Star Odyssey

Chapter 2539: Attempt

Lu Yin ignored Xu Ji and instead looked up at the numerous Wood Fruits. "Should I touch them?"

Xu Ji glanced back at “Xuan Qi.” "You can, but that’s rather embarrassing."

"Embarrassing?" Lu Yin was confused.

Xu Ji explained, "Most people will stand in one place as they sense the nearby Wood Fruits before choosing one. Only people who fail will try to physically pick a specific fruit."

As they spoke, a man flittered above the audience, his arms spread out to touch the various fruits. He used a battle technique to ensure that he touched every single fruit, an extremely ugly expression covering his face.

Xu Ji spat contemptuously, "People like him will never be able to get even a single Wood Fruit throughout their entire lives. They are simply failures. I hope you won't be like that."

Lu Yin took a deep breath and closed his eyes before he started trying to sense the Wood Fruits.

Everyone watched intently. Even the man who was frantically touching all of the nearby fruits paused to watch Lu Yin. Complex emotions filled the man’s eyes. He was hoping that Xuan Qi would also fail to get any Wood Fruit. In that way, there would be another to bear the ridicule with the man.

The Arboreal School did not immediately drive the man away. Instead, it seemed that he had been simply forgotten, which was even more cruel. Wouldn't it be great if Xuan Qi, a genius blessed by the heavens, can’t pick a single Wood Fruit?

Outside the Arboreal School, Xu Xiangyin, Zhi Bing, and You Teng were joined by a pale faced middle-aged man. This man was the Arboreal Realm's representative to the Sixverse Academy, and his nickname was Mu Sanye.

"I wonder what fruit that child will pluck. It will be good enough if he can get a tri-chromatic fruit," Xu Xiangyin commented expectantly.

Zhi Bing commented, "You'd be better off hoping he doesn’t reveal too much talent here. The Arboreal Realm is different from our Lost Clan. If that child manages to get a tetra-chromatic fruit, or even a penta-chromatic fruit, there might be someone willing to fight with you for him."

Wariness entered Xu Xiangyin's eyes as he looked over at Mu Sanye. "Surely not. Mu San, you and I have a good relationship. There’s no need to let someone make trouble between us."

Mu Sanye chuckled. "Picking a tetra-chromatic fruit is easier said than done. Even in the Arboreal Realm, only a few are able to do so. Just getting a tri-chromatic fruit is already an impressive achievement. Don't worry, we have no shortage of talented individuals in the Arboreal Realm. We won't fight you for him."

"Xu Ji must have gotten a tetra-chromatic fruit," You Teng commented.

Mu Sanye nodded. "The child's previous voidforce puppet was a tree, but it was destroyed during a battle with Aeternus. He has a connection with trees."

"The more talented the person, the more likely they are to achieve perfection. In the vast megaverse, everyone pursues perfection, but how many can truly achieve it? I don't know how far Xuan Qi can go, but for now, he can be considered to have achieved perfection in both the Voidforce and Lost Clan Universes," You Teng said.

Mu Sanye's eyes flashed as he asked, "True perfection? Like that Junior Sovereign?"

"Mu San, what kind of Wood Fruit did you get in your time?" Xu Xiangyin asked curiously.

Mu Sanye replied, "I obtained a tri-chromatic fruit."

"Not bad," Xu Xiangyin said before everyone fell silent. They were all curious to see which Wood Fruit “Xuan Qi” would pick.

The entire Sixverse Academy was waiting.

Some hoped to see another miracle appear, while others hoped for Xuan Qi’s failure. There were many opinions.

While everyone was waiting, Lu Yin’s eyes suddenly snapped open and he took a step forward. He had sensed a Wood Fruit, though he did not know what kind. He simply followed his instincts and grabbed it. The fruit felt soft, as though it could be easily crushed, yet it also possessed a resilient quality. When he took a closer look at it, he saw that he held a grayish-white fruit. It had only a single color.

Everyone was stunned. "Monochromatic? Just a monochromatic fruit? That’s even worse than me! At least I got a di-chromatic fruit."

"It's over; pay up. Xuan Qi's series of miracles has ended, hahaha!"

"Damn. He performed amazingly in both the Voidforce and Lost Clan Schools, only to prove worthless when he got here. He’s made me lose money!"

"I thought he’s at least get a di-chromatic fruit. It would have been better to just disqualify him from this school. Who could have expected him to get just a Monochromatic Fruit?"

Everyone around started discussing what had just happened.

Even Lu Yin could not believe that he had actually only sensed a Monochromatic Fruit. This was a pretty terrible result, no?

Outside the Arboreal School, Xu Xiangyin's face twitched. Monochromatic Fruits were the worst ones. Still, it did not matter. Xuan Qi’s talent for voidforce energy was terrifying, so it really did not matter too much if his talent for the Arboreal Realm’s methods was rather lacking.

Zhi Bing shook his head and started to walk away.

You Teng felt disappointed. He had purposely given a bit of advice, yet the youth still only managed to get a Monochromatic Fruit. Without You Teng’s suggestion, would the child have been disqualified?

Mu Sanye sighed. "A monochromatic Fruit… He may have managed to meet the requirements, but..."

The man shook his head. "Even if he manages to obtain an innate gift from a tree, it will be nothing more than a burden for him. Xu Xiangyin, there is no need for you to worry about me trying to steal him from you, right? Don't keep staring at me like you're watching a thief."

Xu Xiangyin smiled. "No one’s staring at you. I'm just worried about Xuan Qi."

"Should we take him away? He's already passed this school’s requirements. That means he’s learned the methods of the Transcendent Universe, the Voidforce School, the Lost Clan School, and now my Arboreal School. With all four completed, he can make his way over to the Central School. It's a waste of time to keep him here," Mu Sanye said.

Xu Xiangyin considered the matter for a moment. "That's true. Let's take him away."

In the Arboreal School, Lu Yin stared at the fruit in his hand, lost in thought. Was it an illusion? It felt like power in his chest actually wanted to devour the fruit.

The Arboreal School’s Wood Fruits were meant to be eaten, as only by doing so could one attempt to obtain an innate gift from a tree. However, why did the power in his chest want to devour this fruit? What was going on?

"Xuan Qi, you've disappointed me," Xu Ji's voice rang out.

Lu Yin looked over. "Then I apologize."

Xu Ji said, "You still have a chance. As long as you manage to pick a Wood Fruit, you can try to get a better one. While the chances of succeeding are small, it is not completely impossible. I picked a tri-chromatic fruit on my first try. Three months later, I tried again, and that time obtained a Quadruple Radiance Fruit.

"Everyone here wants to try again, but those who are unable to get even a single Wood Fruit will never be able to get any at all. Only those who have already succeeded have any chance."

Lu Yin glanced around and saw hope rekindle in the eyes of many people.

"Thank you. In that case, I’ll give it another shot," Lu Yin said before closing his eyes again.

During his first attempt, his mind had been blank, and he had not thought of anything. He only sensed the Monochromatic Fruit. For his next attempt, he wanted to try sensing a Wood Fruit while thinking of the powerful and magical trees he had encountered, as You Teng had suggested.

Of all of the trees Lu Yin had ever seen, the most powerful was the Mother Tree.

"I didn't ask you to try right now. That’s pointless," Xu Ji said.

Lu Yin ignored the young man as he pictured the Mother Tree in his mind.

Several people started to mock him, "Don't be fooled by his indifferent expression. He was already praised as a genius in the Voidforce School and the Lost Clan School, but now he finally went through a massive setback."

"Even though I lost money, it still feels great to see a genius humiliated like this."

"He's just trying to save face. Let's go. Staying here’s a waste of time."

...

Outside the Arboreal School, Mu Sanye shook his head. "It seems he doesn't want to face reality."

However, Xu Xiangyin answered, "Xuan Qi doesn’t have a bad mindset. There were several time I thought he would face a setback, yet in the end, I was the one who was wrong. Common sense does not apply to this child."

“Haha, you care too much for this child. No wonder you've been keeping such a close eye on us and fretting about us trying to steal him away. Don't worry, he is all yours." Mu Sanye laughed.

You Teng smiled and shook his head as he prepared to leave.

Suddenly, Mu Sanye's laughter cut short, which left the man coughing. "How is this possible?"

He was not alone, as everyone who had been watching Lu Yin was dumbfounded. They saw that he was holding another Wood Fruit in his hand, this time with three alternating colors. It was far more beautiful than the Monochromatic Fruit. This was a tri-chromatic fruit.

Silence filled the area, as everyone was stunned.

Even Xu Ji's expression had changed. This was the first time he had ever revealed such a shocked expression. He stared blankly at the tri-chromatic fruit that Lu Yin held. "Is that… did you pick that?"

Lu Yin squeezed the fruit gently and said, "It feels the same. I wonder how it tastes..."

With that, he first took a bite of the monochromatice Fruit, and then one of the tri-chromatic fruit. He ate both as though they were regular fruits.

Everyone would eat the Wood Fruit they picked, but no one had ever heard of someone eating two at the same time. Most people only ever managed to pick a single Wood Fruit throughout their lives. Very few were like Xu Ji and managed to pick a second one, not to mention obtaining two at the same time and being able to take a bite from a different one in each hand.

Soon, Lu Yin finished them and commented, "Tasteless."

The crowd stared in silence. Was the taste really the problem at this point?

"You actually picked a second fruit?" Xu Ji was shocked.

Lu Yin grew puzzled. "Didn't you just tell me to try? You said it could be done."

Xu Ji's eye twitched. He fought the urge to reply that he had not meant for Xuan Qi to attempt so quickly. He had taken three months to try again, whereas Xuan Qi had made his second attempt immediately after his first. The nature of their second attempts was completely different, yet Xu Ji simply could not bring himself to admit it.

Actually, he did not even understand what Xuan Qi’s bizarre success even meant.

Outside the Arboreal School, Mu Sanye stared at Lu Yin while exclaiming, "A genius! An absolute prodigy! While he only managed to pick a tri-chromatic fruit, the fact that he was able to do so at almost the same time as his first fruit indicates a different kind of talent. What a prodigy."

Xu Xiangyin, who was carefully listening to Mu Sanye's words, suddenly returned to his senses, and wariness returned to his eyes. "Mu San, you haven't forgotten what you just told me, right? You can't take him from me!"

Mu Sanye withdrew his gaze and looked at Xu Xiangyin. "You can rest assured, unless he manages to pick a penta-chromatic fruit, I won't fight you for him. While it’s true the child has incredible talent, the Arboreal Realm has more than one youth who surpasses him. I'm merely voicing my admiration."

Xu Xiangyin let out a sigh of relief. "That's good."

"Old Xu, you've truly struck gold," Mu Sanye commented sincerely.

Xu Xiangyin felt a wave of satisfaction, though he continued to speak humbly. He was still afraid that Mu Sanye would try to snatch his gem away. Even if Mu San might not be successful, even the attempt would be troublesome.

After Xuan Qi finished eating both of the Wood Fruits, Xu Ji's expression returned to normal. "Xuan Qi, you are indeed qualified to compete with me. If there’s a tree you're familiar with, you might even be able to pick a tetra-chromatic fruit."

Lu Yin felt a bit puzzled. "A tree I'm familiar with?"

Xu Ji explained, "My last voidforce puppet was an impressively large tree. It was because I was so familiar with it that I was able to pick a tetra-chromatic fruit. The fact that you picked a tri-chromatic fruit proves you also have a connection with trees, so you can try picking a better fruit again in the future."

"The more familiar I am with a tree, the better the fruit I'll get?" Lu Yin asked, his expression growing complicated.

"Of course," Xu Ji replied.

Lu Yin realized he had been mistaken. He had believed that simply thinking about the Mother Tree would give him the best results, considering its power. However, he had only managed to pick a tri-chromatic fruit. The truth was that he was not particularly familiar with the Mother Tree, and was instead far more familiar with Big Face Tree. In that case, he should give it another try.

With that thought in mind, Lu Yin closed his eyes and started remembering Big Face Tree.