I'm already a Great Luo Golden Immortal, how come you're only Martial Saints?

"Amitabha!"

The Bodhisattva softly uttered the Buddha's name; though the voice was peaceful, it carried a hint of helplessness.

"In that case, I will bestow upon you this willow leaf of creation. This leaf contains the power of creation, and can be transformed in countless ways, without being bound by any form. In a critical moment, it may save your life and shield you from a calamity."

The willow leaf floated out lightly, hovering in front of Ning Chen, radiating a soft and mysterious halo.

Ning Chen's eyes lit up, and he reached out to take it. The willow leaf felt warm and smooth to the touch, full of pure life force.

He looked down at the lone willow leaf in his hand, then looked up at the still lush willow branch in the Guanyin Bodhisattva's bottle. He pursed his lips, looking somewhat aggrieved.

Shouldn't there be three life-saving hairs? How come they turned into a whole patch on me?

Bodhisattva, you're being unfair!

Who is Ning Chen? He dares to bargain with Patriarch Bodhi, using various pretexts to take the opportunity to ask for supernatural powers and techniques.

Even Guanyin Bodhisattva has to reason with people.

He cupped his hands in greeting.

"Bodhisattva! Is there only one? My journey to the West will be fraught with difficulties and dangers; I must prepare several more to be on the safe side!"

"I see there are still eight petals on your willow branch. Why don't you, Bodhisattva, have the greatest compassion and bestow them all upon your disciple?"

Guanyin Bodhisattva's solemn face finally couldn't hold back any longer, and her eye twitched slightly.

The Bodhisattva took a deep breath. Even with her unwavering Dao heart, she was both annoyed and amused by Ning Chen's outrageous demands.

She rolled her eyes at Ning Chen, her gaze containing both reproach and a hint of helplessness.

"You cunning rascal! Insatiable! This willow branch of mine was transformed from a primordial spiritual root. It was placed in this jade vase made of the Nine Heavens' Breath Soil, nourished by the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, the essence of the sun and moon, and blessed by Mahayana Buddhism every day. It took ten thousand years for it to give birth to this single leaf! To this day, only nine leaves have been accumulated, a symbol of the flourishing incense and the pure and solemn atmosphere of my monastery!"

The Bodhisattva paused, a hint of anger in his voice.

"You dare to plunder my temple grounds completely?"

Ning Chen was not afraid at all. If the Bodhisattva could say such a thing, it meant that she felt guilty.

In business, haggling is perfectly normal.

He continued to persevere.

"The Bodhisattva's power is boundless; these few willow leaves will naturally grow back in the future. How about this, I'll compromise and give you six leaves, for good luck! If you have good luck, I'll have good luck too!"

Ning Chen fully utilized the shamelessness he had honed at the Bodhi Patriarch's place and began to bargain.

"Do you take me for a street vendor, trying to haggle over prices?"

The Bodhisattva's tone carried a rare hint of anger, but in the end, she couldn't resist Ning Chen's shamelessness.

After all, it was outrageous for her, the dignified Guanyin Bodhisattva, to haggle with Ning Chen over a piece or two.

Finally, she sighed softly, her jade-like fingers twitching slightly as she plucked two willow leaves from the willow branch and flicked them towards Ning Chen.

"Enough, enough. Considering your arduous journey westward and the heavy responsibility you bear, I will give you three pieces! These are all I have; no more..."

Before she could finish speaking, Guanyin Bodhisattva, fearing that Ning Chen would continue to pester her, quickly urged the lotus platform beneath her feet. The auspicious seven-colored clouds suddenly accelerated, carrying the bewildered black bear spirit, and as if fleeing a disaster, they transformed into a streak of light and disappeared into the western horizon.

Hmph, you should have given me three pieces in the first place. Give me a few more so I can share them with my senior brother. Poor senior brother, he doesn't have a single magic weapon to this day!

Ning Chen felt no pleasure at having gained an advantage. He reached out and caught the two willow leaves that flew towards him, placing them together with the one he had caught earlier.

Three willow leaves stood side by side in his palm, their verdant greenness radiating an extraordinary charm.

Just then, familiar golden characters appeared before my eyes—a divine notification had arrived!

[Obtained: Creation Willow Leaves (three pieces)]

[Rank: Divine Item Derived from Innate Spiritual Treasure]

【Effect 1: Achieve desired transformations】

[The holder can manipulate the willow leaf with their mind, transforming it into any shape at will; after transformation, its level is acquired magic weapon!]

[The duration of each transformation is one hour. After the transformation ends, the willow leaf will automatically retract and require a one-month cooling period before it can be used again.]

[Effect 2: Substitute to avoid calamity]

[When encountering a fatal attack or powerful restraint, one can actively activate a willow leaf. The willow leaf will transform into the shape of the holder, taking the hit or restraint, and randomly teleporting the holder to a safe area within a hundred miles. This is a passive life-saving trump card, effective only once. The willow leaf must be nurtured with magical power and mental focus for three years before it can be used again.]

[This is a willow branch and willow leaf, primordial spiritual roots, from Guanyin Bodhisattva's jade vase. It contains the vitality of creation and boundless magical power, with infinite uses. Please make good use of it!]

Seeing the divine prompt before him, Ning Chen was overjoyed.

"It really is a lifesaver! With its ever-changing abilities, this substitute is practically a lifesaver! But the cooldown time is a bit too long, so I have to use it sparingly."

He was pondering where to hide these three precious willow leaves close to his body.

After all, he's not a monkey. When fighting, he can't act like that monkey brother and pluck hairs from his head and body anytime, anywhere.

The moment the thought arose, the three willow leaves in his palm whooshed into three streaks of light and flew straight toward his brow!

Ning Chen felt a slight chill between his brows, as if something had been branded onto it.

He immediately conjured a water mirror to look at himself, and saw that there were three small, exquisite, and lifelike red petal marks in the center of his brow!

These three red plum blossom-shaped marks were not merely superficial on the skin, but rather appeared to be naturally formed, their deep red color resembling precious jade, perfectly complementing Ning Chen's already handsome and extraordinary appearance.

Not only did it not seem out of place, but it also added a touch of nobility and handsome charm. Ning Chen's appearance was originally worth 99 points, but now it is 120 points!

"Handsome! Even I get obsessed with my own looks after seeing them so often!"

Upon seeing it, Ning Chen couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, "This willow leaf possesses extraordinary spirituality!"

It's truly a treasure bestowed by Guanyin Bodhisattva; it even comes with a built-in beauty filter.

Alright, Bodhisattva, I forgive you since you helped me turn on the beauty filter!

Strength is temporary, but being handsome lasts a lifetime!

At this moment, another divine prompt popped up in front of Ning Chen's eyes.

[Perfectly clear Guanyin Temple and Zen Monastery, triggering a hidden trial: the Black Wind Mountain Calamity!]

[Completion Rating: SSS (Cleverly overcomes the Zen riddle, bravely fights the bear, skillfully borrows the Bodhisattva's help, and achieves perfect merit)]

[Completion Rewards Issued: Two Difficulties Combined, Rewards Issued Together!]

Ning Chen was quite surprised and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, is passing one hurdle considered a dilemma?"

That's not bad!

Compared to the stingy Guanyin Bodhisattva, the rewards from the Divine Realm are substantial and without any deductions!

Then comes the reward details.

Constitution +100!

Comprehension +100!

Physique +100!

Your cultivation will increase by 100 years!

Obtaining a congenital spiritual treasure:

【Soul-Slaying Banner】

Rank: Acquired spiritual treasure, containing ancient malevolent energy!

[Blood-Transforming Divine Blade]

Rank: Acquired spiritual treasure, refined from the water of the Blood River, highly poisonous and capable of destroying the body!

Soul-Slaying Banner!

Blood-Transforming Divine Blade!

Wow, the rewards this time are all deadly weapons!

And they all seem to be magical artifacts left over from the Lone Star Lord?

Oops, this is practically shaving someone bald!

Ning Chen was startled and quickly summoned the two treasures!

A banner and a knife floated before his eyes. The banner was ancient in design, its surface a dark blood color, and it was decorated with mysterious and fierce runes, faintly radiating a soul-stealing power.

Ning Chen grasped the banner and displayed its item attributes.

Effects: Shaking this banner releases an invisible and intangible black aura that attacks the soul. Those struck by this aura will experience mild symptoms such as soul tremors, dizziness, and sluggish magical power, or even complete annihilation of their soul!

The effect depends on the strength of the target's soul and the caster's cultivation level!

Note: This is an ominous treasure; use it with caution! Excessive use may offend the natural order!