Di Junhao halted in his tracks the moment he heard Gui Xinxin's accusatory words. His gaze shifted toward Gu Zhēnrén, waiting for his judgment.
Chen Jinshu's pupils contracted at the sound of her name being pointed out. Her face darkened immediately, and she shot Gui Xinxin a cold, venomous glare.
"Zhēnrén! She must've cheated! There's no way someone could nurture such thriving growth in just half a month!" Gui Xinxin declared with absolute certainty, a tinge of spite flickering in her eyes as she looked at Chen Jinshu.
Noticing the attention of nearby disciples gradually shifting toward her, Chen Jinshu swiftly reined in her expression, returning to a composed and slightly puzzled demeanor. She remained seated calmly, paying no heed to the lunacy of the deranged woman before her.
After all, she hadn't cheated. What was there to prove? Sitting tight and letting Elder Gu inspect her work was the wisest course of action.
"Slandering your fellow disciple comes with double the punishment. Four extra years," Gu Zhēnrén said coldly, having given Chen Jinshu's Xuanming Ice Lotus only the briefest glance before withdrawing his gaze. A peculiar glint flickered deep in his eyes.
"Zhēnrén! She really must have cheated—!"
Di Junhao, clearly irritated, immediately cast a Silencing Spell on her. The grand hall of the Medicine King Pavilion fell into sudden silence.
Gui Xinxin stared in disbelief, her eyes wide. She couldn't fathom how such rapid growth could possibly be legitimate. Before long, Gu Zhēnrén lecturing voice resumed in the quiet hall.
"Your spirit seed is decently cultivated," he said, examining a different disciple's work. "But you must be diligent in loosening the soil. Look how compacted it's gotten."
"Thank you for the guidance, Zhēnrén," the disciple replied quickly.
As Gu Zhēnrén moved down the line and neared her spot, Chen Jinshu's entire body tensed. She could hear her own heartbeat thudding in her ears.
"Mid-to-high grade," Gu Zhēnrén assessed another disciple's pot. "If only the leaves were fuller. Add some beast dung as fertilizer next time."
"Thank you, Zhēnrén!"
Finally, Gu Zhēnrén came to stand before her. He took a careful look at the Xuaniming Ice Lotus in her planter. A brief pause—then:
"Well done. This is graded 'Top-A'. It'll bloom in another two months. You've already brought it to its mid-to-late growth stage."
Was she imagining it? Chen Jinshu could've sworn she saw the corners of Gu Zhēnrén mouth curve, ever so slightly.
"Thank you, Zhēnrén," she said with a respectful nod.
"Will you share how you cultivated it?"
"I used a spirit liquid that softens the seed shell," Chen Jinshu replied. "That allowed the lotus seed to break open more easily. After that, I looked through some of the sect's archives and found prior cultivation cases. I simply followed the same steps."
"Not bad," Gu Zhēnrén said with a nod. "The sect indeed has precedent. You're clever. Go ahead and choose one spirit seed from the pouch."
He gave her a rare word of praise, though his face quickly returned to its usual solemnity. From his storage bag, he produced a small cloth bag and handed it to her.
Chen Jinshu's heart leapt in delight. She hadn't held much hope for a reward today—but who could refuse one? Especially a gift from a Golden Core cultivator. That was no trivial matter.
"Thank you for the reward, Elder," she said again, bowing.
She reached into the cloth pouch and pulled out a flat seed with a small protrusion at its center. It felt icy-cool nestled in her palm.
Gu Zhēnrén soon finished inspecting the remaining five disciples and made his way to the meditation mat at the front of the hall.
"Didn't expect this seminar to expose so many rotten eggs," he muttered. "I won't mince words—you lot are the weakest batch I've seen."
"Only two of you managed anything close to decent results. Makes me wonder whether you even take spirit plant cultivation seriously," he sighed, lifting a teacup and taking a sip.
"Well then, back to today's topic. Let's discuss techniques for accelerating spirit plant growth."
"There are two methods," he continued. "First is technique-based acceleration, using the sect's primary method—the Greenwood Rebirth Manual. Once you cultivate it to a certain level, your spiritual energy naturally fosters growth. It also includes a corresponding acceleration spell. However, unless you've truly mastered the technique, the effect is sluggish. This path is about patience and progress."
"The second method is spirit liquid acceleration. This is a unique creation of our Xuanming Sect. It must not be disclosed or sold—only through formal instruction may one learn it…"
Chen Jinshu's eyes widened in surprise. She hadn't expected the Medicine King Peak to pass down such a rare and valuable method so freely. She'd spent a good deal of time researching and refining her own acceleration liquid.
But as Gu Zhēnrén explained further, she realized the growth-acceleration spirit liquid he spoke of was quite different from her own concoction. His method used simpler ingredients, and though its results were respectable, they didn't match hers in potency.
Still, the principles were surprisingly similar.
In terms of effectiveness, her own acceleration liquid was clearly superior. His method could shorten growth time by one to two days; hers managed three to four—or even longer. Comparing the recipes, she noticed that her formula relied on more advanced spiritual herbs.
Before she knew it, three hours had passed.
By now, it was already Shen-shi (3–5 PM), and Gu Zhēnrén finally wrapped up the day's lecture.
"That's all for today. If you have questions, you're welcome to approach me. The next seminar is one month from now. The assessment will be based on the spirit plants you're currently cultivating. A mid-to-high growth stage is the passing benchmark."
"We thank Zhēnrén for his guidance!" Chen Jinshu joined the chorus of bows and farewells from the others.
"Tch… Last time Zhēnrén was explaining root repair techniques, and I was just getting into it," she muttered. "And now we're onto something completely different?"
She had assumed she'd be learning the next segment of spirit root repair today. But Gu Zhēnrén had abruptly jumped into acceleration methods.
She couldn't help but wonder—had he changed the topic after seeing her Xuanbing Ice Lotus?
As several disciples crowded around Zhēnrén to ask more questions, Chen Jinshu stood and approached, intending to bring up the root decay issue again.
After all, the residual root repair method hadn't helped much with her wilted spirit vine. It had only delayed further deterioration. She waited a few moments until the others left, then stepped forward and bowed.
"Forgive the intrusion, Zhēnrén. Regarding the residual root repair method you spoke of last time—it seemed the explanation was incomplete. May I ask why it wasn't continued today?"
Gu Zhēnrén gave a faint smile. "Why are you so keen to know?"
"I have a plum blossom in my courtyard. Its roots have begun to decay. It's been with me for years… I wish to save it if I can. I tried the residual root method, but it had little effect."
"Then first you must understand the difference between residual and decayed roots," he said. "Residual roots are merely incomplete—repairable. But decayed roots are already dead. In such cases, you shouldn't attempt repairs. You must regrow the roots anew. Do you understand?"
The fog in Chen Jinshu's mind finally began to clear.
"I understand. Zhēnrén, would you be willing to teach me the method for spirit root regeneration?"
"That's an easy one," Gu Zhēnrén replied without hesitation. He pulled out a small booklet and handed it to her. "It contains a variety of spirit plant cultivation techniques. Take it—consider it your reward for today's outstanding work."
"Then what about the seed you asked me to pick earlier?" she asked.
Gu Zhēnrén gave a sly smile. "Naturally, that's your test. You've already passed the cultivation benchmark for the next assessment. This new seed? That's where your next challenge begins. If you grow it well… I'll have something even better waiting for you."