Ryu's hand reached forward with striking speed, seemingly acting before his mind could even finish a complete thought. However, it was then that the exam completely changed, forcing him to pause.
"Huuu…" Ryu snapped out of his Breath of Earth, his mind shaking awake to find that the round of questions he had become so used to was different now. 'Is this the second round?'
Before, the images would be spliced herbs, but now what appeared before Ryu was a miniature environment. It seemed to be a small illusory garden scaled down to the with size of about three or four palm lengths.
This particular garden seemed to be one built upon a lake. Spiritual Herbs that could grow in this kind of environment were in the minority, but Ryu knew that they definitely existed. This was the norm for water attribute herbs.
As Ryu was analyzing the environment before him, the herbs he was looking for appeared hovering above the water garden. It was then that Ryu understood the purpose of this second round.
Being a herbologist wasn't just about recognizing herbs, a large part of their job was to act as gardeners. In Ryu's first life, he revitalized many extinct species of herbs with this ability, he was a large part of the reason his parents grew so powerful despite them being relatively young in comparison to other powerhouses. It was a part of the profession Ryu was incredibly familiar with.
The goal of this second round was to do exactly that. An environment was spawned and the examinees' job was to adjust said environment within certain bounds to foster the growth of the herbs they've been provided with. Of course, this was all a simulation.
After one had adjusted their environment to their liking and planted their herbs, a time lapse would occur where a third-party system would decide based on accumulated data just how viable the examinee's choices were.
'They didn't make this easy.' Ryu thought with a light smile. 'They've given me a water environment, but the herbs I must grow would die if planted directly into the water this way.'
Ryu had three herbs this time, only one of which would be able to grow under these conditions. But, even then, it wouldn't be perfect because this was a freshwater environment, while the herb in question was best suited to a saltwater environment.
Herbs that could survive in salt water were incredibly rare. Salt was incredibly good at drying organisms out, so an herb capable of living in such a biosphere was very special.
'That's the key.' Ryu's eyes flashed. 'Fostering the growth of herbs isn't just about adjusting the environment, but also about controlling what herbs came before it and come after it.'
The concept of crop rotation was an incredibly important one. Depending on what herbs were once grown in an area, it could either hinder or foster the growth of Spiritual Herbs that come afterward. When Ryu noticed that one of his given herbs was a saltwater herb, he immediately understood the crux of the exam.
Ryu was given three herbs: Drying Leaf, Flame Lotus, and Lightning Blossom. To any sane herbologist, growing all three herbs in the same area was stupidity of the highest degree. For one, Flame Lotuses were completely incompatible with an all water environment. Secondly, lightning and water don't mix. In the case that the Lightning Blossom could grow, it would spark the deaths of all other herbs around it. In the case that the Lightning Blossom couldn't grow, that would just be another failure. Thirdly, Drying Leaf was a saltwater herb, but this was a freshwater lake.
However, after just three seconds, Ryu's hand had already begun to move.
'It can't be…' The energetic exam overseer sat up. Even she was still thinking of the perfect solution. This exam was far more difficult than the normal herbologist exams because it was created with the specific purpose of finding talents. This difficulty only increased in the second round. Even a Heaven Grade Herbologist like herself needed some time to think of a solution. This was precisely why there was no time limit after the first round.
'… Genius!' The overseer stood up abruptly. 'Drying Leaf has to be in saltwater environments because its osmosis potential is too strong. It looks like a small leaf, with an equally small body, but its roots and stem have countless perforations that push its surface area to a ridiculous level. On top of that, it has an innate qi circulation system that accelerates the absorption of water. The only way to stop this herb from drying up beds of lakes and rivers everywhere is to counter with saltwater which can mitigate its ability to some extent. If this isn't done, not only will the herb become useless, but so would the environment it was planted in.
'This child… He planted the Lightning Blossom and Drying Leaf herbs together. By arranging them in a perfectly balanced formation, he's using the natural lightning element circulation of the Lightning Blossom to supercharge chemicals and force them to break apart. He can't create salt in this way since he doesn't have the appropriate building blocks, but he can decrease the concentration of molecules Drying Leaf has a high affinity for in the surrounding water, which would slow down osmosis.
'This forces the Drying Leaf to slow its absorption of water, while at the same time preventing the water from interfering with the Lightning Blossom too much. On one had, the Drying Leaf is taking most of the water for itself, while on the other the Lightning Blossom is even further lessening the affect of the water.
'Using this cycle, the water in the lake drains, but not quickly enough for the Drying Leaf to become unviable. Then, once the lakebed dries out completely, it becomes the perfect environment for the Flaming Lotus! This isn't just herbology… It's practically terraforming!
'The most important part here is the formation of Lightning Blossoms and Drying Leaves. If there were too many of either herb in a certain area, the balance would have been shattered. Either the Drying Leaf would absorb too much water too quickly, or the lightning would be overwhelming and destroy it all other herbs. If the latter occurred, then only the Lightning Blossoms would survive while the Flame Lotus wouldn't even be able to be planted.
'Three seconds… Three seconds…' The usually energetic overseer felt deflated. It only got worse when Ryu once more sank into Breath of Earth, causing his speed to reach a new level.
It didn't matter what the environment was or what herbs he was given. Desert? Mountain peaks? Underwater caves? Clouds? Rocks? It didn't matter.
Before Ryu even realized it, he couldn't even see any fellow exam takers around him anymore. It was as though something toward the center was calling him, as though it was luring him. As much as he wanted to know what it was, it was even more that true that whatever it was, was ecstatic. It had waited too long. Someone worthy had finally come.