Huang Tao had pulled out a large handful of his hair, but he still couldn't figure out why the Soul Appeasing Incense wouldn't bloom.
Could it really be a diseased plant?
No choice, then. He would just switch to another one.
He couldn't waste this entire night; the assessment was only four days and three nights in total!
Huang Tao propped himself up and walked with difficulty towards the sapling area, but on the way, he found his friend Ma Wu also rushing in that direction, looking somewhat hurried.
"Brother Ma? What are you..."
"Hm? Brother Huang?" Ma Wu was the person who had traveled with Huang Tao during the day. Seeing Huang Tao not cultivating on his own plot, he was also a bit confused. "I picked a diseased plant. I tried for three or four hours, but it just wouldn't bear fruit. Sigh!"
"Ah? What a coincidence?" Huang Tao was stunned. "Me too!"
When Ma Wu heard this, he immediately felt much better. So I'm not the only unlucky one!
"Brother Huang, let's go pick together. It's already midnight, and it'll be too late if we wait any longer."
"Let's go!"
Many people came to re-select seedlings or seeds, but no one thought in any other direction. After all, this kind of thing wasn't uncommon. Who hasn't killed a plant or two? What's more, when they picked, they all chose plants that were somewhat difficult.
So when Zhao Xing activated the first wave of Earth Vein Comprehensive Origin, most people didn't think in that direction.
But was there anyone who could think of it and notice?
There were some.
For example, Wen Nanxing and Xiao Ze, who were relatively close to Zhao Xing. Both of them were already at Concentrated Origin Stage Three, and they were also close to each other. With careful observation and comparison, they would still discover that the anomaly was man-made.
Zhao Xing also thought of this, so he controlled the absorption efficiency for these two neighbors.
"I can't let the experts discover it too early; I need to control the rhythm. However, the places where these two are located have abundant Origin Qi, and the Origin Qi they use when casting Spells is even purer. Even if the absorption ratio is reduced, they still provide more than others."
For the weak, he absorbed fiercely, taking eight or nine parts directly from ten parts of Origin Qi.
For these experts, Zhao Xing was cautious, like cutting meat with a blunt knife or boiling a frog in warm water.
"Although Earth Vein Comprehensive Origin is difficult to learn and practice, there's no guarantee that someone won't know this Spell."
"But I haven't felt anyone absorbing my Origin Qi yet, so there shouldn't be a second 'old six' around."
The weak couldn't recognize it, and the experts didn't notice.
Although sounds of confusion constantly emerged in the dark night, everything was developing as Zhao Xing had predicted.
As time passed, the Origin Qi gradually accumulated, and the Vajra Bamboo at the center of the Spell casting finally began to show signs of activity.
At the first quarter of the Chou hour, the tip of the Vajra Bamboo shoot broke through the surrounding soil, emitting a faint golden light.
Upon seeing this, Zhao Xing immediately separated a dark cloud to water the Vajra Bamboo, assisting its growth.
At the second quarter of the Chou hour, the Vajra Bamboo continued to grow. The texture of its leaf sheath thickened, and it grew to half a meter tall.
At the third quarter of the Chou hour, the Vajra Bamboo's height doubled, reaching one meter, and its first bamboo node appeared, a sign of leaving the seedling stage.
At the fourth quarter of the Chou hour, the Vajra Bamboo's second bamboo node appeared, officially entering its growth period.
At this point, it was unstoppable.
As the saying goes, 'bamboo shoots after rain,' growing with irresistible force.
Although the Vajra Bamboo was of a High Grade, it was still bamboo. With the large amount of Origin Qi provided by the Earth Vein Comprehensive Origin, sufficient nutrients, and suitable living space, it immediately began to burst forth.
When the first bamboo node appeared, it was only one meter tall, but a quarter of an hour later, the second bamboo node appeared, and its height soared to four meters!
After that, the wrapped leaf sheaths began to shed. Almost every quarter of an hour, two bamboo nodes grew, and it grew taller at a visible speed!
By the end of the Yin hour, the twenty Vajra Bamboo plants were all over fifty meters tall, with a diameter exceeding 30 centimeters!
Their entire bodies were golden yellow, including their leaves and branches.
The twenty Vajra Bamboo plants were lush and thriving, and this place had become a golden bamboo forest!
When dawn broke, the light shone on the Vajra Bamboo forest, gleaming brightly, and everyone noticed this scene.
"Hm? Such large bamboo!"
"What's going on? So many bamboo plants appeared overnight?"
"So tall! Although there are only twenty, it looks like a bamboo forest!"
"Golden yellow, so beautiful. What species is this?"
"Completely golden, over fifty meters tall. Could it be a second-tier High Grade Vajra Bamboo?"
"What? Second-tier High Grade? And twenty of them at once?"
"Whose plot is that?"
"It was planted by Zhao Xing from Huailiu Courtyard!"
Within the assessment area, all the officials were discussing animatedly.
They couldn't help but pay attention. The height of fifty meters was too conspicuous, enough for all the officials present to see it. It was hard not to notice.
"Cultivated to maturity overnight?" Li Chengfeng, on the west side, frowned as he looked at the figure beneath the golden bamboo forest. "Although bamboo has a growth advantage, this is simply too exaggerated."
Seeing this golden bamboo forest, he vaguely felt a sense of crisis, as if he was about to be surpassed.
"How did he do it?" Zong Shichang was dumbfounded. "Vajra Bamboo is a second-tier High Grade plant. Let alone twenty, even one is difficult to cultivate!"
"I don't know." Li Chengfeng shook his head. "Wen Nanxing and Xiao Ze are close by; perhaps they know something. Brother Zong, why don't you go ask around?"
Wen Nanxing and Xiao Ze were also bewildered at this moment.
Because they didn't know much either. Zhao Xing's moving clouds had concealed the movements during the growth period, only revealing them to everyone during the day.
Not just the Vajra Bamboo, but also the green vines had covered the surface of the ground.
Judging solely by the cultivation effects of these two plants, Zhao Xing could currently be said to be in the lead!
In comparison, their performance was much worse.
Wen Nanxing cultivated four plants, of second-tier High, High, Medium, and Low Grade respectively.
The second-tier Low Grade plant had already entered its mature phase, but the Medium Grade one was still progressing slowly, still in its growth phase.
As for the second-tier High Grade 'Seven Star Flower,' it hadn't even begun to bud yet.
"My second-tier High Grade hasn't even entered its growth phase, and he's already cultivated so many mature second-tier High Grade plants?" A hint of surprise flashed in Wen Nanxing's eyes.
"Something's wrong, something is very wrong!"
Tang Wanchun frowned deeply and began to calculate with his fingers, assessing the Spell-casting effects of his student Xiao Ze and the growth cycles of the cultivated plants.
By the end of his calculations, he was suddenly startled. He stood up and carefully examined the blue plant in the mud.
"Something's not right! Logically, Xiao Ze's Ice Lotus should have grown its fourth lotus leaf by now, but why does it only have two?"
Another official nearby, Pang Yuan, Wen Nanxing's teacher, also had a thoughtful look in his eyes: "Wen Nanxing's Spell-casting effects are also greatly reduced."
"Furthermore, since the Zi hour, people have frequently visited the seedling area, returning to replant. Many people have killed their plants."
Tang Wanchun said, "One or two would be fine, but so many people are experiencing this?"
"There's only one possibility: the Earth Vein Origin Qi has been affected!"
The two then exchanged glances and blurted out, "Earth Vein Comprehensive Origin!"
Chen Shijie chuckled softly when he heard this: "Why are you two adults so anxious? Are you perhaps thinking of reminding your students?"
Tang Wanchun and Pang Yuan quickly cupped their hands: "This subordinate wouldn't dare. I just didn't expect that someone among the officials could cast Earth Vein Comprehensive Origin."
Chen Shijie smiled and waved his hand: "Then sit down and let's wait and see."