Robbers

After Xia Mo and Wu Hao left Fire Monkey Valley, they kept walking for over ten minutes before finally stopping beneath a large tree.

Xia Mo took out a Fire Element Fruit and looked at Wu Hao. "Wu Hao, here. This is yours."

"I can't take it. I nearly got you killed this time. If you hadn't been an Alchemist, we both would have died in there," Wu Hao refused. He still thought they had survived because of Xia Mo's pills.

"Take it. If you hadn't brought me there, I wouldn't have gotten so many good things either." Xia Mo placed the Fire Element Fruit into Wu Hao's hand.

"Alright, stop agonizing over it. It's just one Fire Element Fruit, and it's not like that's the only one I have. Put it away quickly. It'd be troublesome if it attracted magical beasts," Xia Mo said as he looked at the conflicted Wu Hao. He truly did not care about it. Only someone like Wu Hao would agonize over it—if it were Xiao Yan, he would probably swallow it immediately.

"Alright, then I'll accept it. If you need anything in the future, just say the word," Wu Hao said solemnly. After all, the Fire Element Fruit was still very important to him.

Because of his affinity and cultivation technique, his battle qi carried a somewhat violent aura that affected him at all times. The Fire Element Fruit could help temper his battle qi and keep him from becoming a vicious beast that knew only slaughter.

"Alright, Wu Hao. I still need to cultivate in the primitive forest for a while longer. If you're going back to the academy now, you can leave first."

"Oh, and after you return to the academy, help me let Xiao Yi Xian know I'm safe. Xiao Yi Xian is the one in my dormitory building with the thinnest waist—uh, actually, just tell anyone in the building. Any one of them will do," Xia Mo added after thinking that Wu Hao might not know her.

"Fine, then I'll leave first. I need a quiet place to refine the Fire Element Fruit, and there's no place more suitable than the academy. I'll deliver your message," Wu Hao said flatly.

"Then go ahead," Xia Mo said, waving him off carelessly.

"Goodbye." With that, Wu Hao turned and left.

So next, I'll have to stay in the forest a while longer. Hopefully, I can break through again before I leave. Xia Mo glanced around, casually picked a direction, and set off once more.

After parting with Wu Hao, Xia Mo spent several days in the forest. Whenever he encountered magical beasts, he fought them.

If he could beat them, he not only gave them a beating but also looted their homes clean. If he could not beat them, he ran without hesitation.

He had no idea how many magical beasts he had provoked along the way. Fortunately, he ran fast. If those magical beasts gathered together, they might even trigger a beast tide...

That day, after walking and stopping along the way for half the day, Xia Mo suddenly realized that he did not know the way. A headache began to form.

He leaped onto a tall tree and scanned the surroundings. The terrain seemed somewhat familiar, and then he suddenly remembered that he appeared to have obtained a small map.

Because of his powerful soul force, he felt that the map seemed to include this area, and it did not seem far from the location of the treasure. With a flash of light in his hand, the map appeared in his grasp.

Xia Mo looked at the map and pointed at it with a finger. "Hmm, Jia Nan Academy is here. I should be here right now. Then I should go this way, turn right, then..."

As the saying went, "A mountain may look close, but it can tire out a horse; the sea of desire is an abyss ten thousand fathoms deep." After walking for an entire day, he still had not arrived. Though Xia Mo had not deliberately rushed, he really had been heading toward his destination the whole time.

After resting for a night, Xia Mo continued on his way. What he had not expected was...

"Kid, stop right there!"

"You little brat, stop right now, or we'll slaughter you!"

Xia Mo halted and turned to look at the people chasing him, helplessness in his eyes. They really wanted to die—nothing in heaven could stop them.

"It seems I haven't offended any of you. I didn't expect you to actually catch up. What do you mean by this? Are you trying to rob me?"

One of the newcomers, a man with a darkened patch on his left cheek and a large black mole, stepped forward. "Kid, you haven't offended us. But you should never have let us find out that you possess a Storage Ring. Don't you know that a kid like you isn't worthy of owning something like that?"

Xia Mo smiled. "If I'm not worthy, then are you? I see none of you seem to have Storage Rings. Are you after the wealth inside mine?"

"I have to say, you picked the right person to target. Everything inside mine is worth quite a lot. And I also have another Storage Ring, which I just got recently. Don't tell me you want both?"

Xia Mo's eyes rolled as he spoke, and another ring appeared in his left hand. The past few days had been unbearably boring, with not even a single person in sight.

When they saw this, their faces split into broad grins. A little brat actually possessed two Storage Rings—what kind of fat sheep had to be this rich to flaunt his wealth so openly?

After all, even the lowest-grade Storage Ring was worth at least tens of thousands of gold coins.

Yet such rare items were difficult for them to purchase even if they had the money. Clearly, anyone who possessed a Storage Ring would not care about its meager intrinsic value!

"Big Brother, stop wasting words with this brat. Your little brother can't wait to see what good things are inside that kid's Storage Rings."

"Yeah, Big Brother. Let's just kill him and take everything. He's just a little brat—why waste words on him?"

The dark-faced man waved a hand. "Wait. Since this brat is so arrogant, daring to openly show us his Storage Rings, then either he has something to rely on or he has a powerful background. We aren't afraid of his background, but if he truly has some backup plan, we'll be in trouble!"

The other three nodded at this, clearly waiting to see how their big brother would handle it.

The dark-faced man looked at Xia Mo with a smile. "Kid, where are you from, and why are you here?"

Xia Mo knew they had not attacked because they were unsure whether he truly had some hidden trump card.

So he smiled and said, "There's no harm in telling you. My home is far from here. If you're going to make a move, hurry up. I still have somewhere to go."

Though the other side was greedy, they were clearly still wary. "Kid, throw those two Storage Rings over here right now, and we'll consider sparing your life. If you don't, don't blame us for being ruthless!"

Xia Mo had already grown impatient. He took out the Heavy Saber from his Storage Ring and swung it casually.

With that swing, the Heavy Saber flew toward the dark-faced man with such speed that even he was startled.

"Kid, you're courting death!"

"Let's attack together. We need to kill him and leave as soon as possible before anything changes, lest the people behind him trace this back to us!"

Bang!

Although the dark-faced man blocked the blow, the force still drove him back four or five steps. Sensing that his opponent was no ordinary person, he hurriedly warned the other three.

"Be careful, this kid is strange. His strength is unbelievably great—I was already at a disadvantage when I blocked that strike..."