NOVPUB"Hey, ha, he ha?"
Within a Chaotic World, Fang Ren was controlling his own body, rapidly flying towards the giant tree filled with fruit.
"Still asking stupid questions? I'm so worried my scalp is going numb," Fang Ren grabbed little Qianye, who was flying around him, with a worried expression on his face.
"He ha?" Little Qianye still looked confused.
In the blink of an eye, Fang Ren had reached the base of the gray giant tree, but even there he could only see its trunk that seemed like a wall of the world, and by looking up, he could only make out a few branches. Each branch was as grand as a sky bridge, stretching into the far darkness, adorned with fruits that radiated colorful lights.
"Take me to the top," Fang Ren said to little Qianye next to him.
"He ha."
Little Qianye cocked its head, and suddenly a huge branch from the dark void above entwined Fang Ren. Then, Fang Ren only felt dizzy, as all things before his eyes blurred.
He didn't know how much time had passed when he came to his senses again and found himself standing at the top of the giant tree. Looking down from there, he could no longer see the edges of the tree—it was too massive.
"If I remember correctly, you said the fruits at the top are the best, didn't you?" Fang Ren asked.
"He ha!"
Little Qianye nodded vigorously. Then it extended a branch and carved a row of words explaining, "Great abilities do not necessarily equate to strength. The definition of power has never been about destruction."
"..."
Fang Ren was stunned. Why did it feel like this sentence was something out of a shounen manga... a bit naive? If being strong wasn't about possessing destructive power, then what constituted true strength?
Understanding what was in his mind, little Qianye shook its head, indicating that this matter couldn't be explained in just a few words.
Fang Ren looked at the countless fruits on the tree, and his determination suddenly turned into great hesitation. All these fruits represented numerous opportunities, but the choice he was about to make could potentially affect many things in his future.
If Mu Huanqing didn't gain a very powerful ability after eating the fruit, then what ability would she use to resist when the generals of the Central Area's Xuanyang Realm joined forces to press on her?
"Qianye, this fruit is very important to me. I need one with destructive power that can enhance my strength in a short time," Fang Ren stated.
"He ha, he ha?" Little Qianye blinked.
"In this world, there is a group of very powerful people who won't allow Hui Qing and me to be together, and they will soon force us apart. To resolve this, unless one of us becomes powerful enough to crush all the strong in the world, it won't be possible," he explained.
After hearing this, little Qianye's expression turned into a frown, as if deep in thought.
Seeing this, Fang Ren continued, "This isn't a joke this time, and the fruit is not for me to consume but to enhance Hui Qing's strength."
Little Qianye, with its spherical arms wrapped around its round face, pondered for a while before stretching out a branch and carving the words: To glimpse the opportunity, one must pay a price.
"Glimpse the opportunity?" Fang Ren was taken aback. "Does that mean there's a way for me to see the abilities of these fruits?"
"He ha!" Little Qianye nodded.
"What price must I pay?"
Little Qianye pointed at his eyes, then carved on its branch: Eternal blindness.
"Blindness?" Fang Ren paused for a moment, then asked, "Will my Heart's Eye ability be stripped away as well?"
Little Qianye shook its head, indicating that only his sight would be taken.
"That's fine then. Vision is almost irrelevant to me at this point. If it's gone, it's gone—no big deal. Let me glimpse the opportunity," Fang Ren declared.
"Hey ha."
Seeing his determined look, the little Qianye emitted a gray light from its body that enveloped Fang Ren. The gray halo on top of its head also flew to the top of Fang Ren's head, while it itself appeared to wither, its spherical body rapidly covering with cracks.
In an instant, Fang Ren's vision was blocked by the gray light, which obscured the colorful glow surrounding the fruits. Through this gray layer, he could see the colors and shapes of all the fruits on the branches.
"What specific uses do these fruits have? No information?"
Fang Ren frowned when he saw this. Being able to see the colors and shapes of the fruits was of no use to him; what he needed was a formidable power.
Hum—
The very moment his words fell, the surrounding gray aura instantly filled with various characters that floated gently beside some fruits, like a brief introduction to those fruits.
"Rebirth Fruit? It draws and stores the consumer's essence in another piece of the void, so that even if the consumer's soul shatters and spirit erodes in the future, the essence stored in another piece of the void can grant the power to be reborn?"
Fang Ren came to one of the fruits and read the text written upon it. His heart trembled at the thought; the simplest interpretation was that the fruit offered a chance at resurrection, capable of reviving someone even from the most final of deaths.
Although the fruit's power was heaven-defying, Fang Ren had no need for it now. Without formidable strength, even ten lives wouldn't be enough to avoid being killed.
He then flew to another fruit in front of him.
"Shattered Void Fruit? Harbors the space secret 'Shattered God Technique.' In the early stages, it begins with breaking all material objects; at its peak, it's capable of piercing the void and traversing worlds."
"Gulp!"
Fang Ren swallowed hard, amazed at the power of this fruit. It was not surprising that such fruits grew atop the giant tree.
Breaking open the void had been the ultimate dream pursued by trillions of humans since the beginning of the Great Cultivation Era, and now here was a cultivation technique hidden within the fruit that could do just that!
Did that mean that by consuming this fruit, all of humanity's current struggles would come to an end?
Fang Ren immediately investigated the detailed information of this technique, and after reading through it several times, his brow furrowed deeply.
The technique was exceedingly difficult to cultivate, requiring the user to possess a power akin to 'covering the sky with one hand,' and in addition, it required the support of the Space Law.
Let alone what the Space Law was, which realm did this 'covering the sky with one hand' ability refer to?
Even Mu Huanqing, who was at the mid-phase of the Xuanyang realm, was far from reaching such a level.
Even though the power of this fruit was incredibly against the heavens, it was useless in this moment of urgency.
Without lingering, Fang Ren immediately turned his head and flew towards other fruits.
He looked at many fruits consecutively—each fruit's power here, if placed on Earth, would overturn the common understanding of existence, but unfortunately, they were of no immediate use to him now.
The cultivation of these things was far too slow!
He needed to find something that could increase his power rapidly in a short period, just like his "Wanwu Extreme Realm," which granted him peak abilities in an aspect instantly upon consuming a fruit.
If he could give Mu Huanqing a similar power...
"What's that!"
After perusing several hundred fruits, Fang Ren's gaze suddenly fixed on a purple fruit.
