We agreed to farm, but you're planting a divine tree in the eternal night?

Chapter 88: Each Displays Their Unique Abilities

[The golden cage of wood is being violated]

The damage effect is that it stops the flow of spiritual energy.

[The "Golden Convergence" trait is activated, gradually gathering the opponent's spiritual energy, which can be temporarily converted for one's own use. It is currently brewing...]

Jiang Qiu quietly activated the properties of [Wood Grows into Golden Cage]. In the center of the field, beneath the soil, the roots of more than a dozen [Spirit-Trapping Vine] reached out and entangled with [Wood Grows into Golden Cage], causing the spiritual energy to flow backward.

Dozens of tiny, intricate streams of spiritual energy converge through the roots into the bottomless "whirlpool eye," from which they can never be pulled back.

Suddenly, a dozen or so veteran trainees broke out in a sweat, looking up in surprise and uncertainty. They remained silent, increasing the amount of spiritual energy they channeled into their stationed spiritual plants, stubbornly maintaining their trapping and killing momentum.

Jiang Qiao raised an eyebrow. "Tsk, these senior trainees are still as wicked as before. They've already trapped you tightly, yet they keep channeling spiritual energy into you. Are they planning to squeeze you out in one fell swoop?"

"Maybe," Jiang Qiu smiled.

Jiang Qiao chatted on and on: "Then you may be about to fail before you even get started. Those guys just like to cultivate [Spirit-Trapping Vine] to boost their rankings. The strongest trainee in the previous batch was eliminated by them in a joint effort. Lu Changming also suffered a small loss at the beginning of the last batch. They're all pretty cunning."

She narrowed her eyes, her tone smug: "Although your [Wooden Spirit Cage] is a second-generation hybrid, and a high-difficulty mutated hybrid with very high innate attributes, it might not last long. Do you want me to help you?"

"Let's worry about ourselves first. Several spiritual plants are preparing to join forces to attack your [Golden Lotus]," Jiang Qiu said calmly.

"Tch, these aren't anything special, just ordinary second-generation hybrids." With a light snort, a wisp of azure spiritual energy burst forth from Jiang Qiao's fingertip, pointing into the lotus bud of the [Healing Golden Lotus] in mid-air—

Drum! Puff! A blue mist emanated from the small opening above the flower bud, spreading over the spiritual plants within a two-meter radius. Their main stems grew taller and their leaves grew wildly, like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, vying to sprout.

Thump, thump! One by one, the fruits ripened, bending the branches. The roots that stretched towards the [Yu Jin Ling He] gradually withered, the nearby nutrient soil became dull, and the dry roots were exposed.

Tap, tap, tap, the fruits are plump and full, the branches and leaves are lush, all signs of a bountiful harvest, but like a pregnant woman with a round belly, the fruits have consumed a lot of nutrients and have lost most of their ability to attack.

This phenomenon quickly attracted the attention of the audience, causing an uproar. Li Si's eyes widened, "Holy crap, Brother Du, what was that emitting from Jiang Qiao's spiritual plants just now? Why aren't the surrounding spiritual plants competing for nutrients anymore?"

After a moment of contemplation, Du Ziyue said, "It should be the healing-type spiritual energy powdering property inherited by Director Jiang, which mobilizes the target's internal activity and rushes to the wound and defect to carry out emergency healing, so that he is unable to do so."

"Hiss, the fruit is a flaw; all the nutrients were forced to be absorbed, leaving it unable to maintain its attack? Even buff-type spirit plants are this powerful on the field!"

Li Si gasped, then his eyes lit up. "In that case, Jiang Qiao should be able to save Brother Jiang. Once her spiritual plants finish processing the resulting spiritual plants, the area of ​​influence will expand, and then..."

"What are you saying? She won't save Brother Jiang."

"Huh?" He was taken aback. "Jiang Qiao and Brother Jiang have a pretty good relationship, right? I heard that Director Jiang is even interested in..."

"Shh! You think you can fathom Director Jiang's thoughts? Don't listen to his nonsense." Du Ziyue blew on his index finger, his tone turning serious. "Besides, the 'Reproduction Competition' concerns cultivation potential. In the end, only one strongest trainee will emerge. Survival of the fittest, do you understand?"

Li Si's heart tightened. The spiritual plant cultivated by Brother Jiang was undoubtedly the one with the highest potential among those present. It also possessed superior or higher aptitude in both aspects and was the cultivator with the highest limit of spiritual energy utilization among those present, making it the strongest apprentice seedling.

Only a small group of experienced trainees could trap or even eliminate him, while the rest would be qualified to compete for the title of strongest. Jiang Qiao, however, is the legitimate daughter of Director Jiang and the successor to his legacy. How could she possibly be willing to be second to anyone else?

There will only be one winner in the "reproduction debate"!

Having figured this out, Li Si got goosebumps. "Then, what are the chances of Brother Jiang's spiritual plants surviving to the end without anyone's help?"

"It's very, very difficult."

Du Ziyue took a deep breath and sighed, "Didn't you see that everyone maintained a tacit understanding and didn't take the opportunity to attack those strongest veteran trainees? Moreover, before the final round, the contestants were limited to using 100 strands of level 1 spiritual energy, but the veteran trainees didn't intend to hold back. They clearly wanted to suppress them to death in one fell swoop!"

Li Si's face instantly turned pale, and cold sweat broke out on her back. "Brother Jiang... will he not make it to the finals because of this?"

"Hoo~" Du Ziyue exhaled a long white breath, his eyes flickering uncertainly. "I can only say that the possibility is not zero."

Li Si's pupils contracted, and her hands and feet turned ice-cold.

A strange emptiness settled in my heart.

Suddenly, Zhang San's hand patted his shoulder. "Hey, Brother Jiang's foundation as a second-generation hybrid of [Wood Born Golden Cage] is stronger than anyone else's. He can definitely hold out until the final round. Before that, even if we team up with those old trainees, they definitely won't dare to trap it easily. Otherwise, Brother Wang and Jiang Qiao will just kill it indiscriminately."

Li Si paused for a moment, then glanced at the other person in surprise.

Du Ziyue turned around and looked over, a strange light flashing in his eyes—

"You have some insight, Zhang San. Those old trainees in the late stage of the [Proliferation Realm] have always been like this in their ranking. There are always a few who can make it into the top ten. Old Tian did this back then. Although he didn't make it into the top ten because his realm regressed severely, he still got resource compensation from others afterward."

"So that's how it is," Zhang San exclaimed, then casually added, "By the way, Brother Du, why didn't Lao Tian join them this year?"

"He's been cooped up in his room for the past few months cultivating his resident spirit plants, saying he wants to break through to the strongest trainee level on his own," Du Ziyue smiled helplessly. "Right now, he's just barely managing to stay put by relying on the rarity of his spirit plants."

Following the gaze, one could see a "rotten tree root" lying there at the edge of the field, under the shadow of the thorny fence, unattended. Old Tian himself sat calmly in the contestant's seat, watching the other spiritual plants fight crickets.

Zhang San clicked his tongue in amazement and exclaimed, "What a peculiar appearance of this spiritual plant!"

"Heh, his rare characteristics make him hard for other creatures to digest. I doubt anyone will be paying attention to him for a while. There's nothing to see. It's not as intense as the fighting around Wang Baisheng's place nearby... Hmm?"

A look of surprise flashed in Du Ziyue's eyes, and he exclaimed in shock, "The [Wood Spirit Vine Python] has already carved out a clearing! That's terrifying!"

Zhang Sanyou's eyes lit up almost imperceptibly. "Yes, I was also startled when I helped Brother Wang transplant the plants yesterday. The [Wood Spirit Vine Python] moved like a python, as if it could strangle its prey in the blink of an eye."

Du Ziyue said enviously, "After all, it is inherited from Director Wu. Because he also practices martial arts, the spiritual plants he cultivates are mostly offensive and extremely lethal."

Zhang San smiled and agreed, "Indeed, indeed."

The conversation between the two gradually focused on Wang Baisheng. As more and more contestants were eliminated, they began to compare him with Jiang Qiao, wondering who was better. Li Si silently stayed to the side, watching [Wooden Cage].

I don't know why, but I feel suffocated.

It was as if the [Spirit-Trapping Vine] was trapping and killing itself.

Her heart pounded with anxiety. Seeing the [Wooden Spirit Cage] still standing alone like a lamb to the slaughter within the encirclement, Li Si's palms sweated, and her eyes dimmed slightly.

"Is a genius like Brother Jiang going to miss out on the best trainee position?"