Seeing that they were only a hundred jin short, Zhang Er shot Luo Bucheng a look.
The latter immediately understood and moved his right hand toward the Golden Toad.
At once, the tenth golden bead suddenly swelled.
Li Sancai, standing nearby, saw this little trick clearly.
Yet he did not stop them, much less expose them.
Because afterward, he too would receive a sum of hush money.
Smiling amiably, Zhang Er said, "Exactly one thousand jin. Congratulations, Junior Brother Zhao, on passing the assessment and becoming a Formal Disciple."
"Thank you, Senior Brother Zhang!" Zhao Ying wiped away the sweat that had seeped out from nervousness, then bowed repeatedly.
Now, only one person remained.
Who?
Naturally, Xu Changqing!
He could have undergone the verification earlier.
But Zhang Er had deliberately dragged it out until the end.
There was no other reason.
He wanted to humiliate this fellow who had rejected him time and again in front of everyone, killing the chicken to scare the monkeys.
Zhang Er asked mockingly, "Junior Brother Xu, are you ready?"
"Of course." Xu Changqing nodded.
With an amused expression, Zhang Er asked, "How do you feel about your chances?"
"I think I'll succeed this time." Xu Changqing grinned.
"Heh." Zhang Er's tone dripped with ridicule.
In his view, this guy could not possibly succeed.
After all, a portion of the Earth Qi in the Spirit Fields had been siphoned away.
And not many people currently knew about this matter.
So even if there were enough spirit seedlings, their nourishment would still be insufficient.
That meant the yield would inevitably fall below one thousand jin.
"Lord Jin!" Luo Bucheng called out.
Whoosh!
The Golden Toad opened its mouth and used its tongue to sweep the Spirit Rice ahead of it into its mouth.
At once, the golden beads on its back began swelling one after another.
The speed was incredibly fast.
Without the slightest pause, it reached ten beads.
"Looks like Junior Brother Xu's third assessment..." Zhang Er was already about to sneer without even looking.
Luo Bucheng loudly announced, "Ten golden beads, a yield of one thousand jin. Assessment successful!"
"What?" As soon as those words fell, Xu Changqing showed little reaction, but Zhang Er's eyes widened.
He hurriedly looked toward the Golden Toad.
He saw that all ten golden beads had swelled.
Moreover, the rice contained an extremely high concentration of spiritual energy.
His face immediately filled with disbelief.
"I did not disgrace your expectations, Senior Brother Zhang!" Xu Changqing said with a smile, cupping his hands.
Zhang Er's face darkened as he shouted, "You... this is absolutely impossible!"
"What?" Luo Bucheng narrowed his eyes at once and said coldly, "Are you questioning whether there is something wrong with Lord Jin?"
"No." Zhang Er's expression changed slightly. He hurriedly waved his hands and explained, "It's because this mu of Spirit Fields could not possibly produce a thousand jin of Spirit Rice Grain."
"But Lord Jin would never make a mistake." Luo Bucheng frowned.
"Speak! Did you cheat?" Zhang Er immediately glared viciously at Xu Changqing.
Xu Changqing said coldly, "Senior Brother Zhang, you can eat rice recklessly, but you cannot speak recklessly."
"This patch of Spirit Fields could never yield a thousand jin. And you still say you did not cheat?" After speaking, Zhang Er glanced at Li Sancai beside him. Though he did not know what deal the two had struck, he instinctively felt that this fellow had helped Xu Changqing.
"Xu Changqing cheated?"
"That seems unlikely, doesn't it?"
"What exactly is going on?"
Everyone around them was stunned.
Facing the doubts, Xu Changqing asked instead, "You say it is impossible for it to yield a thousand jin. Where is your proof?"
Zhang Er said fiercely, "You did not reach a thousand jin last time."
Xu Changqing replied with perfect confidence, "Last time, I lacked experience. What is wrong with that?"
Li Sancai reminded him, "Daoist Zhang, if you have no solid evidence, do not speak carelessly."
"Evidence?" Zhang Er had already lost his head. Pointing at the Spirit Fields below, he said, "This patch of Spirit Fields lacks Earth Qi, so the soil lacks nourishment. It simply cannot yield a thousand jin!"
Xu Changqing questioned, "You do not have an Earth Spirit Root, so how do you know the Earth Qi is insufficient?"
"I..." Zhang Er was instantly struck speechless.
Some things might be openly acknowledged.
But they could not be admitted so brazenly.
Otherwise, he would offend a great many Formal Disciples.
Perhaps even those lofty "Immortal Masters."
"Daoist Zhang, what is wrong with you?" Luo Bucheng found this very strange.
"I think this guy cheated." Zhang Er still refused to give up.
Xu Changqing declared loudly, "Everyone, since Senior Brother Zhang says I cheated, why not find someone who has awakened an Earth Spirit Root to inspect these Spirit Fields and see whether the Earth Qi is lacking? Wouldn't that settle it?"
"That's right." Luo Bucheng's eyes lit up.
"Hm?" Seeing how fearless Xu Changqing was, Zhang Er's heart skipped a beat.
"Junior Brother Lin, you happen to know someone. Can you bring them here?" Li Sancai appeared to be asking, but in truth, he left no room for refusal.
"Alright." Lin An hurriedly turned and left.
Then he brought Han Su over.
When Han Su saw the Spirit Fields packed with people, and even Formal Disciples among them, he was completely bewildered.
He had no idea what was going on.
At this time of year, it seemed like there was no need for him to loosen the soil.
Lin An hurriedly said, "Senior Brother Li, I found him."
"Greetings, three Senior Brothers!" Han Su was extremely nervous.
Li Sancai looked him up and down. "Han Su, correct?"
"Yes, that's me." Han Su nodded frantically.
Li Sancai pointed to the Spirit Fields behind where Xu Changqing stood. "Come inspect whether the Earth Qi in this patch of Spirit Fields is sufficient."
"You must inspect it carefully. There can be no carelessness whatsoever." Zhang Er glared fiercely, looking thoroughly imposing.
Han Su scratched his head. "This... doesn't need inspecting!"
Luo Bucheng and Zhang Er exchanged a look, unable to resist asking, "Why?"
Han Su said rather proudly, "Three months ago, I was the one who restored the Earth Qi in these Spirit Fields!"
In his eyes, this was a perfect opportunity to advertise himself.
So he raised his voice as loudly as he could.
Everyone heard him perfectly clearly.
"What?" Zhang Er was completely dumbfounded.
No wonder Xu Changqing had been so fearless.
So he had long since found someone to restore the Earth Qi in the Spirit Fields.
Who had leaked this secret?!
"Senior Brother Zhang, did you hear that clearly?
Do you still think I cheated?
Will you continue to pester me?" Xu Changqing delivered a threefold soul-stirring question.
Suppressing his displeasure, Zhang Er gave a dry laugh. "A misunderstanding. It was all a misunderstanding."
Xu Changqing asked again, "Then, Senior Brother Luo, have I completed the assessment?"
"Since there is no problem, then of course it counts as completed!" Luo Bucheng nodded forcefully.
"Congratulations, Daoist Xu!"
"No, we should call him Senior Brother Xu now!"
"Congratulations on becoming a Formal Disciple, Senior Brother Xu!"
The people around them had originally been watching for entertainment.
They had thought Xu Changqing would fail the assessment this time.
Yet unexpectedly, he had actually become a Formal Disciple.
The people around him changed their attitudes and began congratulating him one after another.
"Same to you, same to you!" Xu Changqing cupped his hands toward everyone.
However, that was not the reason he was happy.
The real reason was:
[Xu Changqing] [Male] [18 years old] [Wood Spirit Root] (Effect One: Affinity with Vegetation) [Middle Qi Refining] (Effect One: Enhanced Stamina) (Effect Two: Enhanced Vitality) [Evergreen Formula (Third Layer)] (Effect One: Cultivation Speed +30%) (Effect Two: Yield Increase +20%) (Effect Three: Can Predict and Diagnose Spirit Plant Growth Problems) [Remaining Lifespan: 16,814 days]
Converted into years, that was a full forty-six additional years of lifespan!!!
Before you continue