Chapter 29: Unstoppable Momentum

Huang Tao pulled out a handful of hair, still unable to grasp why his Soul-Soothing Incense wouldn't bloom. Was it truly a diseased plant?

There was no other choice; he'd have to replace it. He couldn't afford to waste the night, as the assessment was only four days and three nights long!

Supporting himself, Huang Tao trudged towards the seedling area. On his way, he spotted his friend Ma Wu hurrying from the same direction, looking rather frantic.

"Brother Ma? What are you...?"

"Huh? Brother Huang?" Ma Wu, who had accompanied Huang Tao during the day, was puzzled to see him away from his cultivation plot. "I picked a diseased plant. I've tried for three or four hours, but it just won't bear fruit, ugh!"

"Oh? What a coincidence?" Huang Tao was startled. "Me too!"

Hearing this, Ma Wu immediately felt a wave of relief. So he wasn't the only unlucky one!

"Brother Huang, let's go choose together. It's already past midnight; any later and we'll run out of time."

"Let's go!"

***

Many people came to select new seedlings or seeds, but no one suspected anything amiss. After all, it wasn't uncommon to fail at cultivating plants, especially when they deliberately chose more challenging varieties. Therefore, when Zhao Xing activated the first wave of his Geomantic Convergence, most people didn't give it a second thought.

But were there any who could perceive what was happening? Indeed, there were. For instance, Wen Nanxing and Xiao Ze, both at Gathering Essence Tier 3, were relatively close to Zhao Xing. Through careful observation and comparison, they could discern that the anomaly was man-made.

Zhao Xing had anticipated this, which was why he controlled the efficiency of absorption from these two neighbors. He thought, "I can't let the experts discover this too soon; I need to control the pace. However, the spiritual energy in their locations is abundant and their casting energy is purer. Even if I reduce the absorption ratio, I'll still get more from them than from others."

From the less skilled cultivators, he absorbed fiercely, taking 80 to 90 percent of their spiritual energy. Towards the masters, Zhao Xing was cautious, slowly but steadily draining their energy, like boiling a frog in warm water.

"While Geomantic Convergence is difficult to learn and master, it's not impossible that someone else might also know this spell. But I haven't felt anyone absorbing my spiritual energy yet, so there shouldn't be a second schemer around."

The novices couldn't recognize it, and the masters hadn't detected it. Although murmurs of doubt arose throughout the night, everything unfolded according to Zhao Xing's predictions.

***

As time passed and spiritual energy gradually accumulated, the Vajra Bamboo at the center of the spell finally showed signs of life.

At 1:15 AM, the bamboo shoot of the Vajra Bamboo pushed through the surrounding soil, emitting a faint golden glow. Seeing this, Zhao Xing immediately separated a dark cloud to water the Vajra Bamboo and aid its growth.

At 1:30 AM, the Vajra Bamboo continued to grow, its leaf sheath patterns thickening as it reached half a meter in height.

At 1:45 AM, the Vajra Bamboo doubled in height to one meter, forming its first node—a clear sign it was past the seedling stage.

At 2:00 AM, the Vajra Bamboo developed its second node, fully entering its growth phase. At this point, its growth became unstoppable. As the saying goes, it grew like "bamboo shoots after rain," with an unstoppable momentum.

Though the Vajra Bamboo was a high-grade plant, it was still bamboo. With the vast spiritual energy provided by Geomantic Convergence, ample nutrients, and a suitable environment, it immediately began to flourish explosively.

When the first node appeared, it was only one meter tall, but a quarter of an hour later, with the appearance of the second node, its height surged to four meters! After that, its encompassing leaf sheaths began to shed. Almost every fifteen minutes, two new nodes grew, and it visibly shot upwards!

By the end of Yin Shi (approximately 3-5 AM), each of the twenty Vajra Bamboos stood over fifty meters tall with a diameter exceeding 30 centimeters! They were entirely golden yellow, including their leaves and branches. The twenty Vajra Bamboos were so lush and leafy that the area had transformed into a veritable golden bamboo forest!

When dawn broke, the sunlight illuminated the golden bamboo forest, making it shimmer brilliantly. Everyone noticed the spectacular sight.

"Huh? What enormous bamboo!"

"What happened? So much bamboo appeared overnight?"

"They're so tall! Even though there are only twenty, it looks like an entire bamboo forest!"

"Golden yellow, truly beautiful. What species is this?"

"Golden all over, over fifty meters tall... could it be the high-grade Tier 2 Vajra Bamboo?"

"What? High-grade Tier 2? And twenty of them at once?!"

"Whose cultivation area is that?"

"It was cultivated by Zhao Xing of Huai Liu Institute!"

All the officials within the assessment area were abuzz with discussions. They couldn't help but pay attention; the fifty-meter height was simply too conspicuous, ensuring that every official present could see it. It was impossible to ignore.

To the west, Li Chengfeng frowned as he gazed at the figure beneath the golden forest. "Matured overnight?" he muttered. "While bamboo types do have a growth advantage, this is utterly preposterous." Upon seeing this golden bamboo forest, he felt a vague sense of impending crisis, as if he was about to be surpassed.

"How did he do that?" Zong Shichang was dumbfounded. "Vajra Bamboo is a high-grade Tier 2 plant; it's hard enough to cultivate even one, let alone twenty!"

"I don't know," Li Chengfeng shook his head. "Wen Nanxing and Xiao Ze are nearby; perhaps they know something. Brother Zong, why don't you go ask them?"

***

Wen Nanxing and Xiao Ze, however, were equally bewildered at that moment. They didn't know much either, as Zhao Xing's 'Traveling Clouds' spell had concealed the growth during the night, only revealing it to everyone at dawn. Not only the Vajra Bamboo, but green vines also covered the ground. Judging solely by the cultivation results of these two plants, Zhao Xing could be said to be leading by a significant margin! In comparison, their own performances were far less impressive.

Wen Nanxing had cultivated four plants: two high-grade Tier 2, one medium-grade, and one low-grade. His low-grade Tier 2 plant had reached maturity, but the medium-grade one was still progressing slowly in its growth phase. As for his high-grade Tier 2 'Seven-Star Flower,' it hadn't even begun to bud.

"My high-grade Tier 2 hasn't even entered its growth phase, yet he's already cultivated so many mature high-grade Tier 2 plants?" A hint of astonishment flickered in Wen Nanxing's eyes.

"There's a problem, a huge problem!"

Tang Wanchun frowned deeply, making mental calculations. He was assessing the spell effects of his student, Xiao Ze, and the growth cycle of the cultivated plants. When he finished his calculations, he was suddenly startled. He stood up, carefully examining the blue plant in the mud.

"Something's not right! Logically, Xiao Ze's Frost Lotus should have grown its fourth lotus leaf by now, but why does it only have two?"

Nearby, Pang Yuan, Wen Nanxing's teacher, also looked thoughtful. "Wen Nanxing's spell effects are also significantly diminished," he added.

"And since Zi Shi (11 PM - 1 AM), people have been frequently going to the seedling area to replant; many have killed their own plants," Tang Wanchun noted. He continued, "One or two incidents are understandable, but for so many people to experience this?"

"There's only one possibility: the Earth Vein spiritual energy has been affected!"

The two exchanged glances, then blurted out in unison, "Geomantic Convergence!"

Chen Shijie smiled faintly upon hearing this. "Why are you two so anxious, sirs? Are you perhaps thinking of warning your students?"

Tang Wanchun and Pang Yuan quickly clasped their hands in salute. "We wouldn't dare. We simply didn't expect an official to be able to use Geomantic Convergence."

Chen Shijie smiled and waved his hand. "Then please sit down and observe what unfolds."