Zhao Xing carefully selected his plants.
The quality of the Green Vine, Fragrant Lotus, and Vajra Bamboo ranked as Second Order Inferior, Middle, and Superior, respectively.
If the rank was too low, the score would be too little; if it was too high, three days were too short to score any points.
The effectiveness also had its considerations. Three days were too short for plants, but too long for the examinees.
The examination process provided no food or drink and required the consumption of Primordial Energy to cultivate plants, which was a significant test of endurance.
The Green Vine chosen by Zhao Xing, when fully grown, could bear Green Vine Fruit, which could fill his stomach and restore his Primordial Energy.
The Fragrant Lotus was an aquatic variety, both its seeds, and lotus roots were edible, and he occupied a spring well, giving him a considerable advantage in cultivation.
The first two could ensure Zhao Xing endured the three days healthily and earned decent rankings. They could be considered a safety measure. The Second Order Superior Vajra Bamboo was aimed at earning high scores.
If he succeeded in cultivating a Second Order Superior plant, he could stand out and compete for the top ranks.
Moreover, Vajra Bamboo itself was an excellent material for deploying the Grass and Trees are Soldiers Skill. If anyone tried to sabotage him in the latter stage, he would have more countermeasures.
The soil in the planting area was cultivated but exceedingly dry. To absorb Earth Power, he had to dig deeper.
Zhao Xing again cast the Wind Summoning Technique. Under his fine control, the wind connected with the clouds above, forming two small tornadoes as tall as a person.
"Whoo~" The tornadoes glided across the ground, precisely plowing the furrows deeper.
"Hmm?" Wen Nanxing, who had just returned to his plot, was taken aback by this spectacle. "This guy's control of magic is exquisite!"
The same level of magic could be more refined in some individuals, much like how some people's cloud manipulation looked like a pile of cotton but people like Wen Nanxing could form clouds into swords, and Xiao Ze could mold them into tigers. Not only did this increase power, but it also offered more utility.
The study of techniques depended entirely on personal comprehension. At this stage, the clerks were like first-time students. Some memorized rigidly, some couldn't remember at all, but a few had already understood the principles and could apply them flexibly.
Without a doubt, Zhao Xing belonged to the last category. Wen Nanxing watched, gradually getting absorbed in it!
It wasn't until Zhao Xing retracted the tornado that he snapped back to reality.
"Next year's exams, this man will be my strongest competitor!"
Wen Nanxing gathered his thoughts and focused on the task at hand.
Zhao Xing had no idea Wen Nanxing had already seen him as the top competitor. What others considered an exquisite control of magic was merely basic operation for him; he didn't think much of it. Achieving Old Minister of Agriculture's "Cloud Manipulation in the Palm" or "Three-foot Heavenly Thunder" level was worth mentioning.
"How deep did Chen Shijie dig this spring well?"
The planting of the Green Vine Seedling and Vajra Bamboo Seedling was easy; it just involved burying them.
But the Fragrant Lotus was aquatic and had to take root in water.
When Zhao Xing ran to the spring well, he found that it was over 60 meters deep!
There were no tools around, so how to fetch water? He had to figure it out himself!
"Chen Shijie, you cunning old fox, always thinking of ways to torment us." Zhao Xing, upon seeing this, had to abandon the idea of directly planting the Fragrant Lotus seed in the spring well.
No tools, how to fetch water?
Of course, use cloud manipulation.
Zhao Xing manipulated the clouds to lower them closer to the ground until this point, the Cloud Qi could begin to draw water vapor from the spring well below.
Chen Shijie wanted the clerks to think outside the box to fetch water.
Finding it too slow, Zhao Xing cast another tornado, much larger this time.
It connected the clouds above with the spring well below.
Water vapor surged continuously, rapidly infusing into the cloud.
"A fine display of Dragon Water Absorption!" Chen Shijie, always watching the clerks occupying the spring, saw that once again, Zhao Xing was the first to solve the water problem, and very efficiently!
"Mr. Xue was right, he's more than a good talent. He's a gem! You've taught him well!"
"I never taught him this move." Xue Wenzhong was also quite surprised, as he indeed hadn't taught Zhao Xing this technique, at least not the Wind Summoning Technique.
"Could it be that just from watching my 'Three-foot Heavenly Thunder' and 'Cloud Manipulation in the Palm,' he comprehended it himself?" At this moment, Xue Wenzhong became more certain of an idea in his mind.
.......
On the Start of Autumn, the heat was even more intense than during the Great Heat.
Under the cloudless sky, making it rain was extremely challenging.
Many clerks found that after their cloud manipulation, the subsequent rainbringing had no effect at all. Magic below the Third Transition was greatly impacted by extreme weather!
Many clerks sighed in frustration.
"Without water, in such heat, the effectiveness of cultivation spells greatly diminishes."
"Looks like we'll have to wait until nightfall to plant."
"Planting is useless in this weather; anything planted will die!"
"Alas, if only I had Third Transition in rainbringing..."
"Screw this, I'm dropping out and will retake the exam later."
Less than an hour into the exam, many clerks had given up, either because they couldn't secure a plot or found that they couldn't grow anything.
These two alone filtered out a third of the people, with many gradually quitting early and abandoning the exam. After all, there was no punishment, and they couldn't become full-fledged anyway. Why suffer being a background player?
"Pitter-patter~"
Rain began to fall in various parts of the planting area.
But everyone controlled it well, not letting the water flow elsewhere, keeping it only in the areas where their seedlings were planted. The examiners had anticipated this; if you helped others now, you would undoubtedly be dragged down yourself.
Moreover, those who had the ability didn't need help, and helping the incapable wouldn't be useful anyway.
Zhao Xing separated a small cloud, only five meters in circumference and two meters high.
He moved it to the spring well, where he had dug a small pit to plant the Fragrant Lotus.
"Splash~"
The small dark cloud, thick like ink, wasn't so much raining as pouring water!
In no time, the small pit was filled to the brim.
Inside, a layer of grass ash had been laid. When water rushed in, the soil and grass ash mixed, turning into a muddy sludge.
"Twenty Fragrant Lotus seeds should be enough."
Zhao Xing took out the seed bag and sowed the seeds with proper spacing.
Lotus seeds were fragile and couldn't yet withstand 'Wild Growth,' so Zhao Xing first used the 'Vigorous Growth' spell.
Primordial Energy continuously infused for an hour, and the Fragrant Lotus seeds rooted, sprouting and breaking through the soil.
"A hundred percent survival rate, whew~" Zhao Xing breathed a sigh of relief. Seedling and seed stages were the most fragile and required utmost care.
But once this period was over, it would get much better.
"Let's have some water first." Zhao Xing summoned a dark cloud, dipped his head in, and drank deeply.
"In two more hours, when the three kinds of plants have mostly rooted, I can use Wild Growth. But I can't rest yet."
Scanning his surroundings, the originally gray-yellow planting area was now brimming with greenery.
"To score in the top ranks, I must be well-prepared." Glancing at his colleagues, Zhao Xing showed a sly grin: "Sorry, but the nutrients in your plots are mine."