Chapter 54: Promotion Assessment, Blood Tanwood Cultivation
Chapter 54: Promotion Assessment, Blood Tanwood Cultivation
The chosen location for the promotion assessment in Area C was a medium-quality spirit field within the area.
There were no low-quality spirit fields in Area C, and their medium-quality fields were slightly better than the high-quality fields in Area D.
By the time Chu Ning and his companions arrived, several dozen people had already gathered in the fields.
Slightly unexpected to Chu Ning was the presence of Cao Dongxin and Shang Zhaoxiang among the crowd.
However, upon further thought, he found it rather normal. The two had, after all, been at the fifth layer of Qi Refinement for quite some time.
It was evident that achieving further breakthroughs in Area D was no easy feat, and it made sense that they would take a gamble to try their luck in Area C for better resources.
The appearance of Chu Ning also took the two of them by surprise, with Cao Dongxin maintaining his usual air of entitlement.
Shang Zhaoxiang, on the other hand, offered a smile to Chu Ning from a distance, not saying much.
After Chu Ning and his group arrived, more people continued to show up, eventually totaling nearly a hundred participants.
It was clear that the desire for better resources and upward mobility was not unique to Chu Ning alone.
A short while later, He Changyou arrived with several Disciplinary Disciples from the Spirit Planting House, including Zhuang Yunde.
"You are all here to take part in the promotion assessment, so I won't waste time with unnecessary words," He Changyou said. "The assessment itself is simple.
I will give each of you a Blood Tanwood seed, and you will have half a day to cultivate it. The top six in terms of growth quality will pass the assessment."
As He Changyou's words landed, many of the cultivators in the field, including Cao Dongxin and Shang Zhaoxiang, wore uneasy expressions.
Blood Tanwood was notoriously difficult to cultivate, often taking years to yield a harvest.
Yet, He Changyou was giving them only half a day to demonstrate their skills.
He Changyou offered no further explanation and instead signaled for the Disciplinary Disciples beside him to distribute the seeds.
After Chu Ning and the others received their Blood Tanwood seeds, they dispersed as instructed, maintaining a distance of five zhang between each other to avoid interfering with one another's spellcasting.
Once everyone was in position, He Changyou waved his hand.
"The assessment begins now!"
With He Changyou's declaration, nearly a hundred cultivators sprang into action.
Over the past half month, Chu Ning had familiarized himself with the various spirit plants cultivated in Area C, including the Blood Tanwood.
He placed the reddish-brown seed in the soil of the spirit field, burying it to the depth of a finger joint, before sitting cross-legged on the ground.
Without wasting a moment, he executed the Activation Art with instant casting!
There were no intricate hand seals, just a simple wave of his hand as a spell seal struck the spot where the Blood Tanwood seed was buried.
Aside from Chu Ning, a few others capable of the Activation Art also began to cast their spells.
However, not everyone in the field could perform instant casting of the art.
Cultivators like Cao Dongxin were still forming hand seals to gather their spiritual energy.
Even with just this first move, Chu Ning and his companions had already gained a slight head start.
Indeed, activating the growth of Blood Tanwood was no simple task.
While Chu Ning's instant casting saved only a little time with the first activation, the cumulative effect over multiple activations would become more pronounced.
Moreover, for Chu Ning, the benefit of instant casting went beyond mere time-saving.
Instant casting of the Activation Art conserved spiritual energy while also enhancing the effectiveness of the spell.
As the first wave of spiritual energy fully merged with the Blood Tanwood seed, Chu Ning wasted no time in casting a second wave.
Then a third, a fourth...
The Blood Tanwood was incredibly challenging to activate, the most difficult spirit plant Chu Ning had encountered thus far.
Sensing the change in the seed with his spiritual sense, Chu Ning was delighted.
He cast the Activation Art again, this time releasing his spiritual power with even greater precision, directing it through the cracks and into the seed's interior.
This approach was purely instinctual for Chu Ning, as he had not attempted to urge the growth of a spirit plant since mastering the Refine Spirit Art.
However, this method proved to be remarkably effective.
As Chu Ning cast this spell, the cracks in the Blood Tanwood seed widened instantly, and a tender sprout grew, seemingly about to break through the soil.
Without hesitation, Chu Ning cast the Activation Art once more.
Immediately, the sprout broke through the soil as if aided by divine intervention.
"Eh!"
He Changyou was the first to notice the commotion coming from Chu Ning's direction.
His eyes swept over, and he was surprised to see that Chu Ning was the first to complete the activation of the Blood Tanwood. A look of astonishment appeared on his face.
Soon, Zhuang Yunde and the others also noticed, turning their gazes toward Chu Ning.
A flash of surprise crossed Zhuang Yunde's face, and then his usual smile reappeared on his round face.
"This Chu Ning sure knows how to surprise us," he commented.
At that moment, Chu Ning had already stood up and was performing the hand seals for the Sweet Rain Art.
Just as Chu Ning began performing the hand seals for the Sweet Rain Art, four others also completed their activation attempts one after another.
Two were men in their late twenties, and the other two were none other than Luo Hongping and Lu Yunfang.
All five of them simultaneously cast the Sweet Rain Art, but Chu Ning, who had started first, now found himself lagging behind.
The reason was simple: the other four could cast the Sweet Rain Art instantaneously.
Chu Ning, on the other hand, took some time to complete the hand seals before finishing the art.
At that moment, Zhuang Yunde shook his head slightly.
Based on his observation of Chu Ning's previous performance in cultivating the Ink Spirit Bamboo, he knew that Chu Ning's proficiency in the Green Wood Eternal Spring Art must be quite high.
Even if he couldn't cast it instantaneously, he was very close.
But the Sweet Rain Art was even simpler, so why couldn't Chu Ning cast it instantly?
However, Zhuang Yunde soon understood.
He recalled Chu Ning mentioning that he had an exceptional affinity for wood-based techniques and spells like the Green Wood Eternal Spring Art.
Just then, the group finished casting the Sweet Rain Art.
Surprisingly, Luo Hongping and Lu Yunfang took the lead in using the Green Wood Eternal Spring Art, and they, too, seemed capable of instant casting.
Not only them, but the disciples with the surnames Lu and Chen could also instantaneously cast the Green Wood Eternal Spring Art.
Fortunately, Chu Ning didn't fall too far behind, and soon, he completed the Sweet Rain Art as well.
Instant cast! Green Wood Eternal Spring Art!
While Chu Ning had conserved his spiritual power, he held nothing back when it came to spellcasting.
His instant cast of the Green Wood Eternal Spring Art was no less impressive than that of the other four, and it even excelled in gathering spiritual energy.
Chu Ning unleashed a rapid succession of nearly twenty Green Wood Eternal Spring Arts, one after the other.
After a brief half-hour rest, he resumed casting the Green Wood Eternal Spring Art.
The Blood Tanwood in front of Chu Ning grew with a vigor that was no less impressive than that of the other four disciples at the sixth layer of Qi Refinement.
Several hours later, He Changyou's voice suddenly rang out.
"Time's up! Everyone, stop casting."
Hearing this, Chu Ning and the others immediately ceased their spellcasting.
The promotion assessment had officially come to an end.
(End of Chapter)
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