Chapter 346: Chapter 344: I’m Afraid it’s a Commander-level Fierce Beast (Please Subscribe)
At the same time, in a mountain forest dozens of miles away.
A stout man with a round face and a long knife on his back was bending down, picking fruits from a vine.
The fruits were only the size of a thumbnail, entirely yellow, and emitted a faint fragrance.
The stout man’s actions were very gentle, as though treating his lover. He carefully picked each yellow fruit and slowly placed them in the box in his left hand.
Beside him were three more people, two men and one woman.
One of the man and woman held swords and knives, standing back to back and vigilantly examining their surroundings.
The three seemed to be in their early thirties.
The other person appeared to be older due to his graying temples, but upon closer inspection, his face too seemed to be in his thirties or forties.
Unlike the other two, this man’s gaze was directed far away.
If Chen Fan were here, he would be shocked to discover that the direction in which this man was looking was precisely Chen Fan’s current location!
After a while, the stout man picked the last fruit, carefully placed it in the box, then gently closed it. Only then did he take a deep breath and smiled at his companions:
"Finally done. Not too many, not too few, a total of twenty Yellow Flower Fruits."
Upon hearing this, the vigilant man and woman exchanged glances and simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief. The woman’s face showed joy as she said:
"One Yellow Flower Fruit can boost True Qi for a month. Twenty of them mean twenty months of True Qi!"
The other three exchanged glances upon hearing this and burst into laughter.
"Yanzi, there’s nothing wrong with your calculation,"
the stout man said with a smile, "But these fruits, like other types of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, are most effective upon first consumption, and their effects diminish with subsequent uses."
"Correct,"
another man chuckled, "Using all these Yellow Flower Fruits on one person would be a waste. We should each take two, and we’ll hand the rest over to the headquarters for Contribution Points. What do you think, President?"
As these words fell, the three turned their gaze toward the man with gray temples.
Shen Si smiled faintly and said, "At this point, consuming more Yellow Flower Fruits doesn’t help me. You each take three, and the rest will be handed over to the headquarters."
The three exchanged glances, joy evident on their faces.
"Yes, President!"
"President, you are always so good to us."
"Indeed, President, without you, we couldn’t have found this place, let alone got even one, never mind twenty!"
"Exactly, President, you are indeed our Jiangnan Sub-district Martial Arts Association’s cornerstone. Your Emperor’s Qi Observation Skill is refined to perfection. Over the years, more than eighty percent of the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures at headquarters were discovered by you."
The three of them praised in turn, words of admiration overflowing.
"You guys, it’s this time, and you’re still saying these things," Shen Si bitterly smiled.
"President, we’re just stating facts." Zhao Yan blinked.
Shen Si lightly coughed and said, "Indeed, most of the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures at headquarters were found by me. But collecting them wasn’t solely my effort. For instance, the twenty Yellow Flower Fruits just now were picked by you."
"President, you flatter us," the stout man said with a smile, "Your power is in the True Essence Realm, while we are only at Late Stage of Meridian Refining. You could collect them without us."
"Exactly, President, thanks to you leading us around these days, our harvest has far exceeded that from hunting Fierce Beasts."
"All thanks to the Emperor’s Qi Observation Skill."
The group complimented him again.
Shen Si couldn’t help but chuckle.
Indeed, he was the only one at headquarters who had successfully cultivated the Emperor’s Qi Observation Skill.
The skill enabled him to identify locations of various Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures. The stronger the aura, the more precious they were.
Using this skill, he led his team through mountains, collecting countless treasures.
Of course, it wasn’t always smooth sailing, as the more precious the treasures, the stronger the surrounding Fierce Beasts. Many times, he chose to retreat despite the treasures being within grasp.
To outsiders, it seemed simple, with some top-level treasures eluding him but plenty of second-grade ones accumulated over time, strengthening him.
In reality, it wasn’t so ideal.
Not because the Emperor’s Qi Observation Skill wasn’t superb.
But because he cultivated a remnant and protective version, not complete, even if successful, it fell short compared to the full version.
For instance, he lacked the strongest predictive aspect, and overuse of the skill could damage his Primordial Qi and even shorten his lifespan.
This explained why he was graying despite being only forty years old.
Hence, each time he led a team out, upon return, he needed a month or two of recuperation before the next action.
Thinking this, he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
If only his Emperor’s Qi Observation Skill were complete.
Unfortunately, even the Awakened Association didn’t have the complete version after all these years.
"President, we’ve collected all treasures here. What next?" The stout man licked his lips, full of anticipation.
The other two shared the same eagerness.
Shen Si turned his head, looking in the direction of Chen Fan.
He frowned, a look of struggle on his face.
Actually, he had noticed something ten days ago, sensing the emergence of treasure there.
But one concern was the aura there was incredibly strong!
This was naturally good since it indicated significant treasures, but also bad as strong Fierce Beasts would certainly arrive.
Thus, he hesitated.
"President, are Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures emerging there?" Zhao Yan asked perceptively.
"Yes."
Shen Si nodded, then turned toward the west, saying, "Let’s go in that direction. There are treasures there too."
The three looked westward.
Then glanced in the direction Shen Si had been looking.
"President,"
The stout man couldn’t help but say, "Are there treasures in the south as well?"
"Yes."
Shen Si glanced at him, then looked at the other two, saying, "The treasures there are extraordinary. If these Yellow Flower Fruits feel like fireflies’ glow to me, then over there feels like a burning candle."
Upon hearing this, the three unconsciously swallowed.
Good heavens, the difference was immense, wasn’t it?
How could the faint glow of fireflies compare to a burning candle?
However, they weren’t impulsive, understanding deeply the principle of greater rewards being accompanied by greater risks.
"President," Zhao Yan softly asked, "Do you sense powerful Fierce Beasts guarding there?"
The President’s Emperor’s Qi Observation Skill could not only find treasures but also sense beasts’ auras.
It helped them avoid much trouble.
"Not yet."
Shen Si sensed again, shaking his head.
Not even human auras were present.
"President."
The stout man hesitated momentarily, then spoke, "Since there’s no beast’s aura yet, why don’t we go take a look? See what kind of treasure it is.
If we can get it, we’ll do so; if not, we’ll abandon it. We’re just wasting some time either way. If it’s feasible, we’ll seize the opportunity."
"Yes, President, I think Liu Yong is right. Let’s go and have a look, act accordingly." The other person smiled.
Shen Si showed interest.
True, it made sense.
First, the aura there was extraordinary, stronger than the previous treasures, sparking his curiosity and desire.
Second, no surrounding beast aura might imply they hadn’t discovered it yet.
If so, it was an opportune moment.
"Alright, let’s check it out. Be cautious," he said.
"Yes, President, we’ll be careful."
"Rest assured, President, we’ll act sensibly if encountering fierce beasts."
"Yes, President, we’ve followed your words all along." Zhao Yan smiled.
Shen Si smiled too, "Good, let’s check it out then."
With that, he darted away like an arrow.
The three quickly followed.
Strangely, as they passed through, mid to high-level Fierce Beasts fled in all directions as if escaping for their lives.
Meanwhile, in another direction.
A group of six also looked towards Chen Fan’s location.
Among them, half wielded weapons, the other half were bare-handed, looking peculiar.
"Is that where the Celestial God Tree is?"
The leader murmured.
"Yes, I checked a few days ago. In about ten minutes, it should mature."
"Twelve Celestial God Fruits, enough for us all. Even if not consumed, one can still sell for 50,000 points."
"We should stay vigilant, though. Even one Celestial God Fruit could attract many elite-level Fierce Beasts."
"Ha ha, among six of us, Brother Tang and Brother Pei are B-level Awakened. The rest of us are C-level Awakened. No matter how many elite-level Fierce Beasts come, the outcome is the same." Someone said dismissively.
"Let’s hope it’s not Commander-level Fierce Beasts though. After all, it’s twelve Celestial God Fruits." Someone’s words brought a sudden quietness to the atmosphere.