Stranger Danger

Time passed quickly. For a teatime, Mountain Tunneling King had kowtowed, begged, and screamed until his voice was hoarse. During this time, Ye Qing simply watched with a smile on his face.

It wasn’t until Mountain Tunneling King was curled up like a worm, and his heart was full of despair that Ye Qing finally tapped his forehead with a finger.

The pain immediately receded like a tidal wave. Before he knew it, he had left hell behind and returned to humanity.

At that moment, Mountain Tunneling King grew limp as if every ounce of strength had been sucked out of his body. Besides panting, he was so exhausted he couldn’t even lift a finger.

“Just this once, I’ll forgive you,” Ye Qing said indifferently while rising to his feet.

“Thank you, young master! You are most merciful, young master!”

Despite his exhaustion, Mountain Tunneling King climbed to his feet and pressed his forehead against the ground. If he wasn’t terrified of Ye Qing before, he is now.

“There won’t be a second chance.” Ye Qing planted his foot on Mountain Tunneling King’s head and said, “Do understand that my benevolence and patience are limited.”

“I understand! I understand! If my loyalty toward you ever waver again, may my soul face true death and scatter into nothing!”

Although Ye Qing was stepping on his head, Mountain Tunneling King did not dare to feel resentful or angry, much less swear bloody vengeance. He did not even dare to think poorly of the man in front of him. That was how much he feared Ye Qing right now.

“Remember what you said.” Ye Qing finally removed his right foot from Mountain Tunneling King’s head and said, “Rise.”

“Thank you, young master. Thank you!”

As Mountain Tunneling King climbed to his feet, he realized that his fatigue and weakness had suddenly disappeared as soon as Ye Qing removed his foot from his head. It was almost as if everything he experienced earlier was but a dream. This discovery only caused him to grow more fearful and respectful of Ye Qing, of course.

The duo finally resumed their journey after the little interlude, but they didn’t go far before Mountain Tunneling King suddenly called out, “Young master, look.”

A middle-aged man dressed like a Taoist and surrounded by white feathers was rushing toward a floating island. He was wearing a feather hat as well.

“That’s White Crane Taoist, young master. He’s a Grandmaster and more or less on the same level as me.”

Just like him, White Crane Taoist was a Grandmaster who wasn’t strong enough to appear on the Earth Champions Ranking. An independent warrior who roamed the northern lands, Mountain Tunneling King had become acquainted with him during a chance encounter.

White Crane Taoist had noticed them as well, but he paid them no attention whatsoever. He simply sped up and flew even faster toward the floating island.

A massive tree was growing on that island. It was translucent and shiny as if it was carved out of crystal, and there were books hanging off its branches.

The books looked more or less the same, but the aura they gave off were drastically different. Some books felt like it had survived countless centuries, some felt mysterious and full of Dao, some were majestic and awe-inspiring, some were singing Brahma mantras as if they were in a classroom, some were overflowing with demonic qi and more.

The book at the top of the tree was what really caught everyone’s attention. It was colorful and overflowing with radiance. It was clearly extraordinary.

Mountain Tunneling King stared at the tree for a moment when suddenly, his eyes widened with dawning realization. “Is… Is that the Magia Tree?”

“It is!”

Ye Qing was just as stunned. He wasn’t expecting to encounter the legendary Magia Tree in this place.

The Magia Tree was a Disaster-class Stranger that was born in accordance with the Heavenly Way. It took three hundred years for it to grow into a tree, three hundred years to flower, and three hundred years to fruit. Shaped like books, each fruit contained the Heavenly Way’s Magia. Those who consumed it would gain its Magia[1].

For obvious reasons, the Magia Tree was exceedingly rare. Generally speaking, it only appeared in places blessed with natural beauty and favored by heaven and earth. During the first half of its incredibly long life cycle, it was incredibly fragile and easily damaged. But once it fruited, it would do a one-eighty and become incredibly powerful. Its value was immeasurable.

Of course, obtaining a Magia Fruit wasn’t as simple as plucking it from its branches. First, all challengers must withstand the Magia Tree’s trials. Second, not all Magia Fruits were made equal. Some were potent, some were weak, some were great, and some were actively detrimental to its user. For example, a potent Magia Fruit could summon the wind, call the rain, split skies and rip the ground apart, whereas a weak one might not even be able to leave a scratch on a stone. A great Magia Fruit could extend one’s lifespan and evolve one’s martial way, whereas a bad one could cause a deviation and even kill them.

Worse, it was impossible to determine the effects of a Magia Fruit based on their appearance or their aura. A Magia Fruit with a gorgeous exterior and a potent aura might not necessarily be potent or beneficial, just as one with a poor exterior and a weak aura might not necessarily be weak or detrimental. In short, it was a gamble. If you were lucky, then you might gain some of the most powerful Magias in the world. If not, then you might not live to see tomorrow’s sun.

Legend has it that a man named Dragon Elephant Monk once consumed a Magia Fruit that gave him a Dragon Elephant Prajna Magia. Said to be the greatest power beneath a Sage, it gave him enormous strength and allowed him to move mountains like nothing. He was ranked fifteen on the Earth Champions Ranking because of this.

There was also a legend of the opposite flavor. Three hundred years ago, there was a demonic heretic called Sunken Sword. He was a Half-Sage who was one step away from becoming a Sage, and at the time, there were few people strong enough to stop him from doing whatever the hell he wanted. Somehow, he managed to obtain a Magia Fruit, and he consumed it in hopes of breaching the last wall that was blocking his path to sagehood.

What happened next was probably worse than death itself. His powers began fading rapidly, and cultivation receding like a tidal wave. In just a single day, he had declined from a Half-Sage all the way to a Vessel Augmentor. Naturally, his ending wasn’t a kind one. He was tortured to death by his enemies.

Long story short, a Magia Fruit was magical, and it was completely up to the heavens whether you would get something good or bad out of it.

Finally, a warrior could only consume one Magia Fruit their whole life. Eating more than one was pointless because it wouldn’t grant them anymore boons. Besides that, a Magia Fruit must be consumed within nine breaths after they were plucked, or its air of Dao would dissipate, and the Magia it contained would disappear. It would be no different from an ordinary fruit.

This was also why White Crane Taoist did not feel any hostility toward Ye Qing or Mountain Tunneling King. After all, each person could only consume one Magia Fruit once in their life, and the Magia Fruits only retained its magic nine breaths after they were plucked. Therefore, it was completely pointless to try and monopolize them.

As Ye Qing and Mountain Tunneling King were communicating with each other, White Crane Taoist was getting closer and closer to the floating island. He was also growing increasingly cautious.

When he arrived at the floating island, the Magia Tree shivered despite the fact that there was no wind in the area, and the magia Fruits began shining much brighter than usual. For a time, the middle-aged man felt like he had stepped into dreamland.

The next moment, one Magia Fruit slowly unfurled itself as if a wind had spread its pages. Then, a rain appeared out of nowhere and fell straight toward White Crane Taoist.

The rain was no ordinary rain, however. Each droplet was a deadly sword qi that could turn even a Grandmaster like White Crane Taoist into a pincushion if he wasn’t careful. For a time, sword qi filled the sky with wrathful power.

White Crane Taoist stopped in his tracks and brought his full power to bear. His feathers transformed into two fishes, and they slowly chased each other’s tail and swam in a circle, forming a tai chi symbol.

The rain of sword qi was deadly, but they barely made an inch into the tai chi circle before they were neutralized or bounced away. Several breaths later, the Magia Fruit closed itself, and the rain of sword qi vanished like it never happened.

This was the Magia Tree’s trial. Each Magia Fruit contained a Magia of sorts, and only those who successfully weather its trials all the way to the Magia Tree would be allowed to pluck them.

Some people thought to discern the potency and effects of a Magia Fruit through its trial, but unfortunately, it turned out to be a dud. What they saw wasn’t necessarily the truth. A Magia Fruit could launch a hail of swords at a challenger, but it did not mean that its Magia was related to swords at all.

White Crane Taoist did not dispel his tai chi circle after blocking the rain of sword qi. He simply sped up and got closer to the Magia Tree.

Just ten meters later, another Magia Fruit unfolded its pages and caused thirty six soybeans to fall from the sky. The moment they hit the ground, they immediately transformed into thirty six warriors who were clad in golden armor.

1. Devil fruit basically. ☜

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