Plant VS Cultivation

Chapter 17: Unveiling Talent

"Junior Brother has fortunately entered the beginner stage of the Little Cloud Rain Technique!"

Gu Mo repeated his words. From Mai Yunfa's reaction, it was clear that mastering a spell in such a short time was indeed remarkable.

"That's great!"

Hearing Gu Mo's confirmation, Mai Yunfa was overjoyed. It was simply perfect timing for Gu Mo to have grasped the Little Cloud Rain Technique at this moment. However, to be sure, Mai Yunfa asked Gu Mo to demonstrate the technique.

For Gu Mo, this was an easy task. He even deliberately slowed down his casting speed to make it appear as though he had just started learning, rather than having secretly practiced for two months.

After confirming the situation, Mai Yunfa rode his flying sword with Gu Mo in tow and headed towards the Deacon Hall.

Deacon Hall

At this moment, aside from those in seclusion or away on missions, all remaining outer disciples had gathered. The servant disciples forcibly assigned by the sect had already been sent to the Spiritual Plant Hall. Now, the question was how to distribute them.

However, when faced with this group of unwanted servant disciples, the gathered outer disciples found themselves in a difficult position. Managing spiritual fields required many hands, and everyone was short-staffed. But taking in these unwanted servant disciples was troublesome—training them was a painful process.

Even if they managed to train them, their abilities would still be lacking. At best, they might become only half-competent spiritual farmers.

"Why are you all silent? The new batch has arrived—those who need people, take them." Zhao Qiancheng swept his gaze across the outer disciples and spoke up.

Although he knew this batch consisted of unwanted leftovers, the labor shortage in the Spiritual Plant Hall was real. Without enough spiritual farmers, who would manage the vast spiritual fields? If the fields weren't maintained properly, the yield would suffer—what would happen to the hall's profits then?

"I'll take five!"

"I need three!"

...

As soon as Deacon Zhao spoke, the outer disciples began calling out numbers. None of them dared to take too many; training these recruits required considerable effort. Taking fewer meant any losses would be manageable. After all, this was how things had always been.

Eventually, this year's batch of forcibly assigned servant disciples was distributed among the outer disciples. With that, the matter was nearly settled.

Just as the disciples were about to leave, Mai Yunfa arrived with Gu Mo.

Seeing Mai Yunfa, Zhao Qiancheng's expression twitched. He had intentionally sent Mai Yunfa away earlier to let him avoid the assignment of unwanted servant disciples. After all, Mai Yunfa was a distant relative, so Zhao Qiancheng gave him special treatment. The others could only accept this—none of them had a deacon as a senior relative.

But now, Mai Yunfa had returned, putting Zhao Qiancheng in an awkward position. Some things were understood but unspoken—every time servant disciples were assigned, Mai Yunfa was conveniently given a deacon's task elsewhere, so he missed the process. That way, everyone could maintain appearances.

Now that he had shown up, it was hard to ignore.

"Did you finish the task I gave you?" Zhao Qiancheng asked, his expression somewhat displeased.

"Deacon Zhao, you asked me to check on Junior Brother Gu Mo's assessment progress. He has successfully entered the beginner stage of the Little Cloud Rain Technique!" Mai Yunfa, oblivious to Zhao Qiancheng's mood, quickly reported his findings.

"What?"

Zhao Qiancheng was stunned. The remaining outer disciples, who hadn't yet left, were also taken aback.

They all knew about the servant disciple who voluntarily joined this year. It had been said that if he passed the assessment, he would be allowed to rent a spiritual field.

Everyone had assumed this would take a long time, but in just three months, he had successfully learned the Little Cloud Rain Technique?

Mastering a first-tier spell in three months was normal for the geniuses in the inner sect. But for a newly admitted servant disciple, this was extraordinary.

Curious, skeptical, and intrigued, the gathered disciples turned their gazes toward Gu Mo.

"Gu Mo, have you really mastered the Little Cloud Rain Technique?" Zhao Qiancheng asked, shifting his attention to Gu Mo.

Instead of answering, Gu Mo raised his hand and formed a seal. In no time, a small dark cloud materialized inside the Deacon Hall, and a light drizzle began to fall.

Before the raindrops could touch the ground, Zhao Qiancheng waved his hand, instantly dispersing the cloud.

"Good, good, good!"

After dispelling the cloud, Zhao Qiancheng studied Gu Mo with renewed interest. He hadn't expected such a pleasant surprise from this servant disciple.

The Spiritual Plant Hall's incentive program needed real results to be effective. If they could showcase a success story like this, it would encourage more servant disciples to join voluntarily.

"Hmm? Your spiritual power and physique..."

As Zhao Qiancheng examined him more closely, he quickly noticed something unusual. Given the disparity of an entire cultivation realm, Gu Mo couldn't possibly hide his true state without mastering a proper concealment technique.

Not just Zhao Qiancheng, but even the late-stage Qi Refining outer disciples present had sensed something amiss about Gu Mo.

Mastering the Little Cloud Rain Technique in three months was already astonishing. But now, his spiritual power and physique seemed significantly stronger than his peers. All these anomalies pointed to one thing—Gu Mo had some sort of special opportunity.

Suddenly, the surrounding gazes became more complex.

Gu Mo felt the shift in their scrutiny. The moment he demonstrated the Little Cloud Rain Technique, he had anticipated this reaction and already prepared a response.

Seizing the moment, Gu Mo took the initiative to reveal his mastery of the Perfected Cleaning Technique, using it as an explanation for his extraordinary spiritual power and physique.

His true secret lay in the Sunflower and the Black Mist Space—those were things he could never expose. While the Perfected Cleaning Technique was still shocking, it merely indicated exceptional comprehension ability, which also explained how he had learned the Little Cloud Rain Technique in just three months.

"Perfected Cleaning Technique!"

When Gu Mo displayed this ability, it caused a minor stir among the gathered disciples.

The Cleaning Technique was an insignificant, entry-level spell—everyone knew it.

But no one had ever considered refining it to perfection. Moreover, no one realized that a perfected Cleaning Technique could purge impurities and temper the body.

"That's not surprising," Zhao Qiancheng said, his insight surpassing the others. "The Cleaning Technique was originally created by a great cultivator who took inspiration from the Muscle-Strengthening Technique."

Some inner disciples deliberately trained in the Cleaning Technique, hoping to achieve perfection and build a solid foundation during the Qi Refining stage.

However, very few pursued this path. Devoting excessive time to such a trivial spell while keeping up with regular cultivation was nearly impossible. Only those with exceptional talent and spiritual roots could afford to try. Anyone less gifted wouldn't dare, as failure meant wasted time and lost progress.

No one had expected that a servant disciple would be the one to achieve Perfected Cleaning Technique.