Chapter 36: The Spirit Tree Bears Fruit
Chapter 36: The Spirit Tree Bears Fruit
Ruan Qing did not know about the Art of Breath Suppression. He only thought Lu Hangzhi’s cultivation was at Early Third Grade. After cultivating, he assumed it would be Early Third Grade. But he did not know that Lu Hangzhi had taken one Foundational Reinforcement Pill. His magic power boiled. When he opened his eyes, his cultivation had reached Late Third Grade. He was only one step away from Third Rank Peak!
After completely digesting one Foundational Reinforcement Pill, Lu Hangzhi opened his eyes. A faint curve appeared at the corner of his mouth. He took a deep breath. He felt his Spiritual Power Pool become more turbulent than ever before. His hearing, sight, and thinking became sharper. Everything within tens of meters was under his control.
Comfortable!
After casting all the spells he had learned one by one, Lu Hangzhi made another pleasant discovery.
As his cultivation improved, his casting speed and spell power had slightly increased.
No wonder Sister Fuqin wanted him to secure a top-three position after entering the Outer Sect and get a Foundational Reinforcement Pill for her. It was indeed incredibly powerful. In less than an hour, he felt the sense of achievement of having secluded himself and cultivated hard for a month.
No wonder Sister Fuqin had advanced from Third Grade Peak to Mid Fourth Grade in just one month…
“It truly is the Foundational Reinforcement Pill.”
Lu Hangzhi murmured in amazement. He flipped his hand and took out the remaining Foundational Reinforcement Pill. Without hesitation, he put it into his mouth.
Since things had come to this, he might as well push his cultivation to Third Rank Peak in one go. Then he would seclude himself and cultivate hard, striving to break through to Fourth Grade as soon as possible.
Mid Epiphany Stage!
Once he reached Mid Epiphany Stage, helping Sister Fuqin completely control Violet Cloud Town would be almost certain…
“Repay Sister Fuqin’s kindness completely sooner, then I can cultivate wholeheartedly without any worries.”
…
Several days passed. There was no movement from Zhu Fuqin’s side. She showed no intention of returning to Violet Cloud Town immediately. Instead, Ruan Qing successfully made the Spirit Fruit Trees in the entire courtyard bear fruit. Almost every Spirit Fruit Tree was laden with heavy fruit. When a gentle breeze passed, the whole courtyard became fragrant. Even Senior Brother Xiong Qi from next door was drawn over. He came early in the morning to pick and eat the fruit.
“Hangzhi.”
“Your Spirit Fruit tastes good. I’ll pick some to take back and eat. I’ll leave the Spirit Stones here for you.”
As the chief Artifact Refining disciple of the Golden Jade Hall, Xiong Qi never lacked Spirit Stones. The Spirit Stones he casually threw on the stone table nearby were all of mid-grade quality.
“Senior Brother, feel free to pick. No need for Spirit Stones.”
Lu Hangzhi looked at the Spirit Fruit filling the courtyard, feeling extremely pleased. He nodded to Ruan Qing and walked towards Xiong Qi with a smile. “Ruan Qing, notify Xiao Mu and Xiao Ying. I promised them that once the Spirit Fruit Trees bore fruit, I would let them come and eat their fill.”
“Yes, Senior Brother Hangzhi.”
Since Ruan Qing learned that Lu Hangzhi ranked twenty-seventh in the Inner Sect, he had become increasingly comfortable calling him Senior Brother. Upon hearing this, he immediately ran out to notify the two little food lovers.
Soon, the two children rushed into the courtyard like a whirlwind. They saw Xiong Qi standing in front of a Spirit Fruit Tree, eating happily.
“Senior Brother Xiong!”
“You didn’t call us.”
“Hehe…”
Xiong Qi looked embarrassed. He awkwardly hurriedly stuffed two Jade Boxes of Spirit Fruit and ran off, saying, “I have tasks, so I won’t stay with you. I’m leaving first.” But he did not take back the Spirit Stones left on the stone table.
Xiao Mu and Xiao Ying scrambled to pick the fruit.
Lu Hangzhi had Ruan Qing pack some Spirit Fruit for him. He handed the Spirit Gathering Array to Ruan Qing for use. Then he leisurely went out.
Three boxes of Spirit Fruit for Master.
Two boxes of Spirit Fruit for Senior Sister Nangong Jun.
Two boxes of Spirit Fruit for Senior Brother Lü Liang.
Two boxes of Spirit Fruit for Senior Brother Leng.
Two boxes of Spirit Fruit for Senior Sister Fuqin.
Two boxes each for Senior Brother Yun Yi, Senior Disciple Huan, Chen He, and Chen Zhu.
Going from place to place, he gave away the fruit from two entire trees!
These people all gave gifts in return. Master’s return gift was the most generous. He directly tossed two Foundational Reinforcement Pills over. Lu Hangzhi was so thrilled he nearly danced. He wished he could send Spirit Fruit gift boxes daily.
Senior Sister’s return gift was a Third Grade Demon Beast Inner Core…
Senior Brother Leng sent over two five-hundred-year-old Spirit Fruit Trees.
Others gave Spirit Tea, Spiritual Grain, Spirit Wine, Spirit Bamboo Shoots, and similar items in return.
When he finally arrived at Senior Sister Fuqin’s residence, she finally mentioned returning to Violet Cloud Town.
“Junior Brother, do you remember our agreement?”
“Of course.”
Lu Hangzhi laughed.
“These past few days, Junior Brother has been waiting for Senior Sister’s notification. I thought Senior Sister was busy stabilizing her realm and had no time to return to Violet Cloud Town.”
“Thanks to the two Foundational Reinforcement Pills you gave me last time, I have officially advanced to Late Fourth Grade… Unfortunately, the later it gets, the less effective the Foundational Reinforcement Pill becomes. Now it takes four Foundational Reinforcement Pills to advance one minor realm. It seems I’ll have to wait until the next half-year competition to have a chance to reach Fourth Grade Peak.”
Zhu Fuqin’s tone carried some regret, but her face was radiant and brimming with pride.
“Congratulations, Senior Sister.”
“You’re not bad either. Third Rank Peak, soon to reach Fourth Grade… When you reach Mid Epiphany Stage, you’ll realize how difficult it is to improve further.”
Lu Hangzhi smiled without speaking.
If he told Senior Sister that he could reach Mid Fourth Grade upon returning, he wondered if she would be greatly discouraged…
The Golden Jade Hall was not like other halls.
“I’ve spent these days consolidating my Fourth Grade cultivation. I plan to set off back to Violet Cloud Town tomorrow. What do you think, Junior Brother?”
“No problem.”
Lu Hangzhi nodded, then changed his tone.
“By the way, Senior Sister, I just spoke with Senior Brother Leng. I asked him to help find you a part-time position in the hall. Senior Brother has already agreed.”
“…Really?!”
Zhu Fuqin was instantly excited.
With a part-time position in the hall, she could get an extra allowance and speed up her cultivation progress.
“When we return from Violet Cloud Town, Senior Brother should have news.” Lu Hangzhi’s tone was certain.
Senior Brother Leng Wuya now held the status of True Disciple. Arranging a position would be easy for him.
Hearing this, Zhu Fuqin seemed somewhat dazed.
Lu Hangzhi had only been a disciple for just over a month. His cultivation advanced rapidly. Not only did he achieve an extraordinary twenty-seventh place in the Inner Sect, but he also became Chen Ji’s disciple. His set of Spiritual Artifacts was even better than hers. Most importantly, even Senior Brother Leng Wuya, whom she valued most, treated him with special regard. There was almost a trend of equal dialogue between them—it made her incredibly envious.
She wondered how many people’s jaws would drop when they returned to Violet Cloud Town this time…
“With our current status and strength in the Xuanxin Sect, completely suppressing the other two families in Violet Cloud Town will be effortless.”
“Senior Sister, do you remember what happened outside the Profound Yin Black Lotus Cave?”
“You mean…”
Mentioning this, Zhu Fuqin’s expression slightly changed.
“Times have changed. This time when I go back, I will properly teach my younger brother a lesson.”
“…”
Lu Hangzhi nodded without speaking.
If it were before, he truly wouldn’t dare to influence Zhu Fuqin’s thoughts and decisions. But now… to borrow Zhu Fuqin’s words—times had changed.
“Since that’s the case, Junior Brother will go back and prepare. Tomorrow morning, we’ll meet at the post station.”
“Wait.”
Zhu Fuqin said,
“Inner Sect Disciples can go out freely, but they still can’t waste time without a second thought, so that they don’t leave a bad impression on the Master. I suggest you go to the Discipline Hall and take on a sect task.”
“A sect task?”
Lu Hangzhi was taken aback.
“Exactly!”
Zhu Fuqin explained,
“Just like when I collected the Profound Yin Black Lotus and handed it over to the sect, you complete a task, earn contribution points, and then use those points to exchange for cultivation methods, spiritual artifacts, elixirs, and more from the sect’s treasure repository… The more contribution points you have, the higher the quality of the items you can get.”
Lu Hangzhi immediately understood.
The more contributions, the more prosperous the sect became!
It was a clever motivational method.
After bidding farewell to Zhu Fuqin, Lu Hangzhi decided to head to the Discipline Hall first to see what tasks were available. Unexpectedly, as soon as he arrived at the Discipline Hall, he ran right into the last person he wanted to see—Xiao Lin.
The latter stood stiffly at the entrance of the Discipline Hall, his face grim. His eyes were locked onto Lu Hangzhi, and he spoke through gritted teeth, each word spat out sharply:
“Lu! Hang! Zhi!”
“Hangzhi greets Senior Brother Xiao.”
Sighing inwardly, Lu Hangzhi eventually walked forward.
“What are you doing here!”
“Hmph! A mere new Inner Sect Disciple, a Third Grade Cultivator—instead of staying quietly in your residence and focusing on secluded cultivation, don’t tell me you’re actually thinking about going out to gain experience?” Xiao Lin’s aggressive words quickly drew the attention of several Inner Sect Disciples.
Once they saw it was Lu Hangzhi, many of them suddenly understood.
“No wonder Xiao Lin’s been looking constipated for days—it’s because of him…”
“Right? Getting defeated by a Third Grade Cultivator during the Inner Sect Competition is hugely embarrassing. He got confined by his master for two days, and his Discipline Hall position benefits were halved. Anyone would be upset.”
“But still, he dares to mess with Lu Hangzhi? That takes guts.”
“This one’s the rising star of the Golden Jade Hall, backed by True Disciple Leng Wuya and that protective Vice Sect Leader of the Golden Jade Hall. If he really offends Lu Hangzhi, he’s in for serious trouble.”
Faced with Xiao Lin’s aggressive questioning and ridicule, Lu Hangzhi replied calmly but without backing down, “I was just coming to see if there are any tasks suitable for a Third Grade Cultivator. Do you have any advice, Senior Brother?”
Noticing the growing crowd of onlookers, including some disciples from the Golden Jade Hall who were watching with serious expressions, Xiao Lin’s anger quickly faded. Gradually regaining his composure, he snorted, “I can’t be bothered with you,” then turned and left.
What a nutcase… he needs some medicine.
Lu Hangzhi shook his head somewhat helplessly at Xiao Lin’s rapidly retreating back, then stepped into the Discipline Hall.
Right away, he encountered another familiar face.
“Junior Brother Hangzhi?”
“Hangzhi greets Senior Brother Yun Yi.”
“Heh, no need for formalities. You’re at the Discipline Hall because… oh, I get it.” Yun Yi paused, thought for a moment, then smiled knowingly before turning serious to remind him, “Junior Brother, lately Evil Cultivators have been showing up frequently near Deer City, acting very boldly. They’ve slaughtered quite a few mortal villages and killed many cultivators. Even a few of our Xuanxin Sect’s Outer Sect Disciples have gone missing. You’re still inexperienced, so make sure you don’t take any tasks near Deer City—better avoid getting caught up in it.”
“Thank you for the warning, Senior Brother.”
“Mm.”
Without lingering further, Yun Yi left on his own, leaving Lu Hangzhi standing there alone. After thinking for a short while, Lu Hangzhi turned and exited the Discipline Hall.
He was leaving!
Senior Brother Yun Yi’s reminder was very timely.
Lu Hangzhi hadn’t fully emerged from his old mindset, yet he had slipped into a brief state of comfort and peace—during this time in the Xuanxin Sect, he didn’t have to worry about his own safety, and both his mind and body had relaxed greatly. He had almost forgotten that this was a world ruled by Demonic Beasts and Monsters in the Barbarian Wildlands, and also forgotten that he no longer had to fight desperately for meager ordinary resources.
That’s right.
This was the harsh Primordial Wildlands…
As the 27th ranked Inner Sect Disciple and the youngest disciple under the Golden Jade Hall’s chief, he no longer needed to struggle desperately for resources like Zhu Fuqin did. Why create extra trouble for just a few contribution points?
This trip to Violet Cloud Town: first, ensure his own safety. Once he had repaid his debt of gratitude to Sister Fuqin, he would return immediately to the sect to cultivate!
After informing his Master, Lu Hangzhi decisively returned to his residence and began preparing for his first long journey.