Fang Chen hesitated as he glanced at the Dragon Essence Fruits in front of him. He chuckled. "How can I possibly accept this?"

Qin Man waved his sleeve and lamented, "The martial world was once a place of honor and respect. But now, it has become treacherous. People are no longer as virtuous. The moral compass deteriorates day by day. You are one of the rare few I've known in the younger generation who is honest and upright. So please, accept my gift!"

"Brother Dongfang, all of them wanted to steal my Dragon Essence Fruits earlier and only you stood up to speak fairly. I am no miser. These fruits rightfully belong to you. Let them be infuriated!" added Wu Tai.

Miao Yan and his companions' faces grew increasingly grim. It was clear they were being deliberately humiliated.

Fang Chen nodded slightly as he accepted the Dragon Essence Fruits. "Well then, I shall not stand on ceremony."

He clasped his hands in farewell.

Qin Man and Wu Tai watched as he left. Only when Fang Chen's figure had completely vanished did Qin Man turn his gaze back to Miao Yan and his group.

"Why are you still here? Scram," he said coldly.

"We'll take our leave," responded Miao Yan.

He and his companions bade him farewell, their expressions dark with frustration.

As soon as they left, a burly middle-aged man and Xu Sijiu appeared from the shadows.

Xu Sijiu stared in the direction Fang Chen had departed, his expression complicated. "Just now, I had a feeling—as if Sword Leader Fang already knew we were nearby."

"I felt the same too," agreed Qin Man.

The four exchanged glances as they each sighed inwardly.

Fang Chen was far more mysterious than they had imagined. What the cultivators in the Central Continent knew about him was merely the tip of the iceberg.

Unlike them, they now had established an extraordinarily close relationship with the enigmatic Sword Leader Fang.

***

Several months passed, and one day, every Immortal Seedling in the Pitu Ruins heard the sound of a door opening.

"Return," it echoed.

In an instant, countless people vanished on the spot and when they reappeared, they were standing before the grand golden gate once again.

The crowd exchanged glances, their expressions growing heavy.

Of the hundred Immortal Seedlings who had entered the ruins, only a little over forty emerged alive.

As for the rest, they had clearly perished.

A Dao Union cultivator from the Golden Immortal Sect regarded them with an indifferent expression and asked, "Did you manage to obtain the Dragon Essence Fruits?"

One after another the Immortal Seedlings stepped forward to hand over the fruits. Some wore sour expressions, a mix of shame and frustration, as they had no fruits to turn in. These individuals had no choice but to pay the penalty fee.

However, many could not afford the hefty fees at the moment. As a result, they were detained on the spot while awaiting their families or sect elders to come and bail them out.

"The Golden Immortal Sect wishes to purchase any surplus Dragon Essence Fruits. Does anyone wish to sell?" asked the Dao Union cultivator, sweeping his gaze over the crowd.

Some cultivators chose to sell their fruits while others remained silent. Evidently, they had other plans in mind.

The Dao Union cultivator did not press further. After completing the procedures, he sent the group out of the area, where five Immortal Boats were already waiting.

The crowd boarded their respective Immortal Boats and parted ways.

Deacon Wang scanned the crowd and suddenly chuckled. "It seems your gains this time weren't too shabby, was it? Twenty had entered and sixteen returned alive. That's quite remarkable."

Miao Yan side-eyed Fang Chen and Wu Tai. He smiled faintly. "The Pitu Ruins are indeed dangerous. If we're talking about gains, I can't say there was much to be had. It was more of a rare training ordeal. After all, this is an immortal's ruin—a precious chance to come this close to an immortal."

"Haha, everyone says they've gained nothing when they come out. I've grown used to hearing it. But there's no need to worry. The Golden Immortal Sect has its rules. Since you've made it out alive, no one will dare to act against you at least until you reach Azure Blue Island," said Deacon Wang, smiling.

Then, he channeled his spiritual energy into the Immortal Boat to significantly increase its speed.

As they passed by an uninhabited island, Fang Chen requested Deacon Wang to stop there for a secluded cultivation session.

Deacon Wang didn't refuse. He indifferently said, "If you wish to stay on this island, I won't stop you. However, you should know it's not Azure Blue Island—there are no rules there."

"Thank you for the reminder, Senior Wang," Fang Chen thanked him politely.

After that, he took off, flying toward the island.

About half an hour later, someone pierced through the sky and hovered above the uninhabited island, with a gaze as sharp as a hawk.

Meanwhile, a figure was sitting cross-legged on a reef near the sea. Waves crashed against the reef repeatedly, just narrowly missing soaking the figure's pants.

A cold smile appeared in Miao Yan's eyes as he transformed into a streak of light and descended behind the figure.

Fang Chen's face lit up with a faint smile, though he didn't turn around. "Brother Miao, did you miss me?"

"Since you didn't sell your Dragon Essence Fruits to the Golden Immortal Sect, I've come to ask if you're willing to sell them to me. I can offer you a price slightly higher than theirs. If you had refused to sell to them, it must be because the price they offered was too low. Selling to me seems like a perfect solution," proposed Miao Yan casually.

"Brother Miao, have you ever considered that I might have deliberately lured you here?" asked Fang Chen curiously.

Miao Yan chuckled. He answered amusingly, "Of course I thought about it. But I can't imagine what leverage you could have to lure me out. Just because you're a sword cultivator?"

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Fang Chen's expression grew thoughtful. "So, it seems you've already spoken to those Golden Core Immortal Seedlings."

"Indeed, I have. When they told me you were a sword cultivator, I was quite surprised. But tell me, are all sword cultivators as arrogant as you? Knowing that I've been watching you, you still dared to come to this…" Miao Yan looked around briefly, "this desolate place. If I kill you here, no one will ever know, right?"

"Indeed." Fang Chen nodded lightly. "But I wonder—if you were to die here, would the one behind you, Immortal Golden Lion, know?"

Miao Yan's expression darkened instantly. "Are you insane or are you just messing around with me? Did you bring me here just to say such things?"

As he spoke, a sudden thought crossed his mind. His eyes darted around to scan his surroundings.

"Is this a trap set by Wu Tai? To use you as bait and set up an ambush around here?"

His gaze turned cautious, and he began retreating slowly as he remained hyper-vigilant of his surroundings.

At that moment, a flash of swordlight streaked through the air.

Miao Yan stared at a stationary Fang Chen in shock as a bloodstain surfaced on his forehead.

Miao Yan's face was full of unwillingness. "Why... I'm a Nascent Soul immortal Seedling...."

"Exactly. You're not an immortal; you're just an Immortal Seedling. Do you not understand the meaning of 'Seedling' yet?"

Fang Chen stood and walked over to Miao Yan's body to remove his ring. With a swift kick, he sent Miao Yan's corpse tumbling into the Immortal Demon Sea.

Then, he took out five hundred mid-grade spirit stones and stepped into the Three Thousand Dao Realm.

Not long after Fang Chen disappeared, a corpse floated up from the Immortal Demon Sea—it was Miao Yan.

The eyes of the lifeless Miao Yan suddenly snapped open wide. With a leap, he flew back onto the reef. His gaze turned dark as he surveyed the surroundings. After a moment, he frowned and muttered to himself, "Killing my incense disciple? Does he not know to respect the master before striking his dog?"

A few breaths later, Miao Yan let out a cold snort and then collapsed onto the ground once more, his body completely devoid of life.