nagpurpolice Chapter 21: The Mediocre Genius's Disguise Plan
Chapter 21: The Mediocre Genius's Disguise Plan
After the acquisition was completed.
The underground market night market hadn't ended, and the passersby were still buzzing with excitement, discussing the remarkable achievement of winning first place with the dual-attribute superior fruit. But to Qian Cheng, these words were like a raging fire burning his heart.
"Ah—" He frantically darted into a narrow alley, weaving between darkness and dim streetlights, his eyes bloodshot. "Why the hell did you have to screw me over? You ruined my chances of making the cut!"
Spit splashed onto the dark stall like a downpour, and Qian Cheng vented his emotions with wild gestures, as if he were about to throw a punch at someone at any moment.
The stall owner in the black robe remained expressionless and said casually, "Don't yell and scream. If you scare away passing customers, how am I supposed to do business?"
"Doing business? You're selling me contraband! Is this a legitimate business? Stop it!" Qian Cheng was furious. He grabbed the edge of the stall table and flipped it over with a bang!
Bang! The black-robed stall owner pressed down with a finger, and the entire table returned to its original position. The spirit seed bag jumped back in mid-air for a moment, and dust settled.
"You..." Qian Cheng gritted his teeth, his face flushed, and the veins on his forearms bulged, but the stall table did not move an inch, as if a load-bearing wall was pressing down on it.
Instead, my own legs were trembling.
The stall owner smiled knowingly, his eyes holding a meaningful look: "Kid, this isn't a legitimate business. You think you can just hire me to 'graft' you through the assessment and make you a legitimate person?"
With a thud, Qian Cheng jolted, lost his balance, and fell to the ground. His eyes were still red as he roared, "So what? My dad spent all his money on me. What's wrong with wanting a chance to be mentored? But now I have no chance at all!"
Because his cultivation of mutated spirit seeds was discovered, Yidan Garden's purchasing store blacklisted him, meaning all his future output could only be sold at a low price to "buyers" from other places, leaving him with no future prospects in the local market.
Next, they may face scrutiny from regulatory authorities. If any trace of collusion between Jiuzhi Garden and the mysterious plant cultivators is discovered, Jiuzhi Garden will definitely sever ties immediately.
I'm just a high school graduate. The job I got by giving up my college entrance exam qualification has already abandoned me. What am I going to do in the future?
Adding to the debt incurred from the family's bribery of Wu Shan, they have to mortgage their property to repay it, and everything is going to be ruined!
And all of this started with the stall in front of me, which tricked me into buying the mutated spirit seed!
Qian Cheng got up, took out his phone, and said, "It's all your fault. I'm innocent. The mutated spirit seed has nothing to do with me. I've reported you, and the regulatory bureau will definitely understand that I'm also a victim..."
"After running this stall for so many years, this is the first time I've met someone as spineless as you. You want something when you're not buying it, but once you buy it, you get scared at the slightest hint of trouble. With this mentality, you think you can become a spirit plant master?" the stall owner said calmly.
The dialing finger paused, and Qian Cheng suddenly realized something, looking up in alarm: "Aren't you...aren't you afraid the regulatory authorities will find out about this?"
"You think you're the only one who's tried to report me all these years?" the black-robed stall owner said calmly. "It seems I mentioned I'm skilled in grafting. Did you think I could only graft a few fruits?"
Upon hearing this, Qian Cheng felt a chill run down his spine, but then a glint of light flashed in his eyes. "They can't find you? That means they can't find out about my deal with you either. The mutated spirit seed was cultivated accidentally. I'm not finished yet..."
"You've finally used your brain a little," the black-robed stall owner grunted, then said calmly, "Not only are you not finished, but if you're willing to pay, I can even guarantee you'll pass the test."
Qian Cheng paused, clenched his fists, and stared intently at his opponent. "Damn it, are you trying to trick me again? Do you know that my opponent, Jiang Qiu, can cultivate a dual-attribute superior-grade fruit and even obtained a superior-grade [Heart Field Pill]!"
"When word of his deeds reaches the Ninth Garden today, our director will definitely look at us with new respect. Faced with such a nurturing genius, what chance do I have of turning the tables?!"
"I'm a fucking mediocre person!"
The black-robed stall owner chuckled. "I've seen him. Jiang Qiu does indeed have a talent for nurturing, but the Heart Field he opened after consuming the superior-grade Heart Field Pill has no special characteristics. His cultivation talent is extremely mediocre."
"【Heart Field】has no special characteristics?!" Qian Cheng's pupils contracted, and his heart suddenly trembled with excitement.
After going to Courtyard No. 17, he met many apprentices. According to Brother Wang, many of them came from ordinary families and used low-grade pills to open their "heart fields". Their characteristics were not very good, and they could only become spirit plant masters by working hard until they were old.
But at least it has some unique characteristics.
If even a high-grade pill of considerable value cannot awaken one's special abilities, one can only imagine how terrible one's cultivation talent must be!
A flame of inspiration reignited in Qian Cheng's heart. He muttered to himself, "Without cultivation talent, one might stagnate for decades. The garden wouldn't want to cultivate someone like that."
But upon further reflection, his eyes dimmed again: "But I am the one who is utterly mediocre. How much cultivation talent do I have to compensate for the gap?"
"Heh, a mediocre person can still pretend to be a genius," the black-robed stall owner said, holding up a level 1 spirit seed bag. His tone was seductive. "Buy one, take it home and cultivate it. Then come find me, and I'll help you become a 'genius' who will amaze the Nine Plant Garden."
Qian Cheng's heart skipped a beat, and alarm bells rang in his mind: "Another mutated spirit seed?!"
"Does it really matter? You've already grown it once. Regardless of whether this stuff is harmful or not, its profits are always outstanding." The black-robed stall owner weighed the bag in his hand. "You just want to pass the test. The opportunity is in front of you; it's all about your determination."
"I..." Qian Cheng was conflicted. The punishment for failing to win the championship today had already served as a warning, but if he didn't continue to compete with Jiang Qiu for that spot, wouldn't all his previous efforts be in vain?
Besides... this mutated spirit seed has yielded amazing profits, and there has been no obvious harm from cultivating it so far. Why not continue to cultivate it? I've already bought it once!
But more important than that is how he helped me pretend to be a "genius" and pass the test smoothly?
The thought had barely crossed Qian Cheng's mind when he suddenly heard the other person speak: "Are you worried that with my abilities, I can't help you become a 'genius' and pass the assessment?"
"That's right! The internship assessment has two parts. The first part looks at the cultivation results, which allows for some deception. But your mutated spirit seed can't even fool a young alchemist, let alone a more experienced spirit plant master."
Qian Cheng sneered, sweating profusely, his expression a mix of fear and excitement. "But actually, the most important thing is the second item, testing spiritual affinity. That's purely determined by innate factors. How can you help with that?"
"Hehe, you took it upon yourself to bring the fruit to the event without asking me to [graft] it. Even a blind cultivator like Zhao Nan could see that."
The black-robed stall owner remained as steady as an old fisherman, taking out a spirit seed from his bag. "As for the second test, it's nothing more than testing whether you have the physique for cultivation. Usually, people with ordinary physiques can be called geniuses, but I can use this spirit seed to shape you into a rare physique."
The spirit seed shimmered with a ghostly light at his fingertips.
It was reflected in Qian Cheng's iris.
It is breathtaking.