Xu Jing'er pointed to a cluster of glowing red fruits not far away, gasping in continuous amazement.
Li Chenyuan and Zhao Wangchun hurried over.
"Seven-leaf Scarlet Fruit! Truly the Seven-leaf Scarlet Fruit!"
Li Chenyuan was dumbfounded, his face a mask of utter disbelief.
Qingyuan grass was already rare enough.
The Seven-leaf Scarlet Fruit was rarer still.
Once, a single Seven-leaf Scarlet Fruit had appeared at the Universal Chamber of Commerce, fought over fiercely by countless factions.
Yet here, there was an entire cluster of them.
It left Li Chenyuan completely stunned.
Ye Qingyun was somewhat speechless.
Aren't these just tomatoes?
Why are they acting like they've never seen the world before?
Could it be that people in this world don't know how to farm? Have they really never seen these things growing in the ground?
How pitiful.
The three of them squatted in front of the massive cluster of Seven-leaf Scarlet Fruits, trembling all over with excitement.
They desperately wanted to reach out and touch them, but feared displeasing Ye Qingyun, so they remained frozen there, in exquisite agony.
Just then, Zhao Wangchun spotted a fruit tree not far away.
"Senior brother, junior sister, look at that tree!"
Li Chenyuan and Xu Jing'er turned their gazes toward the tree simultaneously.
At the first glance, both were struck as if by lightning.
"This... could this be the Innate Profound Fruit recorded in ancient texts?"
The Innate Profound Fruit was a long-extinct heavenly treasure, rumored to possess the miraculous property of bringing the dead back to life and growing flesh on bones.
Yet ever since the ancient era vanished ten thousand years ago, no news of the Innate Profound Fruit had surfaced on the continent for ages.
And yet here stood an entire tree of them, laden with fruits identical to the descriptions of the Innate Profound Fruit.
This was utterly shocking.
If word of this leaked out, it would undoubtedly bring swarms of people rushing in.
Ye Qingyun had grown numb to their reactions.
As he continued eating his stew, he muttered under his breath.
"They haven't even seen pears, how truly pitiful."
The three of them exchanged glances, their hearts pounding wildly.
This man was definitely an expert above worldly affairs.
Even the things they could recognize in this courtyard were already at the level of heavenly treasures.
As for the ones they didn't recognize, there was no telling what kind of divine objects they were.
If they could just take some back.
The Profound Sword Sect would undoubtedly surpass the other two major sects overnight and become the strongest sect in the Tianwu Dynasty.
"Brother Ye, did you plant everything in this courtyard?"
Li Chenyuan asked cautiously.
"Yeah, I had some free time so I planted them for fun. Didn't expect them to grow pretty well."
Ye Qingyun replied casually.
Planted them for fun?
The three of them nearly passed out on the spot.
Planted them for fun and grew this many heavenly treasures?
"If you guys like them, feel free to pick some and take them back."
Ye Qingyun said very generously.
Hearing this, the three of them were instantly ecstatic.
Chapter 6: The Troubled Sect Master
"Brother Ye, can we really take some back?"
Li Chenyuan asked with a trembling voice.
Ye Qingyun didn't even turn his head.
"Just help yourselves."
His casual tone made it sound as though he were giving away cabbages.
Yet the things in this courtyard were clearly unimaginably rare heavenly treasures in the outside world!
How utterly magnanimous.
Was this the demeanor of an otherworldly expert?
They were completely won over.
"Many thanks, Brother Ye!"
Li Chenyuan quickly expressed his gratitude.
Then he and his junior martial siblings began picking the heavenly treasures in the courtyard.
Although Ye Qingyun had told them to help themselves, how could the three of them dare to pick indiscriminately?
Were they tired of living?
Being gifted even a few of these countless heavenly treasures by this person was already a supreme blessing.
They still needed to know their limits.
And so, the three of them didn't dare to take much.
They only gathered some Qingyuan grass and carefully plucked two Seven-leaf Scarlet Fruits.
As for the Innate Profound Fruits on the tree.
The three of them only looked at them, not daring to pluck a single one.
They were far too precious.
The three of them didn't dare to touch such valuable heavenly treasures.
With the Qingyuan grass and the Seven-leaf Scarlet Fruits, they were already more than satisfied.
They were so happy they felt like crying tears of joy.
Ye Qingyun finished his meal.
He turned around and saw the three of them holding a bundle of grass and cradling two tomatoes, grinning foolishly.
"Are these three guys actually mentally defective?"
Ye Qingyun wondered to himself.
"Why are you being so polite? Come, come, I'll pick some more for you."
Ye Qingyun was quite generous.
He picked a few more tomatoes for Li Chenyuan and his companions, cut a large bundle of chives, and dug up a few cloves of garlic.
"Take these back to taste."
Ye Qingyun shoved the items into Li Chenyuan's arms.
Li Chenyuan was overwhelmed with flattered surprise.
"Brother Ye is too kind, we really can't accept this."
Ye Qingyun waved his hand.
"What do you mean you can't accept it? It's just a few little things, take them, take them."
Seeing how enthusiastic Ye Qingyun was, Li Chenyuan didn't dare refuse and had no choice but to accept.
"Many thanks, Brother Ye."
Xu Jing'er quietly tugged at Li Chenyuan's clothes.
"Senior brother, isn't it a bit too rude of us to take so many things?"
Hearing Xu Jing'er put it that way, Li Chenyuan snapped back to reality.
"Indeed, we cannot take this expert's things for free. We must offer a return gift of some kind."
Thinking this, Li Chenyuan patted his storage pouch.
"I only brought some Essence Pills, nothing else."
Xu Jing'er said, "I brought the Violet Firmament Sword, otherwise..."
"No way! The Violet Firmament Sword was a birthday gift from Master, you can't just give it away like that!"
Zhao Wangchun frowned.
Xu Jing'er hesitated, but still took out the Violet Firmament Sword.
" précieux as the Violet Firmament Sword is, can it compare to these things the expert gave us?"
This single sentence left Zhao Wangchun completely speechless.
The Violet Firmament Sword was indeed precious, but compared to the heavenly treasures bestowed by Ye Qingyun, it was truly not worth mentioning.
Li Chenyuan looked at Zhao Wangchun.
"I remember you found a piece of Heavenly Moon Stone a few days ago, take that out as well."
Zhao Wangchun felt a pang of reluctance, but still produced a silver stone.
The three of them pooled their items together.
"Brother Ye, we have nothing to repay your kindness with, please accept these as a return gift."
"We know these items are crude and unworthy of Brother Ye's eyes, but we hope you won't disdain them."
Li Chenyuan felt somewhat embarrassed.
These items were simply too shabby.
They were hardly presentable.
They were terribly worried that Ye Qingyun would look down on such things.
Yet these were the most valuable items they could possibly scrape together.
"Alright, I'll take them."
Ye Qingyun accepted them directly, without any false modesty.
Seeing how easy-going Ye Qingyun was, without a trace of disdain on his part, a wave of deep emotion washed over the three of them.
This was the true demeanor of an otherworldly expert!
Every gesture and movement carried no oppressive aura whatsoever.
Instead, it felt like a gentle spring breeze, exceptionally comfortable.
"Brother Ye, we must take our leave now, but we shall come to pay our respects again in the future."
"Safe travels, safe travels."
The three of them didn't linger, hurriedly departing with a large bundle of goods.
They needed to rush back to the Profound Sword Sect and report everything they had seen to the Sect Master.
......
Hundreds of miles away from Fuyun Mountain lay the Profound Sword Sect.
At this moment, the Sect Master of the Profound Sword Sect, Xu Changfeng, was plagued with worry.
In his hand was an invitation letter.
"The Three-Sect Martial Tournament has been brought forward by a full two months. Whatever shall we do?"
Xu Changfeng said with a face full of sorrow.
His wife, Shen Qiulan, stood beside him, watching her husband with matching worry in her eyes.
"That old fogey Gongsun Yue broke through just a few days ago."
"Chen Gongwang also came out of seclusion last month."
"Their cultivation realms have both surpassed mine. With the martial tournament coming up this time, I'm afraid our Profound Sword Sect will be completely suppressed by the two of them."
Xu Changfeng spoke in a grave tone, letting out one heavy sigh after another.
The Gongsun Yue and Chen Gongwang he spoke of were the Sect Masters of the Nine Spirits Sect and the Taihao Gate.
The Profound Sword Sect, the Nine Spirits Sect, and the Taihao Gate were the three pinnacle sects within the Tianwu Dynasty.
Every certain period, the three sects held a joint martial tournament.
Though called a friendly exchange, it was actually a contest for supremacy.
In the past, Xu Changfeng naturally wouldn't have feared it.
But now, both Gongsun Yue and Chen Gongwang had achieved breakthroughs in their cultivation.
Xu Changfeng, on the other hand, had seen his cultivation stagnate for years with zero progress.
While the three of them used to be on equal footing, Xu Changfeng had now been left behind. How could he possibly have the confidence to attend the tournament?
"Husband, why don't we just decline this tournament?"
Shen Qiulan suggested.
Xu Changfeng shook his head.
"How can it be that simple? If we decline, how could the Profound Sword Sect maintain its footing in the Tianwu Dynasty? Wouldn't everyone say our sect is afraid to fight?"
Shen Qiulan was at a loss for what to do next.
Just then—
"Sect Master, the senior disciples have returned."
A disciple came forward to report.
"Send them in."
"Yes!"
Soon, Li Chenyuan and the other two entered.
Excitement was written all over their faces.
"You three went to hunt down that rabbit demon, why are you back so soon?"
Xu Changfeng asked with a frown.
Li Chenyuan replied, "Master, we failed to catch the rabbit demon."
Xu Changfeng grew angry.
"That rabbit demon killed a disciple of our sect, and the three of you let it escape?"
"Master, let's put the rabbit demon aside for a moment, take a look at these items."
Li Chenyuan hurriedly presented the items they had brought back.
At the sight of them, Xu Changfeng froze on the spot.
Shen Qiulan beside him was likewise struck dumb.
All sorts of heavenly treasures.
And the quantity was far from small!
"This... these... these are what you brought back?"
Xu Changfeng was so startled he couldn't even form a coherent sentence.
"Master, we brought all of this back!"
Li Chenyuan lifted his chin with a hint of pride.
Xu Changfeng's hands began to tremble.
Leaving everything else aside, just this Qingyuan grass alone was enough to elevate his cultivation level.
"Where did you acquire all of this?"
Chapter 7: The Pitiful Rabbit
"We found them on Fuyun Mountain..."
Without delay, Li Chenyuan recounted everything they had experienced to Xu Changfeng and his wife from start to finish.
Hearing this, the couple was utterly astonished.
"An otherworldly expert is living in seclusion on Fuyun Mountain?"
Xu Changfeng found it hard to believe.
He had been to Fuyun Mountain many times.
Because the summit was guarded by ancient barriers that prevented anyone from getting close, countless people down through the ages had wanted to investigate it.
Yet no one had ever made any progress.
He never expected those barriers to have vanished now.
And that someone was actually living on the summit?
This was truly incredible.
"Dad, Mom, what senior brother said is all true, I saw it with my own eyes!"
Xu Jing'er chimed in.
Xu Changfeng exchanged a glance with his wife, Shen Qiulan.
"If this is true, then this person must be an unfathomable and mysterious expert."
Xu Changfeng deduced.
Li Chenyuan and the other two nodded repeatedly.
Shen Qiulan's face bloomed with joy.
"Husband, with these heavenly treasures, never mind the Three-Sect Martial Tournament, it's entirely possible for our Profound Sword Sect to become the number one sect in the Tianwu Dynasty in the future!"
"Indeed, especially this Qingyuan grass, it arrives just in time to resolve my most urgent crisis."
Xu Changfeng's sorrow vanished completely, his mood soaring as he felt instantly ten years younger.
"The three of you have done wonderfully. Not only did you bring back these heavenly treasures, but you have also secured a supreme stroke of fortune for the sect."
Xu Changfeng looked at the three of them with gratification.
"This is only what we disciples ought to do!"
Li Chenyuan said with a smile.
Xu Changfeng rewarded each of them with a Barrier-Breaking Pill.
The three of them were overjoyed.
A single Barrier-Breaking Pill was enough to raise their current cultivation by a whole tier.
"Many thanks, Master!"
The three bowed in salute.
Clutching the Qingyuan grass, Xu Changfeng rushed off to concoct pills without a moment's delay.
With the Three-Sect Martial Tournament brought forward, he had to race against time to refine the Qingyuan grass into pills and use them to help himself break through his cultivation bottleneck.
He had also resolved that once the tournament concluded, he would personally journey to Fuyun Mountain to pay his respects to the reclusive expert.
Fuyun Mountain.
Looking at the backyard pond, Ye Qingyun felt something was missing.
"I should go down the mountain to buy some fish fry and toss them in, see if they can survive."
Leaving Damao to guard the house as usual, Ye Qingyun went down the mountain alone to stroll through the market not far from Fuyun Mountain.
After Ye Qingyun left, Damao yawned, curled up by the courtyard gate to bask in the warm sun, and soon began to snore softly.
Meanwhile, the rabbit that had been putting on a show of chewing radishes in the corner finally revealed its true colors.
It offered a wicked smile.
Hehe!
My chance as the Great King has arrived!
It was no ordinary rabbit; it was a powerful great demon whose territory spanned hundreds of miles.
It was quite a well-known figure in the beast realm.
In its own words, it was a rising star in the demon beast world.
The rabbit glanced at the golden-haired giant hound that had fallen asleep.
"Hmph! A mere dog demon dares to bully this King, utterly unreasonable!"
The rabbit pulled a ferocious face and spat viciously in Damao's direction.
"So what if your cultivation is a bit higher than mine? What's so great about that? Once I devour all the heavenly treasures here, I'll skin you alive and pull your tendons, you stinking dog!"
"I'm going to make dog meat stew!"
At this thought, the rabbit let out a wicked chuckle, then lunged headfirst toward the Seven-leaf Scarlet Fruits in the courtyard.
Just then, Damao shifted in his sleep.
The rabbit shivered in fright and hurriedly scurried back to the corner.
After waiting a moment.
Realizing Damao was still asleep, the rabbit breathed a sigh of relief.
"Stupid dog, just sleep your life away and don't ruin this King's good fortune!"
The rabbit crept stealthily toward the Seven-leaf Scarlet Fruits once more.
Before it could lay a paw on them, a streak of white light suddenly shot out from the house.
It struck the rabbit dead-on.
Before the rabbit could even react, the white light sent it tumbling head over heels several times.
A large patch of its white fur was blasted right off.
The rabbit was dazed.
"What was that just now?"
It looked toward the house and saw a mirror hanging on the wall flashing with white light.
The rabbit froze.
"Could this mirror be a magic treasure?"
Greed instantly flared in its heart.
The rabbit glanced back and, seeing Damao still fast asleep and unresponsive, immediately bolted into the house.
The moment it stepped inside, another flash of white light attacked.
The rabbit was sent flying right out the door.
This time, another massive handful of fur was stripped from its body, exposing pink and tender skin.
The rabbit felt a bit dizzy.
It blinked and stared hard into the house. It wasn't the mirror that emitted the white light, but a writing brush resting on the desk.
"Another treasure?"
The rabbit was shocked.
Yet it refused to give up.
Once more, it charged into the house with full swagger.
Poof!
Another streak of white light.
The rabbit flew even further.
The fur on its body was now practically non-existent.
The rabbit wobbled to its feet, wishing it could cry.
Could everything inside this house possibly be a treasure?
How terrifying.
Inside the house.
The mirror hanging on the wall.
The writing brush resting on the desk.
The broom standing on the floor.
All of them glowed faintly with a white radiance.
A gentle breeze swept by.
The various items inside the house all swayed gracefully in the wind.
The rabbit didn't dare go back in.
It felt that if it entered again, it would lose its life for sure.
This place was way too horrific.
"Time to bail!"
The moment the rabbit tried to slink away.
It turned around only to find Damao crouching right in front of it.
"Oh, mother!"
The rabbit was so scared it nearly passed out on the spot.
Damao flashed a wide grin, stuck out its tongue, and licked the now-hairless rabbit.
The latter trembled in terror.
"Since you've stepped into my master's courtyard, you'd better stay put and behave."
Damao uttered in a gentle voice.
The rabbit wept silently.
"What kind of sins did I commit in my past life?"
Ye Qingyun returned.
He glanced at the trembling rabbit huddled in the corner.
"Huh? Why is your fur all gone?"
The rabbit shuddered, wearing a deeply aggrieved expression.
Ye Qingyun then looked at Damao.
"Did you bully it?"
He patted Damao's dog head.
Damao obediently nuzzled against Ye Qingyun's hand.
Ye Qingyun walked over to the edge of the pond and scattered the fish fry into the water.
Suddenly, the water in the pond began to churn.
This startled Ye Qingyun quite a bit.
"What's going on?"
He quickly backed away.
With a sudden boom, a geyser of water erupted from the pond.
Visible to the naked eye, the fish fry in the water grew at a rapid pace.
In the span of just a few breaths, they grew into plump, slender carps.
Ye Qingyun was struck dumb.
"What on earth? Why are they growing so fast?"
When the pond calmed down, Ye Qingyun cautiously approached the edge.
He reached out and patted the water.
Nothing seemed special about it.
Curious, Ye Qingyun peered down into the water.
Only to see a giant eye staring right back up at him from the depths.
"Holy crap!"
Frightened out of his wits, Ye Qingyun scrambled backward in a panic.
At the same time, in an ancient palace located a thousand miles away from Fuyun Mountain.
A pair of eyes suddenly snapped open.
"In the southwestern lands, dragon aura is soaring to the heavens?"
Chapter 8: There's a Dragon in the Pond
"Your Majesty, what is wrong?"
A man in red suddenly materialized, kneeling and bowing before the weathered old man seated on the dragon throne.
The weathered old man wore a yellow robe. Though his face was lean, he exuded an inherent majesty, and his eyes flashed with a faint golden light.
This man was none other than Dongfang Su, the reigning Martial Emperor of the Tianwu Dynasty, who had occupied the throne for over fifty years.
The Tianwu Dynasty was at the peak of its glory, ranking first among the Seven Nations of the Southern Wasteland, all because of this Martial Emperor, Dongfang Su.