Su Chen glanced around cautiously.
In front of him was a crystal-clear lake, its surface shimmering with an otherworldly blue light. The water wasn't just pure — it was brimming with dense Immortal energy, the kind that made every pore in his body instinctively open up to absorb it. Just standing here felt like bathing in a heavenly spring.
At the edge of the lake stood a tall golden tree, its slender branches swaying ever so slightly despite the still air. The leaves gleamed like polished jade, and like the lake, the entire tree radiated Immortal energy.
The entire area was sealed off — a closed-off space, like a secret chamber hidden within the palace.
"Aahhh…" Su Chen exhaled deeply, closing his eyes for a moment. "Even my pores are throwing a party."
He took in the scene and nodded thoughtfully.
"This has to be an Immortal Pond… and that's clearly an Immortal Tree. Which means…"
His eyes narrowed.
"…I shouldn't be here."
He looked left. Then right. Then up at the glowing tree.
"These kinds of opportunities are usually reserved for some trashy protagonist with a crippled body and a hidden destiny. The kind who needs this stuff to slowly build his broken foundation and struggle upward for five hundred chapters…"
He rubbed his chin and smirked.
"But I got it for free. Must be because I'm handsome. Clearly, the creator of this palace had taste."
He didn't waste another second.
"Better loot everything before the guy upstairs regrets his decision."
With that, he dashed toward the golden tree. In just a few quick steps, he reached its base. Up close, the tree was even more breathtaking. The leaves glowed softly, and it seemed to draw energy directly from the pond beside it — like a natural spiritual cycle.
Su Chen scanned the branches carefully. After a few moments, his eyes locked onto something near the center of the canopy.
"There you are…"
A single pair of fruits — twin fruits, perfectly round and connected at the stem — hung there like a glowing jewel. Aside from those two, not a single other fruit could be seen on the entire tree.
"Only one fruit, huh?" he muttered. "Well… double fruit, technically. Must be limited edition."
He took a deep breath and looked up at it.
"I could try to fly and grab it directly… Fastest method, lowest risk. Definitely the path of a wise and efficient cultivator."
Without hesitation, he prepared to take off.
But before Su Chen could do anything, the fruit unexpectedly floated down right within his reach.
"Huh?" He instinctively took a step back, startled. His fingers quickly formed a defensive hand seal—Sky-Peeking Hand—half-expecting the tree to retaliate or launch some kind of attack. But… nothing happened.
There was no dangerous aura, no sudden branches slapping him in the face. Only the fruit, which had previously been high above, now calmly dangled in front of him like an offering.
"…Wait… is this thing giving me the fruit?"
Su Chen narrowed his eyes suspiciously, then squinted at the tree.
"This tree… must've been a nine-to-five corporate drone in its past life," he muttered. "Worked hard, made something valuable, then gave it away to someone else without asking questions. Sounds familiar."
He looked around. No hidden traps. No illusions. No old immortal hiding behind a rock waiting to test his character.
"…Well, if you're offering, it'd be rude not to accept."
Su Chen reached out and plucked the fruit.
It was beautiful—two round fruits growing from the same stem, almost like twins. Though distinct, they were connected. Both were glowing faintly and brimming with energy.
He gulped. "This looks expensive…"
His mouth was already watering.
"I bet it's sweet. And probably powerful. I can feel it… I'm definitely going to get some kind of big surprise from eating this. But first…"
He suddenly paused and frowned.
"In these kinds of situations, the protagonist's clothes always explode from sudden breakthroughs…"
Without hesitation, he stored his entire robe into his system's space, leaving only his undergarments on. Then he calmly sat cross-legged on a smooth stone under the golden immortal tree.
Taking a deep breath, he brought the fruit to his mouth and took a bite.
"Mmm… sweet," he muttered.
He continued eating, but by the time he was halfway through, the sweetness vanished.
"…Where's the flavor? Why does this suddenly taste like wet paper?"
Still, he powered through like a true cultivator on a spiritual buffet. He ate the whole thing. Didn't even spare the stem.
Then, without wasting a breath, he activated the Wood Sovereign Script. Spiritual power surged as he tried to refine the energy from the fruit.
But nothing happened.
"…Wait. Why isn't it working?"
A moment later, a violent tremor erupted inside his body.
BOOM!
Power surged out like a dam had broken inside him. His eyes widened, and then—
"AHHH—DAMMIT!!"
A wave of burning pain swept through him. It felt like his organs were being reassembled by a drunk blacksmith. His muscles clenched, spiritual veins twisted, and he suddenly wished he'd just stuck to regular apples.
He hissed through gritted teeth, pain flooding his body.
"What the hell was that?!"
Su Chen collapsed backward, his body twitching slightly from the violent surge of energy.
"…Looks like I really shouldn't trust a tree that gives away free fruit," he muttered, his voice hoarse.
[Ding!]
[System Alert: Host has consumed the "Unity Severing Immortal Fruit." Initiating transformation process...
System compatibility update required... entering upgrade mode...]
"Wait, what?" Su Chen blinked. "Unity... Severing... Immortal Fruit?"
The name alone made his scalp go numb.
"Unity Severing? That sounds terrifying," he muttered, eyes narrowing. "But also… kind of impressive?"
He took a deep breath, still lying on the stone. His body felt like it was being pulled apart and stitched together at the same time.
"I've never even heard of this thing in the Wood Sovereign Script," he thought, slightly unnerved. "How old is this fruit…? Or is it some fruit.. which only exists in this Immortal palace?"
Still, fear didn't overwhelm him. After all, he was still alive. The fruit hadn't killed him — yet.
"…As long as I don't explode, it should be fine."
With that, Su Chen closed his eyes and let out a long breath, surrendering himself to fate.
"Whatever happens… I'll deal with it later."
[Dear Readers,
[Some of you have kindly pointed out grammar mistakes in my writing, and I want to sincerely apologize for them.]
[English is not my first language, so I may make errors from time to time. Still, I hope that the emotions and story come through clearly despite that.]
[Thank you so much for your patience, support, and understanding. It truly means a lot to me.]