Shennong Dao Master
Chapter 63: Breaking Through Two Ranks, Zhao Xing Ascends the Mountain

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

"Ying~" Lu Qian woke up from her coma.

If Zhao Xing had been here, he certainly would have praised her, for even the delirious murmurs of an Illusion Dancer who played with enchanting spells were so enticing.

Lu Qian realized that the foul man who went back on his word had already vanished without a trace.

She calculated the time and found that she had been unconscious for an hour.

First, she checked her body and found that she had not been violated, which made her breathe a sigh of relief.

Then she became angry again, "Damn that vile man! He took my Red Fruit, stole my vestment robe, and nevertheless went back on his word, leaving me here to fend for myself. Men really are not to be trusted!"

"Heh," a mocking voice came from within the dark forest.

"Who?!" Lu Qian instantly became alert and looked towards a patch of bushes.

There was a Grassman, but after making a single sound, it lost its luster.

"Is that him? He’s actually keeping his word." Lu Qian regained her senses and then murmured to herself, "Next time you fall into my hands, I’ll rob you of your belongings and then give you a pass... "

......

Zhao Xing had left fifteen minutes earlier, and the reason he left a Grassman behind instead of abandoning Lu Qian to her fate wasn’t out of soft-heartedness or sympathy, nor was it due to rigidly keeping a promise.

The main reason was that East Lake Mountain was under the surveillance of the Yin God, and the actions of every official were being watched.

If he had promised to let Lu Qian go but then caused her to be carried off by wild beasts in the forest, it would not be conducive to Zhao Xing’s later ascent up the mountain.

Because on the mountain, there was a Mountain God Temple, and to receive benefits, one must not offend the divine guardian of the mountain, or it would be a loss too great to make up for.

"I’ll make camp here."

An hour after Zhao Xing left, he found a cave.

First, he sent Vigorous Vajra to scout the area and, finding nothing unusual, he then went in.

He had the Grassman set up an ambush around the cave entrance to stand guard for him.

Next, he moved several large rocks to block the entrance.

Only then did he settle down with peace of mind.

One couldn’t blame Zhao Xing for being so cautious, as he was planning to consume the Red Fruit.

"A Low-grade Spiritual Treasure, known as Lifespan Spirit, it increases lifespan and vitality."

"To my eyes, this Red Fruit is even more important than a High-grade Fortune Spiritual Treasure."

What Zhao Xing desired most was an item that could increase his lifespan.

Because surviving until the upcoming resurgence period was quite difficult, and moreover, there was a maximum limit to increasing lifespan – the earlier one obtained it, the better.

If one was near the end of their lifespan, an item that could normally prolong life by 800 years would only be able to extend it by a mere ten years.

"I hope this Red Fruit gives me a nice surprise."

Zhao Xing first consumed the smallest one.

Strangely enough, the Red Fruit dissolved into his body after just three bites, without needing much chewing.

"Classic melt-in-the-mouth," Zhao Xing chuckled.

Then he opened his record panel to check.

[You have consumed a Low-grade Spiritual Treasure, Lifespan Red Fruit, increasing your lifespan by 15 years and vitality by 20 points.]

"Fifteen years? It truly is better to consume it earlier," Zhao Xing was overjoyed.

Although one could not see the lifespan on the panel, he only had to remember the total additional lifespan added.

"During the normal operation of the Fortune Dynasty System, at the First-Grade Realm, 800 years is the limit, and that too is a theoretical limit based on Peng Zu of the Yin Dynasty."

"Even the Emperor only has a thousand years of life and cannot become a ’Ten Thousand Years’ in truth."

An increase of only 20 points in vitality would seem inconsequential, and if someone else had consumed it, they might have wanted to spit out the fruit and curse what junk it was.

But with Zhao Xing’s panel record showing the direct increase and his desire for more lifespan over vitality, he couldn’t be more satisfied with the result.

"The second one."

Full of anticipation, Zhao Xing consumed the second Red Fruit.

[You have consumed a Low-grade Spiritual Treasure, Lifespan Red Fruit, increasing your lifespan by 18 years and vitality by 10 points.]

This fruit was slightly larger than the previous one and provided an additional 18 years of life, with only a 10 point increase in vitality.

In the early stages, the diminishing effect of Lifespan Treasures was not obvious, and the continued consumption still yielded strong increases.

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

"To live an extra thirty or so years, I hit the jackpot, thanks to the generosity of nature," Zhao Xing was ecstatic.

After all, he didn’t have to fight to the death for it, but it fell from the sky, so it was basically a free gift. Could he be anything but happy?

"The third one, also a Mid-grade Primordial Magic Spirit."

Zhao Xing looked at the Red Fruit the size of his head, bright red and very full.

"Crunch." The flesh was crispy. Compared to the first two, the Mid-grade Red Fruit exploded with vitality in his body as soon as he took a bite.

Zhao Xing’s cheeks turned bright red instantly, a feeling of extreme fullness originating from his abdomen, indicating he had over-nourished himself.

"As expected, it’s good stuff!"

"Much better than the Tianyuan Pear."

"Such spirit bestowed by nature, the fruit borne by Spirit Mountain is incomparable."

With a thought, Zhao Xing began to concentrate and operated the Gathering Essence Skill, guiding this fierce vitality to circulate within his body.

The Dan Tian Qi Cycle reached full speed, grinding like a millstone, crushing and absorbing the vitality brought by the Red Fruit.

It took him two quarters of an hour to digest this first bite.

[You have consumed a Mid-grade Spiritual Treasure, Pure Essence Red Fruit, vitality increased by 2512 points.]

[Gathering Essence Fourth Rank: 2831/10000]

"One bite increases 2500 points? The Pure Essence Red Fruit must purely boost vitality," Zhao Xing mused to himself. If it were the Primordial Magic Red Fruit, he would also gain some understanding of spells while eating it.

That is, it would increase both vitality and spell proficiency.

"It looks like today I can reach not just the Fifth Rank of Gathering Essence but maybe even the Sixth Rank."

Breaking through the Fourth Rank of Gathering Essence had been just before the autumnal equinox, and now his vitality had shot up massively, which was incredibly satisfying.

"Fifth Rank is a sure thing, Sixth Rank hopeful!"

Zhao Xing nearly finished digesting the first part, then bit into the second.

......

[You have consumed a Mid-grade Spiritual Treasure, Pure Essence Red Fruit, vitality increased by 2542 points.]

[Gathering Essence Fourth Rank: 5373/10000]

........

[You have consumed a Mid-grade Spiritual Treasure, Pure Essence Red Fruit, vitality increased by 2642 points.]

[Gathering Essence Fourth Rank: 8015/10000]

.....

[You have consumed a Mid-grade Spiritual Treasure, Pure Essence Red Fruit, vitality increased by 2588 points.]

[You have broken through to the Gathering Essence Fifth Rank!]

[Gathering Essence Fifth Rank: 291/10000]

Having broken through to the Gathering Essence Fifth Rank, the limit remained at 10,000 points, with the increase in vitality from the Red Fruit somewhat reduced but still considered strong.

[You have consumed a Mid-grade Spiritual Treasure, Pure Essence Red Fruit, vitality increased by 1728 points.]

[Gathering Essence Fifth Rank: 2019/10000]

......

[You have consumed a Mid-grade Spiritual Treasure, Pure Essence Red Fruit, vitality increased by 1611 points.]

[Gathering Essence Fifth Rank: 3630/10000]

.....

And so he continued to devour and digest, devour and digest.

The head-sized Pure Essence Red Fruit was eaten by Zhao Xing throughout the night.

After finishing the last bite, Zhao Xing checked the panel.

[Gathering Essence Sixth Rank: 156/10000]

"Reached the Sixth Rank of Gathering Essence," Zhao Xing revealed a satisfied smile.

The Pure Essence Red Fruit was not a plant, had no core, and was beyond cultivation, so after he finished the last bite, it was completely gone.

There’s no need to worry about not keeping a record, however. As they say, there are divinities everywhere, and the Yin God of the mountains would tally the spoils of the spirits obtained by officials in the mountains.

Ordering Vigorous Vajra to move the boulder aside, Zhao Xing stepped out of the cave entrance and, seeing the faint light of dawn, called out:

"My underlings, follow your great king on a mountain patrol!"