Xuanyuan Zhen did not consume the fruits immediately. Once he had placed them carefully inside his storage ring, he suppressed their spiritual fluctuations and continued deeper into the forest. Opportunities were rarely isolated. Where heaven scattered treasures, danger followed.
The forest grew denser the farther he ventured. The trees were older here, bark thick and scarred by claw marks, their roots twisting above the soil like coiled serpents. The air was heavier—humid with the scent of blood and damp earth.
Over the next few days, Xuanyuan Zhen did not remain idle.
He fought.
A horned iron boar that charged like a battering ram—its skull shattered beneath a single violet-gold punch.
A shadow panther that attempted to ambush him from above—its spine broken mid-leap.
Each battle refined his control. Each clash sharpened his instincts.
But beasts were not the only predators in the forest.
Once, while tracking a wounded deer-beast, he sensed killing intent instead. Three rogue hunters stepped out from behind the trees, blades glinting, eyes greedy.
They had mistaken him for prey.
"Young master from a clan?" one sneered, noticing his robes. "Hand over your storage ring and we'll leave you whole."
Xuanyuan Zhen said nothing.
Humanity's vile nature never changed.
The weak envied.
The greedy coveted.
The foolish underestimated.
Golden holy Qi surged. Heavenly purple Qi followed.
Three breaths later, the clearing was silent again.
Xuanyuan Zhen wiped a trace of blood from his sleeve and walked away without a backward glance.
The world respected strength. Nothing else.
---
It was near dusk on the fourth day when he discovered the cave.
It lay hidden behind a curtain of overgrown vines at the base of a jagged cliff. If not for the faint chill drifting from within, he might have passed it entirely.
He paused.
The entrance exhaled a cold, ancient breath.
There was something wrong about it.
Not wrong in the sense of danger—
But old.
As though it had existed long before the surrounding forest.
Xuanyuan Zhen stepped inside.
The light faded quickly behind him. The walls were uneven, carved not by tools but by time and erosion. Faint moisture glistened along the stone.
Each step echoed softly.
The deeper he went, the heavier the air felt.
Finally, he reached a wider chamber within. The ceiling rose higher here, jagged stalactites hanging like fangs. The ground was relatively flat.
A suitable place to refine the fruits.
He scanned the area once more.
It was still and quiet.
He exhaled and stepped forward—
A blur shot from the darkness. A hiss split the air. Pain flared sharply in his left arm.
A venomous serpentine beast, no thicker than a wrist but fast as lightning, had lunged from a crevice and sunk its fangs deep into his flesh.
Its scales were dark green, eyes glowing faintly in the dark.
For a split second, his muscles tensed.
Alas he'd been areless.
His right hand moved instantly. He grabbed the creature's head before it could retract and crushed it between his fingers.
Bone splintered. The body writhed once before falling limp.
The venom pulsed into his bloodstream.
But then—
His purple-golden blood Qi surged instinctively.
Heat erupted within his veins like ignited magma. The poison was devoured, incinerated by the overwhelming vitality of his physique.
Within moments, nothing remained.
Xuanyuan Zhen stared briefly at the lifeless serpent before tossing it aside.
He glanced at the faint bite marks on his arm. The flesh was already knitting back together.
He closed his eyes for a breath.
Carelessness invited death.
Even the smallest threat could become fatal.
He would not allow arrogance to blind him.
Satisfied the chamber held no further immediate danger, he sat cross-legged at its center.
From his storage ring, he withdrew one crimson-gold fruit.
It pulsed softly in his palm.
Without hesitation, he consumed it.
---
The first wave of spiritual energy was violent. Like swallowing liquid fire.
It surged into his meridians, crashing against his Qi sea in explosive torrents. Ordinary cultivators would have been torn apart by the force.
But Xuanyuan Zhen's purple-golden Qi sea expanded to meet it.
Golden holy Qi roared like a blazing sun.
Heavenly purple Qi surged like a tyrant asserting dominion.
The energy was devoured and refined.
Then one fruit became two.
Two became three.
Time blurred within the cave.
---
Three weeks passed.
Outside, the forest shifted through cycles of light and shadow.
Inside, Xuanyuan Zhen remained unmoving.
When his eyes finally opened—
The air trembled.
He had advanced.
Eighth stage of Qi Condensation Realm.
His aura was no longer the restrained ripple of before.
It was heavy.
Dense.
His purple-golden blood Qi surged through his body like a contained volcano, radiating heat and vitality. Faint waves of pressure distorted the air around him.
Golden holy Qi had grown purer, brighter.
Heavenly purple Qi had deepened, carrying a faint tyrannical resonance that pressed subtly against the surroundings.
His body felt transformed.
Stronger.
Faster.
More resilient.
Four fruits had been consumed.
Six remained.
He exhaled slowly.
One week before the martial exchange.
A faint smile touched his lips.
This progress was satisfactory.
But as he prepared to stand—
He paused.
This cave did not feel ordinary.
Even after weeks within it, the faint ancient aura lingered.
Not oppressive.
But watching.
His gaze drifted toward the deeper darkness beyond the chamber.
There was more.
He could feel it.
Xuanyuan Zhen rose to his feet.
If this place hid secrets—
He intended to uncover them.