The Programmer Cultivator

Chapter 301 - 24: Blew Up

Living beings that possessed Spiritual Power and could move were both viable targets. Those without Spiritual Power could only be nurtured in person, since they couldn’t use a Spirit Nurturing Bead, after all.

The difficulty of Spirit Nurturing increased in order from beast, to plant, to artifact, to Dao. Secret Level Spirit Nurturers below Tier Three usually worked on beasts. Plants were also an option, but they were much more difficult, with a low success rate for Spirit Awakening.

However, a Flower Demon Flower Wood was considered both a plant and a Demon Beast, so it wasn’t as difficult as a normal plant, though it was likely a bit harder than a beast.

Considering he had Tier Three Mastery of the Spirit Nurturing Technique, even though it was his first time, Zhang Deming didn’t follow the instructions in the texts to begin with an Awakening Skill and proceed slowly. ’After all, I’m not some Tier One novice anymore!’

After selecting a Flower Wood, Zhang Deming took a deep breath, gripped it with both hands, and focused his mind.

His Spiritual Light flowed from his hands and surged directly into the Flower Wood.

The Flower Wood swayed gently, and Zhang Deming sensed a very fragile Spirituality within his grasp.

Before he could do anything, countless motes of light spilled out from the Flower Wood, forming a hollow sphere around it.

Zhang Deming stared, stunned for a moment. The scene resembled the creation of a Spirit Nurturing Bead, so he tossed his insights on the Growth Technique into the sphere.

The Flower Wood swayed a few more times, and then, with a loud POP, the entire plant and the hollow sphere of light surrounding it exploded.

Zhang Deming was speechless.

Staring at where the enormous Flower Wood had vanished without a trace, at the motes of light now scattering through the air, and at the large crater at his feet, Zhang Deming was utterly dumbfounded.

Just like the legendary Guk Liancai, he had blown up the flower!

But Guk Liancai had blown his up because it wasn’t his area of expertise. Zhang Deming, on the other hand, had blown his up out of sheer incompetence.

Of course it had exploded. He had treated the living Flower Wood like a mere ingredient for making a Spirit Nurturing Bead. To the Flower Demon Flower Wood, this was tantamount to being pounced on and assaulted.

Not only was its Spirituality unreceptive, but it was also actively resisting. It would have been a miracle if the Spirit Awakening had succeeded. This was a classic rookie mistake, one that couldn’t be fixed no matter how high a Tier his Spirit Nurturing Technique was.

Zhang Deming rubbed his nose in embarrassment. He’d always thought he was special, a cut above the rest, but reality had just served him a harsh dose of the truth.

It seemed that even he needed to use the preparatory Awakening Skill to slowly coax the Flower Demon Flower Woods.

After a moment of thought, Zhang Deming decided to go learn from the experts. He had read plenty of documents, but it was all just theory without practice. Since he had examples to learn from, it would be foolish not to take advantage of them.

He turned and headed back to the corner tower. Since Zhang Deming had only just left, the two of them didn’t expect him back so quickly and failed to notice his return.

As Zhang Deming drew near, he looked at the two on the corner tower’s balcony and asked, "Are you playing chess?"

The pair paused, then immediately stood up and replied, "Yes, Martial Uncle!

"Senior Sister and I haven’t had much to do lately, so besides our cultivation, we decided to study the Chess Dao."

Zhang Deming nodded. "Mm. Since both of you have entered the Secret Realm, you don’t need to worry about making a living like the other disciples in the beginning.

But having a secondary skill or two is still a good idea.

The Chess Dao is a fine choice. It’s relaxing, but if you can truly delve into it, it will grant you many new methods in the future."

Yi Huaihai replied, "That’s what we were thinking, too. By the way, Martial Uncle, why did you come back? Is there something you need us to do?"

Zhang Deming paused for a moment. "I just realized I haven’t greeted my three Senior Brothers since arriving. That’s rather impolite, so I’m planning to go and visit them."

Yi Huaihai’s expression froze. ’Senior Brothers? Three of them?’

’He was certain he hadn’t misheard, and there was no way he misunderstood. Is this patron of mine even more powerful than I imagined?’

Zhang Deming glanced at Yi Huaihai. It hadn’t been a slip of the tongue. They would be spending a long time together, and given their status as his Close Attendants, he wasn’t afraid of them finding out.

A position like Child Attendant naturally marked them as his people.

Pei Xiaoxiao, however, was rather carefree and seemed to miss the key point. She said cheerfully,

"Oh, great! I want to go for a stroll, too.

"Since the day before yesterday, Junior Brother has been saying that the three Peak Masters want to push you to get to work, Martial Uncle. He thinks they don’t want to say it directly, so they’re trying to get us to pass the message along.

"That’s why he won’t let me go over there anymore. This place is great and all, but there’s nothing to do, and it’s so boring."

Yi Huaihai snapped back to his senses and bowed his head in terror. "I... I..."

’Before, saying such things wasn’t wrong. It showed I knew who to side with. But Martial Uncle calling them ’Senior Brothers’ completely caught me off guard. My petty scheming might have been a huge misstep.’

Zhang Deming gave a slight smile and said nonchalantly, "Mm, I was thinking the same thing. So let’s go act as their supervisors for a while."

Upon hearing this, Yi Huaihai’s expression stabilized somewhat. He lowered his head and remained silent.

’Over the next few days, I need to get a better read on the situation,’ he thought. ’I can’t afford to misjudge things or suck up the wrong way again. If you keep flattering the horse’s leg, you’re bound to get kicked.’

Seeing this, Zhang Deming asked, "Do you two know which of the three areas they are working in?"

Pei Xiaoxiao replied, "At this time of day, the three Peak Masters should all be in the Flower Sea performing Spirit Nurturing!"

"And do you know the exact location?" Zhang Deming pressed.

Pei Xiaoxiao looked to Yi Huaihai, who then spoke up. "I haven’t been there in two days either, but I did previously take note of the Flower Woods the Peak Masters marked for special attention.

"They work in separate zones. Based on the three Peak Masters’ progress, they should still be in their previous areas."

Zhang Deming turned. "In that case, let’s go have a look."

With that, he clasped his hands behind his back and led the two of them toward Flower Sea Area One, looking just like a young master from a wealthy family.

Hearing this, Pei Xiaoxiao and Yi Huaihai hurried to follow.

The Flower Sea was vast. His own area was near the entrance, which hadn’t been an issue before, but now they had to cross a huge expanse of it. Proceeding slowly was not an option.

Pei Xiaoxiao and Yi Huaihai had only been disciples for a year. Yi Huaihai knew the Agility Technique, as he was a Noble Disciple, after all.

Pei Xiaoxiao, on the other hand, had not only been a disciple for just a year, but had only been cultivating for a little over a year as well.

During her year on Little Hui Peak, although she was familiar with the Agility Technique, she had yet to reach the Entry Level of mastery.

Previously, it had taken her ages to get there each time, and she’d even needed help from Yi Huaihai.

Thus, Zhang Deming noticed the problem only a few steps after they set out.

He stopped. The two behind him looked troubled. Pei Xiaoxiao spoke up, "Martial Uncle, maybe I should just wait here."

Zhang Deming smiled. "It’s fine."

As he finished speaking, with a mere thought, two emerald-green vines sprouted from his body and wrapped around their waists.

Then, before either of them could react, Zhang Deming uttered a single word: "Fly!"

As he spoke, a pair of medium-sized wings materialized on his back and began to beat rapidly.

Zhang Deming became Light as a Feather and began to float. As Spiritual Power flowed through the vines into the other two, they began to float as well.

At the same time, a Spirit Wind manifested, and Zhang Deming carried all three of them forward, flying towards Area One at a reasonably fast speed just above the Flower Sea.

Throughout the entire process, Zhang Deming made not a single casting gesture. Yi Huaihai, who had been watching him intently, felt his pupils shrink in shock.

"AHH... SLOW DOWN, MARTIAL UNCLE, SLOW DOWN!"

Pei Xiaoxiao, flying beside him, let out a piercing shriek over the Flower Sea.

Seeing her reaction reminded Zhang Deming of his first time on a roller coaster in his previous life.

His speed wasn’t particularly fast—at least not compared to flying like a streak of light. But his current Tier Three Flying Technique, powered by a Tier Three Word Spirit Technique, was at least twice as fast as the Feather Fall Technique. He was moving at the speed of a helicopter, at the very least.

For someone like Pei Xiaoxiao, who hadn’t even learned the Agility Technique and had never experienced a hundred-yard dash, this speed was far more intense than any first-time roller coaster ride.

Besides, unlike a roller coaster, they were actually flying.

Even if they were just skimming over the Flower Sea, it was still flying!

Zhang Deming laughed. "I’m already going quite slowly. You’ll get used to it after a few more trips like this. Besides, it’s good for your Agility Technique cultivation. Try to gain some insight from the experience."

"AHHH... I CAN’T TAKE IT! I’M GOING TO DIE! MARTIAL UNCLE, WHY AM I BLIND? I CAN’T SEE ANYTHING!!!" Pei Xiaoxiao shrieked in terror.