Each stalk of Lingdong Bamboo was astonishingly heavy. With ten of them hoisted on his back, Bai Xiaochun had to climb the mountain, and even with his strength, he was starting to run out of breath.
"I became a cultivator to achieve immortality. Why do I have to deal with all this fighting and killing?"
"And my bamboo could've grown even taller if I hadn't been forced to harvest it early… now I'm stuck trading it in for contribution points…" The more he thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt. Sighing repeatedly, he carried the Lingdong Bamboo step by step up the mountain.
At that very moment, over at the assignment hall on Xiangyun Mountain, many outer sect disciples were already lined up, presenting the spiritual herbs they had grown in exchange for contribution points.
An elder of Xiangyun Mountain was stationed there, responsible for evaluating the herbs. Based on their quality, contribution points would be awarded.
"Not bad. This Mist Flower has four petals—medium grade."
"This Wood-Pattern Ginseng has darkened too much. Earth energy's too strong. It's unbalanced—not qualified."
Outside the hall, on a large boulder, sat an old man with ruddy cheeks and white hair. He was cross-legged and calm as he examined each herb brought to him by the waiting disciples. A young attendant beside him carefully recorded the evaluations and awarded the contribution points.
Above them, several colorful phoenix-like birds flew gracefully through the air, each over three meters long. From time to time, they let out clear, melodious cries. These birds were the old man's personal spirit pets and accompanied him every time there was a herb assessment day. Many outer sect disciples looked up at the birds with envy.
This old man was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, renowned for his expertise in herbal medicine. Though not quite at Li Qinghou's level, he was still widely respected within the sect. His obsession with alchemy was such that even Li Qinghou had admitted that if a third true master of medicine ever appeared in the Eastwood Continent, it would surely be Elder Zhou.
"Disciple Chen Zi'ang greets Elder Zhou," said a tall young man with an average face but upright bearing as he stepped forward respectfully.
Hearing his name, many outer sect disciples turned to look with interest.
"So he's Senior Brother Chen Zi'ang! I've heard he's got great talent for herb cultivation."
"I heard that ever since joining the sect, his herb quality has never dropped below upper-grade!"
While whispers filled the air, Chen Zi'ang remained calm but carried a proud glint in his eyes.
Elder Zhou looked at him with visible appreciation. He had long taken notice of Chen Zi'ang's talent.
"Zi'ang, what have you brought this time?" Elder Zhou asked warmly.
"Reporting to Elder Zhou, I've grown Lingdong Bamboo," Chen Zi'ang replied. With a wave of his hand, ten stalks of bamboo appeared, each as thick as an arm and about half a zhang (1.5 meters) long. They gleamed a vibrant green, and under sunlight, they shimmered with a faint jade light.
"I washed the bamboo with spirit spring water, used ground spirit stones to enhance the soil, and nurtured them with my own spiritual energy for three hours daily. Every three days, I carefully tended to the leaf veins and supported their growth with additional herbs. I also applied the Nine Green Profound Method," he explained.
"Excellent," Elder Zhou praised. "Half a zhang long, rich in green essence, and surpassing typical upper-grade. These are top-tier. Keep working hard—if you grow them to over one zhang, you'll have true premium-grade spiritual plants."
The surrounding disciples were immediately filled with admiration.
"Top-tier! That's amazing!"
Chen Zi'ang smiled proudly and was just about to collect his contribution points when a cold snort rang out.
"Elder Zhou, I, Zhao Yiduo, have also cultivated Lingdong Bamboo!" A narrow-eyed youth stepped forward, looking at Chen Zi'ang with open disdain.
The crowd perked up immediately.
"It's Senior Brother Zhao Yiduo! He's said to rival Chen Zi'ang in herbal cultivation!"
"They've always been rivals, fighting for the title of best herb cultivator."
Chen Zi'ang's face darkened. He glared coldly at Zhao Yiduo, both men clearly burning with mutual hostility.
"Zhao Yiduo, show us your Lingdong Bamboo," Elder Zhou said with a flicker of interest. He enjoyed seeing the two young talents compete. Such competition pushed them to excel.
Zhao Yiduo cupped his fists to Elder Zhou, then retrieved ten bamboo stalks from his storage pouch.
These stalks were each a full zhang (3 meters) long and as thick as a man's thigh. Their green hue was crystal-clear, and they radiated waves of spiritual energy, clearly superior to Chen Zi'ang's.
Gasps erupted all around.
"Lingdong Bamboo a whole zhang long?!"
"And it's radiating spiritual power!"
"Senior Brother Zhao is definitely number one now!"
Zhao Yiduo looked smug, eyes mocking as he turned to Chen Zi'ang. Chen Zi'ang's face grew even darker.
Elder Zhou's eyes lit up in admiration. "Excellent. This is the finest Lingdong Bamboo I've seen today. One zhang long, with spiritual essence spilling outward—this surpasses top-tier and reaches premium-grade! Well done. Keep it up!"
"Junior Brother Chen," Zhao Yiduo said mockingly, "looks like you still have a lot to learn."
Chen Zi'ang snorted coldly. "Don't get ahead of yourself. So what if you had help growing it? Next time, I'll grow Lingdong Bamboo one and a half zhang long!"
Zhao Yiduo burst out laughing.
"Hah! Brother Chen, don't let the wind blow your tongue away! Lingdong Bamboo is notoriously hard to grow. Even for Qi Condensation disciples, one zhang is the absolute limit. One and a half? Only Foundation Establishment elders could manage that. As for two zhang—" he scoffed, "I've never even heard of such a thing in all my years in the sect!"
Just then, a rumbling sound echoed from a nearby mountain path, growing louder by the second.
Disciples turned, gasping in shock.
Even Chen Zi'ang and Zhao Yiduo paused their argument and looked toward the source.
What they saw made their eyes bulge.
Huge green stalks, thicker than a man's body, slowly emerged into view. They were five zhang (15 meters) long, dark green in color, with faint purple markings that sparkled under the sun with multicolored light. Rich spiritual energy poured from them in waves.
"What in the world?!"
"Is that… wood? Or bamboo?!"
Chen Zi'ang and Zhao Yiduo were stunned. They stepped closer in disbelief. Even Elder Zhou's eyes flew open, his breathing quickening as he stared at the massive stalks.
As more of the bamboo came into view, the figure carrying them appeared—thin and small, panting heavily as he lugged the towering bamboo up the slope.
It was Bai Xiaochun.
Every step he took shook the ground, and the crowd parted before him in awe. No one could believe the sheer strength he displayed.
Bai Xiaochun, exhausted and miserable, arrived before Elder Zhou and dropped the enormous stalks with a loud crash. Then he plopped down on top of them, wiping his sweat and catching his breath.
"These things were too big for my storage pouch," he mumbled. "I'm here to turn in my assignment."
But something felt wrong.
He looked up and noticed that everyone around him was staring—eyes wide, mouths open, breath heavy.
"Bamboo… These things are really bamboo?!"
"I've never seen bamboo like this—it looks like a tree!"
Chen Zi'ang and Zhao Yiduo both stepped forward, frowning in confusion, eyes filled with disbelief. They bent down to examine the stalks. Zhao Yiduo even reached out to break off a piece to inspect the interior.
Before he could, Elder Zhou swept his sleeve, flinging the two aside as he stepped up, eyes fixed on the stalks.
"These… These really are Lingdong Bamboo!!" Elder Zhou sucked in a sharp breath.
The entire crowd froze in shock.
Then, a roar of disbelief erupted.
"Lingdong Bamboo?! Those trees are Lingdong Bamboo?!"
"No way! They're five zhang long and thicker than a person!"
"How can this be bamboo?!"
With everyone's shocked cries echoing through the mountain, the comparison with Chen Zi'ang and Zhao Yiduo's bamboo made the disbelief even more intense—like a thunderclap shaking the crowd.