Shennong Dao Master
Chapter 61: Red Fruit Falls from the Sky

Chapter 61: Chapter 61: Red Fruit Falls from the Sky

After the three Vajra Bamboo plants matured, they were quickly chopped down.

Zhao Xing began to patiently craft the Powerful Grassman.

Since the Start of Autumn examination where he defeated Zong Shichang, his Grassman Skill had not lagged, being quite a significant part of his daily practice. He would make Grassmen for two to three hours a day in Xue Wenzhong’s backyard.

Among them, the progress of the Powerful Grassman was the fastest because Zhao Xing felt it was very useful. Not to mention fighting, even for tasks like moving bricks or plowing fields, the Powerful Grassman was the first choice.

Zhao Xing’s five types of Grassman Skills now included the repeating grass man at the Sixth Transition Level.

The Entwining Grassman was at the Fifth Transition Level

The Divine Movement Grassman was at the third Transition Level

The Thorny Grassman only at the Second Transition Level.

But the Powerful Grassman had already reached the Seventh Transition Level!

"Fourteen Powerful Vajra from three Vajra Bamboo plants should be doable. Now over two hours have passed since then, I might as well plant one more time."

"The Green Vine Fruit is enough though, three plants will suffice for forty to fifty Entwining Grassmen."

Zhao Xing took out three more Vajra Bamboo Seedlings from the bamboo box and planted them again, then he made clouds and brought rain, invoking the growth spell.

East Lake Mountain had abundant Earth Power. Even after planting once, Zhao Xing estimated that it would take at most four to five hours for the three Vajra Bamboo Seedlings to mature.

As the clouds enveloped the area underneath the cliff, Zhao Xing began to focus on crafting Grassmen.

[You have crafted a Grassman Puppet (Powerful), proficiency +5]

[Grassman Puppet (Powerful)]

[Proficiency: 7201/9999]

[Effect: Indestructible, immensely strong.]

.....

[You have crafted a Grassman Puppet (Powerful), proficiency +8]

[Grassman Puppet (Powerful)]

[Proficiency: 7209/9999]

[Effect: Indestructible, immensely strong.]

...

The Grassman Skill was easy to learn but hard to master, and after the Powerful Grassman reached the Seventh Transition Level, it no longer provided proficiency for the "Grass and Trees are Soldiers Skill".

Even when made from Vajra Bamboo materials, the proficiency given by the Powerful Grassman itself was only in the single digits.

Zhao Xing’s understanding of the spell had entered a plateau.

To achieve perfection of the Powerful Grassman in the short term, he would need to use more and better materials.

"Hide on the perimeter."

After creating four Vigorous Vajra, Zhao Xing instructed them to lie in the soil nearby, posing as Voldemorts.

He then tore off two Green Vine Fruits and crafted two Fifth Transition Level Grassmen, hiding them in a tree, blending into the environment.

With the protection in place, Zhao Xing could focus even more on the creation of the Grassman Puppets.

Immersed in his task, he lost track of time.

Zhao Xing reached behind him only to grasp at air.

He discovered he had used up all his materials.

"Huh~"

Zhao Xing let out a long breath, straightened up, and rubbed his eyes.

"It took an hour, but the fifteen Powerful Vajra are finally finished."

Good things come from slow and careful work; these fifteen Powerful Vajra had all performed exceptionally well and were quite impressive.

"Crunch~"

Zhao Xing picked and ate some Green Vine Fruit to satiate his hunger, lying on the Green Vine and gazing at the sky.

The Tianyuan Pears should be saved for a critical moment; eating them now would be too wasteful.

"I wonder if Ziyu and Qian Dong have entered the mountain. I seemed not to have seen them this morning. Shen Zhui of the military department is at Gathering Essence Seventh Rank; he gets along well with people there and even invited others to accompany him, so he should be alright."

In his leisure time, Zhao Xing thought of his friends unintentionally, and even worried a bit about Zong Shichang.

"I wonder if that young master has come down the mountain yet. Hm? Why am I thinking of him? Is it really the case of ’a favor received makes one humbled, a gift given makes one’s hands short’?"

Turning over, Zhao Xing looked towards the distant ravine.

Suddenly, a black dot appeared on the horizon, catching Zhao Xing’s attention.

The Bright Eyes Technique activated, Zhao Xing looked from afar.

Just above the mountain stream, someone was incredibly riding a horse through the air, with a long spear in hand and clad in armor, looking quite heroic.

"Hmm? A bamboo horse leaping over the stream, treading on air— who is that skilled rider?"

"What’s he jumping around for?"

Zhao Xing wondered as he watched.

He saw the bamboo horse knight leaping back and forth across the stream; just while watching, he had already made three or four crossings.

Midair, the rider even stood up on the horse’s back, looking around, as though searching for something.

"Is he gathering spirit essence?"

"I wonder what he has found."

In the mountains, spirit essence might be a tree, an item, or even a handful of soil or a cloud.

Zhao Xing’s eyes flickered as he stared at that patch of sky, but he didn’t notice anything unusual.

"It’s too far away; I can’t sense it."

A moment later, he withdrew his gaze, no longer paying attention.

The spirit essence of upper, middle, and lower grades — the higher the grade, the more blurred the sensing, to the point of being difficult to discern.

To defeat a martial artist like Zong Shichang, who employed people of Gathering Essence Eighth Stage, this person’s strength might already be at the Ninth Rank.

It’s better to watch less.

.....

By dusk, the three Vajra Bamboo plants that Zhao Xing had recently planted were nearing maturity.

"The destructive force of their wild growth is still too great; even with the abundant spirit of East Lake Mountain, replanting in the same location causes the second growth to be much slower," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

"Fortunatley, they’re nearly mature. Once they’re ripe and I’ve crafted the grassmen, I will move to a different location. Tonight, I should rest well to recover my energy, then scale the mountain again in the morning."

He patiently waited for the Vajra Bamboo to mature.

Suddenly—

"Rustle~"

The branches of the Vajra Bamboo shook, and the sound of the bamboo leaves rubbing together reached his ears; it seemed like something had fallen down.

"No way, something dropped again?" Zhao Xing became alert, but the next moment, he realized the falling object was not very big.

At least it was not a person.

"Could it be a rock from the cliff that has fallen?"

Zhao Xing approached the Vajra Bamboo and followed the sound to look.

He saw a fist-sized, bright red fruit stuck in the branches of the Vajra Bamboo.

"Thump~ Thump~"

Upon seeing this fruit, Zhao Xing’s heart involuntarily started beating faster.

An impulse of the heart!

It was the reaction after encountering a spirit essence!

"Damn, spirit essence falling from heaven? This fruit is actually condensed spirit essence from within the mountains?"

But before Zhao Xing could get closer—

"Rustle~"

"Rustle~"

There were two more sounds.

Two Red Fruits had fallen at Zhao Xing’s feet.

One of them was the size of a fist, while the other was as big as a baby’s head!

"..."

Looking at the three Red Fruits before him, Zhao Xing was somewhat bewildered.

From the sensing, these three Red Fruits were at least low-grade spiritual treasures, and the biggest one might even reach the middle-grade level.

"Is the fortune of the second level so powerful? I haven’t even climbed the mountain, and here at the foot, I find spirit essence?"

Zhao Xing’s heart kept pounding, the fragrance emanating from the fruit was so revitalizing that merely smelling it restored half of the energy he had consumed while making grassmen.

"Thanks for nature’s bounty," Zhao Xing said with a smile too wide to close his mouth, as he bent down to pick up the Red Fruits.

At that moment, the Calendar of Evil in his chest suddenly flipped pages.

Simultaneously, a soft female voice came from across the stream.

"Brother, so you are here, you’ve made this girl search so hard for you~"