Thorn Art

"Crack!"

A thunderclap suddenly exploded.

The entire Shantytown was shrouded in gray mist, dark clouds blanketed the sky, and the pedestrians in the alleys gradually vanished.

A sudden torrential downpour began to descend upon Qingyang Market and the Shantytown.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Qin Ming had just been concentrating on using Accelerated Growth on that Black Vine.

The sudden downpour gave him quite a fright!

He hid beneath the eaves.

His gaze remained fixed on the Black Vine.

Under the effects of the Accelerated Growth Affix, it began to grow slowly.

Its speed was utterly unlike the frenzied growth of the Spirit Plants he had accelerated before.

Gradually.

The Black Vine grew three or four ink-black tendrils, covered from head to toe in thorns and emanating an enchanting black gleam.

Qin Ming knew at a glance that the thorns contained deadly poison!

When the black tendrils reached about ten feet in length, they stopped growing completely.

More than a dozen ink-black flower buds actually sprouted from them.

Two of them each popped out a glittering golden Affix:

Name: Withered Blood Poison Vine Affix: Thorn Art (Maturity 1%)

Name: Withered Blood Poison Vine Affix: Abundant Vital Energy (Maturity 1%)

"Withered Blood Poison Vine?"

A trace of confusion flashed across Qin Ming's face. He had never seen this kind of Spirit Plant in any book on Spirit Plants.

He immediately pulled out Chronicles of Spirit Plant Wonders, written by the previous generation's great Spirit Planter, Shi Yienong, and began searching through it.

After a long while.

Qin Ming still found no clues regarding the Withered Blood Poison Vine in the book.

"Could it be that even a great Spirit Planter knew nothing about this vine?"

What shocked him even more was—

After using that Accelerated Growth Affix just now, it had only caused this Withered Blood Poison Vine to bloom.

Had it been a stalk of Golden Spirit Rice instead, it would likely have matured and been ready for harvest at once.

One could well imagine just how long the maturation period of this Withered Blood Poison Vine was.

Yet the two Affixes refreshed upon it made Qin Ming's heart itch with impatience.

He still had nine Accelerated Growth Affixes left in his Sea of Consciousness.

Qin Ming gritted his teeth and used another Accelerated Growth Affix.

Time slowly passed.

The flower buds of the Withered Blood Poison Vine gradually bloomed amid the downpour.

The black flowers looked exceptionally enchanting, shaped like withered palms.

The next day.

The effect of one Accelerated Growth Affix was exhausted.

The Withered Blood Poison Vine's maturity had reached 20%.

"It can really eat!"

Qin Ming was instantly stunned.

"Looks like one dose of Accelerated Growth isn't enough."

"Time to increase the dosage!"

Qin Ming used another Accelerated Growth Affix.

For seven consecutive days, Qin Ming neither slept nor rested.

After using five Accelerated Growth Affixes in succession, he finally ripened the fruits of this Withered Blood Poison Vine.

More than a dozen blood-red fruits, each the size of a walnut, had grown upon it.

Qin Ming carefully plucked the fruits.

Two Green Affix Leaves instantly appeared in his Sea of Consciousness.

Thorn Art: Casting requires Spirit Plant seeds as a medium. They may be buried underground; any demon beast or cultivator that steps on the seeds will be entangled by thorns.

Spirit Seeds may also be thrown directly to trap enemies.

The spell's power depends on the Spirit Plant seeds used. The more powerful the Spirit Seeds, the better the effect.

"They refreshed as a set?"

Qin Ming looked at the fruits of the Withered Blood Poison Vine in his hand and casually broke one open.

He discovered that it was filled with black Spirit Seeds, each no larger than a sesame seed.

That single fruit alone contained twenty or thirty Spirit Seeds.

With so many Withered Blood Poison Vine Spirit Seeds, they would be enough for him to use for quite some time.

Qin Ming immediately focused his thoughts on the Thorn Art Affix.

A flood of spell knowledge filled his mind, and he quickly mastered the casting method.

"I need to find somewhere to practice it."

"You have to know, this Black Vine is impervious to water and fire, blades and spears."

"And it carries deadly poison. Its power shouldn't be too bad, right?"

With that thought.

Qin Ming immediately shouldered his Spirit Hoe and left the house.

He did not dare venture too far.

He simply found a spot in the woods near the Spirit Fields and concealed himself.

Before long.

A black-haired wild boar entered his sight.

It was leisurely rooting here and there.

Qin Ming narrowed his eyes slightly.

Forming a hand seal, he cast Thorn Art and flicked a Withered Blood Poison Vine Spirit Seed in his hand toward the wild boar!

Ssh!

A huge clump of black vines suddenly erupted beneath the boar's limbs, bristling with thorns as they tightly bound it!

The wild boar did not even have time to cry out.

The enchanting black poison thorns instantly pierced through its thick hide.

In an instant.

The boar's eyes rolled white, and the light within them vanished in the blink of an eye, as though its soul had been swiftly stripped away by some force.

It seemed to have been frozen in place, utterly motionless and without the slightest struggle.

In only two breaths' time.

The wild boar that had been full of life moments ago became a shriveled corpse.

Then the clump of black thorny vines rapidly receded, turning into a dark-red Blood Orb that fell to the ground.

A strange light flashed in Qin Ming's eyes.

With a beckoning motion, he drew the Blood Orb into his hand.

Qin Ming swept the Blood Orb with his spiritual sense and discovered that it contained not only all the wild boar's blood essence, but even its soul had been imprisoned within.

"What use is this?"

A spark of inspiration suddenly flashed through his mind! He instinctively thought of the Withered Blood Poison Vine planted in the flower bed.

"Could it be..."

After this test, Qin Ming was incomparably excited.

He now had an entirely new understanding of the power of Thorn Art.

Though everything had happened quickly just now.

Qin Ming had still caught it all.

"The poison of this Withered Blood Poison Vine seems capable of directly corroding the soul."

"This move will be enough to serve as a trump card in the future!"

"If it catches someone off guard, even a Late Qi Refining cultivator might capsize in the gutter."

"Heh heh heh!"

Qin Ming returned to the house.

He placed the Blood Orb he had just obtained near the Withered Blood Poison Vine.

The moment the poison vine encountered the Blood Orb, it seemed as though it were starving.

It whipped out its tendrils and coiled them around the Blood Orb.

Instantly digesting and absorbing it.

After doing all this, the Withered Blood Poison Vine returned to stillness.

Its black poison thorns appeared even more enchanting.

"Just as expected, the Thorn Art cast through this poison vine's Spirit Seeds..."

"Can nourish the mother Withered Blood Poison Vine in return."

"Though I used five Accelerated Growth Affixes, this haul wasn't a loss!"

At the same time.

Qin Ming could feel that the invisible connection between himself and the poison vine had deepened another step.

This Withered Blood Poison Vine seemed to possess tremendous room for further growth.

Qin Ming was greatly looking forward to it as well.

He pondered for a while, considering his future plans.

Next, he would prepare to use Accelerated Growth on Blood Locust Rice again. Qin Ming now had two Quality Upgrade Affixes in hand.

The taste of Supreme-Grade Blood Locust Rice.

He truly wanted to try it.

Just as Qin Ming was thinking, the Message Talisman on his person stirred.

It was a message from the Hall of Affairs of the Spirit Feather Sect.

"Fellow Daoist Qin, this year you have cultivated three different first-grade mid-tier Spirit Plants, fulfilling the requirements for advancement to a mid-tier Spirit Planter. When you have time, you may come to the Hall of Affairs for the assessment."

"Furthermore, the lease on the Ruan Family Estate has expired, and the restrictions have now been lifted. Fellow Daoist Qin may move in at any time."