"Who… who is he? So strong… he actually killed a Level 7 Blazemane Crimson Lion!"
The female player didn't even notice her companions fleeing. Her gaze remained fixed on Zayen, completely blank and uncomprehending.
Her small, rosy mouth hung open in a perfect "O," as if she couldn't form the words fast enough to express her shock.
"Are you alright?"
When the girl looked at Zayen's face, her delicate features immediately flushed, and she snapped back to reality.
She quickly waved her hands, still blushing. "No… I'm fine."
After a brief pause, she added softly, "Th-thank you… for saving my life."
"There's no need to thank me; I simply acted on impulse."
She looked at Zayen and said, "My name is Terra; what's yours?"
Zayen said, "My name is Zayen."
"Zayen, you're truly amazing!" Terra's pretty face was slightly red as she spoke crisply.
Zayen did not respond to her but calmly pointed toward the path he had come from and said simply. "The way back this way is safe."
After speaking, Zayen turned to leave.
"Wait!"
Terra suddenly called out to him.
Zayen turned around again, looking at her with a hint of confusion.
Terra hurried over and lowered her voice, as if afraid someone might overhear.
"The others and I discovered a Spirit Fruit Tree not far from here," she said, her eyes shining slightly. "But it was guarded by a group of Spirit Monkeys… and a Blazemane Crimson Lion."
She paused, recalling the terrifying scene.
"We tried to get close, but the Blazemane Crimson Lion discovered us. That's why we were chased all the way here."
Taking a small breath, she looked at Zayen expectantly.
"But now that the Blazemane Crimson Lion is dead, only the Spirit Monkeys are left guarding it." Her voice softened, carrying a hint of anticipation. "Are you interested?"
A spirit fruit tree?
Zayen immediately thought of the mysterious cave where he had previously fought the Mummified Corpse. Inside, there had been many spirit flowers and plants.
Zayen's mind calculated calmly.
Without the Blazemane Crimson Lion, the threat level had dropped significantly. Spirit Monkeys were agile and troublesome in groups, but their individual combat power was far inferior to that of a Level 7 magic beast.
Terra, seeing him still silent, mistook his silence for hesitation.
"There should be at least six or seven Spirit Monkeys," she added quickly. "The strongest one might be around Level 6. If we cooperate, we can definitely take them down."
Her cheeks were still slightly red with excitement.
"How many spirit fruits?"
Terra blinked, clearly not expecting that to be his first question.
"There were too many spirit fruits on the ground, and we did not have time to count them before we were chased by the Blazemane Crimson Lion."
Zayen nodded faintly.
That was enough.
He wasn't particularly interested in sharing, but Spirit Fruits were useful—either for direct consumption or future exchange.
Zayen pondered for a moment and then agreed. "Okay. Where is that spirit fruit tree?"
Anyway, he had no particular destination right now and didn't know where to go next.
Terra's eyes lit up instantly.
"Really?"
Zayen didn't respond to her excitement. Instead, he said calmly, "Lead the way."
Terra immediately stepped forward to guide him, with Zayen following behind her.
The two figures began moving through the dense jungle once more.
On the way, Zayen asked, "Is the fruit tree very big? And how many Spirit Monkeys are there?"
Terra immediately replied, "Big! Very big! There are dozens of monkeys on the tree."
"So that's how it is," Zayen murmured softly.
Seeing that Zayen was easy to talk to, Terra asked, "Zayen, what level are you now?"
"Level 7," Zayen replied.
Terra froze mid-step.
"Level 7?" she repeated in disbelief. "But… that Blazemane Crimson Lion was level 7 too! And you killed it so easily. …"
Zayen did not respond.
He had deliberately said that because there was no need to reveal his true strength to anyone—especially in a place like this.
The less others knew, the better.
Seeing that Zayen did not say anything further, Terra wisely chose not to ask more questions and simply continued leading the way.
The spirit fruit tree she had discovered, guarded by monkeys, was not far from here.
Their speed was fast, and they arrived before long.
When Zayen saw the spirit fruit tree, a trace of surprise finally appeared on his calm face.
The spirit fruit tree before them was incredibly huge; it would probably take ten people to wrap their arms around its trunk.
It wasn't particularly tall, but its roots were thick and gnarled, twisting above the ground like ancient serpents. Its branches and leaves spread outward to form a massive canopy, blocking out the sky and sunlight.
The area covered by its branches was vast, and beneath the tree lay a wide patch of grass.
And on several branches of the big tree, there were a few scattered red spirit fruits resembling peaches.
....
[System Notification – Spirit Fruit Detected]
[Name]: Skyveil Essence Fruit
[Type]: Enhancement Fruit
[Effect]: Consuming this fruit grants a surge of vitality. The body's agility sharpens, reflexes quicken, and stamina increases, allowing the consumer to move with uncanny speed and endure longer in combat.
....
Under the sprawling canopy of the enormous tree, several Spirit Monkeys perched and prowled, their bright eyes scanning the area with alert curiosity. Each of them seemed to radiate a mischievous yet cautious energy, clearly on guard.
Behind the thick underbrush, Zayen and Terra crouched silently, keeping their presence hidden. The shadows of the leaves danced over their faces as they watched the monkeys.
.....
[System Identification – Magic Beast]
[Name]: Verdant Spirit Monkey
[Level]: 3
[Talent]: ????
[Skills]: ????
.....
Level 3 magic beasts?
Zayen noticed about ten Verdant Spirit Monkeys under the trees were holding sharpened wooden sticks.
It seemed they indeed possessed some intelligence.
"How do we get those spirit fruits down?" Terra looked at Zayen beside her and asked.
Zayen didn't answer immediately. His mind was already calculating the most efficient way to handle them without wasting energy or alerting the entire troop.
The monkeys seemed to sense something was off. Their heads turned in unison, scanning the undergrowth below. One of them let out a sharp chittering sound, and the others responded with a series of clicks and screeches.
"Why don't we just go up and snatch them?" Terra asked again.
In her opinion, these Level 3 Spirit Monkeys didn't have high combat power. Both Zayen and she were experts, more than enough to deal with dozens of Spirit Monkeys.
Moreover, they could take the opportunity to gain a wealth of experience.
Zayen immediately shook his head, rejecting the proposal. "No, there aren't just Level 3 Spirit Monkeys in the trees. I can sense the aura of several higher-level Spirit Monkeys and even the aura of a Level 7 Spirit Monkey—the same level as the Blazemane Crimson Lion. I suspect that must be the Monkey King resting in this tree with the others."
Hearing that there might be other Spirit Monkeys, including a Level 7 Monkey King, Terra immediately fell silent.
Although dealing with these level 3 spirit moments was no big deal for both Zayen and her, if other spirit monkeys or even the level 7 monkey king were to be added, it would be a different story.
Moreover, if the Spirit Monkey guards found themselves outmatched, they would definitely wake up the other Spirit Monkeys.
Their strategy was to absolutely not wake up the other Spirit Monkeys and quietly deal with these Spirit Monkey guards.
"Alright, then we'll listen to you, but how do we get the fruit?"
"Alright, then I'll listen to you," Terra said, her voice careful but determined. "But… how do we get the fruit?"
"Just stay behind me," Zayen replied calmly.
Zayen directly picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at a spirit monkey.
Bang!
The stone accurately hit the Spirit Monkey's head, startling the dozing Spirit Monkey guard awake.
Chitter chitter! Chitter, chitter!
The Spirit Monkey guards immediately let out a series of chirps, and the one that was hit pointed at Zayen, chirping non-stop.
Bai Zongwu immediately threw another stone.
Whoosh!
This time the Spirit Monkey dodged, but its mouth continued to chirp non-stop.
Meanwhile, Terra wasn't idle; she also picked up a stone and also threw it at the Spirit Monkeys.
The Spirit Monkey guards immediately couldn't stand it anymore and rushed towards the two with their wooden spears in their hands.
Seeing this, Zayen and Terra immediately move back.
As soon as they moved a few meters away from the Skyveil Essence Tree, Zayen raised his hand calmly.
In the next instant, ten radiant golden swords materialized out of thin air, hovering behind him like divine weapons awaiting command.
Terra's pupils shrank in shock.
Before she could even gasp, Zayen flicked his fingers.
Whoosh—!
The ten golden swords shot forward like streaks of light, tearing through the air with terrifying speed.
The Spirit Monkeys didn't even have time to react. No warning cries. No chance to defend.
In the blink of an eye, the blades pierced straight through the bodies of the Spirit Monkeys.