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Seeing the earnest look on Xu Le's face, Chi Xiao knew he truly had not understood her hint.

No specific person or thing?

That fellow must have hidden himself.

Besides, surviving the Red Moon Calamity and becoming a Warlock should already have been enough upheaval for Xu Le.

Chi Xiao lifted her head slightly and raised an eyebrow.

"Tell me about everyone you've met over the past few days."

"Everyone?"

"Yes, everyone."

Although Xu Le did not understand why Chi Xiao wanted this, he complied.

He had no choice. Under someone else's roof, he had to bow his head.

Then Xu Le listed everyone he had definitely interacted with: Old Zhou, Old Zhou's wife and daughter, the Night Watchers squad, the Warlock Gan, the Guard, Zhang Zhe, and Wang Man.

He described their backgrounds and every encounter in detail.

But after hearing about them, Chi Xiao merely shook her head, a little puzzled.

None of them. None of these people could have made Xu Le a Forbidden Warlock.

You've hidden yourself well!

"Anyone else?"

"No. Really, that's everyone."

Xu Le's brow furrowed. He had only transmigrated a little over two days ago. Those really were all the people he had met.

"Think again. Think carefully."

Xu Le hesitated.

"There aren't any more people. But if I had to name something, I also met a black cat. Every time I met it, my luck got a little better. It also had something to do with me becoming a Warlock."

"A black cat?"

"Yes, a black cat. About this long and this tall, black all over, with bright green eyes. Is there something wrong with it, Lady Chi Xiao?"

Xu Le gestured to show the black cat's size as he questioned Chi Xiao.

Hearing how Xu Le addressed her, Chi Xiao briefly lost herself in thought.

Although she tried hard to conceal it, Xu Le still caught the flicker of reminiscence in her eyes.

Was there something special about the title "Lady Chi Xiao"?

Chi Xiao did not answer Xu Le. She merely paced around a few times.

"So it was a black cat!"

Chi Xiao drew a deep breath, as though expressing a wistful feeling, or as though she had found an answer that freed her from something.

The black cat... could there be something wrong with it?

Xu Le did not know, nor did he dare ask. Besides, his gaze was moving up and down with Chi Xiao's deep breathing.

"Where are you looking?"

"Huh? Nowhere. That's a nice tree."

Xu Le pointed at the Gundo Mother Tree.

Really, he was not making things up. He genuinely thought the Gundo Mother Tree was rather nice.

It gave them a very special environment and even rewarded them with fruit. What a wonderful tree!

Under Chi Xiao's stare, Xu Le lowered his head guiltily. Chi Xiao gave a soft snort but did not pursue the matter of him sneaking looks at her chest.

Her mind was not on Xu Le at all now, but on that black cat.

"Lady Chi Xiao, is there something special about that black cat?"

"It's just an ordinary black cat. Don't overthink it."

Ordinary, my ass! You questioned me this far, and now you're telling me not to overthink it?

Anyone normal would overthink it, okay?

Xu Le was actually quite curious about that black cat himself.

Every time it appeared, it brought him some luck, and it had also been connected to his advancement to Warlock.

Perhaps the black cat itself was an extraordinary creature?

Could it be Chi Xiao's lost pet?

When Xu Le looked at Chi Xiao again, he saw that she had already taken out the Metal Fruit she had just obtained. She seemed to want to eat it here, but was hesitating.

She looked at Xu Le and suddenly spoke.

"Xu Le, have you heard people say that everyone can only eat one Talent Fruit, but Warlocks can eat multiple Guyinduo Fruits?"

Xu Le paused. He did seem to have heard that.

"I have. Can you really only eat one? If someone's a Warlock, do you know a way for them to eat more fruits, Lady Chi Xiao?"

The power of Guyinduo Fruits was truly formidable, as the effects of those innate abilities made clear.

Even someone who was not a Warlock could possess power on par with one if they had a fruit.

If someone was already a Warlock, then eating a fruit, or even several fruits, would raise their power to an unimaginable level.

Xu Le had already eaten a Guyinduo Fate Fruit, if that counted as an innate ability.

In that case, he should not be able to eat any more fruits.

Yet no matter how he looked at Chi Xiao, she seemed about to eat the Metal Fruit.

Logically, she should already have eaten a Fate Fruit too.

Could she still eat more? If so, how?

Xu Le felt a surge of anticipation!

Chi Xiao saw the anticipation in Xu Le's eyes and did not keep him guessing.

"There are indeed ways to eat multiple fruits."

"What are they?"

"I follow the principle of equivalent exchange. Since I've obtained the information I wanted from you, and acquired the Metal Fruit with your help, I'll give you items or assistance of equal value in return. The methods for eating multiple fruits can be part of that exchange. Do you agree?"

Xu Le froze. There was such a good deal?

He would not claim to be selflessly devoted to others, but he had not intended to ask for a reward when he warned Chi Xiao earlier.

Yet now Chi Xiao was actually promising to help him.

Equivalent exchange!

"I agree."

"Good. There are three ways to eat multiple fruits.

"The first is to eat Heart Energy Fruits and gain power from heart energy.

"This is what most Warlocks with resources do.

"The heart energy in fruits is safer and purer than heart energy absorbed from the outside world. It's the perfect aid for cultivation.

"The second is to eat Homologous Fruits. This method is also risk-free.

"For example, someone whose primary fruit is an Upper-Tier Metal Fruit can eat other Lower-Tier Metal Fruits, such as iron, lead, copper, and so on.

"Someone with an upper-tier Azure Dragon Fruit can also eat other lower-tier Dragon-Type or Wyvern-Type Fruits."

Chi Xiao paused there, and Xu Le obligingly asked at once.

"And the third?"

"The third is Guyinduo Fate. Anyone who controls Guyinduo Fate Power can eat additional Guyinduo Fruits. Because your soul shares the same origin as Guyinduo, theoretically, you can keep eating them without limit, provided your soul is strong enough."

Xu Le was stunned by that answer!

Eat them without limit? Wouldn't that make you invincible?

"There's no limit in theory, but there are limits in practice, right? Like what you said about needing a sufficiently strong soul."

"Correct. Guyinduo Fate already takes up an enormous amount of soul power. Although it also expands our soul worlds and allows us to come here, normally, someone with Guyinduo Fate can only eat one additional fruit. That is Guyinduo's gift to us."

Only then did Xu Le understand the various restrictions involved.

He looked at the Metal Fruit in Chi Xiao's hand and suddenly realized why she had hesitated.

"Normally, we can only eat one additional fruit. So the one in your hand is outside the norm? It's your second additional fruit?"

"Yes."

With that, Chi Xiao brought the Metal Fruit to her lips and bit into it.

Crunch!

The Metal Fruit really did make the sound of clashing metal, and that sound continued as Chi Xiao chewed.

Right there in front of Xu Le, Chi Xiao ate the Metal Fruit bite by bite.

Until it was gone.

Xu Le backed away a few steps. Watching Chi Xiao stand utterly motionless, he felt an inexplicable unease.

She hasn't died, has she?

Suddenly, the ground beneath Chi Xiao warped, and the entire earth of the Gundo Mother Tree Realm seemed to tremble.

Chi Xiao's body suddenly looked as though it had been covered in a mosaic.

Cubes erupted from her body and expanded.

These cubes kept spreading and breaking apart, gradually becoming smaller, finer cubes.

Finally, they became extremely tiny particles with a metallic sheen.

The metal particles dispersed, gathered, and condensed back into Chi Xiao's form.

As the particles transformed her wooden mechanical fingers, they quickly took on a metallic color. Her entire hand lost its previous mechanical appearance, becoming much smoother.

Overall, her hand looked more like a normal human hand.

Chi Xiao held her fingers before her eyes and moved them nimbly.

A smile blossomed across her face.

Xu Le felt that this was how someone her age ought to look.

Then Chi Xiao seemed to realize something. She turned to glance at Xu Le and immediately suppressed her smile.

Her face became expressionless again.

"It's about time. We need to go back."

"Go back? How?"

"Leave this place and walk into the darkness. Then you can go back."

Hearing Chi Xiao's answer, Xu Le remembered the few people he had encountered when he first arrived.

They all seemed to have already collected their rewards.

In the end, Chi Xiao had been the only one left.

He had only gone to sleep after being checked by the Guard, so he had arrived very late.

"Lady Chi Xiao, will the next time we come here be during the Red Moon Calamity three months from now?"

"Yes, but there's a prerequisite."

"What prerequisite?"

"You're not dead."

"Ah, well..."

Chi Xiao paid Xu Le no further attention. She passed him and quickly walked into the darkness.

Xu Le was left alone in the Gundo Mother Tree Realm.

Xu Le looked at the Ice Element Fruit in his hand and smacked his forehead.

"Damn, I forgot to ask how to take this thing out."

Xu Le pondered. This should be the world within a dream, so how was he supposed to take a fruit out of it?

Without an answer, he wandered around the Mother Tree Realm for quite a while longer.

In the end, with no other option, he could only helplessly clutch the fruit and walk into the darkness!

Gasp!

Xu Le jolted awake and glanced at the clock on the wall. Only a little over four hours had passed.

He had not slept for very long.

Wait, where was the fruit he had brought back?

Xu Le abruptly sat up. The pressure and cold against his chest reassured him considerably, while also stirring a faint sense of anticipation.

He reached inside his clothes.

Sure enough, the Ice Element Fruit was tucked against his chest.

Xu Le took out the Ice Element Fruit and held it in his hand. Even in the real world, it kept emitting cold air.

Xu Le hefted it. It weighed about as much as an apple.

So here was the question: should he eat it now?