Is This Your First Spirit Skill? It's Not Even as Strong as My Weed Killer.

The sound of heavy objects being dragged sounded exceptionally harsh in the forest.

"Clang, clang."

That was the sound of the Thunder Tyrannosaurus's head knocking against the stones.

Grey Wolf was driving that black-smoke-belching "Scrap King No. 2," dragging the thousand-year spirit beast along like a dead dog.

Following behind were Hu Liena, tied up like a zongzi by an electromagnetic net, and Xiao Wu, the hooligan rabbit, who looked reluctant and kicked at stones every now and then.

Qin Feng walked at the very front, holding the radar that was still beeping.

"It's just ahead."

Pushing aside the final patch of bushes, the scene before them suddenly opened up.

This was a sheltered mountain hollow, and the air was filled with a strange, fishy, sweet odor.

Seven or eight senior students wearing Notting Academy uniforms were gathered in a circle, each with their hands on their weapons, staring nervously at the center.

In the middle of the circle, Tang San sat cross-legged.

His current appearance could only be described as "too ghastly to look at."

His entire face was swollen to the color of a pig's liver, the veins on his neck were wriggling wildly like earthworms, and sweat had soaked through his clothes, sticking them tightly to his body.

Above his head, a purple-black vine, only as thick as an arm and covered in a few barbs, was swaying weakly.

That was the Ghost Vine.

And judging by the luster of its leaves, it was at most three hundred and fifty years old, and the malnourished kind at that.

"Who's there!"

Xiao Chenyu, who was in charge of keeping watch, heard the commotion and whipped his head around.

When he saw Qin Feng's face clearly, the long sword in his hand dropped to the ground with a "clang."

Immediately after, his gaze moved past Qin Feng and saw the mountain-like Thunder Tyrannosaurus behind him, as well as the bound saintess of Martial Soul Hall.

Xiao Chenyu's knees went weak instantly.

"Thump."

Without any hesitation, this young master of the city lord knelt down with fluid grace, his movements as standard as if he had rehearsed them countless times.

"Brother... Brother Feng! You've arrived!"

Xiao Chenyu forced a smile onto his face that looked worse than crying, his speed at changing expressions rivaling a Sichuan opera master.

The surrounding lackeys had originally wanted to draw their blades, but seeing their boss kneel and then looking at that sparking Tyrannosaurus, they all knelt down one by one, not daring to even lift their heads.

Qin Feng didn't even give them a proper look, walking straight up to Tang San and kicking the dirt on the ground with his toe.

"Is this the so-called genius absorbing a spirit ring? You look like you're constipated."

The words had barely left his mouth.

Tang San suddenly opened his eyes.

A purple light flashed through his pupils; it was the sign of his Purple Demon Eye advancing.

"Hoo—"

He exhaled a long breath of foul air and sprang up from the ground.

Although he looked disheveled, the excitement in Tang San's eyes could not be hidden. He felt the surging spirit power within his body—the pleasure of breaking through a bottleneck.

"Teacher! I succeeded!"

Tang San instinctively looked to the side, only to find Yu Xiaogang standing behind Qin Feng, looking at him with a complex expression.

"San..." Yu Xiaogang opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but swallowed it back down.

Only then did Tang San notice the situation around him.

Xiao Chenyu and his group kneeling on the ground, the bound Hu Liena, and... that massive Thunder Tyrannosaurus with pipes stuck all over its body.

His pupils contracted violently.

Qin Feng?

How could he be here? And with this kind of setup...

"Yo, you're awake?"

Qin Feng crossed his arms, his face full of mockery. "I heard you found a precious spirit ring? Why don't you bring it out for a walk?"

Tang San gritted his teeth, a hint of gloom flashing in the depths of his eyes.

Since he couldn't avoid it, then he would fight!

He just happened to want to test the power of this first spirit skill!

"First Spirit Skill—Bind!"

Tang San let out a low shout, and the yellow hundred-year spirit ring beneath his feet lit up.

The Blue Silver Grass on the ground grew wildly in an instant, transforming into the purple-black Ghost Vine, which, armed with sharp barbs, lashed out toward Qin Feng's legs like several venomous snakes.

The speed is acceptable, but the momentum... is just so-so.

Qin Feng stood where he was, not moving an inch.

Just as those vines were about to touch the hem of Qin Feng's trousers.

"Snap."

Grey Wolf had approached at some point, holding a pair of giant gardening shears in his hand.

With a casual snip.

Those menacing Ghost Vines were cut through like noodles, purple sap oozing from the severed ends and making a "hissing" corrosive sound as it hit the ground.

"Is that it?"

Grey Wolf tossed the severed vines to the ground with disdain and stomped on them.

"The fiber strength is insufficient, the water content is too high, and the toxicity is only at the level of pyrethrin."

"This kind of trash material is too scratchy even for me to wipe my butt with."

Tang San's face turned the color of a pig's liver in an instant.

This was a century-old spirit ring he had risked his life to absorb! It was a combination of a Datura Snake and a Ghost Vine! How could it be worthless in the mouth of this wolf?

"What do you know!"

Tang San roared, "This is a control-type spirit skill! The point is the toxin and the paralysis!"

"Toxin?"

Qin Feng laughed, laughing quite loudly.

He pulled a glass bottle out of his pocket, which was filled with a green liquid.

"Brother Wolf, show this 'control-type master' what real botany is."

"You got it!"

Grey Wolf took the bottle and walked over to an inconspicuous patch of foxtail grass nearby.

"Super Strong Growth Hormone Type X. Just one drop can accelerate plant cell division by ten thousand times, break the Gene Lock, and induce disordered mutation."

As Grey Wolf explained, he carefully dripped a single drop of the green liquid onto the foxtail grass.

The next second.

The ground began to shake violently.

The foxtail grass, which had originally been only ankle-high, suddenly swelled frantically as if it were being inflated.

"Creak—creak—"

Amidst the teeth-grinding sound of growth, its leaves became as thick as steel plates, with jagged teeth growing along the edges. The stem became thicker than a bucket, its surface covered in a layer of dark green cuticle.

In just three seconds.

A five-meter-tall Man-eating Foxtail Grass stood before everyone.

Its massive head had now transformed into a Venus flytrap-like cage filled with fangs, still dripping with mucus.

"Go on, shake hands."

Grey Wolf pointed at Tang San.

The mutated foxtail grass seemed to understand the command, and its giant leaves swung out fiercely.

"Bam!"

The Ghost Vines that Tang San had summoned were as fragile as paper under the monster's strike, shattering instantly.

The immense force sent Tang San flying, and he rolled several times on the ground before coming to a stop, his mouth full of dirt.

The entire scene fell into dead silence.

Xiao Chenyu knelt on the ground, his jaw nearly dislocating.

The hell is this a foxtail grass?

If this were planted at the gate of the City Lord's Mansion, even an army wouldn't be able to break in!

"This... what kind of spirit skill is this?" Tang San climbed up, looking at the monster still clawing at the air, his eyes filled with horror.

With this kind of vitality and strength, could it be a ten-thousand-year plant-type spirit beast?

"Spirit skill?"

Qin Feng walked over to the strange grass and reached out to pat its rock-hard stem.

"Student Tang San, you should read more books."

"This is called chemistry."

"Cytokinins, gibberellins, auxins, plus a little bit of gene fragments extracted from radiation-mutated organisms."

"As long as you have the formula, I can mass-produce this 'Guardian No. 1'."

Qin Feng gestured toward the weeds covering the mountain.

"As long as I have enough potion, every blade of grass in this entire forest can become my army."

"And you, are you still feeling smug over a broken, thorny vine?"

Cruel words that cut to the bone.

Tang San looked at the mountains of grass, then back at the severed Blue Silver Grass in his palm; an unprecedented sense of frustration surged into his heart.

His Mysterious Heaven Skill, his Tang Sect techniques—in front of this person, they seemed like nothing more than outdated parlor tricks.

"This potion..."

Hu Liena, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up.

Though she was bound, her alluring eyes were fixed intently on the bottle in the hand of Grey Wolf, flashing with the shrewdness of a merchant.

"How long does this potion last? What are the side effects?"

As the Saintess of the Martial Soul Hall, she instantly realized the strategic value of this item.

If used on a battlefield, one could scatter a handful of seeds, drip the potion, and instantly create a botanical defensive line!

This was faster and stronger than the defense of any earth-type spirit master!

"It lasts for three hours, after which they wither due to the exhaustion of cellular telomeres."

Qin Feng turned his head to look at Hu Liena, the corners of his mouth curling into a playful arc.

"What? Is the Saintess interested?"

"Name your price." Hu Liena took a deep breath, trying her best to appear confident. "The formula, or the finished product—the Martial Soul Hall wants it all."

"No!"

Before Qin Feng could speak, Xiao Wu suddenly jumped out.

She grabbed Qin Feng's arm and glared fiercely at Hu Liena.

"You aren't allowed to sell it to her! She's a bad person!"

Although Xiao Wu hated how Qin Feng dissected spirit beasts, she hated the scent of the Martial Soul Hall even more.

And...

Seeing Qin Feng and Hu Liena "flirting" with their eyes, she felt inexplicably uncomfortable.

"This potion is poisonous! It'll make your hands rot!" Xiao Wu began to spout nonsense.

Qin Feng pulled his arm out of Xiao Wu's embrace with a look of disgust.

"Go play somewhere else. Adults are talking business; children shouldn't interrupt."

He looked at Hu Liena and held up three fingers.

"Three million Gold Soul Coins per bottle."

"The formula is not for sale."

"Additionally, I want the inventory list of all rare metals from the Gengxin City branch of the Martial Soul Hall."

Hu Liena gritted her teeth.

Three million? That's robbery!

But looking at that mutated foxtail grass still showing off its power, she knew this thing was worth the price.

"Deal."

"However, I don't have that much money on me right now..."

"No problem." Qin Feng pulled a crumpled piece of paper and a pen from his pocket. "Write an IOU. Press your thumbprint. The interest will be calculated at nine out, thirteen in."

Just as Qin Feng was forcing the Saintess of the Martial Soul Hall to sign a usurious IOU, a voice suddenly rang out in his mind.

[Ding!]

[Detected that the host's behavior is extremely consistent with the "Mad Scientist" persona!]

[Used chemical agents to crush the protagonist of a fantasy plane, causing a severe collapse of their worldview!]

[Shock value has exceeded the critical point!]

[Unlocked special achievement: Profaner of Science.]

[Reward: Second "Scientist of Ten Thousand Worlds" summoning authorization!]