Chapter 185: The Military Merit Rankings Over a Month Later: Zhao Xing Suffers a Qi Deviation

The temple of City No. 92 contains three palaces, each dedicated to one of the Three Offices Star Lords.

The Palace of Heavenly Appearance houses the Star Lord of Official Salaries; this Yin Spirit can bestow titles on the battlefield and promote officials who have earned merit.

The Palace of Heavenly Beam houses the Star Lord of Life Extension; this Yin Spirit can extend a person's lifespan, compensating for the life force consumed by certain generals when they unleash Wu Ji.

The Palace of Heavenly Harmony houses the Star Lord of Benefit Calculation; this Yin Spirit oversees accounting and calculation, primarily regarding the recording and tallying of military merit.

This is because City No. 92 does not meet the required specifications; if the specifications were higher, it would house the Six Offices Star Lords.

However, the Three Offices Star Lords of Calamity Relief, Life Decree, and Rebirth are generally not dispatched for such minor wars.

"Calamity Relief, Life Decree, and Rebirth are typically deployed only by mid-to-high-tier legions during wars of extermination."

"The true forms of the Six Offices Star Lords are all First-Rank Yin Spirits, even stronger than ordinary First-Rank spirits."

"They can alter one's fate, increase one's luck, and restore one's soul."

As Zhao Xing headed toward the temple, he recalled the legends concerning the Six Offices Star Lords.

During the era of Wu Di, a certain general possessed immense strength but terrible luck, constantly getting lost during battles.

After this happened twice in a row, Wu Di dispatched the split souls of the Calamity Relief and Life Decree Star Lords, intending to increase the general's luck and alter his fate.

However, while searching for this general, the split souls of these two Star Lords were affected by his fate and luck, causing them to get lost themselves.

They did not return with the general until the war had ended.

The influence of fate and luck is terrifying indeed.

"The Rebirth Star Lord is capable of resurrecting the souls of the dead."

"According to the 'Records of the Netherworld': 'When a person dies, they become a ghost; when a ghost dies, they become a Zhan; when a Zhan dies, they become Xi; when Xi dies, they become Yi.'"

"Once a person dies, their seven souls wither, and their three souls scatter and drift about, wandering the battlefield and becoming ghosts."

"When a ghost is killed again, it transforms into a 'Zhan'; when a Zhan is killed again, it becomes Xi."

"The True Lord of Rebirth of Great Zhou can gather a person's three souls again at the 'Xi' level, transforming them into a Yin Spirit body."

"This allows meritorious generals to receive incense offerings from the Great Zhou Fortune Dynasty system, existing eternally."

"But if the soul is captured or devoured, and escapes far away, then there is no recourse," Zhao Xing thought silently.

During war, one must have plenty of priest friends.

Because even a Ninth-Rank priest, by summoning the True Lord of Rebirth to possess them, can gather the Yin Spirit of a Seventh-Rank official like him.

Moreover, it is merely a casual act that does not require a great price.

If it were Chen Lu, who is also Seventh-Rank, by paying a certain price, the True Lord of Rebirth he summons could even reassemble his soul body at the 'Zhan' level.

Even though Chen Lu prefers to worship the God of Agriculture, he can certainly summon the True Lord of Rebirth; summoning this True Lord is a mandatory requirement, otherwise he could not have reached the Seventh Rank.

"I must establish one million points of military merit as soon as possible; if I truly meet with an accident, one million points of merit will be enough to seal me as a Yin Spirit."

"If someone worships me, my Yin Spirit can exist eternally alongside Great Zhou."

"This would count as another form of 'living'; when the era of Qi Resurgence arrives, a Yin Spirit might even be resurrected!"

"However, this is extremely difficult, ten or a hundred times harder than living until the era of Qi Resurgence through one's natural lifespan."

Zhao Xing has always been polite to priests, because the 'Yin Spirit System' of Great Zhou is his last resort, to be used only when absolutely necessary.

During the Cloud City period, he was polite to Shen Mingyu and close to Zhang Yi; upon arriving at City No. 92 in the Southern War Zone to take office, he was also very friendly toward Chen Lu, even forcibly giving him one-tenth of the spoils.

All for this reason.

Of course, priests are highly respected in this era; Zhao Xing's actions would not arouse suspicion, and no one could possibly connect them to his true intentions.

Even if beaten to death, Chen Lu could never imagine that Zhao Xing's intentions were so profound.

Upon entering the temple, Zhao Xing discarded all distracting thoughts, keeping his mind firmly focused solely on matters of military merit.

After learning the 'Great Dream of Spring and Autumn', his Dream Preservation Method allowed him to store memories in a distributed manner.

Memories and thoughts from his past life could be suppressed the moment he chose to do so.

Concealed by the Dream Preservation Method, even if discovered, it would be dismissed as merely a dream of yellow millet.

Who doesn't have some flights of fancy and wild thoughts?

Now, even if Zhao Xing loudly proclaimed, 'Qi will resurge after sixteen dynasties,' people would consider him a madman talking nonsense, unless he could prove his claims step by step.

Arriving at the Hall of the Star Lord of Benefit Calculation, Zhao Xing first lit incense.

He then took out yellow paper and wrote a prayer to summon the deity.

Writing such prayers also has its rules.

Gods use cinnabar; ghosts use ink.

The rank of the deity corresponds to the grade of the items used.

The Star Lord of Benefit Calculation is a First-Rank Yin Spirit; even though currently manifesting as a Sixth-Rank split soul, the specifications for summoning it must automatically be raised by one grade.

After finishing the prayer to summon the deity, the next step was to burn the paper and worship the god.

"Zhao Xing, Equalization Officer of the Divine Might Army, respectfully requests the Star Lord of Benefit Calculation to manifest."

Zhao Xing murmured words in his mouth.

"Huff~"

The yellow paper burned, and its light shone upon the statue.

Immediately, the statue of the Star Lord of Benefit Calculation, holding a measuring ruler, opened its eyes.

"Zhao Xing of the Divine Might Army, what matter do you summon this deity for?"

"Your subordinate has completed the 'Heart-Worm Grass' mission and the 'Blood Origin Fruit' mission in the Soldier Realm; I request the Star Lord to calculate my military merit."

The shadow of the Star Lord of Benefit Calculation floated down from the statue.

Looking at the piles of 'Heart-Worm Grass' and 'Blood Origin Fruit' stacked outside the hall.

It soon left and returned.

"According to the regulations for Soldier Realm missions, you are entitled to fifteen thousand points of military merit."

"Seal both items in the Transporting Inner Treasury; if anything is lost, three thousand war merits will be deducted from you," said Yisuan Xingjun.

"Yes, this humble official shall remember it," Zhao Xing nodded.

Once these items are submitted for war merits, they belong to the Military Realm, not the Divine Might Army, and will be recorded in the archives.

Afterwards, a convoy team from the Transport Office will come to City No. 92 to receive them all at once.

The Military Realm will then redistribute them.

If you lose the Divine Might Army's supplies, deducting war merits isn't that severe, but if you lose the Military Realm's supplies, the punishment will be extremely strict.

Why not wait until the Transport Office is nearly here to submit everything together?

Because the War Merit Board is calculated in stages; reaching a certain threshold grants a reward.

Moreover, June is about to end, and the Transport Office's convoy will arrive very soon.

If we truly cannot hold out, we will likely lose our lives anyway; what then of war merits? Submitting now or later makes little difference.

"I bow and thank Yisuan Xingjun!"

Zhao Xing burned another yellow paper again; this was the ritual for sending off the deity.

Such summoning of a deity occurs after completing a Military Realm task and while inside a temple; the imperial court bears the cost, so sending off the deity requires no extra expenditure from Zhao Xing.

Walking out of the temple, Zhao Xing sent the 'Heartworm Grass' and 'Blood Origin Fruit' to the Transporting Inner Treasury for sealing.

Normally, as long as the city does not fall, loss or theft is impossible.

If the city falls, there is nothing more to say; preserving one's life is paramount.

Submitting again, war merits broke through 100,000.

Zhao Xing glanced at the Earth Mirror; his rank had risen to within the top four thousand.

During his rest, he went to the City Lord's Mansion to review military situation reports from all armies.

He had to check from time to time to avoid missing any major intelligence, which could lead to a misjudgment of the situation and cost his life.

"At present, the Divine Might Army can be considered a sudden rising force; ten Commandants including Liao Liao Rulong, Huang Mian, Zhou Zhen, Wen Shaoyang, and Fu Qing, leading their respective battalions, are all advancing very rapidly."

"Placed among all armies in the Five Great Heavenly Caves, they would rank in the second tier, second only to the strongest five or six armies."

The Divine Might Army is currently the bottom-dweller in the Ten Yang Heavenly Cave and was only reorganized in the last two years.

Yang An's original core and old subordinates have been largely lost.

The outside world unanimously believes the Divine Might Army should be a weak force, because many commanders perform mediocrity after leaving their old subordinates.

However, the Divine Might Army has performed with extraordinary valor.

"At the end of June, 'Army War Merits' will be settled."

"The people killed and the earth pushed by Liao Liao Rulong's unit all count as merit for the logistics personnel in the rear."

"I broke through my seclusion on the 20th of June and arrived to take up my post in City No. 92 on the evening of the 23rd."

"It is as if I could lie down and still earn a sum of war merits."

Zhao Xing had not come before; now he has just caught the timing perfectly.

The settlement of Army War Merits depends entirely on how well the battles ahead were fought; it is not calculated so finely. Logistics officials are awarded merit based on their rank.

Zhao Xing estimated that by the end of June, he could gain another ten thousand war merits, or even more.

Doing nothing and gaining ten thousand war merits; this is the benefit of following a strong army!

Back then, no matter who pulled Zhao Xing, he would not go; following Old Chen to the Divine Might Army has now begun to show results.

"At this stage, advancing quickly means more war merits and more opportunities."

"In the Divine Might Army, I arrived directly as the City Lord and main commander."

"I heard that Shi Yong in the Tiger Crocodile Army cannot even secure a position as a City Lord; going to the front lines, he can only be a Commander, not even a Captain."

"Guan Junyang in the Black Armor Army can only assist Xia Jing; yet he has comprehended a high-grade technique."

"Zhuang Ziqing did manage to become a City Lord, but Feng Qiu and Li Feng are both assisting him."

"Cao Shuang and Jiang Tianming, having just arrived, will find it very difficult to compete for positions with those veteran Seventh-Rank officers."

If Zhao Xing had accepted Wei Yuan's invitation back then and gone to the Tiger Crocodile Army, he probably would not have secured a good position now either.

True, they promised that upon his arrival, he would command a battalion alone.

But after fighting two battles, if your performance is unsatisfactory, you are recalled to sit on the cold bench.

Going to the Tiger Crocodile Army, Zhao Xing estimated he would find it hard to compete.

Look at the Seventh-Rank officers in the Tiger Crocodile Army and the Black Armor Army; many are ranked within the top hundred of the Seventh-Rank list.

Of course, the Tiger Crocodile Army is a first-tier army, and its monthly war merit settlement is greater than that of other armies.

"The Jin Yu Wang Ting has sent reinforcements to defend the Extreme Flame Desert; does this mean they intend to defend the Qinggang Mining District?"

"Even Prince Hal of the royal house has been beheaded; Lu Yuanwei is truly outrageous."

"The northern end of the Fire Demon Tribe's territory is the Extreme Flame Desert. If Liao Liao Rulong's unit heads southeast and can penetrate the Fire Demon Tribe's territory quickly enough, they might just get a sip of soup behind Lu Yuanwei."

"Capturing the Qinggang Mining District; this Lu Yuanwei will have another colossal merit," Zhao Xing thought silently.

The crystal mines produced in the Qinggang Mining District can provide an extremely strong boost to those in the Sixth-Rank Heavenly Star Realm!

Capturing this mining district, holding it for a year, and digging it through; then doing nothing else, the war merits alone would be enough for that army to be ennobled as a Hou Jue in the top thousand!

"This territory of the Fire Demon Tribe is considered a treasure trove in the early stage. In my previous life, it was Lu Yuanwei who captured this mining district; this person maintained a leading advantage, occupying the top spot on the Sixth-Rank list throughout the entire training phase."

"When the mid-to-high-tier combat groups entered the fray later, he was promoted to Positive Fifth Rank, ennobled as Divine Thunder Hou, and continued to maintain his strength, rising to Positive Fourth Rank within a year."

"Even though he was later demoted due to the failure in the campaign against the Man, he still retained the position of Positive Fifth Rank Lower, preserving the gains of the early stage, which is truly rare."

In the latter half of Emperor Jing's campaign against the Man, there was a great defeat; coupled with Prince Liang's rebellion, Emperor Jing slashed many military generals.

For Lu Yuanwei to maintain his early gains, his Positive Fifth Rank status, and his title of Divine Thunder Hou, was already very rare.

"This person has deep fortune and talent; if Liao Liao Rulong's unit indeed attacks the Fire Demon Tribe, I must go to the front lines and participate," Zhao Xing thought silently.

Farming is fast now, but the merit from the Qinggang Mining District is far greater!

Even just drinking a bowl of soup behind Lu Yuanwei would be quite satisfying.

"The beast army dispatched by the Purple Long Wang Ting includes White Dragon Golden-Toothed Beasts, Ground-Walking Dragon Serpents, Iron-Backed Eagle Dragons..."

"The Holy Spirit Wang Ting has deployed Sixth-Rank Ghost Kings and Soul Soldiers; the number of priests in the Southwest War Zone has surged because the Holy Spirit Wang Ting excels at controlling ghosts... Hmph, that dog-skin plaster of the Xuantian Sect is mixed in here again."

Zhao Xing looked at the intelligence regarding the Holy Spirit Wang Ting and let out a scoff.

The Wang Tings of the Southern Wasteland all have support from Fangwaizong Sects; the main supporter of the Holy Spirit Wang Ting is the Xuantian Sect.

"The intelligence on the Flame Light Wang Ting has little value; it is basically one-sided, guarding only barren lands; the armies attacking it yield the least profit and are still damn tiring."

Zhao Xing felt angry just seeing the name Flame Light Wang Ting; in his past life during the Wu Di era, he had been assigned to attack the Flame Light Wang Ting.

At that time, he had just resurrected for the Nth time under Liu Tianning's hand, using the Profane Earth Rebirth technique, thinking to go to the Southern Wasteland to grind military merit and raise his official rank again.

He enthusiastically led his brothers to fight, but the combat mission assigned to him was the Baboke Tribe, one of the twenty-five elite armies under the Flame Light Wang Ting.

The territory occupied by the Flame Light Wang Ting was vast, the environment harsh, and the Baboke Tribe's army was extremely hardy.

They also bred a specialty strange beast—the Baboke Worm.

Called a worm, but each one was huge, a thousand meters long, with the innate talent of burrowing underground.

The Baboke Tribe's army mostly moved alongside these strange beasts; they did not travel through the sky, nor on the ground, but mostly underground.

Fighting the Baboke Tribe meant that as soon as you chased them, they burrowed and fled; if you stopped chasing and set up camp, they would lead their people to launch a surprise attack from underground.

The Baboke Earth Worms had thick skin and flesh; ordinary attack methods simply could not harm them.

Even if chopped in half, both ends of the creature could still move independently and continue burrowing underground.

The Baboke Tribe's army possessed strong combat power, resilient fighting spirit, and a uniquely cunning fighting style.

Since the value of the occupied land was low, the rewards given by the Soldier Realm for the mission were also relatively small.

Three years and another three years; Old Master Zhao fought for nine years with tears in his eyes; the Baboke Tribe really tormented him greatly; during the war, even in his dreams at night, when he lifted his quilt, he seemed to see Baboke larvae.

By the time that war ended, the Brother Guild had already soared to success, enjoying the dividends of the Wu Di's wars, while Old Master Zhao's side lagged behind them by an average of one rank.

Zhao Xing planned to go elsewhere to embezzle tens of millions, but as soon as he reached out, Old Liu chopped him off again.

It made him unable to eat for several months.

However, fighting the Baboke Tribe had one benefit: it forced Old Master Zhao to practice the Dili Sect spells to perfection, and many Dili Sect spells broke through their level caps.

"Whoever fights the Flame Light Wang Ting is an idiot." Recalling the past, Zhao Xing still impulsively cursed a few times.

After reading all the latest battle reports.

The Qinggang War Zone was placed as the primary location for planning.

The value of the rest was not high; at present, it was better to farm and earn military merit.

However, Zhao Xing estimated that Lu Yuanwei would need some time before attacking the Demon Fire Clan.

He had beheaded Prince Hal, which made the Jin Yu Wang Ting lose face; now they have already dispatched significant reinforcements to that area.

"I don't know how long the rest will last; before new battle reports appear, I might as well farm, which will also allow me to refine my spell realm."

【Dripping Rain】 is a High-Grade Six-Turn spell; Zhao Xing indeed possesses high talent in the Water Element, and the Dripping Rain spell is, aside from the bizarre killing move Tengshe Transformation, the strongest spell.

【Lei Ting Breaks Delusion Finger】 is a High-Grade Four-Turn spell.

【Tengshe Transformation】 is a High-Grade Three-Turn spell.

【Surprise Thunder Marquis Change】, 【Earth Fiend Lei Ting】, 【Volcano Spell】, and 【Yin Wind Fiend】 had all reached the entry level, achieving High-Grade One-Turn, when comprehended in the Primordial Dojo.

【Five Elements Mist Shadow】 and 【Instantaneous Primordial】 had made good progress, reaching High-Grade Two-Turn, because comprehending the Yin Yang Original Self Sutra had reached the threshold of the second layer.

For an ordinary Seventh-Rank cultivator, possessing nine High-Grade spells would make them float away with arrogance, but Zhao Xing's demands on himself were always very high.

Without invincibility, one must still practice!

The Seventh-Rank Earth Fiend realm mainly widens the depth of spells; Zhao Xing, possessing nine High-Grade spells, did not plan to learn more, but instead to delve deeply into one.

Now that he was farming to earn merit, he chose to delve into the Yuan Analysis technique 【Instantaneous Primordial】.

Every day, he was either farming or on the way to farm.

Starting from June 25, Zhao Xing began to increase the intensity!

Eleven shichen were used for farming to earn merit and studying spells.

Half a shichen for sleeping, half a shichen for handling official duties of each department.

This situation continued until July 1, when the personnel from the Transport Department arrived, and only then did Zhao Xing spare one shichen to handle matters.

But as soon as the Transport Department's floating ship left, he immediately flew to the fields to busy himself.

"He has started again."

Han Bing and Wang Ji stood in the distance, watching Zhao Xing flying back and forth over the fields like a diligent little bee.

"Just like in the Ten Yang Cave Heaven, he is still like this here."

"Have you ever seen him sleep?" Wang Ji asked.

"No," Han Bing shook his head, "Whenever I go to report to him, he is always awake."

"Indeed, there are such talents in the world," Wang Ji said. "I tried the Yang-Reviving Needle with the army doctor; I could last at most five days, and after five days I absolutely had to sleep. Moreover, once I slept, it was for twelve shichen."

"You actually tried it?" Han Bing asked in surprise. "Even if you admire him, do not imitate his life-threatening behavior."

"Indeed, I cannot imitate it," Wang Ji shook his head.

Zhao Xing possessed the 【Sleepy Worm】 spell, the supreme art 【Great Dream of Spring and Autumn】, and the Soul Armor for protection; Wang Ji simply could not imitate this method.

After persisting for a few days, one would become drowsy, and both cultivation efficiency and work efficiency would drop significantly.

On July 4, the progress of 【Instantaneous Primordial】 reached High-Grade Three-Turn.

Zhao Xing had already broken through 250,000 military merit.

He settled the accumulated materials for advancement missions and surged into the top one thousand of the Seventh-Rank military merit list.

At this moment, 【Instantaneous Primordial】 reached the bottleneck of High-Grade Three-Turn.

On July 20, Zhao Xing submitted the advancement mission; his military merit ranking was 431st!

For the first time, he entered the top five hundred!

【Instant Origin】 had not broken through yet, but a glimmer of inspiration lingered in his mind.

Thus, from this moment on, he entered a state of self-forgetfulness, focusing solely on seeking a breakthrough.

From July 20th to 30th, Zhao Xing did not submit a single advancement mission; when the settlement occurred on August 1st, he fell back outside the top five hundred.

From August 1st to August 10th, Zhao Xing was no longer within City 92.

Instead, he had unknowingly walked out of the city, strolling through the wilderness.

He was barefoot, his hair disheveled, gazing at the flowers, grass, and trees in the barren earth, while many straw men guarded him from a distance.

"The shackles of life's growth—how exactly can they be broken further?"

"The Dao of the Benwo Sect is difficult!"

Zhao Xing muttered to himself; he had never been stuck on such a minor hurdle for so long.

Whenever he devoted his entire being to a spell, such minor hurdles were broken quickly.

But this time, he could not break through for a long time.

He finally understood the frustration of the mediocre.

Stuck before a hurdle, unable to find the door.

Clearly seeing the scenery inside the door, yet unable to enter no matter what.

"Instant Origin, breaking the shackles of life... how exactly should it be broken?"

Zhao Xing walked while pondering.

With every step he took, green grass sprouted beneath his feet.

But when he left, the green grass withered quickly.

High in the sky far away.

Chen Shijie and Long Xiao stood on the Swordfish Flying Boat, silently staring at Zhao Xing below.

"Old Chen, is this kid okay? Why does he look like he's lost his mind?"

"He is fine; he has simply entered a state of self-forgetfulness," Chen Shijie said calmly. "Do not worry about him; he can break through himself."

"Is that so?" Long Xiao looked at Aotian Miao, who was restless nearby. "I feel something is not quite right."

"Your Ministry of Agriculture's Benwo Sect is truly strange; comprehending a minor hurdle is made to look like qi deviation."

At the beginning of August, Liao Ru's army returned to the three supply cities in the rear to rest, because the Wolf God Tribe had basically been defeated.

Chen Shijie and Long Xiao also returned to City 92 together.

Inside the cabin at this moment, another person sat—Liao Liao Rulong.

Zhao Xing's single strike into the top five hundred of the Seventh-Rank Merit List also startled this Sixth-Rank Commandant.

He wanted to see what kind of situation this genius of the Ministry of Agriculture was in.

Other Seventh-Rank martial artists fought to the death on the front lines, yet earned even less than Zhao Xing, a mere official of the Ministry of Agriculture; he was too curious!

However, when he arrived at City 92, Zhao Xing had already entered this strange state.

"A minor hurdle?" Chen Shijie shook his head: "How much did the power of your Sword Control Art increase from the Third Cycle to the Fourth Cycle?"

"He is comprehending a high-level spell; every step forward in a high-level spell brings a massive increase, let alone the Third Cycle to the Fourth Cycle, which is already a threshold."

"That is the leap from entry-level to small mastery for a spell!"

"The spells of the Benwo Sect are not strange; they are just difficult to cultivate."

"It is this very spell that allowed him to farm in the rear and still have merit that overshadows Seventh-Rank martial artists."

"It is you; will you cultivate it or not?"

Long Xiao still muttered: "But looking at his appearance, he really seems to be suffering from qi deviation; look, he is even eating grass."

"Shut your crow's mouth!" Chen Shijie shouted: "I will say it again, he is not suffering from qi deviation!"

"Alright." Long Xiao turned and walked toward the cabin, muttering quietly again: "Hmph, not even letting people speak; your confidence in him is greater than your confidence in me..."