pertwk Chapter 89: A Hidden Master?
Chapter 89: A Hidden Master?
With a whoosh, the [Wood Spirit Vine Python] coiled around the nearest spirit plant like a dragon, its vine body, already as thick as a forearm, naturally snapping it off. The plant was ground into a pulp through friction on its surface, and nutrients were fed back to it.
The Wood Spirit Vine Python grew longer and longer, increasing its swimming distance from two meters to three meters and then five meters. Wherever it passed, it destroyed everything, turning it all into nutrients. The spirit plants of the nearby contestants all trembled in fear.
Prayers rose and fell from the contestants' seats, hoping that the ruthless "python" would pass by their sacred plants a little later.
Wang Baisheng showed no joy or sorrow, but focused intently on guiding the [Wood Spirit Vine Python] towards the most nutritious target, while simultaneously keeping an eye on the movements of the [Wood-Born Golden Cage] and the [Healing Golden Lotus].
The former has been trapped for a long time and has not yet shown any signs of counterattack, while the latter slowly releases its peculiar pollen, and rings of blue mist gradually overflow from the vicinity, spreading further and further away, covering an increasingly wider area.
Hiss~ The Wood Spirit Vine Python inadvertently approached the edge of the blue mist, spat out a long green leaf, and then darted back as if struck by lightning.
"Haha, your [Wood Spirit Vine Python] doesn't have much resistance to my healing pollen, it reacted immediately," Jiang Qiao laughed.
"..." Wang Baisheng fell silent. His spiritual plant foundation was not inferior, so he would not be helplessly suppressed. However, his attack range was too short, and getting entangled with the opponent would only result in a waste of his own condition.
The vine python turned its head, preparing to detour and digest the other spiritual plants, but the next second, it suddenly stopped. Its eyes widened in surprise as it saw that the spiritual plants in a small field near its destination had withered strangely, as if a match had burned out, and the decaying branches and leaves were emitting black smoke...
"Huh?" Jiang Qiao followed the gaze, slightly surprised. "You actually had a hidden skill, such a discreet ability?"
"I didn't do it," Wang Baisheng frowned.
Before the words were even finished, the contestants who had been eliminated at the same time clutched their stomachs, specifically their lower abdomen, and exclaimed, "Holy crap, the loser's punishment in this year's 'Reproduction Battle' came so quickly and so harshly?"
"Why is the spiritual energy of the spiritual plants within me draining away?"
"That's strange. The fruits I've painstakingly reaped over the years are gradually withering away, and the accumulated special abilities I've built up are almost used up. The cost of eliminating them this year is too high!"
"The key question is, who eliminated us? We have no idea who came up with it!"
Their complaints drew skepticism from another group of eliminated contestants, who wondered, "Really? When I was eliminated by Wang Baisheng, I didn't suffer much of a loss?"
"When I was eliminated by Jiang Qiao, just like in previous years, I was a little heartbroken, but it shouldn't have caused this much agitation, right?"
"Could it be that you're resentful for losing the competition? The spirit plant has better characteristics, so even if it can take a bite out of you in the 'reproduction competition,' there's nothing you can do. Survival of the fittest, only the strong survive."
The discussions around them gradually heated up, and even the audience members started talking at once. However, the complaining contestants couldn't be named, since the clash between the roots was hidden beneath the soil and was difficult to detect.
However, just as the argument was getting heated, Wang Baisheng's heart suddenly skipped a beat. The roots of his [Wood Spirit Vine Python], which were fixed in the soil, were touched by the "enemy" and were slowly approaching.
Someone has intentionally invaded my system!
"You're not lying to me... Hey, why has your [Wood Spirit Vine Python] retreated to its roots and is still drying out?" Jiang Qiao asked in surprise.
Wang Baisheng ignored it and pointed at the [Wood Spirit Vine Python], injecting spiritual energy into it. Without saying a word, beneath the soil layer invisible to the naked eye, the tangled roots were fighting, breaking, regenerating, and breaking again.
While the Wood Spirit Vine Python is known for its ground attacks and is exceptionally fierce at strangling spirit plants, this does not mean that its roots are weak. On the contrary, as a second-generation hybrid spirit plant, it has mutated and hybridized, and has the top three basic attributes in the entire field.
As long as it doesn't compete with the roots and stems of the [Wooden Golden Cage] and [Golden Lotus], or be attacked by a group of them, it fears no spiritual plant. It can even easily use its root system to trace back to the source and kill the main body of the plant.
Now, however, they are facing an unprecedented and fierce battle!
......
Seeing a small group of spiritual plants suddenly eliminated simultaneously, more than ten of them being refined into black smoke, and the [Wood Spirit Vine Python] also retreating, seemingly caught in a fierce battle beneath the soil, Zhang San stared wide-eyed, "What's going on?!"
"Hiss, whose spirit plant has such fierce characteristics!" Du Ziyue frowned. "Brother Jiang is trapped, and Wang Baisheng was a contender for the strongest trainee. How come his condition suddenly declined so rapidly? Are there any experts among the veteran trainees?"
"Won't Brother Wang be eliminated?" Zhang San's eyelids twitched.
Having spent the past four months by Wang Ge's side, he has received a lot of help from Wang Ge, who has answered all his questions about work and taken care of his personal issues whenever he has time. Naturally, he doesn't want Wang Ge to lose.
If given the chance, Brother Jiang regretfully missed out on becoming the strongest trainee, and he hoped that the title would fall to Brother Wang. But who would have thought that before the finals even arrived, unexpected changes would occur, and there was a master among the contestants who could take on multiple opponents!
"This..." Du Ziyue hesitated for a long time, frowning repeatedly. "It's hard to say. That hidden master seems to be able to invade multiple threads. More and more spiritual plant roots are being eroded, and their own nutrients are being stolen and fed back. He will only get stronger as he fights. As for Wang Baisheng... sigh, he's killing the goose that lays the golden eggs."
Zhang San's heart skipped a beat. He clenched his fist. "Who is this hidden master? Is there really no way to counter him?"
"Logically, it should be one of the strongest group of veteran trainees, each at the late stage of the [Proliferation Realm] with considerable foundation. However, they all seem to be busy besieging Brother Jiang and are unable to spare the time. It's only possible that one of the other contestants was lucky enough to accidentally cultivate an extremely strong trait."
Du Ziyue sighed, his tone revealing a hint of emotion. "But if we don't even know who the breeder is, there's no way to counter it. I did hear from Lao Tian that in previous years, there were some mediocre trainees who made a name for themselves, lacking physical qualities but almost winning the championship based solely on their rare traits."
"Who?" Zhang San asked, as if possessed.
"Hehe, Old Tian himself," Du Ziyue chuckled, "when he first participated in the 'Reproduction Competition,' he cultivated a rare trait on his own, surpassing several innate physique geniuses and taking second place."
"That strong?!" Zhang San's eyes widened. Old Tian could be considered one of the oldest contestants, a senior trainee from his father's generation. Back then, Jiuzhi Garden had dozens or even hundreds of trainee slots every year, which was its peak period.
He frowned slightly and boldly speculated, "Could the hidden expert who attacked Brother Wang in secret be Old Tian?"
Du Ziyue waved his hand:
"Sigh, impossible. Old Tian loves to brag, you can only believe half of what he says. Everyone says he got second place back then by cheating. As for now, after being injured for many years, his cultivation level has almost plummeted. Most of his spiritual energy is used to heal his injuries and prolong his life, so how could he have any surplus to accumulate for a future breakthrough..."
Before he could finish speaking, a powerful announcement resounded throughout the venue: "Wang Baisheng is eliminated, ranking nineteenth!"