Chapter 26: Selecting Seeds

Seeing Huang Tao and his two allies defeated by Zhao Xing, the spectators quickly dispersed. These three were all Elite Tier talents last time. They were defeated so decisively even when working together; why bother trying again?

Seeing no one else step forward, Zhao Xing stopped provoking and focused on the assessment.

***

"Was that really Big Brother?" Qian Dong and Chen Ziyu, who were claiming plots together, exchanged glances, both teams speechless.

"Brother has become so strong," Chen Ziyu said, a hint of envy in his voice. "Huang Tao and his two allies were so easily driven away, even when working together."

"Occupying two spring wells and three ash mounds by himself, Big Brother will likely rank among the elite again this time."

"Ziyu, let's not go over there, so we don't hold Big Brother back."

"Okay."

***

"This Elite Tier Zhao is quite arrogant," Li Chengfeng remarked from the western side of the planting area, where he and Zong Shichang were watching the battle.

"He certainly has the right to be arrogant," Zong Shichang said, stroking his chin, his eyes glinting with eagerness. "Huang Tao's trio's Cloud Manipulation spells are all Seventh-Revolve, just like his."

"Their Wind Gust spells probably aren't bad either, yet they were defeated so decisively."

"Either he's hiding his true strength, or he has extensive combat experience."

"Either way, he's definitely not simple."

Li Chengfeng smiled at the eager Zong Shichang. "What's wrong, Brother Zong? Feeling an itch to fight?"

Zong Shichang nodded. "I do have some thoughts, but the assessment is more important right now. We'll see about it later."

"Alright, let's go to the seedling area."

***

On the northern side of the planting area, Wen Nanxing gazed at the grayish-white cloud.

"How can his Cloud Manipulation spell so easily devour Huang Tao's clouds without being affected, even growing a bit larger?"

Wen Nanxing was in the north, not far from Zhao Xing, essentially a front-row spectator. He saw things more clearly than Li Chengfeng.

"Cloud Manipulation spells have a repulsive quality; absorbing cloud energy for one's own use usually requires a crushing tier advantage."

"I can also shred Huang Tao's cloud energy, and even devour it. But how did he do it?"

Zhao Xing's cloud soon stabilized, looking like a formless lump of mud, completely unremarkable. He then looked at Xiao Ze to the south, whose tiger-head cloud shone brilliantly. In comparison, Zhao Xing's cloud was utterly ordinary.

"I wonder what technique that was," Xiao Ze pondered for a moment, but the battle ended too quickly for him to discern anything. He gave up and headed to the seedling area to make his selection.

***

After waiting a while, with no one else coming forward to challenge him, Zhao Xing knew he had established his position. He then proceeded to the seedling area to choose plants. Against Huang Tao and his two companions, he appeared to be very relaxed, and in reality... he was relaxed.

The spells were the same, and the tiers were the same, but his operational techniques and experience were on an entirely different level. In his previous life, during the Era of Catastrophe, he had undergone extensive tempering. Combat had become a survival instinct. For "hothouse flowers" like Huang Tao to choose him as an opponent was utterly futile. Forget three; this Zhao Xing could take on ten!

***

From the spectator stands, Chen Shijie couldn't help but smile. "Old Sinong was indeed right; he truly performed exceptionally. You've nurtured a talent!"

Xue Wenzhong slowly replied, "Before he reached the second stage of Energy Gathering, his talent wasn't obvious. After advancing, he unleashed what he had accumulated. I merely contributed a small effort."

"Elder Xue is being modest," Gao Linong immediately interjected. "I saw his previous minor assessments; his performance was only mediocre, at most a B-grade. Without your meticulous guidance, how could he have made such great progress?" Huang Tao was under Gao Linong's command, and his defeat caused Gao Linong to lose a bit of face. So, there was an implied accusation towards Xue Wenzhong in his words: "Did you give Zhao Xing special private lessons?" He completely overlooked that every official here, including himself, was doing the exact same thing, as if it were normal for him to do it, but morally corrupt for others.

Xue Wenzhong glanced at him and calmly said, "You can put it that way if you like. Given such excellent talent, I even plan to spend more time specifically guiding him. Does Senior Gao have any suggestions?"

"..."

Gao Linong hadn't expected Xue Wenzhong to respond like that. *Are you just dropping the pretense?* Gao Linong's attempt at a jab hadn't worked, leaving him feeling uncomfortable. He could only force a dry chuckle and move on.

***

While the planting area was bustling, the seedling area was much more peaceful. This was because the seedling supply here was unlimited; there was no need to compete. Besides seedlings planted in the soil, there were also seed bags.

"Seeds, saplings, and mature plants – three stages are available for selection."

"Qualities range from Tier 1 to Tier 3."

"The scoring criteria are: first, quantity; second, quality; and third, survival status."

Zhao Xing carefully made his selections, then his gaze fell upon a potted plant. While everything else was unlimited, this particular plant was a limited edition, placed in the most prominent spot and guarded by someone.

"The Heaven's Origin Pear Tree: a ten-year maturation period, followed by a year of flowering and a year of fruiting. Each harvest yields only 3 to 10 fruits."

"The Heaven's Origin Pears produced have the effect of strengthening one's foundation and cultivating vitality, and their taste is excellent. They are highly favored by nobility and high officials, ranking as a Tier 3 Upper-grade treasure."

Zhao Xing stared for a moment, considered it, and then gave up on the idea. He activated his Five Elements Observation ability and learned that this pear tree was only three years old, far from its maturation period. Choosing it would indeed yield the highest value points, but only if he could force it to mature. With only three days, none of the officials present could possibly achieve that. Chen Shijie had placed it there purely for the examinees to see, to see which fool would overestimate their own abilities.

"Choosing seeds gives the highest score but is time-consuming and laborious. Saplings score second best, and semi-mature potted plants score the lowest."

"However, it also depends on quality. Plants from Tier 1 to Tier 3 are provided here, and quality scores definitely take precedence over other factors."

Zhao Xing pondered for a moment, then decided on three types of plants. These were: 'Azure Vine Saplings,' a Tier 2 Lower-grade vine; 'Vajra Bamboo Saplings,' a Tier 2 Upper-grade bamboo; and finally, 'Floating Fragrant Lotus,' a Tier 2 Mid-grade aquatic plant. Compared to other treasures, plant saplings and seeds were relatively inexpensive, so even if he damaged them, it wouldn't be a big deal.

Zhao Xing didn't hesitate; he straightforwardly requested 20 portions from the seedling area manager.

"Name?"

"Zhao Xing."

"Registered. You can move them yourself," the manager said after registering, pointing.

Gentle breezes swirled, dividing into three streams: one went directly into the ground, slowly excavating the saplings along with their soil; another supported the seed bags; and the third levitated the potted plants. They then gently landed before Zhao Xing.

"Rise!"

Zhao Xing also used his Wind Gust spell, letting out a soft command. Immediately, all the registered plants, dirt and all, flew to his side and arranged themselves neatly.

"Excellent, excellent," the manager said, stroking his beard and smiling. "Even though the supply is unlimited, don't waste these good seedlings."

Zhao Xing nodded, carrying the plants, and walked towards his planting area. Others, lacking such ability, had to carry them in multiple trips. Zhao Xing walked with a majestic stride, the plants seemingly floating around him. Seeing this, others promptly made way or slowly followed behind, giving the distinct impression of an emperor on inspection.