A Great Opportunity!

Fierce clashes erupted everywhere across the dense forest, one after another, chilling anyone who watched. The demonic path acted with ruthless cruelty and an endless stream of deceitful plots. Everyone poured out everything they had, indulging their talents and base natures to their hearts' content. Needless to say, the Wine and Meat Monk, Saber Demon Gu Zha, and Yan Fei were the heavily favored front-runners. Beyond the three of them, many who had kept low profiles in ordinary times were stunning everyone in this trial. Meng Jingzhou and Man Gu put on an exceptionally conspicuous display. Several participants had already fallen by their hands, either punched through by iron fists or pulverized by a massive warhammer. As their reputations grew, more and more participants learned of these two ruthless men and became unwilling to cross paths with them. Blood stained both their fists and hammers. Malevolent energy radiated from every pore, and their eyes were bloodshot. One look was enough to tell they were killers who wouldn't bat an eye, completely lost in a slaughtering frenzy. Man Gu's Ancient Barbarian bloodline had been stimulated even further. The ancient era had seen constant warfare, and as one of the most powerful races of that age, the Ancient Barbarians had engaged in countless campaigns against enemies. What flowed in the bones of an Ancient Barbarian was endless brutal war, unyielding defiance... and the hex cast by Huang Doudou. "I've never heard of these two before. Where on earth did they pop up from? Judging by their strength, they're fully a match for the Wine and Meat Monk! Look at him—even he avoids running into them and stays active in other areas!" "They probably gained an inheritance somewhere, or maybe they're seeds secretly cultivated by the elders!" "I wonder who's stronger between the two of them." Both inside and outside the trial ground, everyone was discussing Meng Jingzhou and Man Gu. Meng Jingzhou's iron fists were invincible; with a single strike, he had blown apart a cultivator in the middle Foundation Establishment stage—and a fairly renowned one at that. He was currently in the middle Foundation Establishment stage himself. As a disciple of the Dao Seeking Sect and a direct descendant of the Meng Family, once he stepped outside the sect, he was invincible among peers of the same stage. The *Sayings of the Sage* echoed constantly around Man Gu as he felled foes one hammer blow at a time without batting an eye. The bizarre contrast made him look like a total madman. Finally, the two crossed paths. Defiance shone in their eyes; neither would yield to the other. Man Gu raised his massive warhammer and barked, "State your name!" "Meng Jingzhou! Who are you?" "Man Gu." Both were men of few words. Without further chatter, they traded blows at once. Both were paragons of the Foundation Establishment stage, the very cream of the crop among the top seeds. The moment they clashed, earth-shattering power unleashed. Trees caught in the shockwaves of their battle snapped at the trunk, collapsing like rotten twigs. Other contestants observed from not far away, hoping the two would fight each other to mutual destruction so they could reap the benefits as the fisherman. The numbers on their marks were extremely high; whoever managed to kill them would seize those tallies. It was a treasure that tempted every single heart! Watching in secret, the Wine and Meat Monk and Saber Demon Gu Zha were privately alarmed. *These two pose no less a threat than Yan Fei!* *Formidable indeed, yet still inferior to me. I still have trump cards I haven't revealed, whereas I've already seen through those two.* *To think that besides Yan Fei and the Wine and Meat Monk, I would encounter such formidable foes this time. Truly a place of hidden dragons and crouching tigers!* *Just as well. My demonic saber thirsts! The blood of those pieces of trash cannot satisfy it, but the blood of two supreme geniuses is its favorite delicacy!* "Hahaha! What a thrilling fight! It's been a long time since I met an opponent worthy of fighting me!" Meng Jingzhou roared with laughter. Man Gu was equally thrilled. The Ancient Barbarian blood inside him was seething and blazing. Yet another ancient tree crashed down under the fury of their battle. Once it broke away, a Bodhi tree was revealed before their eyes. Upon the Bodhi tree, three plump little babies swayed gently in the wind. The Bodhi tree possessed the power to calm the mind and focus the spirit, lending the scene an extraordinarily sacred air. Meng Jingzhou gasped. "Could this be... a Bodhi Ginseng Fruit Tree?!" "Ginseng Fruit?" Man Gu was equally shocked. With a sacred treasure right before them, both chose an unspoken truce. "This is the legendary Ginseng Fruit Tree?" Man Gu sounded dubious. Meng Jingzhou nodded. "It can't be wrong. Look at these three fair, chubby little babies growing right on the tree. Isn't this exactly the Ginseng Fruit of legend?" Man Gu pressed, "But how could Ginseng Fruit grow on a Bodhi tree?" Meng Jingzhou looked at him as though pitying his ignorance. "That just shows how little you know. Why are Ginseng Fruits so rare that not a single Ginseng Fruit Tree can be found in the entire world? Because there has never been a Ginseng Fruit Tree to begin with!" "Ginseng Fruits are creations born in harmony with the rhythm of heaven and earth. They only manifest upon other trees! When a tree gathers the essence of heaven and earth, Ginseng Fruits will naturally sprout from it." "Among all the trees in existence, the Bodhi tree is the most miraculous and steeped in legends. It is the most fitting tree for Ginseng Fruits to grow on!" Man Gu came to a sudden realization. He had never imagined there was such a reason behind it. With Ginseng Fruits right before them, an immense fortune was at stake; there was no need to keep fighting. Even if they took one each, one would still be left over. Originally, the onlookers had not recognized the Ginseng Fruit, but hearing Meng Jingzhou's well-reasoned explanation, they were convinced this had to be it. Furthermore, the Cult Master had mentioned that a great opportunity lay hidden in this dense forest. Could he have been referring to these three Ginseng Fruits? "Go!" Those hiding in the shadows swarmed forward, determined to pluck a Ginseng Fruit for themselves! Saber Demon Gu Zha hurled ox-hair needles. Sensing the concealed weapons, Meng Jingzhou and Man Gu leaped backward to dodge the attack. Their retreat opened up some distance from the fruit, handing everyone else an opening. Even with competitors like Meng Jingzhou and the Wine and Meat Monk present, this was a prize worth gambling on. Once one obtained a Ginseng Fruit, the path of cultivation ahead would be smooth and unimpeded. It was worth risking their lives! Saber Demon Gu Zha was the first to snatch one. Without lingering, he grabbed it and bolted. *So this is Ginseng Fruit? Its texture is just like flesh—no wonder it's called Ginseng Fruit!* The crowd cursed in regret and pursued relentlessly, but Saber Demon Gu Zha was faster on his feet. In the dense cover of the forest, he shook off his pursuers in no time. Only what was refined truly belonged to oneself. Guided by this creed, Saber Demon Gu Zha took a fierce bite. His teeth failed to sink in. *Could it be that Ginseng Fruit feels like flesh, but turns rock-hard the moment one tries to eat it?* Just as he was pondering how to ingest the Ginseng Fruit, his expression changed drastically. "Damn it, it's poisoned!" Disbelief flooded his face. The surface of the Ginseng Fruit was coated in lethal poison! Who did this?! This was a Ginseng Fruit! Poisoning something like this was an utter waste of a heavenly treasure! Right then, the Ginseng Fruit spoke: "Did nobody ever tell you not to eat wild fruit off the side of the road?" Under Saber Demon Gu Zha's dying, regret-filled gaze, the Ginseng Fruit stretched its limbs. The three-inch-tall Lu Yang stretched lazily. After playing a Ginseng Fruit for so long, he could finally stretch his muscles. This was a new skill he had comprehended while being battered by his senior brothers and sisters in the Dao Seeking Sect: first using To Inches, then Shrinking the Earth, and finally executing the Tree Planting Art. That way, three little Lu Yangs would grow on the Bodhi tree. With Meng Jingzhou and Man Gu acting as his shills to hype it up, he instantly transformed into a Ginseng Fruit. Along the way, he had smeared a layer of deadly poison over his body. Anyone capable of snatching the Ginseng Fruit would certainly have impressive cultivation, guaranteeing that whoever bit it would drop dead on the spot. "And this guy considers himself part of the demonic path? How gullible." Lu Yang shook his head in disgust and finished off Gu Zha. The current generation of demonic cultivators was truly pathetic. The three of them, disciples of the righteous path, had led the demonic cultivators by the nose without breaking a sweat.