The Journey of Immortal Cultivation
Chapter 32 One-day Fruit

Chapter 32: Chapter 32 One-day Fruit

The members of Chaoyun Sect took in her reaction, but since this was Senior Brother Quan’s affair, what could they say?

Old Man Huang, on the other hand, was very excited. He dragged Ning Xiaoxian from pillar to post before returning to the main topic, ceaselessly praising the dish’s unique goodness and pestering Ning Xiaoxian to leave behind the skills for preparing the teppanyaki. He knew, of course, that this was a big taboo for chefs, but with such delicious food in front of him, how could he care about that?

Fortunately, since Ning Xiaoxian dared to demonstrate her skill publicly, she had no intention of keeping it private. The teppanyaki technique was relatively straightforward, and the two chefs watching on the side, who had solid foundations themselves, had basically mastered it. They too had tasted the lobster prepared by Ning Xiaoxian and found the flavor to be fresh and sweet, fundamentally different from their own culinary skills.

Old Huang was thus overjoyed and went out of his way to persuade Ning Xiaoxian to stay a few more days in the prefecture. She was about to politely decline, as with the big secret of God Demon Prison on her, she always felt guilty. However, after a second thought, staying at Huang Mansion would allow her to keep up with the demon hunting activities and help herself to the windfalls, so she agreed.

The servant led her to her guest room. As soon as she entered, she carefully locked the door and turned around to enter the God Demon Prison.

She approached Changtian with a giggling smile, presenting a large plate as if offering a treasure.

She made a total of 5 lobsters, serving half a lobster per person, and another half was shared by the two chefs. She managed to keep half for herself. Having enjoyed the luxurious banquet at Old Huang’s, she always felt it was unfair that Changtian couldn’t taste the mountains of delicacies, but this half lobster should be reserved for him.

However, upon seeing the dish, Changtian couldn’t help but think of Quan Shifang, who had been assisting her all this while, and his face became extremely tense. Seeing this made Ning Xiaoxian feel inexplicably uneasy, unsure of how she had offended him again.

Changtian simply said, "No rush to eat. Take out the Jade Pendant first."

She had almost forgotten about this matter and quickly took out the Jade Pendant to examine it closely, only to find that the small red dot in the center of the pendant was not just a dot but a tiny red sphere, covered with creases, resembling a shrunken red pine cone dozens of times smaller.

She asked curiously, "What exactly is this thing?"

"It’s a seed of the One-day Fruit," he said as he looked at the seed, seeming somewhat nostalgic. "People who consume this fruit will have sharper wits and thoughts, and their body recovery and cultivation speed will suddenly increase by a hundredfold. It seems as if they also have great Qi Fortune, experiencing success in everything they do."

Ning Xiaoxian, who had been short of money since coming to this world, listened with stars in her eyes, "Wow, is there really such an amazing treasure in this world? Then we’ve struck it rich!" With the soil she possessed, growing this treasure would be much easier than for ordinary people. Consuming one would grant her the benefits of a hundredfold of arduous cultivation. Her journey westward seemed very bright!

Changtian derisively said, "How could such good things really exist in the world? The effect of the One-day Fruit only lasts for twenty-four hours. Once time is up, the consumer will turn to ashes right where they sit."

Turn to ashes? It took her a moment to realize he meant that was the end of it, and she couldn’t help but feel extremely disappointed. She was in the prime of her life and certainly did not want to enjoy brilliance for just a day only to perish. Changtian deliberately split his explanation into two parts, and she faintly felt that he had a notion of retaliatory satisfaction.

Sure enough, seeing her gloomy expression, some of the coldness on his face dissipated, "The One-day Fruit forces out and exhausts one’s remaining strength, intellect, Life Force, Qi Fortune and Cultivation Speed accumulated in a lifetime, all within those twenty-four hours. Once time is up, one’s essence, spirit, and energy are drained, naturally resulting in death, with even the Primordial Spirit unable to be preserved. Hence, it is also known as the Time Fruit."

Ning Xiaoxian was indignant, "Then what’s the use of this thing? It’s obviously nothing but Poison, and the deadliest kind with no antidote!" And to think she carefully brought it back, assuming she had gained a great advantage over that shrew, Shi Jishan.

Changtian gazed deeply at her, "Isn’t Poison precisely what you need right now? This fruit can be used without taste or smell, and even Cultivators cannot detect it."

Her heart tensed up. Wasn’t that just the case? Now without any combat power, she could only rely on her wits and luck when facing malevolent people and incidents. Having such a poisonous fruit at hand could also be a useful weapon; if used wisely, it could perhaps even turn misfortune into blessing during perilous times. She felt quite moved. Even though their futures were tied together, Changtian truly considered everything for her sake, and had already planned for things she hadn’t thought of.

He continued, "If used properly, the Time Fruit may not necessarily be poison. The world is unpredictable, and sometimes you must drink poison to quench your thirst for survival. For example, if you find yourself trapped in a situation that spells certain death, with no one to aid you, then this Time Fruit may well be the life-saving medicine you need, at the very least allowing you to break free from an encirclement and survive for an additional 24 hours."

As he spoke these words, his speaking pace was much slower than usual, as if reminiscing past events, and his tone was even more bizarre. Ning Xiaoxian’s heart skipped a beat, sensing that his past must have been entangled with this matter.

She bit her lip and asked, "Shall we plant it now then?"

He shook his head, "The Divine Power in the life-giving soil is not yet sufficient to induce the growth of the Time Fruit. Let’s save it for now."

He told Ning Xiaoxian that the Time Fruit was forcibly embedded into the Jade Pendant, not grown naturally, and it was unclear how it ended up in Shi Jishan’s possession. It was ridiculous, considering how long she had stayed at the Chaoyun Sect, and yet no one recognized the strange treasure she carried.

"The Time Fruit was also a rare item in ancient times, with few recognizing it, let alone being passed down to the present," he said in a low voice, "I have an astounding and brilliant friend who, incredulously, incorporated the Time Fruit into her medicine, and developed an elixir with remarkable effects."

"Even more potent in toxicity?"

"Not at all. The pills she made from the Time Fruit, called Sixty Years Powder, could enhance a cultivator’s realm by two periods of 60 years within 24 hours. After the time passes, one would only be exhausted, needing to recover for about half a year, but there would be no other side effects."

He sure knows how to keep a secret! Who would’ve thought he’d drop such a bombshell now, wasn’t he afraid of internal injury from holding it in? She looked at him with extreme disdain: "But here’s the thing, right? You don’t have the recipe for this medicine, correct?" That’s the kind of game he liked to play, she knew.

"Incorrect!" He curved the corner of his mouth, a slight hint of a smile finally appearing in his eyes. "This time, you guessed wrong. I just happen to have the elixir recipe."

Now, why was it that when she got up this morning, her left eyelid kept twitching? As it turned out, gold bricks were about to fall from the sky! No, wait, it was boiled tea eggs*! Her smile bloomed, this item was just like the Status Enhancement Potions commonly seen in online games! Which cultivator fighting wouldn’t want to have a bottle in hand? She immediately began to flatter Changtian, the Great Wealth God, determined to shower him with praise and make him feel utterly comfortable.

However, he wasn’t swayed by such flattery, and merely instructed, "If we successfully take down that blood-sucking demon this time, you’ll buy a Pill Furnace, and I’ll teach you the ways of alchemy." Seeing her jumping with joy, his mood also improved, and the cold expression on his face couldn’t hold any longer.

"Ah, okay!" She sweetly agreed, completely unaware that learning the process would soon have her grumbling endlessly.

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(PS: One 60-year cycle equals 60 years.)

*Regarding the boiled tea egg meme: "Mainland people can’t afford boiled tea eggs" originated from a statement on a Taiwanese TV talk show. Subsequently, netizens responded with courage, flaunting their photos of eating boiled tea eggs, suggesting they simply couldn’t stop eating the "luxury" food, and thus boiled tea eggs became a symbol of ostentation.

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