Seeing the yield was short by just fifty kilograms, Wang Hu shot a subtle wink at Fellow Daoist Luo.

The latter, Luo Tie, understood immediately. His right hand moved slightly toward Lord Gold. Instantly, the tenth golden bead swelled up on the Gold Toad’s back.

Uncle Chen saw this small action clearly from the side, but he neither stopped it nor exposed it. He was expecting his share of the hush money afterward.

“Exactly five hundred kilograms, congratulations, Junior Brother Zhao, on passing the assessment and becoming a formal disciple,” Wang Hu said with a smile.

“Thank you, Senior Brother Wang!” Zhao Ying wiped the cold sweat secreted by his nervousness, then bowed frantically.

Now, only one person remained: Jiang Chen.

Originally, he could have been verified earlier. However, Senior Brother Wang Hu had deliberately dragged it out until the very end. The reason was none other than to humiliate this Junior Brother who had repeatedly refused him, using him as a warning to others.

Wang Hu asked with a playful, mocking expression, “Junior Brother Jiang, are you ready?”.

Wang Hu then asked playfully, “How do you feel about your chances?”.

“I feel I can succeed this time,” Jiang Chen replied with a grin.

“Hmph.” Wang Hu’s tone dripped with sarcasm. In his view, this fellow couldn’t possibly succeed. The earth energy within that specific Spirit Farm had been partially drained away. Even if the number of spirit seedlings looked sufficient, the lack of fertility would inevitably lead to a yield below five hundred kilograms—it was a foregone conclusion.

“Lord Gold!” Luo Tie called out.

The Gold Toad opened its mouth, its tongue shooting out to roll up the stack of Spirit Rice ahead. Instantly, the golden beads on its back began to swell, one after another. The speed was extremely fast, and without any pause, it reached ten beads.

“It seems Junior Brother Jiang’s third assessment is also…” Wang Hu didn’t even look and prepared to deliver his mockery.

But beside him, Luo Tie announced clearly, “Ten golden beads. Yield: five hundred kilograms of Spirit Rice. Assessment successful!”.

“What?” Upon hearing this, before Jiang Chen could even react, Wang Hu’s eyes widened in shock. He hurriedly looked toward Lord Gold. He saw ten swollen golden beads, and the spiritual energy content within the rice grains was visibly high. His face twisted in disbelief.

“I have happily fulfilled the mission, Senior Brother Wang!” Jiang Chen smiled and cupped his hands in salute.

Wang Hu’s face darkened, and he shouted angrily, “You… that’s absolutely impossible!”.

“What?” Hearing this, Luo Tie narrowed his eyes and immediately said coldly, “Are you suggesting there is a problem with my Lord Gold?”.

“No.” Wang Hu’s expression changed slightly, and he hurriedly waved his hands to defend himself. “I mean… this acre of Spirit Farm cannot possibly produce five hundred kilograms of Spirit Rice!”.

“But Lord Gold absolutely won’t make a mistake,” Luo Tie said, frowning.

“Speak! Did you cheat?” Wang Hu turned and glared fiercely at Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen replied coldly, “Senior Brother Wang, you should guard your tongue.”.

“This acre of Spirit Farm fundamentally cannot achieve that yield! You still say you’re not cheating?” Wang Hu finished speaking, then glanced sideways at Uncle Chen. He instinctively felt that Uncle Chen might have helped the other party.

The surrounding crowd was stunned into silence.

Facing the accusation, Jiang Chen retorted, “You claim it cannot yield five hundred kilograms. What is your proof?”.

Wang Hu said fiercely, “You didn’t even reach five hundred kilograms last time!”.

Jiang Chen said righteously, “That was due to my inexperience last time. Is there an issue with that?”.

Uncle Chen reminded him, “Fellow Daoist Wang, if you don’t have substantial evidence, you should not speak carelessly.”.

“Proof?” Wang Hu had lost his composure. He pointed at the Spirit Farm and shouted, “This plot of land lacks Earth Qi! The soil nutrition is insufficient; it cannot possibly achieve that yield!”.

Jiang Chen challenged, “You don’t have an Earth Spiritual Root. How do you know the Earth Qi is insufficient?”.

Some things were tacitly known. But they could not be blatantly admitted in public. Otherwise, he would offend a large number of formal disciples, even the lofty “Immortal Elders”.

“Fellow Daoist Wang, what is the meaning of this?” Luo Tie asked, looking very surprised.

“I believe this fellow cheated,” Wang Hu insisted, still unwilling to give up.

Jiang Chen declared loudly, “Since Senior Brother Wang says I cheated and claims the Earth Qi is insufficient, why don’t we find someone with an awakened Earth Spiritual Root to inspect the soil right now? Wouldn’t that resolve the matter?”.

Wang Hu saw Jiang Chen’s composure and felt his heart sink.

“Junior Brother Lin An, you happen to know someone; could you go fetch him?” Uncle Chen asked, his request sounding more like an order.

Lin An hurried off and brought Iron (Tie Zhu) back.

Upon seeing the Spirit Farm surrounded by people, including formal disciples, Iron was instantly bewildered. He had no idea what was going on. He didn’t think he was needed for soil loosening at this time.

Lin An quickly said, “Senior Brother Chen, the person has been brought.”.

“Greetings, three Senior Brothers!” Iron was very nervous.

Uncle Chen looked him over. “You’re Tie Zhu, right?”.

Uncle Chen pointed behind where Jiang Chen was standing. “Inspect this acre of Spirit Farm and tell us if the Earth Qi is sufficient.”.

“You must check carefully. Don’t be sloppy,” Wang Hu glared, looking aggressive.

Iron scratched his head. “Well… I don’t need to check!”.

Luo Tie and Wang Hu exchanged a look and couldn’t help asking, “Why?”.

Iron said proudly, “Three months ago, I was the one who restored the Earth Qi to this very plot!”. In his view, this was a great chance to advertise. Therefore, he spoke as loudly as possible.

Everyone heard it clearly.

Wang Hu was completely stunned. No wonder the other party was so composed! He had already found someone to restore the Earth Qi. Who leaked this secret?!.

“Did Senior Brother Wang hear that clearly?” Jiang Chen launched his ultimate salvo: “Do you still think I cheated? Do you wish to continue this harassment?”.

Wang Hu reluctantly suppressed his displeasure and forced a dry laugh. “A misunderstanding. It was all a misunderstanding.”.

Jiang Chen asked further, “Then, Senior Brother Luo, have I completed the assessment?”.

“Since there’s no issue, of course it counts as complete!” Luo Tie nodded emphatically.

“Congratulations, Senior Brother Jiang!”

The surrounding people had originally been watching the drama. They had expected Jiang Chen to fail the assessment this time. Unexpectedly, he actually succeeded. The attitudes of those around him immediately shifted, and they offered their congratulations.

“Cheers to all!” Jiang Chen cupped his hands to the crowd.

However, this was not the true reason for his happiness. The real reason was:

(Effect One: Affinity with flora) (Effect One: Stamina enhanced) (Effect Two: Vigor enhanced) (Effect Two: Yield amplification +20%) (Effect Three: Can predict and diagnose spiritual plant growth problems)

Converted into years, he had accumulated a full forty-six years of lifespan!