"Is the fruit ripe?" Li Qingxian asked.
"It's ripe."
"Mother said we can pick it."
"I'll help you."
Chen Sanwa turned around and waved his right hand. His branch-like sleeve extended dense, tentacle-like feelers into the canopy and plucked the Baby Ginkgo Fruit.
Li Qingxian held it in his hand and gently stroked it. It felt like a child's skin, making every hair on his body stand on end. He hurriedly stored it in the Heaven-and-Earth Bracelet.
Where the Baby Ginkgo Fruit had been, a five-petaled lotus bloomed, and a green fruit slowly grew.
Within the ginkgo tree's translucent roots, a grayish-yellow current flowed upward and entered the trunk.
Li Qingxian suddenly flushed crimson. A hot current swelled in his chest, and mana surged wildly through his body.
"I'm about to advance to Seventh Rank. Everyone, help guard me!"
After speaking, Li Qingxian sat cross-legged on the spot. Mana churned around him, fierce winds swept past, grass blades rolled like waves, and ripples spread across the nearby pool.
Chen Sanwa stepped forward and stood between Li Qingxian and the others.
The branch armor around him spread in every direction, eventually forming a ten-foot wall of branches that cut Li Qingxian off from everyone.
"No one may approach!" Chen Sanwa narrowed his eyes at the crowd.
Sensing the eerie aura emanating from Chen Sanwa, no one dared make a rash move.
Wang Buwu said, "No one move. He won't harm Ye Han."
The group waited quietly. They could feel Li Qingxian's aura growing stronger and stronger, while Chen Sanwa's aura also rose step by step.
Before long, they heard the sound of ocean waves crashing against the shore and exchanged glances.
"This... sounds like the flow of qi channels, doesn't it?"
"This Ye Han has hidden himself deeply. With mana surging