After the three stalks of Diamond Bamboo matured, they were quickly chopped down.
Zhao Xing began patiently crafting the Great Strength Straw Man.
Ever since defeating Zong Shichang in the autumn assessment, he had not neglected his Straw Man techniques. The cultivation aspect was quite significant; every day he would spend two to three hours in Xue Wenzhong's backyard making Straw Men.
Among them, the progress of the Great Strength Straw Man was the fastest, as Zhao Xing found it particularly useful. Not only for fighting, but also for tasks like moving bricks or plowing fields, the Great Strength Straw Man was the first choice.
Currently, Zhao Xing had five types of Straw Man techniques. The Repeating Straw Man was at the Sixth Transformation.
The Twining Straw Man was at the Fifth Transformation.
The Divine Movement Straw Man was at the Third Transformation.
The Thorny Straw Man was only at the Second Transformation.
However, the Great Strength Straw Man had already reached the Seventh Transformation!
"Three stalks of Diamond Bamboo can probably make fifteen Great Strength Diamond Men, but since it's only been a little over two hours, I might as well plant again."
"The Green Vine is sufficient; three stalks of Green Vine can make forty to fifty Twining Straw Men."
Zhao Xing took out three more Diamond Bamboo seedlings from the bamboo box and planted them. Then, he activated the technique of Rapid Growth.
The earth's energy at East Lake Mountain was quite abundant. Even after being planted once, Zhao Xing estimated that these three Diamond Bamboo seedlings would mature in no more than four to five hours.
As the clouds gathered over this cliff, Zhao Xing began to focus intently on crafting the Straw Men.
[You have created a Straw Man Puppet (Great Strength), proficiency +5]
[Straw Man Puppet (Great Strength)]
[Proficiency: 7201/9999]
[Effect: Indestructible, immense strength.]
[You have created a Straw Man Puppet (Great Strength), proficiency +8]
[Straw Man Puppet (Great Strength)]
[Proficiency: 7209/9999]
[Effect: Indestructible, immense strength.]
The Straw Man techniques were easy to learn but difficult to master. Once the Great Strength Straw Man reached the Seventh Transformation, it no longer contributed to the proficiency of [All Things as Soldiers].
Even using Diamond Bamboo materials, the proficiency gained from the Great Strength Straw Man was only in single digits.
Zhao Xing's understanding of the techniques had entered a smooth transitional period.
In the short term, to achieve perfection with the Great Strength Straw Man, he needed more and better materials.
"Go hide on the outskirts."
After creating four Great Strength Diamond Men, Zhao Xing had them lie in the soil nearby as ambushes.
Then, he pulled two stalks of Green Vine to make two Fifth Transformation Straw Men, hiding them in the trees, blending into the environment.
With protection in place, Zhao Xing was able to devote himself even more to the creation of the Straw Man puppets.
Fully focused, he lost track of time.
Zhao Xing reached behind him only to find nothing.
He realized he had run out of materials.
"Ha~"
Zhao Xing let out a long breath, straightened up, and rubbed his eyes.
"After an hour, the fifteen Great Strength Diamond Men are finally complete."
Slow work yields fine results; these fifteen Great Strength Diamond Men were extraordinary, exuding a certain spirit.
"Crack~"
Zhao Xing picked a handful of Green Vine fruits to satisfy his hunger, lying on the Green Vine while gazing at the sky.
The Tianyuan Pear should be eaten at a critical moment; eating it now would be too wasteful.
"I wonder if Ziyu and Qian Dong have entered the mountains. I didn’t seem to see them this morning. Shen Zhui from the Martial Division is at Gathered Essence Seventh Level. He has a good reputation in the Martial Division and invited others to accompany him, so it should be fine."
During his leisure time, he unconsciously thought of his friends and even worried a bit about Zong Shichang.
"I wonder if this young master has come down from the mountain. Hmm? What am I thinking? Could it really be that I'm soft-hearted after receiving favors?"
Turning over, Zhao Xing looked towards the distant mountain gorge.
Suddenly, a black dot appeared on the horizon, catching Zhao Xing's attention.
Activating the Bright Eyes technique, Zhao Xing looked into the distance.
He saw a figure riding a horse flying over the gorge, holding a long spear, clad in armor, quite heroic.
"Hmm? The bamboo horse leaps the gorge, treading the air, who is this expert?"
"What is he jumping around for?"
Zhao Xing looked on in confusion.
He saw the bamboo horse rider repeatedly jumping in the gorge, making three or four trips back and forth just from his perspective.
In mid-air, this rider even stood up on the horse's back, looking around as if searching for something.
"Is he gathering spiritual essence?"
"I wonder what he has discovered."
In the mountains, spiritual essence could be a tree, an item, or even a handful of yellow earth, a piece of cloud.
Zhao Xing's eyes flickered as he stared at that spot in the sky but found nothing unusual.
"Too far away to sense anything."
After a moment, he withdrew his gaze and stopped paying attention.
The spiritual essences of the upper, middle, and lower levels became increasingly vague, especially the higher quality ones, which were even difficult to identify.
The person who could defeat the Gathered Essence Eighth Level warrior invited by Zong Shichang might already be at Ninth Level.
It was better to look less.
In the blink of an eye, dusk arrived, and the three newly planted Diamond Bamboo stalks were nearing maturity.
"The destructive power of wild growth is still too great. Even with the abundant vital Qi at East Lake Mountain, replanting in the same spot slows down the second growth significantly," Zhao Xing thought to himself.
"Fortunately, they will soon mature. Once they are ready and the Straw Men are made, I will change locations. Tonight, I will rest well to recover my vital Qi and climb the mountain again tomorrow morning."
Just as he patiently awaited the maturity of the Diamond Bamboo.
Suddenly—
"Whoosh~"
The branches of the Diamond Bamboo shook, and the sound of rustling bamboo leaves reached his ears, as if something had fallen.
"Could it be? Something fell again?" Zhao Xing became alert, but the next moment he discerned that the thing that fell should not be large.
At least it wouldn't be a person.
"Could it be a rock falling from the cliff?"
Zhao Xing approached the Diamond Bamboo, following the sound to take a look.
He saw a fist-sized, bright red fruit stuck on the branches of the Diamond Bamboo.
"Thump~ Thump~"
Upon seeing this fruit, Zhao Xing's heart began to beat uncontrollably.
A sudden inspiration!
It was the sensation after encountering spiritual essence!
"Damn, a spiritual essence falls from the sky? This fruit is actually condensed from the spiritual essence of the mountain?"
However, before Zhao Xing could get closer.
"Whoosh~"
"Whoosh~"
Two more sounds followed.
Two Zhu Fruits fell at Zhao Xing's feet.
One was only the size of a fist, while the other was as large as a baby's head!
"……"
Looking at the three Zhu Fruits before him, Zhao Xing couldn't help but feel a bit dazed.
From the sensation, these three Zhu Fruits were at least low-grade spiritual essences, and even the largest one might have reached the middle-grade level.
"Is the Fortune of the Second Level this strong? I haven't even gone up the mountain, and I can find spiritual essences at the foot of the mountain?"
Zhao Xing's heart raced uncontrollably; the fragrance emitted by the fruits invigorated him, and the vital Qi consumed while making the Straw Men was actually restored by half.
"Thank you for nature's gift." Zhao Xing smiled widely, bending down to pick up the Zhu Fruits.
However, at that moment, the yellow calendar in his arms suddenly flipped a page.
At the same time, a gentle female voice came from the other side of the creek.
"Brother, so you are here. I have been searching for you for so long~"
(End of Chapter)