Living Together in a Cave

Crystal Release - All Directions Shuriken Technique. Before dawn had even broken, the youth began training. He was deeply obsessed with this Special Ability, which differed from ordinary Dou techniques. A single ability could be developed into many Dou techniques, and each possessed formidable power.

Glancing around at the area he had destroyed, Ye Qiu waved his hand and dispersed the dust before him. He leaped out from behind the pile of rocks, then nimbly jumped down the small hill.

After jogging for several minutes, he returned to the cool cave. As for the Blood Shepherd Fruit outside, Ye Qiu reckoned it would ripen today. It was a priceless treasure!

Upon entering the cave, he saw Qing Ye, who had been resting on a blanket before he left, now sitting idly on a stone stool with her cheek propped on her hand. Seeing Ye Qiu return, she smiled faintly. "You're back."

Smiling, Ye Qiu nodded and walked over with his Aluminum Alloy Sword in hand. He took out a KFC Family Bucket and two bottles of cola from the system space, plopped down, and casually asked, "Feeling better?"

Having witnessed Ye Qiu's mysterious methods, the woman was not particularly curious about this food she had never seen before. She slowly rose, bringing with her a faint fragrant breeze. Sitting down beside Ye Qiu, she lightly furrowed her delicate brows and sighed. "The external injuries are nothing serious, but the internal injuries will probably take another ten days or so to fully recover."

"Stay here during that time. I set up a Crystal Maze at the cave entrance, so those magical beasts won't come here." Ye Qiu opened the Family Bucket and turned to look at the woman beside him.

Since the woman's tight leather outfit had already been torn apart by Ye Qiu, she was now wearing his long robe. The black that looked somewhat heavy on others gained an air of mystery when draped over her curvaceous, exquisite figure. As she moved with light steps, a section of bronze-toned calf peeked in and out of view, utterly alluring.

The woman took a drumstick from the Family Bucket and began eating. Yet with Ye Qiu beside her, she seemed more like she was savoring a delicacy, taking elegant bite after elegant bite. Her beautiful eyes watched Ye Qiu wolfing down his food, and she smiled. "Ye Qiu, how old are you this year?"

Hearing the woman ask his age, Ye Qiu's heart gave a jolt. Keeping his expression calm, he said, "I'll be sixteen soon."

"Sixteen... Just how strong are you?" Qing Ye finally asked the question she had long wanted to ask. With her strength, she could not probe the depths of Ye Qiu's cultivation at all. Moreover, the many strange and powerful Dou techniques he had displayed convinced her that Ye Qiu must be a disciple from some great clan, out gaining experience.

"My strength? Seven Star Dou Shi." Ye Qiu answered, though he left one thing unsaid: even ordinary Great Dou Shi were no match for him despite his being only a Seven Star Dou Shi.

"Seven Star Dou Shi!" Hearing Ye Qiu's words, the woman sprang to her feet in shock. Her first instinct was disbelief, but then she recalled how he had saved her from the claws of the Tier 2 Magical Beast Wild Tiger, as well as the youth's crystal-based Dou techniques. She could not help believing him. Taking a deep breath, she asked enviously, "Just how do you cultivate? To possess such strength at such a young age..."

"Can't be helped. I have good talent and some decent cultivation resources. In the end, I'm just luckier than most." Ye Qiu smiled. With his strength, he could tell at a glance that Qing Ye was merely an Eight Star Dou Zhe.

"That's truly enviable." The woman sighed. For someone like her, who lacked talent and came from a mercenary background without the support of a clan, she could at most become a Great Dou Shi in her lifetime unless she encountered some fortunate opportunity.

Their brief conversation gradually came to an end. Having run out of topics, the two fell into silence and ate their food separately. Only after Ye Qiu took a handkerchief from his storage ring and handed it to Qing Ye did she nod lightly at him.

"After you recover, are you still planning to look for your companions?" After taking another drink of cola, the youth asked through a mouthful of food.

"Yes. I have to make sure they're safe." Qing Ye sighed softly.

Ye Qiu shook his head. Having seen the battle between those people and Wild Tiger, he clearly believed that the Blood Battle Mercenary Group members had little chance of surviving.

"At the time, we were already some distance away from Wild Tiger, and we fled separately. Even if one group was caught, the others could definitely return safely." Seeing Ye Qiu's expression, Qing Ye frowned faintly. Her words carried a trace of resentment and hope.

"Perhaps." Ye Qiu neither agreed nor disagreed. Perhaps a few of them really could have escaped, but Ye Qiu did not know whether they could safely leave the Demon Beast Mountain Range, which was filled with magical beasts and danger, even if they had escaped Wild Tiger's pursuit.

After chugging down another large mouthful of cola and letting out a burp, Ye Qiu stood up and stretched. He greeted Qing Ye, then sat cross-legged on a stone platform nearby. Forming a cultivation seal with his hands, he slowly closed his eyes. Purple gravitational power continuously flowed around the youth's joined hands.

Watching Ye Qiu begin cultivating, Qing Ye also stood. She cleared away the food scraps on the stone table, then washed her fair hands, which were covered in grease.

By evening, the Blood Shepherd Fruit Ye Qiu had been eagerly awaiting finally ripened. He carefully picked it and placed it inside a white jade box, nodding in satisfaction. Then he turned his gaze toward the small Five-Colored Tree.

"A Five-Colored Tree only bears one fruit every ten years. Am I supposed to leave it here and wait another ten years for the harvest? That's far too passive. Forget it, I'd rather exchange it for some tangible benefits." Ye Qiu's gaze gradually became resolute as he communicated with the system in his mind. "System, I want to sell this Five-Colored Tree. How many Myriad Realms Coins can I get?"

"Ding. A ten-year-old Five-Colored Tree can be traded for ten million Myriad Realms Coins."

"Ten-year-old? What does that mean? Is this the first fruit this Five-Colored Tree has borne? Do different ages make a difference?" Ye Qiu asked in confusion.

"The older the Five-Colored Tree, the greater the energy contained within the Blood Shepherd Fruit it bears, and the more valuable it becomes," the system explained.

"So that means the Blood Shepherd Fruit I got is the worst kind?" Ye Qiu looked at the fruit resting in the jade box, his face darkening.

"Yes."

"Forget it, forget it. Sell it. Give me the Myriad Realms Coins." Ten years from now, a Blood Shepherd Fruit would be of no help to Ye Qiu whatsoever. He could not be bothered to wait. By then, he might even have forgotten all about it.

"Ding. Reclaiming a ten-year-old Five-Colored Tree. Paying Host ten million Myriad Realms Coins. Payment complete. Please check."

"Eh? Why does a ten-year-old Five-Colored Tree in the shop cost twenty million Myriad Realms Coins?" Ye Qiu looked through the shop and asked.

"Reclaimed items are half price!"

"Such powerful words!" Ye Qiu forcibly swallowed a mouthful of Old Blood...