Chapter 101 - 100: Developing the Root of the Earth Ability

Chapter 101: Chapter 100: Developing the Root of the Earth Ability

"I’ll get it down first!"

Ji Zhixing’s eyes lit up as he stared at the massive Blood Ginseng growing in the Snake Cave. He rushed forward and grabbed its edge. Muscles taut, he gripped it with both hands and gave a violent upward yank.

However, it didn’t budge an inch.

The Blood Ginseng seemed welded to the ground. No matter how much force he exerted, it showed no signs of loosening.

"Huh?"

Taken aback, Ji Zhixing applied even more force. Veins bulged on his arms as his genetic source power surged, pushing his strength to its absolute limit. Yet the Blood Ginseng remained completely motionless. He also noticed that it was exceptionally hard and cold to the touch. It didn’t feel like a normal Lingzhi at all; instead, it felt more like solid rock.

"What’s wrong?" Xiao Mingyue asked, stepping closer when she saw his expression change.

"There’s something off about this thing," Ji Zhixing said with a frown, letting go of the ginseng. "It’s like it’s grown into the earth itself. I can’t pull it out at all."

"Let me try."

Xiao Mingyue stepped up beside him. Each taking a side, they grabbed the plant and pulled together.

"Up!"

They exerted their strength simultaneously, stepping so hard that the ground trembled slightly beneath their feet. But the Blood Ginseng still didn’t sway, as if it were inherently a part of the earth.

"No use," Xiao Mingyue said, releasing her grip and catching her breath. "How on earth did this thing grow?"

"I’ll try gigantification!"

Ji Zhixing took a deep breath. With a mere thought, his body rapidly shot upward. His bones cracked and his muscles swelled, turning him into a 2.7-meter-tall giant in the blink of an eye. Bending down, he grabbed the edges of the Blood Ginseng with his massive, fan-like hands. His arm muscles bulged as his genetic source power frantically surged.

"Up!"

With a low shout, he poured all his strength into his hands. The ground quaked, shaking loose a few pieces of rubble from the cave walls, but the Blood Ginseng remained steadfast.

"This..." Ji Zhixing was dumbfounded.

He let go and simply threw a punch straight at the plant.

BANG!

A dull thud rang out as his fist struck the surface. The recoil left the webbing between his thumb and forefinger completely numb, yet the Blood Ginseng didn’t sway in the slightest. There wasn’t even a single crack.

"What the hell is this thing?" Ji Zhixing was at a loss. He turned to look at Xiao Mingyue.

Seeing his gaze, Xiao Mingyue also revealed a bewildered expression. "I’ve never heard of natural treasures that fuse with the earth like this," she said, shaking her head. "There’s nothing about it in the books, either."

"Ah!"

Suddenly, a miserable shriek echoed from the passage above. It was Tie Shan’s voice. The sound was so loud it echoed through the narrow tunnel, making their eardrums ache. They knew this didn’t mean Tie Shan had been severely injured or brutally killed. Rather, it was his way of warning them that the giant snake had headed up.

"You beast!"

Another loud shout rang out from the passage above. It was Zhou Han. Clearly, Zhou Han was taking over to lure the giant snake further up.

"What do we do?" Ji Zhixing looked at Xiao Mingyue.

Their plan had succeeded; the giant snake had indeed been lured away. But their plan had also failed—this Blood Ginseng couldn’t be moved at all.

"Try smashing it a few times with the Nine-Tiered Tide Rod," Xiao Mingyue suddenly suggested.

Ji Zhixing took a deep breath, knowing this was their only option left. With a thought, he retrieved the Nine-Tiered Tide Rod from his Genetic Furnace.

"Tidal Howl!"

Gripping the long rod with both hands, he raised it high before bringing it down viciously with every ounce of his strength. He held nothing back. The power of gigantification, the augmentation of the Boulder Physique, the boost from his Innate Staff Heart, and the extended will of his divine staff mastery—everything was poured into this single strike.

BOOM!

The long rod slammed into the Blood Ginseng with a muffled explosion. The entire cave trembled, and loose gravel poured down from the ceiling with a loud CLATTER.

But the Blood Ginseng remained completely motionless. There wasn’t a single crack on its surface, not even a scratch.

"This..." Gripping his staff, Ji Zhixing stared at the completely unscathed Blood Ginseng. He was thoroughly out of ideas. "What is up with this Blood Ginseng? How is it so hard?"

Xiao Mingyue also stared at the Blood Ginseng, her brows furrowed tightly. Both of them felt a headache coming on. The plan had been executed flawlessly, and the giant snake had been lured away, but they were utterly helpless against the Blood Ginseng.

"Didn’t you say earlier that you could sense your Willow Tree genetic material hungering for this Blood Ginseng?" Xiao Mingyue suddenly asked, as if recalling something.

"Yeah," Ji Zhixing nodded. "I can still feel that hunger right now."

"Then try using your Genetic Furnace to directly absorb and refine the aura emitting from this Blood Ginseng right here," Xiao Mingyue said, her eyes lighting up.

Hearing this, Ji Zhixing was slightly moved by the idea. He didn’t hesitate, immediately activating his Genetic Furnace to attempt to absorb the aura radiating from the Blood Ginseng. Within the red light emitted by the plant, there was an extremely faint aura. It was incredibly light and subtle. However, the moment the Eight Trigrams Map in his Genetic Furnace began to rotate, that aura was drawn in like a magnet, slowly siphoned into the furnace.

"It works!"

Overjoyed, Ji Zhixing drew the aura into his furnace and began to refine it. A moment later, a strand of bizarre power welled up from his Genetic Furnace, which he then injected into his Willow Tree Genetic Acupoint. Within the genetic acupoint, the phantom projection of the Willow Tree trembled violently. It greedily absorbed the power, its branches swaying and leaves unfurling as if cheering in delight.

"How is it?" Xiao Mingyue asked hurriedly.

"It works!" Ji Zhixing opened his eyes, a flash of pleasant surprise in his gaze. "I can absorb it! And the effects are great!"

Xiao Mingyue broke into a smile upon hearing this. "Then that solves it!"

Ji Zhixing finally caught her drift and turned to look at her. "You don’t mean... we should just stay here and absorb the Underground Blood Ginseng right under that giant snake’s nose, do you?"

"Exactly," Xiao Mingyue nodded. "Since we can’t take this Blood Ginseng with us, this is our only option." With that, she pulled out the Chameleon Cloth and gestured to Ji Zhixing. "We’ll hide behind the ginseng and cover ourselves with this cloth. When the giant snake returns, as long as it doesn’t slither around to this side, it won’t notice us."

Ji Zhixing gritted his teeth, knowing this was their only choice. "All right."

The two circled to the other side of the Underground Blood Ginseng, squeezing closely against it before throwing the Chameleon Cloth over themselves. Upon activation, the Chameleon Cloth instantly began to shift. Soon, it looked exactly like a natural extension of the Blood Ginseng. If viewed from the front, the anomaly would undoubtedly be spotted. But they were currently positioned on the far side of the Blood Ginseng, while the giant snake typically coiled up on the opposite side. That meant even if it returned, it wouldn’t discover them as long as it didn’t circle behind the Blood Ginseng.

"Let’s hope this fools it," Ji Zhixing whispered.

"Ah!"

Right then, the two heard another cry. It was Zhou Han’s voice. The shout was loud but abruptly cut off.

"Zhou Han got teleported out," Xiao Mingyue murmured.

Shortly after Zhou Han’s voice vanished, they heard faint sounds from Su Qing. She was further up the passage, making her voice harder to hear clearly.

"Don’t worry about them, just focus on refining," Xiao Mingyue said. "Harvest as much as you can."

Ji Zhixing nodded, pushing aside all distractions to focus entirely on absorbing the aura emitted by the Underground Blood Ginseng before him. He drove his Genetic Furnace, inhaling the ambient wisps of energy in the air string by string, refining them, and then injecting the power into his Willow Tree Genetic Acupoint. The Willow Tree’s phantom greedily soaked up the energy. Its roots, in particular, were faintly undergoing a wondrous transformation.

"I hope I can push through in one go and unlock the Root of the Earth ability..." Ji Zhixing prayed silently, completely immersing himself in his cultivation.

Outside the secret realm, on the Yu City University sports field.

After being teleported out, Tie Shan waited for a moment before seeing Zhou Han appear as well.

"So, how many of the python’s moves did you manage to take?" Zhou Han asked with a smile upon seeing Tie Shan, though his own face was rather pale.

"What do you mean, ’how many moves’? I got instantly wiped out by a single strike," Tie Shan muttered sullenly. When the giant python charged up, it hadn’t bothered doing anything fancy—it simply rammed into him. He had coughed up a mouthful of blood and was immediately teleported out of the secret realm.

As the two spoke, a figure flashed and appeared beside them. It was none other than Su Qing.

"That was terrifying. I wonder if Ji Zhixing and Ming Yue will succeed," Su Qing said, gasping for breath the moment she materialized.

Meanwhile, in the secret realm.

SLITHER!

A sudden scraping noise echoed from the passage above. It was the sound of snake scales rubbing against rock. The giant snake had returned.

Hearing the commotion, Ji Zhixing and Xiao Mingyue’s hearts skipped a beat. They froze instantly, reducing their breathing to the absolute bare minimum. Covered by the Chameleon Cloth, the two blended perfectly with the Blood Ginseng. From the front, it was impossible to spot anything out of the ordinary.

HISS!

A low, rumbling hiss echoed from the tunnel, followed by the heavy thud of a massive body dragging over the stone floor. The giant snake had slithered back into its lair.

They could feel the sheer bulk of the creature entering the Snake Cave, bringing with it a foul, bloody wind. The massive figure stopped on the other side of the Blood Ginseng and coiled itself into a heap, letting out a dull thud. Then, all was quiet. It seemed to have settled back into its original spot, resuming its deep slumber.

The two exchanged a glance, breathing a sigh of relief.

"It didn’t notice us..." Ji Zhixing mouthed soundlessly.

Xiao Mingyue nodded, a flicker of relief passing through her eyes.

Ji Zhixing resumed refining the Blood Ginseng’s aura. The wisps of energy drifted from the surface of the Blood Ginseng, silently drawn in, absorbed, and refined by his Genetic Furnace.

Time slowly trickled by.

After an unknown amount of time, Ji Zhixing felt a wave of mental exhaustion wash over him, leaving him dizzy and lightheaded.

"My spiritual power is severely depleted," Ji Zhixing thought.

With a flick of his mind, Ji Zhixing unstoppered a bottle of Spiritual Power Recovery Potion and poured it down his throat. Spiritual Power Recovery Potions were different from other concoctions. They were effective even without being refined by the Genetic Furnace, though the effects were slightly diminished. He still had over a dozen bottles left on hand—Xiao Mingyue had given them all to him over the past two days.

After downing the potion and feeling his mind clear up a bit, he immediately went back to refining the aura exuding from the Underground Blood Ginseng.