Absolute Choice 7

by Pear Lands In The Autumn Spring

  However, he could not do so, because once he participated in the tournament, he could not lose, at least not to the Transcendents.

  He would have to work hard at clinching the ultimate victory.

  However, by winning, it also meant losing the opportunity to create a fifth story. It would also mean leaving the seventh level before meeting Sunless. It would be equivalent to breaking his word.

  As for abstaining after fighting a few rounds, it would be a waste of time. He might as well use the time to eat the holy tree secretly while the tournament was ongoing.

  Therefore, Shi Xiaobai did not plan on participating in the tournament.

  Shi Xiaobai said with a sigh, "Sorry."

  Pulp Farmer said calmly, "There's no need to apologize. We can understand your choice."

  Feng Yuanlin laughed and said, "Haha, this kind of trifling matter really doesn't need Boss Shi Xiaobai to take action. The three of us will be enough to make those Transcendent idiots sit up and take notice!"

  Shi Xiaobai nodded his head seriously, "Alright, This King believes that all of you will definitely be able to ruthlessly smack those aliens in the face! This King may not be participating, but This King will accompany all of you till the tournament ends before leaving."

  ...

  ...

  At nine in the morning, the tournament unfolded. The alien races in the Braveheart village began heading towards the tournament's arena.

  The arena could accommodate more than ten thousand people and the civilians of Transcendence had been waiting early in the morning in the audience stands, filling up the arena even before the tournament began.

  The annual Braveheart Martial Arts Tournament was considered one of the biggest events of Transcendence. With more than a hundred species gathered, it was enjoyable watching the tussle between Bravehearts.

  Pulp Farmer and company had already headed towards the waiting area for participants. After Shi Xiaobai bade them farewell, he headed to where the Transcendence Holy Tree was.

  As Shi Xiaobai expected, there was nearly no one around the Transcendence Holy Tree as the Braveheart Martial Arts Tournament was about to begin. After all, compared to the holy tree that could be seen at any time, watching the annual tournament was more important.

  However, there were still four Transcendent guards defending the surroundings of the holy tree.

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  Chapter343 Do you prefer being raped before being killed, or being killed before being raped

  The Transcendence Holy Tree was more than a few hundred meters tall, and its crown was dozens of meters in diameter. The trunk's circumference was the combined arm span of dozens of people. Four ten-meter high walls surrounded the Transcendence Holy Tree.

  Although the Transcendence Holy Tree was free for tourists to view, they could only watch it from afar. Tourists could only awe at the magnificence of the holy tree outside the walled compound.

  The four guards were standing on each of the four walls. In fact, it was not considered heavily guarded. Furthermore, the guards looked rather lazy.

  This was because, despite the Transcendence Holy Tree looking divine and how there was a fragrance emitted by its leaves, the bark and leaves were poisonous. Furthermore, the holy tree would automatically counterattack if it were attacked.

  In the past, the Infernals had invaded, nearly wiping out Transcendence, but the holy tree revealed its might, scaring the Infernals away, allowing the Transcendents to continue prevailing.

  Therefore, there was no need for the holy tree to be defended. The four guards were just symbolic.

  Although the four guards were not being negligent, their hearts were not on the job.

  Shi Xiaobai did not know that the holy tree was laced with poison. He was only attracted by the fragrance from the holy tree despite him having even more ways to 'get back' at the Transcendents for their contempt.

  However, the fragrance from the holy tree made him willing to take the risk to do it this way.

  There was a fiery voice in his mind that made him unable to abandon such delicious 'food'.

  Shi Xiaobai was patiently observing from a secluded corner and soon realize that the guards were daydreaming.

  Such lax defense was equivalent to nothing for Shi Xiaobai.

  Shi Xiaobai patiently waited until the last tourist headed to the tournament arena. Only when there were only the four guards did he begin his mission.

  Shi Xiaobai first pretended to be a tourist that was here to admire the holy tree. As he approached it, the guard who was daydreaming gave him a quick glance before ignoring him.

  Shi Xiaobai looked up as he pretended to admire the holy tree. As he nudged his feet slightly, he slowly came to a blind spot of the guard.

  "Now is the time!"

  Shi Xiaobai seized the moment when the guard blinked his eyes as Crab Steps went into full motion. Instantly, he came in front of the wall and by repressing his sounds and breathing, he leaped up gently, onto the wall. With both hands supporting him, he somersaulted once in the air and landed on the holy tree's trunk.

  This set of actions was done fluidly at an extremely fast speed. There was almost no sound to it.

  The guard only felt a sudden gust of wind but did not pay attention to it.

  Shi Xiaobai had specially picked the moment when there were no tourists around before jumping onto the tree trunk. Therefore, no one noticed him. From afar, all that could be seen was a tiny black speck on the tree trunk.

  The four guards were standing guard with their eyes facing forward, but they had no idea that someone had went past them and entered the wall's confines.

  Shi Xiaobai naturally wasn't dumb enough to hang on the trunk or any tourist would see him at a glance.

  In fact, it was now a race against time.

  "Please don't let there be any tourists."

  Shi Xiaobai climbed up the straight trunk like a nimble monkey. As the trunk was massive, there was no way to cling onto it. Therefore, it was as though he was climbing up a wall, but this was not too difficult for Shi Xiaobai.

  However, Shi Xiaobai quickly sensed poison entering his body through his pores.

  Shi Xiaobai immediately realized that the tree bark was laced with poison.

  The poison was extremely pervasive. If it were anyone else, they would have been poisoned to death. It was no wonder the defense was so relaxed.

  But thankfully, Shi Xiaobai possessed a poison-resistant body. Furthermore, with Unleaking Turtle Aura's ability to inhibit his senses, the poison did not impact his movement in the slightest.

  Shi Xiaobai climbed up at an extremely fast speed. In fact, this was an exhausting affair because Shi Xiaobai needed to use strength from every muscle he had. If he relaxed just a bit, he would plummet straight down.

  But the fatigue was nothing compared to the 'delicacy' in front of him.

  Shi Xiaobai climbed up at full speed, approaching the crystalline leaves. Their fragrance was assaulting his olfactory senses.

  "Pu!"

  Shi Xiaobai penetrated the leaves and finally reached the tree's crown. The crystalline leaves refracted the sunlight, causing the crown to have a myriad of colors. It was nearly impossible to see into the crown from outside. This meant that Shi Xiaobai was temporarily safe.

  In the crown, it was as though he was immersed in a rainbow, somewhat like a fairyland.

  However, Shi Xiaobai only had eyes for the leaves. Stretching his hand out, he plucked a leaf and quickly placed it into his mouth.

  "Pui!"

  Shi Xiaobai nearly spat it out.

  The crystalline leaves were as bitter as Chinese medicine. It was extremely unpalatable!

  Shi Xiaobai was somewhat stunned.

  Why were these fragrant leaves so unpalatable?

  He could even eat rocks with great relish, but he could not even chew on the leaves!

  Suddenly, Shi Xiaobai realized that someth
ing was wrong. He stretched his hand out and plucked a leaf, placing it to his nose to take a deep sniff at it.

  "The fragrance isn't coming from the leaves?"

  When he took a deep sniff with the leaf in front of him, Shi Xiaobai was surprised to realize that the tantalizing fragrance did not come from the leaves. However, the fragrance was too rich, nearly permeating the entire crown of the tree, causing Shi Xiaobai to be mistaken.

  Then, what was the thing emitting such a fragrant aroma?

  Shi Xiaobai took a deep breath and climbed up the canopy based on his intuition.

  The higher he went, the richer the aroma became.

  He was approaching it. He was getting closer to the source of the aroma.

  Shi Xiaobai gulped down a mouthful of saliva.

  What was it that was so fragrant?

  Suddenly, Shi Xiaobai saw a fruit the same color as the leafs in the foliage.

  The fruit's outline could not be easily seen, as though it was a chameleon camouflaging itself into the leaves.

  If not for the fragrance leading him, Shi Xiaobai would not have noticed the fruit hidden in the leaves.

  After he pushed the leaves away, the crystal fruit that was shaped like a heart revealed its contours.

  Shi Xiaobai took a deep breath and immediately felt like he had ascended into heaven, moaning out a few times.

  Shi Xiaobai was certain that the fragrance he caught a whiff of from several kilometers away and nearly made him lose control was a result of this crystalline fruit!

  ...

  ...

  Transcendence capital, King Leonis's Palace

  A green-skinned dwarf with a lion head was lazily sitting on a throne. One of his hands held his cheek, while his other hand was putting grapes into his mouth.

  Two Transcendent 'beauties' were massaging him.

  There was only Leonis, his maidservants, and a green-skinned dwarf that was genuflecting in the palace.

  The green-skinned dwarf said in hushed tones, "Your Majesty, according to the spy you planted beside Moya, Moya plans to mutiny during the finals tomorrow! It seems...the other eight Bravehearts have joined the ranks of the rebellion."

  When Leonis heard this, he lazily lifted his eyelids, as though he did not put this alarming matter to heart.

  "Since they plan on courting death, This King does not mind letting them know what reality is. Take your leave. This King has plans of his own."

  Leonis waved his hand.

  "Yes!"

  The green-skinned dwarf nodded and quickly left the palace.

  Leonis turned to look at the Transcendent 'beauties' massaging him.

  "Do you prefer being raped before being killed, or being killed before being raped?" Leonis asked with a chuckle.

  The two Transcendent 'beauties' immediately knelt down in fear, claiming repeatedly that they did not hear a thing.

  Leonis stood up from the throne and pushed a 'beauty' down beneath his crotch.

  "I was planning on eating it only after it matured a bit more. It looks like it's time to eat it now."

  Leonis' gaze penetrated the palace as it landed on the Transcendence Holy Tree that ascended into the sky.

  ...

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  Chapter344 Some fruits no longer exist if you miss them

  Leonis's gaze penetrated the palace as it landed on the Transcendence Holy Tree that ascended into the sky. His eyes revealed a nostalgic look.

  Leonis's mother was an aristocrat in Transcendence, but for some baffling reason, she fell in love with a lion-headed man, to the point of giving birth to him, against all opposition.

  The Transcendents' racial discrimination was deeply rooted. In their minds, a Transcendent beggar was of even greater nobility than the kings of other races.

  It was conceivable how terrible the repercussions Leonis's mother had faced. She was expelled from her family, going from an aristocrat to a lowly civilian. Leonis's father could not withstand the external pressure and left, abandoning the helpless mother and son to fend for themselves.

  Therefore, Leonis's life was divided into two parts. The second half was obviously the brilliant moment as king, while the first half was dark and bitter, unimaginable to the common person.

  Leonis tried his best to forget his tragic childhood, but he could never forget the spring when he was ten years old.

  It was a sunny and vibrant morning. His mother, who felt despair towards life and the future facing her, had cooked a pot of gruel.

  Leonis's mother drank a bowl with a deadpan expression before spitting out a black blood that soaked the ground before dying in pain.

  The gruel was poisoned, and it was extremely poisonous.

  Leonis had only taken a sip but did not immediately die from the poison. However, he was unlikely to live for long.

  This was not murder but suicide.

  His mother could not put up with the hardships of life and the cruel reality she faced, so she chose death.

  Leonis still loved life, but no one would save him.

  Leonis was filled with despair. He knew that he would die once the poison spread through his body.

  However, before his death, what could he do in his young and powerless state?

  Leonis came in front of the Transcendence Holy Tree and began climbing it. Since he was destined to die, he wanted to die somewhere closer to heaven.

  Back then, the Transcendence Holy Tree was only surrounded by a wall, without any guards watching it. This was because the tree was laced with poison, it was equivalent to courting death if one attempted to approach it.

  However, Leonis was facing certain death, so why couldn't he achieve his childhood dream of climbing the tallest holy tree, hiding in its rainbow crown where no one could find him while looking down at the Transcendents that trampled him and his mother?

  Could such a beautiful wish be fulfilled before he died?

  People noticed him climbing the holy tree, but no one stopped him. Instead, they watched gleefully, waiting for him to be consumed by the poison before plummeting to the ground when his body was eroded by it.

  It was a death for all to view, colder and crueler than an execution ground.

  Leonis climbed upwards, unsure of how high he had climbed, but he knew that he had to climb higher.

  Higher, just a bit higher, stay further away from the dwarves on the ground.

  Ten meters, twenty meters, thirty meters...

  Leonis was not poisoned to death by the holy tree's poison because it conflicted with the poison in the bowl of gruel. Maybe it was divine mercy, or maybe it had not activated...

  But the result was Leonis successfully climbing into the tree's crown, disappearing from the crowd's sight. He overlooked the capital of Transcendence, feeling like he had fulfilled his dying wish. In the dirty and dark country, this was the only holy ground that was clean.

  If he could be buried here, it would be a silver lining.

  But at that moment, Leonis saw two heart-shaped fruits.

  The outline of the two fruits was nearly indiscernible as they camouflaged themselves within the leaves. If not for Leonis sitting on a branch just beneath the fruits, he would not have discovered them.

  The two fruits were different in size. One of them appeared to be ripe while the other appeared somewhat nascent.

  Leonis was curious over its taste and plucked the ripe fruit. He chewed on it before swallowing it.

  And that was the moment his life and fate changed.

  That was a mysterious and magical fruit. It allowed a hybrid child of Transcendents and a member of the lion-headed species to possess a physique that exceeded purebred Transcendents.

  He went from a desperate child that was facing imminent death to the strongest Braveheart that ruled over Transcendence. Leonis’s life had a turning point because of this fruit!

  Therefore, for the decades that followed, Leonis was waiting for the
nascent fruit to ripen.

  If it was possible, Leonis wished to send an army to guard the holy tree, but that would easily arouse the suspicion of others. In addition to him not dying after climbing the tree at the age of ten, and how he experienced a life-changing situation after coming down, it was easy to guess about the matter regarding the holy tree's fruit.

  Therefore, Leonis only assigned four guards. In fact, he was not too worried that others would have such heaven-defying luck like he had.

  And at this moment, knowing that Moya, the head of the eight Bravehearts, was about to lead a rebellion, Leonis could not wait any longer.

  The fruit was almost ripe, but Leonis wished to consume it only after it was fully ripened, but it was not a bad idea eating it at that moment either.

  Leonis retracted his gaze from the holy tree and lowered his head to see the Transcendent 'beauty' that was working hard with her mouth to serve him, afraid that she would be silenced. Slowly, a male desire was ignited.

  Before eating the fruit, he decided to eat the two 'beauties' first!

  With this thought in mind, Leonis reached his hand out to rip the clothes of the 'beauty' beside him.

  Soon, moans that sounded closer to screaming sounded in the palace in an endless fashion.

  ...

  ...

  If Leonis had not chosen to succumb to his lust by eating the 'beauties', or if Leonis was not that everlasting by finishing the tussle in a minute or two, what he missed might not have been irredeemable.

  But there were no ifs in this world.

  As Leonis was engaging in sex, Shi Xiaobai had already plucked the heart-shaped fruit.

  Shi Xiaobai swallowed his saliva and took a bite.

  The fruit that melted in his mouth was like a delicious ice-cream, but its flavor was even more complex. It was as though sweetness, sourness, bitterness and spiciness were all mashed together. There was an ice-cold feeling that pervaded the entire mouth cavity, but after swallowing it, it suddenly turned hot. Instantly, his organs warmed up, as though he had drunk a mouthful of aged white wine.

  What was this taste?

  It seemed rather superficial to describe it as a delicacy because the flavor of the fruit could not be considered to be the most flavorful, but it was certainly the most unique.