Chapter 68: Spring Departs, Autumn Arrives

Over the next two days, they challenged it several more times, but all ended in failure. This Foundation Establishment Initial Stage wooden dummy was very fond of kicking bottoms, kicking them into the lake multiple times!

After a few times, Lin Jing felt that his bottom had turned into a lotus flower; perhaps in the future, he wouldn’t even need a lotus seat if he were to manifest as a Buddha.

Besides that, the wooden dummy’s combat experience was exceptionally rich. Whenever they used the Flying Leaf Technique to fly, the wooden dummy would pick up stones from the ground and hurl them, fast and accurate.

Lin Jing summoned the Dragon Carp and used the Fire Control Technique to manipulate flames, hoping to suppress it through elemental advantage, but the wooden dummy would shake up lake water to block them.

The wooden dummy was also made of wood, so the Pine Leaf Squirrel tried to use the Azure Emperor Longevity Art to restrain it, but the opponent only stiffened for an instant before immediately breaking free.

As for ghost fire and illusions, that was even more ridiculous; the wooden dummy had no Soul to burn, nor would it be affected by illusions.

Fortunately, the wooden dummy was not a real enemy, otherwise Lin Jing and the others would have already died a dozen times.

However, although they had failed many times, Lin Jing could still see hope for victory.

Judging by the combat process, the wooden dummy was likely afraid of fire; otherwise, it could have simply tanked the attacks like it did with the Flying Leaf Technique or Water Arrow Spell, rather than dodging or shaking up water to block.

“Increase the Dragon Carp’s cultivation.”

“Increase my own cultivation and the proficiency of the Fire Control Technique.”

“As for the Pine Leaf Squirrel, continue cultivating the Azure Emperor Longevity Art. The Azure Emperor Longevity Art does indeed have a suppressive effect on plants, but since the Pine Leaf Squirrel’s mana is currently insufficient, it can only restrain the opponent for less than a second during combat. However, if it reaches Minor Achievement, perhaps it can hold it for longer.”

After analyzing, Lin Jing discovered that to defeat the wooden dummy, they needed a significant improvement in their existing mana and skills. “Let’s Cultivate.”

Food was self-sufficient, and Spirit Stones were exceptionally abundant. With nothing but cultivation, Lin Jing and the others immediately began their arduous training, using the wooden dummy daily to test their progress, losing track of time. The only thing Lin Jing regretted was that the Blood-Sucking Vine was of a slightly high grade, which his current Glazed Immortal Eyes could not synthesize for the time being; otherwise, he would have loved to see the effects of a mutated Blood-Sucking Vine.

Spring departed and autumn arrived; in the blink of an eye, three months passed.

The battle between Lin Jing and the others against the wooden dummy had escalated to a quite intense level, but even after so long, they still couldn’t defeat the wooden dummy.

By the lake, the wooden dummy was fixed in place, unable to move. In three months, the Pine Leaf Squirrel had already reached the ninth level of Qi Refining, and its Demonic Technique had already reached Minor Achievement.

After the Azure Emperor Longevity Art reached Minor Achievement, the effect of devouring the Blood-Sucking Vine diminished significantly, bordering on ineffective.

At this moment, the Pine Leaf Squirrel no longer liked using the Mechanical Bamboo Gun as a weapon, having switched to an ordinary tree branch!

Its Daoist robe fluttered. After using the Minor Achievement Demonic Technique to freeze the wooden dummy for an instant, it simultaneously urged its Green Emperor True Qi, causing the branch in its hand to grow and mutate crazily, quickly transforming into a thick tree trunk that surged forward and bound the wooden dummy!

Plant Control!

While the wooden dummy struggled, Lin Jing, holding the “Dragon Carp Zen Staff”, had already formed a Seal with one hand, manipulating the flames spewed by the Dragon Carp to attack!

In three months, the Dragon Carp’s cultivation had reached the eighth level of Qi Refining, and Lin Jing’s cultivation had reached the seventh level of Qi Refining. The Breakthrough in cultivation made the Dragon Carp’s flame temperature higher. The powerful flames, supplemented by Lin Jing’s more precise control, were compressed into fire bombs the size of Medicinal Pills shortly after being spat out of the Dragon Carp’s mouth, flying towards the wooden dummy!

Under the coordination of Lin Jing and the Pine Leaf Squirrel, the fire bombs went through the gaps in the binding tree branches and all smashed onto the wooden dummy. With a few rumbling sounds, they were able to inflict a certain amount of damage to the wooden dummy.

However, what made Lin Jing and the others feel the most frustrated was that after enduring a round of bombardment, the wooden dummy could still move while scorched black all over, and using the aftermath, it would break free from the tree binding and fight back vigorously.

Such an opponent that knew no pain and no fatigue was truly difficult to deal with.

After a bout of fighting, the Dragon Carp, Lin Jing, and the Pine Leaf Squirrel were all low on True Qi and were defeated. On the other hand, although the wooden dummy had large-scale burns, had endured multiple rounds of attacks, and half its head had been blown apart, it was still able to fight.

“We’re not fighting anymore!” The months of fighting had also caused Lin Jing and the others to change their mindset; they no longer thought about relying on stockpiled resources to win, but instead wanted to see if they could rely on their own mana to face the enemy.

Of course—the real reason was that the Pine Leaf Squirrel didn’t want to waste its stockpile on daily training.

“Senior Demon Pine, why do I feel like the wooden dummy’s strength has become stronger again? You didn’t secretly adjust the data, did you?”

“Didn’t you say it would be maintained at the Foundation Establishment Initial Stage combat power? I feel—its defense has definitely increased.”

Lin Jing lay on the ground, gasping for breath, while the Pine Leaf Squirrel and the Dragon Carp each collapsed to one side, feeling the same way.

“So you realized? It is only reasonable that your opponent becomes stronger along with you as time passes. It has already been growing very slowly.”

“On the path of Demonic Cultivation, one must not only be stronger than the opponent at the moment, but the growth rate must also always be faster than the opponent’s. Only in this way will you not be killed by the Righteous Path.” Senior Demon Pine did not deny it.

Lin Jing rolled his eyes; he knew something was wrong.

“Let me teach you another lesson. As a Demonic Cultivator, never believe what others say, otherwise, you wouldn’t have enough lives. You believed me just because I said it; you are too young.”

“Understood.” Lin Jing no longer wanted to refute that he was not a Demonic Cultivator.

“Give us a few more days, and we should be able to defeat it.”

“Just using the trees sprouted by the Pine Leaf Squirrel to bind the wooden dummy won’t hold it for long before it breaks free! The Divine Wood Seal—if the Pine Leaf Squirrel and I could also skillfully use the Divine Wood Seal you taught us in actual combat, we could better lock down its movements and then heavily damage it!”

The Divine Pine said: “The Divine Wood Seal requires tedious preparation, and furthermore, you need to combine your efforts to cast it. If you want to use it in combat, it won’t give you time to prepare.”

The Divine Wood Seal, the sealing Spell used to Seal the Ice Soul Gu, is essentially the application of Mental Energy. It requires using Mental Energy to brand Bloodline-like divine patterns onto wood-attribute creations, allowing the wood-attribute creations to contain divinity, as if one’s own will is attached to the Divine Wood, suppressing everything.

Lin Jing could not control plants, but having lived two lives, his Mental Energy was powerful, and his control over power was more precise. However, the Pine Leaf Squirrel was busy controlling the plants; with its energy, it could not spare the distraction to brand the divine patterns, so currently, they could only combine their efforts to cast it.

However, as the Divine Pine said, even so, it was not easy at all, because Lin Jing needed an extremely quiet environment just to meditate, mobilize, and project his Mental Energy. Then, the branding process was extremely difficult. During previous practice, it took several minutes to complete, and this was even after his mind had been strengthened by Buddha light. It is evident that the Divine Wood Seal is simply not something a Qi Refining Cultivator can handle.

In a few minutes of combat, the Dragon Carp would have already been done for.

“Senior Demon Pine, since there is no time to prepare during combat, we just need to prepare dozens or hundreds of pieces of Divine Wood branded with divine patterns before the battle, and then let the Pine Leaf Squirrel take them out to control them,” Lin Jing said.

The Demon Pine asked: “Didn’t you say you wouldn’t use stockpiled resources to face enemies in combat?”

“Senior, as a Demonic Cultivator, never believe what others say. I’ve changed my mind.” Lin Jing applied what he had learned.

“Then I have also changed my mind. I won’t give you the chance to defeat the wooden dummy. Now I want to change the assessment content and teach you another lesson: as a Demonic Cultivator, do not reason with the person who makes the rules; fists are the hard truth..”

Lin Jing:???

Fine, fine, fine. Old ginger is spicier.

After the Demon Pine finished speaking, the Pine Leaf Squirrel and the Dragon Carp also felt as if struck by a bolt of lightning. They had been beaten for three months and weren’t given a chance for revenge? What a wicked demonic tree!

“I perceive that a Spiritual Plant containing space attributes is about to be born in the Great Wilderness. It should be beneficial to that Squirrel; you go and snatch it.”

“Squeak?” The Pine Leaf Squirrel, which had originally felt like life was meaningless, suddenly had True Qi gushing out from its body like a spring. It quickly crawled up, its eyes shining.

“Spatial Spiritual Plant???” Lin Jing was taken aback.

“Yes, but it seems several great demons at the Demon Core stage and Golden Core Cultivators have also set their eyes on that Spiritual Plant. I will not intervene; you must find a way yourselves. After finishing this job, go to the academy.”

“Senior, how about we just go back to fighting the wooden dummy?”