"Earth Vein Convergence!"
Zhao Xing crouched on the ground, his fingertips penetrating into the earth. A wisp of vital Qi immediately flowed down through the soil, sinking deep into the ground.
Following that, a second and third wisp... a total of nine wisps of vital Qi disappeared into the depths below.
In Zhao Xing's perception, these nine wisps of vital Qi formed a cage-like structure underground.
"This is the core of the spell, the focal point. All the underground vital Qi will converge and be absorbed here."
Harnessing the power of the earth veins and integrating the earth vein vital Qi was merely the first step.
With the focal point established, he still needed to determine the direction.
Zhao Xing began to wander around the edge of the territory, stopping at various spots to crouch down and grab handfuls of soil, as if assessing the fertility of the land.
Wen Nanxing and Xiao Ze both noticed his actions.
However, Zhao Xing did not overstep any boundaries, so they paid him no mind.
"This is the advantage of Earth Vein Convergence, it's discreet!" Zhao Xing even waved his hand towards Wen Nanxing.
Feeling that the man was quite polite, Wen Nanxing nodded in response.
After wandering for a while, Zhao Xing truly felt a bit tired.
Although Earth Vein Convergence was a basic-level spell, it consumed a tremendous amount of energy.
Casting this spell consumed as much vital Qi as dozens of instances of Call Winds and Summon Rains.
"Vital Qi is like roots, taking root underground, forming an underground network."
"The cage has been set, now it depends on how many fish come." Zhao Xing clapped his hands in satisfaction.
He then ran over to the spring well, leaned against the edge, and began to close his eyes to rest.
Wen Nanxing and Xiao Ze could not discern Zhao Xing's actions, but they did not escape Chen Shijie's keen eye.
However, it took him quite a while to understand.
"This is... Earth Vein Convergence?"
"Earth Vein Convergence is activated but not yet unleashed. You plan to act secretly during the night? Good lad! Your methods are quite in line with my style." Chen Shijie felt increasingly satisfied with Zhao Xing, finding him quite to his taste.
As someone from the Agricultural Affairs Bureau, he understood this kind of operation very well!
Aside from Chen Shijie, only Xue Wenzhong realized Zhao Xing's intentions.
The other officials did not catch on; they were neither as comprehensive as Chen Shijie nor as experienced as Xue Wenzhong.
Xue Wenzhong naturally would not voice this to avoid inciting jealousy among the students, and Chen Shijie only admired him in his heart, not revealing it further.
He knew that his attention on Zhao Xing today had already been sufficient; any more would be a bit excessive.
Chen Shijie was well aware of the small thoughts of those beneath him.
"Ziyu, I... I can't go on..." Qian Dong collapsed to the ground, gasping for air like a fish about to die of thirst.
Chen Ziyu was not much better off, drenched in sweat, unable to wipe it away.
It was already afternoon, and after several hours of hard work, there was not a single sign of life in the fields before them.
Most of the seeds had not sprouted, and the seedlings had all withered.
At this rate, the remaining few would not last until tomorrow.
"How about... we just leave? We can retake the exam next time," Qian Dong suggested, truly unwilling to waste any more effort.
"I won't leave," Chen Ziyu shook his head. "Every time we say next time, next time... when will there be a breakthrough? We might as well do it this time."
Qian Dong was taken aback, then gritted his teeth and got back up.
More and more people were giving up, unable to endure the hardship, leaving the field.
But some were still gritting their teeth and persisting.
Enduring the sweltering heat, everyone finally awaited the arrival of nightfall.
Xue Wenzhong did not make things too difficult for them; as night fell, he sent a gentle breeze to the planting area.
……
With the refreshing breeze from Xue Wenzhong, Zhao Xing awoke from a light sleep.
He was particularly sensitive to winds that did not belong to him.
"It’s dark now; it’s time to get to work."
Zhao Xing stretched lazily and then ran to check the status of the three types of plants.
At this moment, 20 stalks of green vines had already progressed from the seedling stage to the growth stage, their tendrils climbing over the yellow earth, with some branches already showing flower buds.
In the two mud pits, the Fragrant Lotus had already sprouted three lotus leaves, also entering the growth stage.
Only the Diamond Bamboo, due to the characteristics of bamboo plants, still only had a shoot tip poking out.
"Truly worthy of being a second-tier high-grade plant; I’ve concentrated all the nutrients on it, yet it’s still no different from the beginning."
Diamond Bamboo was a high-stakes target, so it certainly could not be easily cultivated.
Zhao Xing was not anxious; he had not yet begun to exert his strength.
"It’s dark now; time to work secretly."
A wisp of vital Qi emerged from his fingertips, penetrating into the ground.
"Buzz~"
Earth Vein Convergence was instantly activated!
The great net began to expand, quietly extending beyond Zhao Xing's range of Call Winds and Summon Rains.
To the north, it crossed over half of Wen Nanxing's territory, while to the south, it enveloped Xiao Ze's domain.
To the west, it included several positions on the ranking list.
Li Chengfeng and Zong Shichang were at the far west; Zhao Xing could not reach that far, as he had just begun to master this earth-based spell.
"Covered nearly half of the planting area; that should be enough." Zhao Xing's bright eyes could see many officials starting to get busy after dark, consuming vital Qi and casting spells.
"Come on, everyone; how tall the Diamond Bamboo grows depends on you all."
"It’s dark now; the Soul Calming Fragrance I’m in charge of should also start to mature." Huang Tao looked at a seedling on the ground, preparing to take action.
Having been stifled by Zhao Xing in the morning, he still seized a spot near the spring well.
The plant Huang Tao chose was called 'Soul Calming Fragrance,' a second-tier mid-grade plant.
Its effect was singular: after blooming, its fragrance could calm the mind and settle the soul.
Many people liked to plant a Soul Calming Fragrance at home, as it could reduce the chances of going into a frenzy during Gathered Essence cultivation.
The flowering period of the Soul Calming Fragrance was quite long, lasting for several months, but it was intolerant of extreme heat and difficult to bloom, so Huang Tao had not acted during the day, waiting until nightfall.
"Being able to plant a Soul Calming Fragrance by the beginning of autumn, even just one, would be enough to make it onto the ranking list." Huang Tao was full of confidence.
"Let’s begin! Grow strong!"
Huang Tao started to cast spells on the Soul Calming Fragrance seedling.
Vital Qi entered the soil, heading straight for the roots of the Soul Calming Fragrance.
A portion of the vital Qi suddenly vanished just before reaching the roots, with only one-tenth being absorbed.
"This season, the Soul Calming Fragrance seedlings are indeed hard to grow."
Huang Tao was not concerned, thinking it was just that he had chosen a difficult challenge, so the results were slow.
After waiting for a moment, Huang Tao continued to cast spells.
The Soul Calming Fragrance seedling grew a little taller.
"Again!"
……
At the hour of the rat, Huang Tao squatted on the ground, somewhat bewildered, staring at the Soul Calming Fragrance.
"What... is going on? I’ve been casting spells on it for three hours, and it still hasn’t entered the growth stage?"
If it hadn’t even reached the growth stage, there was no way it could bloom.
At first, Huang Tao did not realize, but after exhausting his vital Qi several times and still seeing the Soul Calming Fragrance grow slowly, he suddenly realized that it wasn’t his lack of skill; something else was wrong!
"Did I pick a sickly seedling? That’s impossible; I clearly checked..." Huang Tao muttered to himself, tugging at his hair, "Where exactly did the problem lie?"
(End of Chapter)