Chapter 63: Breaking Two Ranks Consecutively, Zhao Xing Ascends the Mountain

With a soft groan, Lu Qian awoke from her unconscious state.

If Zhao Xing had been there, he would surely have praised her, remarking that she truly lived up to her name as an enchanter who wields charm spells, as even her waking mumbles were so alluring.

Lu Qian discovered that the treacherous man had vanished. She calculated that she had been unconscious for an hour.

She first checked herself, relieved to find she hadn't been violated. Her relief quickly turned to resentment. "That despicable man!" she fumed. "He took my Vermillion Fruit, stole my magical robe, then went back on his word and left me here to fend for myself. Men truly cannot be trusted!"

"Hmph," a mocking sound echoed through the dark forest.

"Who?!" Lu Qian instantly became alert, peering towards a nearby bush. There, she saw a straw figure, which, after making that sound, immediately lost its luster.

"It was him? He did keep his word, after all," Lu Qian murmured to herself, coming to her senses. "Next time you fall into my hands, I'll take your things, and then I'll let you go too..."

***

Zhao Xing had departed a quarter of an hour earlier. He had left the straw figure behind, not out of soft-hearted sympathy for Lu Qian or a rigid adherence to his word. Rather, it was because Donghu Mountain was overseen by Yin Gods, who observed every move of the officials. If he had promised to spare Lu Qian's life, only for her to be carried off by wild beasts, it would have negatively impacted his subsequent ascent of the mountain. There was a Mountain God Temple on the peak, and to gain any benefits, he could not afford to offend the mountain's guardian deity; otherwise, the consequences would outweigh any rewards.

"We'll make camp here," he decided.

After walking for half an hour, Zhao Xing located a rock cave. He first sent his Mighty Vajra to scout the path. Only after confirming there were no anomalies did he enter. He then positioned the straw figure to stand guard, ambushing around the cave entrance. Next, he moved several large boulders to block the cave entrance. Only then did he feel secure enough to settle in.

Zhao Xing's meticulous caution was warranted, as he was about to consume the Vermillion Fruit.

"A low-grade spiritual essence, known as a Longevity Essence, it increases lifespan and vitality."

"To me, this Vermillion Fruit is even more crucial than a high-grade Fortune Essence."

What Zhao Xing coveted most was a treasure that could extend his lifespan. Reaching the future era of revival would be challenging for him, and since there was a limit to how much lifespan could be increased, the earlier he acquired such a treasure, the better. If one were nearing their natural lifespan's end, a treasure capable of adding 800 years might only extend life by a mere decade.

"I hope this Vermillion Fruit holds a pleasant surprise for me."

Zhao Xing began by consuming the smallest fruit. Oddly enough, the Vermillion Fruit melted into his body after only three bites, requiring no chewing whatsoever.

"A classic melt-in-your-mouth experience," Zhao Xing mused with a smile. He then opened his personal panel to view the records.

You consumed a low-grade spiritual essence, the Longevity Vermillion Fruit. Your lifespan has increased by fifteen years, and your vitality has increased by 20 points.

"Fifteen years? It truly is better to consume it as early as possible," Zhao Xing exclaimed, overjoyed. While his total lifespan wasn't displayed on the panel, he only needed to keep track of the cumulative years added.

"During the normal operation of the Dynastic Fortune system, the theoretical lifespan limit for a first-grade realm cultivator was 800 years, a theory derived from Peng Zu of the Yin Dynasty."

"Even emperors only lived for a thousand years, unable to achieve true immortality."

The mere 20-point increase in vitality was negligible; others who consumed it would likely spit it out and curse it as worthless. However, with his personal panel, Zhao Xing could directly see the increase, and his priority was lifespan, not vitality. Thus, he couldn't have been more satisfied with this outcome.

"The second fruit," he murmured. Zhao Xing ate the second Vermillion Fruit, filled with anticipation.

You consumed a low-grade spiritual essence, the Longevity Vermillion Fruit. Your lifespan has increased by eighteen years, and your vitality has increased by 10 points.

This fruit was slightly larger than the previous one, granting 18 additional years of lifespan but only 10 points of vitality. For early-stage longevity treasures, the diminishing returns effect was not pronounced; continuous consumption still yielded substantial increases. A new data entry appeared on his panel: "Additional Lifespan: 33 years."

"An extra thirty-odd years of life! This is an incredible gain, truly a gift from nature," Zhao Xing thought, his spirits soaring. Since this wasn't something he had fought tooth and nail to acquire, but rather a windfall, a completely free gift, how could he not be delighted?

"Now, the third fruit, a mid-grade Yuan-Law Essence."

Zhao Xing gazed at the head-sized Vermillion Fruit, plump and crimson.

"Crunch." The fruit's flesh was remarkably crisp. Unlike the first two, a single bite of this mid-grade Vermillion Fruit caused vitality to surge explosively within his body. Zhao Xing's face immediately flushed crimson, and an intense sensation of fullness radiated from his abdomen—it was an overdose of powerful nourishment.

"This is truly potent stuff!"

"Much stronger than the Heavenly Yuan Pear."

"Fruits borne from spiritual mountains, imbued with nature's wonders, are truly incomparable."

With a focused mind, Zhao Xing began to circulate his Yuan Gathering technique, channeling the ferocious vitality throughout his body. His Dantian's qi rotation immediately surged to its maximum, like a grinding millstone, crushing and absorbing the vitality from the Vermillion Fruit. It took a full two quarters of an hour for Zhao Xing to digest this first mouthful.

You consumed a mid-grade spiritual essence, the Pure Yuan Vermillion Fruit. Your vitality has increased by 2512 points.

Yuan Gathering Fourth Stage: 2831/10000

"One bite adds 2500 points? The Pure Yuan Vermillion Fruit must be solely for increasing vitality," Zhao Xing mused. If it were a Yuan-Law Vermillion Fruit, he would have gained insights into spells while consuming it. It would increase both vitality and spell proficiency.

"It seems I'll not only reach Yuan Gathering Fifth Stage today, but perhaps even the Sixth Stage."

He had broken through to Yuan Gathering Fourth Stage just days before the Autumn Equinox. Now, with such a significant surge in vitality, he felt incredibly invigorated.

"Fifth Stage is a certainty, and Sixth Stage is within reach!"

Once he had mostly digested it, Zhao Xing took a second bite.

***

You consumed a mid-grade spiritual essence, the Pure Yuan Vermillion Fruit. Your vitality has increased by 2542 points.

Yuan Gathering Fourth Stage: 5373/10000

***

You consumed a mid-grade spiritual essence, the Pure Yuan Vermillion Fruit. Your vitality has increased by 2642 points.

Yuan Gathering Fourth Stage: 8015/10000

***

You consumed a mid-grade spiritual essence, the Pure Yuan Vermillion Fruit. Your vitality has increased by 2588 points.

You have broken through to Yuan Gathering Fifth Stage!

Yuan Gathering Fifth Stage: 291/10000

Upon reaching Yuan Gathering Fifth Stage, the maximum vitality remained 10,000 points. The amount of vitality gained from the Vermillion Fruit decreased accordingly, yet it remained substantial.

You consumed a mid-grade spiritual essence, the Pure Yuan Vermillion Fruit. Your vitality has increased by 1728 points.

Yuan Gathering Fifth Stage: 2019/10000

***

You consumed a mid-grade spiritual essence, the Pure Yuan Vermillion Fruit. Your vitality has increased by 1611 points.

Yuan Gathering Fifth Stage: 3630/10000

***

He continued this cycle of consuming, digesting, and consuming. Zhao Xing spent the entire night consuming the head-sized Pure Yuan Vermillion Fruit.

After the final bite, Zhao Xing checked his panel.

Yuan Gathering Sixth Stage: 156/10000

"Yuan Gathering Sixth Stage," Zhao Xing said, a satisfied smile on his face. The Pure Yuan Vermillion Fruit was not a plant; it had no core and could not be cultivated. Once the last bite was consumed, it vanished completely.

However, there was no need to worry about the lack of a record. It was said that deities observed everything, and the Yin Gods of the mountain meticulously tracked any spiritual essences acquired by cultivators within their domain.

Ordering his Mighty Vajra to move the boulders, Zhao Xing stepped out of the cave. He surveyed the dimly lit dawn sky and announced:

"My little ones, follow your Great King as I patrol the mountain!"