Chapter 128: A Name That Roars: The Selection Training Class of Taicang Court (Third Update)

The very first quarter-hour of training saw a large number of martial artists eliminated, among them no shortage of geniuses from the Four Great Martial Offices.

"The effect is actually this good?" Zhuang Ziqing glanced at Zhao Xing's figure. "His sonic Wu Ji has grown stronger."

"Speaking purely of sonic Wu Ji, even Shi Yong and I cannot compare to him."

Yes, in that charge just now, it wasn't only Zhao Xing who struck—Zhuang Ziqing and Shi Yong also struck.

In such a melee, of course sonic Wu Ji was more useful.

Great killing power, wide range, and it could also boost morale.

Yet both Zhuang Ziqing and Shi Yong could see that their own sonic Wu Ji did not match the power of Zhao Xing's strike just now.

How chaotic was the battlefield?

Yet it still failed to drown out Zhao Xing's roar.

The effect was also extraordinarily good.

"Could we really win?" Beside them, Guan Junyang, Cao Shuang, Jiang Tianming, and the others grew excited as well.

To speak frankly, if they could eliminate all the martial artists, then they would have made history.

Because since the 【Untrainable】 appeared, there had never been a case of the Si Nong winning.

Zhuang Ziqing and Shi Yong, however, remained very clear-headed.

They knew the chance of winning was very small.

But at this moment they no longer cared about winning or losing—who would want to be beaten by martial artists the whole time?

A quarter-hour later, a turning point appeared.

After a period of chaos, two people from the Martial Offices stepped forward.

To be precise, they leapt up.

"Roar!" "Howl!"

Behind one of them, a grey dragon seemed to emerge, staring coldly down at those below.

Behind the other, a roaring lion's head emerged instead.

"It's Xia Jing!"

"And Fu Ying!"

"Ah, my ears."

"It's over, I can't hear anything."

Zhao Xing felt a tightness in his chest, and around him quite a few Si Nong were clutching their heads and rolling on the ground—it was clearly Xia Jing on the opposite side striking, countering with sonic Wu Ji as well.

"Shwa shwa shwa shwa shwa shwa~"

Behind Xia Jing and Fu Ying, twenty-three figures also appeared, charging together at Zhao Xing's contingent.

The two strongest geniuses of the Martial Offices had, amid the chaos, organized a small squad and begun to counterattack against the Si Nong.

Although the martial artists were at a numerical disadvantage, Xia Jing, Fu Ying, and the others overwhelmed the Si Nong by far too much in martial strength.

The people behind Zhao Xing, Shi Yong, and Zhuang Ziqing were somewhat weaker in strength, but most of them had practiced their Wu Ji to seven revolutions or above. After all, what Zhao Xing had demanded from the start was for those whose Wu Ji had reached seven revolutions to draw close together.

"Boom Boom Boom!"

The two elite squads caused primordial-energy fluctuations of extreme violence, and the battle entered a white-hot stage from the very moment it began.

"Yin Xun Nine Explosions!"

"Deer-Shu Sound!"

"Blazing Fire Rush Fist!"

"Origin-Breaking Finger!"

"..."

Nearly every person took a great many Wu Ji attacks; the attacks came from all directions, and dodging them was very difficult.

Zhao Xing used Kui Niu Thunder Roar to contend against the two geniuses, but he could only match them in sonic Wu Ji.

In the blink of an eye, his bamboo hat and straw raincoat showed damage.

"Boom Boom Boom!!"

The primordial energy on the training ground stirred up a storm, with flying sand and stones, completely enveloping the two elite squads.

The remaining Si Nong and martial artists were also completely swept up, all colliding together in utter frenzy.

After the primordial-energy rampage, it became pure hand-to-hand combat, but this time the situation changed greatly.

"Pfft!"

"Ah—"

"My leg!"

"Damn it, martial artists, die for grandpa!"

"Get lost, you Si Nong!"

"Shit, who blasted my pants to pieces."

"..."

The May nineteenth 【Untrainable】 began at the fourth quarter of the mao hour.

It ended at the beginning of the si hour!

The brevity of the time far exceeded that of the previous battles.

But the intensity and the chaos far exceeded those of the previous ones.

And the rankings were completely overturned!

The moment it ended, the martial masters on the tower ship could not help being astonished:

"Half of the people in the Four Great Martial Offices did not reach a ranking matching their rating in this ranking."

"Even Fu Ying was eliminated, and quite early on at that — he didn't even make it into the top one thousand."

"You can't blame Fu Ying. Shi Yong, Zhao Xing, Zhuang Ziqing… every named genius in the Agricultural Bureau all targeted him. Over a dozen people ganging up — in that kind of situation, there was no choice but to teleport Fu Ying out, otherwise he'd have died too."

"This battle's outcome was far beyond anyone's expectations."

"That's right. Although the Martial Bureau won, it was a pyrrhic victory. In the previous rounds, our casualties never exceeded twelve hundred, but this time, we fought until only eight hundred-plus remained."

"The space was too small — there was no room to maneuver, and the buffer reaction time was too short."

"The most crucial point." Chen Min sighed with emotion: "If not for Zhao Xing's roar at the very beginning, the outcome probably wouldn't have been like this."

The other martial instructors nodded one after another.

The Kui Ox Thunder Roar, blotting out sun and moon, caused an enormous impact on the martial artist formation.

Although the martial instructors had analyzed various reasons — for instance, the training ground was too small, the buffer time too short, the Martial Bureau's strong fighters were placed at the back while the weaker ones were at the front, and so on.

The one reason that simply could not be ignored was Zhao Xing.

Even Fang Wu believed that the martial artists' pyrrhic victory this time was largely attributable to Zhao Xing: "I feel like this kid had already been planning something in the previous rounds."

"It wasn't until today, when his Kui Ox Thunder Roar had a breakthrough, that he began putting the plan into action."

"His timing was excellent. After the previous big victories, the Martial Bureau was feeling triumphant, while the Agricultural Bureau was stewing with pent-up frustration."

"And he organized from the very start, seizing the initiative — he didn't wait until they were attacked to act."

Seeing Fang Wu praise him so highly, Fan Zhaoli couldn't help but laugh: "Although that's true, the Agricultural Bureau's geniuses also paid a price — they were all eliminated early as well."

"It's not the same." Fang Wu shook his head. "The rules are different. If the Agricultural Bureau also counted takedowns, then based on the damage Zhao Xing caused, he'd absolutely rank at the top… After this, our Martial Bureau needs to go back and properly train those arrogant fellows."

…………

"Awesome, fucking awesome!" Both of Cao Shuang's hands were fractured. While receiving treatment from the physician, he was grimacing in pain, yet still looked utterly exhilarated: "Finally got to vent some pent-up rage!"

"Hahaha, I was taken down by Fu Ying three times, and every time he broke my ribs. This time I finally broke one of his bones too." Jiang Tianming's face was swollen into a pig's head, yet he was laughing heartily at this moment.

The injured from the Agricultural Bureau's side were all the first batch to be teleported out. At this moment, Zhao Xing, Zhuang Ziqing, Shi Yong, Han Bing, Feng Qiu, Guan Junyang… the vast majority of the geniuses who had passed the fourth round were all eliminated and were here receiving treatment.

Yet the atmosphere was extremely high-spirited, and there was only one reason for it — it felt damn satisfying!

"Zhao Xing, you're something else — daring to be the first to charge!" Cao Shuang looked at the bandaged figure lying not far away on a cool mat, "This old Cao respects you!"

"Zhao Xing really is fierce." Jiang Tianming laughed, "His Kui Ox Thunder Roar caused the enemy side a lot of trouble. Without that strike of his, our charge probably wouldn't have achieved such a great effect either."

"Zhao Xing, you dead yet? Say something! Everyone's praising you." Zhuang Ziqing laughed.

"Not dead. Even if you, Zhuang Ziqing, died, I wouldn't die — hiss…" Zhao Xing's voice came from within the bandages.

The chubby old man beside him shot a glance: "Still showing off, are you? Shut your mouth right now, or I won't treat you anymore."

"Hahahaha." A burst of laughter rose from beside them.

After this, Zhao Xing's name slowly spread throughout the Agricultural Bureau. The Martial Bureau also learned that there was a 'Zhao Xing' in the Agricultural Bureau, from the Divine Might Army, who had nearly flipped all the martial artists on their backs in the 【Unable Training】, causing the Blue Dragon Martial Bureau's genius 'Fu Ying' to also rank dead last in this battle.

…………

On the twentieth of May, at the Eighteen Locust and Willow Courtyard, Zhao Xing pushed open the courtyard gate, intending to go attend the Taicang Bureau's 【Selection Training】.

Although his ranking had dropped once, as long as it didn't drop three times in a row, he wouldn't be demoted.

Zhao Xing wasn't afraid of being targeted afterward either — the initiative was in his hands. Whether to fight or play it safe, with his nine-revolution 【Folding Sound Curved Form】 sound blades and sound spikes, as well as his seven-revolution 【Kui Ox Thunder Roar】, he had room to choose.

"Zhao Xing, where are you going?"

"Brother Zhao, recovered?"

"Brother Zhao, want to go meditate together?"

Walking on the road, many people greeted Zhao Xing.

Although he didn't recognize most of them, they all recognized Zhao Xing.

Looking at the people greeting him on the road, Zhao Xing smiled and responded in kind.

"The fight wasn't for nothing. After this round, I've gotten considerably more familiar with the geniuses of the four great bureaus, and my relationships with a few geniuses from the Land Advantage Bureau have deepened." Zhao Xing thought to himself.

"We're all from the same cave-heaven station. If we're appointed in the future, having some connection with fellow reserve members of the same cohort — you never know when it might come in handy."

Zhao Xing took out his earth-mirror and looked: "For the first mandatory training class, I don't have much pressure anymore. From now on, I'll improve myself according to the selection training curriculum."

"I'll head to the Taicang Bureau first to take a look."

The Taicang Bureau — a stretch of fertile, level land.

Lu Bang rode a Flowing Cloud Flying Boat and descended to low altitude.

At this moment, many Agricultural Officials were already waiting below.

They had come to attend Lu Bang's training course.

"This official's selection training is very simple."

"That is — farming."

Lu Bang pointed at the land ahead and said: "This entire area is a cultivation zone. It has been specially treated, and the soil fertility is incomparably rich. You may cast spells freely."

"The celestial conditions here have also been altered to a 'Two Suns Hanging in the Sky' configuration suitable for cultivation."

"The two factors of celestial timing and geographical advantage have both reached the optimal level, and everyone's starting conditions are identical."

"In the seedling area, you may freely choose from the seed pouches and seedlings — the lowest is third-tier, the highest is fourth-tier."

"You may freely choose what to plant."

"This official has only one requirement of you — and that is speed!"

"Whether seedlings or seeds, you must find a way to make them reach the maturity stage, bloom, and bear fruit as quickly as possible."

"If you want this official to give you a passing Grade C evaluation: choose a third-tier seed or seedling, and complete blooming, fruiting, and entering the maturity stage within six hours. For fourth-tier, the limit is extended to twelve hours."

"If you want this official to give a Grade B evaluation: you must make a third-tier seed or seedling enter the maturity stage within three hours. For fourth-tier, six hours."

"If you want a Grade A evaluation: you must make a third-tier seed or seedling enter the maturity stage within one hour. For fourth-tier, two hours."

Lu Bang finished with a smile, then shifted his tone: "Don't even think about cheating. Once cheating is discovered, regardless of what level of genius you are, you will be expelled without exception."

"You have one year to complete this training course. As long as you pass within one year, it counts."

"If you want to get a good score, go to the Taicang Court more often to contemplate the Myriad Things Growth Diagram, or diligently cultivate the Yin-Yang Benwo Scripture, or go to the 'Primordial Dao Arena' to contemplate."

Zhao Xing stood below, listened to Lu Bang's requirements, then ran to the seedling area to pick out seedlings or seeds.

"The soil is indeed fertile, and this is training—no need to compete."

"No need to fight for resources."

Lu Bang is a figure from the Benwo Sect, and has already ruled out the factors of heavenly timing and earthly advantage. Now he is making the Agricultural Officers use only the Benwo Sect's methods to cultivate these seeds and seedlings.

"Only speed is required, and the soil's fertility is infinitely rich—this is testing the Military Agricultural Officers' ability to produce provisions for the army."

"When an army marches and fights, logistics and supply are a big problem. But with Military Agricultural Officers, the burden is greatly reduced, because they only need to carry a small amount of seeds or seedlings—wherever the battle reaches, they plant there."

"If one can achieve maturity in an extremely short time, without considering earthly advantage and heavenly timing factors, the army will never starve no matter where it goes."

Of course, training is training; in actual practice, one still has to consider heavenly timing, earthly advantage, and other factors.

The Great Zhou is always expanding outward. During the campaign, there's no need to worry about ruining the land, because that land isn't even theirs yet—conquer it first, then worry about cultivating it into mature farmland.

"To get a top-grade score, third-tier plants or seedlings must enter the maturity stage within one hour—too difficult."

Zhao Xing tried it, and sure enough, the Earth Vein Comprehensive Origin could no longer make the soil any more fertile.

The only Benwo Sect spell left usable was 【Savage Growth】.

The basic-tier Robust Growth had no significant effect.

"Savage Growth has already reached mid-tier nine revolutions, yet it still can't bring them to maturity within one hour."

"Knowing only one spell, for Lu Bang's mandatory training course, I can only get a Grade B score."

A Grade B score, though also excellent, was still not enough for Zhao Xing.

Because he was being trained with top-grade resources, only a Grade A score counted for the elective training.

"Fine, let me first learn some spells of this Benwo Sect."

The Benwo Sect's power wasn't prominent during this period—that was a conclusion Zhao Xing drew from the perspective of the entire school of thought and from comparisons across different eras.

At his current level, Benwo Sect spells were still very useful, and he had to learn some spells to have at hand.

"If a squad has even one Military Agricultural Officer skilled in Benwo Sect spells, they will never starve no matter what. Even if surrounded or besieged, they can hold out much longer."

"Benwo Sect spells can make the plants themselves stronger, and can even be applied in some extreme environments—even in lava, one can grow something edible."

Now in the interval of 【Unable to Train】, there weren't many elective training courses available yet.

Lu Bang's training course was still relatively simple, involving only one sect's spells, and he didn't want to miss the score for this elective training.

"I have two free entries to the Primordial Dao Arena at the Taicang Court—I wonder if I can comprehend that wondrous method of the Benwo Sect." Zhao Xing recalled some experiences from his past life. "If I can comprehend that wondrous method early, it will be a great help to my future development—I might even be able to condense Pure Origin Soil ahead of time!"

That's all for today, everyone rest early, I need to get some rest too.

By the way, a quick poll: if you want the author to write all three updates and post them together, type 1—but the time will be very late.

If you think posting separately is better, one chapter posted as soon as it's ready, type 2.