The two of them jogged all the way up the mountain. The hill they were heading to was truly unremarkable amidst the Myriad Mountains.
The Myriad Mountains, also known as the Myriad Range, truly lived up to their name. It was an enormous mountain chain formed by countless peaks connected together, stretching almost entirely across the Eastern Region.
Countless ferocious beasts roamed within, including beasts comparable to the supreme human experts, though nobody knew their exact numbers, and most resided deep within the range.
That region was a primeval land where few had dared to tread since ancient times. It was said to harbor many bizarre phenomena, giving rise to countless legends, the vast majority of which were utterly terrifying.
Yet for Ye Family Village, the surrounding high mountains were entirely ordinary—in no way comparable to the unfathomable depths of the Myriad Mountains—yet they served as the foundation of their survival.
Every seven days, the village organized its able-bodied men to hunt ferocious beasts on the mountains to supplement their household provisions.
Countless beasts lived among these mountains, and their world operated strictly by the law of the jungle. Some were exceptionally powerful, claiming mountains as their kings, while others could deter surrounding beasts from approaching with merely their aura alone!
The people of Ye Family Village dared only to lure and capture weaker beasts on the outskirts of these mountains, never daring to venture too deep for fear of provoking irresistible beasts.
Every part of a beast was a treasure: bones, blood, fur, and flesh. Naturally, the most precious of all was the beast core, but only exceptionally powerful beasts could nurture one.
In decades of hunting, Ye Family Village had never managed to take down a single beast possessing a beast core.
Even while sticking strictly to the outskirts, hunting parties returning to Ye Family Village often suffered injuries or even death. The fundamental reason remained that they were simply not strong enough, and their mountain expeditions lacked security!
Therefore, in recent years, they had begun training the village youths, desperately hoping that Ye Family Village would produce a few powerful cultivators to better protect the village.
Yet alas, a small village lacked proper methods and could only rely on piling up time day after day, yielding very meager results. But there was no help for it!
The two youths traveled forward, entirely familiar with the mountain paths. The dense woods failed to block their route.
They were extremely cautious, trying their best not to make too much noise to prevent any beast attacks.
"Almost there, almost there!"
Ye Feng, leading the way, could not conceal the joy on his face, turning back from time to time to check if Ye Hun was keeping up.
"Ye Feng, slow down. You're making too much noise," Ye Hun warned the boy ahead, telling him to lower his voice to avoid startling any nearby beasts.
"Don't worry, Ye Hun. The outskirts of this mountain were practically hunted clean by our uncles from the village just a few days ago. It won't recover that fast!"
Evidently, they had carefully considered their timing today; this area had just been cleared out and would remain free of beasts for a short while.
Despite saying this, Ye Feng still slowed his pace, as they were now not far from their destination.
Soon, after a continuous trek of about an hour, the two arrived inside a valley.
Verdant trees provided shade here, with a clear, small lake right in the middle. It wasn't very large, only about ten meters across, and direct sunlight caused the water's surface to shimmer with rippling light!
Ignoring this healing sight, the two entered the valley and headed toward the left side, where the trees grew so densely that barely a sliver of sunlight penetrated.
Right beneath the exceptionally thick weeds under the trees, the two parted the foliage to reveal a lush, verdant little tree.
Standing only a little over half a person's height, it sparsely bore seven or eight fruits the size of infants' fists.
The fruits were greenish, radiating a faint halo and looking extremely alluring. They were precisely Azure Spirit Fruits—mid-grade Tier 1 spiritual medicine!
"Brilliant! We can finally eat these Azure Spirit Fruits," Ye Feng cried out excitedly, throwing a punch in the air with joy.
"Indeed! It makes all our immense effort and long wait worthwhile," Ye Hun said, looking equally delighted.
The two had stumbled upon this Azure Spirit Fruit tree a year ago while wandering onto the mountain by chance; back then, it was growing right by the edge of the lake.
It had been very eye-catching, but the Azure Spirit Fruits were unripe at the time, and they had no idea how much longer they would have to wait.
To prevent any beasts or other hunters from discovering the tree, the two had directly uprooted it and replanted it in a secluded spot.
During this period, they had come to check on it once every month, only to find the tree growing increasingly withered—until the two hardened their hearts and plucked many of the young fruits to finally save it.
Since only a few Azure Spirit Fruits remained, the tree channeled all its nutrients into these few, resulting in them maturing in just about a year's time.
Ye Feng did not hesitate, picking all of them—a total of eight Azure Spirit Fruits. He handed four to Ye Hun, who accepted them without standing on ceremony.
Afterward, the two decided to consume two each, and take two home apiece.
Ye Hun carefully stored away two Azure Spirit Fruits, intending to save them for his grandfather, whose health had grown increasingly poor in recent years. He hoped the Azure Spirit Fruits might improve his condition.
Ye Feng also tucked away two, preparing them for his parents. Then, looking at the remaining two Azure Spirit Fruits, the two of them wore expressions of intense excitement and, finding an open patch of ground, eagerly devoured them.
They had yearned for this for a long time, hoping to use the Azure Spirit Fruits to step directly into the Spirit Awakening Realm, the very first realm of cultivation, signifying initial enlightenment.
The moment they swallowed an Azure Spirit Fruit each, a vast surge of energy poured into their bodies. Struggling to suppress it, the two utilized this power and began cultivating according to the methods imparted by the village elders.
As time passed, the two gradually groped their way toward a method. Although they practiced cultivation often, they had never consumed spiritual medicine before, only some diluted medicinal liquids.
Those had been brought back from the mountains by villagers returning from hunts—a few small fruits that, after dilution, allowed every child in the village to have a share.
Swallowing an Azure Spirit Fruit entirely on their own for the first time, they had initially had no idea how to control it, but through practice, they gradually mastered the method.
As time slipped by, wisps of spiritual qi began to permeate the surroundings of both youths, especially Ye Feng's, which was far denser than Ye Hun's.
During this process, Ye Feng had already consumed his second Azure Spirit Fruit. Fueled by the continuous stream of medicinal power, he let out a sharp cry, and the momentum around him suddenly surged!
Then, calming his body and pulling back his radiating aura, he exhaled a breath of stale air. Standing up with a look of utter amazement, and feeling the formidable strength in his fists, he knew he had stepped into the Spirit Awakening Realm—specifically, Spirit Awakening Stage 1.
"Splendid! I've finally entered the Spirit Awakening Realm, two years earlier than my old man! Now he won't be able to call me good-for-nothing anymore!"
Ye Feng let out a hearty laugh, but the sound cut off instantly as he glanced at Ye Hun beside him.
At that moment, although wisps of spiritual qi still drifted around Ye Hun, he felt an overall sense of strangeness. How should he put it? It lacked intensity, missing that sensation of breaking through shackles that the elders had described.
Furthermore, Ye Hun felt that the power of these two Azure Spirit Fruits was simply insufficient to support a breakthrough—put simply, he felt he lacked the necessary force.
"What should I do?"
"Should I go ahead and eat the remaining two?"
Ye Hun was torn. Yet time waited for no one; after repeated failed attempts to push through, the power within him had leaked away seven or eight-tenths, leaving no surplus energy to support a breakthrough.
In the end, Ye Hun made up his mind not to eat the rest, determined to save them for his grandfather instead. He felt that even if he ate them, he might not necessarily break through, sensing that something crucial was missing.
With that, Ye Hun got to his feet. Though slightly disappointed, the overall outcome was still good—at least his physical constitution had improved, he comforted himself.
Meanwhile, Ye Feng, who had been examining his own body, looked at Ye Hun in utter bewilderment and asked, "What's going on, Ye Hun? How could you have failed to break through?"
"Why don't you try eating your remaining fruits?" As he spoke, he fished out his own Azure Spirit Fruits and handed them to Ye Hun.
"No need, Ye Feng. These are meant for your parents. Don't worry, maybe I'll break through in a couple of days."
"Besides, this trip wasn't a total loss. At least you broke through; we shouldn't be too greedy."
"Having one person break through already exceeds our expectations, and we still have two Azure Spirit Fruits left. That's already fantastic."
"Let's get going! It's getting late, and we don't want to miss evening study."
Ye Hun smiled as he spoke.
"Alright!"
Without pressing further, Ye Feng took the initiative to walk in front and clear the path for Ye Hun.
Following the same path they had taken earlier, the two encountered no danger and successfully returned to the village.
They arrived just in time for evening study, which was being led by Uncle Teng this time around.
At Uncle Teng's command to begin, the dozen or so surrounding youths immediately sat cross-legged on the ground and commenced their cultivation. Not only that, but Uncle Teng also produced a dozen clay jars filled with water and balanced them atop their heads.
Whenever someone spilled water or cracked a jar, an extra hour of cultivation would be added to their penalty.
One could tell just how grueling it was from the expressions of utter despair on their faces!