Fire Element Fruit

After Xia Mo and Wu Hao sat down on the chairs in the room, Wu Hao said, "I did indeed come to see you about something."

"Yesterday, while I was hunting magical beasts in the primeval forest to temper myself, I discovered a valley. There was actually a Fire Element Fruit Tree inside, and the Fire Element Fruits on it will be ripe soon—probably within the next couple of days," Wu Hao said seriously to Xia Mo.

"Fire Element Fruit." As an Alchemist, Xia Mo naturally knew what it was.

The Fire Element Fruit was a rare heavenly treasure. It could increase one's strength and temper Dou Qi, with excellent effects even for Dou Shi and Da Dou Shi. It seemed Wu Hao had also broken through to the Dou Shi realm over the past month or so.

To Xia Mo, however, the Fire Element Fruit was even more valuable. It could serve as the main ingredient for a Fire Element Pill. A Fire Element Pill could raise a Da Dou Shi's strength by one star, yet it was only a high-grade third-rank pill. As long as he obtained the Fire Element Fruit, he would be able to refine it after some time.

"There should be a monkey pack there, right?" Xia Mo asked.

The moment Xia Mo heard about the Fire Element Fruit, he knew what Wu Hao had encountered. Fire Element Fruits generally grew within the territory of Fire Monkey Packs, as if they were companion plants. The Fire Monkeys carefully tended the Fire Element Fruit Trees and used their fruits to brew Monkey Wine—or rather, Fire Element Wine. Moreover, Fire Monkeys lived in groups and possessed high intelligence, so ordinary magical beasts would not dare provoke them.

Since Wu Hao had discovered a Fire Element Fruit Tree, there had to be a Fire Monkey Pack guarding it nearby. They would not miss out on such a heavenly treasure.

"Yes. There's a monkey pack there, and one of them has reached the third tier. But I didn't fight it, so I'm not sure whether it's a low-level or high-level third-tier beast. Either way, I'm no match for it," Wu Hao said.

"That's why I came specifically to invite you along. When the time comes, we'll split all the Fire Element Fruits equally," Wu Hao said frankly, without concealing anything.

With his strength, he definitely could not obtain the Fire Element Fruits alone and would need outside help. Xia Mo simply had not expected him to come looking for him.

As for Wu Hao, he had wanted to ask others, but he did not know many people. Those he did know were not strong enough, and such a minor matter was hardly worth troubling his teacher over. So Xia Mo was the only person he could ask. Besides, they had worked together several times and trusted each other fairly well.

"Then we can go take a look," Xia Mo said.

He was now a three-star Da Dou Shi. If he erupted with his full strength, it was not as though he could not fight a Dou Ling.

"Are only the two of us going? We're not inviting anyone else?" Xia Mo asked.

"Just the two of us is enough. I know you—you can definitely fight high-level Da Dou Shi now. You might even be able to kill them. With me supporting you, it'll be more than enough," Wu Hao declared with absolute confidence.

Xia Mo wanted to tell him, Kid, don't be so confident. A Fire Monkey Pack isn't that simple.

However, Xia Mo said nothing. To him, dealing with magical beasts was far simpler than dealing with people.

"When do we leave?" Xia Mo asked Wu Hao.

"We'll leave right away. I prepared everything after returning yesterday. I was just waiting to discuss it with you today. Since you've agreed, we'll head out immediately," Wu Hao said.

"Alright, let's go," Xia Mo said.

The two left the room. Xia Mo saw that Xiao Yi Xian and the other two had not gone to class yet, so he walked over and told her that he was heading out with Wu Hao. He did not know how long they would be gone, so there was no need to worry.

Xiao Yi Xian and the others merely told Xia Mo to be careful, then left him alone. They were already used to it.

Xia Mo and Wu Hao left the dormitory building, quickly passed through Jia Nan Academy's gates, then exited Jia Nan City and headed straight into the primeval forest outside the city.

"Which way?" Xia Mo asked as he looked at the primeval forest.

"This way," Wu Hao replied blandly.

Xia Mo followed, and the two set off at once.

The primeval forest was lush and verdant, rolling like an endless sea. It covered a vast expanse; even crossing it on a flying magical beast would take an entire day. Beyond it lay boundless mountain ranges, showing just how immense it was.

Some areas of the primeval forest had been explored by Jia Nan Academy, but even the academy had never ventured into most of it. It held endless riches, as well as endless dangers.

The place Wu Hao had discovered was clearly in a region Jia Nan Academy had never explored.

There were countless magical beasts in the primeval forest, making it extremely dangerous.

Hunting magical beasts had always been one of Jia Nan Academy's methods of training its students. After all, the academy wanted students who could fight. This was one reason why Jia Nan Academy had been built within the primeval forest.

A layer of white mist shrouded the primeval forest in the early morning, making everything hazy and difficult to see clearly.

Xia Mo and Wu Hao walked side by side through the forest, both wearing serious expressions. Once inside the primeval forest, vigilance was indispensable.

"Which way now?" Xia Mo asked after they had been walking through the forest for a while.

"This way." Wu Hao pointed in a direction. To avoid getting lost, he had left subtle markers all along the route when returning yesterday. Following those markers now would make it much easier to find the way.

Time passed bit by bit, and before they knew it, noon had arrived with the sun hanging high overhead. The sunlight dispersed the white mist, making the entire forest much clearer. Only by traveling at full speed did the two finally reach the location Wu Hao had marked.

"This is the place. Once we pass through this karst cave, there's a valley inside. The Fire Element Fruit Tree is there, and so is the monkey pack!"

"It really is remote. No wonder no one discovered it all this time. And it seems there's a volcano nearby—the temperature has risen quite a bit as we approached."

"By the way, how did you even find a place this remote?" Xia Mo asked Wu Hao, somewhat puzzled.

"One of the magical beasts I hunted yesterday was too good at running, so I chased it all the way. After killing it, I realized I'd strayed far too far from my route. Then I wandered around and found this karst cave, so I went in to take a look."

"Just like you." Xia Mo's lips twitched slightly. That relentless, never-give-up attitude truly suited Wu Hao's personality. When he fought, he cared for nothing and risked his life without hesitation.

"Alright, let's go in." Wu Hao waved at Xia Mo and spoke in a low voice, taking the Blood Sword into his hand.

Seeing this, Xia Mo's hand flashed with light as he also took out his Heavy Saber.

There was a third-tier magical beast in the valley, and it was part of a whole pack. Making preparations in advance was absolutely necessary; otherwise, if things went wrong, there would not even be a place to cry about it.

The two exchanged a glance, then slowly advanced into the karst cave.

The cave was deep and somewhat dark. Wu Hao took out two torches, lit them, and handed one to Xia Mo.

After Xia Mo followed Wu Hao inside, he immediately felt the scorching heat around him. As they ventured deeper into the cave, the temperature continued to rise.

After walking for roughly the time it took to burn half an incense stick, the passage gradually grew brighter, while the temperature began to fall. It was no longer as scorching as before, and the wind blowing toward them became increasingly strong.

After advancing some distance farther, they finally reached the end of the cave. The view suddenly opened up, and the scene within the valley finally appeared before them.