"We'll stop here for tonight," said the coachman, breaking Xiao Tuheng's concentration as he was deep in meditation. He blinked, lifting his gaze to see Bao and Feng already stepping out of the carriage. Slowly, he climbed out himself, looking around. All he saw were trees, stretching endlessly into the distance.
'So, we're camping in the middle of nowhere?' He couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. 'I was hoping for a village or at least some sign of civilization…' He sighed, but quickly perked up. 'Eh, it's fine. I'll just ask the coachman to stop in a village when we're headed back from the mission,' he thought, trying to make the best of the situation.
His eyes wandered over to his companions, who were already getting to work.
The coachman was unpacking sleeping bags from a compartment in the carriage, clearly prepared for a night under the stars. Xiao Tuheng smiled inwardly. 'At least we won't feel cold.'
Feng Mei, already by the campfire, was speaking with Bao Liang. "I'll take the first shift for the night watch," she said. "Bao, you can handle the second."
Xiao Tuheng raised an eyebrow. "I could also help out, if you want," he offered, stepping over to them.
Bao grinned and nodded. "That's a good idea. But since both Feng and I have higher cultivation, we need less sleep. You don't have to tire yourself unnecessarily, we've got it covered."
Tuheng hesitated for a moment. 'They're right… but I should still contribute somehow,' he thought. Out loud, he said, "Alright, what else can I do?"
Bao's grin widened as he clapped him on the shoulder, the familiar gesture making Tuheng wince slightly. "You can go check for any beasts nearby. Don't wander too far, though." His eyes twinkled with a hint of mischief. "And don't get lost, alright?"
'Not the same shoulder again…' Tuheng thought, rubbing his shoulder where Bao had clapped him. "Fine, I'll do it," he replied, rolling his eyes.
"I'll be back in an hour if nothing's wrong," he said, setting off into the forest.
As he ventured deeper into the trees, he found nothing particularly alarming, just the same dense forest stretching endlessly. After half an hour, he began to think about turning back when something caught his attention. A strange, almost imperceptible ripple of Qi brushed against his senses.
He froze. 'Should I head back and tell the others, or…?' His thoughts raced. 'No. I'll check it out myself first. It's probably nothing.'
Determined, he began moving in the direction of the energy. The forest grew quieter as he walked, the only sounds being his footfalls and the occasional rustle of leaves. After a few minutes, he saw it: a tree, standing alone, its leaves glowing faintly in the moonlight.
And there, hanging from its branch… was a single fruit. It looked like an apple, except it was an unnatural shade of blue.
"A spirit fruit?" His heart skipped a beat. 'This is exactly what I need!' He grinned and stepped closer, but paused just before walking out of the bushes.
'Wait… there should be a Guardian around.' His instincts kicked in. 'There's no way it's just sitting here unprotected.'
His eyes scanned the area, but there was nothing to be seen. 'Maybe there aren't many beasts in the forest, so its unprotected...'
But just as he reached out for the fruit, the ground rumbled beneath his feet. In the blink of an eye, a massive root shot out of the earth, narrowly missing him. He ducked to the side, heart pounding in his chest.
"I knew it," he smirked, realizing the tree itself was the guardian. He darted into the trees, but when he glanced behind him, he saw the tree wasn't chasing him.
"Huh?" He stopped and looked back. The tree and its fruit stood untouched, as if nothing had happened. 'Wait a minute... The tree's the guardian, but I don't feel any Qi from it, only from the fruit...' He frowned, trying to make sense of it.
Then, an idea hit him. 'What if the tree stores all its Qi inside the fruit? Like a beast core?'
Grinning, he decided to test his theory. He gathered his Qi, focusing it into his legs before pushing off the ground with explosive force. The earth cracked beneath his feet, sending him hurtling forward with unbelievable speed. He blinked, and the tree was right in front of him.
But his control over his speed was lacking. With a dull thud, his forehead collided with a branch.
"Ow, that hurt," he muttered, rubbing his head. "Maybe I should practice before I try that again…"
He quickly regained his composure and prepared for combat when he saw the tree starting to wither. "Huh?" He looked around and saw that the branch he had crashed into had snapped, falling toward the ground with the blue fruit still clutched in its grasp. Xiao Tuheng's eyes widened as he realized what had just occurred.
'Perfect timing,' he thought, a victorious grin spreading across his face. He snatched the fruit from the ground, examining it closely.
"It's not useful for my cultivation, no Earth Qi in it," he muttered, inspecting the fruit with a critical eye. 'But it should work as the energy for the system.'
He focused and began absorbing the Qi from the fruit, but instead of drawing it into his body, he directly converted it into his system's energy storage.
Stored Energy:5.23
"Now that's more like it," he said with a satisfied smile, tossing the empty fruit aside. He turned on his heel and began heading back to camp.
As he walked through the trees, a thought crossed his mind. "I wonder what I should invest this energy into."