Chapter 51

"The number of Taian fruits that must be submitted each year is thirty. Any extra can be kept for yourself, as a benefit of the position of guardian."

"On average, two Taian fruits can be saved each year. In the Heavenly Profound Mirror, the price of a Taian fruit is generally around 90 to 100 contribution points."

"So, if we add it all up, the compensation for you as a temporary guardian is quite substantial." He Zhenghao smiled and explained to Li Fan.

Li Fan nodded. Although He Zhenghao had used some minor tactics, what he said was true.

In the Ten Thousand Immortal Island, it was extremely rare for a Qi Condensation stage cultivator to earn 1,000 contribution points annually.

In this matter, He Zhenghao was the one reaping the benefits, while Li Fan got a taste of the rewards.

"I must thank you, Senior." Li Fan clasped his hands in gratitude.

"Think nothing of it, think nothing of it. Since you came from my guarded island, it's only right for me to help you. As long as you advance in cultivation in the future, it won't be in vain for me..." He Zhenghao was speaking when he suddenly paused.

He let out a light "hmm" and looked at Li Fan with a slightly surprised tone. "You've advanced to the middle Qi Condensation stage?"

Li Fan was startled. He didn't expect that even with the Conceal Qi Talisman, he could still be detected.

He nodded and admitted it frankly. "Yes. I have a deep relationship with Xiao Heng. Before he left, he left me a water attribute cultivation technique. This technique is very suitable for me, and my progress has been rapid. I just broke through a few days ago."

"Hehe, you are quite cautious, little friend. If it weren't for my special technique, I might not have noticed. Did you use a Conceal Qi Talisman?"

Li Fan nodded.

"It's understandable, after all, being cautious is never a mistake. In this world of cultivation, there are many people with ulterior motives..." As He Zhenghao was speaking, he suddenly noticed that Li Fan was looking at him strangely and quickly laughed to change the subject. "I didn't expect you to have such a good relationship with Xiao Heng. He even left you a cultivation technique."

"Xiao Heng is truly a prodigy. He has only been cultivating for a few years, and he is almost at the Foundation Establishment stage. His future is boundless!" Clearly, He Zhenghao had been closely following Xiao Heng and was now speaking with a sense of admiration and envy.

"Reaching the Golden Core stage, or even the Nascent Soul stage, is not impossible. You have a deep bond with him, which is truly a great fortune." As He Zhenghao spoke, his tone became increasingly enthusiastic.

"Meeting you, Senior, is also a great fortune." Li Fan flattered him casually.

Hearing this, He Zhenghao laughed heartily, very pleased.

At this moment, he paused and turned to look in a certain direction in the city: "Just in time, a Taian fruit has just ripened. I'll demonstrate how to harvest it for you."

Li Fan nodded and followed He Zhenghao to a house.

Before they even entered the courtyard, they heard wailing.

Upon entering, Li Fan saw that there were over a dozen human-faced fruits kneeling, wearing mourning clothes and white robes.

In the center, a coffin lay with a human-faced fruit inside, as if it were sleeping.

The fruit had its eyes closed, its mouth slightly twisted, and a strange smile on its face, but its body was motionless.

None of the human-faced fruits in the house noticed Li Fan and He Zhenghao's arrival; they were only mourning the loss of their loved ones.

The scene looked both absurd and terrifying.

As they approached, Li Fan caught a strange fragrance wafting from the coffin.

He Zhenghao came to the coffin, muttered some words, and touched the forehead of the smiling fruit inside.

A soft light enveloped the fruit, which slowly rose from the coffin and floated in the air.

It then gradually shrank, transforming into a small, bright red fruit.

As the Taian fruit formed, the human-faced fruits in mourning clothes suddenly became quiet.

Their white mourning clothes slowly disappeared, and their expressions changed from sorrow to confusion.

After a moment of bewildered glances, these fruits silently dispersed.

"How was it?" He Zhenghao handed the Taian fruit to Li Fan.

"Quite strange." Li Fan felt a chill run down his spine at the sight of the fruit being harvested but managed to respond.

Li Fan took the Taian fruit in his hand and examined it closely.

The fruit resembled an apple in shape, but its color was so red it was almost blinding.

A continuous fragrance wafted from the Taian fruit.

The fragrance seemed to penetrate deep into one's soul, and Li Fan involuntarily swallowed.

"Little friend, you haven't tasted a Taian fruit before, right? Why don't you try it?" He Zhenghao suggested.

"An item that increases lifespan has a natural allure for us cultivators. The longer it lasts, the greater the temptation." He Zhenghao added with a smile, noticing Li Fan's hesitation.

Indeed, the effect of the fragrance seemed to accumulate. As Li Fan hesitated, the fragrance grew stronger.

Under the influence of the fragrance, a deep hunger arose from within him.

After a moment, Li Fan no longer hesitated and swallowed the Taian fruit whole.

The hunger disappeared immediately. Despite its small size, Li Fan felt a sense of fullness, as if he had just eaten a large meal.

Li Fan checked his "Return to Truth" panel and saw that his physiological age limit had increased by five years.

He smacked his lips, savoring the taste of the Taian fruit. "This is the first time I've encountered such a miraculous item that increases lifespan. It's truly extraordinary. But its appearance is a bit strange, looking like a human, which is quite unsettling."

He Zhenghao laughed in response. "The Taian fruit is derived from humans, so it naturally looks like one."

Li Fan's expression froze.

Suppressing the churning in his stomach, Li Fan asked in shock, "Are the Taian fruits in this city all real humans?"

He Zhenghao was somewhat dismissive of Li Fan's reaction.

However, since Li Fan had only recently entered the cultivation world, he could understand and continued to explain. "Strictly speaking, the Taian fruit is a fruit, not a human."

Li Fan let out a sigh of relief but still had reservations. "What do you mean by 'derived from humans'?"

"This leads to the origin of the Taian fruit." He Zhenghao took Li Fan and flew back above the city as he spoke.

"Five hundred years ago, Taian Island was just an ordinary island. The surrounding sea had no valuable resources, and only a few thousand mortals lived there for generations."

"There are countless such small islands in the Cloudy Sea."

"But one day, everything changed."

"First, the mortals on the surrounding islands noticed that they hadn't seen the residents of Taian Island for a long time. Previously, merchants from the island would occasionally visit, but they hadn't been seen for over a year."

"Driven by curiosity, some people sailed to Taian Island to investigate."

"However, several groups of people who went never returned."

"Realizing something was wrong, they reported the matter to the island's guardian at the time."

"At that time, the guardian was already a Golden Core cultivator. Even so, he was deeply terrified by what he saw on Taian Island."