immense energy and the laws of creation. Various forces of vastly different natures collided, merged, annihilated, and were reborn within it, erupting with blindingly bright light that illuminated the entire quiet room as if it were the beginning of chaos!
Lin Zhu narrowed his eyes, locking onto the core with his divine sense.
In the center of that endless light, all the materials completely fused together, forming a gigantic "lotus seed" phantom, the size of a millstone, whose color was indescribable! On the surface of the lotus seed, there seemed to be chaotic currents flowing, and there were also scenes of creation and destruction, and faintly heard the divine pronouncements of the Great Dao.
"Pop—"
A faint, almost imperceptible sound, like a seed breaking through its shell, or the first cry of the universe.
The enormous lotus seed phantom suddenly burst forth with unprecedented brilliance. After the brilliance faded, a breathtaking lotus phantom appeared before Lin Zhu's eyes!
It was no longer the previous gold, but presented a "cyan" color that encompassed all things and evolved chaos. The lotus platform stood majestically, with thirty-six lotus petals, layer upon layer, slowly rotating. Each petal was naturally engraved with different Dao patterns, some like the evolution of mountains and rivers, some like the movement of stars, some like the reproduction of living beings... Infinite mysteries were contained within.
The lotus leaves unfurled, exactly thirty-six in number, emerald green and glistening, as if they could support the myriad realms of the heavens.
The entire lotus phantom exudes a profound aura that transcends ordinary magical treasures, almost like the "Dao" itself, yet it also carries a sense of being an "anomaly" born from forced creation, incompatible with heaven and earth.
[Upgrade successful! The Thirteenth Grade Merit Golden Lotus has been promoted to the Thirty-Sixth Grade Creation Green Lotus.]
[Task rewards distributed.]
[Gain 'Comprehension of the Chaotic Azure Lotus Daoist Rhyme' once]
[Thirty-sixth Grade Creation Green Lotus Attributes. Grade. Heavenly Treasure. Core Effect.]
First, sitting upright on the lotus platform reduces all attack damage from the holy and immortal factions by 50%.
Second, it comes with a 10% attack reflection effect, which can reflect 10% of the attack power received back to the attacker, ignoring defense and cause and effect.
Note: This is a creation forcibly brought about by the power of an anomaly, containing a trace of the primordial Dao of the Chaotic Azure Lotus. Its wondrous uses are boundless, but it requires continuous nurturing with merit or the warmth of creation to stabilize it and unlock its deeper potential.
"A Thirty-Six Grade Creation Lotus?! A rare treasure of the Heavenly Dao!"
Lin Zhu was overjoyed and almost burst into laughter. Although the system indicated that it hadn't been classified as a Primordial Treasure, the title of "Heavenly Treasure," along with the substantial 50% damage reduction for gods and Buddhas and the 10% reflection effect, already satisfied him greatly! This was far more powerful than simply upgrading the Golden Lotus of Merit by a few grades!
He quickly went through the known levels of magical treasures in the Three Realms in his mind.
After ordinary immortal artifacts and spiritual treasures, there are innate spiritual treasures containing primordial Dao essence; and above innate spiritual treasures are even rarer innate supreme treasures, whose power is sufficient to influence the operation of the Heavenly Dao. Innate supreme treasures are also subdivided, such as the "Heavenly Dao Supreme Treasure" which contains the merit of the creation of the world or a special mission, and the "Heavenly Dao Ferocious Treasure" which contains the origin of ferocity and killing.
In addition, there are some special treasures that come about by chance, possess immense power, and are difficult to categorize; perhaps they can be collectively referred to as "heavenly treasures".
His own thirty-sixth-grade Creation Green Lotus clearly belonged to the latter category. Moreover, Lin Zhu was shocked after a moment's thought about its origin.
Legend has it that in the primordial chaos existed a primordial lotus, which gave birth to the great god Pangu before disintegrating. Its lotus seeds fell on Buzhou Mountain, and could have transformed into the Thirty-Six Ranks of Creation Lotus. However, because it did not possess the merit of creating the world, it was not tolerated by heaven and earth. Just then, the Three Pure Ones and Nuwa passed by and divided it. The lotus flower transformed into the Three Treasures Jade Ruyi, the lotus leaf into the Qingping Sword, and the lotus root into the Panlong Flat Staff...
Although this one, which I forcibly created, is not the original, it bears the name of the "Thirty-Six Grade Creation Green Lotus" and a trace of the original Daoist charm. Its preciousness and potential are self-evident!
However, the surprises were not over yet.
[The Thirty-Six Grade Creation Lotus has been detected to be in an initial unstable state, containing extremely high potential for rule conflict and mutation.]
[Hint: This process consumes a massive amount of additional resources to guide a 'targeted mutation' towards a more stable and powerful direction. The success rate of this process is directly affected by the quality and quantity of resources, and the direction of mutation is uncertain; it may be superior to the current state, but it may also produce unknown side effects.]
[Suggested cost: 500,000 Merit Waters, two Innate Spiritual Treasures.]
[System Note: Investing resources will forcibly 'strengthen' the mutation tendency, most likely guiding it in a beneficial direction.]
"It can mutate again? And it requires another 500,000 merits and two innate spiritual treasures?"
Lin Zhu was taken aback at first, then a terrifying glint flashed in his eyes.
He made the decision almost without hesitation.
"Let's gamble!"
Lin Zhu let out a low shout and without hesitation, he once again drew out 500,000 Merit Divine Water. At the same time, he flipped his palm, and two perfectly round and translucent pearls, radiating a soft, steady light and with what appeared to be the image of a Buddha sitting cross-legged inside, appeared in his palm—two of the three Muni Steady Light Pearls that he had "picked" out from the bottom of the Merit Pool!
Although this pearl is not among the supreme innate treasures, it is still a top-tier innate spiritual treasure, containing some principles of stabilizing light, protecting the body, and the Buddhist path of tranquility, with a profound origin.
"Five hundred thousand merits of divine water, and two Mani light-stabilizing pearls, is that enough?"
Lin Zhu said in a deep voice.
[Resources confirmed. Boot conditions met. Targeted mutation program initiated. Warning: This process is irreversible.]
The moment the system notification sounded, the 500,000 merits of divine water and the two Muni Light-Stabilizing Pearls that Lin Zhu had just taken out transformed into a torrent once again and poured into the illusory image of the newly formed, still slightly swaying, thirty-sixth-grade Creation Green Lotus!
This time, there was no earth-shattering explosion of light; instead, it was a deeper, more restrained evolution. The illusory azure lotus seemed to come alive, its thirty-six petals slowly opening and closing, like breathing, absorbing and merging the torrent of merit and the essence of the Stabilizing Light Pearl bit by bit. The azure of the lotus body became even deeper and purer, as if it could absorb all light. (End of Chapter)