103: When seedlings encounter drought, call upon the life-giving kite to help protect them, and impart the secret of gathering energy to solidify the seedlings.

Morning dew rolled across the seedling protection grass sprouts of the Shengxi Academy. The tips of the sprouts shimmered with gold; as the wind brushed past, the leaves trembled slightly as if stretching.

Nian Xue squatted by the shed while Little Color lay at her feet, poking at the sprouts with its crystal claw: "Sprout, sprout, grow quickly, grow as tall as me!"

A Qing lay outside the shed, his dragon nose sniffing the wind: "Today's Qi is a bit dry, not as moist as before. Will the seedlings be thirsty?"

A Seedling Cultivation Master from the Spirit Plant Clan came to water them with a watering can. The water inside shimmered with gold: "This is life-breathing water. Watering them with this makes the seedlings grow strong."

When he reached the third row of seedlings, the Seedling Cultivation Master stopped: "The tips of these few sprouts have turned brown. It looks like a lack of Qi, but it wasn't caused by a Life-Extinguishing Shadow."

Nian Xue leaned in to touch the sprouts: "The sprouts are still soft, they haven't withered! But the Qi is very weak, as if it's been sucked away by something."

A student from the Star Spirit Clan held up a crystal stone, which glowed a light brown: "It's 'Withered Sprout Qi.' It specifically consumes the Vitality of seedlings and is more hidden than the Seedling-Devouring Shadow."

Clear Snow walked over, her fingertips sending Life-Breathing Qi into the soil: "The Qi is hidden in the cracks of the earth and dissipates slowly. The seedlings can't absorb enough Qi."

The mark on Lin Chen's palm glowed as he gathered Life-Breathing Qi and injected it into the soil: "Life-Breathing: Gather!" The soil shimmered with gold; the brown Qi seemed to retreat but did not dissipate.

"We need to find something that can draw out the Withered Sprout Qi; just gathering Qi isn't enough." The Dao Source Clan Leader arrived holding his staff, its tip glowing gold.

Just as he finished speaking, several small golden-feathered kites streaked through the air. The kites landed on the roof of the shed, their feathers scattering Life-Breathing Qi, and the brown tips of the seedlings faded.

"It's Vitality! They specifically draw out Withered Sprout Qi and live by eating it!" The Seedling Cultivation Master was pleasantly surprised. "I didn't expect them to come."

The Vitality dived down, their beaks pecking at the cracks in the soil. With every peck, the brown Qi was sucked away. The kites' feathers grew brighter, and their golden radiance intensified.

Nian Xue reached out, and a small kite landed in her palm, lightly pecking her fingertip: "It's so small! Its feathers are so soft."

Little Color jumped up, wanting to touch the kite, but the kite flapped its wings to dodge and landed on A Qing's horn, seemingly unafraid of the Dragon Breath.

A Qing didn't move an inch: "Is it building a nest on my horn? It's okay, I won't move so I don't scare it."

After half a stick of incense's time, the Withered Sprout Qi was completely sucked away. The brown tips of the seedlings vanished entirely, and the gold-flecked sprouts stood straighter as the Vitality circled above the shed.

"They want to stay at the academy!" The Spirit Plant Clan Seedling Cultivation Master laughed. "Let's build some kite nests and let them help protect the seedlings."

The students found some shengxi vines and wove several small nests to hang from the roof of the shed. The Vitality immediately flew inside, appearing very satisfied.

During the morning 'Seedling Protection Class,' Nian Xue taught everyone how to recognize Vitality: "Their feathers are gold, and the tips of their beaks have a bit of red. They specifically eat Withered Sprout Qi."

A small student from the Spirit Plant Clan asked: "If there is Withered Sprout Qi in other realms, can we invite the kites to go there?"

Lin Chen nodded: "Vitality recognizes places with dense Life-Breathing Qi. As long as you plant enough life-breathing grass, they will follow."

In the afternoon, Lin Chen taught the students to practice the 'Qi Gathering Art': "Press your palms together, let the Qi emerge from your palms, and circle the seedling three times. The Qi will then gather."

Nian Xue practiced first. As the Qi circled the seedling, it shimmered with gold, and the sprout grew half an inch: "Look, everyone! If you practice like this, the seedlings grow faster!"

Little Color also tried to learn, pressing its crystal claws together. Although it gathered very little Qi, it still made a weak seedling stand a bit straighter, making the students laugh.

A Qing lay to the side, his Dragon Breath circling a patch of seedlings: "My Qi is thick; I can protect a whole patch of seedlings at once. It's faster than the formula!"

Halfway through the practice, the Vitality on the roof suddenly began to cry out, their feathers standing on end as if giving a warning. The tips of the seedlings in the corner of the shed turned brown again.

"The Withered Sprout Qi is back! There's more than before!" The Star Spirit student's crystal stone glowed a darker brown.

The Vitality dived down, pecking at the soil cracks, but they couldn't keep up with the speed at which the brown Qi was spreading. More and more brown tips appeared on the seedlings.

"Everyone, use the Qi Gathering Art! Help the kites draw out the Qi!" Lin Chen shouted. The students gathered around, their Qi circling the seedlings, drawing the brown Qi into the air.

The Vitality flew into the sky, their feathers scattering golden Qi to form small whirlwinds. The brown Qi was sucked into the whirlwinds and was soon completely consumed.

Nian Xue's Qi was the purest. As it circled a large seedling, its brown tip vanished the fastest. A Vitality kite landed on her shoulder as if to say thank you.

Little Color ran throughout the shed, its crystal claw tapping every seedling to stabilize their Qi. A Qing's Dragon Breath swept through the corners of the shed, and the brown Qi was thoroughly dispersed.

"This Withered Sprout Qi drifted in from outside the academy!" Clear Snow walked to the academy gates, her fingertip touching a wisp of brown Qi.

Lin Chen gathered Qi in his palm and pressed it against the ground outside the courtyard: "Life-Breathing: Wall Construction!" A row of shengxi vines grew from the earth, intertwining into a wall that shimmered with gold.

"This wall can block the Withered Sprout Qi, and the Vitality can also build nests on the wall for double protection." Lin Chen said, and the kites on the vine wall immediately settled onto it.

In the evening, as the students finished school, they all went to see the Vitality on the vine wall. Some even brought life-breathing seeds from home to feed the kites.

A small student from the Dragon Clan said: "I'm going back to tell my clan to plant shengxi vines and attract Vitality to protect our seedlings!"

Nian Xue nodded: "That's great! In the future, every realm will have Vitality, and Withered Sprout Qi will never be able to harm seedlings again."

Returning to the shed, the Seedling Cultivation Master plucked a leaf from a life-breathing flower and fed it to a small kite: "From now on, you are the academy's 'Seedling Protection Kites.'"

The small kite pecked at the flower leaf and chirped twice as if in promise. The golden radiance on its feathers grew brighter, making the inside of the shed feel warm and cozy.

Lin Chen and Clear Snow stood in the center of the courtyard, looking at the kites on the vine wall and the seedlings in the shed. The marks on their palms glowed golden, merging with the Life Qi of the academy.

Nian Xue lay on A Qing's back with Little Color curled in her arms. A Vitality kite landed on A Qing's wing, and together they watched the sunset on the horizon.

The seedling protection team of Shengxi Academy had gained the Vitality. These tiny golden-feathered creatures, carrying the warmth of life-breathing energy, became a new protective force, making the academy's seedlings and the Vitality of all worlds more stable and flourishing.