Chapter 63: Breaking Through Two Tiers Continuously, Zhao Xing Ascends the Mountain

"Ahem~" Lu Qian woke up from her unconsciousness.

If Zhao Xing were here, he would surely praise her, proving worthy of a Phantom Dancer who specialized in bewitching spells, as even her waking murmurs were so enticing.

Lu Qian discovered that the treacherous scoundrel had already vanished.

Calculating the time, she realized she had been unconscious for a full hour.

First, she checked her body, discovering she had not suffered any violation, which brought a wave of relief to her heart.

Immediately afterward, anger flared up within her: "Odious scoundrel! He stole my Vermilion Fruit, seized my magic robe, and yet went back on his word, leaving me here to fend for myself. Men truly are completely untrustworthy!"

"Hmph," came a mocking sound from the dark forest.

"Who?!" Lu Qian instantly turned alert, her gaze locking onto a nearby clump of bushes.

She saw a straw effigy there, but it lost its luster the moment it made a sound.

"It's him? He actually keeps his word," Lu Qian muttered to herself, recovering her composure as she whispered, "Next time you fall into my hands, I'll rob you of your possessions too, and then let you off just this once..."

...........

Zhao Xing had left a quarter of an hour ago. The reason he left a straw effigy instead of leaving Lu Qian to her fate wasn't out of soft-hearted sympathy, nor was it due to a rigid adherence to promises.

It was primarily because East Lake Mountain was monitored by nether deities, and every move of an official was watched.

Since he had promised to spare Lu Qian's life, letting her get carried off by wild beasts in the forest would be detrimental to Zhao Xing's subsequent ascent up the mountain.

Because there was a mountain deity temple further up, and if one wished to reap benefits, one must not offend the guardian deity of the mountain, otherwise the losses would outweigh the gains.

"I'll settle down right here."

After walking for half an hour, Zhao Xing found a rocky cave.

He first sent the Mighty Vajra to scout ahead, and finding nothing unusual, he walked inside.

Next, he stationed straw effigies around the cave entrance to stand guard for him.

Then he hauled several giant boulders over to block the cave entrance.

Only then did he feel secure enough to settle in.

It was no wonder Zhao Xing was so cautious, as he was preparing to consume the Vermilion Fruits.

"A low-grade spiritual treasure, known as a longevity spiritual treasure, which increases lifespan and vital energy."

"In my eyes, this Vermilion Fruit is actually far more important than a top-grade fortune spiritual treasure."

What Zhao Xing craved most were treasures that could increase lifespan.

Because it was quite difficult for him to hold out until the future era of revival. Moreover, there was a limit to lifespan enhancements, and the earlier one obtained them, the better.

If he waited until the limit of his lifespan approached, a treasure that could originally add 800 years would only be able to extend his life by a mere decade.

"I hope this Vermilion Fruit gives me a pleasant surprise."

Zhao Xing first consumed the smallest one.

Oddly enough, the Vermilion Fruit melted into his body after just three bites, requiring almost no chewing.

"A classic case of melting upon contact with the lips and teeth," Zhao Xing smiled.

Then he opened his attribute panel to check the record.

[You have consumed a low-grade spiritual treasure, Longevity Vermilion Fruit. Your lifespan is increased by fifteen years, and your vital energy is increased by 20 points.]

"Fifteen years? Truly, the earlier you consume it, the better," Zhao Xing said, pleasantly surprised.

Although his lifespan wasn't directly visible on the panel, he only needed to keep track of the total additional lifespan gained.

"During the normal operation of a dynastic fortune system, eight hundred years is the absolute limit for the First-Grade realm, and even that is a theoretical limit derived from Peng Zu of the Yin Dynasty."

"Even emperors only had a lifespan of a millennium, unable to truly become 'ten thousand years old'."

The vital energy had only increased by 20 points—a negligible amount. If anyone else had consumed it, they would probably have spat out the fruit they ate and cursed it as utter trash.

However, with the records on Zhao Xing's panel, he could directly see the growth, and what he wanted was lifespan, not vital energy.

Therefore, he was more than satisfied with this result.

"The second one."

Zhao Xing consumed the second Vermilion Fruit full of anticipation.

[You have consumed a low-grade spiritual treasure, Longevity Vermilion Fruit. Your lifespan is increased by eighteen years, and your vital energy is increased by 10 points.]

This one was slightly larger than the previous one, granting eighteen years of extra lifespan, while the vital energy only increased by 10 points.

For lifespan treasures in the early stages, the diminishing returns effect wasn't obvious, and consecutive consumption still yielded strong increases.

A new data record appeared on the panel: [Additional Lifespan: 33 years]

"Gaining over thirty extra years of life just like that, I've struck gold! Praise nature's bounty," Zhao Xing rejoiced, feeling elated.

Since this wasn't something he had fought tooth and nail to plunder, but rather a windfall dropped from the skies—essentially a free gift—how could he not be happy?

"The third one, which is also a mid-grade primordial magic spiritual treasure."

Zhao Xing looked at the head-sized Vermilion Fruit, which was deep red and extremely plump.

"Crunch." The flesh of the fruit was very crisp. Compared to the first two, taking a bite of the mid-grade Vermilion Fruit caused the vital energy to burst open inside his body.

Zhao Xing's face instantly flushed red, and an extreme state of fullness surged from his lower abdomen—a sign of excessive nourishment.

"Truly a fine item!"

"Far superior to the Heavenly Origin Pear."

"Creation concentrates its spiritual essence, and fruits born from spiritual mountains are indeed different."

With a thought, Zhao Xing focused his mind to circulate the Yuan-gathering technique, guiding this fierce surge of vital energy to flow through his body.

The vortex in his Dantian spun at maximum speed, acting like a millstone to grind down and absorb the vital energy brought by the Vermilion Fruit.

It took a full two quarters of an hour for Zhao Xing to digest this first bite.

[You have consumed a mid-grade spiritual treasure, Pure Yuan Vermilion Fruit. Vital energy increased by 2,512 points.]

[Stage Four Yuan-gathering: 2,831/10,000]

"An increase of 2,500 points in a single bite? The Pure Yuan Vermilion Fruit seems to purely increase vital energy," Zhao Xing thought to himself. If it were a Primordial Magic Vermilion Fruit, he would also gain insights into spells while consuming it.

In other words, it would increase both vital energy and spell proficiency.

"It looks like today I won't just reach Stage Five Yuan-gathering; Stage Six might even be within reach."

Breaking through to Stage Four Yuan-gathering had happened a few days before the Autumn Equinox. Now that his vital energy had suddenly surged by a huge margin, it felt indescribably wonderful.

"Stage Five is guaranteed, Stage Six is within reach!"

Having digested most of it, Zhao Xing took another bite.

[You have consumed a mid-grade spiritual treasure, Pure Yuan Vermilion Fruit. Vital energy increased by 2,542 points.]

[Stage Four Yuan-gathering: 5,373/10,000]

[You have consumed a mid-grade spiritual treasure, Pure Yuan Vermilion Fruit. Vital energy increased by 2,642 points.]

[Stage Four Yuan-gathering: 8,015/10,000]

[You have consumed a mid-grade spiritual treasure, Pure Yuan Vermilion Fruit. Vital energy increased by 2,588 points.]

[You have broken through to Stage Five Yuan-gathering!]

[Stage Five Yuan-gathering: 291/10,000]

Upon breaking through to Stage Five Yuan-gathering, the upper limit remained at 10,000 points. The vital energy provided by the Vermilion Fruit decreased correspondingly, but it was still considered robust.

[You have consumed a mid-grade spiritual treasure, Pure Yuan Vermilion Fruit. Vital energy increased by 1,728 points.]

[Stage Five Yuan-gathering: 2,019/10,000]

[You have consumed a mid-grade spiritual treasure, Pure Yuan Vermilion Fruit. Vital energy increased by 1,611 points.]

[Stage Five Yuan-gathering: 2,019/10,000]

Thus it continued—repeatedly devouring, digesting, and devouring again.

Zhao Xing spent the entire night consuming the head-sized Pure Yuan Vermilion Fruit.

After swallowing the very last bite, Zhao Xing checked his panel.

[Stage Six Yuan-gathering: 156/10,000]

"Stage Six Yuan-gathering," Zhao Xing revealed a satisfied smile.

The Pure Yuan Vermilion Fruit was not a normal plant; it had no pit, let alone any possibility of cultivation, so once the last bite was eaten, it vanished completely.

However, there was no need to worry about a lack of records. With divine beings three feet above one's head, the nether deities in the mountain would log the spiritual treasures obtained by officials within their domain.

Ordering the Mighty Vajra to move the boulders aside, Zhao Xing walked out of the cave, looked at the dawn breaking in the sky, and gave a shout:

"Little ones, follow me, the Great King, to patrol the mountain!"