Desolate plant

Xu Lian Blessed Land

Bao Zhi sat cross-legged on the ground, his eyes closed in deep concentration. He had been meditating for weeks, trying to conceptualize a new killer move that would harness the power of his human qi. His mind was focused entirely on the task at hand, and he felt his consciousness expanding as he delved deeper into his thoughts.

First, he focused his attention on the human qi that surrounded him. He could feel the energy pulsating and swirling around him, but it was still unfocused like a cloud and difficult to control.

At this point, Bao Zhi struggled to move the human qi, feeling as though it was slipping through his grasp like sand. He gritted his teeth and tried again, but the energy remained elusive.

"You cannot grasp the essence of something without first understanding its formlessness. Thus, the more you try to grasp the intangible, the more it slips away from you." - He thought to himself.

He paused and took a deep breath, calming himself. Then he took out a storage gu worm and put away some gu and retrieved others.

He had a wide selection of mortal gu at hand that he received from Xu Lian.

"Which qi path gu should I try next?" - He lacked the necessary intuition, he could only guess.

He chose another one to try its effect on the human qi.

It was the Near Qi gu.

The Near Qi gu allowed him to draw upon the qi around him and shape it into a more controllable form.

Bao Zhi activated the gu worm, and instantly he could feel the human qi around him beginning to change. With each passing moment, he could feel the qi gathering around him and becoming easier to manipulate.

"Let's try the Flowing Currents gu again." - He activated another qi path gu worm in his aperture.

The Flowing Currents gu allowed him to control the flow of qi, pushing it into a single direction and making it move with greater ease and efficiency.

As time passed, Bao Zhi began to gain more control over the human qi, able to direct its flow and shape it into a more defined form. He concentrated on using his willpower to manipulate the energy, visualizing it taking on a specific shape and obeying his commands.

Slowly, he began to draw upon his abundant human qi, letting it flow through his body like a river. With each passing moment, he could feel the energy growing stronger, more potent. He concentrated on directing the flow of his qi, using his willpower to shape it into various forms.

Soon, he felt his hand grow warm as the human qi condensed around it, swirling and pulsating with a faint light. He smiled in satisfaction, pleased with the progress he had made.

With each attempt, he felt his control over the human qi growing stronger, and the qi began to move with greater ease and fluidity.

With time and practice, Bao Zhi had gained a certain level of mastery over the human qi, able to manipulate it with precision and accuracy. He could command it to move in any direction, and it would obey his commands without hesitation.

But as he continued to focus on his killer move, he realized that he had hit a bottleneck. His qi path attainment was lacking compared to his human path attainment, and he couldn't seem to make the leap necessary to complete his killer move.

Bao Zhi knew that he needed a breakthrough in his killer move development and decided to visit the Brain Melon plantation.

This was the first time he actually came to this place, so far he only interacted with these plants when he was still transformed into a tree.

Bao Zhi walked towards the Brain Melon plantation, his eyes scanning the rows of plants. As he got closer, he could see that many of the plants were damaged, their leaves wilted, and their fruit underdeveloped. He frowned, knowing that the earthly calamity had wreaked havoc on the plantation.

But as he continued to look, he saw signs of Xu Lian's hard work to restore the plants. He could see new shoots emerging from the damaged plants, and some of the leaves looked greener and healthier. Bao Zhi felt a sense of admiration for Xu Lian's dedication and resilience in the face of adversity.

He picked a ripe Brain Melon and took a deep breath before plunging his consciousness into it. As soon as his will entered the Brain Melon, he felt his thoughts accelerate, and his mind raced with ideas and possibilities.

With the help of the Brain Melon, Bao Zhi started to explore new ideas and avenues, his mind buzzed with new insights and concepts. He could see the killer move he wanted to create, taking shape in his mind's eye, and with each passing moment, it grew more defined and tangible.

"If only this was the immortal level Brain Melon desolate plant. A few visits would have been enough."

As time passed, the Brain Melon's effect was waning, and Bao Zhi knew that he had to retrieve his will soon. With a surge of willpower, he extracted his consciousness from the Brain Melon, feeling drained but satisfied by the progress he had made.

"But those who are in dire straits must relinquish their preferences and be content with meager offerings."

He felt that many subsequent attempts will be necessary before he could reach an initial version of his killer move.

This was nothing surprising, deducing an immortal killer move was difficult even with immortal methods.

"A steady drip of water can even bore a hole through stone."

The Brain Melon was only a mortal plant. But one could plant more, then they would produce more thoughts for the user to work with. Or one could nurture it to become a desolate plant, it would increase the rate of production and make the thinking quicker.

Bao Zhi estimated the required effort on his part. Using his previous experiences when he deduced killer moves, he calculated that it could take up to a year if he continued at this pace.

"Wood path is still my main path of expertise. I was hasty to solely focus on human path. I should rely on wood path, even if I want to pursue human path in the end. Wood path can provide me with the tools that human path currently lacks."

With this idea in mind, he started to construct a wood path formation.

Days passed like hours as he gathered the resources and created this formation.

It was nothing new, he had used this formation many times when he was in his prime.

Bao Zhi stood in front of the wood path formation, his eyes scanning over the intricate design. He had spent two weeks gathering the necessary immortal materials to construct it, and now it was finally complete.

He took a deep breath and took out a bead of immortal essence that he retrieved from the lotus root. Unfortunately he could not use this anymore as his body didn't have a wood path aura, but a human path aura. The plant will in the essence would not be tricked.

The formation hummed to life as he instilled the immortal essence, and a soft green glow enveloped the place. Bao Zhi could feel the formation's energy seeping into the soil and the surrounding plants. He watched as the Brain Melon plant began to grow at an alarming rate, sprouting new leaves and tendrils.

As the hours ticked by, Bao Zhi watched as the plant slowly began to change. Its leaves grew greener and more vibrant, and its stem began to thicken and straighten. The Brain Melon plant was transforming before his eyes, becoming stronger and healthier with each passing moment.

But as the days went by, one would think that something was off. The plant by now looked malnourished and weak, its leaves wilting and turning brown. But Bao Zhi knew that this was the result of his forced attempt to raise its rank.

Everything was as expected.

He continued to operate the formation as it accelerated the plant's growth even further.

At one point the plant seemingly came to life. It tried to uproot itself in desperation and leave the formation to save itself.

But how could Bao Zhi allow this? He controlled the formation with an iron grasp and the plant became fixed in place once again as its tendrils continued to twist and twirl in anguish.

Eventually, the formation expended all of its resources and fell silent. Bao Zhi stepped inside to examine the plant closely.

Bao Zhi approached the plant, not feeling a pang of guilt for what he had done. He raised his hand and gently touched the melon.

The plant shook violently, and the melon burst open with a loud pop. Seeds spilled out onto the ground, and Bao Zhi quickly scooped them up before they could roll away. He examined them closely, and a smile spread across his face. They were immortal level desolate Brain Melon seeds.

Bao Zhi carefully placed the seeds away, already planning where he would plant them next. He knew that the next generation of Brain Melons would be stronger and healthier than the previous one.

He did not waste time and headed to find a suitable place for them.

Bao Zhi walked gracefully across the lush green fields, his long black hair trailing behind him like a wispy cloud in the wind. In his hand, he held a small pouch filled with flat black seeds. With a solemn expression on his face, he stopped at a patch of fertile soil and began to plant the seeds.

Bao Zhi carefully pressed each seed into the earth and covered it with soil. He repeated the process until all the seeds had been planted, then stood back to admire his work.

As he did so, Xu Lian appeared out of nowhere, his youthful energy palpable in the air. He had been watching Bao Zhi from a distance for a while now, curious about what his ancestor was up to. But not daring to interrupt him.

"What are you planting, great Ancestor?" - Xu Lian asked, his eyes sizing up the field expectantly.

Anything his ancestor did was profound beyond his understanding, he did not dare put on airs.

"These are the seeds of the Brain Melon desolate plant." - Bao Zhi replied, a hint of pride in his voice.

"It is said that this plant can enhance one's mental abilities and grant them great wisdom."

Xu Lian's eyes widened in wonder as he turned his head to the field once more.

"This, this... Immortal level Brain Melons? The mortal version was already exemplary!" - He thought to himself.

"May I help you, Ancestor, tend to these plants and watch them grow?" - He asked eagerly.

Bao Zhi nodded approvingly.

"I trust you will take good care of them. Show me your control of your technique."

With a smile on his face, Xu Lian activated his wood path killer move: Budding Trees, Flowering Fields! The ground shook and the air shimmered as a burst of energy was released, causing the seeds to germinate and take root.

Over the next few days, Xu Lian tended to the plants with great care, making sure they had enough water and sunlight. He watched in amazement as the plants grew rapidly, branching outwards and upwards. The leaves interlaced together, forming a net-like structure that was both beautiful and intriguing.

As he worked, Xu Lian couldn't help but feel a sense of awe and wonder. He was witnessing the birth of something truly extraordinary.

Bao Zhi watched from a distance, pleased with the progress that had been made. He knew that it would still take some time for the plants to bear fruit, but he had faith in Xu Lian's abilities.

"A task done well is a gift to oneself and to the world."

With a nod of his head, Bao Zhi turned and walked away, leaving Xu Lian to tend to the Brain Melon plants until they were ready to be used. As he walked, he began to meditate, his mind focused on the development of his human path killer move once again.

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