The Dao Sovereign of Shennong

"Earth Vein Consolidation!"

Zhao Xing crouched down, his fingertips sinking into the ground as a wisp of energy immediately flowed into the soil, burrowing deep underground.

Soon after, a second wisp, followed by a third… In total, nine wisps of energy disappeared into the earth.

In Zhao Xing's perception, these nine strands of energy formed a cage-like structure underground.

"This is the core of the spell, the central point. All the underground energy will converge and be drawn here."

Drawing on the power of the earth veins and consolidating the energy was just the first step.

Now that the center point was established, Zhao Xing needed to determine the proper directions.

He began to stroll along the edges of his territory, squatting down at intervals to grab a handful of dirt, as if inspecting where the soil was richest.

Wen Nanxing and Xiao Ze both noticed his actions.

However, since Zhao Xing didn't cross their boundaries, they decided to ignore him.

"The beauty of Earth Vein Consolidation is in its subtlety," Zhao Xing thought, even waving casually at Wen Nanxing.

Thinking Zhao Xing was being polite, Wen Nanxing nodded back in acknowledgment.

After making a full circle, Zhao Xing felt a bit tired.

Despite being a beginner spell, Earth Vein Consolidation consumed a tremendous amount of energy.

Casting this spell took more energy than dozens of Cloud Summoning spells combined.

"The energy is like roots, burrowing deep into the ground, forming an underground network."

"The trap has been set, now let's see how many fish swim into it," Zhao Xing thought, satisfied, clapping the dust off his hands.

He then headed over to the well, leaned against its edge, and closed his eyes to rest.

Although Wen Nanxing and Xiao Ze couldn't figure out what Zhao Xing was doing, his actions didn't escape the sharp eyes of Chen Shijie.

It took him a while to piece it together, but when he did, he smirked.

"Is this... Earth Vein Consolidation?"

"Waiting until night to stealthily make your move? Good lad! You've got quite a bit of my style in you," Chen Shijie mused, growing increasingly pleased with Zhao Xing. The more he watched, the more Zhao Xing felt like someone after his own heart.

Coming from a military background as a Shennong Officer, Chen Shijie was all too familiar with these kinds of tactics!

Apart from Chen Shijie, only Xue Wenzhong realized what Zhao Xing was up to.

The other officials couldn't quite grasp it, lacking Chen Shijie's keen insight or Xue Wenzhong's vast experience.

Of course, Xue Wenzhong wouldn't openly praise his student and risk arousing jealousy, and Chen Shijie, though silently admiring Zhao Xing's ingenuity, chose not to comment further.

He was well aware that he had already shown Zhao Xing enough attention for one day—any more might be overkill.

Chen Shijie was well-versed in the delicate politics among his subordinates.

"Ziyu, I... I can't go on..." Qian Dong collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air like a fish about to suffocate.

Chen Ziyu wasn't in much better shape, drenched in sweat that wouldn't stop pouring despite his efforts to wipe it away.

By this time in the afternoon, after working for hours, they had little to show for their efforts.

Most of the seeds they planted hadn't sprouted, and the seedlings had already withered.

At this rate, the remaining few wouldn't survive until tomorrow.

"Maybe we should just quit? We can always take the makeup exam," Qian Dong suggested, feeling it wasn't worth the effort anymore.

"I'm not leaving." Chen Ziyu shook his head. "Every time, we say we'll do better next time... When will we ever break through? It has to be this time."

Qian Dong paused, then gritted his teeth and forced himself to stand again.

More and more participants gave up, unable to endure the harsh conditions, and left the field.

But some persisted, clenching their teeth and pushing through the heat.

Finally, as night fell, they were rewarded for their endurance.

Xue Wenzhong, showing some mercy, sent a gentle breeze across the planting area as darkness set in.

...

As the cool breeze from Xue Wenzhong swept through the area, Zhao Xing awoke from his light sleep.

He was particularly sensitive to winds that weren't his own.

"Night has fallen. Time to get to work."

Stretching, Zhao Xing went to check on the progress of the three plants he had been cultivating.

At this point, the 20 Green Vines had grown from seedlings into their growth phase, their vines sprawling across the yellow soil, with some already beginning to bud.

In the two pits, the Fragrant Lotus had sprouted three lotus leaves, also entering the growth stage.

The only plant that seemed slow was the Diamond Bamboo. Due to its natural characteristics, only the tip of a bamboo shoot had emerged.

"As expected of a second-rank top-grade plant. Even though I've focused all the nutrients on it, it looks just the same as when I planted it."

The Diamond Bamboo was meant to be his high-scoring plant, so it wasn't going to be easy to cultivate.

But Zhao Xing wasn't worried—he hadn't even begun using his full strength.

"Now that it's dark, it's time for some stealthy work."

A wisp of energy flowed from Zhao Xing's fingertips and into the ground.

"Buzz~"

The Earth Vein Consolidation spell was activated!

The network expanded silently, extending beyond the range of Zhao Xing's Cloud Summoning.

It crept northward, covering more than half of Wen Nanxing's territory, and southward, enveloping Xiao Ze's land.

To the west, it stretched far enough to include several participants with A-list potential.

Li Chengfeng and Zong Shichang, who were on the far western edge, were beyond his reach. After all, Zhao Xing had only just learned this technique from the Earth School.

"I've covered about half the planting area—that should be enough." With Night Vision, Zhao Xing could see many clerks hard at work now that it was dark, all expending their energy to cast spells.

"Keep it up, everyone. The height of my Diamond Bamboo depends on your efforts."

"Now that it's dark, I should start pushing the growth of this Soul Calming Herb." Huang Tao looked at the seedling before him, ready to take action.

After his defeat earlier in the day, Huang Tao had managed to secure a spot near one of the wells.

He had chosen a plant called the Soul Calming Herb, a second-rank mid-grade plant.

Its only function was to release a calming fragrance once it bloomed, which could stabilize the mind and prevent energy deviations during cultivation.

Many people liked to plant a Soul Calming Herb at home to reduce the risk of going astray during cultivation.

The flowering period of the herb was quite long, lasting several months. However, it was highly sensitive to heat, and getting it to bloom was difficult, which is why Huang Tao had waited until nightfall to begin.

"If I can make this Soul Calming Herb bloom during the Start of Autumn exam, even just one plant, it will be enough to secure a place on the A-list," Huang Tao thought confidently.

"Here we go! Vigorous Growth!"

Huang Tao began casting the Vigorous Growth spell on the Soul Calming Herb seedling.

His energy entered the soil, heading toward the herb's roots.

However, just before it reached the roots, part of his energy mysteriously disappeared, leaving only a fraction to be absorbed.

"Well, it's not surprising. The Soul Calming Herb is known to be difficult to grow, especially in this season," Huang Tao reasoned, thinking it was just a reflection of the plant's inherent difficulty.

He waited a moment before casting the spell again.

The Soul Calming Herb grew slightly.

"Again!"

...

By midnight, Huang Tao sat on the ground in confusion, staring at the plant.

"What... what's going on? I've been casting spells on this herb for three hours, and it still hasn't reached its growth phase?"

If it hadn't even entered the growth phase, there was no chance it would bloom.

At first, Huang Tao hadn't realized anything was wrong, but after draining his energy multiple times and seeing the Soul Calming Herb still growing slowly, he knew it wasn't just a matter of skill.

"Did I pick a defective plant? Impossible, I checked it myself..." Huang Tao muttered, pulling at his hair. "Where exactly did it go wrong?"