Chapter 233: Chapter 70: Assessment in Progress

This space also seemed to have day and night. Zhang Deming had been traveling for the better part of the day, and the fiery orb in the sky began to set in the west. Evening was approaching.

Zhang Deming, who had been walking in silence, paused for a moment. He had been keeping his Spiritual Eye active the entire time he was moving, constantly performing reconnaissance.

Now, within the endless desert, his Spiritual Eye detected something unusual ahead and to his right.

His spirits lifted slightly, but he didn’t make any rash moves.

On the sand, the vine continued to extend in its set direction, and Zhang Deming dutifully followed its path.

As he drew closer, Zhang Deming got a clear look at what had caught his attention.

From a distance, it appeared to be an incredibly resilient shrub.

Zhang Deming anchored the vine in place and walked up to the shrub.

He discovered it was a very peculiar shrub. Despite being in a desert, it didn’t have needles or lack leaves altogether. Instead, it had the broad leaves commonly found in a forest.

Ordinarily, a shrub like this should have been completely unable to survive in such an environment.

And yet, it had resiliently survived. It wasn’t thriving, though; its leaves were sparse, withered, and yellow.

But it was, without a doubt, alive.

Zhang Deming looked at the shrub, a glint in his eyes.

The light of his Spiritual Eye flared. The exterior of the shrub was ordinary, but inside, it possessed a remarkably complete network of Spiritual Power channels.

After a moment’s thought, Zhang Deming raised his hand and cast the Little Cloud Rain Skill.

A miniature cloud appeared above the shrub, and a light drizzle of Spirit Rain sprinkled down upon it.

The shrub immediately began to shimmer with the Spiritual Light unique to Spirit Wood, but beyond that, there were no other changes.

Zhang Deming’s brow furrowed slightly. ’That’s not right!’

’All the signs pointed to this being the key to survival!’

’If finding the right direction was a test of Wisdom, then the survival trial couldn’t just be about toughing it out in the desert until you starved, with no chance of success, right?’

’Putting all the signs together, finding a shrub like this had to be intentional. This thing must be related to the survival trial.’

Zhang Deming’s brow furrowed as he watched the shrub, which shimmered with Spiritual Light in the rain but otherwise remained unchanged.

The shrub was now shimmering with Spiritual Light and was well-watered, yet it remained in its previous withered and yellow state, showing no signs of recovery.

’Hmm?’

’It seems it’s not lacking water?’

’Or rather, not *just* water?’

An idea struck Zhang Deming, and he cast the Growth Technique.

As the unique Life Force from the Growth Technique poured into the shrub, it was as if a key had turned in a lock, flipping a switch. The shrub underwent a miraculous transformation.

Its leaves instantly turned a verdant green, and its sparse foliage became lush and dense.

In the blink of an eye, a flower blossomed at the tip of the shrub, then just as quickly withered away, leaving a fist-sized fruit in its place.

It looked a bit like a pear, but it was red, also bearing some resemblance to an apple.

The moment the fruit fully ripened, the shrub’s Spiritual Light faded, and it returned to its previous state.

The entire transformation was complete in less than five minutes, and it wasn’t a direct result of being forced by Zhang Deming’s Growth Technique.

Although his Growth Technique was a versatile Tier Three Technique, it wasn’t capable of producing such a dramatic effect in terms of pure growth acceleration alone.

This entire transformation was the result of the shrub’s own power.

His Little Cloud Rain Skill and Growth Technique were merely a catalyst, the key that unlocked the process.

Zhang Deming plucked the fruit. Looking at the shrub, which had reverted to its original state, he tried to repeat the process, but this time, there was no effect.

’Can it only be induced once in a short amount of time?’

Zhang Deming looked at the fruit in his hand. It possessed a faint Spirituality, suggesting it was likely a low-grade Spirit Fruit.

However, nothing in his memory contained the slightest bit of information about this shrub.

Zhang Deming guessed that it was most likely a Spirit Plant specially cultivated by some high-level Spirit Farmers for this very trial.

Moreover, this Spirit Plant was exceedingly strange. To his Spiritual Eye, it clearly had very faint Spiritual Power.

Yet Zhang Deming was unable to determine what grade of Spirit Fruit it produced.

After inspecting it for a moment, Zhang Deming placed the Spirit Fruit in his pocket and returned to the vine.

Composing himself, he set off once more.

He traveled until nightfall, at which point he sprouted several vines to secure his position as a marker.

Since he couldn’t take out his expandable tent, Zhang Deming grew one out of vines to get through the night.

Early the next morning, Zhang Deming continued on his way.

In this way, Zhang Deming traveled for three consecutive days. Along the way, he encountered five more shrubs and obtained five more Spirit Fruits.

Over the three days, Zhang Deming ate only one of them to maintain his body’s essential nourishment.

Although he was very hungry, his body was fine thanks to the support of his Spiritual Power. Of course, the hunger pangs didn’t just vanish into thin air.

For three days, it was nothing but travel, and all he saw was an endless expanse of yellow sand.

His ten years on Little Qing Mountain had taught him many things, including a resilient personality.

Thus, Zhang Deming silently endured and pressed onward.

On the evening of the third day, Zhang Deming felt a sudden jolt. In the far distance, within his line of sight, a patch of green had appeared.

Not just a speck of green, but a vast expanse of it.

Zhang Deming was instantly revitalized. The vine beneath his feet continued on at a steady, unhurried pace, advancing resolutely forward.

Gradually, the green filled his vision. After traveling at high speed for another quarter of an hour, Zhang Deming reached his destination.