A Bountiful Harvest of Spirit Fruits

Hearing Wang Dong's words, Huo Yuhao nodded and casually pulled the White Tiger Dagger from his storage Soul Tool. "That's true. We've been so busy dealing with question after question these past two days that I almost forgot we still had these treasures to open."

After speaking, Huo Yuhao lifted the whole string of fruits and said to Wang Dong, "You gave me a storage Soul Tool, and it wouldn't be right not to return the favor. Pick two from this string. Whatever comes out of them is yours."

Wang Dong's eyes lit up. It was not that she had noticed anything special about the fruits; she was simply fascinated by the thrill of opening blind boxes. She immediately began scrutinizing the dark, unremarkable fruits one by one.

"I want these two!" Wang Dong excitedly pointed at two of the fruits. Without hesitation, Huo Yuhao cut them open and placed them before her.

"Alright, I'll finish opening mine first, then we'll open yours." Huo Yuhao smiled at Wang Dong and spun the White Tiger Dagger in his hand, preparing to begin.

However, Wang Dong watched his movements and discussed it with him. "Yuhao, when we open mine later, can I do it myself? I want to experience the joy of opening blind boxes too!"

Huo Yuhao nodded, then slowed his movements as he cut into the fruit. "Sure. Watch what I do carefully, so you don't damage what's inside and waste it."

As he spoke, Huo Yuhao first rotated the fruit in his hand, locating the lines in its shell. Then he pressed the edge of the White Tiger Dagger against one of those lines.

The blade followed the line around, quickly splitting the fruit apart.

As the fruit opened, a burst of red light emerged from its shell. The crimson radiance carried a wave of warmth, bathing their faces in a cozy heat that felt exceptionally comfortable.

A look of surprise appeared on Wang Dong's face. "This is a Blazing Flame Fruit! A natural spiritual treasure that's extremely beneficial to fire-attribute Soul Masters!"

Huo Yuhao nodded and placed his hand on the other fruit. "This one feels faintly opposed to that one. If that was a Blazing Flame Fruit, then this one is probably..."

As he spoke, Huo Yuhao cut down once more. This time, icy blue light and a chill filled the entire dormitory.

Sure enough, it was an Ice Crystal Fruit.

There had been eight fruits in total. Wang Dong had chosen two, and Huo Yuhao had opened another two.

The remaining four fruits, still connected together, now piqued Wang Dong's interest.

Huo Yuhao no longer kept anything from Wang Dong and casually opened the third fruit. This time, no light spilled out. Instead, there was a green, scale-like crystal. When Huo Yuhao took it out, a dense medicinal smell filled both their noses.

Wang Dong frowned and covered her nose. "What is this? It isn't rotten, is it?"

Huo Yuhao shook his head. Even Wang Dong could not tell what it was, so naturally neither could he. He tossed it into his storage Soul Tool and said, "No idea. But it looks like there isn't always something good inside. There's also a chance of getting a bad fruit. This thing really is strange. They grew on the same vine, yet the differences can be this enormous."

Wang Dong replied, "So you bought this thing without even knowing where it came from?"

Huo Yuhao shrugged. "Wasn't I just hoping to hear your expert opinion?"

Wang Dong explained, "These are the fruits of a plant-type soul beast called the Twin Lotus Tree. It's a special plant-type soul beast that has formed a kind of symbiotic relationship with humans. Humans care for it and refrain from hunting it for Soul Rings."

"The fruits it bears contain the elements present in the nutrients humans provide it. Those elements condense into natural spiritual treasures, which it gives back to humans—or to other soul beasts willing to care for it."

"However, its fruits are very difficult to open. Without an exceptionally sharp dagger like yours, it's hard to break them open with bare hands without damaging what's inside. That's why almost no soul beasts are willing to care for this kind of soul beast. Only humans have the patience to slowly obtain natural spiritual treasures from it."

Huo Yuhao inwardly grumbled. Why did this sound so much like one of those trading stations in games? Put in raw materials and get higher-tier products in return.

Still, grumbling aside, Huo Yuhao was quite satisfied with the two items that had appeared so far.

As for the third item, although its smell was rather strong, Huo Yuhao could tell it was no ordinary object. It might be some kind of poison, or perhaps a special healing treasure.

He reached for the fourth fruit. This one was particularly difficult to open, but when he finally did, there was nothing inside at all. It was completely empty.

Wang Dong curled her lips into a smile. "Yuhao, you really hit the jackpot this time."

Huo Yuhao's mouth twitched slightly. "You mean the sucker's jackpot, right? Looks like my luck is having some problems. You open yours first!"

Wang Dong smiled even more brightly at his words and pointed to herself. "Then I'll go first?"

Huo Yuhao reversed his grip and held out the White Tiger Dagger to Wang Dong hilt-first. "Open two for me first and build up some luck. Let mine recover a little."

Wang Dong did not mind his reasoning. Eager to give it a try, she picked up one of the fruits she had chosen and studied the patterns for a long while, copying Huo Yuhao's actions. In the end, she helplessly set it back down.

Naturally, Huo Yuhao knew what Wang Dong was thinking. Covering his face in exasperation, he pointed at the direction of the lines.

Wang Dong chuckled, then swung the White Tiger Dagger down along the line Huo Yuhao had indicated.

The White Tiger Dagger sliced through the fruit shell as easily as cutting tofu, and Wang Dong separated it along the lines.

At once, a warm golden glow spread out. Wang Dong's heart gave a faint tremble, and she reached in to take out a hexagram-shaped spiritual treasure.

Excitement entered her voice. "I don't know what kind of spiritual treasure this is, but I can feel that it's highly compatible with my Martial Soul. With it, the process of fusing a Soul Bone may go even more smoothly for me."

Huo Yuhao nodded. "It does look pretty good. Hurry and try the other one. Maybe while your luck is hot, it'll open into something good too..."