Seizing an Opportunity

"Tell me, what were you saying about fruit and tokens?"

Yun Mo walked down from the cliff one step at a time. The coldness radiating from him seemed to take solid form, piercing the two men until they trembled all over. They could only swallow hard and retreat.

"Y-you stay back! Even if you kill us, we'll make you pay!" The two glanced at Yu Fang, who lay on the ground, his fate unknown. Their teeth chattered, and regret flooded their hearts.

Why did everyone they encountered possess such monstrous strength? First that woman in golden armor, and now this man!

"Were the three of you from the same academy?" Yun Mo stopped before Yu Fang, raised his foot, and stamped out his last hope. Having fought the Extraterritorial Evil Clan, finishing off fallen enemies had practically become a habit.

They gulped. "You!" Their gazes froze. They had never expected the man before them to be so ruthless, leaving no chance of survival.

"This is the Spirit Road. Anyone might make it to the end, but anyone might also be killed along the way. There's one thing, though: as long as those who know keep quiet, no one can find out how they died."

"What do you mean?" One of them steadied himself a little. He realized Yun Mo did not seem intent on killing them.

"Heh, the academy probably didn't treat you as well as this man, did it? Resources are limited. Now that he's dead, as talented students who entered the Spirit Road, you'll naturally become the academy's priority for training-as long as you survive to the end. You ought to thank me! Besides, didn't he tell you to hold someone off tomorrow even if it killed you? It seems you weren't worth much in his eyes, either."

Yun Mo chuckled, leaving the choice to the two men before him.

"What exactly do you want?" They were frightened, but they had to admit his words made sense-and were very tempting.

"What are your names?"

"I'm Tan Feng. He's Tan Yin."

"My name is Yun Mo. Follow me for now. You should repay me properly for helping you get rid of Yu Fang. Come on, tell me about the fruit you mentioned."

Yun Mo led them beneath a tree. There was no need to do everything himself on the Spirit Road. Wouldn't having a few lackeys be nice? If he ran into someone he disliked, he could simply unleash his lackeys and have them bite, sparing himself the trouble of walking alone only to have a few fools with a death wish jump out at him.

Tan Feng had ambitions, and he agreed with Yun Mo. As for Yu Fang's death, he could only blame himself for crossing someone he could not afford to offend. Besides, he had never treated the brothers as his own people.

"The three of us arrived on the Spirit Road not far from here. We hadn't walked long before we discovered a Nine-Leaf Fruit Tree." Tan Feng licked his lips, greed flashing in his eyes.

The Nine-Leaf Fruit Tree itself was not particularly valuable, but the nine fruits it bore were excellent. They were a sacred healing medicine, rumored to revive the dead and regrow flesh on bare bones.

Swallowing one would produce a mysterious power within the body. With that power protecting them, they would essentially no longer need to worry about external injuries on the Spirit Road.

"Then why didn't you pick the fruit?" Yun Mo smiled at his greedy expression.

"When you find a heavenly treasure like that, of course you keep it all for yourself if you can. But there was a damned woman beneath that tree!" Tan Yin said bitterly. He, too, accepted Yun Mo's reasoning. Yu Fang was dead, so be it. He was fine himself, and he could receive more training once he returned to the academy. That outcome was perfectly acceptable. As for avenging Yu Fang-who was Yu Fang?

"We went up to take the fruit, but she gave us a thorough beating. She sent Yu Fang flying with just one move, too." Tan Feng picked up where his brother left off, stealing a glance at Yun Mo. Both had defeated Yu Fang in a single move; he just did not know which of them was stronger.

"Is she still guarding it? She hasn't picked the fruit?" Yun Mo frowned, puzzled.

"Yes! That damned woman didn't take us seriously at all. Later, more people discovered the tree, and she even pulled a golden spear out of nowhere and started chasing people down to kill them!" Tan Yin nodded emphatically. Fear crept across his face as he recalled the scene. They had been like children in her hands, with almost no room to fight back, though that was partly because the woman had a weapon.

Everyone else was barehanded. Why had she been allowed to bring a weapon onto the Spirit Road? Had she exchanged something through her token?

"According to Yu Fang, the fruit won't fully ripen until tomorrow. That's when its effects will be strongest. She's probably planning to pick it all then."

"And what are these tokens?" Yun Mo continued.

"Huh? They're the Blood-Colored Tokens the Mirror of Judgment gave us when we first entered the Spirit Road. You can exchange them for things, and they're also the proof you need for the empowerment at the Spirit Road End. Only those who bring a token to the end qualify for Spiritual Energy Empowerment."

The corner of Yun Mo's mouth twitched, and he cursed inwardly. Why didn't I get one? The Mirror of Judgment never even appeared!

"Let me see your tokens."

Tan Feng smiled bitterly. "That woman took both of ours, along with Yu Fang's. That's the only reason we managed to escape."

Yun Mo rubbed his chin. "Take me there tomorrow. If there's a chance, we can't let her hog all the good stuff."

Tan Feng and Tan Yin exchanged a glance, excitement flashing in their eyes. They wanted that fruit as well, and they also wanted their tokens back.

They had to follow someone anyway. Besides, their new leader was far stronger than Yu Fang.

After deciding on tomorrow's route, Yun Mo sent his two lackeys into the mountain forest to find dinner. He leaned against a tree, pondering the spear they had mentioned.

Storage tools should not have worked on the Spirit Road, so how had her spear appeared? Was there another method?

He touched the Storage Ring on his finger.

Using a Storage Ring required spiritual power or soul power. Yet there was not a trace of spiritual energy on the Spirit Road. With his cultivation sealed, the former method was completely unworkable.

As for soul power, could that woman's soul have been unusually strong, allowing her to use her Storage Ring freely?

Or did she have some other means?

"This is troublesome. Do I really have to go collect stones tomorrow to use as hidden weapons? That would be far too shabby... Wait, the Mistveil... Flower!"

As Yun Mo pondered, inspiration suddenly flashed through his mind. He slapped his forehead. Truly, without coincidence there would be no story, and without fate there would be no meeting.

The juice within the Mistveil Flower's petals could enhance soul power. Perhaps he could use it to see whether strengthening his soul would let him access the contents of his Storage Ring.

Acting on the idea immediately, Yun Mo took out from his robes

the Mistveil Flower he had just picked.

Mist was gradually enveloping the Mistveil Flower. Its faintly visible purple petals made it look even more magnificent. It truly deserved its reputation as a spiritual flower that could preserve youthful beauty.

Yun Mo carefully plucked a petal. Its plumpness made his mouth water.

When he placed it in his mouth, a cool sweetness spread across his tongue. He bit down, and the juice burst out, its delicious flavor blooming on his tongue and leaving him unable to stop.

Yun Mo savored it carefully. He had never expected the flower's petals to taste like this.

But that was not the important part. As he sucked on the petal, he could feel with absolute clarity that some sort of protection was forming over his face. Even his soul was gradually growing stronger. The process was slow, but its effects were real.

Yun Mo plucked two more petals and swallowed them.

Thump!

At that moment, his soul seemed to break through some boundary, gradually becoming almost tangible. Although it could not leave his body, it had unquestionably reached a strength possessed only by Divine Soul Realm experts.

At that same moment, Yun Mo sensed that he could now directly refine Spirit Beast Essence.

"Tsk, opportunities really are what matter. If I'd stayed holed up in the academy cultivating, who knows how long this would've taken?" Yun Mo clicked his tongue.

With a thought, the Flexible Sword appeared in his hand. It was a High-grade Spirit Artifact, a little trinket Qing Yilun had given him, though he could only use it as an ordinary weapon for now.

"Now all that's left is to wait until tomorrow and grab the fruit."

"Brother Yun! The Nine-Leaf Fruit Tree is just ahead. That damned woman must still be there, too. What should we do?"

Tan Feng led Yun Mo to the entrance of a valley filled with a peach grove. Pink petals blanketed the place, dyeing the mountains in breathtaking colors.

Yun Mo smiled. With his soul having broken through, he could already sense that the valley ahead was bustling.

"Don't worry. We'll just go straight in. There are quite a few people inside."

When the three entered the valley and approached the fruit tree, they saw that its fruit was already shining with a golden luster. Without a doubt, it had fully ripened.

Yun Mo surveyed the area. More than a dozen figures were already there, but their eyes were not on the Nine-Leaf Fruit Tree's fruit. Instead, they were fixed on the young woman standing beneath it.

She was young, but already beautiful enough to compete with other beauties.

She wore a vivid red dress, its hem swaying like flames in the breeze. Golden armor adorned the dress, gleaming brilliantly. Her long hair cascaded like a waterfall, and her eyes shone like stars. The composure and confidence in her every movement seemed to speak of her nobility and elegance.

Even Yun Mo, observing her from a distance, could not help being drawn to her.

"You damned woman! You may be strong, but you're dreaming if you think you can keep all this fruit for yourself! You'd better take one fruit and get the hell out!"

Someone cursed loudly. Several of them had just tried attacking, only to be swept back by a single swing of the damned woman's spear. They had practically no chance to fight back.

But getting them to give up just like that was absolutely impossible!

The girl glanced at him. Her contempt nearly made him jump with rage, yet he did not have the courage to charge at her again. Just because she had spared him earlier did not mean she would let him off next time.

Yun Mo watched the scene with amusement. More than a dozen people had actually been cowed into submission.

If they attacked together, they would have a real chance of driving the girl away. But they remained wary of one another, each wanting all the fruit for himself, and so the situation had reached a complete stalemate.

"Brother Yun, what should we do?" Tan Feng eyed the girl in golden armor and a red dress fearfully. She was the one who had nearly slapped him to death yesterday.

"In a moment, you two go up and draw her attention. I'll circle around behind her and collect the fruit!"

"Huh? But we're no match for her!" Tan Yin was dumbfounded. Was Yun Mo sending them to their deaths?

"Didn't I give you something? All you need to do is go up and mock her. Insult everyone else while you're at it, too, so they focus on you. Once I've got the fruit, I'll toss you one, and then we'll run in different directions." Yun Mo slowly backed away, soon disappearing into the peach grove.

"Brother Yun..." Tan Yin was starting to regret this. The fruit was good, but they had to be alive to enjoy it. Who knew whether this newly acknowledged big brother was fooling them? If Yun Mo took the fruit and ran off, wouldn't they be finished?

"Fortune is found amid danger. I think we can take the gamble. If he really gives us the fruit, I wouldn't mind truly accepting him as our big brother." Tan Feng considered it. He was rather greedy, and with an opportunity right before his eyes, he was certainly willing to try.

Tan Yin gritted his teeth and steeled his heart.

"Then let's... give it a try!"