Chapter 259: Chapter 170: Sword Pointing to the Sky, the Divine Ability is Formed

By the time he came out, the Spirit Rice Porridge was perfectly cooked, fragrant and soft.

Yang Qi, along with Xiaojiu, Bai Wan, Hu Zi, and Leopard, enjoyed a late-night snack.

As the Spirit Rice Porridge settled in his stomach, a warm current spread throughout his body, rapidly replenishing the physical and mental energy he had expended from his recent exertions.

After the meal, a wave of drowsiness washed over him.

Instead of his usual meditation, Yang Qi decided to get a good night’s sleep. He had expended a great deal of mental energy tonight.

He went upstairs, lay down on his familiar bed, and fell asleep almost the moment his head hit the pillow.

...

「The next day.」

As was his routine, Yang Qi rose early. He first went to the backyard to dismantle the Demon Extermination Array and tally his gains: three hundred contribution points.

He immediately performed a triple draw, receiving Vitality Nutrient Cream, a Low-grade Gold Spirit Stone, and calming powder.

After preparing cat and dog food for his furry friends, Yang Qi left the house to begin his daily feeding rounds.

A little after ten in the morning.

Just as Yang Qi finished cleaning the wolf enclosure, the phone in his pocket vibrated. He pulled it out to see a message from Deng Lei.

[Advisor Yang, the hospital test results are in. Professor Yu has a mild concussion and a scalp laceration. He needs to be hospitalized for a few days for observation, but it’s nothing serious. The female student has a fractured left tibia; she’s in a cast and needs to be hospitalized as well. The male PhD student just has some superficial injuries and a sprained ankle. He can be discharged after they’ve treated him.]

[All three have calmed down and are in stable condition. Professor Yu specifically asked me to pass on their gratitude to you. He said that once they’ve recovered a bit, they will visit and thank you, their savior, in person.]

[Also, on a personal note, I have to say it again: that was incredible!]

[A Beaked Eagle delivering a message, an owl finding the lost, a leopard standing guard... If I hadn’t seen this chain of events with my own eyes, anyone I told would think it was a tall tale or an exaggeration.]

[Advisor Yang, you’re truly "divine"!]

[Three thumbs-up emojis]

After reading the message, Yang Qi smiled and replied: [Glad everyone is safe.]

...

For the next few days, life returned to its usual, peaceful rhythm.

Yang Qi settled back into his daily routine.

In the early morning, he would first check on the Gray Wolf and the raccoon, feed them, clean their enclosures, and record their behavioral and health data.

Afterwards, he would conduct some simple behavioral training to strengthen his bond of trust and communication with them.

Next, he would go to the Leopard Hall to "visit" the pregnant Big Flower.

Whenever Yang Qi arrived, Big Flower would become exceptionally joyful and calm, eating with gusto and resting peacefully.

The zookeeper, Old Li, was delighted by the break, praising Yang Qi for being their "stabilizing force."

In the evening, he would take the roly-poly giant panda, Tuantuan, out of its enclosure for a stroll. He’d watch it adorably and clumsily gnaw on a specially prepared apple, enjoying some rare time outdoors.

As for the items from the system draws, aside from the usual restocks of Low-Grade Qi Condensing Pills, Spirit Rice, Spirit Tea, and Strengthening Pills, the items that appeared most frequently were the Five Elements Spirit Stones.

Among these, Wood Spirit Stones were the most common.

...

That afternoon, sunlight filtered through the forest canopy, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

Yang Qi once again led Xiaojiu, Bai Wan, Hu Zi, and Leopard to his usual spot: a hidden valley in the hills behind the Zoo.

"The usual drill. Spread out and keep watch."

Yang Qi instructed his furry companions.

"MEOW!"

’Understood.’

Xiaojiu leaped nimbly to the top of a towering boulder, his eyes scanning the valley entrance and the sky above.

"WOOF!"

’Alright.’

"WOOF! WOOF!"

’We’re on it.’

Barking in affirmation, Bai Wan, Hu Zi, and Leopard scattered. They took up positions on the high ground and key paths in the other directions of the valley, ears pricked and noses twitching, alert for any potential disturbance or threat.

Yang Qi walked to the flat, bluish-gray giant rock in the center of the valley and sat down cross-legged.

He closed his eyes and turned his focus inward.

He activated the Great Derivation Spirit-Controlling Technique. He mobilized his pure Magical Power, sending it surging ceaselessly toward the seed of his Divine Abilities for the final and most critical stage of its refinement and fusion.

As he continued to pour in his Magical Power, his consciousness sinking deeper...

...all the plants within a hundred-meter radius of him—from the low-lying ferns and ground-hugging moss to the leaves of the shrubs and the canopies of the towering trees—seemed to awaken, stirred by an invisible, gentle force, and began to "come alive."

There was no wind, yet their leaves and branches began to sway on their own, not chaotically, but with a strange, subtle rhythm.

An indescribable, formless aura began to quietly coalesce in the area.

The valley fell utterly silent, the only sounds being the rustling of the "spontaneously" moving vegetation and the long, steady rhythm of Yang Qi’s breathing.

Finally—

"CRACK!"

A crisp cracking sound echoed deep within Yang Qi’s consciousness. It was as if some shackles had been broken, or as if a seed’s shell had finally split open to let a new sprout emerge.

VMMMM!

Centered on the great stone where Yang Qi sat, an invisible ripple instantly swept out across a radius of over a hundred meters.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

Within a radius of over one hundred meters, every plant—from the tender blades of grass and the tough shrubs to the tall trees—froze.

In an instant, all their branches and leaves stopped their natural swaying. Then, in perfect unison and in a way that defied the nature of plant growth, they all snapped ramrod straight, pointing toward the sky!

The slender grass blades were straight as needles.

The branches of the shrubs were taut like halberds.

Every branch and leaf on the tall trees pointed skyward, like sharp swords drawn from their sheaths.

Even the hanging vines instantly snapped taut, pointing straight at the sky!

At that moment, the valley was no longer a tranquil expanse of greenery. It had transformed into a chillingly silent, bizarre forest of swords, composed of innumerable green "blades."

Every leaf and every branch radiated a distinct "edge" unique to the plant world.

There was no sharp whistle of slicing air, no brilliant flash of light, but the silent tableau of a thousand plants simultaneously "pointing their swords to the heavens" was no less breathtaking.

’Every plant a soldier.’ The Divine Ability was mastered!