Third Innate Stage

"Blood Bodhi?" Tian Ling'er suddenly cried out in delight.

Thirteen fruits grew on the vines. They looked like strawberries, radiating a red glow as though highlighting their delicious, tempting appearance.

Zhong Shan had known for a long time that the world contained spirit fruits. The Flame Fruit Cave Heaven within the Kaiyang Sect was itself home to a powerful spirit fruit, and it was certainly far stronger than this one.

"Blood Bodhi?" Zhong Shan asked with a frown.

"Zhong Shan, Zhong Shan, put me down. This is Blood Bodhi. As long as I eat it, my injuries will heal immediately. It also contains a huge amount of fire-element energy. Perhaps—perhaps I can break through to the Innate Tenth Stage." Tian Ling'er stared excitedly at the thirteen Blood Bodhi fruits.

Hearing what Tian Ling'er said, Zhong Shan's eyes lit up. Blood Bodhi?

He gently loosened his grip and slowly lowered Tian Ling'er from his back.

When both her feet touched the ground, Tian Ling'er's excitement inexplicably vanished, replaced by an empty feeling in her heart. A sense of loss welled up from nowhere.

She frowned and quickly shook her head. What was happening to her?

"Can Blood Bodhi be eaten raw?" Zhong Shan asked Tian Ling'er as he looked at the red fruits.

"Of course. You can eat one too, but you're only at the Innate Third Stage. It might hurt a lot, though the gains will definitely be tremendous. And you can eat only one at most." Tian Ling'er immediately answered.

"Hurt?" Zhong Shan looked at Tian Ling'er strangely.

"The energy is simply too great for you. When it surges through your body, it'll hurt terribly. I heard my father say that although Blood Bodhi isn't an exceptionally good spirit fruit, the way it forms is extremely peculiar. It grows at volcanic craters, but not every volcanic crater has it. There seem to be many reasons involved. In any case, I don't know the details either. There are thirteen here. According to what my father said back then, I only need to eat eight to reach the Innate Tenth Stage. They can heal injuries too. This is wonderful." Tian Ling'er spoke at once.

"Does it have any side effects? Will it hinder future cultivation?" Zhong Shan asked solemnly.

"Er, not for you or me." Tian Ling'er thought for a moment before answering.

"Why?" Zhong Shan frowned. Why had she emphasized herself and him? Could others not eat it?

"Because Blood Bodhi is a yang-aligned spirit fruit. You cultivate the Great Yang Divine Skill, so of course you'll be fine. I cultivate the Lihuo Divine Skill, so I'll be fine too." Tian Ling'er immediately explained.

"Then I'll protect you while you eat it." Zhong Shan said.

"No." Tian Ling'er suddenly cried out.

"Huh?" Zhong Shan frowned.

She looked at Zhong Shan, a trace of determination flashing through her eyes. "You eat it first this time. I'll protect you."

Zhong Shan carefully studied Tian Ling'er's serious expression, then smiled faintly. "All right."

Following Tian Ling'er's instructions, Zhong Shan gently reached out and plucked one Blood Bodhi fruit.

The Blood Bodhi was nearly as hot as boiling water. Its temperature was extremely high, but a seriously injured cultivator at the Innate Third Stage naturally had nothing to fear from it. He gripped it in his hand and pulled hard.

"Pop!"

The Blood Bodhi came off.

"Sss, sss, sss, sss!"

A string of hissing sounds rang out. The vine that had been connected to the Blood Bodhi instantly dried up and withered. Its yellowing tendrils rapidly shriveled and drooped down.

"Once a Blood Bodhi is plucked, the vine is useless." Tian Ling'er spoke from the side.

Zhong Shan nodded and sat down cross-legged with his back against the wall. Looking at the Blood Bodhi in his hand, he resolutely opened his mouth, and the fruit quickly dropped inside.

He opened his mouth and bit down. The Blood Bodhi was swallowed into his stomach.

The moment the Blood Bodhi entered his stomach, it suddenly transformed into a powerful heat, as though a furnace were roasting Zhong Shan's entire body from within his organs.

It hurt—truly hurt. In the past, the pain had always come from the outside in, but this time it came from the inside out. In an instant, Zhong Shan's body was filled with searing energy. Just one Blood Bodhi made his body feel like a furnace, and his skin turned fiery red from head to toe.

Sweat poured down his face, but Zhong Shan knew this was a rare opportunity. The Great Yang Divine Skill began circulating madly, and within his body, his true qi followed the cultivation route, revolving round after round.

Zhong Shan knew he had been careless. He should not have listened to Tian Ling'er. She was such a muddlehead that she did not even understand the situation herself. The energy within this Blood Bodhi was far too great—so great that any other cultivator at the Innate Third Stage would be roasted to death by the searing energy at once.

If he had not constantly practiced the Heavenly Devil Body Tempering Great Technique, making his internal organs incomparably tough, his body would certainly have exploded on the spot. Even so, Zhong Shan felt as if his entire body were about to burst apart.

Heavenly Devil Body Tempering Great Technique!

Zhong Shan activated the Heavenly Devil Body Tempering Great Technique once more and poured all his strength into breaking through within an hour. Otherwise, if the energy ran wild, he would be finished—his body would be blown apart by the Blood Bodhi's energy.

Seeing the veins bulging across Zhong Shan's body and his muscles suddenly swelling, Tian Ling'er was filled with astonishment. She had no idea what was happening. She only felt that Zhong Shan was suffering terribly. Holding a towel, she wanted to wipe the sweat from his forehead, but she was afraid of disturbing him and did not dare to do it.

Zhong Shan fought with all his might to break through. His true qi circulated again and again, constantly being refined and gathered. He was truly staking his life, because he knew that if he could not refine the Blood Bodhi's energy within an hour, his death would arrive.

Hold on. Hold on. Finally, with one incense stick's worth of time remaining before the hour was up, he broke through.

The Innate Fourth Stage. He had reached the Innate Fourth Stage.

After reaching the Innate Fourth Stage, Zhong Shan's heart relaxed, but he continued consolidating his cultivation for a while, steadily stabilizing his realm.

An incense stick later, Zhong Shan felt pain throughout his body. The aftereffects of the Heavenly Devil Body Tempering Great Technique had returned! Still, everything was fine now. He had reached the Innate Fourth Stage. Although only thirty percent of his Innate Fourth Stage true qi remained, Zhong Shan was not worried. In another day or two, he would fully recover.

He slowly opened his eyes.

"Zhong Shan, how is it? The energy was huge, right?" Tian Ling'er immediately asked excitedly.

Zhong Shan looked at Tian Ling'er. He opened his mouth to speak, but in the end, his words turned into a bleak sigh. It had been huge—huge enough to nearly kill him.

"Mm, the Innate Fourth Stage. It's your turn now, but you should still eat them one at a time. I feel that the energy in these Blood Bodhi fruits is too great." Zhong Shan nodded.

"The Innate Fourth Stage?" Tian Ling'er's eyes lit up, overflowing with delight. It was as though she had been the one to break through just now.

"Wait for me." Tian Ling'er immediately spoke.

Tian Ling'er quickly plucked eight Blood Bodhi fruits. The eight vines rapidly withered as well, hissing as they dried.

Following Zhong Shan's instructions, Tian Ling'er slowly placed the fruits into her mouth one by one.

What left Zhong Shan speechless was that when she reached the eighth fruit, Tian Ling'er actually said, "It's still not enough. Zhong Shan, give me one more."

With a deep sigh, Zhong Shan plucked Blood Bodhi fruits for Tian Ling'er—two more of them. Only then did Tian Ling'er close her eyes and begin breaking through.

Ten fruits. Ten Blood Bodhi fruits?

Zhong Shan looked at Tian Ling'er, then at himself. The gap between true qi and True Essence was truly enormous. Besides, he had heard that Tian Ling'er had already reached the Innate Ninth Stage more than half a year ago!

Zhong Shan sat at the side and waited patiently. He watched as a faint red glow rose across Tian Ling'er's skin. The glow set off her smooth, fair skin, giving her an even more radiant appearance.

Zhong Shan did not explore deeper into the Mountain Cave. This was not the time for it either. He patiently waited for Tian Ling'er.

Tian Ling'er needed far more time to break through.

A full day and night passed before Tian Ling'er finally opened her eyes.

The instant her eyes opened, they curved into crescents.

"Zhong Shan, the Innate Tenth Stage! I've reached the Innate Tenth Stage!" Tian Ling'er immediately sprang up and bounced about, grabbing Zhong Shan's sleeve in excitement.

Seeing Tian Ling'er hopping around, Zhong Shan smiled faintly. He had noticed that the injuries on her legs had completely healed. They had recovered fully during her breakthrough.

"Good, good." Tian Ling'er shook him so much that Zhong Shan could only nod and smile.

"Zhong Shan, let's go inside and take a look. There might be something good deeper in this Mountain Cave." Tian Ling'er gazed at Zhong Shan with shining eyes.

"Wait another day." Zhong Shan spoke.

"Another day?" Tian Ling'er looked at Zhong Shan in puzzlement.

"Yes. We'll rest for a day before going in. Besides, are you really going in like that? Find somewhere and change your clothes." Zhong Shan pointed this out to Tian Ling'er.

Tian Ling'er looked herself over and realized that she was indeed in a sorry state. For some reason, she suddenly seemed to care very much about Zhong Shan's opinion of her.

"Really? Then go outside. No peeking. I'm going to change clothes." Tian Ling'er immediately called out.

Looking at Tian Ling'er, Zhong Shan shook his head with a smile and quietly walked outside. Wait another day? It wasn't just because of Tian Ling'er's appearance. The aftereffects of my Heavenly Devil Body Tempering Great Technique haven't ended either. Better to wait a little longer.

Before long, Tian Ling'er, dressed in bright-red clothes, stood prettily before Zhong Shan.

P.S. The Sanjiang recommendation has come through. There'll be another chapter at midnight.