Chapter 105: The Top Rank

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The argument between the two men was doomed to end without resolution.

The assessment continued.

Although Zhou Changwang’s early cultivation of a spirit peach had caused some commotion among the many cultivators taking part, they soon refocused their attention on their own trials.

One after another, they cast Growth Acceleration Arts and Spirit Rain Arts, urging their peach trees to grow.

Time passed.

After cultivating the spirit peach, Zhou Changwang left it to grow on its own and sat down nearby to meditate.

After circulating his spiritual energy through two full cycles, his strength had recovered completely.

He opened his eyes and turned his gaze toward the other cultivators.

By then, most of their peach trees had reached the stage of flowering and bearing fruit. Spirit bees busily darted among the blossoms, gathering nectar and pollinating them. The fastest growers were still Gao Mingyi and the female cultivator Zhou Changwang had noticed earlier.

Moreover, Zhou Changwang discovered that the spirit peaches grown by the two were actually inferior to those cultivated by the female cultivator. Her tree was growing more vigorously, and the spirit peaches it produced were larger and richer in spiritual energy.

If things continued this way, her peaches would undoubtedly surpass Gao Mingyi’s.

Yet, for some unknown reason, the female cultivator suddenly slowed her spellcasting. In the end, she appeared to have exhausted her spiritual energy, sat cross-legged, and began meditating to recover.

As for the others—

The three unlucky cultivators who had selected dead seeds had long since stood to one side with faces of utter despair, no longer making futile attempts.

They knew that they had certainly chosen dead seeds. With half the allotted time already gone, even if their seeds germinated now, it would be too late. All they could do was look around and observe how the others were faring.

Apart from those three, several others had begun frantically removing pests.

They had failed to eliminate the spirit insects at the beginning. Once the peach trees grew, various spirit insects ran rampant among the branches. Those capable of burrowing into the trees were especially troublesome, leaving the cultivators drenched in cold sweat and at a loss for what to do.

Soon, two hours had passed.

The assessment ended.

Seven cultivators had failed to raise their Water-Spirit Peaches to maturity.

Among them was the cultivator directly ahead of Zhou Changwang, who had selected a spirit seed.

Cultivating a spirit seed was no easy matter. That man was only at the third level of Qi Refining, and his Growth Acceleration Art had reached merely the proficient stage. After two hours, he had barely managed to grow the spirit seed into a tree three feet tall. It had not even flowered. He was naturally judged to have failed the assessment and was unable to become a certified spirit horticulturist.

Of the remaining nine cultivators, two had produced Water-Spirit Peaches that were extremely small, looking severely undernourished.

Fortunately, they had managed to ripen them, and by luck, they passed the assessment.

“Next, we shall determine the rankings.

“In my opinion, the top three should be Zhou Changwang, Gao Mingyi, and Gong Baixue.”

Yang Ping rose to his feet and spoke.

The others nodded.

Even Liu Yuanqing offered no objection.

Although Yang Xin and Lu Ming had also selected spirit seeds for cultivation, the peach trees they had grown were flawed in appearance. The fruits they produced were flat and thin, still green and unripe in appearance, resembling crooked gourds and split dates.

Of course, only a taste could reveal how they actually tasted.

But appearance determined everything. As experienced spirit horticulturists, they naturally understood that the poor appearance of the two men’s spirit fruits meant either that the spirit insects had not been completely removed, or that the peach blossoms had failed to attract enough spirit bees during pollination, resulting in insufficient fertilization.

Whatever the reason, it was enough to conclude that their peach trees had no chance of entering the top three.

The examiners then collected spirit peaches grown by Zhou Changwang and the others, sliced them open with small knives, and tasted them one by one.

Then—

Their eyes widened in an instant. They exchanged glances, and the answer was immediately clear to all of them.

……

“Three years.

“Over the past three years, I’ve taken the assessment five or six times.

“At last, this time I passed and truly became a spirit horticulturist.”

Among the crowd, some rejoiced while others despaired.

Of the Zhao brothers, the elder, Zhao Jie, was now visibly overcome with excitement.

Just moments earlier, after confirmation by the examiners, he had learned that he had passed this assessment and had been officially recognized as a spirit horticulturist.

All he needed to do now was wait for the Spirit Plant Hall to issue his spirit horticulturist token. Then he would be a true spirit horticulturist, no longer merely a spirit farmer as before.

His status would be higher, and with it he could join various factions, enjoy better treatment, and earn more spirit stones.

A spirit horticulturist—

It was equivalent to a ticket of admission.

With it, one could join any number of factions.

The Bai and Chen families, for example, both possessed their own spirit fields and medicinal gardens.

Medicinal gardens in particular were accessible only to spirit horticulturists. It was said that the starting monthly pay was fifty low-grade spirit stones.

That amounted to five or six hundred in a year.

Compared with being a spirit farmer, the difference was like heaven and earth.

Take the spirit fields they had once worked at the foot of Long Ridge Mountain. Although there had been a small medicinal garden where spirit medicines could be grown, after five years of hard work, harvesting all the medicinal materials in the fields had earned them only two or three thousand low-grade spirit stones.

And that had come with many unforeseen risks.

Moreover, even if one did not join another faction and simply rented spirit fields to farm independently, the status of a spirit horticulturist allowed one to occupy better fields and cultivate higher-quality spiritual and medicinal materials.

The income would be far greater than it had been at the foot of Long Ridge Mountain.

The benefits were immense.

Beside him, Zhao Qiang was also delighted for his elder brother.

Although he had failed this time, with his brother to support him, his life would improve as well.

The two were only in their thirties or forties. They might have little hope of establishing a Foundation, but reaching the seventh level of Qi Refining and becoming high-level cultivators within their lifetimes would not be difficult.

When that time came, they might even be able to establish a small cultivation clan.

“Still, Zhou’s performance this time truly astonished us.”

After recovering from their surprise, the two brothers quickly turned toward Zhou Changwang, their eyes filled with disbelief.

“Indeed. We never imagined that Brother Zhou’s skill in spirit horticulture would be so formidable.

“I estimate that even if he failed to take first place, he would certainly rank among the top three.

“Thinking back on what we said earlier, our words now seem rather laughable.”

As Zhao Qiang spoke, he remembered his earlier attempts to comfort Zhou Changwang and felt unbearably embarrassed.

“Fellow Daoists, it truly wasn’t my intention to conceal anything. I could hardly come right out and say that my skills in spirit horticulture were rather good, could I?”

Zhou Changwang helplessly cupped his hands and explained.

The two men fell silent.

Thinking it over carefully, they had to admit that he was right.

The moment they met Zhou Changwang, they had instinctively assumed that his skills were roughly equal to theirs, or perhaps even inferior. Their words had naturally been filled with advice and consolation.

Zhou Changwang had indeed never mentioned the extent of his abilities. In such circumstances, he could hardly have boasted openly that he possessed extraordinary skill in spirit horticulture.

“As for the ranking, I have no idea. We should leave that to the judgment of the examiners.”

Zhou Changwang was not overly concerned.

The Clear Source Token was certainly valuable, but he already possessed a Water Cloud Token. Having one more token merely gave him another option; he had no reason to fret over the result.

“Still, I think Brother Zhou should take first place.

“After all, he completed the assessment in only half an hour. Compared with everyone else, his advantage is simply too great. If he doesn’t take first place, I’ll be the first to object.”

Zhou Jie grumbled loudly.

The others cast sidelong glances at him. Yet when they looked at Zhou Changwang, solemnity appeared in their eyes.

Indeed, although most of them were reluctant to admit it, they were convinced by Zhou Changwang’s performance.

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Some could not help walking over to make his acquaintance.

One man approached, looked directly at Zhou Changwang, cupped his hands, and said, “I am Gong Baixue. It is a pleasure to meet you, Fellow Daoist.

“Your skill in spirit horticulture is truly admirable. Would you be willing to get to know one another? I also hope that, in the future, we might discuss the ways of spirit horticulture together.”

The newcomer was the female cultivator Zhou Changwang had noticed earlier.

In Zhou Changwang’s opinion, her skill in spirit horticulture was even superior to Gao Mingyi’s.

“You are too kind, Fellow Daoist Gong. I am Zhou Changwang. When it comes to spirit horticulture, I merely understand a thing or two.”

He was not being modest for the sake of appearances.

Although he had cultivated all three of the fundamental spirit-horticulture arts to perfection, cultivating spirit plants involved far more than those three spells.

For spirit horticulturists of the middle grade and above, the most important technique was actually a spell known as the Year-Ring Art.

This spell was primarily used on spiritual and medicinal materials.

Most spirit medicines required a certain age before they could serve as ingredients for alchemy. A hundred years was considered little; a thousand years was hardly too much.

If one relied solely on the Growth Acceleration Art to ripen them, who knew how many years it would take before they became useful?

That was why the Year-Ring Art existed. With a single cast, the age of medicinal materials could increase rapidly. Although it still required a vast quantity of spiritual energy and the cooperation of many other conditions, it was a genuine spell for rapidly cultivating spirit medicines.

“But if you wish to exchange knowledge, I would naturally be willing. I have many questions of my own that I have pondered without result. If I had a good teacher or friend to help resolve them, it would likely save me a great deal of effort.”

Zhou Changwang continued speaking.

After all, he had been born a spirit farmer. Even when he had worked in the Spirit Plant Hall, he had grown through trial and error. The spirit horticulturist he had served at the time had never cared to teach him anything, treating him merely as labor and leaving him to tend the spirit grains and other plants in the fields.

Most of his knowledge of spirit horticulture had been self-taught.

He could not compare with Gao Mingyi or Gong Baixue, who had both received guidance from masters.

“You are too modest, Brother Zhou. With your ability in spirit horticulture, I am the one who should be asking you for guidance.”

As the two exchanged polite modesties, Gao Mingyi suddenly gave a cold snort.

“The results haven’t even been announced, and you’re already praising each other? First place can only be mine. It can be no one else’s.”

“You?” Gong Baixue gave a cold laugh. “Aren’t you overestimating yourself?”

Zhou Changwang said nothing.

The result could not be decided by an argument among the few of them, and there was no need for him to become angry over it.

“If it isn’t me, then who is it? You?”

Gao Mingyi sneered, though his eyes shifted toward Zhou Changwang.

Zhou Changwang’s earlier performance had indeed shocked him.

But this time, he was certain of victory.

In particular, the first-place prize—the Clear Source Token—had been specially obtained for him by his master, Gu Qianhe.

The entire event was meant to build his reputation and momentum.

For that reason, before the assessment began, his master had personally taken him to visit several of the examiners.

Under equal circumstances, even if the spirit peaches he cultivated were slightly inferior, the examiners would surely still select him for first place.

That was simply how human relationships worked.

Cultivation was never a path of purity, devoid of desire or worldly attachments.

Friendship could open doors, and wealth could smooth the road to immortality.

Just then, the four examiners on the high platform suddenly withdrew the soundproofing spell.

Yang Ping stepped forward, looked toward the crowd, and shouted, “Silence!”

“Next, I shall announce the results of this assessment.

“First place goes to Zhou Changwang. Second place goes to Gao Mingyi. Third place goes to Gong Baixue…”

The moment his words fell, the entire crowd erupted.

The Zhao brothers excitedly slapped Zhou Changwang on the shoulder, their faces bright with pride.

They felt honored by association.

They, too, had come from the ranks of spirit farmers at the foot of Long Ridge Mountain. Although it was not they themselves who had taken first place, seeing someone they knew achieve it naturally filled them with excitement and delight.

Zhou Changwang smiled when he heard the announcement.

Although he had been quite confident, before the results were revealed he had still felt somewhat uneasy.

Now, at last, he could relax.

“Congratulations, Brother Zhou,” Gong Baixue said beside him.

“Congratulations to you as well!”

Zhou Changwang responded.

Third place was hardly a poor result.

A second-grade spirit seed alone was worth at least a hundred low-grade spirit stones.

“Impossible!”

Gao Mingyi, who had been brimming with confidence, suddenly spoke in alarm.

“How is that possible? Have you made a mistake?

“How could he have taken first place? First place should clearly have been mine!”

As he spoke, he hurried forward as though intending to force a change in the rankings.

“Outrageous!”

“Are you questioning our impartiality?”

Two voices rang out one after another.

The second belonged to Yang Ping. He glared, and a powerful aura erupted from him, instantly pressing down on Gao Mingyi until his face turned deathly pale.

Cold sweat poured down his body.

Only then did Gao Mingyi remember that the people before him were all senior members of the Spirit Plant Hall: two mid-grade first-level spirit horticulturists and two high-grade first-level spirit horticulturists.

Yang Ping in particular was not only a high-grade first-level spirit horticulturist but also a senior elder of the Spirit Plant Hall. His cultivation had long since reached the eighth level of Qi Refining, and his status was even higher than that of Gao Mingyi’s master.

To publicly question Yang Ping’s impartiality in front of him was something even Gao Mingyi’s master could not bear responsibility for.

“This result was unanimously decided by the four of us. It cannot be changed.

“The reason Zhou Changwang was placed first is that the spirit peaches he cultivated are mid-grade spirit fruits. They are sweet and rich in spiritual energy.

“This first place is entirely deserved.”

Fortunately, Liu Yuanqing spoke at that moment, easing Gao Mingyi’s predicament while affirming that Zhou Changwang’s skill in spirit horticulture had genuinely earned him first place beyond dispute.

“Mid-grade spirit fruits?”

“How could that be…”

Gao Mingyi’s face was ashen. He muttered to himself but dared not say anything more.

He knew that first place was truly beyond his reach.

As the favored disciple of a renowned master, he naturally understood how difficult it was to cultivate mid-grade spirit fruits from an ordinary low-grade first-level spirit seed.

Even his master might not have been able to accomplish it, let alone him.

The grade of a spirit seed placed a limit on the quality of the fruit it could produce.

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To break through that limitation, one could not rely on luck. It had to be genuine ability.

“Hmph! Just a clown.

“If I hadn’t looked down on the second-place prize, why would I have allowed him to take it?”

At that moment, Gong Baixue also spoke in a low voice, giving a cold snort.

Although she had spoken softly, everyone around them was a cultivator, and quite a few had heard her. They could not help glancing at her, each forming their own judgment.

Some believed her. Others did not.

Zhou Changwang, however, did.

He had seen that after she finished cultivating her spirit fruit, she had stopped casting spells and acted as though she lacked spiritual energy.

But her cultivation was at the fifth level of Qi Refining, equal to Gao Mingyi’s. Since Gao Mingyi had been able to continue casting spells until the assessment ended, she naturally should have been able to do the same.

Her claim that she had voluntarily handed second place to him was not entirely without basis.

Besides, the second-place prize was the opportunity to choose a high-level spirit horticulturist as one’s master.

Gong Baixue clearly came from no ordinary background. With her level of skill, she naturally lacked neither a renowned master nor guidance. It was perfectly normal for her to look down on such a reward.

And so the results were settled.

Whether the cultivators accepted them or not, nothing would change.

After receiving the spirit horticulturist identity tokens corresponding to their results and having their names engraved upon them, the cultivators gradually departed in twos and threes.

Only the top three were kept behind by the examiners to receive their rewards.

Gao Mingyi, however, did not remain. He left directly.

His second-place reward was the opportunity to become someone’s disciple. Since he already had a high-level spirit horticulturist as his master, he had no need for it. After the scene he had caused, he had no face to remain there and could only leave.

Soon, only Zhou Changwang and Gong Baixue remained.

“Zhou Changwang, this is your first-place reward: the Clear Source Token.

“With this token, when spring arrives next year—in other words, six months from now—you may directly participate in the Clear Source Sect’s entrance assessment.

“I cannot guarantee that you will become an inner disciple, but you should at least be able to obtain the status of an outer disciple.

“Do not dismiss an outer disciple as insignificant. We are spirit horticulturists, after all, and possess a skill to rely upon. The Clear Source Sect is a great sect of spirit horticulture. As long as you complete the sect’s tasks on schedule and endure for three to five years, you will certainly be able to enter the inner sect.

“Your cultivation will then become far more convenient.”

Yang Ping looked at Zhou Changwang with a kindly expression as he spoke.

“Thank you for your guidance, Senior Yang.”

Zhou Changwang reached out and accepted the token.

It was slightly heavy in his hand. The words “Clear Source” were engraved upon it, along with special magical seals and restrictions. Its material was comparable to that of the Water Cloud Token he had previously obtained. Both were tokens representing a sect.

“Zhou Changwang, I see that all three of your fundamental spirit-horticulture arts are exceptionally refined. May I ask whether you have studied under a renowned master?”

Yang Ping immediately questioned him again.

“Indeed, I once had a master.”

Zhou Changwang’s heart tightened, but he answered calmly.

He knew that his performance had already attracted the attention of this high-level spirit horticulturist. He had anticipated as much even before entering the assessment.

He had cultivated all three fundamental spirit-horticulture arts to perfection. Even though he had concealed some of his ability while casting them, certain details were bound to show.

And after taking first place, he was naturally bound to draw even more attention.

He had therefore prepared for this long ago.

“Then who is your master? Might I know him? Could I pay him a visit?”

Upon hearing this, Yang Ping felt a pang of disappointment and secretly lamented the missed opportunity. He quickly continued questioning him.

“My master was an old spirit farmer who wandered into the market town. Unfortunately, he passed away some time ago.”

Zhou Changwang lowered his head slightly as he spoke.

Naturally, this was an excuse.

Phoenixsong Market had existed for several centuries and saw a constant flow of people coming and going. Whenever people arrived, others departed.

No one knew what identities those travelers had originally possessed.

There would naturally be no problem with Zhou Changwang inventing such a person.

“This…”

Yang Ping’s heart leaped with delight, but when he saw Zhou Changwang’s expression, he restrained himself and sighed.

“To have taught you spells of such excellence, he must have been more than merely an old spirit farmer.

“It is a pity that I never had the chance to meet him.”

He quickly continued, “Still, Changwang, your talent in spirit horticulture is extraordinary. If you lack a good teacher’s guidance from now on, you may inevitably make mistakes in your cultivation of the art.

“Since your master has passed away, that is certainly regrettable, but your studies in spirit horticulture must continue.

“Why not become my disciple for now? I can teach you the arts of spirit horticulture from this point onward. What do you say?”

“Thank you for your kindness, Senior Yang. However, I do not wish to take anyone as my master for the time being.”

Zhou Changwang hurriedly shook his head.

He possessed far too many secrets.

After becoming someone’s disciple, he would inevitably have to interact with his master closely. Whether it was the Thunder Spirit Rice Tree or the mysteries of his attribute panel, everything was an absolute secret. He could never allow such things to be exposed before another person.

Thus, he rejected the offer without hesitation.

“You should consider it further.

“The three fundamental spirit-horticulture arts are merely the foundation. There is still much more to learn. Without a teacher, mastering the rest will be far more difficult.”

Yang Ping spoke with genuine affection for a promising talent. Then he added, “Of course, even if you do not become my disciple for now, you may come to me whenever you encounter difficulties in spirit horticulture. Whenever I have the time, I will answer your questions.”

“Thank you for thinking so highly of me, Senior Yang. If I encounter any problems, I will certainly trouble you for guidance.”

Zhou Changwang bowed respectfully.

He then took his leave.

Yang Ping was somewhat disappointed that he had failed to accept Zhou Changwang as a disciple, but he naturally did not insist on keeping him.

Gong Baixue, meanwhile, had received only a second-grade spirit seed and had already departed. Zhou Changwang therefore strode out of the assessment grounds as well.

Just as he was about to leave the Spirit Plant Hall, he saw Gong Baixue standing nearby, waving to him from a distance.

“Fellow Daoist Gong, is there something else?”

Zhou Changwang had no choice but to walk over and ask.

“This is a Redleaf Tea seed. My family has several of these plants, including one that is over a hundred years old.

“It is of no use to me, so I am giving it to you.”

As she spoke, Gong Baixue handed him a wooden box.

“You are too generous, Fellow Daoist Gong. This should be your reward, shouldn’t it? You should keep it for yourself.”

Zhou Changwang repeatedly waved his hands.

“I already told you that I sincerely wish for us to exchange knowledge. This is not empty courtesy.

“If you refuse to accept the spirit seed, how could I have the nerve to visit you in the future?

“By the way, tell me where you are staying now, so that I may come and pay you a visit.”

As she spoke, Gong Baixue firmly pressed the box into his hands.

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