Chapter Thirty-Three: The Art of Thorns

“Crack!”

A sudden clap of thunder exploded overhead.

The entire shantytown was shrouded in a gray mist, the sky thick with dark clouds, and the alleyways gradually emptied of pedestrians.

A torrential downpour descended abruptly upon Qingyang Market and the shantytown.

Rain poured down in sheets.

Qin Ming had just been focusing intently, hastening the ripening of the black withered vine.

He was startled by the sudden deluge.

Sheltering beneath the eaves, he kept his gaze fixed on the black vine.

Under the effect of the [Ripening] entry, it began to grow slowly—so different from the frenzied speed shown by the spirit plants he’d previously accelerated.

Little by little.

Three or four ink-black tendrils unfurled from the withered vine, their surfaces bristling with sharp thorns that emitted a sinister dark glow.

Just by looking, Qin Ming could tell those thorns were laced with deadly poison.

When the black tendrils reached about ten feet in length, their growth ceased completely.

To his astonishment, a dozen or so dark flower buds appeared along the vine.

Two of them released golden entries:

[Name]: Withered Blood Venom Vine
[Entry]: Bramble Art (Maturity 1%)

[Name]: Withered Blood Venom Vine
[Entry]: Abundant Vitality (Maturity 1%)

“Withered Blood Venom Vine?”

A hint of doubt flashed across Qin Ming’s face. He had never seen such a spirit plant in any book.

He immediately dug out “Treatise on Strange Spirit Plants” by the first-generation master Shi Yenong and began searching.

For a long time.

Qin Ming found not a single clue about the Withered Blood Venom Vine.

“Could it be that even the spirit plant master knew nothing of this vine?”

What shocked him even more—

After using the [Ripening] entry, it had only managed to bring the vine to the flowering stage.

If it had been a stalk of Golden Spirit Rice, it would have ripened and been ready for harvest instantly.

It was clear the Withered Blood Venom Vine required a long maturation period.

Yet the two entries refreshed atop it left Qin Ming itching with curiosity.

He still had nine [Ripening] entries left in his sea of consciousness.

Resolute, Qin Ming used another [Ripening] entry.

Time passed slowly.

The flower buds of the vine gradually bloomed under the rain.

The black blossoms seemed sinister, shaped like shriveled hands.

The next day.

The effect of one [Ripening] entry was spent.

The vine’s maturity reached 20%.

“So greedy for energy?”

Qin Ming was astounded.

“It seems a single [Ripening] isn’t enough.”

“Let’s up the dosage!”

He used another [Ripening] entry.

...

For seven consecutive days, Qin Ming worked tirelessly, using up five [Ripening] entries in succession before finally ripening the fruit of the Withered Blood Venom Vine.

A dozen blood-colored fruits, each the size of a walnut, hung from the vine.

Qin Ming carefully harvested them.

Instantly, two green entry leaves appeared in his sea of consciousness.

[Bramble Art]: Requires spirit plant seeds as a medium. Can be buried underground; any beast or cultivator stepping on the seeds will be ensnared by brambles. Alternatively, seeds can be thrown to entrap enemies directly. The power of the spell depends on the spirit plant seed—the stronger the seed, the greater the effect.

“They’re even refreshed as a set?”

Qin Ming examined the fruits, casually splitting one open.

Inside were dozens of tiny black seeds, each the size of a sesame.

Just this fruit alone contained twenty or thirty spirit seeds.

Such a quantity meant the vine’s seeds would last him a long while.

Qin Ming immediately focused on the [Bramble Art] entry.

A rush of spell knowledge flooded his mind, and he quickly mastered the casting method.

“I need to find somewhere to practice.”

“You have to know, this black vine is immune to water and fire, impervious to blades and spears.”

“And it carries potent poison—surely it’s quite powerful.”

With this thought, Qin Ming hefted his spirit hoe and left the house.

He dared not go far.

Just beyond the spirit field, he found a spot in the nearby woods, hiding himself well.

Before long,

A wild boar with black bristles appeared in his sight, leisurely rooting about.

Qin Ming narrowed his eyes.

He formed a spell gesture and cast Bramble Art, flicking a Withered Blood Venom Vine seed toward the boar.

Hiss!

Suddenly, a mass of black tendrils erupted under the boar’s feet, bristling with thorns, tightly entangling it.

The boar didn’t even have time to squeal.

The sinister black poisonous thorns pierced its thick hide in an instant.

In a flash,

The boar’s eyes turned white, instantly losing their luster, as if its soul had been swiftly stripped away by some force.

It was immobilized, unable to struggle in the slightest.

In just two breaths,

The once lively boar became a shriveled corpse.

Soon after, the cluster of black bramble tendrils rapidly receded, transforming into a dark red blood bead that fell to the ground.

A strange light flickered in Qin Ming’s eyes.

He beckoned, and the blood bead flew into his hand.

Sweeping it with his spiritual sense, he found it contained not only the boar’s entire essence blood, but even its spirit was trapped within.

“What use does this have?”

Suddenly, inspiration struck him! He instinctively recalled the Withered Blood Venom Vine planted in the flower bed.

“Could it be...”

After this test, Qin Ming was utterly exhilarated.

He now had a new appreciation for the power of Bramble Art.

Though everything had happened quickly,

Qin Ming had caught all the details.

“This vine’s venom seems able to corrode souls directly.”

“This move will surely be my ace in the future!”

“Caught unawares, even late-stage Qi Refiners might stumble into disaster.”

“Heh heh heh!”

Qin Ming returned to his room.

He placed the blood bead beside the Withered Blood Venom Vine.

Immediately, the venomous vine responded as if ravenous.

It whipped its tendrils around the bead,

Instantly digesting and absorbing it.

Afterward, the vine returned to calm.

The black poisonous thorns looked even more sinister.

“As expected, the Bramble Art cast with the vine’s spirit seeds can feed back to the mother plant.”

“Though I used up five [Ripening] entries, this was well worth it!”

At the same time,

Qin Ming sensed a deepened connection between himself and the venomous vine.

It seemed the Withered Blood Venom Vine still had great potential for growth.

He looked forward to its future.

After pondering for a while, he considered his next plans.

Next, he would prepare to hasten the ripening of Blood Locust Rice once more, and now he had two [Quality Enhancement] entries.

He was eager to taste the finest Blood Locust Rice.

As Qin Ming was thinking, his communication talisman stirred.

A message arrived from the Steward Hall of the Feather Gate.

“Fellow Daoist Qin, you have cultivated three different first-grade mid-tier spirit plants this year and now qualify for promotion to mid-tier spirit plant master. You may come to the Steward Hall for the assessment at your convenience.

“Additionally, the lease of the Ruan Family Courtyard has expired. The restrictions have been lifted, so you may move in at any time.”