inspire-indiana Chapter 94: It's simple, I'll just be at my peak too, won't I?
Chapter 94: It's simple, I'll just be at my peak too, won't I?
The entire room erupted in uproar. Old Niu and the others' pupils constricted, their eyes wide with disbelief. "Holy crap, he severed his own roots, abandoned nutrient supply, and gambled everything on the meager reserves he had just recovered? Old Tian is ruthless!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang San and Li Si were so shocked that their minds went blank, and they couldn't speak. Du Ziyue was also speechless, staring blankly at the field. "Old Tian has severed his own roots, doesn't that mean he has no way out? He either sweeps everything in one fell swoop, or his nutrients quickly disappear, and he withers away!"
A hint of apprehension flashed in Wang Baisheng's eyes as well. Nutrients are absorbed entirely through the roots and branches. If they are broken, it will take a long time to heal and will cause great damage to the spiritual plant. If it were him, he would never do such a thing so decisively unless absolutely necessary.
Although Lao Tian's spiritual energy flow was restricted by Jiang Qiu and Jiang Qiao was eyeing him covetously, his spiritual plants still had the ability to move. Perhaps he could feign an attack on Jiang Qiao. Even if he couldn't take her down, his roots could still absorb nutrients. By using the absorbed nutrients to mutually restrict the flow of spiritual energy, he could slowly and steadily defeat her.
But in the end, he chose the most ruthless strategy!
Wang Baisheng said solemnly, "Doing this is indeed cutting off our own escape route, but at this moment, [Wooden Cage] has not recovered much, the sword leaves have not grown, and the root system is beyond repair. Jiang Qiu has no chance to fight back. This year's strongest trainee will probably be a dark horse—"
Under the spotlight, the Rotten Wood Root Vine crushed the Golden Lotus, and the dried fragments swirled away in the wind. The withered yellow vine python raised its ferocious head and looked down at the Golden Cage from above.
It has severed most of its roots and stems, making its trunk more rounded and no longer resembling an "old tree root." At this moment, it looks like a withered python transforming into a grass dragon, with its main root system turning green and sprouting new buds, and two clusters of "lotus buds" forming eyes on its head.
Even though it had already severed its roots, nutrients kept flowing into it from the field, refining it like water dissolving into water. The aura of the [Rotten Wood Root Vine] continued to rise, causing Jiang Qiao to tremble and sweat profusely.
"Holy crap, the [Rotten Wood Root Vine] has undergone a transformation after absorbing the [Golden Lotus]? Wait, everyone, look at Old Tian, something's wrong with his left eye, it seems... it's regrowing!"
Upon hearing this, everyone's gaze shifted back to Old Tian. He covered his sunken left eye with his left hand, calmly pressing a root-like spirit seed into it, rubbing his palm. "Looks like he wasn't lying to me..."
With a thud, when the left hand was released, the previously shriveled left eye swelled up and looked full. However, the eyelid twitched slightly, and there was still turbid blood seeping from the corner of the eye. This healing process was chilling.
"No...no, be careful," Jiang Qiao gasped, her eyes filled with fear, "It seems he can absorb my spiritual plants and steal the effects of the fruits within me, even depleting the nutrients from my spiritual plants out of thin air!"
"I know," Jiang Qiu said without changing her expression.
"But what should we do now? The digestive ability of the [Rotten Wood Root Vine] has inexplicably surged and will soon reach its peak. If you are also refined, then... our cultivation path will forever be inferior to others." Jiang Qiao's tone was anxious, pacing back and forth.
Jiang Qiu, however, silently guided the [Wooden Cage] to retract its root system, remaining calm and composed. "It's simple, I'll just return to my peak condition, won't I?"
"Why are you joking with me at a time like this!" Jiang Qiao pouted and glared at him playfully. "Even if I could ignore the rules and give you 'emergency treatment,' it's already too late!"
Jiang Qiu smiled without saying a word, pouring cyan spiritual energy into his fingertips. Suddenly, the roots of [Wood Grows into Golden Cage] began to grow. Swish, swish, swish, rings of sword leaves sprouted out like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, and quickly grew longer, pointing in all directions in the blink of an eye.
A chilling atmosphere swept across the fields.
The [Rotten Wood Root Vine], which was still in the process of developing, trembled.
Jiang Qiao stood there, speechless, tilting her head.
Everyone was shocked and in an uproar. Wang Baisheng blinked twice, his previously solemn face now filled with doubt. At this moment, Li Si excitedly exclaimed, "Holy crap, Brother Wang... Brother Wang, how did Brother Jiang recover so quickly!"
"..." Wang Baisheng's eyelids twitched, and he suddenly felt a familiar resonance with his body. His eyes lit up, and he stared intently at Jiang Qiu, "[Springtime Wood Sprouts], and it's related to enhanced metabolism."
"Huh?" Li Si was startled. "Isn't [Springtime Wood Awakening] a rare wood-type physique? Brother Jiang already has [Daily Accumulation of Gold], if he also has [Springtime Wood Awakening], is he even human?"
Zhang San chimed in, "It shouldn't be [Springtime Wood Growth], right? I heard Yang Zhilan mention that Brother Jiang's precious cultivation method has a strong boost to [Growth]. That strange phenomenon two months ago was because of this."
Wang Baisheng remained noncommittal, only sighing, "Regardless, Jiang Qiu has mastered the ability to make spiritual plants grow rapidly. I didn't expect it to have such a significant effect on level 2 spiritual plants as well, allowing them to skip the growth and metabolism time."
Zhang San exclaimed in surprise, "So, Brother Jiang is going to turn the tables?!"
"Then let's see if Tian Ming has any more tricks up his sleeve." Wang Baisheng's tone was cautious, with a hint of respect in it, and his gaze was fixed.
However, Lao Tian was also stunned at this moment. His right eye widened and his left eye opened a crack, as if he had lost all strength and means. Meanwhile, the [Rotten Wood Root Vine] greedily absorbed nutrients as if it were lacking oxygen, as if it would have no chance if it did not absorb them now.
He sighed. "Is this also a characteristic of your spiritual plant?"
"No, it's a characteristic of the method." Jiang Qiu replied calmly, while [Wood Born Golden Cage] gradually brewed killing intent. The sword leaves trembled and buzzed, as if a bowstring was drawn to its fullest extent.
"I heard that Director Jiang passed on a precious technique from that family to you. It seems that it is indeed well-deserved of its reputation," Old Tian said wistfully. "It has both metal and wood attributes. The metal attribute is for bursts of power, and the wood attribute is for cycles. After a round of attacks, you can quickly recover to your peak condition. It's truly remarkable."
"Compared to this, isn't your strange absorption property even more remarkable?" Jiang Qiu said calmly. "Given time, little by little, it can transform into a level that other spiritual plants cannot reach."
"Hehe, how can an ordinary person encounter a free opportunity? Using this characteristic comes at a price," Old Tian said with a wry smile, waving his hand. "Sigh, let's not talk about this anymore. Meeting you means my path is probably coming to an end. It's a pity that after all these years of hard work, I still couldn't make it through."
He reached up and touched the bridge of his nose, his fingertips glistening with moisture. He looked up and saw fine white salt falling from the sky. "It's snowing. Time to go down for a snowfall."
With a thud, the left eye slowly opened, and more turbid blood was squeezed out from the eyeball woven from fine vines inside. The "eyeball" was a dull yellow, and the iris was shaped like a lotus bud. It began to rotate, brewing a strange aura that captivated the soul.
"..." Jiang Qiu remained silent. The [Wooden Cage] technique was fully prepared. As he raised his fingertips, boom! The sword leaf shot out!
Swish swish swish! The Rotten Wood Vine Python twisted its body and came against the current, dodging the sharpest sword leaves with exquisite precision. However, its body was too strong and it could not dodge them in the end. Like a clay sculpture in the wind, it gradually withered and crumbled.
Pfft, Old Tian spat out a mouthful of blood, and like a paper doll, he fell backward. Thud, he landed on the floor, and white snowflakes pelted his chest.
"If only... I were a genius like you."