Chapter 7: Springwood Technique
Chapter 7: Springwood Technique
Cao Dongxin's expression turned sour, and he averted his gaze.
Chu Ning was pondering over what was wrong with his words that would cause Cao Dongxin's displeasure.
Qiu ShunyI, standing beside them, didn't seem to notice anything amiss. He quietly asked, "Senior brother, are we late? Senior brother Cao is already here so early."
Shang Zhaoxiang smiled upon hearing this but didn't look at Qiu Shunyi. Instead, he turned to Chu Ning with interest and said, "There's something you don't know about. Usually, Senior Brother Cao comes early by about two or three months, especially when there are new disciples like you. It's a way to test your endurance."
Chu Ning immediately understood the implication and once again felt exasperated by Cao Dongxin's petty behavior.
However, he kept his feelings off his face and instead looked perplexed, as if he didn't quite grasp the situation.
Cao Dongxin glanced at Chu Ning and then turned to Qiu Shunyi with a hostile gaze.
Qiu Shunyi finally caught on and, feeling embarrassed, quickly shifted the topic. He turned to Chu Ning and asked, "Chu Ning, did you cultivate the Azure Wood Eternal Spring Technique last night? How did you find it?"
"I tried it once, so I'm not sure if it's difficult or not," replied Chu Ning.
Qiu Shunyi's face immediately fell upon hearing this. "I found it quite challenging," he said. "I practiced it once last night and again this morning, but I still haven't been able to sense any spiritual energy."
"I asked a few others, and they're in the same boat," Qiu Shunyi continued. "And you've only cultivated it once..."
The implication was clear—if others struggled after multiple attempts, Chu Ning's single attempt was unlikely to have borne any fruit.
However, remembering that Cao Dongxin had brought Chu Ning out so early, Qiu Shunyi stopped short of saying more.
"I'll take it slow," Chu Ning replied, deciding not to pursue the conversation further.
After all, he couldn't very well tell them that he had already succeeded in absorbing qi and reached the first layer.
Shang Zhaoxiang and Qiu Shunyi chatted for a while longer before taking their leave and heading into another field.
Cao Dongxin finally stood up and made his way into the fields as well. Chu Ning followed, curious about his intentions.
But as soon as he took a step, Cao Dongxin snapped, "Don't follow me. You'll interfere with my spellcasting."
"Oh, okay," Chu Ning replied, wondering what spell Cao Dongxin intended to cast in the fields.
"Could it be the Springwood Technique?" Chu Ning wondered, recalling the technique described at the back of the Eternal Spring manual. The Springwood Technique was listed as a mandatory skill for disciples of the Spirit Plant sector.
Although he had only cultivated the Eternal Spring Technique for the first time the night before, he hadn't had a chance to practice the Springwood Technique yet.
From a distance, Chu Ning watched as Cao Dongxin cast a series of intricate hand seals toward the fields. He quickly pulled out the small manual from his pocket and flipped to the section on the "Verdant Wood" Technique.
Indeed, the hand seals Cao Dongxin was using matched those of the Springwood Technique.
However, Chu Ning couldn't shake the feeling that Cao Dongxin's spellcasting was somewhat lacking.
It seemed... overly taxing? Despite having no basis for comparison, Chu Ning felt that Cao Dongxin's performance was less than impressive.
Cao Dongxin, unaware of Chu Ning's thoughts, continued casting the Springwood Technique in the fields, successfully covering all the areas he was responsible for, despite the noticeable drain on his spiritual power.
Once he was done, he nodded in satisfaction and took a seat in the fields to rest for a while.
Then, he returned to Chu Ning's side and said, "These few fields are mine. Stay here and shoo away any birds that come too close. Don't let them eat the Red Spirit Rice."
As he spoke, Cao Dongxin pointed out the boundaries of the fields he wanted Chu Ning to watch over.
"Don't you dare slack off," he warned, his eyes fixed on Chu Ning. "Make sure the birds don't eat my crop."
"Yes, senior brother," Chu Ning agreed without asking any questions.
Cao Dongxin's expression softened noticeably at Chu Ning's obedient response, and he turned to leave without another word, retracing his steps back to their residence.
After Cao Dongxin had walked away, Chu Ning pondered for a moment before making his way into the fields.
Although it was his first time cultivating this technique, Chu Ning executed the hand seals flawlessly.
The next moment, he felt three stalks of Red Spirit Rice gently swaying within the range of his hand seals, and a faint trace of wood-attribute spiritual energy began to gather towards those stalks. It was so subtle that he wouldn't have noticed it if he hadn't just cast the Springwood Technique himself.
"So the Springwood Technique can help spirit plants absorb spiritual energy. No wonder it promotes growth and enhances quality," Chu Ning mused to himself.
The next moment, he sank his consciousness into his mind.
【Nine Yin Body Tempering Art (100/100)】
【Verdant Wood Eternal Spring Art (Low-grade Yellow Tier), First Layer (1/300)】
"Hmm, why isn't the Springwood Technique listed here?" Chu Ning wondered, slightly puzzled.
He had clearly cultivated the Springwood Technique successfully just now, yet there was no indication of proficiency in his mental prompt, unlike this morning.
"Could it be that I need to cultivate it multiple times?" he speculated. But even as he thought this, he felt that something wasn't quite right. After all, he had received proficiency notifications for the Nine Yin Body Tempering Art and the Verdant Wood Eternal Spring Art before he even started cultivating them.
Chu Ning wanted to attempt the Springwood Technique again, but the next moment, he had to give up.
He had run out of spiritual energy. The amount he had cultivated last night was only enough for a single casting of the Springwood Technique.
"I might as well cultivate my martial arts here," Chu Ning thought.
He figured that it wasn't a bad idea since he was currently in a corner of the fields, where most people wouldn't pay attention to him. Moreover, cultivating the Verdant Wood Eternal Spring Art allowed him to sense his surroundings, so he could always stop if someone approached.
After all, this was the sect's territory, so it should be safe, he reasoned.
With that in mind, Chu Ning sat down cross-legged and began to cultivate the Verdant Wood Eternal Spring Art.
With the experience from the previous night, he quickly entered a state of cultivation, sensing the wood-attribute spiritual energy around him. He swiftly guided this spiritual energy into his body.
What Chu Ning noticed, however, was that today's spiritual energy felt not only denser but also purer. He was absorbing it at a noticeably faster rate.
Assuming it was due to his increased familiarity with the technique, Chu Ning didn't think too much of it and continued cultivating.
Unbeknownst to him, the three stalks of Red Spirit Rice he had just influenced with the Springwood Technique, as well as the ones Cao Dongxin had previously affected, began to emit strands of spiritual energy.
These strands, like invisible tethers, were drawn towards Chu Ning's body, where they converged and, along with his breathing exercises, entered his body as even denser spiritual energy.
Upon entering Chu Ning's body, this spiritual energy replenished the amount he had expended while casting the Springwood Technique and quickly condensed into new spiritual power, settling in his dantian.
After cultivating like this for some time, Chu Ning faintly heard voices coming from the road, so he stopped his cultivation.
"Today's cultivation state is excellent. It seems like I've condensed more spiritual power than last night," he thought to himself.
He quickly checked his cultivation progress:
【Verdant Wood Eternal Spring Art (Low-grade Yellow Tier), First Layer (3/300)】
His proficiency had increased by a full two points, doubling the results from the previous night.
Moreover, Chu Ning was certain that he had cultivated for a shorter duration today.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
