Chapter 112: Rankings and Points

Zhao Xing looked at the rankings displayed on the mirror.

First, Shi Yong, Tiger Flood Army.

Second, Zhuang Ziqing, Tiger Flood Army.

Third, Feng Qiu, Tiger Flood Army.

Fourth, Hua Zhilin, Black Armor Army.

Fifth, Guan Junyang, Black Armor Army.

Ninth, Meng Song, Blazing Sun Army.

Tenth, Han Bing, Divine Might Army.

The top three were all swept by the Tiger Flood Army; within the top ten, five were also from the Tiger Flood Army. Of the remaining five, two were from the Black Armor Army, two from the Blazing Sun Army, and one from the Divine Might Army.

Zhao Xing continued to look further down and quickly spotted his own name.

Twenty-ninth, Zhao Xing, Divine Might Army.

"Ranked twenty-ninth?"

"Not bad."

Zhao Xing nodded slightly.

In this trial, he had a great disadvantage compared to the others.

Because he was a clerk-official promoted to office, and was then directly transferred to the Divine Might Army.

Strictly speaking, Zhao Xing only had 【Yin Wind】 and 【Ice Rain】 as techniques of the Military Agricultural Officer; 【Five Elements Earth-Splitting】 and 【Boundless Earth Palace】 could also be learned by Civil Agricultural Officers.

Additionally, classics and secret methods like the Solar Terms Command, the Myriad Things Growth Diagram, the Returning Earth to Origin, and the Yin-Yang Original Self Scripture had not yet been formally begun.

This registration had over ten thousand participants.

Ranked twenty-ninth among ten thousand people? It had already exceeded Zhao Xing's expectations.

"I wasted some effort at the Ten Thousand Li Lei Chi, and besides, traveling at a normal pace isn't exactly first-rate speed."

Zhao Xing borrowed cloud Qi to enhance the speed of his Cloud-Stepping Boots; merely summoning wind was only a beginner-level technique.

Those truly considered first-rate in speed were the one who rode the Wind Sha, and the one who traveled underground through the earth's veins.

"If it weren't for overtaking at the Earthfire Plains and the Ten Thousand Li Lei Chi, I might not even have made the top one hundred… but twenty-ninth place still earns quite a few points." Zhao Xing walked forward along with the people ahead.

First place, reward ten thousand points.

Second place, reward eight thousand points.

Third place, reward six thousand points.

Fourth to tenth place, reward four thousand points.

Eleventh to twentieth place, reward two thousand points.

Twenty-first to fiftieth place, one thousand points.

Fiftieth to one hundredth, five hundred points.

Beyond one hundredth, there were no point rewards.

Apart from the top ten's point rewards, which had multiple tiers, for the ranks after that, a difference of ten or twenty places all received the same reward.

Because in this kind of trial, strength was only one part of the factor. Some people might not be good at traveling, but be very strong in offense; some were good at cultivating plants; some were good at supporting the army… the strength of a Military Agricultural Officer was a composite of many aspects.

A difference of ten or twenty places further down didn't necessarily mean a great gap in strength; besides, the landing point upon entry also had an element of luck.

Take Zhao Xing—he was lucky, entering from the Dahu entrance, not far from the Earthfire Plains.

Of course, if one could rank in the top ten, the concept would be entirely different.

As he walked, a paper crane suddenly landed on Zhao Xing's shoulder.

"New recruit reporting, turn right ahead, proceed to the Pinghuai Hall, and collect your personal seal."

Paper-folding technique, Thousand-Leaf Paper Crane.

Zhao Xing was not unfamiliar with this technique; it was a type within the broader category of Grass Soldier techniques.

Ritual Cultivators could use wild geese to deliver messages; Military Agricultural Officers could fold Thousand-Leaf Paper Cranes; Divine Officials of Ceremonies could summon Yin Gods to transmit messages; Mechanism Masters could create Earth Mirror Instruments and Heaven-Connecting Instruments.

Even martial warriors had secret methods for transmitting information, though the distance was much shorter, and not as convenient as the other professions.

Zhao Xing was the twenty-ninth to enter, so there weren't too many people yet.

Following the guidance of the Thousand-Leaf Paper Crane, he walked within the Agricultural Officer Monitoring Office.

"The Agricultural Officer Monitoring Office set up within the Soldier Realm is the same as the outside one."

"But there are some differences too. The overall architectural style and occupied area of the Agricultural Officer Monitoring Office here have been magnified many times over." Zhao Xing observed as he walked.

"The specifications are also very high. The Military Agricultural Officer Monitoring Office is built entirely according to the configuration of a prefecture-level agricultural monitoring office."

The Gucheng Agricultural Officer Monitoring Office was only county-level, and many buildings were absent. For instance, the Armory, the Marching Hall, the Heavenly Timing Hall, and so on.

"Name."

"Zhao Xing."

"Which army are you from?"

"Divine Might Army."

"One moment."

A Mechanism Master hurried into the inner hall, and then came back out very quickly.

"It's engraved. This is your secret seal and Earth Mirror Instrument."

The slightly balding Mechanism Master explained: "The secret seal is your identity proof; the Earth Mirror Instrument is a child mirror, a treasure for information storage. In many places within the Ten Sun Grotto-Heaven, it can connect to the mother mirror. Once outside the Ten Sun Grotto-Heaven, it can only display stored information and cannot update in real time."

"Thank you. May I ask when the branch academy training begins?"

The balding Mechanism Master shook his head: "Don't ask me about that, I'm just a Mechanism Master. You should ask the paper crane."

The paper crane on his shoulder said: "Branch academy selection is in one month. The Heavenly Timing, Earth Advantage, Grand Granary, and Pinghuai Four Academies admit only those of outstanding merit; the rest, the Four Seasons Academy and the Phenology Academy, may be chosen freely. There are also many private courtyards; if you wish to go study there, it depends on the requirements of each courtyard's master."

"Training is divided into mandatory and elective. Mandatory training must be attended, mainly field training with the army; no one may be absent."

"Elective training has many options, but you must pass twelve times within a year. Miss one, and you'll be discharged from the reserves and sent back to your place of origin."

"If you pass both the mandatory and elective training, you can truly complete the selection and transfer, and go take up a post in the army."

Zhao Xing nodded. Mandatory training was mainly training programs coordinated with army operations — that was why the Military Agricultural Officer was called a Military Agricultural Officer, because he served the army. So these training sessions could not be missed.

Elective training was about choosing one's own direction of development. Military Agricultural Officer was a general term; in reality there were many different posts: there were the Store-Farming Captains who specialized in stockpiling farmland, the Nine-Section Agricultural Officers who specialized in warfare, and the Level-River Captains who managed waterways.

There were many directions; it depended on the individual's choice.

"Where do I live?" After parting from the bald mechanism master, Zhao Xing asked the paper crane again.

"You are the twenty-ninth to report. Reporting itself is a kind of test, so you may receive a separate courtyard."

"Turn left and go straight ahead to reach the residential area. You may go pick one yourself — any unoccupied one, you may move in."

"After moving in, you may use the Earth Mirror body in your hand to register, and you will become the master of the courtyard."

"The Earth Mirror body can also be used to look up treasures in the armory; it records your points."

"What if I don't have enough points?"

The paper crane replied: "You may go to the Development Hall to take on tasks — exploring grotto-heavens, modifying grotto-heavens, excavating grotto-heaven treasures. There are many types to choose from. Given the grade of your Earth Mirror body, you may take on tasks of the fourth grade and below."

Actually, Zhao Xing was not unfamiliar with these procedures, but there were still some differences in different periods.

Besides, as a newcomer, asking nothing at all would seem a bit strange. Who knew which big shot was casting spells behind this paper crane? It was better to behave normally.

"Turn left, go forward."

"Present your secret seal, you may pass."

"Turn right."

"Alright, you may cast a spell to fly now."

Led by the paper crane, Zhao Xing stepped on rising clouds and flew forward for about two quarter-hours before arriving at the residential area.

The residential area included terrain such as mountains, lakes, wilderness, grasslands, and even desert oases.

Moreover, the weather in the residential area changed every so often.

Zhao Xing shuttled along the designated main road, passing a manor roughly two kilometers long where heavy snow was falling.

But after the Snow Domain Manor, the next manor was in the blazing heat of midsummer.

After half-flying and half-walking for a while, Zhao Xing had already experienced different environments and different seasons.

Even though it was not his first time seeing such a scene, he was still somewhat moved — truly wondrous.

"This is it."

After searching for a while, half-flying and half-walking, Zhao Xing took a fancy to a courtyard that was not small, with willows planted in it.

"Registering with the Earth Mirror requires naming the villa. Is there anything else you wish to ask?"

"Nothing."

Poof~ The paper crane immediately self-ignited, turning to ash.

"It's paper polished from fragrant bamboo leaves." Zhao Xing sniffed, then registered in the Earth Mirror.

【Willow Court】

【Duplicate, please rename.】

【Pagoda Willow Court】

【Duplicate, please rename.】

【Two Pagoda Willows Court】

【Duplicate, please rename.】

"..." Zhao Xing was a bit speechless — why was it so hard to pick a lousy name?

【Eighteen Pagoda Willows Court】

【Naming successful. You have become the master of 'Eighteen Pagoda Willows Court'. Without permission, others cannot enter.】

【The coordinates and boundaries of this courtyard have been fixed and cannot be altered through spells. It can withstand the power of a high-grade seventh-tier spell at maximum.】

【Welcome to your new home.】

Zhao Xing pushed the door open and went in.

He then began to check the information in the Earth Mirror.

Half a quarter-hour after Zhao Xing finished reporting and moving in,

Li Feng had finally arrived at the Agricultural Bureau as well.

But when he saw the crowd on the plaza, his heart sank halfway.

"So many people — there must already be over a hundred."

After landing on the plaza, Li Feng immediately looked into the mirror.

When he looked, he quickly found his own ranking.

"One hundred and forty-three?"

Looking again at the rankings of a few others he knew from the Tiger Jiao Army, his whole face darkened somewhat.

"Zhuang Ziqing, Shi Yong, Feng Qiu, sweeping the top three? The other two whose strength is about the same as mine are also in the top ten or top twenty."

Li Feng was so frustrated he felt like vomiting blood.

In the Tiger Jiao Army's internal screening, he had ranked sixth!

By all rights, he should have been able to get a top-ten score.

But now, he had dropped straight to over a hundred.

Over a hundred was still a decent result — after all, there were over ten thousand participants.

But Li Feng still felt stifled in his heart.

"I was ranked sixth in the internal selection, but now I've dropped to over a hundred — all because of that treacherous bastard."

Li Feng could not forget Zhao Xing's face, especially how at the very start, Zhao Xing had loudly shouted, "Li Feng, don't push people too far!"

Just thinking about it made him furious!

"Don't let me run into him!" Li Feng seethed inwardly. Still, he knew that among these ten thousand-plus people, running into that person wouldn't be easy. He could only set the matter aside for now and hurry off to report in.

"Rumble~"

Zhuo Li burrowed out of the soil, then suddenly leaped forward and landed on the plaza.

He dusted himself off, then looked toward the Earth Mirror Instrument.

"What rank?"

【235th, Zhuo Li, Blazing Sun Army】

"What? Already past two hundred?"

Zhuo Li couldn't help but sigh.

He had originally thought that even if he wasn't in the top ten, he'd at least be in the top fifty.

But he hadn't expected to miss even the top hundred, going straight to two hundred.

Actually, the time difference between him and the hundredth place wasn't that much — the main thing was the sheer number of people, with many arriving at the same time.

A difference of even one second could mean dozens of ranks apart.

"I wasted too much time on the Earthfire Plains — a level-five berserk zone and three isolation belts held me up for far too long." Zhuo Li felt rather displeased.

Not earning points was secondary, but he didn't want to disappoint Helian Lie.

Yet now, he hadn't even made it into the top hundred.

"Don't let me find out who was behind this…" Zhuo Li flicked his sleeves and headed inside.

Taicang Court.

Beside the Earth Mirror Instrument.

Zuo Zizhi and Lu Bang watched the names constantly updating on the mirror.

In the blink of an eye, the list had already passed a thousand names.

"Zhuang Ziqing." Zuo Zizhi looked at the second-place name. "Not bad, not bad — to actually be able to travel underground beneath Lei Chi."

"The escape arts of the Xuan Earth Method are fast for travel. His 'Earth Dragon遁行' has already reached the Perfection stage." Lu Bang also nodded in acknowledgment.

The Xuan Earth Method was difficult to practice — it was the hardest series to master within the Dili Sect.

Other earth methods didn't necessarily require one to go underground.

The Xuan Earth Method, however, mostly required one to personally delve deep underground to sense the earth veins, and the slightest misstep could result in injury from earth-vein fluctuations.

"I recall he's the direct grandson of Marquis Meng, right?" Lu Bang asked.

"Mm." Zuo Zizhi nodded. "Marquis Meng's ninth grandson — and the youngest."

"No wonder he looks familiar."

Lu Bang browsed through the rankings from the top down.

Chatting casually with Zuo Zizhi.

The names currently on the list were all somewhat familiar to them — aside from the tenth-place Divine Might Army member, Han Bing, whom they had no impression of; the rest they had heard of before.

Either they were from noble houses of Wang Hou, or they had some reputation from the earlier internal screening.

"Hm? This Zhao Xing — how is he only ranked twenty-ninth?" Lu Bang felt a bit disappointed upon seeing Zhao Xing's rank. But he quickly realized why.

"Right, he entered officialdom through the clerk examination, and the moment he was appointed, he was selected and transferred over by the Divine Might Army."

"He probably never even learned many of the Military Agricultural Officer's techniques — likely didn't even have time to cultivate the Solar Terms Command."

Thinking this way, Lu Bang actually felt Zhao Xing was quite impressive.

"Hahaha, Brother Lu, look quickly — Li Feng has dropped to over a hundred." Zuo Zizhi pointed at the mirror.

"Hahaha." Lu Bang was also amused.

Li Feng, who had ranked sixth in the Tiger Jiao Army's internal screening, had actually arrived this late?

"He didn't even make the top hundred — Li Feng must be feeling terribly frustrated." Zuo Zizhi laughed. "He might originally have earned several thousand points, but now he doesn't have a single one."

? ttkan? co

"A good lesson to learn." Lu Bang smiled slightly. "Given the situation at the time, he should have struck first — did he really think that just because he'd won a few bouts outside the Grotto-Heaven, everyone had to fear him?"

"A lion catching a rabbit still uses its full strength. He was careless himself — he can't blame anyone."

"Look at that Zhao Xing — his approach was different." Lu Bang pointed again at Zhao Xing's name. "Starting from the Earthfire Plains, he used the environment to cause great trouble for the others, blocking many people from competing with him."

"Before crossing the Ten Thousand Li Lei Chi, when he ran into fifteen people attempting the barrier together, he was also the first to act, finding ways to create an advantageous situation for himself."

"Compared to Li Feng, I'm actually more looking forward to seeing what this lad does."

Eighteen Locust Willows Court.

After familiarizing himself with the place, Zhao Xing immediately took out his Earth Mirror to check the information inside.

"Eleven hundred points have been credited, but with only eleven hundred points, I can't buy much at all." Zhao Xing thought.

One thousand points was the reward for this reporting ranking.

As long as one arrived, had a rank, and completed the reporting, it was issued immediately.

The additional hundred points was everyone's initial points, distributed once every month.

The training covered food and lodging, but purchasing extra pills and treasures required points.

"A hundred points normally only lets me buy some second-tier pills — and only the kind that restore vitality. It can't really do much."

"But for this month, I don't really have many places to spend points."

"Learning techniques and contemplating the Solar Terms Diagrams are free."

For this one month, Zhao Xing would of course use it to broaden the scope of his techniques.

After all, the spells he currently knew were still relatively few.

Moreover, the most important thing was that the classics and secret collections of the three factions — Heaven, Earth, and Self — had not yet begun to be contemplated.

"This one month of time will be used to properly contemplate the classics and secret collections."

"Taicang, Pinghuai, Heaven, and Earth — the four branch academies are the best."

"When the branch academies are assigned, I must enter one of those four best branch academies." Zhao Xing said secretly.

Reserve training also has tiers; if geniuses and mediocres are trained together, the gap in progress is too great — either the mediocres can't understand and can't keep up, or it holds back the geniuses' cultivation.

So naturally they must be trained separately.

"The four great academies have teachers of an even higher caliber, and each branch academy has its own unique treasure resources."

"For example, in Taicang Academy, many resources are cheaper to purchase. Most of the wondrous crops gathered in the Ten Suns Grotto-heaven are planted in Taicang Academy, and some resources are scarce, with only a limited number of portions each year."

Resources are limited — who gets to use them? Of course the geniuses!

"In Heaven Academy, there are one hundred and eight stone steles, derived from the Solar Terms Diagram for epiphany, and their effect is even stronger than that of Dao-propagating paintings."

"However, the number of slots for stele contemplation is also limited."

"Pinghuai Academy and Earth Academy also have their own respective benefits."

"The branch academy assignment will have an examination, far stricter than this screening. My current rank of twenty-ninth actually involves some luck and foreknowledge; my true strength might not even get me into the top hundred."

"I cannot waste this one month of time — I must make up for my shortcomings as quickly as possible."

Zhao Xing took a deep breath and began to arrange the schedule for the coming month.