Chapter 113

"First is the mid-tier Heavenly Timing Four Methods."

"Currently, I have learned Yin Wind, Thunder Attraction, Ice Rain, and Cloud Swallowing."

"Yin Wind is only aimed at the soul; I need to supplement it with a Yang Wind spell."

"Thunder Attraction is standard; it's enough to deter petty thieves in the rear, but not enough for war. Even the two thunder spells I created myself haven't broken through their limits and are slightly weak, so I also need to add a new thunder spell."

"Ice Rain and Cloud Swallowing don't need to be replaced."

Ice Rain and Yin Wind were passed down by the Yin Spirit Zheng Lun, who was a Military Agronomist during his lifetime; both are powerful military spells.

"Earthly Advantage faction spells: Boundless Earth Palace is a positional spell, very good for positional warfare; Earth Splitting Method is a gambler's tactic, and the effect is not stable."

"Earth Store Returning to Origin (Human Path Version) is an auxiliary method."

"I still lack a stable attack spell and a movement spell."

"I can learn from the Profound Earth Method, Earth Splitting Method, or Earth Palace Method." Zhao Xing calculated in his mind. As for the Earth Store category, they are all auxiliary in nature.

"In these directions, I will add one or two spells to cope with the branch academy test first."

"However, I still have to repay the Dao; it's best to repay the Li Huo True Lord's Dao within a month, otherwise, there will be an impact after a month. Although the impact is still relatively minor, it is an impact after all. One month is a bit tight." Zhao Xing felt somewhat helpless.

"When I have a chance in the future, I must go to the Li Huo Dao Academy to take the exam for Honorary Preaching Mage."

Li Huo Dao Academy has five levels: Hundred Arts Mage, Preaching Mage, Scripture Doctor, Vice Dean, and Dean.

A Hundred Arts Mage has three free opportunities to borrow the Dao each year; this refers to personal business. If it is an official mission of the Dao Academy, there is naturally no cost.

At the level of Preaching Mage, one can use the Li Huo Divine Altar free of charge regardless of public or private business.

Because this corresponds to the level of true disciples and sect protectors in the ancient sect era.

As for Scripture Doctors, Vice Deans, and branch Deans, they are roughly equivalent to Elders.

Not only can they use it themselves, but they also have several opportunities each year to allow others to use it without cost.

Only the Dean, equivalent to the ancient Li Huo Divine Sect Master, can allow anyone to use it without limit on frequency or number of people. Of course, if it is large-scale free use, it is also a consumption of the Li Huo Divine Altar itself.

"Taking the exam for Honorary Preaching Mage is about enough." Zhao Xing thought to himself.

A Hundred Arts Mage is a teacher at the Li Huo Dao Academy. According to the academy's regulations, teaching students and lecturing from a book, the only requirement is to know a lot, but it is not particularly difficult to pass.

A Preaching Mage is a teacher who already has their own unique understanding of various spells and the Dao. At the very least, they must be able to create a spell, and the created spell must not be of too low a realm; if others follow the same pattern, they must be able to cultivate it to a high realm.

This is more difficult. As the saying goes, "Those who resemble me die, those who learn from me live." Many people's self-created spells have the greatest power only in their own hands; if others learn them according to the process, the spell's power is only half, or even less than half.

The requirements for being a Preaching Mage at the Dao Academy are still quite strict.

As for Scripture Doctors and Vice Deans, one must make significant contributions to the Li Huo Dao Academy to be granted such an 'honorary' nominal position; actual positions are also hard to get, and basically not in Zhao Xing's consideration.

Mid-tier spells are all free to learn; as long as you can learn them, you can learn as many as you want.

Zhao Xing browsed through the spell classics in the arsenal via the Earth Mirror.

First, the Wind Method.

Powerful wind movement spells generally require driving higher-quality wind.

Zhao Xing flipped through it casually and found a secret method, [Lesser Nine Heavens Gang Wind], which is a type of Yang Wind spell.

"Driving the Gang Wind to travel, the speed is very fast."

"The power is also extraordinary; the Nine Heavens Gang Wind is rigid and strong, capable of blowing down even mountains."

"After reaching the eighth rank, it begins to truly exert its power; the Spirit Bridge communicates with heaven and earth, absorbing the essence of heaven and earth, and can also draw in the Nine Heavens Gang Wind."

"Using the Spirit Bridge to draw it in, for every layer of heaven ascended, the power of this Gang Wind spell becomes stronger by one layer. The Nine Heavens Gang Wind includes mid-tier, high-tier, and top-tier, but what I see now is only the mid-tier part, so it is only called the Lesser Nine Heavens Gang Wind Method."

Moving his eyes down, he soon saw another secret method, [Great Heat Wind Evil].

"Great Heat Wind Evil: when blowing the wind, the surrounding temperature rises significantly; if a person is blown by it, they will lose a layer of skin even if they don't die."

"This is a spell realized from the Great Heat solar term, also known as the Fierce Sun Wind Evil."

"Borrowing the influence of the solar term, it only borrows the wind evil of the Great Heat solar term, without needing to change the overall heavenly timing."

"Similarly, there are Great Cold Wind Evil and Extreme Cold Wind Evil; when the wind blows, it is like a knife scraping bone."

"All are good, let me look some more..."

Zhao Xing searched in the Wind Method category and finally set his sights back on the first one.

"Looking back and forth, I still feel the Lesser Nine Heavens Gang Wind best meets my requirements. Sure enough, the one I liked at first sight is actually the most satisfying."

Having determined the Wind Method, Zhao Xing began to look for a Thunder Method.

He was relatively familiar with Thunder Methods and went straight to look for them with a purpose.

He soon found the secret method he wanted—[Rolling Ground Thunder].

"I actually found it; the spells of this period are truly rich." Zhao Xing grinned.

The main reason he wanted to find this secret method was that Rolling Ground Thunder is not restricted by Cloud Methods; even without forming clouds, it can be cast, just like his self-created spells.

But Rolling Ground Thunder can also be enhanced by Cloud Methods.

Unlike Thunder Attraction, [Thunder Attraction] has a prerequisite: one must form clouds first before it can be cast.

"The casting of Rolling Ground Thunder is also relatively hidden; it is a type of Yin Thunder, but its power exceeds many Yang Thunder methods."

"I choose you."

After determining the Thunder Method, Zhao Xing flipped through the Earthly Advantage faction spells again.

"I want to find escape techniques and Earthly Advantage faction spells with stable lethality."

"Escape techniques are generally classified under the Profound Earth Method and Earth Palace Method."

"The Earth Splitting Method and Earth Store Method contain very few escape techniques."

In the Ten Thousand Mile Thunder Pool area, he saw people sneaking in the earth veins, and they were using the Profound Earth Method.

However, as he flipped through, Zhao Xing frowned slightly.

"The entry to the Profound Earth Method is too difficult; it requires one to go deep underground to contemplate?"

"With only one month, there is no time to cultivate the Profound Earth Method."

Zhao Xing could only put the study of the Profound Earth Method aside for now.

In one month, he had to repay the Dao and cultivate; other spells were fine, as they could be cast even while running.

The Profound Earth Method requires drilling underground to contemplate, which takes up too much time.

Even if there were no such thing as repaying the Dao, Zhao Xing would have decided to put it aside.

There is only one month, so he must arrange it reasonably.

"First determine the Nine Heavens Gang Wind and Rolling Ground Thunder; for Earthly Advantage faction spells, I can cultivate 'Post-Earth Returning to Origin' first, and wait until I have visited the Earthly Advantage Hall."

Spell books are all made of very ordinary paper, and there is no bonus effect for contemplating them.

Within the Agronomist Supervision, there are several public places for contemplation that can help people understand.

Zhao Xing now wants efficiency, so for Earthly Advantage faction spells, he will learn whatever is fast.

As for Rolling Ground Thunder and Nine Heavens Gang Wind, he could determine them first because he liked these two spells; he had learned them in his previous life, knew their strength, and was also very familiar with their combined application.

Having determined the two spells, Zhao Xing placed an order in the Earth Mirror, and then a mechanical beast would deliver the goods to his door.

However, just after placing the order, Zhao Xing discovered that his points had decreased by two.

"Hmm? What's going on? Didn't they say learning is free? Why were two points deducted?"

Zhao Xing was somewhat puzzled.

After checking in the Earth Mirror, he realized it was the cost of the spell classics.

Regardless of the type of spell, learning is free, but a 1-point cost is charged.

"Laughable, during the periods of Emperor Wen and Emperor Wu, they didn't even charge this cost. Emperor Jing is truly stingy, with no vision at all." Zhao Xing complained in his heart.

Eighteen Scholar Tree Courtyard.

"Clatter, clatter, clatter~"

The sound of horse hooves came from the main road outside, and a mechanic was seen riding a bamboo horse, flying down from the sky and landing on the main road.

He had many packages and bamboo boxes tied to his bamboo horse, and even carried some on his body, appearing very bloated.

"Whoa~"

The mechanic stopped outside the gate of the Eighteen Scholar Tree Courtyard.

"Divine Might Army, Zhao Xing."

"The things you want have arrived."

"I'll leave the things outside your door, okay?"

The mechanic shouted outside the courtyard gate.

"Okay, thank..."

Zhao Xing was carrying a load and moving forward in the courtyard; before he could finish saying "thank you," the mechanic rode the bamboo horse and flew away to the next location in a puff of smoke.

Looking up at the sky, there were more and more people riding bamboo horses in the sky; clearly, the people reporting had arrived one after another, possessed initial points, and began placing orders in the arsenal.

"The mechanics are earning points by taking missions these few days; I'm afraid they can earn thousands a day." Zhao Xing opened the courtyard gate and collected the packages.

Inside the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven, various professions can have their own ways to complete missions and earn points.

Like the mechanics, when they don't plan to go out, they will take part-time jobs delivering express to earn points and serve the garrison.

"Nine Heavens Gang Wind."

Zhao Xing first opened the "Nine Heavens Gang Wind" secret method to check it.

He was carrying a bamboo box, but at this time, there were no other items in the bamboo box, only heavy lumps of soil.

Through weighted running, he could speed up the process of repaying the Dao.

First, use the Boundless Earth Palace to compress the loose soil, and then put it into the bamboo box.

The compressed mud blocks weighed a thousand catties each.

Two such mud blocks were placed in the bamboo box.

A load of two thousand catties was not particularly strenuous for Zhao Xing.

When the Gucheng Martial Office was conducting assessments, there was a project of lifting a tripod; Shen Zhui could lift a thousand-catty tripod when he was at the seventh tier of Yuan Gathering.

Now that Zhao Xing had entered the rank, and he was carrying it, two thousand catties was not exaggerated.

"Start training!"

Zhao Xing flipped through the spell classics while carrying the bamboo box, running in his own manor.

He even took off his Cloud-Stepping Boots and ran barefoot.

Relying on his perception of the wind, he didn't need to look at the road at all, and his speed was not slow.

Contemplating while running was not a difficult task; Zhao Xing actually liked to think about things while running.

Fully focused on contemplating the Nine Heavens Gang Wind secret method, he didn't seem so tired anymore.

March 2nd, Mao hour.

Chen Shijie and Long Xiao had already arrived at Xiercheng for rest and reorganization.

Xiercheng is one of the six counties for pacifying the barbarians; it is a new land and also a bridgehead for conscripting the Southern Barbarian aliens.

Because it is a major frontier town, the number of troops in the entire Xier County actually exceeds that of ordinary people.

"I wonder how Zhao Xing is doing. Calculating the time, he should have finished reporting, right?" Long Xiao asked. "I don't know if he got a ranking."

"It doesn't matter whether he gets a ranking this time or not." Chen Shijie said indifferently, "He was selected and transferred right after being promoted from a clerk; I didn't expect him to have much performance. The focus is on the subsequent training."

"What I value is his potential; in one month, he should be able to make great progress."

"How do you know he won't slack off?" Long Xiao asked, "Maybe he will be proud because of this; after all, he skipped many joints directly."

"No, you don't understand him." Chen Shijie's tone was very firm. "If he were to slack off, how could he know so many things? He knows about the Military Realm Legion Exercises, the North Sea land, and even that the original Water Book was placed on Zixiao Island... Such a person must have great ambitions in his heart and has long made plans for the future."

"That's true." Long Xiao touched his chin, "In a while, I will send a letter to ask about the situation, and by the way, exchange the Blood Evil Bead and Blood Spirit Needle for the things he needs and send them over."

"Exchange them for 'Thunder Stone', and then tell him to take the Thunder Stone to the arsenal to exchange for points." Chen Shijie said. "He can choose whatever he lacks. Remember, you must send a little more; don't forget that the recovery ratio and selling ratio of the arsenal are different. By the way, tell him about the various halls of the Agronomist Supervision where he can contemplate for free."

"Got it, you are quite meticulous, acting just like his father." Long Xiao laughed. "If it weren't for the fact that you two don't look alike and the time doesn't match, I would suspect he is your illegitimate son."

Chen Shijie smiled and let it pass.

Long Xiao looked in a certain direction: "In one month, he has to prepare for the branch academy test and also endure the hardship of repaying the Dao; the time is quite tight. I don't know if he has really planned it out as you said."

March 2nd, Chen hour.

Zhao Xing entered the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven at the You hour on March 1st.

When he arrived at the Agronomist Supervision, it was the end of the Xu hour.

Reporting, moving in, and getting the classics was close to the Zi hour.

It was now the first quarter of the Chen hour of the next day.

He had been training while contemplating for four hours.

"Hoo~ hoo~"

Zhao Xing finally had to stop to rest; even after taking the Giant Whale Pill, he now felt a burning pain in his lungs.

Having run with a load for a full four hours, with the physique of an Agronomist, his body had now reached a state of severe fatigue.

"At first, I could use the method of contemplating the Nine Heavens Gang Wind to divert my attention."

"By the last two quarters of an hour, I couldn't contemplate at all."

"Enduring the hardship of repaying the Dao is truly suffering."

Zhao Xing now had the thought that unless it was absolutely necessary, he would never borrow the Dao again.

However, after resting for a while, this thought disappeared.

Concentrating his mind and calming his breath, he sensed the entanglement of the Fire Path on his body, which had now faded by one-tenth.

"Ninth rank realm, traveling a thousand miles a day, refers to the six hours of the day, during which one can run a thousand miles."

"In four hours, I only ran three hundred miles."

"However, I carried a load of two thousand catties, so the effect should be multiplied by 10, which is equivalent to repaying three thousand miles of the Dao." Zhao Xing lay on the ground, panting.

Carrying a load of two thousand catties is equivalent to carrying a dozen of himself while running, with the level of fatigue maxed out.

But the benefit is that it saves time; at this speed, in about 7 days, he could finish repaying the Li Huo True Lord's Dao.

"Gurgle~ gurgle~"

Zhao Xing summoned a small cloud, then turned to his side and buried himself in the cloud layer to drink water.

After drinking, he lay on the ground to rest again.

"Enduring the hardship of repaying the Dao also has a training effect; if I continue, both my Yuan Gathering and physique will improve." Zhao Xing comforted himself this way.

March 3rd, Mao hour.

"Hoo~"

A gust of cyan wind, like a piece of silk floating and circling around Zhao Xing's body, lifted him up.

"Swish~"

The next moment, the cyan wind drifted violently into the distance, and Zhao Xing also turned into an afterimage, appearing at the other end of the courtyard.

"Hoo-woo——"

The sound of the wind was like a roar, rapid and short, echoing in his ears.

"Compared to the speed of Li Yiming, it seems I am still far behind."

Zhao Xing slowly descended from the sky.

For movement secret techniques and spell escape techniques, whether the speed can break the sound barrier is a key standard of measurement.

"Only after the seventh turn, driving the Gang Wind to travel, can one break the sound barrier."

"However, this is much faster than using the entry-level Wind Rising."

After a day and a night of hard training, with Zhao Xing's comprehension, plus the foundation of the entry-level Wind Rising at perfection and the insights from Yin Wind at perfection, drawing inferences, he quickly understood the Gang Wind Method and reached the third turn level.

"Nine Heavens Gang Wind is not just a lethal spell; it also includes movement and defensive techniques."

"Driving the Gang Wind to travel, the body follows the wind, and the sound follows the body; it means one can use the Gang Wind to control the body's movement in the air. After perfection, the person and the wind arrive, and the sound only comes from behind."

"Nine Turns of Gang Wind, Green Dragon Protecting the Body, Ten Thousand Laws Cannot Invade; it means after perfection, nine cyan Gang Winds circle around the body, like nine green dragons; any spell cast at him will be blown away by the Gang Wind."

"Nine Turns of Gang Wind, Green Dragon Emerging into the World, Ravaging the World; this refers to the fact that after perfection, the lethality of the nine Gang Winds is like nine green dragons descending, wreaking havoc on the world."

The description is very domineering, but that refers to the power of the complete version of "Nine Heavens Gang Wind."

What Zhao Xing can cultivate now is only this mid-tier "Lesser Nine Heavens Gang Wind."

"Relying on contemplating books without any bonuses, reaching the third turn in a short time is the limit."

Zhao Xing dispersed the Gang Wind, threw the book aside, then carried the bamboo box, and looked at another secret method, "Rolling Ground Thunder."

Within seven days, he had to strive to finish repaying the Dao and bring Rolling Ground Thunder and Gang Wind to the third turn; this was the basic training he set for himself.

The progress was quite good; in one day and one night, the Lesser Nine Heavens Gang Wind had already reached the third turn.

"Rolling Ground Thunder is a pure attack spell; this Yin Thunder method also has subsequent advancements."

"It has the same effect as Yin Wind; both raise thunder from the earth veins. Other thunder methods descend from the sky, but Rolling Ground Thunder emerges from the ground as balls of thunder."

Zhao Xing, carrying the bamboo box, ran barefoot in the courtyard to contemplate. His Eighteen Scholar Tree Courtyard was quite large, about the size of four football fields; this was the benefit of reporting early.

If you came late, you could only live in those townhouse-style rooms; let alone cultivating, if there were no magic arrays to isolate, you might even hear your neighbor snoring.

"Clatter, clatter, clatter!" Heavy footsteps sounded in the courtyard, and Zhao Xing began his contemplation and also his daily hardship of repaying the Dao.