Demon Immortal Fruit (Part 1)

Ping Yun nodded, lifted the Jade Box, and tapped it with his finger. The small lock on the box shattered instantly. He glanced at the patterns carved into the box and remarked, "The Golden Sword Gang was indeed well-prepared. I wonder when they discovered this Spirit Candle Fruit; they even had a jade box engraved with preservation runes ready."

He opened the box, and a flash of red light swept out, revealing two fist-sized red fruits that emitted a strange fragrance. A look of joy crossed Ping Yun's face as he said, "I never expected there to be two Spirit Candle Fruits. My luck is truly not bad." As soon as he finished speaking, his expression shifted slightly. He scrutinized the fruits for a moment, his face darkening with disappointment and reluctance, and he whispered, "These are not Spirit Candle Fruits."

Ping Fei was startled and asked, "What? Could Yan Chihuo have dared to swap them?"

Ping Yun shook his head and replied, "Father, do not blame an innocent man. I suspect Yan Chihuo did not swap them; rather, Gao Bing must have misidentified them in the first place. This item is far rarer than the Spirit Candle Fruit; no one would use it for a swap."

Ping Fei was stunned. "Then what is this?"

Ping Yun said, "This is called a Demon Immortal Fruit. If the Spirit Candle Fruit is one in a hundred, the Demon Immortal Fruit is not even one in a million. They look remarkably similar, but there are two differences: the first is that the stem of a Spirit Candle Fruit is red, like a flame, while the Demon Immortal Fruit's is pink. The second difference is that Demon Immortal Fruits always appear in pairs, never more, never less. I was wondering how Gao Bing could have been so lucky as to obtain two Spirit Candle Fruits at once."

Ping Fei asked, "What is the use of this Demon Immortal Fruit? Can you consume it?"

Ping Yun replied, "There are two outcomes after consuming a Demon Immortal Fruit, and no one knows which will occur until it is taken. The first outcome is that the cultivator's body undergoes a mutation, granting a unique supernatural ability—such as eyes that can see through a thousand miles, or a body as light as a swallow with incredible escape speed, and so on. The second outcome is death by poisoning."

Ping Fei said, "How can it be like this? How can one distinguish between the two?"

Ping Yun said, "It is precisely because of this characteristic that it is called a Demon Immortal Fruit. As for the method of identification, one must find a cultivator to test it, as it has no effect on mortals. This method is rarely used."

Ping Fei asked, "Why?"

Ping Yun said, "The effects of the Demon Immortal Fruit are diametrically opposed: either one gains a highly practical supernatural ability, or one dies. Choosing a test subject is extremely difficult. If you choose someone close to you, you fear they will die of poison; if you choose an enemy, you worry about them gaining the benefit. You can only find someone unrelated to test it in secret. Given how rare this fruit is—it is no exaggeration to say it appears once in ten thousand years—where would one find such a candidate?"

Ping Fei said, "So, this Demon Immortal Fruit is essentially useless?"

Ping Yun's eyes darted around, and he said, "There is a way right now."

Ping Fei was taken aback, then immediately understood. "Are you plotting against Yan Chihuo again? No, if he dies from the poison, where will I find another helper like him?"

Ping Yun said, "Father, although your martial arts are astonishing and among the best in the world—only one step away from entering the Dao through martial arts—you are ultimately not a cultivator. That is the difference between heaven and earth. If this Demon Immortal Fruit works, my strength will greatly increase, and I will have more influence in the Cloud Soaring Sect. Combined with Second Master's status in the sect, we could request a pill for you to cleanse your marrow and reshape your tendons, making it highly likely for you to enter the Dao. Wouldn't you then be a cultivator yourself? That would be far better than your current state. As for the power and wealth of this world, you would have as much as you want; I fear you wouldn't even care for it by then."

Ping Fei felt his resolve waver, but the thought of losing a capable right-hand man like Yan Chihuo to poison made him hesitate. For a moment, he could not decide and remained silent, deep in thought.

Ping Yun knew Ping Fei was tempted and added, "Since Yan Chihuo has already practiced the Spirit Jade Vajra Art and become a cultivator, the secular world will eventually be unable to contain him. Father, you cannot keep him at Tiger Roar Manor forever. If this Demon Immortal Fruit is useful, he will be even more grateful to you after consuming it. If he dies from the poison, it is merely the loss of an assistant who was destined to leave you sooner or later."

Ping Fei sighed and said, "Fine. If you hadn't said that this fruit can only be tested by a cultivator, I would never have agreed. Call him in."

Meanwhile, Yan Chihuo had returned to his room, pondering Ping Yun's words, yet he could not grasp their true meaning. He took out the snake scale again and traced the patterns on it, but it remained perfectly smooth. Throughout the journey, he had been contemplating this scale. He dared not attempt the stone-throwing technique again, and he could not practice the speed-enhancing method, so he kept testing the technique of covering his body in scale armor.

Over the past few days, he had made some progress; the time it took to manifest the scale armor had shortened by ten percent, and he could maintain it for a moment longer, though it still seemed of little use to him.

Just then, someone came to his room and said that Ping Fei had summoned him. He arrived at the small hall to find the father and son waiting for him. After he finished his salutations, Ping Fei said, "Chihuo, I only just learned from Yun'er that the Spirit Jade Vajra Art you practice is not a martial arts manual, but a Daoist technique of the immortals. Therefore, Yun'er intends to take you back to the Cloud Soaring Sect to cultivate. What do you think?"

Yan Chihuo was stunned, never having expected such a thing. He found it hard to believe that such good fortune would fall upon him, and he began to secretly speculate on the meaning behind Ping Fei's words. Ping Yun said, "Chihuo, are you unwilling? You must know that the land of the immortals is beyond anything you can imagine; it is what countless people dream of."

Yan Chihuo felt a chill in his heart. Although he did not understand Ping Yun well, he knew Ping Fei all too well. Ping Fei always had the final say and would never allow him to deliberate, so he hurriedly replied, "How could I disagree? I was just so pleasantly surprised by the news that I didn't react in time."

Ping Fei nodded and said, "That is good. By the way, there are two Spirit Candle Fruits in total. Yun'er has already consumed one, and you shall have the other. Yun'er says this fruit is very useful for increasing a cultivator's cultivation base, but one can only consume it once in a lifetime; taking more is useless. Therefore, you should take this one."

Only then did Yan Chihuo realize that the treasure they had retrieved was actually an item of the immortals. No wonder Ping Fei had been so diligent. However, for such a treasure to be given to him for nothing was completely out of character for Ping Fei, which only made him more suspicious.

Ping Fei added, "To be honest, if this fruit could only be consumed by a cultivator, it would not have been your turn, Chihuo. However, even though you are the most suitable candidate, there are reasons for bestowing this fruit upon you. Firstly, you performed a great service in seizing it. Secondly, you have worked hard under me for many years. Thirdly, once you enter the Cloud Soaring Sect, you and Yun'er can support each other, and your increased strength will be a wonderful thing."