Chapter 334: Avoiding Danger (2/2)

He took out a strengthening fruit and placed it onto the upper screen and immediately threw ten star essence onto it. The strengthening fruit released a pulsating sound that made Lu Yin feel like energy was circulating throughout his meridians. The void distorted as the fruit instantly reached the previous one’s quality. Lu Yin inhaled deeply and threw out another ten star essence. The distortion of the void grew even stronger and the pounding noise became even louder, as if someone’s blood was actually circulating. The fruit fell less than halfway through, where it started to vibrate in an odd manner.

Lu Yin paid the vibration no attention; he only cared that the effect seemed to be improving further. He urgently threw out another ten star essence, which meant that he had now used thirty star essence upgrading this fruit.

The degree of its trembling grew stronger, but it was not done yet.

Lu Yin took a deep breath. He ran the numbers and then threw out four more star essence in a miserly manner.

The strengthening fruit was now just a tiny bit away from fully reaching the bottom.

Lu Yin threw another star essence onto the screens.

The strengthening fruit finally landed with a pop as its radiance dwindled. Lu Yin felt that something was strange and moved to pick up the fruit, but then, it suddenly distorted the void and shifted to a nearby location, vibrating the entire time.

Lu Yin was confused; what was going on?

There were ripples that almost looked like flowing blood on the surface of the strengthening fruit, and it continuously twinkled. It seemed as if it was attempting to leave by piercing through the void. However, it was trapped in Lu Yin’s Time Stop Space, and the fruit could not escape no matter what it did.

This scene completely stunned Lu Yin. Did this toy just gain sapience?

He had no other option, and he immediately stopped blocking the Ghost Monkey’s senses. The monkey sighed. “Seventh Bro, can we just have a chat?”

“Shut up! Look at that plaything.” Lu Yin then pointed at the fruit with his left hand.

The monkey casually looked over, but he almost bristled as soon as he saw the fruit. “I’ll be damned! A natural treasure that has developed a sense of self-preservation! Seventh Bro, where did you get this? You’re lucky enough to even get this?”

“What’s the big deal?”

“It’s not easy to explain. How should I word it? The origin of all things in the universe-”

“Get to the point!”

“The point is that plants and animals share the same origin. If animals can cultivate, then too so can plants. You should know about this since you’ve been attacked by some plants. However, most plants’ attacks are instinctive. Some plants live for so long, and although they can’t become sapient, they’ve gone down another path—that of avoiding danger.”

“What does that mean?” Lu Yin was puzzled.

“There’s no good explanation. These special plants have gained a certain understanding of the universe after surviving for so many ages and are able to avoid some dangers, which is different from those plants that attack instinctively. With the passage of enough time, these plants can even become intelligent…”

Lu Yin felt like he was understanding less the more the monkey spoke. “Just talk about this thing right in front of us!”

“It’s trying to escape! Can’t you see? It doesn’t want to be eaten by you!” the Ghost Monkey shrieked in frustration.

Lu Yin frowned. “Escape? Are you saying that it’s intelligent?”

“It shouldn’t be intelligent yet. Given its behavior, it hasn’t developed intelligence yet, though it’s probably lived for at least over a hundred thousand years. Still, it can avoid danger, and it’s really close to becoming intelligent. Seventh Bro, where did you get this thing? Why do I keep seeing you obtaining items that are impossible for the average person to even see?”

Lu Yin casually reached out, and the strengthening fruit tried to distort the void to escape yet again. But in this space, not to mention a fruit, even a Hunter would have to obey Lu Yin.

He grabbed the strengthening fruit, but he did not know if he should eat it. He still remembered the agony that eating the previous one had caused him.

“Can this thing be eaten?” Lu Yin asked.

In a low tone, the monkey replied, “I’m not sure. Usually, only absolute powerhouses can obtain such a natural treasure. I’ve never seen one before, but it should be possible. Anyway, eating it probably won’t kill you.”

Lu Yin thought about it some more; he still had fifteen star essences remaining, and there were two more strengthening fruits left. Thus, he should be able to barely make another one of this level even if he borrowed some more money. Things would be alright as long as he did not die from eating this fruit. He did not hesitate and swallowed it whole in one bite.

An even more intense pain than before engulfed his entire body, and he felt like he was drowning in a flood of fire. The excruciating pain reminded Lu Yin of the Doomsday back on Earth and of the fiery suffering that he had experienced at Liu Shaoge’s hands. But at this moment, the pain was even worse than that moment from his memories. His muscles swelled unnaturally, and his veins popped out. The blood in his arteries pumped so fast that his body released a shockwave that affected the void…

With the previous strengthening fruit, Lu Yin had barely been able to endure the pain and participate in a battle. But this time, he could not even walk from the agony.

“Seventh Bro, how do you feel? You won’t die, right?” the monkey cried out anxiously.

Lu Yin’s eyes were bloodshot, and when his sweat dripped down, it was blasted into nothingness by the shockwaves before the drops could even land. “Can you come out?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Then come out.”

The next instant, the monkey tattoo on Lu Yin’s right arm warped, and a shadow rushed out before taking the form of the Spiritual Academy’s Ghost Monkey lord who had once attacked Lu Yin.

Lu Yin grit his teeth as he looked at the monkey. “Attack me.”

The Ghost Monkey felt strange. “What?”