The area was surrounded by hills, with a low, flat basin in the center, much like a crater.

Zhang Xiaoshan stood at the foot of a hill. Beside him was the gaping, dark entrance to a cave, and lying at its mouth was the corpse of an exotic beast that resembled a pangolin.

He was cradling a medicinal herb in his hands, shouting at two disciples from the Fire Jade Department who stood not far away.

"Pathetic. You think I don’t have the guts? If worst comes to worst, we’ll just destroy it. Then nobody gets anything..."

Crouched on a nearby hill, Zhao Lin glanced down and quickly pieced together the situation.

’Zhang Xiaoshan must have found the herb in the cave. While picking it, he must have disturbed the beast inside.’

’After a struggle, he killed the beast and emerged with the herb, only to run into two Fire Jade Department disciples who had just happened to wander into the area.’

’The disciples tried to take it by force, but Zhang Xiaoshan, knowing he was no match for them, resorted to threatening to destroy the herb to make them back off.’

Having pieced it all together, Zhao Lin focused his gaze on the herb in Zhang Xiaoshan’s hands.

The herb was over three feet long and as thick as a man’s wrist. Its stem had rings like bamboo segments, and its broad leaves were dotted with a scattering of tiny specks.

The most peculiar feature was at the top, where two fruits of identical size grew—one green, one red. They emitted an invigoratingly fresh scent that carried a great distance.

"The Earth Luo Fruit?"

Zhao Lin gasped. ’Is this Zhang Xiaoshan actually skilled, or just incredibly lucky?’

The Earth Luo Fruit was a top-tier medicinal ingredient for martial artists. Its two fruits, one yin and one yang, could be combined with other herbs like Dipu Leaf and the Sea Dragon Pill to clear meridians and disperse blood stasis, making it miraculously effective for treating a warrior’s hidden injuries.

’Even with my keen sense of smell, everything I’ve managed to gather this entire morning probably isn’t worth as much as this single pair of Earth Luo Fruits.’

"You two wouldn’t want to see such a fine herb destroyed, would you?"

Zhang Xiaoshan gripped the stem in one hand and cupped the two Earth Luo Fruits in the other, his voice laced with threat.

"Don’t do anything rash! The elders specifically said we’re not to waste medicinal herbs. The punishment is severe!"

"That’s right, severe punishment!"

The two disciples—one tall and thin, the other short and stout—had the character for "Fire" embroidered on the shoulders of their training uniforms. They stood about thirty feet from Zhang Xiaoshan, positioned to flank him.

The pair had thought they’d hit the jackpot, but they never expected Zhang Xiaoshan to play such an unconventional hand and actually threaten them with the herb itself.

If it had been anyone else, they might not have believed the threat. But Zhang Xiaoshan came from a prominent martial family and had powerful backing; he might just be crazy enough to go through with it.

If it weren’t for the Earth Luo Fruit, they wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of a spoiled heir like him.

"What’s there to be afraid of? The real question is whether *you’re* willing to lose it." Seeing that he had them right where he wanted them, Zhang Xiaoshan couldn’t help but look smug.

The stout disciple demanded, "Aren’t you afraid we’ll report this to the elders?"

Zhang Xiaoshan grinned. "Go ahead. I’ll just say you forced my hand."

"You..."

The two Fire Jade Department disciples didn’t dare to take the fruit by force, but they were unwilling to leave either. The situation fell into a stalemate.

After a moment’s thought, Zhao Lin stood up and walked down from the hill.

The crunch of gravel under his feet immediately drew the attention of all three.

Zhang Xiaoshan was overjoyed. "Junior Brother Zhao!" he called out. "Quick, help me get rid of them!"

The two Fire Jade Department disciples were startled at first, but they relaxed slightly once they got a clear look at Zhao Lin’s face.

The stout disciple sneered, "Newbie, I’d advise you not to stick your nose in this. You can still walk away. Otherwise, we’ll just rob you too."

The thin disciple chimed in, "That’s right, we’ll rob you, too!"

Zhao Lin ignored them, turning to Zhang Xiaoshan. "I can help you, but I want one of the Earth Luo Fruits."

"Give one to you?"

Zhang Xiaoshan was taken aback for a moment, then he laughed. "Fine, one for you. Now, get rid of them."

Zhao Lin didn’t move. With a calm expression, he asked, "You’re not just going to bolt the second I do, are you?"

Zhang Xiaoshan blinked twice, then put on a look of firm resolve. "Absolutely not!"

The stout disciple’s eyes darted around for a moment before he suddenly said, "How about this? The four of us fight for it. Winner takes all. What do you say?"

The thin disciple hesitated, then walked over and whispered in his partner’s ear, "Why a competition? We should just scare this new guy off. One more person just means more trouble."

The stout disciple kept his voice low. "If we drive him away, Zhang Xiaoshan will just keep threatening to destroy the Earth Luo Fruit. We’ll be right back where we started, with no way to get it."

"It’s better to fight two-on-two. We can coax Zhang Xiaoshan into putting down the Earth Luo Fruit, and then we’ll have our chance. Don’t tell me you’re actually worried we can’t handle these two rookies?"

"Good point. Let’s do it!"

They spoke in extremely low voices, but Zhao Lin sharpened his hearing and caught every single word.

’This idea actually works for me.’

Zhao Lin’s expression remained neutral, but his mind was already racing.

’He was confident he could defeat the two Fire Jade Department disciples. The problem was what would happen afterward.’

’Knowing Zhang Xiaoshan’s personality, what if he pulled the same stunt on me? All this would be for nothing, and I don’t have time to waste in a standoff with him.’

"Good idea," Zhao Lin agreed. "Let’s fight for it. Winner gets the Earth Luo Fruit."

Zhang Xiaoshan protested, "That’s not fair! Why should I have to gamble with something that’s already mine?"

Zhao Lin nodded slightly. "A fair point. In that case, I’ll be on my way. You all can just keep at it. We’ll see who can outlast who." He turned to leave.

"Hey, wait! Don’t go!"

Zhang Xiaoshan grew anxious and called out to him. "We’re from the same department, aren’t you going to help a brother out?"

"How am I supposed to help? You want me to fight both of them by myself?" Zhao Lin retorted.

"Well..."

Zhang Xiaoshan thought for a moment, then lowered his voice. "Maybe not both of them, but you can handle one, right?"

Zhao Lin had only joined the sect two months ago and hadn’t participated in any spars, so Zhang Xiaoshan had no idea how skilled he actually was.

Zhao Lin took a careful look at the two Fire Jade Department disciples. "I can."

Zhang Xiaoshan was still hesitant. Zhao Lin reminded him, "If we drag this out any longer, someone else is bound to show up. And at that point, even I won’t be able to help you."

After a moment of internal struggle, Zhang Xiaoshan gritted his teeth. "Fine, let’s do it!"

Hearing this, Zhao Lin and the two Fire Jade Department disciples were all secretly pleased, though none of them let it show.

"You all stand back."

Zhang Xiaoshan planted the herb in the ground. He reached out as if to pick the fruits and carry them on his person, but then, worried they might get crushed in the fight, he hesitated and pulled his hand back.

Zhao Lin shook his head inwardly. ’His actions basically announced to everyone that his earlier threat was just a bluff.’

The stout disciple whispered to his partner, "Zhang Xiaoshan knows his family’s martial arts, so he won’t be easy. I’ll take him. The newbie is all yours."

The thin disciple agreed. "Got it. Make sure you keep Zhang Xiaoshan tied up, or that brat will just run back and try to pull another stunt."

"Don’t worry, he’s not getting away..."

Each of the four men harboring their own schemes, they walked to the center of the basin and faced off.

"We’re all from the same sect; using clubs would just create bad blood," the stout disciple said. "Besides, these things are fine for scaring off beasts, but in a real fight, fists are better."

As he spoke, the stout disciple tossed his club to the side.

"No objections here."

"Fine..."

Zhao Lin, Zhang Xiaoshan, and the thin disciple also threw down their clubs.

They exchanged a look, and then all four moved at almost the exact same instant.

The stout disciple lunged at Zhang Xiaoshan, immediately employing close-quarters grappling techniques to prevent him from changing his mind and running back to use the Earth Luo Fruit as a bargaining chip.

The thin disciple wanted to take down Zhao Lin quickly so he could be free to snatch the Earth Luo Fruit. He leaped forward, his palms spread wide, channeling his energy through them as he chopped directly at Zhao Lin.

But Zhao Lin, having now achieved mastery of his Stone Roar Fist, was no longer afraid of trading blows. He waited for the very moment his opponent’s palm strike was spent, when he was committed and could not change his attack, and then suddenly unleashed a punch.