"The more dangerous the place, the bigger the potential rewards!"

"Evil Spirit Ridge is so dangerous that it has less traffic, that's why we might find something valuable."

"I might even stumble upon an Energy Fruit today."

"And if luck were to grant me a Mutant Fruit, I would hit the jackpot. Haha!"

A middle school student, about 13 or 14 years old, skinny, not quite grown yet, maybe around five feet tall, emerged from the dense woodland in uniform.

Accompanying this young thin student was a chubby little fellow, over five and a half feet tall, donning a uniform identical to the former, obviously of the same school.

The chubby boy sneered, "Energy Fruit? Mutant Fruit? Guo Siyu, you sure have bold dreams. Even if there were any, wouldn't they have been already harvested by others by now? They won't just be waiting for you to pick them up! Huh! I'm more realistic than you. I would be content if I could find just one Mutant Grass."

Guo Siyu, unfazed, replied confidently, "Pshh! No ambition! You probably are only worthy of a Mutant Grass. With my luck, I'm sure to collect a Mutant Fruit."

"You, lucky? I bet you won't even be able to pluck a blade of grass!"

Chen Chong, the chubby schoolboy, rolled his eyes. Looking up at the sun, he noticed it was past noon and was getting anxious. "Stop talking nonsense. Let's hurry while there's still some daylight left. We must get out of here before dark, or we may not be able to if we encounter an Evil Ghost."

"Let's move! Let's pick up speed!"

Upon hearing this, Guo Siyu began to hurry up a desolate small hill.

"Dammit, taking advantage of me because I'm fat!"

Panting heavily and sweating profusely, Chen Chong complained.

Guo Siyu didn't respond, just trudged forward.

Obviously, he hadn't paid close attention to the landscape.

This desolate hill was actually a grave, which had enlarged after the World Mutation, emitting Yin Qi, dimming the environment by at least half, even dropping the temperature several degrees.

Both schoolboys shivered, but they paid no heed to it.

"Chen Chong, why do you think the world has suddenly mutated? We now have special abilities, martial arts, magic, and even cultivators. What do you think is the cause? Who did this? Could it be God? Hongjun Ancestor? Tathagata Buddha? Or the Jade Emperor?"

Guo Siyu asked, racing to top of the grave mound.

"Suddenly?"

Chen Chong shook his head, "Just shows you haven't thought it through. My cousin's uncle's classmate said that the world had long since mutated, it's just that previous mutations were too small for most people to notice. It was only during this recent global mutation that everyone became aware."

Guo Siyu was startled, and he inquired, "Mutated long ago? So, does that mean all the folklores — the Enthronement of Gods, Journey to the West, Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea — are all true?"

"Stop speculating! Enthronement of Gods and Journey to the West are not true."

Chen Chong wobbled his head, a know-it-all expression on his face, "According to what my cousin's uncle's classmate said, the stories about Yellow Emperor, Chi You and Houyi Shooting the Sun may be true."

Guo Siyu wasn't upset by Chen Chong's rebukes, rather his face lit up, "Yellow Emperor, Chi You, Houyi? If those stories are true, would reading such books help us find Mutant Fruits?

Mid-sentence, he suddenly froze, his eyes staring fixedly ahead, at the top of the mound which was actually the top of the grave.

There, a tiny white flower was quickly blossoming.

"How is that flower blooming so fast?"

Both Guo Siyu and Chen Chong stood still, their heavy breaths arrested, as they exchanged glances, their faces flush with anticipation, their hearts pounding.

They both agreed that they were in for a fortuitous encounter.

This white flower must be a Mutant Plant.

The flower had bloomed incredibly fast, fully opening in the blink of an eye, and as quickly as it had bloomed, it withered, making way for the formation of a tiny round black fruit.

Once the black fruit took form, it rapidly grew in size.

In just a few seconds, it swelled to the size of a walnut, a shiny, black fruit.

"A Mutant Fruit, haha! It's a Mutant Fruit!"

Guo Siyu yelled.

Chen Chong, breathless, fixed his gaze on the black fruit, too enthralled to utter a word.

Simultaneously, they reached out to grab the shiny black fruit, the size of a longan.

This shiny black fruit was akin to a black hole, emitting black light from within, and drawing out the heat from their bodies with a potent suction force.

"So cold!"

"So cold!"

The two schoolboys, as if on cue, felt a chill run down their spine, immediately turning into ice sculptures.

The black fruit's pull suddenly amplified, forming a vortex that targeted the now petrified middle school students.

Crack!

The ice sculptures shattered, the fragments instantly sucked away by the black fruit.

Having absorbed the two middle school students, the black fruit dropped to the ground, pulled by a force into the soil, penetrating the colossal grave beneath.

Had it not been for the remaining footprints, no one would ever know that two middle school boys had once stood there.

※※※

"Boss, pack one more roast chicken for me!"

Having not eaten for a while, Xiao Mu decided to stop for a meal in Da Liang City before entering the ancient ruins. He ordered the locally renowned Pan Family's roast chicken.

Roasted using a thousand-year-old traditional method, the chicken melted in the mouth, tender and scrumptious. The lingering flavor filled one's mouth, proving almost irresistible to Xiao Mu, who almost swallowed his tongue while relishing the meal.

"I'll give you a $5 discount. So, that's $65 in total. Hope to see you again!"

The Pan family boss, a middle-aged man in his forties, rather grubby, but seemingly honest, handed over a roast chicken, wrapped in mulberry paper, to Xiao Mu within a minute.

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