Martial Peak

Translator: Silavin & Jon

Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

Xu Zhen explained, "I once read from a worn-out ancient book in our Sect about it. Although the record was incomplete, I'm certain that this is the 3,000 Worlds Tree. Look, aren't there exactly 3,000 fruits on this tree?"

Upon hearing his explanation, everyone quickly turned to look at those spirit fruits. The people at the scene were all extraordinary, so they were able to count the number of spirit fruits after just a glance. There were indeed exactly 3,000 spirit fruits.

With a solemn expression, Xu Zhen went on to say, "The 3,000 Worlds Tree bears the fruits of 3,000 Worlds. Every fruit is a World, and all of them correspond to 3,000 Grand Daos. Every World Fruit is an established system on its own, just like the Small Universe in an Open Heaven Realm Master's body."

All of them were astounded as they couldn't believe what they heard. These fruits were only the size of a fist, but they all contained Small Worlds inside them, which was an inconceivable idea.

On the other hand, Yang Kai's expression changed.

Just now, all his attention was on the spirit fruits, so he hadn't realised the crux of the problem. Upon hearing Xu Zhen's explanation, he couldn't help suspecting that this 3,000 Worlds Tree might be the World Tree the Giant Spirit God Ah Da had mentioned.

The epic battle in the Star Boundary caused the World Principles to break, and the Star Boundary itself faced the risk of collapse at any moment. Although the Great Emperors had joined forces to stabilise the situation, the Star Boundary couldn't remain intact forever.

Previously, Yang Kai asked Ah Da about any possible solutions. A puzzled Ah Da only mentioned the World Tree to him. The World Tree was supposed to be the key to rebuilding the World Principles of the Star Boundary.

It had been quite some time since Yang Kai arrived in the Outer Universe, but he hadn't managed to find out anything about the World Tree to date. He had never expected to come across the tree in the Primordial Land.

If this 3,000 Worlds Tree was indeed what Ah Da had mentioned, it was the key to saving the Star Boundary from oblivion.

At that instant, Yang Kai's gaze became fervent as he tried to come up with a way to uproot the 3,000 Worlds Tree.

"Every fruit is a World on its own…" someone muttered under his breath, "In that case, that guy fell into the World inside the fruit, right?"

"En," Xu Zhen nodded, "This is his opportunity."

It was then they understood why Xu Zhen said that that person was swallowed by the fruit. He was indeed eaten by the fruit as he had fallen into the World inside it.

"If he can comprehend the Principles of that World, he can escape, and the World Fruit will belong to him. If he can't…"

"What if he can't?" Ding Yi asked in a grim voice.

"He'll be trapped inside it forever. There's no more hope for him," Xu Zhen replied.

His words sent a chill down everyone's spine. No one knew what was going on inside the World of the fruit. If one was trapped inside it forever, he'd definitely end up in a miserable state.

"What are the World Fruits for?" Another person asked, "Senior Brother, since you're able to recognise the fruits, you should know their uses, right?"

Xu Zhen replied with a grin, "The uses of World Fruits are incredible. They are the legendary treasures that are said to be able to help an Open Heaven Realm Master ascend to the next Order."

"What?" All of them exclaimed and stared at Xu Zhen in disbelief. They were trying to find out whether Xu Zhen was pulling their leg, but his expression appeared fervent and dead serious.

"They can help an Open Heaven Realm Master ascend to the next Order? Are you serious?"

"Are there such amazing things in this world?"

"It's extremely difficult for an Open Heaven Realm Master to achieve a breakthrough. Can these fruits really help one rise a whole Order?"

An Open Heaven Realm Master improved their order mainly through years of accumulation. Every breakthrough cost them a long time and countless resources. Moreover, there were a lot of restrictions, so the number of times they could achieve an ascension was limited.

Normally, after a cultivator became an Open Heaven Realm Master, given enough time and resources, he or she could attain two further breakthroughs at most.

This was related to the Open Heaven Pills which Humans refined. As time passed, the effects of these pills on a cultivator would diminish and eventually become useless.

Of course, if one was lucky enough to obtain Open Heaven Pills spontaneously born from the Universe itself, there wouldn't be such worries. The Universe was filled with wonders, but innate Open Heaven Pills were extremely rare. These Open Heaven Pills didn't have any side effects, and with their help, anyone could attempt to ascend to the next Order.

These naturally born Open Heaven Pills were extraordinarily precious. Whenever they appeared, they would be snatched up by the Cave-Heavens and Paradises. The average cultivator wouldn't even stand a chance to see one.

Beside the 3,000 Worlds Tree, hundreds of cultivators had broken into a commotion as they were shocked by what Xu Zhen had said.

A solemn Xu Zhen said, "I didn't believe it at first, but when I saw the World Fruits, I knew that it was the truth. An Open Heaven Realm Master ascends to the next Order mainly by expanding their Small Universe and completing its power. Look at these World Fruits. Every one of them is a Small World on its own. If one can consume and refine it, the benefits they can get will be astonishing. There's no doubt that it can help a cultivator to reach the next Order."

Yang Kai nodded gently as Xu Zhen was right. He could feel the World Force wafting from these World Fruits, so it was apparent that they indeed contained Small Worlds inside them. If an Open Heaven Realm Master could refine one of them, it could help them expand the Small Universe in their body and complete its power.

At that instant, all of them became enthusiastic as they drooled over the World Fruits.

These were some amazing fruits that could help a cultivator to ascend to the next Order. All of them at the scene had earned some rewards in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, and it could be said that if they left this place safely, they would definitely become Open Heaven Realm Masters in the near future. If they could obtain a World Fruit in advance, a Third-Order cultivator would ascend to the Fourth-Order; a Fourth-Order cultivator would ascend to the Fifth-Order; a Sixth-Order cultivator would ascend to the Seventh-Order. A World Fruit could save them centuries if not millennia of hard work.

Even if they decided to sell it instead of consuming it, Open Heaven Realm Masters would scramble to purchase it.

All of a sudden, Xu Zhen chuckled and said loudly, "Well, do not have unrealistic expectations about these World Fruits. They're indeed amazing and extraordinary, but they're not all-purpose. These fruits are divided into three ranks. A Low-Rank World Fruit can only help a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master reach the next Order; a Mid-Rank one can help a Mid-Rank cultivator ascend to the next Order; a High-Rank one can help a High-Rank cultivator attain the next Order."

"These fruits are divided into three ranks?" Xiang Ying arched his brow.

Xu Zhen nodded, "That's what I saw in the records. Don't ask me how to differentiate them because I have no idea. I only know that most of the fruits on this tree are Low-Rank. There are only a small number of Mid-Rank ones. As for the High-Rank fruits, there might not even be a single one on this tree. Even if they are on this tree, they must be extremely rare."

While he was speaking, many used their Divine Senses on the spirit tree. Although these spirit fruits appeared petite, every one of them was an independent world. All the Divine Senses were swallowed instantly, so no one could realise anything special or differentiate the qualities. All of these fruits looked identical, as though they were made from the same mould.

Even if there were no High-Rank fruits, these fruits were deathly attractive to these cultivators.

Ding Yi guffawed, "I'm going to be filthy rich! Hahahaha!"

Many people at the scene were from his Emperor Heaven. Even if all the spirit fruits were shared equally, he could still get his hands on quite a few of them. However, the prerequisite was that he could pick these fruits.

Xu Zhen put on a smile as though he had seen through his thoughts, "Although there are many World Fruits here, each one of you only has one chance. If you pick a fruit, you'll never be able to enter another one."

"What nonsense is that?" Ding Yi widened his eyes.

Xu Zhen replied, "I'm not sure about it either. I'm just telling you all what I saw in my Sect's ancient books. I don't know much about this fruit tree."

After giving it a thought, Ding Yi said, "Only by entering the World inside the fruit could one comprehend its Principles and stand a chance to obtain the World Fruit. Is that right?"

Xu Zhen nodded gently, "That's what I saw."

After a grunt, Ding Yi grinned, "We can only find out by giving it a try, then." Upon finishing his words, he gathered his subordinates and picked out over ten people. Then, he ordered them to try to forcefully obtain the World Fruits.

These over ten people rolled up their sleeves and approached the 3,000 Worlds Tree.

Yang Kai and the others watched them in silence, but they didn't have the intention of stopping these people. There were many things they didn't understand about the 3,000 Worlds Tree, so these people from Emperor Heaven could serve as guinea pigs for them.

A moment later, these people activated their Secret Techniques and attempted to grab the World Fruits; however, regardless of what they did, the World Fruits remained unmoving, and all the techniques disappeared like stones sinking into the ocean. Someone became furious and cast a Divine Ability at the World Fruit, which swallowed it. The spirit fruit was fine while the Divine Ability had disappeared.

A while later, Ding Yi told these people to come back. The result was clear: it was impossible to forcefully pick the spirit fruits. Just like what Xu Zhen had said, one had to enter the World inside the fruit to pick it.

"In that case, let's go in, then." Someone laughed and shuffled forward. After leaping onto a branch, he extended his hand towards a spirit fruit. As soon as he came into contact with the fruit, his figure disappeared.

Seeing that, the other cultivators were unable to stay put anymore as they leapt onto the 3,000 Worlds Tree and chose different spirit fruits.

All of them disappeared like a phantom. In the blink of an eye, over one hundred people were gone.

The remaining cultivators were either observing in silence or hesitating as they were not sure if they should take on such a risk; after all, Xu Zhen had said that there were dangers associated with entering the World inside each fruit. If one succeeded, they could get the spirit fruit. If one failed, they would be trapped inside it forever. There was no second chance.

Xiang Ying and the young man who had obtained Ah Ku also respectively chose a spirit fruit and entered it.

Ding Yi pointed at the tree with his sword and yelled, "Fellow Brothers, opportunity lies in front of us, now all that matters is if you can seize it. I won't force any of you. Those who are fine with remaining ordinary can stay, and those who want riches and glory can follow this King!"

After he finished speaking, he charged forward and found a spirit fruit at the highest point. As soon as he grabbed the fruit, his figure vanished into thin air.

Some of the people from Emperor Heaven followed him and selected their own fruits. Some of them shook their heads and sighed before going down the mountain; after all, not everyone was as resolute as Ding Yi.

On the other hand, Xu Zhen and Yang Kai remained in the same spots as they were trying to differentiate the ranks of these spirit fruits. Unfortunately, even after a long examination, they still couldn't tell the difference.

A moment later, Xu Zhen shook his head and said, "Brother Yang, I'll be going on ahead."

Yang Kai nodded, "Brother Xu, take care."