His Spiritual Awareness swept into the Jade Slip, discovering that it now contained new content—the second volume of the "Encyclopedia of Weapon Refining," the Spiritual Beast Scroll!
"Haha, so that means I passed the assessment! From now on, I'm a Qi Apprentice!" Qian Duoduo waved his fists a few times, then couldn't help but stretch, a wave of fatigue spreading from within.
He popped a Spirit Increasing Pill into his mouth to quickly restore his Spiritual Qi, eager to go back and share the good news with Liu Boli and Huang Guiren.
Rubbing his sore arms, he stood up and pushed open the door of the Wood House.
Just as he stepped out, a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating Wanjinge Square.
"No way, the heavens are celebrating so grandly just because I passed the Qi Apprentice assessment?"
Qian Duoduo was startled, then noticed a Golden Toad perched on top of the golden pillar in front.
"It looks exactly like the one I just drew with my own hands!"
Qian Duoduo rubbed his eyes. Sometimes, extreme fatigue could make one see things.
A thunderclap boomed in the sky, and a strong wind began to blow.
Qian Duoduo hadn't been mistaken; the Golden Toad he had drawn was indeed domineeringly sitting atop the Fire Phoenix.
"Sigh, this situation, it's like it absolutely has to contend for the Ten Pillar Chief position." He quickly glanced left and right, relieved that no one was around.
Qian Duoduo ran a few steps, exiting Wanjinge Square.
Now, no one would guess that he was the one who drew the Golden Toad.
Carelessly, Qian Duoduo had even created an obstacle for Cao Yueying's dream of becoming a Ten Pillar Chief.
Just as he was trying not to be happy but was happy nonetheless, a few large raindrops splattered on Qian Duoduo's face.
It was raining, and it was a downpour. No wonder there was lightning and thunder.
Before he could cross Lingwu Avenue, the rain from the sky was already pouring down.
His blue robe was instantly soaked, and the world cooled down completely.
Walking in the rain at this moment was a kind of enjoyment for Qian Duoduo.
On a summer night, all things were full of vitality. The heavy rain nourished everything, replacing the old with the new.
Qian Duoduo released his Spiritual Awareness to feel the sky, the earth, and every spiritual plant in the sect.
He perceived the fear of these spiritual plants under the lightning, their joy at receiving the rain, and their anticipation as they stretched their leaves and roots.
Inside the Golden Toad, Liu Boli was as happy as he was. Qian Duoduo found his own achievement of becoming a Pillar Chief inexplicable, but Liu Boli knew why he got first place. It wasn't merely about rote memorization; without a strong affinity for various spiritual plants and an incredibly meticulous observation of their parts, it would have been impossible to piece together so many spiritual plants.
Diligence combined with unparalleled talent—that's what allowed Qian Duoduo to secure the Pillar Chief position with his first attempt.
In the downpour, Qian Duoduo happily tilted his head back, opened his mouth, and drank a few mouthfuls of rainwater.
He felt that he himself was also a blade of grass in the Refining Spirit Sect. Although he hadn't landed in fertile soil, hadn't been favored by the sun, and had fallen into the darkest, most barren corner, he was still desperately trying to survive, his roots digging down, his leaves growing up.
On his way back, Qian Duoduo sometimes struck poses to practice the Golden Light Technique, and at other times practiced the Eternal Wealth and Nobility Art, treating the vast pouring rain as the greatest Spiritual Qi and the earth as the greatest Spiritual Platform. There was no need to insert a token, no need to spend money.
He seemed possessed, or perhaps mad, half-walking, half-crawling, half-jumping, half-rolling, like a runaway raindrop, returning to Outer Sect, Zishu District, Number 1972.
In front of the door, a figure was pacing in circles. A flash of lightning revealed the person to be Huang Guiren.
"What are you doing here?" Qian Duoduo saw his anxious expression and vaguely felt something was amiss, completely forgetting to tell him that he had just passed the Qi Apprentice assessment.
"The estate, it's flooded!" Huang Guiren said with a mournful face.
"Boom!" A thunderclap exploded in Qian Duoduo's mind, his mood plummeting from the clouds into a mud pit. He lunged towards the estate, with Huang Guiren following closely behind.
The Mengyuan River roared like a startled Spirit Beast. Before reaching the estate, Qian Duoduo saw the rainwater overflowing the grass, turning the riverbank into a lake. The path Huang Guiren had laid was completely gone.
On the large stone at the entrance of Buhuan Estate, only the character "Bu" stubbornly protruded from the water.
Inside the estate, it was a swamp, describable only as a disaster.
The fences were all washed away, submerged under the water. The Purple Clover Grass and the more than eight thousand different spiritual plants had turned into water plants; no one knew how many would still be able to grow in the soil. The chicken coops and hatching rooms were built a bit higher, but only half a foot remained above the water; no one knew how many Spirit Chickens and eggs were inside.
"All that hard work, wasted! Months of effort for nothing!" This was Qian Duoduo's first thought.
Immediately after, Qian Duoduo thought about the more than a million coins that were gone.
At this moment, faintly, the struggling cries of Spirit Chickens reached Qian Duoduo's ears. The sounds conveyed despair and panic, yet also such a strong desire to live.
Instantly, effort and money became unimportant; saving a life was paramount.
Qian Duoduo plunged into the water without hesitation. Huang Guiren grabbed him, "What are you doing?"
"To move the chicken coops and hatching rooms to higher ground. As many as we can get."
"I thought you were going to jump into the river... I'll go with you." Although Huang Guiren's lips were trembling, he also jumped into the water.
The water in the estate quickly reached their chests.
At this moment, Qian Duoduo wished he could fly through the air, looking down from above, to see where the river water was coming from and if there was any way to block it.
At the very least, he could grab more chicken coops and fly them to higher, dry ground.
In the surging currents, Qian Duoduo and Huang Guiren each carried a chicken coop that was exposed above the water. With great difficulty, they pushed them onto a large rock. The dozens of Spirit Chickens inside clucked, having been saved.
As he went to rescue the second chicken coop, Qian Duoduo suddenly realized that the water flow was coming from the Mengyuan River.
This meant that the estate was flooded by river water, not a general flood.
Qian Duoduo slapped the water, swimming towards the riverbank.
"Where are you going?" Huang Guiren shouted from behind.
"To see where the water is coming from and block it," Qian Duoduo replied loudly.
"It's dangerous over there. You..." The rest of Huang Guiren's words were unclear to Qian Duoduo in the rain.
Qian Duoduo swam against the current for over a hundred zhang, his feet no longer able to touch the bottom.
The roar of the Mengyuan River ahead grew louder and louder, and the whirlpools in the current were getting larger and larger. Qian Duoduo felt as if he was heading to his death in the mouth of a giant lion.
Another millstone-sized whirlpool appeared; his arms felt weak, his heart grew timid, and fear arose. If he were to be swept into the swift current of the Mengyuan River, he couldn't guarantee he'd survive like a fish.
At this moment, Qian Duoduo saw a giant rock the size of a house in the water ahead. He used his last bit of strength, frantically paddled over, and climbed onto it.
After catching his breath, Qian Duoduo stood on the very top of the rock. The Mengyuan River was right behind him, its surface having risen significantly.
However, even though the river had risen a lot, it was still within its banks.
Only here, where the Mengyuan River water was blocked by the rock beneath his feet, did it turn left, overflow the bank, and rush into the estate, forming a small lake.
And this rock by the river, Qian Duoduo had never seen it before; he didn't know where it had come from.
Since the cause was found, it would be easy to handle.
Qian Duoduo threw two Spirit Increasing Pills into his mouth, and Spiritual Qi immediately replenished his Spiritual Vein. With a flick of his sword art, the Golden Rooster Sword shot out, cutting off a large piece of rock.
The Golden Rooster Sword, like a torrential rain, fell from the sky, continuously striking the giant rock beneath his feet. When the parts above the water were mostly cut, it plunged into the water to cut the submerged parts.
Loud thuds followed, as if thunderbolts were continuously striking the rock.
Piece after piece of rock was cut off, then swept away by the river water without a trace.
"Bang," another piece of rock was split off by Qian Duoduo. The entire giant rock had been cut away by more than half. The Mengyuan River water, having lost the rock's obstruction, could no longer rush over the riverbank.
Although the heavy rain was still falling, the water in the estate was receding at a visible speed.
In the distance, Huang Guiren, whose head was originally the only part visible, had now revealed his upper body!
Buhuan Estate was saved!