Teng Qingshan emerged from a dark tunnel beside it. Du Hong quickly asked, "Commander, did you catch that brat?"

"This place is a labyrinth; too many tunnels and forks. And it's pitch black…" Teng Qingshan shook his head, then commanded, "Enough about him for now. We've located the 'Black Fire Spirit Fruit,' but it's clearly not ripe yet. Let's head back for now."

"Right, we must report this to the Commander," Du Hong agreed, nodding.

"If we eventually acquire this Black Fire Spirit Fruit, who do you think the Sect will award it to?" Teng Qinghu mused aloud.

Du Hong replied, "It was Commander's intuition that this valley was strange that led us here! This is a huge merit for the Commander. Besides, Commander is the top figure among the younger generation of the Guiyuan Sect. Considering both potential and contribution, it should go to the Commander."

"Exactly, that's right," Teng Qinghu nodded repeatedly.

"We don't even have the fruit in hand yet, why worry about these things," Teng Qingshan smiled, retracing their steps. "Let's go back."

"Just being in this place for a moment makes my throat dry and my tongue feel parched," Teng Qinghu wiped his forehead, which was slick with sweat.

Even from a distance, the subterranean area was typically around sixty degrees Celsius. At such high temperatures, sweating occurred rapidly. Fortunately, they were all powerful martial artists; for ordinary people, fainting from the heat would have been commonplace.

...

Following the dark, deep fissure, Teng Qingshan and his men rapidly climbed upward using the vines. In one ascent, they covered over a hundred zhang before leaping onto the platform of the cave passage.

The three of them emerged from the rift one after another and moved toward the cave entrance.

"Wait a moment, don't rush out. First, look outside through the gaps. See if there are any outsiders. If not, then we go out," Teng Qingshan instructed. Du Hong and Teng Qinghu both nodded. They understood... this cave passage was a major secret.

The three reached the entrance. Teng Qingshan peered out through the gaps in the vine leaves.

In the valley, besides the Black Armored Army, there were two ordinary martial artists.

"Wait a moment," Teng Qingshan said.

Teng Qinghu and Du Hong also waited silently. Teng Qingshan observed that the two ordinary martial artists were clearly intimidated by the presence of the Guiyuan Sect personnel, and they soon vacated the valley area.

"Let's go down," Teng Qingshan took the lead, pulling aside the vines and leaping down immediately.

A height of over ten zhang was something a skilled First-Class martial artist dared to jump from, and this action wouldn't expose Teng Qingshan's true strength; rather, it would only earn him greater admiration from the Black Armored Army soldiers.

Whoosh!

He landed directly from the ten-plus zhang drop.

Teng Qingshan effortlessly dispersed the force of the impact.

Teng Qinghu was seen grabbing a vine and leaping down. He slid several zhang downward before exerting force to grip the vine tightly. Once stopped, he leaped down again, briefly touched the cliff face, and landed smoothly.

"Hoo!" Du Hong surprisingly emulated Teng Qingshan, also leaping directly from the cave entrance.

"Old Du!" Teng Qingshan exclaimed in shock.

However, as Du Hong landed, he immediately crouched low and executed a roll close to the ground, managing to dissipate the impact force just in time.

"Commander is truly formidable! At this height, even I, Old Du, couldn't completely neutralize the force and still needed a tumble," Du Hong laughed heartily. Teng Qinghu walked over, deliberately teasing, "Old Du, I relied on the vine, yet you jumped straight down—that's showing me no face at all, wouldn't you say? How should you compensate me for that?"

"I'll give you an extra jar of wine tonight. Does that work?" Du Hong chuckled.

"One jar?" Teng Qinghu shook his head vehemently. "No, you won't drink any wine tonight; all your wine belongs to me!"

Ji Hong strictly regulated the amount of alcohol consumed, as they needed to search in the afternoon, so they drank little at noon, reserving more for the evening. But even then, there were limits—a Centurion was allowed a maximum of three jars.

"All of it? Three jars?"

"What, is that too little? Maybe you should give me your wine for tomorrow night too."

...

Teng Qingshan ignored the banter between the two and immediately instructed the other Black Armored Army soldiers: "The First Squad will temporarily remain here in this valley. Hide well, perhaps among the thickets and bushes. Keep a close watch on that cave entrance! If you see the slender man I brought in earlier emerge, capture him."

"Yes!" the soldiers of the First Squad responded.

"Commander, what if that person tries to flee?" the First Squad asked.

Teng Qingshan stated coldly, "Then break his legs! If he fights you to the death, there's no need to hold back!"

"Understood." The soldiers relaxed slightly; with Commander's words, they didn't need to be hesitant anymore.

**

Around noon, Guan Lü's contingent returned to the main camp first, with Ji Hong arriving later. As soon as both groups were back, Teng Qingshan, who had returned early, immediately summoned Guan Lü and Ji Hong into the main camp for a secret discussion between the three of them.

"What did you say!" Ji Hong's face showed astonishment.

Guan Lü also looked at Teng Qingshan in surprise. In recent days, no one had reported discovering the location of the Black Fire Spirit Fruit.

Teng Qingshan nodded. "Yes, this morning, I just discovered where the Black Fire Spirit Fruit is growing. That place is indeed extremely scorching hot." A place where magma flows naturally would be unbearably hot.

"Quickly, tell us the details," Ji Hong said, overjoyed.

Teng Qingshan immediately began to explain in detail. Ji Hong and Guan Lü listened, their faces lighting up with pleasure, though they were also somewhat surprised to hear that the fruit grew near the fiery magma.

"However, the guide kid fled into the tunnels, and I couldn't find him. It's pitch black in there; it's a maze," Teng Qingshan reported. "I have already ordered one squad to quietly infiltrate the valley and wait patiently. Once that person emerges from the cave, he absolutely cannot escape."

Ji Hong repeatedly nodded in approval.

"Haha, Qingshan, you've done excellently this time!" Ji Hong happily slapped Teng Qingshan's shoulder. "Once we deal with that fugitive, this information will remain within the Guiyuan Sect! Then, the Black Fire Spirit Fruit and the Black Fire Spirit Root will be ours!"

Guan Lü also glanced at Teng Qingshan.

She couldn't fathom why Teng Qingshan was always the one securing merits.

"We must keep this confidential now!" Ji Hong stressed. "We cannot let anyone else know... So, for lunch today, we will proceed as usual. When we go out for searches this afternoon, Qingshan, Guan Lü, only the two of you will accompany me quietly into that cave to take a good look."

Ji Hong and Guan Lü had not seen the Black Fire Spirit Fruit themselves, and they wouldn't be at ease without viewing it.

...

That afternoon, Teng Qingshan, Ji Hong, and Guan Lü led their men into Fiery Mountain. Soon after, Teng Qingshan, Ji Hong, and Guan Lü quietly arrived at the designated valley.

"Commander, Commander," the squad immediately emerged from the undergrowth.

"Did you find the brat?" Teng Qingshan asked.

"No," the leading squad leader shook his head.

Teng Qingshan, however, was unaware... that the slender man would never emerge again.

"Hmm, he's probably lost in the maze and couldn't find a way out," Teng Qingshan then ordered, "Right, you guys rest for a bit. Second Squad, bring out the food. Let them eat first." Members of the Second Squad took out the still-warm meals they had brought in their packs and handed them to the soldiers of the First Squad.

Meanwhile, Teng Qingshan, Ji Hong, and Guan Lü walked toward the low cliff face.

Teng Qingshan surveyed the surroundings—no one was present—then pointed toward the cave. "It's there!"

"It truly is cleverly hidden, on the cliff face, and covered by vines!" Ji Hong chuckled. "In a vast place like Fiery Mountain with countless minor peaks, who would think to climb the cliff face to search? Even if one paid attention to the cliffs, this secret cave would be hard to find. Alright, Qingshan, you go first."

Teng Qingshan, with the Reincarnation Spear on his back, leaped nearly ten zhang high, gave a final push off his feet, and was at the cave entrance, quickly darting inside.

"Qingshan's movement technique is really good," Ji Hong praised.

Guan Lü snorted, but she too leaped up, achieving a height of eight or nine zhang. She tapped a protruding rock on the cliff face and flew into the cave as well. Ji Hong glanced around, then quickly followed them in!

...

The deep, gloomy rift, the thick water vapor, and the scorching flow of magma all filled Ji Hong and Guan Lü with awe. The intense heat from the magma flow, in particular, made them wary, keeping several zhang away from it. It wasn't that they dared not approach; rather, they were unwilling to waste any more internal energy!

Approaching required expending more internal energy.

Who could be like Teng Qingshan, walking right beside the magma flow without a care? Of course, Teng Qingshan also followed Ji Hong and Guan Lü, keeping a considerable distance from the magma flow.

"Haha... It really is the Black Fire Spirit Fruit!" By the edge of the magma lake, the three gazed upon the fruit floating in the center.

"Qingshan, you have achieved great merit," Ji Hong laughed happily.

"Starting today, we will enter here twice daily—once in the morning and once in the afternoon. The moment it ripens, we harvest it immediately. We must not let the Scarlet Scaled Beast snatch it first!" Ji Hong said sternly. "Since the Black Fire Spirit Fruit grows here, the Scarlet Scaled Beast must frequent this place. Moreover, the beast is likely nearing its maturity; it’s over two zhang tall... A single Houtian martial artist poses no threat to it. Only a Xiantian expert, or a large group of Houtian experts, can deal with it."

...

And so, Teng Qingshan and the others maintained the outward appearance of normalcy. However, every day, Teng Qingshan, Ji Hong, and Guan Lü would secretly and cautiously sneak into the cave twice—once in the morning and once in the afternoon. After all, they couldn't be certain exactly when the Black Fire Spirit Fruit would ripen.

Three days passed this way.

Wu Dai was a martial artist who loved exploring the world. The massive gathering of martial artists at Fiery Mountain was an event he naturally attended. For him, the various challenges and feuds happening every night were exciting. As for searching for the Black Fire Spirit Fruit during the day, he found it rather tedious.

"With my current strength, even if I obtained the Black Fire Spirit Fruit, I couldn't keep it safe." After searching for a while, Wu Dai found a mountaintop, comfortably lay down under a large tree, enjoyed the mountain breeze, and took an afternoon nap.

"Voices?"

Wu Dai opened his eyes, flipped over, and scrambled to the edge, peering down into the valley. Sure enough, three people were gathered together.

"That’s not Commander Ji Hong of the Guiyuan Sect... wait, that's Teng Qingshan... and that woman..." Wu Dai's eyes immediately lit up. He quickly pulled his head back, stealthily watching through the weeds below. He saw Teng Qingshan, Ji Hong, and the woman rapidly dart into a cave on the opposite cliff face one after another.

Each time, the three would survey their surroundings carefully, as if checking for observers.

"Huh? So cautious, and in such a hidden spot! Could that place actually be..." Wu Dai's eyes shone, and the smile on his face grew wider. "After years of wandering, it seems Wu Dai is about to strike it rich!"