“Ying~” Lu Qian woke up from her coma.
If Zhao Xing were here, he would surely praise her, thinking, 'As expected of an Illusion Dancer who specializes in Charm Spells, even her waking murmur is so alluring.'
Lu Qian found that the treacherous scoundrel had disappeared.
She calculated the time and realized she had been unconscious for an hour.
First, she checked her body and, finding she had not been violated, breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, she became indignant: “That hateful scoundrel! He stole my Vermillion Fruit, snatched my Magical Robe, and then went back on his word, leaving me here to fend for myself. Men truly cannot be trusted!”
“Heh.” A mocking voice came from the dark forest.
“Who?!” Lu Qian immediately became alert and looked towards a bush.
There was a straw man there, but after making a sound, it lost its luster.
“It was him? He is quite trustworthy.” Lu Qian came back to her senses, then muttered to herself, “Next time, if you fall into my hands, I'll also steal your things and then let you go…”
Zhao Xing had left an hour ago. The reason he left a straw man instead of leaving Lu Qian to fend for herself was not out of soft-heartedness or strict adherence to a promise.
The main reason was that East Lake Mountain was monitored by Yin Gods, and every action of the officials was observed.
If he had promised to let Lu Qian live but then allowed her to be carried away by wild beasts in the forest, it would not be beneficial for Zhao Xing's subsequent ascent of the mountain.
Because on the mountain, there was a Mountain God Temple, and if one wanted to gain benefits, one could not offend the mountain-guarding deities, otherwise, the gains would not outweigh the losses.
“I'll settle down here.”
After walking for half an hour, Zhao Xing found a rock cave.
First, he sent the Great Strength Vajra to scout ahead, and only after finding nothing unusual did he enter.
Then, he had the straw man ambush around the cave entrance to stand guard for him.
He also moved several huge stones to block the cave entrance.
Only then did he settle in with peace of mind.
It was not surprising that Zhao Xing was so cautious, as he was preparing to consume the Vermillion Fruit.
“Low Grade Spirit Herb, known as Lifespan Spirit Herb, increases Lifespan and Origin Qi.”
“In my eyes, this Vermillion Fruit is even more important than a High Grade Luck Spirit Herb.”
What Zhao Xing most desired was a treasure that increased Lifespan.
Because it would be quite difficult for him to survive until the future period of revival, and moreover, there was a limit to Lifespan increase, so the earlier he obtained it, the better.
If the end of his Lifespan was approaching, a treasure that could normally add 800 years would only extend his life by ten years.
“I hope this Vermillion Fruit can give me a surprise.”
Zhao Xing first consumed the smallest one.
Strangely enough, this Vermillion Fruit melted into his body after only three bites, without needing much chewing.
“Classic melt-in-your-mouth experience.” Zhao Xing smiled.
Then he opened his panel to check the records.
【You consumed a Low Grade Spirit Herb, Lifespan Vermillion Fruit. Your Lifespan increased by fifteen years, and your Origin Qi increased by 20 points.】
“Fifteen years? It really is better to consume it as early as possible.” Zhao Xing was overjoyed.
Although he couldn't see his Lifespan on the panel, he only needed to remember the total amount of extra Lifespan gained.
“During the normal operation of the Luck Dynasty system, the limit for a First Realm is eight hundred years, and that's still a theoretical limit, based on Peng Zu of the Yin Dynasty.”
“Even the emperor only has a thousand years of life, unable to become a true ‘ten thousand years’.”
His Origin Qi only increased by 20 points, which was negligible. If others had consumed it, they would probably spit out the fruit they ate and curse it as worthless.
But with Zhao Xing's panel record, he could directly see the increase, and what he wanted was Lifespan, not Origin Qi.
So, he was more than satisfied with this result.
“The second one.”
Zhao Xing eagerly ate the second Vermillion Fruit.
【You consumed a Low Grade Spirit Herb, Lifespan Vermillion Fruit. Your Lifespan increased by eighteen years, and your Origin Qi increased by 10 points.】
This one was slightly larger than the previous one, giving 18 years of extra Lifespan, but only increasing Origin Qi by 10 points.
For early-stage Lifespan treasures, the diminishing returns effect was not obvious; continuous consumption still resulted in strong increases.
A new data record appeared on the panel: 【Extra Lifespan: 33 years】
“An extra thirty-something years of life directly, I've hit the jackpot, thanks to nature's bounty.” Zhao Xing was ecstatic.
Because this wasn't something he had fought tooth and nail for, but something that had fallen from the sky, a pure giveaway. How could he not be happy?
“The third one is also a Medium Grade Origin Spell Spirit Herb.”
Zhao Xing looked at the head-sized Vermillion Fruit, which was bright red and very plump.
“Crunch.” The pulp was very crisp. Compared to the previous two, with the Medium Grade Vermillion Fruit, a single bite caused Origin Qi to burst within his body.
Zhao Xing's face instantly flushed red, and a feeling of extreme fullness came from his abdomen—this was an overdose of nourishment.
“It really is good stuff!”
“Much stronger than the Heavenly Origin Pear.”
“A creation of nature's essence, fruits grown on a spiritual mountain are just different.”
With a thought, Zhao Xing began to concentrate and circulate the Art of Gathering Origin, guiding this fierce Origin Qi to flow within his body.
The Dantian Qi vortex's rotation speed was directly maximized, like a millstone, grinding and absorbing the Origin Qi brought by the Vermillion Fruit.
It took a full two hours for Zhao Xing to digest this first bite.
【You consumed a Medium Grade Spirit Herb, Pure Origin Vermillion Fruit. Your Origin Qi increased by 2512 points.】
【Gathering Origin Fourth Realm: 2831 / 10000】
“One bite increased by 2500 points? Pure Origin Vermillion Fruit, it should be purely for increasing Origin Qi.” Zhao Xing thought to himself. If it were an Origin Spell Vermillion Fruit, then while eating, he would also gain insights into Spells.
That is, it would both increase Origin Qi and Spell proficiency.
“It seems that today I can not only reach Gathering Origin Fifth Realm, but perhaps even Sixth Realm.”
Breaking through to Gathering Origin Fourth Realm was just a few days before the autumn equinox, and now his Origin Qi suddenly surged a large amount, which was simply too satisfying.
“Fifth Realm is certain, Sixth Realm is within reach!”
Zhao Xing had mostly digested it and took a second bite.
【You consumed a Medium Grade Spirit Herb, Pure Origin Vermillion Fruit. Your Origin Qi increased by 2542 points.】
【Gathering Origin Fourth Realm: 5373 / 10000】
【You consumed a Medium Grade Spirit Herb, Pure Origin Vermillion Fruit. Your Origin Qi increased by 2642 points.】
【Gathering Origin Fourth Realm: 8015 / 10000】
【You consumed a Medium Grade Spirit Herb, Pure Origin Vermillion Fruit. Your Origin Qi increased by 2588 points.】
【You have broken through to Gathering Origin Fifth Realm!】
【Gathering Origin Fifth Realm: 291 / 10000】
After breaking through to Gathering Origin Fifth Realm, the upper limit was still 10,000 points. The Origin Qi increased by the Vermillion Fruit decreased accordingly, but it was still considered strong.
【You consumed a Medium Grade Spirit Herb, Pure Origin Vermillion Fruit. Your Origin Qi increased by 1728 points.】
【Gathering Origin Fifth Realm: 2019 / 10000】
【You consumed a Medium Grade Spirit Herb, Pure Origin Vermillion Fruit. Your Origin Qi increased by 1611 points.】
【Gathering Origin Fifth Realm: 3630 / 10000】
He continued to swallow, digest, and swallow like this repeatedly.
Zhao Xing ate the head-sized Pure Origin Vermillion Fruit for an entire night.
After finishing the last bite, Zhao Xing looked at his panel.
【Gathering Origin Sixth Realm: 156 / 10000】
“Gathering Origin Sixth Realm.” Zhao Xing showed a satisfied smile.
The Pure Origin Vermillion Fruit was not a plant; it had no seeds, let alone being able to be planted, so after the last bite, it completely disappeared.
However, there was no need to worry about not having a record; there are gods three feet above one's head, and the Yin Gods in the mountains would all compile statistics on the Spirit Herbs obtained by officials in the mountains.
Ordering the Great Strength Vajra to move the giant stones, Zhao Xing walked out of the cave entrance, looked at the dimly lit sky, and called out:
“My little ones, come with your great king and patrol the mountain!”