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Although the corruption was much weaker in Thunderpeal Mountain, the three squads did not ease up their guard. Rather, they were even more cautious than ever, on the lookout for whatever had taken down the missing squad. None of the students who had made it here were weak or foolish by any measure. They were the best of their schools, elite students that had survived and honed their skills through many battles and other dangers.

The fact that one squad had disappeared was a huge worry for all of them.

The three Heavenly Pearl Stage leaders escorted the entire group. The First Princess took point, the vanguard breaking the way for them. Qin Yue remained in the middle, watching their flanks. The Heavenly Inferno Sage College\'s Zhao Beili was the rearguard. With this, they moved in a formation of maximum safety.

And this allowed them to move at maximum speed.

They traveled deeper into the mountain range, and yet there were no signs of Others at all.

It was probably the cleanest region in the whole Red Clay Province.

This was good, but an unnerving good. They proceeded with caution.

……

In a dark corner of the mountain range, somewhere else.

Corruption was dense enough to drip off the walls as sludge here, even thicker than it had been at Riverguard City.

On a stone dais in the darkness.

A black knight was lighting a stick of incense that burned with a wicked, red light. The rising smoke formed a screen.

The black knight sank to the floor, prostrating himself. "Great One, more squads have come to Thunderpeal Mountain," the black knight said in a voice muffled under the visor.

A shadowy, red figure laughed coldly from within the smoke. "More runts from the Academic Federation with no desire to live? Clean them all up. These are new elite students from all the schools. Destroying them will be painful for them."

"It\'s odd that they would not utilize the neighboring powers. Why redirect the Holy Grail Meet here.... I don\'t think things are as straightforward as they seem. They must be up to something else."

"But regardless, I am in charge of the Red Clay Province, and I will not let them do as they wish here. Thunderpeal Mountain is an important position for me, and it must remain unmolested. You failed to keep Riverguard City safe, but if anything happens at Thunderpeal Mountain, you know the consequences."

The black knight sank even lower to the ground. "Do not worry, Great One. Thunderpeal Mountain was specially chosen and prepared by you yourself. There will be no accidents!"

The red shadow nodded harshly, then disappeared with the smoke.

……

"Well, this is Thunderpeal Mountain."

The three squads stopped before the one mountain that towered above the others. They were in the heart of the mountain range now.

"The journey has been too quiet," the First Princess said, frowning.

The others nodded. It made them extremely uneasy to stumble across an Other-free oasis when they were in the middle of an Other Disaster.

"If this place is really so safe, then where the hell did the missing squad go?" Qin Yue said exasperatedly.

The squads looked around at each other, then they began to charge their resonant powers quietly in preparation.

"Let\'s head up the mountain and take a look," the First Princess decided.

There were no objections, and they were at the top two hours later, looking upon the majestic Thunderpeal Tree.

The silver trunk seemed to be made of metal, and its glamor was odd to behold, given that it stood at the center of the massive shadow cast by its branches and leaves.

Even for the Astral Sage students who were familiar with their own Tree of Resonant Power, this was breathtaking to see up close.

"Still nothing odd..." Zhao Beili said, scanning their surroundings. The lightning flickered out above them, absorbed by the crown of the Thunderpeal Tree.

There was no sign of Others.

They scratched their heads in puzzlement.

Jiang Qing\'e was examining the tree carefully. She was looking particularly near the center of the crown, where two silver fruits hung quietly on a branch. Lightning marks covered the fruits, and electricity crackled over them.

"These are Thunderpeal Fruits?"

The others came over, hearing her words. They all looked at the fruits with interest.

Of course, all of them had come to Thunderpeal Mountain initially because of the temptation of the Thunderpeal Fruits. It would at least strengthen their bodies, and if they were talented enough, it would even grant them the Thunderpeal Avatar through proper refinement.

Even someone like the First Princess would be interested in this prospect.

The First Princess carefully raised a hand, using a tiny slice of green power to cut down the two fruits. She lowered them gently before the group.

Everyone crowded in for a closer look and heard an electrical hum buzzing from them.

"How amazing," the First Princess marveled. "But there are only two here, and we are many. How should we divide them?"

The students\' eyes lit up, especially Qin Yue and Zhao Beili. As Heavenly Pearl Stage cultivators, they were both interested and worthy of contesting it.

However, neither spoke recklessly.

They found the number of fruits suspicious.

The First Princess raised her eyebrows at them knowingly. "An interesting number, is it not? Three of us, and two fruits. Is this a coincidence or someone\'s design?"

Qin Yue and Zhao Beili frowned.

"Your Highness, do you mean someone has done this on purpose to incite internal strife?" Qin Yue asked.

"Perhaps," she said.

Jiang Qing\'e was looking at the fruits closely. "Your Highness, pass me one for a look."

The First Princess handed one over quizzically.

With everyone watching, Jiang Qing\'e held the Thunderpeal Fruit in both hands, then violently twisted, opening it up.

A blast of lightning energy was released from within.

Jiang Qing\'e\'s movement saw Qin Yue and Zhao Beili wince as though she had twisted them by the balls. Both made inadvertent movements towards the fruit.

But they pulled themselves up short.

Jiang Qing\'e held out the halves to them, and they could see that the lightning within was black in color, with a strong stench of corruption within.

These fruits... held a seed of corruption!

They gasped and shuddered to think of how their greed had almost laid them low.

There was definitely something odd about this place!