Chapter 25: Robbery!

The two sect leaders of the Xuanyue Sect and the Crouching Tiger Gate clearly intended to join forces. Although they were not friends, their unspoken cooperation in the face of such a powerful mental-type fruit was remarkably seamless.

The leader of the Xuanyue Sect was shrouded in spiritual Qi, which condensed into various shifting phantoms. The martial arts he practiced were varied and confusing to the eye. The leader of the Crouching Tiger Gate was even more surprising: his aura, which had been at the first grade of the Jindan Realm, surged with the majestic pressure of a second-grade Jindan as a fierce tiger phantom materialized behind him.

The display triggered a wave of frantic gasps from the onlookers.

However, just as everyone believed the leader of the Crouching Tiger Gate was about to secure the fruit, a branch on the Soul-Breaking Fruit Tree twitched ever so slightly. It was a minor movement, yet it instantly unleashed an unparalleled, invisible shockwave that shattered the combined attack of the two leaders!

Bang! Bang!

Following two muffled booms, these two regional giants who were famous for a thousand miles were sent flying backward. They collapsed like dead dogs, their bodies twitching violently as blood sprayed from their mouths.

This scene left every expert present in a state of shock. Even those with cultivation bases stronger than the leader of the Crouching Tiger Gate withdrew their greedy thoughts, forcibly suppressing their impulse to charge forward. They were simply no match; even if the opponent was a mere tree!

At that moment, however, Lu Jin suddenly felt the energy within the fruit tree begin to sharply decline.

Wait.

He frowned, surprised by this sensation. He had never felt anything like it before, yet now he felt as if his mind were in sync with the tree before him.

“The Soul-Breaking Fruit grows stronger when it senses greed and delusion in a person’s heart. But when it faces someone who is calm, peaceful, and devoid of desire, it will actively withdraw its mental power. Do you understand?”

Empress Qinglian’s voice rang out once more, and Lu Jin suddenly understood.

So the Soul-Breaking Fruit is this miraculous? That means when those people saw the previous challengers get hurt and pulled back their greed, the tree reacted by withdrawing its mental defenses as well.

“That is the gist of it: it grows stronger when met with strength,” Empress Qinglian said indifferently. “So, do you know how to take it now?”

Lu Jin nodded. “There is no difficulty left then.”

He leaped down from the green rock, retracting every bit of his aura. Step by step, he walked toward the branch where the Soul-Breaking Fruit hung. The onlookers were baffled by his behavior, and some even began to mock him.

“Is this kid suicidal? Did he not see the miserable fate of those two sect leaders?”

“What an oddball! He has no spiritual Qi surrounding him, yet he dares to approach the fruit?”

“The branch holding that lone fruit contains the most majestic power. If he had some method of attacking from behind, he might have a chance, but he’s walking straight at it.”

The voices of the crowd were a mix of confusion and malicious glee. However, before they could finish their sentences, they watched in shock as Lu Jin drew closer to the fruit: the tree showed absolutely no reaction.

Those who attacked were met with a violent counter: yet to this man who approached quietly, the tree was as still as a statue.

The realization hit some of the experts immediately. They retracted their auras and began to run forward, hoping to intercept the fruit before Lu Jin could reach it.

“Brat, the Soul-Breaking Fruit is mine!”

“I have to thank you for showing me how to pluck it!”

Swish!

Three powerful experts blurred past Lu Jin. They emitted no spiritual fluctuations, having clearly noticed the pattern. However, just as the first man reached out to snatch the fruit, the second man couldn’t hold back his greed: a wave of spiritual Qi erupted from his palm as he struck at the man in front of him.

In that instant, the Soul-Breaking Fruit Tree unleashed another violent mental shockwave.

Boom!

The three men were instantly swept away by the surge. The third man was particularly innocent: he hadn’t even reached for the fruit yet before the aftershock sent him tumbling.

“Heh. You are all too anxious; you’ll never attain the true path that way.”

Lu Jin watched them fly off with an expression of pure indifference. Behind him, the crowd that had been rushing forward froze in their tracks. Only Lu Jin remained composed as he reached out his hand. Under the watchful eyes of everyone present, the Soul-Breaking Fruit fell into his grasp.

It felt incredibly strange. It looked like a solid object, yet it felt weightless. Even the texture was ethereal and fleeting.

Is this the Soul-Breaking Fruit? Lu Jin frowned. Empress Qinglian, I have secured the fruit. What should I do next?

Lu Jin was at a loss for how to use it. Empress Qinglian remained a mystery to him despite their intimate connection. He felt like a transparent glass before her, with no secrets to keep, so he chose to ask her directly.

“Let’s go. Why are you still standing there?” the Empress replied coolly.

“Understood!” Lu Jin nodded, clutching the fruit as he prepared to leave.

“Brat, don’t you dare leave!”

“The Soul-Breaking Fruit belongs to me!”

“Hand it over quietly, and I might leave you with a whole corpse!”

“This kid has no spiritual fluctuations, yet he was favored by the tree. Interesting.”

“He’s just hiding his aura. You think anyone who makes it this far is a nobody? He must have some skill!”

“The Sect Master of the Spear Sect can’t wait to snatch the treasure from his hands!”

“The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Let them injure each other first, then we move!”

The scene descended into chaos as multiple factions intermingled. Some intended to strike immediately to seize the fruit from Lu Jin, while others chose to wait for an opening. Lu Jin knew how to get the fruit, which meant he wasn’t a nobody: attacking now might not be wise.

But in that heartbeat, before the Spear Sect Master could even move, a roar of pure rage echoed through the ravine!

“You bastard! You killed my son! I will leave you without a grave!”