The sudden anomaly caught even Du Rufeng off guard. The Fire Spirit Land had collected Scarlet Sky True Flame three hundred years ago, and he had led that expedition himself, so this operation should have been second nature to him. But he never could have anticipated this kind of upheaval.
Just as the scorching mass of power was about to burrow underground, a sharp shout rang out: "Where do you think you're going?!"
As the words fell, a wave of radiance swept across the hundred-zhang radius, and the ground instantly turned impossibly hard.
Zhou Zheng looked up and saw Yang Kai holding a command token, activating its power to link with the Orchard's grand formation, blocking the Scarlet Sky True Flame's escape route.
The Scarlet Sky True Flame dove headfirst into the ground but found nowhere to burrow, completely cut off from escape.
"Well done!" Du Rufeng bellowed. He raised his hand and summoned a dark blue net that descended from above, casting itself over the Scarlet Sky True Flame. This net — some unknown Artifact — radiated a bone-piercing cold.
In the blink of an eye, the net enveloped the Scarlet Sky True Flame. The flame thrashed and charged in every direction but could not break free. Du Rufeng formed a series of spirit seals with his fingers, then reached out and pulled — the net tightened, gathering the Scarlet Sky Golden Flame within, and he caught it in his grasp.
After examining it for a moment, a look of delighted surprise surfaced on Du Rufeng's face, and he couldn't help but burst into hearty laughter.
Only now did Zhou Zheng come to his senses. He hurried forward and cupped his fists. "Congratulations, Senior Brother Du! Congratulations on successfully collecting the Scarlet Sky True Flame!"
Du Rufeng's laughter cut short. He shot Zhou Zheng a cold look and snorted: "You still have the nerve to speak? If I hadn't happened to have a Heaven-Encompassing Net on me, the Scarlet Sky Golden Flame would have escaped without a trace today!"
Zhou Zheng was stunned. "Scarlet Sky Golden Flame?"
Du Rufeng stored the net and its contents away, his voice icy: "You thought this was Third Grade Scarlet Sky True Flame?"
"Wasn't it?" Zhou Zheng was bewildered.
"This is Fourth Grade Scarlet Sky Golden Flame!" Du Rufeng hissed through gritted teeth. "Useless, the lot of you!"
Zhou Zheng gasped: "Fourth Grade?!"
Yang Kai also clicked his tongue in amazement. It was clearly a Third Grade material — how had it become Fourth Grade? But considering the sudden anomaly just now and Du Rufeng's earlier behavior, he was somewhat inclined to believe him. Besides, Du Rufeng had no reason to lie about something like this.
No wonder the Seven Skills Land disciples had come so well-prepared yet nearly failed — hidden beneath this patch of earth was a Fourth Grade material. They had applied methods suited for Third Grade, so it was only natural that things had gone wrong.
But Fourth Grade material...
First Grade was worth a hundred and fifty Opening Heaven Pills, Second Grade fifteen hundred, Third Grade fifteen thousand — so Fourth Grade would be a hundred and fifty thousand! The value had jumped tenfold!
The previously dejected Seven Skills Land disciples perked up at the news. They had come with Du Rufeng today to collect Opening Heaven Material, and with the mission complete, the Venerable would surely bestow rewards. The rewards for Fourth Grade material would be far greater than for Third Grade.
Moreover, across all of Seven Skills Land, those at the Opening Heaven Realm of Fourth Grade or above were few and far between. In other words, Fourth Grade material was an exceedingly precious resource for Seven Skills Land — no longer something that could be measured in Opening Heaven Pills alone. Having accomplished such a great feat today, who could doubt that prosperity awaited them?
The group crowded forward, all wearing broad smiles, clustering around Du Rufeng and begging to get a look. Even these Seven Skills Land Disciples had never seen Fourth Grade material before.
How could Du Rufeng agree? The Scarlet Sky Golden Flame in the Heaven-Encompassing Net was of critical importance. Its collection today had been sheer luck — if anything else went wrong, he couldn't bear the responsibility. He kept a stern face and rebuked the group until they gave up the idea.
When he looked up at Yang Kai again, his expression warmed considerably: "What's your name?" In truth, Yang Kai had already introduced himself earlier, but Du Rufeng probably hadn't committed it to memory.
Yang Kai stated his name once more.
Du Rufeng nodded. "You did well today. I will report today's events to the Venerable, and you'll receive your just rewards." If Yang Kai hadn't acted swiftly just now, using the Orchard's command token to link with the grand formation and stall the Scarlet Sky Golden Flame for a critical instant, Du Rufeng wouldn't have had the chance to deploy his Heaven-Encompassing Net. And Zhou Zheng, who was supposed to be in charge of the entire Orchard, had performed mediocrely — on top of which, the intelligence had been flawed, nearly causing the Fire Spirit Land to lose a tremendous opportunity.
"Thank you, sir!" Yang Kai responded aloud, while inwardly he wondered how much the reward might amount to. If the material was worth a hundred and fifty thousand, the reward should be at least several thousand Opening Heaven Pills, right? That would be a handsome sum, and he found himself rather looking forward to it. He'd been wondering how he could possibly earn merit as a laborer in the Orchard — who would have thought it would come this quickly?
Du Rufeng waved at the others. "Go on ahead. I have a few things to ask."
The group of Seven Skills Land Disciples didn't linger. One by one, they shot into the sky and departed.
Du Rufeng turned to glance at Zhou Zheng, his gaze frigid. Zhou Zheng shivered and quickly said, "This junior takes his leave."
After everyone had departed, Du Rufeng raised his hand and laid down restrictions around the area. Then he fixed his gaze on Yang Kai without blinking.