Bronze

In the forest where the morning mist had yet to disperse, Zhang Yantang crouched on the mossy ground, an amber Thorn Vine Seed resting in his palm.

As he closed his eyes and focused his mind, dewdrops condensed in the cracks between the moss slid down the blades of grass, giving off a soft "tap" in the silence.

"Suspended Garden Unlocks Shackles, All Things Grow—"

As he softly chanted the spell, pale-green spiritual power spread from his fingertips like a spiderweb.

The seed suddenly began to shudder violently. The crisp crack of its splitting shell startled the blue-tailed sparrows from the treetops.

The instant the sprout broke free of its shell, it swelled three feet tall. Fine barbs exploded outward like steel needles, while the vines twisted and coiled into a cage, trapping a passing squirrel in the thicket of thorns.

At the same time, it rapidly sank roots into the soil, drawing in nutrients and continuing to grow and exert its strength.

"Not bad, kid!" Dong E'qing leaned against an ancient pine and tossed over a Green Fruit. The pit struck the Magic Power Membrane around the vine cage, scattering a few sparks. "This Thorn Vine will make catching pheasants convenient enough."

Qingshi Fulin, however, frowned and flicked out a Crimson Ray with his fingertip. In an instant, the thorn cage burst into Green Smoke, and the charred vines broke apart with a rustle. The trapped squirrel dissolved into specks of light—it had been another illusion he had laid down.

"Catalyzing its growth for three breaths consumes thirty percent of my spiritual power?" Zhang Yantang, now dressed in a blue robe, tapped the scorched vine with a crooked finger. "If I ran into a cultivator with a Fire Spiritual Root..."

Before he could finish, a deep rumble suddenly came