Chapter 5: Crimson Fruit

To draw out an herb's medicinal power to the fullest, the best method was to refine it into a pill. That was why Archie Cutmore decided to become an alchemist. Although *Basics of Alchemy* was only an introductory manual, it was brutally difficult to practice. Fortunately, Archie possessed the Chaos Pagoda. What he lacked least was time. After storing everything inside the pagoda's first-floor space, Archie left the trading market. He rushed out of the city at top speed and headed into the Quirby Range beyond the walls. The Quirby Range was a mountain range crawling with demon beasts. Spiritual energy ran thick through its valleys, and countless beasts made their dens there. Some were even powerful, high-tier second-rank monsters. Like cultivators, demon beasts also came in strong and weak. On Ninosith, demon beasts were divided into nine major realms. From lowest to highest, they were first-rank, second-rank, third-rank… all the way to ninth-rank. Each rank was further split into low-tier, mid-tier, and high-tier. A low-tier first-rank beast was comparable to a cultivator at the First to Third Heaven of Spirit Apprentice. A mid-tier first-rank beast matched the Fourth to Sixth Heaven, and so on. As for a high-tier second-rank beast, it was on par with a Seventh to Ninth Level Spiritual Master expert. Quirby had been named for its proximity to the Quirby Range. Archie entered the Quirby Range for two reasons. First, after he dealt with Timothy Cutmore, Santiago Cutmore would definitely realize Archie could cultivate again and would move to eliminate him in secret. Second, the Quirby Range brimmed with rich spiritual energy. Beyond the demon beasts, it also produced many precious medicinal herbs. Archie did not need to find fully mature first-grade herbs. Seeds would do, or even immature plants. As long as he could transplant them into the pagoda's first-floor space, they would be his. That alone would drastically lower the difficulty of gathering ingredients. Just as Archie had predicted, the moment he stepped into the Quirby Range, Santiago, the head of the Cutmore family, arrived at Archie's courtyard with several elders in tow, their presence sharp and menacing. "Archie Cutmore!" Santiago barked coldly. "You attacked without cause and severely injured a member of the family. Get out here and accept your punishment!" Timothy's father, the Third Elder Fabian Cutmore, stormed straight into the house, intent on killing Archie to avenge his son. The room was empty. "Archie Cutmore ran!" Fabian snarled, hatred boiling over. A flash of icy light cut through Santiago's eyes. He immediately ordered the Cutmore family to scour the entire city. An hour later, the elder leading the search team returned to report. "Family Head, based on the trail, Archie Cutmore has entered the Quirby Range." Santiago's eyes narrowed. Unease crept up his spine. *I should've finished it back then,* he thought, regret gnawing at him. *I should've killed him while we were extracting the Spirit Flame Bloodline. People would've cursed me, but it would've been better than leaving a hidden disaster behind.* Seeing the worry on Santiago's face, Flynn Cutmore spoke up. "Father, there's no need to be anxious. If Archie Cutmore wants to enter the academy, he'll have to show himself in eight days for the life-and-death duel with me. When that happens, I'll kill him with my own hands." According to Timothy's account, even if Archie's damaged foundation recovered, his cultivation would only be at the Sixth Level of Spiritual Warrior. Flynn, however, had already reached the Ninth Level of Spiritual Warrior, three minor realms higher. More importantly, when Santiago offered the Spirit Flame Bloodline to the main branch, the main branch bestowed a generous reward. Among it was a pill that could rapidly advance cultivation: the Arcane Pill. The Arcane Pill was a second-grade, mid-tier pill. Its effects were several times stronger than an Energy Nurturing Pill. With the Arcane Pill's help, Flynn was confident he could break through to the First Level of Spiritual Master within half a month, perhaps even higher. In his eyes, the life-and-death duel eight days later had only one outcome. Archie would die. Santiago nodded, but caution still tightened his jaw. He turned to Fabian Cutmore and ordered, "Third Elder, enter the Quirby Range. Hunt Archie Cutmore down and bring him back to the family." When he said "bring him back," he deliberately stressed the words. Fabian understood at once. He left the Cutmore family estate with murder in his eyes. Watching Fabian's retreating back, Santiago curled his lips into a cold smile. *Archie Cutmore… blame your bad luck. You awakened the Spirit Flame Bloodline. In your next life, just be an ordinary man.* Among the elders, Fabian's strength was on the weaker side, yet his cultivation had still reached the First Level of Spiritual Master. Against a Sixth Level of Spiritual Warrior, it was more than enough. … By then, Archie had already traveled five li into the Quirby Range and arrived at a quiet, secluded valley. He swept his gaze around. Deep in the valley stood three small trees, each about half a meter tall. Four or five green fruits hung from every branch. "A first-grade herb… Crimson Fruit!" Archie's eyes lit up. A mature Crimson Fruit was a vivid, blazing red. The green fruits on these trees were still unripe. Crimson Fruit was one of the main ingredients used to refine an Energy Nurturing Pill, and it was one of Archie's primary targets for this trip. He moved at once, striding up to the trees. He was just about to dig up the roots and transplant them into the pagoda's first-floor space when a piercing screech suddenly ripped through the air. Archie looked up. Above the valley, a massive eagle had appeared out of nowhere. Its eyes were a deep, fiery red, like twin flames burning in its skull. "A mid-tier first-rank beast, Red-Eyed Eagle." Archie narrowed his eyes. "The books said precious treasures are often guarded by demon beasts. Looks like they weren't wrong." Among mid-tier first-rank beasts, the Red-Eyed Eagle ranked near the top. Its strength rivaled a late-stage Sixth Level of Spiritual Warrior cultivator. The Red-Eyed Eagle locked onto Archie with a predator's focus, already treating him as prey. With a violent beat of its wings, it dove like a cannonball. Razor talons shot straight for Archie's chest, aiming to kill in a single strike. "Who's the prey isn't decided yet!" Archie roared. If the Red-Eyed Eagle saw him as prey, then he would hunt it right back. His figure blurred as he unleashed the Cutmore family movement technique, Swimming Steps, slipping past the talons by a hair's breadth. Swimming Steps, like Fire Cloud Palm, was a High-tier Yellow Martial Technique. In the past, Archie had only cultivated Swimming Steps to the intermediate stage. After two years of relentless training inside the pagoda's first-floor space, it had reached the major stage, his speed swift as a streaking phantom. The instant he evaded the strike, he was already behind the Red-Eyed Eagle. His right hand clenched into a fist, then slammed into its left wing with brutal force. "Screee!" The Red-Eyed Eagle shrieked in agony, its left wing badly injured. That single blow made the Red-Eyed Eagle understand one thing. This enemy was not something it could tear apart at will. It also enraged the beast completely.