"Jiang Chen, did you just hear that zither sound?" Ye Chonglou pondered for a moment, then turned and asked Jiang Chen.
The old man had developed a habit: whenever something strange came up—something that defied explanation—he would ask Jiang Chen about it first.
Jiang Chen didn't deny it, simply nodding. "I heard the zither sound. And it seemed like Zuo Lan was very wary of it?"
Ye Chonglou sighed. "That zither sound instantly shattered Zuo Lan's oppressive aura, and from such a great distance at that. Whoever made that move has cultivation far beyond Zuo Lan's."
Zuo Lan was at the Origin Realm. When he had unleashed that aura, even several Origin Realm Ancestors joining forces had barely been able to withstand it.
Yet someone had driven back the arrogant Zuo Lan with nothing more than a single zither note.
There was truly an object for every other object—strength and weakness in the martial world really did differ by an immense margin.
"Jiang Chen, do you know the origin of that zither sound?"
Jiang Chen shook his head. "I'm in the dark about it as well. Perhaps some extraordinary powerhouse is living in seclusion near the Treasure Tree Sect? Or could the sect have some hidden Grand Ancestor?"
Although Jiang Chen had some speculations of his own, he hadn't verified any of them, so how could he say anything?
The initiation ceremony had been disrupted by Zuo Lan and his group, and the mood was inevitably affected.
The ceremony continued, but everyone's feelings had changed entirely. Zuo Lan's appearance—and with him, the so-called Heavenly Sect—along with the fact that even someone like Elder Zhuiyang had betrayed the Sixteen Kingdoms Alliance to join this Heavenly Sect, had placed enormous pressure on the three great sects.
Although Zuo Lan and his group had retreated today, it was obvious he would not let the matter rest. The Heavenly Sect he represented would be even less inclined to do so.
From now on, trouble would surely follow one after another.
To lift everyone's spirits, Grand Ancestor Qianye produced a Canxia Azure Fruit and awarded it generously to Jiang Chen.
The Canxia Azure Fruit only bore fruit once every three hundred years. It was an advanced evolution of the Canxia Crimson Fruit, and its effects far surpassed those of the Crimson Fruit.
Within the Spirit Realm, consuming it could elevate one's cultivation by two full levels while simultaneously purifying the purity of one's Spirit Sea.
The Canxia Azure Fruit matured once every three hundred years, and even then, successful evolution was not guaranteed. Generally speaking, the probability of a Crimson Fruit evolving into an Azure Fruit was roughly fifty percent at best.
In other words, among the ten Crimson Fruits the Canxia Treasure Tree produced each cycle, no more than five would evolve into Azure Fruits.
As for the highest-grade Purple Fruits, that went without saying.
A six-hundred-year cycle would typically yield only one or two Purple Fruits at the end. With good luck, perhaps three.
Three Purple Fruits would be an absolute record in the history of the Canxia Treasure Tree.
Grand Ancestor Qianye was the most senior and oldest member of the Treasure Tree Sect, yet he was only a little over three hundred years old—still shy of four hundred.
Since he had taken over management of the sect, the highest fruit produced by the Canxia Treasure Tree in this cycle had been the Azure Fruit. As for the legendary Purple Fruit, Grand Ancestor Qianye had never even encountered one.
It was said that a Canxia Purple Fruit could unconditionally elevate one's cultivation by an entire level, even at the Origin Realm.
Naturally, Grand Ancestor Qianye desperately desired the legendary Purple Fruit. He had been stuck at the third level of the Origin Realm for many years, unable to find any opportunity for a breakthrough.
So he yearned more than anything for a Purple Fruit to mature.
Which meant the Azure Fruit was currently the most precious Canxia divine fruit in Grand Ancestor Qianye's possession. Offering it to Jiang Chen as a reward spoke volumes about the importance he placed on him.
Even Ye Chonglou had never received an Azure Fruit from Grand Ancestor Qianye.
"Jiang Chen, this Azure Fruit can unconditionally raise your cultivation by two levels within the Spirit Realm. Given your current realm, consuming it might even give you a slim chance of breaking through to the Origin Realm." Ye Chonglou stepped forward to offer his congratulations.
He harbored no jealousy toward Jiang Chen. Whether it was Azure Fruits or Crimson Fruits, they held little practical use for him. The only fruit that could benefit him now was the Canxia Purple Fruit.
Unfortunately, such a thing didn't exist—not even in Grand Ancestor Qianye's hands.
Although Jiang Chen might not necessarily need the Canxia Azure Fruit, he didn't refuse it. He had joined the Treasure Tree Sect precisely for resources.
And this Canxia Azure Fruit—Grand Ancestor Qianye had made it explicitly clear—was a reward for defeating Wu Chen and Gu Xiong earlier.
Since it was a reward, Jiang Chen had no reason to refuse.
After Zuo Lan's disruption, even with Grand Ancestor Qianye producing the Canxia Azure Fruit, the guests from the other two sects felt thoroughly deflated and eager to return home.
They were all worried that those bastards might show up at their own sects' headquarters to cause trouble.
So, once the ceremony concluded, the two delegations took their leave one after another. Despite Grand Ancestor Qianye's repeated entreaties to stay, the people from both sects had no heart to linger.