In the game "High Martial Arts," players start with the blessing of the Martial God.

Chapter 73 Pure Yuan Fruit Tree

While Ji Ming was assessing his own strength, the battle on the lawn in the Black Mystic Mountains was in full swing, but the true top geniuses from each city had not yet taken to the field.

Ji Ming watched for a while and then stopped paying attention.

Speaking of which, Gao Xin, who first proposed this match, is truly a talented person. Is he trying to make friends through martial arts?

It's not that simple!

They're trying to make a name for themselves!

After all, even the best wine needs advertising. During this period, almost all professional universities have already started their special recruitment programs, with numerous admissions officers spread across the country. If you can spread your name, you might receive an invitation from your dream school.

For example, Gu Yi, if he hadn't been so warlike, fighting wherever he went and becoming famous far and wide, how could he have so easily attracted so many academies and holy sites to come here?

Xia Guo is a huge country; even with so many admissions officers spread out, it's just a tiny ripple in the water!

Reputation is sometimes useless, and sometimes very useful.

Of course, Gu Yi did this not to gain fame. After all, his goal was the Eternal Night Star Palace. He wanted to be specially recruited by the four major star palaces. No matter how famous he was, it wouldn't matter!

There are only two types of special recruitment by the four star palaces: either Saint-level talent or the ability to do things that ordinary people cannot do, such as ascending to godhood!

Both of these have obvious potential, and although they may be unstable, they are worth the gamble. Only in this way can they be specially recruited by the Star Palace. As for the others, no matter how outstanding they are, they should honestly participate in the Star Realm Grand Examination!

Ji Ming pressed his hand on the virtual bracelet and entered the martial arts world to begin practicing his sword. He didn't know how long it would take for all the schools to arrive, so he couldn't be idle during this time.

When Gu Yi saw that Ji Ming had fallen silent while they were talking, he looked closely and couldn't help but show admiration. He was still too complacent!

Thus, they also entered the virtual martial arts world.

The surrounding classmates were speechless. They couldn't beat me, and they couldn't even win a fight against me?

They all began their training with renewed vigor, with Chen Jun being the most diligent!

It wasn't until evening that all the cities finally arrived, not because they were intentionally delayed, but because some cities were simply too remote.

Ji Ming also left the world of martial arts, looked at the results, and couldn't help but feel satisfied.

【Nine Luminaries Mystic Heaven Blade: lv.5 (99%)】

【Tai Xu Yi Xuan: Iv.6 (22%)】

[Number of moments of sudden enlightenment: 0 (94/100)]

The Nine Luminaries Heavenly Blade is about to break through to level 6, and the number of enlightenments will soon be full. Meanwhile, the Void Escape has been idling in the Dream Realm. Although it is not as effective as cultivating in his true body, it is still a very good result to make progress.

The Dream Realm Curse is truly a divine skill. If it weren't so dangerous, he would really want to go and exploit it again!

"Um----"

Ji Ming quickly shook his head, suppressing the suicidal thought from his mind.

At this moment, Zhou Youfei, the president of the Professionals Association of Yuhui City, flew into the air and said loudly, "Since all of you fellow Daoists have arrived, let's open the Qingxuan Secret Realm now!"

After he finished speaking, he nodded to the elderly men, who then stepped into the air to be level with him and stood on opposite sides.

Zhou You pointed a finger into the air, and the space instantly rippled with water-like patterns, revealing a small, dark dot.

Seeing this, Zhou You took out a crystal, a hint of heartache flashing in his eyes, and threw it into the black dot.

"boom!"

The mountain suddenly trembled, and rocks tumbled down. Everyone raised their energy shields, their expressions unchanged.

Once everything calmed down, the tiny black dot began to expand wildly until it formed a black vortex large enough for a person to enter and exit.

Zhou You breathed a sigh of relief. "This is the entrance and exit of the Azure Profound Secret Realm. It can only exist for a maximum of 7 days. You can come out at any time during these 7 days, but you cannot go back in after you come out."

He looked at the crowd and said, "The teachers and I will stay here until the end. Now, please enter one by one!"

At his signal, the students of Yuhui City entered the vortex. Zhou You then turned his gaze to Baichuan City and, amidst the surprised looks of the crowd, said, "Mayor Fang, let your people go in too!"

Go!

Fang Yuan nodded, not refusing, as going in earlier would still have advantages.

"Be careful!" he said to Ji Ming. As for Shangguan Yue, he believed that unless the secret realm suddenly collapsed, nothing could happen to her.

"clear!"

Ji Ming took a light breath and stepped into the spatial vortex first.

A sudden wave of intense dizziness washed over Ji Ming, and he lost all sense of direction and time. Fortunately, he quickly recovered and found himself standing on soft ground.

Ji Ming focused his mind and looked up. Before him was a dense forest that blocked out the sun, and further away, he could see a towering volcano whose scorching energy could be felt from miles away.

However, he paid no attention to these things. Instead, he reached out and grabbed forward, activating the Heaven and Earth Heart. The primordial energy of heaven and earth swirled and gathered in his palm. Before long, a drop of pale gray liquid appeared in front of him.

"Such abundant vitality!"

He couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. Although this drop of liquid was not exactly a primordial essence, it still had at least one-tenth of the effect. This was an astonishing thing.

"Is the spiritual energy in the secret realm always this rich?" Ji Ming asked with some envy. Why are these top-ranked cities always able to maintain their lead?

The secret realms accounted for a large part of the reason, but unfortunately, the concentration of spiritual energy in the Cold Moon Secret Realm was generally low, and it also gave birth to the spirit of the secret realm, so they could not enjoy this benefit.

"Don't even think about it. The ability of the secret realm to absorb and release primordial energy is far inferior to that of a true world like the Xuanhuang Realm. This primordial energy has been accumulated over thousands or even tens of thousands of years. It diminishes with each use and is difficult to replenish on its own."

Lost in thought, a sweet voice came from behind, and Shangguan Yue slowly walked over.

"Don't even think about staying here to gather your energy. Doing so will shorten the lifespan of the secret realm, and the people of Yuhui City will throw you out. Even Uncle Fang's influence won't help!"

Ji Ming nodded, then chuckled as he noticed the unfriendly gazes from the people of Yuhui City in the distance, and dispersed the droplet of Yuan Qi in his hand.

"Hehe, let's go! We can't move our vital energy, but we can take some rare and precious materials without any problem." Shangguan Yue covered her mouth and laughed.

"Will you come with me, or—" she asked.

"You go first!"

Ji Ming quickly spoke up.

Shangguan Yue nodded, not insisting, "Then be careful. This secret realm has not been fully explored, and there may be some hidden dangers."

Without pausing, a flying sword appeared beneath her feet, and she instantly rode it away.

Seeing this, Ji Ming was full of praise. To be honest, some of the methods of immortal cultivators were indeed first-class, but he was not envious. After breaking through the Tai Xu Yi Dun, he could use Rainbow Transformation for a long time. Whether it was speed or other aspects, it was no worse than flying on a sword.

As for now, let's just focus on getting on our way!

Ji Ming found the right direction and ran towards a certain place. In addition to the most important Qingxuan Jade Tablet, his Uncle Fang had also marked two other locations for him, where there might be some treasures.

Of course, this is not necessarily true; it may have already been discovered and taken by someone else, or it may not have existed at all.

But it's definitely a good idea to go and check it out first.

In a valley, Ji Ming repeatedly activated the Void Escape Technique, traversing the cliffs as if walking on flat ground, and quickly descended to the bottom of the valley.

Here, weeds grew in abundance, and tall trees with purple spots grew. After wandering through the valley for a long time, Ji Ming's eyes suddenly lit up. He took a deep breath, and the sensitivity of the spiritual energy brought by the Heaven and Earth Heart came into play. He sensed that the concentration of spiritual energy here had suddenly increased, which might be a rare place with spiritual eyes.

"No wonder Uncle Fang said there might be an opportunity here."

Ji Ming understood, but this place was quite secluded and showed no signs of anything unusual from the outside. Unless a thorough search was conducted, it would be difficult to find. Fang Yuan's discovery was also by chance, but he sensed something more important at the time, so he gave up on it.

Feeling delighted, I continued walking a few steps and a clear spring appeared before me.

Ji Ming's heart stirred as he saw three colorful little fish swimming in the very center of the spring.

"This is----"

He frowned, pondered for a moment, then a glint of light suddenly flashed in his eyes, and he murmured uncertainly, "Could it be the Earth's Core Spirit?"

He saw this in a book called "Record of Rare Treasures" in Luo Zhao's collection. "Earth Core Spirit" is not a living thing, but a kind of natural treasure. It looks like a living thing and may appear in various forms, but in fact it is the result of the convergence of spirituality.

"You'll see!"

Ji Ming licked his lips, his heart burning with excitement. If it really was the Earth Core Spirit, he would have struck it rich. If the people of Yuhui City discovered such a treasure, they would never leave it to them.

He took a few steps forward, and a large hand of vital energy condensed and scooped up the spring. The three small fish were startled and hurriedly tried to escape, but it was all in vain.

Soon, three small fish were scooped up and floated in front of him. Strangely enough, they suddenly became quiet after appearing in the air. Their tails emitted a red light, which then dissipated inch by inch, finally forming three thumb-sized purple beads that fell into Ji Ming's palm.

"really!"

Ji Ming was overjoyed upon seeing this; it must be the Earth's Core Spirit without a doubt!

This item is extremely valuable to martial artists in the Jade Purity Realm because it can significantly increase the speed of opening up the Heavenly Meridians. It is one of the top ten treasures in the Jade Purity Realm!

Cultivation is much more difficult for martial artists in the Jade Purity Realm compared to those in the Mortal Realm. The process of opening up the Heavenly Meridians cannot be rushed at all, otherwise, damage to the Heavenly Meridians may affect the foundation and prevent further progress for life.

Therefore, the Jade Purity Realm is a slow and meticulous process. It is said that a genius of Gu Yi's caliber has been trying to break through to the Jade Purity Realm for almost a year, and only recently opened up his fourth Heavenly Vein, which shows how difficult it is.

Even Ji Ming cannot ignore this point. He may be ignoring the bottleneck, but if the Heavenly Vein is damaged and the path ahead is cut off, no one can say for sure whether the God of War's blessing will still be effective.

Ji Ming took out a prepared jade bottle and carefully put away the three Earth Core Elemental Spirits. Whether he could break through again before the Star Boundary Trial depended entirely on this thing.

The preciousness of the Earth Core Spirit lies not in the vast amount of primordial energy it contains, but in the power of creation it possesses. After ingestion, it will protect one's own Heavenly Veins from damage for a short period of time. Under such circumstances, one can violently open them without any worries, and the cultivation speed will naturally increase more than tenfold.

This thing is even more effective for him than some treasures that help break through bottlenecks!

Of course, for other warriors on the path to godhood, the latter is definitely more important. Without the Earth Core Spirit, they can progress slower, but without a treasure to break through the bottleneck, they may be stuck forever.

It goes without saying which is more important, Dun or Qing.

"good!"

Ji Ming nodded in satisfaction. It was a great start. Logically speaking, treasures of this level should have been looted by Yuhui City long ago. It seems that the "protagonist halo" really works.

Leaving the valley, Ji Ming continued towards the second location. Having gained so much from the first trip, he was now filled with anticipation.

This is a dense forest with a huge, deep pit at its bottom. Dark gray smoke rises continuously, making one dizzy from the smell.

"Black smoke!"

Ji Ming hurriedly used his vital energy to block all the acupoints. The black smoke was a highly poisonous substance that could pollute a person's vital energy and magical power. Inhaling too much of it could even cause a person to drop in their cultivation level!

He continued walking towards the black smoke; his destination lay deep within it.

Before he even arrived, his expression suddenly changed, and he quickly held his breath and focused his mind.

"Who's there? Come out if you're here!"

A loud shout came from the depths of the black mist, and a powerful magical force swept over, clearing away the surrounding black smoke. Ji Ming's vision suddenly became clear, but there was no cover here, and he was exposed to everyone.

"Oh? It's Ji Ming!"

Li Pengtao cupped his hands in greeting and said with a delighted expression.

Ji Ming remained expressionless, unsurprised that Li recognized him, and returned the greeting, "Hello, Li!"

"What are you doing—"

He looked ahead and saw about ten teenagers dressed in various colors gathered in front of a cave. Most of them were from Yuhui City, and he also noticed that Gu Yi and Shangguan Yue were among them!

The two men nodded when they saw him and walked over.

"Ha ha!"

Li Pengtao smiled, a mocking glint in his eyes. "Why pretend, Ji? Aren't we all here for this opportunity?"

Ji Ming was taken aback. At that moment, Gu Yi walked up to him, and at the same time, a message entered his mind.

A moment later, Ji Ming suddenly realized, and couldn't help but sigh.

It turns out that the opportunity within the black smoke had already been discovered by the powerful figures of Yuhui City. However, they did not take it away but left it as a reward for the students during this trip to the secret realm. This is why the people of Yuhui City gathered here.

As for Gu Yi and Shangguan Yue, it was a matter of chance.

Of course, that's not always the case. After all, the black smoke was quite conspicuous, so it was normal for them to come and investigate.

"Then—what are you all doing here?" Ji Ming asked, looking at the crowd with a puzzled expression.

Li Pengtao sighed, "The opportunities here are not so easy to obtain. The philosophy of that powerful figure in our city is that strength is paramount, so a test has been left here."

"That powerful figure captured a fire spirit and sealed it along with its treasures. To obtain the opportunity, the seal must be broken, but the fire spirit will awaken then!"

Ji Ming frowned. "How strong is that Fire Spirit?"

Li Pengtao's expression turned grave. "They've reached the limit of the mid-stage of the second tier!"

Upon hearing this, Ji Ming's heart sank. That powerful figure really thought highly of them!

Fire spirits are not a race, but a kind of anomaly born of nature. They have no intelligence, are violent and have an innate killing instinct. They are proficient in a variety of fire-based killing techniques and have their own fire spirit body, which can negate most of the damage. They are very difficult to deal with, and humans of the same level are basically no match for them, let alone this fire spirit which is higher than everyone present.

At this moment, Li Pengtao delivered more bad news. Pointing to the distant volcano, he said, "This fire spirit is formed from the fire essence of the secret realm itself, and it carries a trace of the secret realm's fortune, making it three times more powerful than an ordinary fire spirit!"

"Hiss~"

Ji Ming looked at everyone and realized why no one dared to make a move. Even with Li Pengtao leading the charge, the probability of everyone attacking together to kill this fire spirit was extremely low.

but----

He looked at Shangguan Yue. With this young lady around, a mere mid-stage second-tier fire spirit shouldn't be a problem, right? After all, she's a student of the Immortal Dao Department of Tianyi Star Palace; she couldn't possibly be ordinary.

Why are you looking at me?

Shangguan Yue rolled her eyes and transmitted her voice.

"I'm two years younger than you!"

Ji Ming was stunned. What a joke!

However, it is also quite possible that if someone has enough talent, it is normal for them to be recruited by the Star Palace in advance.

"So what level are you at?" he asked curiously.

"Fourth level of Foundation Establishment!"

Shangguan Yue's answer made him gasp. Was this the top genius of the eight central provinces? Wouldn't he break through to the third rank in two more years?

Can----

Ji Ming's eyes were a little strange. "Then how did you manage to swear you'd protect me when you were out there?"

"What kind of look is that?" Shangguan Yue said with a dark face.

Ji Ming hurriedly withdrew his gaze. Well, even if this person's strength was average, his methods were definitely beyond his reach. The family that Luo Shidu treated with such seriousness might have some powerful weapons in their hands, which could probably kill even a third-tier cultivator.

He composed himself, looked into the cave, and carefully sensed that there was indeed a powerful, dormant aura inside.

But—how do we deal with this thing?

Even if Shangguan Yue really had some trump card to save her life, she certainly wouldn't use it on this. Could this group of people possibly defeat her?

"We can't delay any longer!"

Li Pengtao's expression suddenly darkened. "Ji is already a powerful ally; if more people come, the spoils will be harder to divide!"

Upon hearing this, Ji Ming's expression shifted, and he cupped his hands in greeting, asking, "I wonder what treasures are inside?"

"A pure-origin fruit tree!"

Before Li Pengtao could speak, Shangguan Yue spoke first, saying that the Pure Yuan Fruit was also useful to her, otherwise she would have left long ago.

Of course, the most important thing is that if she can obtain the Pure Yuan Fruit through her own efforts, it will be far more extraordinary than if it were bestowed upon her by her elders.

Pure Yuan Fruit!

Ji Ming looked into the cave and thought, "Truly, the purest treasure comes from the most polluted place!"

The Pure Yuan Fruit is no less valuable than the Earth Core Spirit, and that senior was truly generous to leave it for them, the students, to fight over.

The Pure Essence Fruit has two effects: first, it contains a large amount of pure primordial energy, far exceeding primordial liquid, which can provide energy to help with breakthroughs.

Of course, that's secondary. Its second effect is where the real value lies. After consuming the Pure Yuan Fruit, one can purify the source power and magic power in the body, raising the quality of power by a notch, increasing combat power by three points, and making it easier to break through bottlenecks in the future.

If it weren't only helpful for bottlenecks within the second tier, the Pure Yuan Fruit might have been selected as a rare item!

"That's right, it's a complete fruit tree, with thirteen ripe fruits already on it!"

Li Pengtao said, "We have eleven people here, all at the mid-stage of the second tier. After the mission is accomplished, each person will receive one, and the extra two will go to the two who contributed the most. Does anyone have any objections?"

"Okay, I'll do as Brother Li says!"

The crowd responded enthusiastically. Most of those present were from Yuhui City, and Li Pengtao held a very high position of prestige among them.

"Ji, what do you think?"

He then looked at Ji Ming. Although he was the one with the lowest cultivation level among them, he was the one he valued the most. Martial artists on the path to godhood cannot be judged by ordinary standards.

Ji Ming pondered for a moment, then nodded firmly, "Okay!"