Du Lingfei's words immediately drew loud laughter from the surrounding outer disciples. They simply could not believe that Bai Xiaochun could surpass Du Lingfei in his mastery of flora.
Especially the final words Bai Xiaochun spoke seemed utterly impossible to them — it sounded like nothing but blind guessing.
"If Bai Xiaochun really saw through it, then his mastery of flora would be enough to compare with Senior Sister Zhou Xinqi's in the top three chapters. How could that be possible?"
"This guy is just putting on airs, really annoying! This time, we must expose him!"
Amid the laughter and ridicule, Bai Xiaochun frowned deeply.
"Are you done talking?" His expression grew colder by the second. He was truly angry now. If it were a fight, he might remain calm, but as someone determined to become a great herbalist, having his skills in flora questioned felt like an insult.
"You can question my luck, you can question my treasures, but in the way of flora, don't judge the entire world with your shallow insight!"
His voice echoed solemnly, and though his body was small and thin, he gave off the aura of a towering mountain peak. His icy gaze caused the laughing disciples to pause in shock.
Even Du Lingfei was taken aback — Bai Xiaochun seemed like a completely different person now.
"This spirit plant, let's call it the Black-and-White Flower. It contains Golden-Silver Root, Tianhuang Leaf, Shui Luo Grass, Jiudi Fruit, Luowen Flesh, Bianyun Flower, Xunfeng Stem, and Hanyang Fruit..." Bai Xiaochun snorted coldly and flicked his sleeve. No longer the cute but annoying boy from before, he stood with his hands behind his back, eyes cold and surveying the crowd, an unexplainable aura manifesting around him.
As he spoke, his aura grew stronger, and the onlookers' expressions turned increasingly astonished.
Du Lingfei furrowed her brow, carefully examining the spirit plant. She knew all the herbs Bai Xiaochun mentioned — all recorded in the first three chapters of flora — yet she couldn't detect any trace of them on the plant.
"Looks like you really want to recite all three chapters of flora. If you can guess more correctly than me, and recite every single one without missing any, then I admit defeat," Du Lingfei said coldly, still disbelieving Bai Xiaochun had truly identified them.
"That's right. If you have the skill to recite all three chapters by heart, then you win!"
"Putting on airs! What shallow insight? What grand view of the world? If you don't recognize something, just admit it. Stop acting like a trickster — it's embarrassing!" the crowd sneered.
Bai Xiaochun looked coldly at Du Lingfei, then at the others, then smiled faintly and withdrew his gaze. He spoke calmly:
"Bai Cao Root. Thirty years to become Bai Cao, take its meridians and roast them, infuse with spirit water, then graft it onto Tianhuang Leaf to form these spots." He pointed a finger, and a faint breeze revealed a tiny spot beneath a leaf on the plant.
"Tianhuang Leaf — every nine leaves merge into one, swallowing the Baizhuo Flower to grow. It's right here!"
"Baizhuo Flower — under a hundred years it can't bloom, blooms only for a moment once a century, then quickly graft four-leaf ginseng onto it within a hundred breaths, nourishing the Tianhuang Leaf. This white flower is Baizhuo!"
"Four-leaf Ginseng — warmed by spirit fire until its leaves wither, its essence blends into the ginseng, promoting the development of Ping Beizi fruit, uniting as one!"
"And Ping Beizi..." Bai Xiaochun's voice was calm and steady. With each word, he swept the breeze over the plant, revealing the grafting marks. He spoke in detail, even explaining the methods used.
At first, the crowd still wore sneers, but gradually their ridicule faded. Faces changed; breaths grew short. One by one, they checked their jade tablets, trembling in shock and disbelief.
"This is impossible!"
"Heavens! How could it be?"
Bai Xiaochun's words hit like invisible slaps. These disciples were all young herbalists, unable to discern the secrets of this spirit plant before. But now, hearing Bai Xiaochun's precise explanation, they all had to acknowledge his knowledge.
What he said was flawless — absolutely correct. He had, by himself, slapped all the outer disciples in the face!
"The mastery Bai Xiaochun has over flora is... at an astonishing level!" The disciples' hearts thundered. Their previous mockery was replaced by a burning sting on their faces.
What shocked them most was Bai Xiaochun's method — reverse deduction. From a grafted spirit plant, he inferred the entire grafting technique. Such reverse reasoning demanded an unbelievable mastery of flora.
"This... this is reverse deduction! His understanding of flora has reached this level?"
Even Elder Sun's eyes widened in disbelief. "A young herbalist deducing a spirit plant cultivated by the sect leader... this is..."
Li Qinghou's eyes gleamed with strong light. At this moment, Bai Xiaochun was beyond belief even to him.
Du Lingfei's face turned pale instantly. She staggered backward, realizing immediately what Bai Xiaochun said was true. Several times she almost lost focus. The humiliation was crushing.
Bai Xiaochun didn't use any magic. He relied purely on his understanding of flora. His words were like mystical tools that Du Lingfei couldn't resist. Her mind thundered, as if struck by heavenly lightning, forcing her to retreat again, face growing whiter.
"Huobanxia, Jiutian Flame. It allows this spirit plant to endure the scorching sun without dying. Infused with Banxia fruit, it grows Black Head Flower! This is the last spirit herb I can identify." After a half incense stick's time, Bai Xiaochun finished his last sentence, eyes like lightning scanning the crowd before settling on Du Lingfei.
"Senior Sister Du, fellow disciples, the way of flora is vast and profound. There is no absolute truth; otherwise, your mastery would end here. Since you demand I recite all three chapters by heart, how difficult could it be?" Bai Xiaochun raised his chin, flicked his sleeve, and began reciting one by one.
"Spirit Winter Bamboo..."
"Earth Dragon Fruit..."
"Shuimo Root..." His voice rang clear and calm. As he continued, the crowd grew quieter. Only Bai Xiaochun's voice echoed, like he was delivering a second slap after the first.
Even those too ashamed to meet anyone's eyes couldn't help but suck in their breath. Some immediately pulled out jade tablets to verify, trembling more violently as they did.
Du Lingfei's face grew even paler as she retreated further, staring at Bai Xiaochun like she'd seen a ghost.
She had only spoken mockingly before but never seen anyone recite thirty thousand herbs perfectly. Such a feat seemed impossible — if done, it meant his mastery was godlike.
Time passed as Bai Xiaochun recited quickly and steadily for a whole hour. The crowd had no idea how the time passed. Most had already pulled out their tablets to check.
After an hour, when Bai Xiaochun finished the last herb, the crowd erupted in an earth-shaking uproar. The noise spread far beyond the square, even to outer disciples outside.
"Heavens... Not a single mistake, all perfectly correct... How can this be?"
"All thirty thousand herbs... Bai Xiaochun's mastery of flora has reached such a shocking height. What is his ranking on the Flora Stele?"
"Comparing Du Lingfei to Bai Xiaochun in flora is like a stone hitting an egg!"
Amid the thunderous uproar, Du Lingfei looked bitterly at Bai Xiaochun. Even the previous fights hadn't humbled her this much, but now, in flora, she was completely crushed.
She never expected the luck-favored, treasure-rich Bai Xiaochun to have such an unfathomable level of mastery.
With a bitter laugh, she tossed out Lingyun Incense and turned to leave. Staying any longer would only deepen her humiliation.
Once Du Lingfei left, the surrounding outer disciples awkwardly bowed toward Bai Xiaochun before quickly dispersing. The shock they felt would last a long time.
Soon, the training ground emptied except for Bai Xiaochun. He cleared his throat, realizing he might have made a bigger scene than intended. He quickly picked up the Lingyun Incense, glanced cautiously at Li Qinghou, then slipped away in a flash.
Elder Sun watched Bai Xiaochun's retreating figure, eyes still filled with shock.
"Sect Leader, this disciple... is extraordinary!" Elder Sun said softly.
Li Qinghou laughed heartily, laughter full of joy and excitement, swung his wide sleeves, and headed toward the mountaintop.