Crystal Vine Fruit

On January 18th, Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan returned to Mingyue Residential Quarter in Yangzhou City, Jiangnan Base City. Inside the villa, Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan sat in the bedroom with two crystal-like fruits the size of eggs placed before them.

"According to the information obtained from the Martial Artist Forum, we just need to consume them directly."

Chen Daolin picked up one fruit and swallowed it whole. The taste was like frozen jelly, melting the moment it touched his tongue. A cool, sweet stream flowed down his throat and into his stomach. Ji Xuan looked at Chen Daolin with concern, but he waved his hand to indicate he was fine. Soon, a surge of heat rose from his lower abdomen. Chen Daolin couldn't help but squeeze his legs together and turn to look at Ji Xuan. Ji Xuan's eyes darted away, and she turned her head as if nothing were wrong, her cheeks flushing slightly.

"I think we should eat them separately," Chen Daolin said awkwardly.

"Mm..." Ji Xuan, also feeling embarrassed, picked up her Crystal Vine Fruit and left Chen Daolin's room.

Chen Daolin sat on the bed, silently sensing the changes in his body. When the effects of the Crystal Vine Fruit took hold, it wasn't as intense or overbearing as Dragon Blood, which caused excruciating pain. Instead, it felt like soaking in a hot spring—warm and incredibly comfortable. Waves of heat flowed from his abdomen to his limbs and bones, and this magical energy was hungrily absorbed by cells throughout his body. His genes were rapidly being modified, and his physical fitness was improving at a rapid pace.

As the medicinal power of the Crystal Vine Fruit took effect, Chen Daolin's flesh, bones, nerves, skin, and internal organs were all modified by the magical energy to be tougher and more resilient. Even if a rifle were to fire at him at close range now, it wouldn't be able to break through his skin's defense.

This Concentration Fruit doesn't feel as intense or painful as the Dragon Blood fruit when used. Could it be because one is naturally born and the other is artificially manufactured? Chen Daolin wondered.

Chen Daolin sat on the bedroom bed, and by the time the effects of the Crystal Vine Fruit had fully dissipated, more than five hours had passed. Chen Daolin breathed a sigh of relief. By this time, he was drenched in sweat and felt sticky and uncomfortable. He left the bedroom, took a refreshing shower in the bathroom, changed into clean, comfortable clothes, and then gave Ji Xuan a call.

Soon, the call connected.

"Hello?" Ji Xuan's low, husky, and magnetic voice came through.

"How are you?" Chen Daolin asked.

"I'm fine. I feel great; my body is full of strength," Ji Xuan said, her tone filled with joy.

"Shall we go to the martial arts hall to test it out?" Chen Daolin suggested.

"Okay." Ji Xuan thought about it and agreed.

The two arrived at the Extreme Martial Arts Hall in Yangzhou City, went straight to the sixth floor, found an empty training hall, and turned on the punch force testing machine. Ji Xuan stood in front of the target, took a deep breath, and threw a punch that created a sonic boom.

Bang!

Beep, beep, beep!

Chen Daolin walked over to look—"120,000kg".

It was exactly at the level of an elementary God of War.

A smile appeared on Ji Xuan's face.

Her physical fitness having reached the elementary God of War level meant that her Spirit Reading Power was already at the advanced God of War level.

"Let me test my Spirit Reading Power again." Ji Xuan manipulated a throwing knife, which slammed into the target instantly. This time, the vibration of the target was much more intense than before. A shocking number appeared on the screen—"220,000kg".

It had far exceeded the baseline for an advanced God of War's punch force, which was likely related to the Crystal Vine Fruit Ji Xuan had consumed.

In addition to increasing physical strength by 50,000 kilograms, the most important aspect of the Crystal Vine Fruit was that it could increase a Spirit Reader's power by 100,000 kilograms.

To increase by so much all at once was simply astonishing. It was no wonder that all factions were breaking their heads to snatch them up.

Chen Daolin had eaten one Crystal Vine Fruit, and Ji Xuan had eaten one. There were two left, stored in the safe at home. As long as they didn't talk about it, they didn't have to worry about anyone coming to steal them.

As for how to handle the rest, Chen Daolin had originally wanted to give them to Ji Xuan's family of three, but he didn't know if it was appropriate, especially since he hadn't found any information on whether ordinary people could use them. He could only leave them for now and decide later.

Chen Daolin stood in front of the punch force testing machine, raised his fist, and instantly struck the target with a heavy blow.

Boom! An explosive sound echoed through the training hall.

"170,000kg".

Chen Daolin took a deep breath and activated the King Kai Fist. His muscles tightened, and an inexplicable aura radiated from him. Ji Xuan, who had keen spiritual perception, couldn't help but take a step back.

"Ha!" Chen Daolin exhaled and threw a punch at the target.

Boom!!! The target swayed violently.

The screen displayed a number—

"250,000kg".

Ji Xuan raised her eyebrows. This punch force had completely surpassed her Spirit Reading Power, nearly doubling it.

But it wasn't over yet.

Not bad. Chen Daolin showed a hint of excitement and set his stance for another punch.

World Destroyer first layer, 1.9 times force output!

A loud explosion rang out in the air.

Boom!!!

The target was knocked backward violently, and the entire punch force testing machine vibrated slightly.

It displayed a shocking number—

"475,000kg".

Ji Xuan's mouth opened slightly, and a trace of shock appeared in her eyes.

His punch force was a full three times higher than hers!

How did he do it?

Physical fitness? Force output? Or something else?

At this moment, Ji Xuan was filled with curiosity about Chen Daolin.

With such attack power, even a high-level God of War could be killed with a single punch, right?

Ji Xuan looked at Chen Daolin's unremarkable, plain face with a strange expression. He was only nineteen, right? To have already reached this stage, just how high would his future achievements be? Would he become a figure like Hong, standing at the very pinnacle of the world?

Ji Xuan suddenly felt a sense of anticipation in her heart.

After returning from City 003, Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan resumed their days of training at home, occasionally heading to the Jiangnan Extreme Main Hall for practice or to exchange pointers with other martial artists. Life was very plain.

It wasn't until February 12th that Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan both received a phone call. It was Zhuge Qing herself, saying that her birthday was on the 14th and she wanted to invite them to attend.

Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan did not refuse.

On February 14th, Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan went to attend Zhuge Qing's birthday party as scheduled.

In the evening, the two arrived outside the courtyard of Zhuge Qing's villa. Looking at the line of luxury cars parked outside and the well-dressed people constantly walking in, they exchanged glances.

As one of the three executives of the Extreme Martial Arts Hall in Jiangnan Base City, Zhuge Tao certainly held immense power. Hearing that it was his daughter's eighteenth birthday, many big shots would give him face and come to attend.

After confirming their identities, Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan walked in. Having considered the setting of Zhuge Qing's birthday banquet beforehand, Chen Daolin had rarely dressed up for this, wearing a silver-gray suit with a black tie and white leather shoes. Coupled with his tall, straight physique and spirited demeanor, he didn't look down-market despite his ordinary features. Ji Xuan had also changed into a form-fitting black long dress. Wearing no makeup, her face was natural and fresh. Her figure was tall and curvaceous, her curves moving and beautiful, and her features were delicate and three-dimensional. Her eyes were as clear as water, and in particular, the unique temperament inherent to a Spirit Reader made people unable to help but be attracted to her.

After exchanging a few words with Zhuge Tao, Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan sat in a corner of the courtyard, which served as the banquet venue, quietly watching the people in front of them who were smiling and chatting happily.

With the keen perception of martial artists and the powerful Spirit Reading Power of Spirit Readers, it was actually very easy for them to sense the emotions and subtle facial changes of the people around them. In other words, it was difficult for ordinary people to hide their psychological changes in front of them. Their muscle states, blood flow rates, heart rates, and breathing speeds... were all easily detected by powerful martial artists, so it was hard for ordinary people to keep secrets in front of them.

After a while, Ji Xuan was called away by Zhuge Qing over the phone. Chen Daolin sat alone in the corner, as quiet as a statue, looking quite abrupt amidst the bustling crowd.

Two girls dressed in flashy outfits stood not far away, commenting on Chen Daolin.

"Xiao Shi, what do you think of that boy?"

"Which one?"

"The one in the silver-gray suit, sitting alone in the corner with short hair."

"Hmm... he's just average. Not as handsome as my third boyfriend."

"Who's comparing him to your boyfriend? I'm talking about his temperament. Don't you think his temperament is quite tasteful?"

"I don't think so, just average." Xiao Shi was someone who only cared about looks.

If he didn't look good, everything else was a wash.

"Why don't we go over and get to know him? Maybe he has a strong background."

"Not interested." Xiao Shi said casually, her eyes lighting up as she saw a handsome guy walking over alone on the other side. "Xiao Xue, I'm going over there to hang out, want to come with me?"

Xiao Xue hesitated. She had an intuition that the short-haired boy in the silver-gray suit was very extraordinary. But under the urging of her best friend Xiao Shi, and because the handsome man in that direction was truly very heart-fluttering, she still followed Xiao Shi and left, half-pushed and half-willing.

Years later, when Xiao Xue recalled her decision today, she regretted it so much her guts turned green.

Not many martial artists at the Jiangnan General Hall knew Chen Daolin, because he usually lived in Yangzhou City. Those at the General Hall who knew him were mainly people like Zhuge Tao and Zhou Yongzheng. As for other martial artists, even if they had seen him and knew his identity, they weren't familiar with him. Based on his current status and position, no one rashly came over to disturb him.

Zhuge Tao did come to speak with Chen Daolin twice during the event, but each time he was interrupted by other matters and had to leave in a hurry.

Not long after, a slight commotion broke out in the courtyard. Chen Daolin stood up and saw Zhuge Qing walking out of the villa entrance.

It had to be said that Zhuge Qing was very beautiful today. Especially since she was young, beautiful, and naturally gifted, coupled with careful styling, her black hair had been fashioned into a beautiful hairstyle, revealing her white-as-jade, slender, and graceful swan neck. A snow-white long dress perfectly outlined her youthful and graceful figure. Standing there, she was poised and elegant, as if she had walked out of a painting, becoming the center of attention.

"How is it?" Without knowing when, Ji Xuan had already stood beside him, holding a glass of red wine and asking.

"It's fine." Chen Daolin said concisely.

It was fine, just fine, with no other meaning.

Zhuge Qing was currently studying at the Jiangnan First Military Academy. It was said that she changed her aspirations after her martial artist combat assessment. Now, she was working very hard at the Jiangnan First Military Academy. Because she entered as a martial artist, plus her father's connections, it could be said that her future was destined to be bright and full of promise.

After the banquet ended, Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan walked out of the Zhuge family's main gate and saw the two girls getting into a man's car and leaving. Ji Xuan asked, "You've been looking in that direction the whole time, are you envious?" She had been hit on by quite a few men today, which made her very annoyed, so she had already decided that she would avoid such banquets in the future if possible. She wasn't the type of woman who liked to dress up in flashy clothes, expose herself in public, and enjoy the lustful gazes of those men.

Her overly keen Spirit Reading Power allowed her to know the inner thoughts of those people like the back of her hand, making it truly difficult for her to have any good feelings toward them.

Chen Daolin shook his head: "You're overthinking it."

Behind them, on the second floor of the villa, Zhuge Qing stood alone by the window in her room, silently watching the backs of Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan as they left, her gaze dimming.