Huang Tao had pulled out a large handful of his hair, yet he still couldn't figure out why the Soul Calming Incense wouldn't bloom. Could it really be a sickly plant?
There was no other choice; he would have to replace it. He couldn't waste this night; the assessment lasted only four days and three nights!
Huang Tao propped himself up and trudged toward the seedling area. On the way, he noticed his friend Ma Wu hurrying over, looking somewhat flustered.
"Ma brother? What brings you here?"
"Hmm? Huang brother?" Ma Wu, who had accompanied Huang Tao during the day, was puzzled to see him not cultivating on his own turf. "I picked a sickly plant and spent three or four hours trying to get it to bear fruit, but to no avail, sigh!"
"Ah? What a coincidence?" Huang Tao was taken aback. "I’m in the same boat!"
Hearing this, Ma Wu felt much better; it turned out he wasn't the only one having bad luck!
"Huang brother, let's pick together. It's already midnight; if we wait any longer, it will be too late."
"Let's go!"
Many people were coming to select seedlings or seeds, but no one thought to look in another direction. After all, this situation wasn't uncommon; who hadn't killed a few flowers or plants? Moreover, the plants they were selecting were all somewhat challenging.
So when Zhao Xing initiated the first wave of Earth Vein Consolidation, most people didn't think much of it.
But were there those who could notice and perceive it?
There were indeed some.
For example, Wen Nanxing and Xiao Ze, who were relatively close to Zhao Xing. Both had reached Gathered Essence Third Level, and being nearby, they could observe and compare closely enough to notice that the anomalies were man-made.
Zhao Xing had considered this point, so he controlled the absorption efficiency from these two neighbors.
"I can't let the experts discover too early; I need to control the pace. However, the area they are in has abundant vital Qi, and the vital Qi they use for casting spells is even purer. Even if I reduce the absorption ratio, it still exceeds what others receive."
For the novices, he would absorb vigorously, taking away eight or nine parts out of ten of their vital Qi.
For these experts, Zhao Xing was cautious, using a dull knife to slice flesh, boiling frogs in warm water.
"Although Earth Vein Consolidation is difficult to learn and practice, it’s possible that someone might know this spell."
"However, I don't feel anyone absorbing my vital Qi right now; there shouldn't be another old six around."
The novices couldn't recognize it, and the experts didn't notice.
Although voices of confusion arose in the night, everything was developing according to Zhao Xing's expectations.
As time passed, the vital Qi gradually accumulated, and the golden bamboo at the center of the spellcasting finally began to show signs of movement.
At the first watch of the day, the tip of the golden bamboo broke through the surrounding soil, emitting a faint golden light.
Seeing this, Zhao Xing immediately conjured a dark cloud to irrigate the golden bamboo, aiding its growth.
At the second watch, the golden bamboo continued to grow, its leaf sheath patterns thickening and reaching half a meter in height.
At the third watch, the height of the golden bamboo doubled, reaching one meter, and the first bamboo node appeared, signaling the end of the seedling stage.
At the fourth watch, the golden bamboo produced a second node, fully entering the growth phase.
At this point, it was unstoppable.
As the saying goes, after the rain, bamboo shoots spring up, and the momentum was like a hot knife through butter.
Although the golden bamboo was of a high grade, it was still bamboo. With the abundant vital Qi provided by Earth Vein Consolidation, ample nutrients, and suitable living space, it immediately began to erupt.
When the first node appeared at just one meter in height, a quarter of an hour later, the second node emerged, and its height surged to four meters!
Afterward, the enveloping leaf sheaths began to shed, almost growing two nodes every quarter of an hour, and it was visibly growing taller!
By the end of the third watch, the twenty golden bamboos each stood over fifty meters tall, with diameters exceeding 30 centimeters!
They were entirely golden, with the leaves and branches the same hue.
The twenty golden bamboos were lush and verdant, transforming the area into a golden bamboo forest!
As dawn broke, the light illuminated the golden bamboo grove, shining brightly, and everyone noticed this scene.
"Hmm? What huge bamboos!"
"What's going on? How did so many bamboos appear overnight?"
"So tall! Although there are only twenty, it looks like a bamboo forest!"
"Golden yellow, so beautiful! What variety is this?"
"Entirely golden, over fifty meters tall; could it be the second-tier superior golden bamboo?"
"What? Second-tier superior? And twenty at once?"
"Whose territory is this?"
"It was grown by Zhao Xing from the Huai Liu Courtyard!"
In the assessment area, all the officials were abuzz with discussion.
It was impossible not to pay attention; the fifty-meter height was too conspicuous, enough for all the officials to see it, making it hard to ignore.
"To cultivate to maturity overnight?" Li Chengfeng from the west frowned as he looked at the figures beneath the golden grove. "Although bamboo has growth advantages, this is a bit too exaggerated."
Seeing this golden bamboo grove, he felt an impending sense of crisis, as if he was about to be surpassed.
"How did he do it?" Zong Shichang was dumbfounded. "Golden bamboo is a second-tier superior; let alone twenty, even one is hard to cultivate!"
"I don't know." Li Chengfeng shook his head. "Wen Nanxing and Xiao Ze are nearby; they might know something. Brother Zong, why not inquire?"
At this moment, Wen Nanxing and Xiao Ze also wore puzzled expressions.
Because they didn't know much either, Zhao Xing's cloud concealment had masked the movements during the growth phase, only revealing them to everyone during the day.
Not only the golden bamboo, but the green vines also covered the ground.
From the cultivation results of these two plants alone, Zhao Xing could be said to be in a league of his own!
In contrast, their performances paled in comparison.
Wen Nanxing had cultivated four types of plants, which were second-tier superior, upper, middle, and lower.
The second-tier inferior plants had already entered maturity, but the middle-tier ones were still progressing slowly, still in the growth phase.
As for the second-tier superior 'Seven Star Flower,' it hadn't even begun to bud.
"My second-tier superior hasn't even entered the growth phase, yet he has already cultivated so many mature second-tier superiors?" A hint of surprise flashed in Wen Nanxing's eyes.
"There’s a problem, a big problem!"
Tang Wanchun furrowed his brows, calculating the spellcasting effects of his student Xiao Ze and the growth cycle of the cultivated plants.
As he calculated to the end, he suddenly gasped, standing up to closely examine the blue plant in the mud.
"Something's off! Logically, Xiao Ze's Ice Lotus should have produced its fourth lotus leaf by now, but why are there only two?"
Beside him, another official, who was Wen Nanxing's teacher, Pang Yuan, also showed a contemplative look. "Wen Nanxing's spellcasting effects have also significantly decreased."
"And since the second watch, many people have frequently gone to the seedling area, returning to replant, with many having killed their own plants."
Tang Wanchun said, "One or two is fine, but how could so many people experience this?"
"There’s only one possibility: the Earth Vein's vital Qi has been affected!"
Then the two exchanged glances and blurted out, "Earth Vein Consolidation!"
Chen Shijie chuckled lightly upon hearing this: "Why are you two in such a hurry? Are you trying to remind your students?"
Tang Wanchun and Pang Yuan quickly clasped their hands: "We dare not; we just didn't expect there would be someone among the officials capable of using Earth Vein Consolidation."
Chen Shijie smiled and waved his hand: "Then sit down and quietly observe the changes."
(End of Chapter)