by KSY
Except for the Law Enforcement Officials, the members of the Senior generation were not permitted to stay in the Inner region for long. This was one of the rules laid down by the Founders. Caius pouted as he wished to go along with Ryan, but he knew that the Treasure Space wouldn’t permit him, so he looked at the portal with anger before disappearing into Emilia’s hair.
Ryan understood the intentions of his mother and grandmother in introducing him to other participants. Generally, participants moved around inside the Treasure Space in groups that they had formed before entering it. Julia and Emilia wanted Ryan to join a group as this would reduce their worries a lot. The ones that moved in groups always came out safely compared to the ones that moved around solo. Ryan had been planning on moving around solo, but after seeing the serious faces of his mother and Grandmother he decided to shelve that idea for now.
Ryan received a number of invitations, but he politely declined them. Ryan was in hot demand due to his being a doctor’s apprentice, as he could easily reverse the fortunes of an injured participant using his medical skills. A participant would only be ejected by the Treasure Space if he or she had suffered from a life-threatening injury, so as long as the injury was not life-threatening, an injured participant would remain inside the Treasure Space until the end of the Divine Trials. During that time, he or she would be a liability to everyone else in the group, but if that person was going solo then things would be extremely dangerous. If a doctor were to help an injured person, it was similar to having a second chance to achieve something inside the Treasure Space.
Ryan finally took the offer of a young man who was the son of Emilia’s cousin-sister. His name was Raban, twenty-one years old and a Wind Fire Dual Attribute Martial Artist. He had a Cultivation Level of Late Mortal King Realm.
Ryan joined his group for four reasons. One reason was due to his mother insisting on it. The second reason was due to him being one of the candidates that could replace Nero as the next Head of Grandura branch of Heaven Sundering Family Clan, so it was extremely beneficial for Ryan to have good relations with him. The third reason was due to his group having participants from both Family Clans, and that too from a number of branches, as that fact proved that his nature and communication skills were excellent. Ryan preferred dealing with such people. The fourth reason was the manner in which Plant Spirits and Heavenly Treasures found by his group would be distributed amongst its members; they would be distributed equally amongst the group members irrespective of his or her contribution while acquiring them. Such a policy made sure that there would be fewer conflicts.
Raban’s group had a total of thirty members in it before Ryan joined them. They possessed different skills and varying Cultivation Levels. Ryan was the youngest member as well as the person with lowest Cultivation Level, but no one dared to underestimate him as they had personally witnessed his might.
Raban quickly introduced Ryan to other members of his group, and then took him to the Law Enforcement Officials to get him registered in his group. The Law Enforcement Official drew a rune on Ryan’s palm after registering him in Raban’s group. Ryan had noticed that everyone else in the group had a similar rune on their palms, so he didn’t question Raban about it and just allowed the Law Enforcement Official to do it. It was not just the members of Raban’s group: all the participants that were part of any group had a similar rune drawn on their palms.
Ryan connected his rune with Raban’s rune under his instructions, and Ryan was able to sense the locations of the other members of his group the moment he did that. He was stunned for a second before a smile appeared on his face after seeing the function of the rune. He finally understood the importance of the rune: inside the Treasure Space, Mental-message transmission orbs or anything similar didn’t work which made it next to impossible for fellow group members to communicate with each other over long distances, if they were to get separated from each other. This rune allowed members of the same groups to know each other’s location and thus allow them to regroup easily.
Ryan returned along with Raban to the place where the other members of the group were waiting for them. It didn’t take long for him to become fast friends with everyone.
“Brother Brutus, who is that guy in red?” Ryan asked a fellow group member as he pointed his finger at a teenager who was sitting on a boulder at a little distance from them. He was entirely dressed in red. All Taboo Martial Artists are supposed to wear red clothing while in a public space. This was a rule in both Family Clans, so Ryan could tell that this person was a Taboo Martial Artist, which was one of the reasons he’d asked Brutus about him.
“He is Livius from the Sixth branch of the Eternity Family Clan, and as you can tell from his clothing, he is a Taboo Martial Artist. He has hurt many people including his own family members. Just stay away from him,” Brutus said in a hateful manner.
Ryan didn’t reply him but started walking towards Livius. Brutus looked at Ryan in an odd manner before he realized the blunder he had just committed. The other members of the group glared at him, especially Raban.
“Ryan, I think you misunderstood me,” Brutus said as he tried to do some damage control.
“I don’t mind your words. I was thinking of having a chat with Brother Livius. I feel a little sad for him,” Ryan said as he looked back at Brutus with a smile. Brutus again tried to explain himself, but no words came out of his mouth this time. He didn’t know what to say in the situation he had landed himself in.
Ryan started walking towards Livius with a big smile on his face. Every participant in the Inner region of Sundering Valley was looking at him in a dumbfounded manner. Livius had already seen Ryan coming towards him, and his expression was no different from anyone else’s. Generally, people tried to avoid him, so seeing Ryan approaching him with a smile made him a little apprehensive about Ryan.
“Hi, I am Ryan,” Ryan said with a bright smile on his face. Livius just looked at Ryan for some time before he started ignoring him. Ryan didn’t feel disheartened as he’d been expecting something like that to happen from the start.
“I am just like you,” Ryan said as Baleful aura erupted out of his body.
“You are also a Taboo Martial Artist, ” Livius said as he looked at Ryan with a stunned expression. He didn’t know about Ryan as he was mostly by himself in the Eternity Family Clan.
“Yes, just like you,” Ryan said with a smile. Ryan could tell now, that Livius was not that opposed to him being near him.
“How are you able to keep yourself under control?” Livius asked. In his case, if so much Baleful aura had erupted out of his body, then he would have already gone berserk. He had to work so hard to keep his Baleful aura in check every day, and here was someone not at all affected by his Baleful aura.
“You could also keep yourself under control if you can somehow strengthen your soul beyond your Cultivation Level,” Ryan said. Livius looked at Ryan as if he was looking at an idiot.
Ryan could guess what Livius was thinking, but nevertheless, he continued, “I know how difficult it is to strengthen soul beyond one’s Cultivation Level, but you will have a chance to do that inside the Treasure Space. One of the Heavenly Treasures hidden inside the Treasure Space can help you in that.”
Ryan had said the final sentence in a mysterious tone which attracted the attention of everyone present in the Inner region, including that of the Law Enforcement Officials. Everyone perked their ears to make sure that they didn’t miss out on anything that Ryan was to say next. A strong soul was extremely beneficial for all Martial Artists irrespective of their Cultivation Level.
“Which one?” Livius asked in a frantic manner. Ryan’s words were like a ray of hope for him, as he had almost given up on living and had been thinking of committing suicide since the day he’d attacked his mother. It was because of her though, that he’d remained alive up to that day. His father and others from his family had already considered executing him numerous times: in their eyes, he was worthless and dan
gerous. His maternal grandfather was a member of the Upper echelon of Eternity Family Clan so everyone had to keep him in mind before making a decision, which had resulted in Livius living this long even though he was an Unstable Taboo Martial Artist.
“Nascent Soul Fruit,” Ryan said with a bright smile on his face. The expressions of everyone present changed drastically.
Nascent Soul Fruit is produced by an Immortal Tree Spirit named Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirit, a Death Attribute Tree Spirit. It is a fearsome existence and most people avoid it, even if it is laden with numerous Nascent Soul Fruits. There are countless Soul Devouring Mortal Tree Spirits on Grandura, but Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirits are extremely rare which makes them one of the five rarest Immortal Tree Spirits on Grandura. It is extremely difficult for a Soul Devouring Mortal Tree Spirit to evolve into an Immortal Tree Spirit, but the ones that can have the potential to become Gods.
Every Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirit has to devour the souls of a million beings to create a single Nascent Soul Fruit and it might take thousands of years to devour so many souls. So this coupled with the fact that Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirits are extremely rare makes Nascent Soul Fruit an extremely rare Heavenly Treasure which is easily capable of causing a bloodbath.
Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirits go to extreme lengths to protect the Nascent Soul Fruits hanging on their branches as they contain their precious seeds which guarantee the continuity of their species. Since Soul Devouring Mortal Tree Spirits are unable to produce Nascent Soul Fruits that means that they are unable to produce any seeds. So, the importance of Nascent Soul Fruits to the Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirits can be understood.
Nascent Soul Fruit can be consumed by anyone irrespective of the attribute of their Martial Spirit. The strength of their soul increases exponentially on consuming it. There is a forest inside the Treasure Space which has tens of Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirits in it which is far more than the total number of Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirits on Grandura. This forest is called Forest of Tears, and there was a high chance that it had a few Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirits that had borne Nascent Soul Fruit, since no one had succeeded in acquiring a Nascent Soul Fruit from the Forest of Tears for the past million years.
Generally, Immortal Plant Spirits and Immortal Tree Spirits exist in Humanoid form but inside the Treasure Space because their Cultivation Level is suppressed by the Treasure Space, they look no different from Mortal Plant Spirits and Mortal Tree Spirits. There, the strength and powers of all High-grade Mortal Plant Spirits, High-grade Mortal Tree Spirits, Immortal Plant Spirits and Immortal Tree Spirits are suppressed to the Levels of actual Mid-grade Mortal Plant Spirits and Mid-grade Mortal Tree Spirits.
The strength of Mid-grade Mortal Plant Spirits or Mid-grade Mortal Tree Spirits is somewhat equivalent to that of beings with a Cultivation Level of Early Mortal Emperor Realm while the strength of Low-grade Mortal Plant Spirits and Low-grade Mortal Tree Spirits is equivalent to that of beings with a Cultivation Level of Early Mortal Lord Realm.
It is not just Plant Spirits and Trees Spirits that have their Cultivation Levels suppressed: every being inside the Treasure Space that has a Cultivation Level above Early Mortal Emperor Realm has its Cultivation Level suppressed to that of Early Mortal Emperor Realm. Even though these creatures have their Cultivation Level suppressed, the toughness of their bodies remains the same, which makes it almost impossible for Divine Trial participants to harm them. So, most participants avoid such beings at all costs, but because those beings have a very profound aura they are easy to spot, because the strongest Divine Trial participants possess a Cultivation Level of Late Mortal King Realm.
The beings inside the Treasure Space are only able to cultivate up to Late Immortal Saint Realm, and are unable to advance further. That means they are trapped inside the Treasure Space and are forever unable to ascend to a Divine World. They can only leave the Treasure Space if they become a participant’s Soul being. The creatures of the Treasure Space are OK about being trapped inside the Treasure Space, instead of making compromises when agreeing to form an Equal contract with a participant. They will only form an Equal contract, or its equivalent, if there is a chance of their bloodline purity going up by a grade.
Participants that dared to enter the Forest of Tears in order to acquire a Nascent Soul Fruit in the past have all been ejected by the Treasure Space with severe injuries to their souls and minds. This made participants apprehensive about trying to acquire a Nascent Soul Fruit. A participant can still come out of the Forest of Tears fine, by avoiding Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirits. but nevertheless it is still very dangerous to go into the Forest of Tears as it has such a large number of Death Attribute beings.
All this made Forest of Tears one of the three Forbidden areas in the Treasure Space. Participants avoided entering those three Forbidden areas, as entering them was akin to endangering their lives.
“How can he be so cruel to a fellow Taboo Martial Artist? He is technically asking Livius to go and commit suicide,” everyone thought to themselves. Livius also had a similar thought as he looked at Ryan with a murderous look, and a little bit Baleful aura leaked out of his body.
Livius’s Baleful aura was not as potent as Ryan’s but it was still strong enough to incapacitate Martial Artists and other beings that had a Cultivation Level similar to his. Ryan was but naturally not affected by it even though his Cultivation Level was lower than Livius by a Sub-realm, as his Baleful aura was more potent than that of Livius.
“I will be going there. If you wish to tag along then decide quickly instead of behaving like a kid,” Ryan said with a serious expression. Ryan wished to further strengthen his soul so Nascent Soul Fruit had been his target from the very start. Ryan had created Lachesis before the Divine Trials just for the sake of acquiring Nascent Soul Fruits as Lachesis would make it easy for him to get them. He had invited Livius as he wished to help a fellow Taboo Martial Artist, but everyone looked at Ryan with disbelief, and Livius was no different.
“Are you not scared of going to such a dangerous place?” Livius asked as his body stopped emitting Baleful aura. He was intrigued by Ryan words.
“I know of a special method for plucking Nascent Soul Fruits without angering Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirits,” Ryan said with a mysterious smile. Livius and everyone else was stunned by these words. It even attracted the attention of members of the Law Enforcement Officials present in the Inner region of the Sundering Valley.
“He is lying with a straight face,” a young man said as he came forward, even before Livius could reply. His tone was filled with arrogance, and the young man looked at Ryan with a hateful and murderous expression. His name was Yate. He belonged to the Second branch of the Heaven Sundering Family Clan and was the son of the guy who was once Emilia’s fiancé, so it was but natural for him to hate Ryan. The Elders of his branch had specifically told him to pick a fight with Ryan and make him suffer during the Divine Trials.
Everyone immediately agreed with his views. Yate was also one of the candidates that could potentially replace Nero as the Head of the Grandura branch of the Heaven Sundering Family Clan, just like Raban, so his words held weight amongst the Younger Generation.
“Elder Brother Yate is right. If there was a special method for plucking Nascent Soul Fruit, then why doesn’t anyone else know about it?” one of the participants from the Second branch of Heaven Sundering Family Clan said in a mocking manner.
“He must be trying to find someone to die along with him in Forest of Tears,” another participant from the Second branch of Heaven Sundering Family Clan said. Soon the entire area was filled with laughter, but Ryan also started laughing along with them, which made everyone stop laughing within a few seconds as they looked at Ryan in a weird manner.
“Why did you guys stop laughing? This brother is taking so many pains to lick that idiot’s boots, and yet you people are foiling his plans. Don’t you people feel
sorry for him?” Ryan said in an angry manner which made everyone burst into laughter again.
The face of the guy who’d tried to make a joke out of Ryan earlier was flushed with embarrassment, while Yate looked at Ryan with a murderous expression. Emilia had already informed Ryan about her enmity with the Second branch of Heaven Sundering Family Clan. So, how could Ryan go easy on him?
“You are already thinking of committing suicide, so I don’t think you’ll lose anything by tagging along with me to the Forest of Tears. If we’re able to find Nascent Soul Fruits then it will be a life-changing opportunity for both of us,” Ryan said in a nonchalant manner. Livius looked at Ryan with disbelief.
“It is not difficult for me to tell the state of anyone’s mind after seeing their actions for some time. Your actions are no different from someone who has already given up on living,” Ryan said with a mysterious smile. Livius just nodded his head, but Ryan could tell that Livius was still hesitant to tag along with him.
“I am not scared of going along with you. It’s just that I have never heard of anyone becoming a Stable Taboo Martial Artist by consuming a Nascent Soul Fruit,” Livius finally said what was on his mind. He still felt that Ryan was trying to trick him.
“How many people do you think would use such a valuable thing on an Unstable Taboo Martial Artist?” Ryan asked as he looked at Livius with a weird expression. Livius opened his mouth a few times, but had no idea how to rebut Ryan.
What Ryan had stated was true. A single Nascent Soul Fruit was capable of causing a bloodbath in Grandura.
In reality, even Ryan was not sure that Livius would become a Stable Taboo Martial Artist by consuming a Nascent Soul Fruit. It was just his speculation, as he was a Stable Taboo Martial Artist due to his extremely powerful soul. So, he assumed that Livius could become a Stable Taboo Martial Artist too, if his soul were to be strengthened beyond his Cultivation Level.
