From the time Zhang Tie had stormed Master Abian's castle in fury, fought bitterly with Abian, and finally fallen into slumber, the Manjusaka Karma Myriad Fruit Tree had never stopped growing Flawless Fruits. Roughly calculated, three years and ten months had passed since then. The accumulated number of Flawless Fruits on Little Tree had become quite considerable, and because of them, the entire little tree now looked laden with fruit.
At a rate of one per week, Little Tree could grow fifty-two Flawless Fruits a year—one hundred and fifty-six in three years. Adding the forty-two mature Flawless Fruits it had grown over roughly ten more months, plus one immature Flawless Fruit, the total number of Flawless Fruits on Little Tree had reached one hundred and ninety-nine.
Thus, when Zhang Tie stood before Little Tree, he was suddenly overcome by a feeling—a weighty sense of harvest. It was heavy, yet joyous. It had arrived somewhat late, but it had come at last.
"What date is it today?" Zhang Tie asked Heller as he stood before Little Tree.
After spending over a month idling away his time recuperating in Castle of Black Iron, cut off from the outside world, Zhang Tie himself had lost track of the date. It was the fourth year of the Black Iron Calendar. Before formally igniting the new Bright Points in his body, Zhang Tie felt that this moment was worth commemorating.
"November 21st. November 21st, Black Iron Calendar 894..." Heller said, standing beneath Little Tree and looking at Zhang Tie. "Before formally igniting the Bright Points, Fortress Master, you should confirm once more the ignition sequence for those Bright Points from level nine to level ten. Once a mistake is made in cultivating an Emperor-level secret manual, you might be reduced to ashes in an instant