novellaaa Chapter 90: You dare to eliminate her again!
Chapter 90: You dare to eliminate her again!
With a whoosh, the [Wood Spirit Vine Python] withered, and the two bunches of "grapes" drooped their eyes, gradually dimming, as if the essence inside had been exhausted by the erosion of time. At this moment, the whole audience was in an uproar, and everyone was dumbfounded.
Du Ziyue's heart skipped a beat. "How...how is this possible? The only innate genius with exceptional physique, his resident spiritual plant attributes are second only to Brother Jiang and Jiang Qiao. There shouldn't be anyone who can compare to him. Wait, Old Tian?"
With a hissing sound, the "rotten tree roots" at the edge of the field stretched and yawned, like a wooden centipede pulling out dense, thin roots from the ground. It slowly raised its head and hissed out a bunch of thin, yellow roots.
It crawled alone around the perimeter of the site, and the withered plants around it were gradually rolled into the soil by its yellowish-brown roots, all of which turned into nutrients.
Upon seeing this, Du Ziyue's jaw dropped, his mouth agape. "Holy crap, it can actually move on the ground like the [Wood Spirit Vine Python]? No, wait, its root system is incredibly complex!"
Zhang San's eyes dimmed, his face full of surprise and doubt. "Brother Wang was eliminated by that 'rotten tree root' just like that... Brother Du, what exactly is that?"
"I...I don't know either. I've never seen Lao Tian hybridize this thing before," Du Ziyue scratched his head, still not coming to his senses. "I've only heard about its rare characteristics. It sacrifices fruit production to achieve root transformation. You could say that the root system is the main body of its spiritual plant, and it's very difficult to digest."
He took a deep breath. "But this characteristic of absorbing nutrients after digesting spiritual plants is unheard of; at least, Lao Tian has never mentioned it before!"
"Damn, is this the old apprentice's trump card?" Zhang San's eyelids twitched wildly, and he punched the air. "What a pity, Brother Wang!"
He frowned, muttering indignantly, "Brother Jiang is trapped and helpless, Brother Wang was ambushed and eliminated early, and now the best trainee opportunity falls to Jiang Qiao!"
"No," Li Si interjected, her gaze grave, her fists clenched. "Old Tian's move was completely unexpected. He probably had a plan in mind, especially since Jiang Qiao's spiritual plant characteristics are traceable. If she doesn't help Brother Jiang escape, he'll likely be in trouble on the outside alone!"
"Sigh, you were still hoping Jiang Qiao could save Brother Jiang?" Du Ziyue sighed and shook his head. "Impossible. Brother Jiang isn't in a hurry to transfer spiritual energy yet. He's very confident. The biggest threat on the field is still the [Wooden Spirit Cage]. As for Jiang Qiao herself, she may not be afraid of Lao Tian."
"Why?" Li Si asked, puzzled.
Du Ziyue said cautiously, "Even if everyone knows she inherited Director Jiang's characteristics and understands the properties of healing pollen, that's only a small part of the inheritance. Besides, [Healing Lotus] is a dual-attribute experiment, improved from Director Jiang's cultivation path. Who can be sure about its effectiveness?"
......
Upon being eliminated, Wang Baisheng paused for a moment, glancing at Lao Tian's spiritual plant with a hint of unexpected surprise in his eyes. Just then, a playful, teasing voice rang in his ears, "Oh, you're so fast?"
"His spiritual plant has a very strange characteristic; it can trace back and digest the fruit of the spiritual plant in my body. Don't lose easily." Wang Baisheng clenched his fist.
"Heh, you think everyone's like you, getting quietly and easily defeated? Jiang Qiu is carrying over a dozen opponents right now, and doesn't even need me to save her, huh?"
Hearing Jiang Qiao's meaningful voice, Jiang Qiu remained calm. The [Wooden Cage] continued to gather the spiritual energy of the [Spirit-Trapping Vine], silently preparing to watch the battle unfold.
Old Tian, who had unexpectedly emerged as a leader, glanced at the spirit plant panel from afar and subtly raised his eyelids. "You should worry about yourself. Old Tian's spirit plants have already set their sights on your [Healing Lotus]."
"Huh? What's there to worry about with a 'rotten tree root'? I'm not Wang Baisheng, fierce on the surface but a vegetable in the soil," Jiang Qiao curled her lips and proudly raised her chin. "Once I digest that old apprentice's 'rotten tree root,' there won't be any other threats... Eh?"
She glanced sideways at Lao Tian, frowning. "Damn it, it actually dared to mobilize its root system to circle around the perimeter of the area for over ten meters, launching a separate invasion against me. Did it think my healing pollen had no effect on the soil?"
With a soft "pfft," [Yu Jin Ling He] exhaled a cloud of azure mist, which seeped into the cracks in the damp soil. However, Jiang Qiao's pupils contracted, and her smile froze. She saw—
Affected by pollen, the roots of the "old tree roots" spread out faster, like an army of earthworms burrowing around after smelling bait, creating several slopes of varying sizes on the soil surface, surrounding the tree from all directions.
"This 'old tree root' not only cannot bear fruit, but it also has no extra defects that consume nutrients. The only thing that can consume nutrients is its root system properties. What kind of weird characteristic is this? It almost completely rejects healing effects!"
Jiang Qiao glared at her, but calmly raised her right hand, her tone once again proud, "However, my [Yu Jin Ling He] has both metal and wood attributes. Metal is associated with killing and warfare."
With a whoosh, a wisp of yellow spiritual energy shot through the air and entered the opening at the top of the [Healing Golden Lotus] flower bud.
Suddenly, the flower bud stopped thumping and exhaling.
With a whoosh, the lotus bud rotated clockwise, and the edges of the petals shimmered with a yellow metallic light.
With a whoosh, the main rod rotates counterclockwise, twisting into a hemp rope.
With a whoosh, the main stem connected to the underground root system, and the soil near the roots rotated in a spiral pattern. It seemed slow, but in fact, the top and bottom rotated in opposite directions at the same time. In the blink of an eye, the main stem twisted into a threaded steel bar. "Hmph, you dare to come any closer."
Boom! Red light flashed inside the lotus bud. The [Golden Lotus] was like a high-explosive spinning top that exploded in an instant, creating a whirlwind of black soil. The roots that the "old tree roots" touched were dismembered with cracking sounds, densely packed and flying everywhere.
Within a three-meter radius, not a blade of grass grew. A large circle of sand was swatted away, hitting the contestants' seats with a thud. Many trainees winced in pain and raised their hands, while Lao Tian squinted his right eye, letting the sand hit his face without expression.
The [Healing Golden Lotus] stirred up a small storm that killed several spiritual plants before burrowing back into the soil, exhaling and exhaling azure mist, slowly healing its sprains and root injuries, preparing to cultivate a second wave of metallic spiritual energy...
Whoosh! A withered yellow vine python burst out of the ground, straddling three meters in the air. Its downward posture vanished in an instant. With a soft thud, its ugly vine body, as thick as a forearm, coiled around the [Yu Jin Ling He]. Crack, crack, the sound of metal breaking burst forth.
"How is this possible?" Jiang Qiao exclaimed in surprise.
"Can a vine-like python, evolved from a root system, burrow and travel that far?" Wang Baisheng's eyes widened, and his eyelids twitched.
The audience was in an uproar, with gasps reaching an unprecedented climax. Du Ziyue broke out in goosebumps, exclaiming, "Holy crap! A feint, a deception, then a surprise attack! Old Tian's fighting style is so fluid!"
Zhang San gasped, "Wait a minute, if this continues, isn't Lao Tian going to eliminate Jiang Qiao? He's poised to take the top spot among the trainees!"
Li Si's breath hitched. "No one can help Brother Jiang anymore. Will three of the most promising talents be eliminated from the finals this year?!"
The clamor drowned out the chairman's seat. Crack! The armrest in Wu Shan's hand broke open. Not only was his own apprentice eliminated, but Director Jiang's eldest daughter would also be eliminated, and she hadn't even made it to the finals.
His gaze was like a sharp arrow piercing Lao Tian. The other man looked up, his eyes meeting Lao Tian's, but it was as if a needle had pierced a deep lake, causing only faint ripples...