"Mu Jiao? What's he doing here?"
While Jiang Yuan was still stunned, Xuanshan Clan had already recognized who had come. It was Mu Jiao, the son of Mu Longbo, who had tried to eat Jiang Yuan in the East Sea all those years ago—a rare heaven-and-earth variant.
"Probably wants to use you to find out how I'm doing."
After a moment's thought, Jiang Yuan guessed why Mu Jiao had come to see Xuanshan Clan.
If he remembered correctly, Mu Jiao planned to raise him as an Exotic Fruit. Now that a hundred years had passed, of course he'd come to check on the fruit—to see whether it had ripened and was ready to be picked.
"He's far too persistent. It's been a hundred years, and he still hasn't forgotten about it."
Xuanshan Clan said helplessly. He, too, thought Mu Jiao had come because of Jiang Yuan.
"There are plenty of chances to awaken the bloodline of an Innate God or Devil, but not many chances to transform into one. A person might go their entire life without encountering such an opportunity."
"Now Mu Jiao's been blessed with a miraculous opportunity from Heaven. He hasn't had to do a thing, and it's practically fallen right into his lap. How could he give it up?"
"If Heaven gives you a gift and you refuse it, you'll only bring trouble upon yourself. If he lets me go, I'm afraid he'll spend the rest of his life tormented by regret."
Jiang Yuan could understand Mu Jiao's state of mind. It was like a dying man spotting a lifeline—how could he possibly give it up? He'd grasp it with everything he had.
"You really do sympathize with him, as if you weren't the one he had his eye on."
Xuanshan Clan couldn't help laughing. Jiang Yuan was quite good at putting himself in someone else's shoes.
"Because I've got my eye on him too, it's easy to put myself in his place." Jiang Yuan glanced excitedly toward the door and said to Xuanshan Clan, "Ancestor, open the door and let him in."
"Doesn't he want to find out how I'm doing? Then I'll let him see for himself what I'm like now."
Mu Jiao wanted to learn about him, but Jiang Yuan wanted to learn about Mu Jiao just as much. This was a two-way test. Only by gauging each other's strength could they choose the right moment to strike.
"Come in!"
Xuanshan Clan didn't think Mu Jiao would dare attack Jiang Yuan among the Human Race, so he welcomed him in without hesitation.
Mu Jiao had planned to exchange pleasantries with Xuanshan Clan, then tactfully ask him about Jiang Yuan. But to his surprise, the moment he walked in, he saw the figure he'd been dreaming of.
"Your Highness, we meet again."
Jiang Yuan greeted him with a cheerful smile. One glance was all it took to confirm Mu Jiao's cultivation: Heavenly Immortal, Sixth Heaven.
Compared with the realms before ascension, the realms after becoming an immortal were divided very differently. They were no longer traditionally split into early, middle, late, and peak stages. Instead, each realm was divided into twelve heavens.
Thus, the three realms of Heavenly Immortal, Taiyi Realm, and Daluo Realm were also known as the Thirty-Six Heavens of the Great Dao.
"Heavenly Immortal, Sixth Heaven? The gap's still a bit too large."
Jiang Yuan considered this quietly. With the foundation he had now, even though he hadn't yet become an immortal, immortals at the second or third heaven of the Heavenly Immortal Realm were no longer his match.
Only Heavenly Immortals at the fourth heaven or above could threaten him. Unfortunately, Mu Jiao was at that very level.
If they fought to the death now, Jiang Yuan had no confidence he would win. He could only be sure he'd survive. So this wasn't the time to strike at Mu Jiao—not until he'd at least reached the Heavenly Immortal Realm.
"Void Refining Realm, peak?"
"What astonishing speed!"
"But that's a good thing. If he takes several thousand years to become an immortal, wouldn't I have to wait several thousand years?"
Seeing Jiang Yuan's current cultivation, Mu Jiao was startled.
Fortunately, he'd been cautious enough to check on the Exotic Fruit regularly. Otherwise, it might have ripened without him even knowing.
The Heavenly Immortal Realm was the standard Mu Jiao had set for ripeness. The moment Jiang Yuan became a Heavenly Immortal, his Exotic Fruit would be ripe.
Mu Jiao had thought that no matter how gifted Jiang Yuan was, reaching the Heavenly Immortal Realm and meeting the standard for ripeness would take at least a thousand years of arduous cultivation. So he hadn't been in any hurry.
But he hadn't expected Jiang Yuan to be so talented. In just over a hundred years, he'd reached the peak of the Void Refining Realm, only half a step away from becoming an immortal.
At this rate, it would take him fifty years at the shortest, or a hundred at most, to transcend the void and become an immortal.
This was both good news and bad news.
The good news was that Mu Jiao wouldn't have to wait long for the Exotic Fruit to ripen.
The bad news was that Jiang Yuan was cultivating too quickly. If Mu Jiao didn't keep a close eye on him, things could easily slip out of control. Then he'd lose everything, and all his efforts would come to nothing.
"So it's Daoist Yuan. I was just looking for you. I invited you to visit the Dragon Palace before, so why didn't you come?"
Mu Jiao put on a stern expression and pretended to scold him. He had been entirely sincere when he invited Jiang Yuan to visit the Dragon Palace.
Before an Exotic Fruit ripened, its owner naturally had to cherish it and protect it from harm. That was why Mu Jiao had invited Jiang Yuan to the Dragon Palace.
He worried that Jiang Yuan wasn't valued among the Human Race and lacked the resources to cultivate, so he'd wanted to bring him to the Dragon Palace and lend him a hand, speeding up the process of ripening.
Unfortunately, Mu Jiao's invitation had vanished into the sea without a trace, and he'd never received a reply. Otherwise, why would he have made the trip himself?
"After returning from the East Sea, I went straight into seclusion. I only came out recently. I truly didn't mean to reject Your Highness's kindness."
Jiang Yuan spoke with an apologetic expression.
"So you were cultivating. Then I was the one in the wrong—I shouldn't have disturbed you." Mu Jiao apologized as well. But then he changed tack and continued with another invitation:
"Let bygones be bygones. This time, I've come to invite you in person. You absolutely mustn't refuse."
Mu Jiao felt he couldn't wait any longer. Jiang Yuan was already showing signs of slipping out of his control, so he had to trick him out of the Human Race as soon as possible. Once they were outside the Human Race, he'd have plenty of ways to handle him.
"I'm afraid I can't. The Human Ancestors have ordered that I'm not to leave the Human Race before becoming a Heavenly Immortal."
Jiang Yuan knew exactly what Mu Jiao was thinking. If he really left with him, who knew whether he'd live or die? So he directly invoked Ancestor Sui to refuse.
"I see!"
Since Jiang Yuan had even brought up Ancestor Sui, Mu Jiao couldn't say much. But he wasn't willing to give up just like that, so he continued asking:
"What resources are you missing to become a Heavenly Immortal? If I have them, I can lend them to you now. You can pay me back later."
He asked the question, but he'd already made up his mind: no matter what Jiang Yuan was missing, he'd turn the Dragon Palace upside down to gather it for him.
Actually, Mu Jiao had wanted to give the resources to him outright, but he was afraid that would make Jiang Yuan suspicious. So he called it a loan.
"Then that works out perfectly. Your Highness actually has the resource I need. To become a Heavenly Immortal, I'll need Nine Sons' Essence Blood—the more, the better."
"Would Your Highness be willing to help?"
"I've managed to save up a little over the years, so I won't ask you to help for nothing."
The moment Mu Jiao finished speaking, Jiang Yuan perked up and eagerly replied.
How could he have forgotten about Mu Jiao, this perfect sucker? After all, the person who wanted him to break through to the Heavenly Immortal Realm most wasn't Jiang Yuan himself—it was Mu Jiao.