Chapter 104: To Think Someone Could Be Even More Fearless Than Him

The second round of the assessment had concluded.

Out of the thirty-five participants, more than half had been eliminated. Most failed to meet the standards for the three fundamental techniques of spiritual botany, while two or three were simply unlucky enough to have selected dead seeds during the seed-picking stage. Yet, this was part of the test; poor judgment in selecting seeds was, in itself, proof of a lack of proficiency in discerning seed vitality.

The third round was about to begin, with only fifteen candidates remaining. Those eliminated either left the venue or stood to the side, awaiting the final results. Zhou Changwang stood near the Zhao brothers, not far from the arrogant-looking Gao Mingyi. In the second round, Gao had ostentatiously displayed his mastery of the three spiritual botany techniques. Even those who disliked his attitude had to admit his skills were formidable, making him the most notable figure among the group.

However, Zhou Changwang’s gaze was not on him, but on a female cultivator nearby. She appeared to be in her prime youth, though in the world of immortal cultivation, age was often deceptive. Her skin was fair and translucent, and she stood with an elegant, graceful posture. What caught Zhou’s attention, however, was not her beauty, but her techniques. When she had previously performed the Spirit Rain Spell and the Geng Metal Finger, he had missed it due to the distance, but when she performed the Growth-Inducing Spell, she had clearly exercised restraint. Like him, she had ceased the spell immediately after the seedling grew half an inch. From this, Zhou could discern her level of mastery: mid-stage Grandmaster. Though still far from his own, she was already firmly ahead of Gao Mingyi and was undoubtedly a highly skilled spiritual botanist.

"Everyone," the high-ranking spiritual botanist Yang Ping spoke, his tone encouraging. "I believe many of you are already familiar with the third assessment. You are to select a spiritual seed from my bag. You have two hours. You will pass the assessment if you can cultivate the seed to maturity and produce fruit. Furthermore, the final ranking of this assessment will be determined in this round. It will be judged by the quality of the fruit produced—the higher the quality, the better the score. The top three will receive rewards. The first place winner will receive the Qingyuan Token, granting direct entry into the Qingyuan Sect come next spring. The second place winner may choose one of us four examiners as their master. The third place winner will receive a second-grade spiritual seed."

At these words, the faces of the candidates lit up with fervor. While many had already given up on first place after seeing Gao Mingyi’s performance, they still had hopes for second or third.

"Brother, do you think we have a chance?" Zhao Qiang whispered to Zhao Jie.

Zhao Jie scanned the surroundings and replied in a low voice, "Forget it. See that dark-faced fellow? That’s Yang Xin, the nephew of examiner Yang Ping; his skills are surely not low. And that one, Lu Ming, successfully cultivated a second-grade spiritual plant just a month ago. He is well-regarded by several mid-to-high-level botanists. With them here, we have no chance. It will be good enough if we just pass."

As Zhao Jie spoke, he glanced at Zhou Changwang, clearly including him in that assessment. Zhou Changwang just smiled, offering no rebuttal.

"Begin!"

At the command, the candidates returned to their respective stations. Each table was equipped with a planter filled with soil. They proceeded to step forward one by one to select seeds from Yang Ping’s cloth bag. The bag was filled with Water Spirit Peach seeds, but their quality varied. The high-quality ones were true spiritual seeds—plump and full of vitality—which would produce sweet, spirit-rich fruit. The lower-quality ones were ordinary seeds, and others were dead seeds that would never sprout.

Zhou Changwang stood third in line. As he waited, he activated his Spirit Eye Spell. A flash of spiritual light crossed his eyes, and the vitality of the seeds within the bag became clear.

"Hm? More than half are dead seeds?" Zhou’s expression shifted slightly.

There were hundreds of seeds in the bag, but to his eyes, most were devoid of life. Only twelve possessed the rich vitality and spiritual energy characteristic of true spiritual seeds. Since all the seeds looked identical on the surface, this was the true difficulty of the Spiritual Botany Hall's assessment.

Zhou watched as the first candidate picked a dead seed, signaling their failure. The second candidate was lucky and picked a spiritual seed. When it was his turn, Zhou stepped forward, reached into the bag, and selected one of the thumb-sized seeds—one of the twelve true spiritual seeds, possessing the strongest vitality.

He walked to his table and examined the planter. It was filled with high-grade first-tier spiritual soil, capable of supporting even rare seeds. However, with his Spirit Eye still active, he could clearly 'see' several active creatures buried within the soil: spirit insects.

"So, the assessment includes pest control," Zhou thought. He remained composed as he returned to his station.

"Begin!" Yang Ping commanded.

The candidates set to work. Some used the Growth-Inducing Spell, others the Spirit Rain Spell. Zhou Changwang performed a Spirit Rain Spell, restricting the rainfall to a three-inch radius. He let some fall into the planter and channeled the rest into his hand to nurture his seed. Once it sprouted and grew to an inch, he cast his Growth-Inducing Spell.

He then cast an Insect-Luring Spell. Though he had only learned it recently, he had already mastered it. Under the influence of the spell’s special fragrance—isolated by a perfect-level Sound-Insulation Spell so it wouldn't drift—several insects crawled out of the soil.

"Iron-Armored Sickle Bugs," Zhou noted with a flicker of surprise. "The Hall is quite ruthless."

He quickly dispatched the bugs—including rice-line worms and spirit-eating worms—with precise flicks of his fingers. He buried the insect carcasses back into the soil to serve as nutrients for his seedling, then planted it.

The rest was simple. Alternating between the Growth-Inducing Spell and the Spirit Rain Spell, he focused on cultivation. He even had the leisure to observe the others. Three had already failed, including Zhao Qiang. Among the others, Gao Mingyi and the female cultivator were the most impressive; they had both successfully cleared the insects using the Earth-Turning Spell and the Geng Metal Finger.

Zhou’s peach tree grew rapidly. To ensure quality, he used his Geng Metal Finger to prune excess branches, leaving only three, which would yield nine high-quality peaches. He then used an insect-attracting technique to draw bees from the hall's hive for pollination. Within half an hour, the peaches were fully formed—two fist-sized, white as jade, and blushing with a faint red hue. The aroma was intoxicating.

It was done.

The fragrance immediately drew everyone's attention. They stopped their work, staring in disbelief at Zhou Changwang’s thriving peach tree.

"Who is this? Where did he come from?" Gao Mingyi’s face was dark with frustration.

"Such formidable botanical skills," the female cultivator murmured, her eyes wide. She had noticed his seamless execution of the spells; he cast them as if by mere thought.

Yang Ping stood up, shocked. "A brilliant talent! I thought Gao Mingyi was unrivaled, but who is this?"

One of the examiners checked the records. "Zhou Changwang, a local apprentice who has been farming his own plot. This is his first time taking the formal assessment."

"A hidden gem," Yang Ping sighed, a look of eagerness crossing his face.

On the sidelines, another examiner, Liu Yuanqing, remarked, "He took a shortcut, pruning the tree to concentrate all nutrients into nine fruits. It’s a bit unorthodox."

"This is an assessment," Yang Ping countered. "The result is what matters, and his fruit is the best I have seen in years. Besides, the *Tianheng Spiritual Botany Treatise* records this method as a valid technique, not a shortcut."

As the examiners began to debate, the others could only watch in silence, deeply humbled by the speed and mastery displayed by the quiet cultivator.