You Chase, I Chase-Competing to Sprout

Li Jing was all smiles and spoke with such humility and courtesy; one did not slap a smiling face. Qin Haoxuan could not be rude either, so he immediately smiled back and said, "Senior Brother Li, you are too polite. I appreciate your kindness, but it is only Rooting. It is not worth repeated congratulations, much less such a generous gift!"

"What are you saying, Junior Brother Qin? This is only a small token from your senior brother. You must accept it, or else you will be looking down on me as your senior brother!" Smiling, Li Jing placed the exquisitely wrapped gift on Xu Yu's table and said, "I heard that these past few days, Junior Brother Qin has been tempering his will and honing his Dao heart by carrying water. Such persistence and diligence are far beyond my reach."

Faced with Li Jing's praise, Qin Haoxuan merely smiled faintly. He heard another meaning behind Li Jing's words and replied with a smile, "Senior Brother Li flatters me."

As they exchanged pleasantries, there came another knock at the door. A voice outside said softly, "Senior Sister Xu, I wish to join your camp and serve you like a dog or horse."

When no answer came from within, the voice quickly continued, "Senior Sister Xu, I used to belong to Senior Brother Li Jing's camp, and I got along very well with Senior Brother Murong. Later, Senior Brother Murong came over to your side. I thought it over for a long time, and today I decided to come with him as well. I hope Senior Sister Xu will take me in."

Those latter words made the expressions of the three people in the room stiffen. Murong Chao had indeed left Li Jing's camp and formed an iron triangle with Qin Haoxuan and Xu Yu, but Li Jing had deliberately ignored the matter. He had never mentioned it in front of the two of them, lest it affect his plans to win Xu Yu over. It was tantamount to tacitly accepting Murong Chao's defection.

Yet the person outside had not only put Li Jing in an awkward position, but made Xu Yu embarrassed as well. Usually, quite a few people came knocking on her door to pledge loyalty. Today, right in front of Li Jing, someone from Li Jing's camp had declared that he wanted to join her. It made it seem as though they were digging out Li Jing's foundation.

When the person received no response from Xu Yu, he said quietly outside, "Then this little brother will come again tomorrow to beg Senior Sister."

Listening to his departing footsteps, Li Jing suddenly forced a smile and said, half in jest and half in earnest, "Junior Sister Xu's reputation is growing ever louder. With Junior Brother Qin supporting you so strongly, this senior brother of yours will have to stand aside!"

Xu Yu smiled but said nothing. Qin Haoxuan, however, could hardly fail to understand Li Jing's meaning. In that instant, he also understood why Li Jing had come to see him. There had surely been too many rumors outside these past few days, and Li Jing had finally been unable to sit still. He had come to probe Qin Haoxuan's attitude.

Although they were only a small group of three, they had Xu Yu, a Supreme Purple Seed, holding down the fort, Murong Chao, a Gray Seed, assisting her, and Qin Haoxuan's formidable reputation outside, along with his title as the strongest weak seed after Rooting in twenty days. This extraordinarily fierce little group of three was gradually gaining influence in Spirit Field Valley and was viewed very favorably. More and more disciples came to join them out of admiration, but without exception, all were turned away at the door.

Zhang Kuang and Li Jing, who had originally paid them no heed, both began to worry. Li Jing's underlings repeatedly advised him that morale was unstable. Many in the camp were wavering and privately contacting Qin Haoxuan. If Qin Haoxuan had not refused them, many would already have followed Murong Chao in defecting.

That was why Li Jing had come to visit Qin Haoxuan. Unexpectedly, he had truly run into one of his own underlings coming to join their little group of three.

It had to be said that Li Jing's cultivated composure was quite impressive. Even after such an incident, his expression only stiffened for a moment before returning to a confident smile. He remained calm and unhurried, without a ripple of disturbance.

Qin Haoxuan could not find the slightest abnormality on his face. After arranging his words, he said, "I believe Senior Brother Li also knows that opportunists are like grass on a wall, bending whichever way the wind blows."

Li Jing nodded with a smile, his confident eyes politely fixed on Qin Haoxuan as he spoke.

After a pause, Qin Haoxuan continued, "Let me put it this way. Neither Xu Yu and I nor Murong Chao have the slightest interest in the position of sect leader. Nor do we intend to raise a banner and recruit followers. If we wanted to do that, we would have done it long ago. There would have been no need to wait until now."

"Since Junior Brother Qin has spoken so frankly and laid the matter bare, then I am relieved." Li Jing smiled slightly and cupped his hands. Yet from the doubt flickering in his eyes, it was clear that he did not believe Qin Haoxuan's words.

Even Xu Yu could see such obvious skepticism, so how could Qin Haoxuan fail to see it? He too smiled faintly before saying, "Xu Yu, Murong Chao, and I are close because our personalities are compatible. Murong Chao has also grown tired of these days of contention, which is why he has drawn closer to the two of us. Senior Brother Li knows that I have old grudges with both Zhang Kuang and Zhang Yang. If conflict breaks out between your sides, I will absolutely not help them. On the other hand, Senior Brother Li has helped us quite a bit lately. If you need anything, just say the word. We will certainly do what we can within our means!"

Only after receiving Qin Haoxuan's assurance did Li Jing relax slightly. Though he still had his doubts, Qin Haoxuan had already put it so plainly that there was no point in pressing further. It would be better to form an alliance for the time being. At least that would ensure that the three of them would not be drawn over by Zhang Kuang or Zhang Yang.

Their little group might have only three people, but the appeal and influence of those three surpassed his own in every respect.

"In that case, Li Jing thanks Junior Brother Qin and Junior Sister Xu." Li Jing cupped his hands and said, "It is getting late. I shall take my leave first."

"Take care, Senior Brother Li." Qin Haoxuan returned the gesture with a slight bow.

As Li Jing left Xu Yu's room, he caught sight of a shadow hiding in the corner of the wall swiftly slipping away toward Zhang Kuang's room. It was undoubtedly the spy Zhang Kuang had planted here.

Realizing that Li Jing had spotted him, the spy dashed wildly to Zhang Kuang's room. Panting heavily, he reported, "Boss, I did exactly as you instructed. Xu Yu, Li Jing, and Qin Haoxuan inside did not say anything. Li Jing has now left Xu Yu's room. Judging by his expression, he must have reached some agreement with Xu Yu and Qin Haoxuan."

From his voice, he was clearly the very person who had claimed to belong to Li Jing's camp and wanted to join Xu Yu.

Zhang Kuang, who had been lowering his head in thought, gave a grunt and waved him away. Then he sneered to himself, "Li Jing, Li Jing, you finally could not hold back either."

Ever since news of Qin Haoxuan's Rooting had spread, busybodies had placed the title of strongest weak seed upon his head. Over the past few days, opportunists who recognized the strength of their iron triangle had continually gone to join them. Though every one of them had been refused, it still filled Zhang Kuang with towering rage and Li Jing with worry.

The moment Li Jing entered Xu Yu's room, Zhang Kuang, who had long since planted layer upon layer of spies there, immediately received the news. To drive a wedge between them, he had a flash of inspiration and sent someone to pose as a member of Li Jing's camp, claiming he wished to join Xu Yu.

"Qin Haoxuan, Qin Haoxuan, do not think that just because you have grown close to Li Jing, I cannot deal with you." Satisfied with his scheme, Zhang Kuang bared his teeth in a vicious smile and muttered to himself. But when his gaze fell upon the character for "endure" carved into his bedframe, his heart jolted. What a sin. Hatred has taken hold of my mind again.

Ever since returning from Hidden Dragon Temple that night, Zhang Kuang had carved the character "endure" into his bedframe after receiving guidance from True Lord Huang Long, the sect leader. It reminded him to endure at all times. Whether it was his hatred for Qin Haoxuan or his future struggle with Li Jing for the position of sect leader, recklessness would surely accomplish nothing great.

"Even Qin Haoxuan has Rooted. I must cultivate with all my strength and sprout before everyone else!" His fingers stroked over the carved character for "endure" as Zhang Kuang swore silently. Then he cast aside the hatred filling his chest and picked up a book from beside his bed.

Li Jing soon understood the same principle Zhang Kuang had grasped. After returning to his own room, he also thought of Qin Haoxuan Rooting in twenty days. A wave of unease swept through him. He had not felt this kind of unease even when Zhang Kuang and Xu Yu had Rooted.

"I must hurry my cultivation. If Zhang Kuang sprouts ahead of me again, I will have nowhere to put my face!" Li Jing sat cross-legged on his bed. Just as he was about to calm his heart and enter meditation, a strange thought flashed through his mind. What if Qin Haoxuan sprouts before everyone else?

The thought flashed past, and even Li Jing gave a self-mocking smile. Why would I think that? That is completely impossible.

Over the next two days, the two Purple Seed disciples resumed their former diligence in study. The competitive ruthlessness in their expressions faded considerably, allowing Elder Chu, who had been worrying for days, to finally set down the great stone in his heart. If the two of them focused only on competing fiercely while neglecting their most important studies and cultivation, they would be putting the cart before the horse. Fortunately, both had excellent aptitude and comprehension. So long as they understood this principle, all was well.

At that moment, Elder Chu once again began to like Qin Haoxuan from the bottom of his heart. The appearance of such a weak seed could actually spur the Purple Seeds to focus and cultivate with determination. Good, good indeed!

Without the two of them secretly pointing fingers and giving orders, Qin Haoxuan's days were much quieter over the next two days. After class each day, he went with Xu Yu and Murong Chao to water the crops in their fields. As they watched the corn shoots grow taller day by day, they saw that under their careful tending and the effects of the Spirit Spring land, the corn shoots in their fields were a third taller than everyone else's. The iron vat was nearly filled with stored water as well. Qin Haoxuan felt that he could soon start causing trouble and head for Solitary Confinement Mountain.

Just as a tree longs for stillness but the wind refuses to cease, Zhang Kuang and Li Jing had both stopped their competition and begun studying diligently without prior agreement. In Zhang Yang's eyes, that meant they feared Qin Haoxuan's cultivation would catch up to theirs. Since they could do nothing to Qin Haoxuan for the moment, they had only quieted down temporarily.

"Heh, and they call themselves Purple Seeds!" Watching Zhang Kuang and Li Jing study seriously, Zhang Yang snorted disdainfully. "Since you two do not have the ability, leave the task of striking at Qin Haoxuan to me! I can crush Qin Haoxuan's arrogant swagger while proving that I am stronger than you two, making a name for myself and showing off!"

No sooner said than done. Since his own strength was currently nowhere near enough to strike at Qin Haoxuan, Zhang Yang immediately went to find Gu Xiaoyun.

At that moment, Gu Xiaoyun was ordering his underlings to water and fertilize his first-grade Spirit Land. He himself formed hand seals, cast the Spirit Rain Technique once, then used the Spirit Infusion Technique on the spiritual herbs planted in his field.

"Senior Brother Gu is working hard, I see?" Zhang Yang called out with a smile from afar. "Is there anything this junior brother can help with?"

Gu Xiaoyun glanced sideways at him and rolled his eyes. "Can you use the Spirit Rain Technique? Can you use the Spirit Infusion Technique on my precious spiritual herbs?"

Zhang Yang smiled bitterly and shook his head. "This little brother's cultivation is still shallow. I cannot yet use such spiritual arts."

"Then there you have it." Gu Xiaoyun rolled his eyes again and continued using the Spirit Infusion Technique on the herbs.

Though Zhang Yang felt that Gu Xiaoyun was much colder toward him today, he could not be bothered to investigate why. With a regretful expression, he sighed, "What a pity. Senior Brother Gu was unable to trade for Qin Haoxuan's Spirit Spring land. Otherwise, with Senior Brother Gu working so diligently, plus the effects of the Spirit Spring land, a batch of spiritual herbs could be planted and harvested in no time, and their medicinal potency would be much stronger too."

That sentence truly struck Gu Xiaoyun's sore spot. The man who had just been infusing the crops in his field sprang up like a rabbit whose tail had been stepped on. Cursing under his breath, he said, "Sooner or later, I will make him regret it beyond all remedy."

Zhang Yang shook his head slightly and sighed again. "Senior Brother Gu, you do not know this, but Qin Haoxuan is terribly arrogant now. Last time in the classroom, he even openly declared..."

After being provoked by just a few words from Zhang Yang, Gu Xiaoyun, who had been neither warm nor cold toward him moments ago, immediately cut him off. "What did he declare in the classroom?"