Chapter 32: The Millennium Vermilion Fruit and the Horned Viper

"Eh?"

Wei Xia waved a hand at Su Yu and lowered his head to check his interface.

"Wait a moment, someone just messaged me."

A moment later, a look of surprise appeared on his face. He made a few adjustments on a system panel visible only to him, then looked up at Su Yu and said, "Someone discovered a hidden cavern in the center of the secret realm. Inside, there is a thousand-year-old vermilion fruit tree, and it has over a dozen thousand-year-old vermilion fruits that are about to ripen."

Su Yu’s eyes lit up. "Thousand-year-old vermilion fruits? Where?"

"They say it’s in the center of the map."

"But how do we find it? I traveled through the secret realm before and couldn't find the center at all."

"Someone just fired a signal flare there. You can see it from tens of kilometers away. Let’s head over."

"Alright."

The two turned around and flew toward the north.

After flying for about half an hour, Wei Xia contacted his friend again, constantly adjusting their course. Finally, after more than an hour, they saw a massive firework hanging in the sky that lingered for a long time.

They flew over quickly and saw dozens of figures standing on three small hills beneath the fireworks. These were members of the Sword Spirit Pavilion, the Thunder Hawk Society, and the Thousand Feather Society.

The two landed on the hill occupied by the Thousand Feather Society. Ding Lingyu came up to meet them. Wei Xia looked at the figures on the two opposing hills and asked, "They found it too?"

Ding Lingyu nodded solemnly. "They found it as well."

"Is the cavern underground?"

"Yes."

On the other side, Su Yu had already spotted a massive, crushed trench in the valley covered by lush vegetation between the three hills. It looked as if a giant serpent had plowed through it, extending all the way into the center of the valley where it disappeared into a huge cavern.

"A level 100+ Single-Horned Viper discovered this underground cave. Someone just went in to explore; inside is a massive subterranean space. At the bottom lies a spirit lake, and in the middle of the lake is a thousand-year-old vermilion fruit tree with over a dozen fruits that look nearly ripe."

"However, that Single-Horned Viper treats the vermilion fruits as its own exclusive property. We get attacked the moment we get close."

Ding Lingyu said in a deep voice, "Before you two arrived, the three factions discussed it and decided to gather everyone together to kill the Single-Horned Viper first, then split the fruits."

Su Yu immediately asked, "There are only a dozen or so fruits, how will they be divided?"

Ding Lingyu glanced at him and said, "There are 16 fruits in total. Based on our strength, the three factions can claim 5 each, and then we divide them internally. As for the rules of distribution..." He said indifferently, "Of course, strength is supreme!"

He looked at Wei Xia and said, "Brother Wei, if you join, you can claim one, but you need to pay some money as compensation to the others who are supporting this, about 20 taels of gold."

Wei Xia pondered for a moment and asked, "How many have been allocated so far?"

"Besides you and me, others qualified to claim a share include Xu Lulu, Lan Yiying, and Cao Ze. They have all been contacted and are on their way."

Wei Xia immediately pointed at Su Yu and said, "I recall that Brother Su Yu defeated Cao Ze during the last assessment. He should be entitled to a spot."

Ding Lingyu frowned and explained, "His victory over Cao Ze was merely due to the advantage of the arena environment. Both his magical treasures and his cultivation technique are inferior to Cao Ze’s."

Su Yu raised an eyebrow and chuckled.

"What are you laughing at?"

Wei Xia, fearing an argument, quickly intervened. "Brother Ding, I can vouch that Brother Su Yu’s strength is formidable, not inferior to yours or mine."

"He has that kind of strength?"

"I saw it with my own eyes. Not long ago, he even saved my life."

Ding Lingyu still looked skeptical.

At this moment, several people who had been chatting nearby heard their conversation and walked over. One of them laughed, "Words are cheap. Why not have them spar when Cao Ze arrives? Then we'll know who is strong and who is weak."

Another nodded. "True. In this environment, no one has an advantage. If someone loses, they can't claim the terrain was a factor."

Ding Lingyu looked deeply at Su Yu, just about to nod, when Su Yu asked, "I have one more question. If the fruits are divided, who gets the tree?"

Ding Lingyu replied, "If we can secure the tree, I will give my share of the fruit to whoever makes the highest contribution among the rest. If you perform well, I don't mind giving you a fruit, but the tree belongs to me."

"You certainly have a good plan."

Su Yu shook his head and said, "I don't want the fruits. I want a branch."

"???"

"You have no cave dwelling, no spirit vein, and no high-level spirit farmer. Even if you take the tree, you couldn't possibly cultivate new fruits."

"Just because I don't have those things now doesn't mean I won't in the future. Just say if you agree or not."

Ding Lingyu was silent for a moment, then nodded. "If you can prove your strength and value, why not?"

"It’s a deal."

Thousand-year-old vermilion fruits are considered rare treasures. Consuming one can increase one's innate constitution by 1 point (if it's below 30), add 500 to the maximum mana capacity, and grant 10 years of lifespan. Only the first three are effective.

However, eating them raw is never the most efficient method; their greatest value lies in alchemy.

Three thousand-year-old vermilion fruits, combined with three thousand-year-old fairy mushrooms, three thousand-year-old ginseng, nine strands of essence, ten drops of earth-heart spirit milk, and a dozen secondary spiritual materials, can be used to refine the Supreme Spirit Pill: the Hunyuan Wuliang Pill.

Hunyuan Wuliang Pill (Supreme Spirit Pill): Max Health +20,000, Max Mana +20,000, Health and Mana regeneration +100/second, all spell power +50%, damage reduction 20%, duration one hour.

This is a divine medicine for surviving tribulations. Taking one during a heavenly tribulation can significantly increase the success rate.

As one of the core ingredients, a thousand-year-old vermilion fruit has a market price of about 50 taels of gold. In other words, if one could secure a single fruit, they could immediately net 50 taels of gold.

But what Su Yu wanted was not the fruit itself, but the tree.

If it could be cultivated, he could harvest thousand-year-old vermilion fruits indefinitely.

Many people might not understand the difference between a thousand-year-old vermilion fruit tree and a regular one, assuming the former is just a tree that has grown for over a thousand years.

The answer is: yes and no.

A normal vermilion fruit tree takes 33 years to bloom, 33 years to fruit, and 33 years to ripen, totaling 99 years. Generally, if not picked after ripening, the fruit will rot and drop, and the tree will wither and vanish, with a new one growing in the same spot the following year.

In other words, it is not sustainable.

There is only a tiny chance that, due to special factors, the fruit does not fall after ripening but continues to nourish itself. After absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth for over a thousand years, it transforms into a thousand-year-old vermilion fruit. At this point, whether picked or dropped, the tree will still rot and vanish.

However, if the tree is struck by lightning and survives, and the power of the heavenly tribulation or other special forces infiltrates the tree to change its essence, it becomes a permanent tree—a true thousand-year-old vermilion fruit tree.

Such a permanent tree does not need another thousand years to ripen its next batch; once ripe, they are thousand-year-old vermilion fruits. Like a normal tree, it takes 99 years to yield 36 fruits. If planted in a special garden where time flow can be adjusted, a batch could mature in just over a decade. Imagine the value of that.

Su Yu might not have a spirit vein or a high-level spirit farmer right now, but that didn't stop him from preparing in advance.

He would take the item first and worry about planting it once he had his own cave dwelling.

At this time, Wei Xia finished speaking with Ding Lingyu and came over to Su Yu. "Brother Su, let’s go down and check on the Single-Horned Viper in the spirit cave."

"Let's go."

The two took to the air and plunged into the cavern in the valley.

After passing through a long underground tunnel, the view suddenly opened up. A subterranean space about two kilometers in diameter appeared before them.

The massive arched dome was covered in creeping vines, dotted with countless glow-worm-like lights that illuminated the underground. The bottom was filled with rugged stones, and in the center was a pool over a kilometer wide. In the middle of the pool was a small island, shrouded in spiritual mist, where a massive creature could be seen coiled at the edge.

"The fruit tree is there."

Su Yu’s gaze turned to the center of the island, where the mist formed a vortex. In the center stood a vermilion fruit tree, five or six meters tall. The trunk was thick, with bark like stacked scales, glowing with a purple hue. It was unclear what it had absorbed to transform into a thousand-year-old tree.

On it hung 16 fruits, each the size of a fist, orange-yellow in color, with some areas already turning red—only one step away from the blood-red of full maturity.

Su Yu took a light sniff; a faint fragrance permeated the air.

"It will ripen at any moment."

His gaze shifted to the viper coiled by the island. It was about a hundred meters long, covered in thick green scales, with a single horn on its head. Its skull structure was quite different from a common snake, already showing signs of dragon-like features.

He checked its attributes:

Single-Horned Viper (Elite): Level 116, Water-type, Serpent/Viper.

Attributes: Health 1,720,000, Demon Power 80,000, Attack 12,000, Speed 600 km/h, Demon Arts: Water Spells, Devour, Dragon-Walking Technique.

"Inferior to a true dragon."

This was just an elite mob, not a boss. It lacked the boss template bonuses and had limited strength. With so many of them attacking together, they could definitely kill it.

The two watched for a while, confirming there was nothing else in the underground space, then returned to the surface.

Upon exiting the cave, they found that not only had Cao Ze and Lan Yiying arrived, but He Shoucheng had also come with his girlfriend.

Su Yu waved at him. As soon as he flew back to the hill, he saw Cao Ze looking his way. "I heard you also want the vermilion fruit?"

"The branch of the tree."

"Same here!" Cao Ze looked eager. "The environmental restrictions during the last assessment caused my defeat, which has weighed on me. Since we’re dividing the fruits today, why don't we spar?"

"Certainly!"

Su Yu showed no fear. "However, my techniques are highly explosive. I might not be able to hold back. If you die under my blade, don't blame me."

Cao Ze was about to agree, but Ding Lingyu quickly intervened. "Don't fight yet. Wait until we kill the viper and seize the fruits."

"Fine."

Both agreed.

After handling this, Ding Lingyu looked at the sky and said, "It’s about time."

"Are there any other acquaintances of yours coming?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"In that case, let’s begin."

He took to the air and flew to the center, while two others flew from the other hills representing the Thunder Hawk Society and the Sword Spirit Pavilion. The three gathered to discuss.

A moment later, he returned and announced to everyone, "The three teams will join forces to surround and kill the viper. The team that lands the final blow gets 20% of the profits. The rest of the loot is distributed randomly—it’s all about luck. Any objections?"

Everyone shook their heads. "No."

"What about the fruits? How are they divided?"

Some who arrived late didn't know the plan. Ding Lingyu explained, "The Sword Spirit Pavilion takes 6, and we and the Thunder Hawk Society get 5 each."

"Why do they get the most?"

"Because they are the strongest."

"Who said so?"

"Although we haven't fought recently, in the past, the Sword Spirit Pavilion has indeed been stronger than us."

At this, Wei Xia coughed lightly and said, "On the way here, Su Yu and I teamed up and finished off Lan Feiyu and Leng Hong, who were ranked second in the Sword Spirit Pavilion."

"Oh?" Ding Lingyu’s eyes brightened as he looked at Su Yu. "Really?"

"To be precise, I was being ambushed by Lan Feiyu and Leng Hong, and Brother Su Yu arrived to kill Lan Feiyu. Furthermore, up to this point, Brother Su Yu already has fourteen kills to his name."

Everyone looked at Su Yu in extreme surprise. Ding Lingyu’s expression shifted, and a moment later, he slammed his fist into his palm. "If that’s the case, the Sword Spirit Pavilion doesn't hold any advantage."

"Wait for me, I’ll go negotiate again."

He flew off toward the hill occupied by the Sword Spirit Pavilion to discuss with their leader.

Before long, the Thunder Hawk Society also flew over. The three parties began a heated discussion.

Soon, Ding Lingyu returned, smiling. "Done. The fruits will be divided equally—five for each faction. The extra one will go to the person who performs best. Also, the tree belongs to us, and we only need to give them each a branch."

Su Yu said nothing; as long as he got a branch, he was satisfied. He had seen that the tree had six branches; besides the main one, there were five others, which was enough.

"System Prompt: Ding Lingyu invites you to join the team. Accept?"

Su Yu glanced at the prompt, accepted the invitation, and entered a team that included everyone from the Thunder Hawk Society and the Sword Spirit Pavilion.

With everyone in the same team, friendly fire was disabled, allowing everyone to focus their full power on the boss.

Once everyone was ready, the leaders entered the cavern, followed by the rest.

Inside the cavern, they stood in three groups according to their factions.

The arrival of so many people immediately drew the attention of the Single-Horned Viper on the island. It raised its head, its body slowly uncoiling, and let out a series of threatening hisses.

"Everyone, attack freely once in position!"

"Be careful not to damage the vermilion fruit tree."

As the words fell, everyone summoned their defensive magical treasures. Then, a kaleidoscope of magical light emerged—flames and frost flew, and thunder and lightning roared.

"Boom!"

Wei Xia was the first to strike, swinging his thunder hammer. With a "crackling" explosion, a thick bolt of lightning struck the Single-Horned Viper.

This served as a signal. The next second, thirty or forty various treasures bombarded the creature, instantly submerging the viper in a storm of attacks.

"Hiss!"

The Single-Horned Viper roared in pain, turned, and plunged into the lake. Its massive body thrashed, causing the lake to surge and rise rapidly.

"Dragon-Walking Technique: Vortex!"

In the blink of an eye, the lake water flooded the island, forming a massive, swirling vortex.