Chapter 29: Like a Bamboo Breaking Through the Ground

Huang Tao's hair was all messed up, and he still couldn't figure out why the Bai Soul-Calming Incense wouldn't open the Flower. Could it really be a diseased seed? No other choice, he thought, let's switch to another one. We can't waste this night; the assessment lasts for four days and three nights!

Huang Tao struggled to support himself as he trudged towards the seedling area. On the way, he noticed his friend Ma Wu also heading in the same direction, looking a bit flustered.

"Brother Ma? What are you..."

"Huh? Brother Huang?" Ma Wu, who had been working alongside Huang Tao during the day, was surprised to see him not tending to his own plot. "I picked a diseased seed, worked hard for three or four hours with no result, sigh!"

"What? Such a coincidence?" Huang Tao exclaimed, "I have the same problem!"

Hearing this, Ma Wu felt a bit relieved. So it wasn't just him who was having bad luck!

"Brother Huang, let's go pick together. It's already midnight; if we delay any longer, it will be too late."

"Let's go!"

There were quite a few people coming to pick new seedlings or seeds, but no one thought of going in a different direction. After all, this situation wasn't uncommon; who hasn't had a time when they couldn't grow a flower or a plant? Especially when picking, they often chose plants with some difficulty.

So when Zhao Xing initiated the first wave of the earth vein synthesis, most people didn't think in this direction. But was there anyone who thought of it and noticed it?

Yes, there were. For example, Wen Nanxing and Xiao Ze, who were closer to Zhao Xing, both were at the third stage of Gathering Essence. Being close, they could observe carefully and notice anomalies caused by human actions.

Zhao Xing also thought of this point, so he controlled the absorption efficiency of these two neighbors.

"Can't let the experts discover too early, must control the rhythm. But the place where these two are located, the Yuan Qi [vital energy] is abundant, and the Yuan Qi from the method is even purer. Even if the absorption ratio is reduced, it's still more than others."

For the dishes, he absorbed fiercely, taking away eight or nine parts of the ten parts of Yuan Qi.

For these experts, Zhao Xing was cautious, like slicing meat with a blunt knife, boiling a frog in warm water.

"Although the earth vein synthesis is difficult to learn and practice, it doesn't mean no one knows this magic art."

"But I haven't felt anyone absorbing my Yuan Qi, so there shouldn't be a second old hand around."

The dishes couldn't recognize it, and the experts didn't notice.

Although there were occasional voices of doubt in the dark night, everything was developing as Zhao Xing had predicted.

As time pushed forward, the Yuan Qi gradually accumulated more and more. The Diamond Bamboo in the center of the method finally began to show some movement.

At the moment of the ugly hour [1-3 AM], the tip of the Diamond Bamboo broke through the surrounding soil, emitting a faint golden light.

Seeing this, Zhao Xing immediately conjured a cloud to irrigate the Diamond Bamboo, assisting its growth.

At the second moment of the ugly hour, the Diamond Bamboo continued to grow, its leaf veins thickening, and it rose to half a meter high.

At the third moment of the ugly hour, the height of the Diamond Bamboo doubled, reaching one meter, and the first bamboo joint appeared, marking the end of the seedling stage.

At the fourth moment of the ugly hour, the second bamboo joint appeared, fully entering the growth period.

At this step, it became unstoppable.

As the saying goes, after the rain, the spring bamboo shoots, like a bamboo breaking through the ground.

Although the Diamond Bamboo is of high grade, it is still bamboo. With the great amount of Yuan Qi provided by the earth vein synthesis, sufficient nutrients, and suitable living space, it immediately began to explode.

The first bamboo joint appeared at only one meter high, but after a moment, the second bamboo joint appeared, and the height soared to four meters!

The leaves wrapped around the branches began to fall off, and almost every moment, two bamboo joints grew, and the height increased visibly!

By the end of the Yin hour [3-5 AM], twenty Diamond Bamboos, each over fifty meters tall, with a diameter exceeding thirty centimeters!

They were entirely golden yellow, even the leaves and branches were the same.

The twenty Diamond Bamboos, with lush branches and leaves, formed a magnificent golden bamboo forest!

When the dawn broke, the light shone on the Diamond Bamboo forest, making every leaf glow brilliantly, catching everyone's attention.

"Huh? What magnificent bamboo!"

"What's going on? How did so many bamboos appear overnight?"

"Such grandeur, even though there are only twenty, it looks like a whole bamboo forest!"

"Golden yellow, truly beautiful, what kind of species is this?"

"Entirely golden, over fifty meters tall, could it be a second-stage high-grade Diamond Bamboo?"

"What? Second-stage high-grade? And twenty in one go?"

"Whose plot is this?"

"It's Zhao Xing from Huailiu Courtyard who grew it!"

Within the assessment area, all the participants were abuzz with discussion.

There was no way not to pay attention; the height of fifty meters was too conspicuous, enough for everyone in the field to see it, making it hard not to notice.

"Grown to maturity overnight?" Li Chengfeng from the west raised his eyebrows, looking at the figure under the golden bamboo forest, "Although bamboo has a growth advantage, this is too exaggerated."

Seeing this golden bamboo forest, he vaguely felt a sense of impending crisis, as if he was about to be surpassed.

"How did he do it?" Zong Shichang was dumbfounded, "Diamond Bamboo is a second-stage high-grade, let alone twenty, even one is hard to cultivate!"

"I don't know." Li Chengfeng shook his head, "Wen Nanxing and Xiao Ze are close, maybe they know something. Brother Zong, why not go and inquire?"

Wen Nanxing and Xiao Ze were also bewildered at this moment.

Because they didn't know much either, Zhao Xing's actions had covered up the dynamics of the growth period until daylight, when it was revealed to everyone.

Not only the Diamond Bamboo, but the green vines also covered the ground.

Judging by the cultivation results of just these two plants, Zhao Xing could be said to be leading the pack!

In comparison, their performance was much less impressive.

Wen Nanxing cultivated four types of plants, respectively second-stage high, high, middle, and low grade.

The second-stage low-grade plants had already entered the maturity period, but the middle-grade ones were still progressing slowly, still in the growth period.

As for the second-stage high-grade 'Seven Star Flower', it hadn't even started to sprout.

"My second-stage high-grade hasn't entered the growth period, and he's already cultivated so many mature second-stage high-grade ones?" Wen Nanxing's eyes flashed with a hint of shock and disbelief.

"There's a problem, a big problem!" Tang Wan Chun frowned tightly, calculating with his fingers, he was calculating the effectiveness of his student Xiao Ze's method and the growth cycle of the cultivated plants.

In the end, he was suddenly shocked, stood up, and carefully examined the blue plant in the mud.

"Something's not right! Logically, Xiao Ze's Ice Lotus should have produced the fourth lotus leaf by now, so why are there only two?"

Another official beside him also showed a thoughtful look in his eyes. He was Wen Nanxing's teacher, Pang Yuan: "Wen Nanxing's method effectiveness is also greatly discounted."

"Moreover, since the beginning, the seedling area has been frequently visited, with many people returning to replant, and many have killed their own plants."

Tang Wan Chun said, "One or two can be ignored, but so many people experiencing this?"

"There's only one possibility, the earth vein Yuan Qi has been affected!"

The two then exchanged a glance and couldn't help but exclaim: "Earth vein synthesis!"

Chen Shijie smiled lightly: "Why are the two of you in such a hurry? Do you want to remind your students not to succeed?"

Tang Wan Chun and Pang Yuan hurriedly cupped their hands: "We dare not, we just didn't expect someone among the participants to be able to display earth vein synthesis."

Chen Shijie smiled and waved his hand: "Then sit down and observe the changes quietly." (End of Chapter)