We agreed to farm, but you're planting a divine tree in the eternal night?

With a click, the clasp popped open, and a burst of blue light erupted from the food container. A plump, jade-like, medium-grade fruit was embedded in the sponge groove, shining like a green luminous pearl, illuminating Zhao Nan's shapely face.

A collective gasp swept through the surrounding crowd, turning everything green. The contestants and spectators from Jiuzhi Garden were instantly dumbfounded. Zhang San and Li Si's smiles melted away, turning into extreme convulsions and contortions: "Qian Cheng? How is that possible?!"

Zhang San grinned, "It smells fruity!!!"

Li Si frowned: "Contains special characteristics?!"

In an instant, the entire arena was shaken like a mountain gust of wind and a tsunami. The faces of the other contestants and spectators from the other gardens changed drastically, and they whispered among themselves. The contestants from the Ninth Garden widened their eyes and turned around in unison: "Qian Cheng? An intern!"

"Didn't he just arrive at courtyard number 17?"

"It seems like the spiritual plants were planted less than two months ago."

"His first fruit only scored 1 point."

"How come this fruit has special properties?"

"Many elderly people in the park have been growing this for decades and haven't seen it before!"

"Does our Jiuzhi Garden also have such a genius?"

All eyes were on Qian Cheng, who stood with his arms crossed and an arrogant gaze. He casually glanced at the throng of people, and even the interns, including Zhang San and Li Si, stared at him in disbelief.

At this moment, my blood was boiling with excitement.

The two boxes of mid-grade fruits on the table were both cultivated by him personally. The first one was a second-generation [Wood Edge Flower] grown from a low-grade spiritual seed.

It took all the previous wood-attribute spiritual energy [Growth] and hundreds of yuan of spiritual fertilizer to obtain this one mid-grade fruit, barely worth 1 point.

However, the five low-grade spirit seeds that I casually planted from the black-robed stall owner, without providing any resources other than watering and pruning, intending to let them grow naturally, quietly produced one mid-grade fruit from each of them.

Although there is only one fruit on each branch.

Each one is fragrant and brightly colored.

It's much better than Brother Wang's medium-grade fruit.

I'll just take one of them to participate in the event.

That is, the one in the second box—

Zhao Nan narrowed his eyes: "Among all the mid-grade wood-element flowers and fruits displayed today, this one is of superior quality in terms of appearance, and its fragrance is obviously overflowing, indicating that it has inherited additional characteristics. Its potential value needs to be further evaluated. It is guaranteed to score at least 9 points, and it can currently be ranked first."

The decision was finalized, and the discussion reached its peak. Even those who were merely casual observers with only hearsay knowledge about spiritual plants were filled with amazement.

"Tsk tsk tsk, everyone says that Jiuzhi Garden is the worst in the county, but I didn't expect them to get a score of 9 in this event, just like the top three gardens."

"That's not how it works. After all, the Nine Plant Garden has limited resources and can only focus on cultivating a small group of people. The trainees and ordinary employees below perform poorly and seem to be at the bottom. But those with talent are treated quite well. In my opinion, Qian Cheng is a promising trainee spirit plant master."

"Wow, that's a very promising future!"

These words were like a wild wind fanning a wildfire, burning Qian Cheng's body and mind ever hotter. A surge of pride welled up within him, and he could no longer contain his excitement, tilting his head back and laughing:

"Hahaha, once I swallow the top-grade [Heart Field Pill], I'll have one foot in the rank of Apprentice Spirit Plant Master. The training spot in the garden should rightfully be mine! Jiang Qiu, Jiang Qiu, how dare you steal it from me?"

The voice was neither too loud nor too soft, but it was deliberately chosen so that Jiang Qiu, who was not far away, could hear it. It was meant to let all the contestants from the Nine Gardens present know that there was some grudge between them, and to make everyone compare Jiang Qiu with themselves at this moment.

It sounds naive.

But wasn't it also a time of high spirits and vigor?

You have to find a way to regain the face you've lost!

However, the other contestants started to whisper among themselves. Jiang Qiu only glanced back when she heard the noise before continuing to look at the stage, her face calm and composed, her dark, deep eyes remaining undisturbed.

"Hmph! He's quite composed." Qian Cheng sneered inwardly, thinking that Jiang Qiu was short-sighted and smug about being able to produce an 8-point mid-grade Fire Radiance Flower Fruit.

They still thought that with only one month left to develop, they could make further progress by the time of the assessment, catch up with the gap, and have a chance to compete with themselves.

Little did they know that the difference between having or not having special characteristics in a fruit is like heaven and earth. One out of a hundred low-grade spiritual plants might not be able to cultivate one with special characteristics. And if you manage to cultivate one spiritual plant with special characteristics and it produces 15 low-grade fruits, perhaps only one or two of them will be passed on.

However, these fruits may also have a genetic gap.

It only produces normal fruit.

Not to mention the mid-grade fruits with special properties.

Besides... after winning first place in this event, I will have a top-grade [Heart Field Pill]. We can be considered to be of different levels, even if we don't count the gift I gave to Director Wu. Do you think he would refuse to give me a spot and give it to you instead?

Haha, wishful thinking!

Overwhelmed by a mental climax, Qian Cheng squinted, gazing at the dark sky, buildings, and streetlights. The evening breeze blew, making his hair flutter, and he was completely absorbed in the moment. He no longer needed to worry about opening the box later, and Jiang Qiu was no longer qualified to be compared to him.

However, the next second, with a crisp click, another lock popped open, and the heated discussions about him in the crowd receded like waves, one after another, while a new wave gradually rose from the front.

Whoosh~ A rich fruity aroma wafted into his nostrils, and Qian Cheng's eyes widened in surprise. This must have come from a mid-grade fruit with unique properties, no less than his own.

With a thud, he jumped up from his chair, his eyes blazing with fury: "Whose work is on stage now?!"

As soon as you look in, you see that the second food container in front of Jiang Qiuli's sign has been opened.

Inside lay a large, emerald-green fruit, its flesh plump and glossy yet not glaring, its delicate fragrance drifting like mist.

Although both are of medium quality, the flowers and fruits of the woody genus give people a sense of natural growth and vigorous development, fully demonstrating the characteristics of the fruits of the woody genus!

At this moment, the crowd stirred up a commotion again, with everyone discussing the matter. However, Zhang San, Li Si, and the other interns from the Ninth Garden were dumbfounded, their throats hoarse and unable to utter a single word, completely stunned.

Yang Zhilan's eyes widened, her heart pounding wildly. She had hoped that the mid-grade fruit she had "lent" out would earn her 8 points, and she was already looking forward to the scene of Jiang Qiu standing on the podium and winning first place.

However, Qian Cheng was able to produce a mid-grade fruit with a guaranteed score of 9 points, so she had to miss out on the first place, which left her somewhat unwilling.

But now.

Jiang Qiu also has a special mid-grade fruit!

"He was clearly distracted by giving me so much help, yet he still had the energy to cultivate his own [Wooden Flower]?" Yang Zhilan clenched her fist, her breath hot, her eyes filled with longing and anticipation. "So...so amazing!"

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Zhao Nan picked up Jiang Qiu's second food storage container and slowly turned it in her hand. She didn't give her evaluation immediately, but pondered, "Cultivated by Jiang Qiu..."

After a pause, and following a gentle reminder from the accompanying shop assistant to give her score, Zhao Nan nodded and spoke crisply—

"Among all the mid-grade wood-element flowers and fruits, this one is among the best in terms of appearance. Its fragrance is pure and it has extra genetic characteristics, guaranteeing a minimum score of 9. However, the potential effects of its characteristics will only be clear after it is used in alchemy. For now, it will compete for first place along with Qian Cheng's one."