Chapter 199: Could He Truly Be a Peerless Genius? (6K)

"My Lord Zhao, his name is Yue Lingzhi. He was originally an eighth-rank divine weapon smith. Due to an error in forging armor, Lord Lu punished him by assigning him to sweep the Divine Weapon Hall; he may resume his post once the sweeping is finished," the reception official said in a low voice.

"How long has he been like this?"

"It has been over two months."

Zhao Xing frowned, then activated his Bright Eyes to observe Yue Lingzhi.

He discovered that the broom Yue Lingzhi held, though appearing ordinary, contained numerous mechanisms and was extremely heavy, weighing at least a thousand jin.

Holding such a heavy object was already extremely taxing.

Furthermore, if the broom touched the ground or remained off the ground for more than two breaths, Lei Ting would surge from the handle and strike Yue Lingzhi.

In other words, Yue Lingzhi could not stop; he had to keep sweeping continuously to avoid being electrocuted.

As for why the Divine Weapon Hall, which was spotless, still required him to sweep?

It was a punishment; what reason was needed?

Even stepping through the threshold with the left foot first could serve as a pretext.

"Lu Tingzhi's narrow-mindedness and his nature of mistreating subordinates are revealed at this moment," Zhao Xing thought inwardly. "Damn it, in my past life, I embezzled ten thousand taels, and nine thousand of them had to be taken by him, that dog."

People came and went in the Divine Weapon Hall; there were officials of all ranks exchanging items.

Such a punishment clearly carried a meaning of humiliation.

The Transport Office had the most Gong family members under its command. It also governed other departments, such as the Agriculture Bureau, the Priest Bureau, the Weaver Bureau, and the Martial Artists.

Lu Tingzhi held great power; punishing a mere eighth-rank smith was as easy as playing for him.

"Thank you, brother, for the information." Zhao Xing bowed to the reception official and then walked toward the hall's exit.

He intended to meet Lu Tingzhi and take this person away.

Because this man would become a future Divine Smith; like Wang Ji, a mechanic, his studies were broad—he knew forging, he knew casting cities, and he knew deploying arrays.

But Yue Lingzhi specialized in the Dao of Forging; this man would later encounter a different fate and learn the ancient "Heavenly Sect Sword Casting Method."

The divine weapons he forged were three parts more powerful than those of others.

Later, Yue Lingzhi even became the Wu Di's personal Divine Smith, able to enter and exit the Imperial Inner Treasury freely.

This angel investor, Zhao Xing was determined to become!

He first disembarked from the ship, made preparations, and only then came to the Transport Office's public office to request an audience; Lu Tingzhi immediately made time to see Zhao Xing.

"I greet you, my Lord Lu," Zhao Xing said with a bow.

"Director Zhao, have you completed the prayers?" Lu Tingzhi asked with a smile.

"It has been completed," Zhao Xing said. "I have come specifically to thank my Lord for making the trip."

Lu Tingzhi raised an eyebrow, for he saw that Zhao Xing was also carrying a box.

"Director Zhao, what is the meaning of this?" Lu Tingzhi said. "Coming to Huolong Pass was within my duties."

"My Lord," Zhao Xing said with a smile, "these are war spoils I obtained from Huolong Pass. They belong to my private property, and they are all things used by the barbarians. They are not valuable, merely unique; they are simply a token of my gratitude."

"Put it away..." Lu Tingzhi originally wanted to tell Zhao Xing to put it away, because at this time he was not yet the great corrupt official of the future; he still cherished his reputation. Zhao Xing giving gifts at their first meeting made him somewhat unwilling to accept them.

But Zhao Xing had already opened the box; Lu Tingzhi's words reached his lips and were immediately swallowed back.

"Since it is Director Zhao's sincere gift, then I shall accept it."

Zhao Xing sneered inwardly.

"Don't you think I know what you, that dog, like?"

Lu Tingzhi had a collecting obsession, and what he liked most were various bizarre items.

After the former general of Huolong Pass, Yue Haisheng, fled, he had no time to take the wealth he had amassed in Huolong Pass.

All of this benefited the three armies; Zhao Xing went through the Shenwei Army's inner treasury, casually picked a box, and delivered it straight to Lu Tingzhi's heart.

"Director Zhao, please sit." Lu Tingzhi's attitude became somewhat more enthusiastic.

Zhao Xing placed the box in front of Lu Tingzhi first, and only then took his seat.

After Lu Tingzhi finished admiring them.

"I did not expect you to also have a fondness for collecting?" Lu Tingzhi examined the items in the box, picked up a pair of ox-horn cups, inspected them carefully, and was quite satisfied; he looked at Zhao Xing even more favorably.

Zhao Xing did not like them at all, but on the surface, he still pretended to be very pleased: "I have dabbled slightly, but I am a rough man, so naturally I am not as good at appreciation as my Lord."

"Haha, then you and I should visit each other more often in the future," Lu Tingzhi laughed.

"As long as my Lord does not find it annoying," Zhao Xing smiled along, while inwardly cursing; this fellow was already hinting that he should send him more things in the future, truly shameless!

After chatting for a few more moments, Lu Tingzhi spoke up voluntarily: "To not return a favor is against propriety. Zhao Xing, your military achievements on this journey were outstanding, and your war spoils must be considerable. Do you have any treasures you need to exchange? If there are additional requests, even if they are not on the Military World list, you may speak to me."

Although Lu Tingzhi was greedy, he did have one merit: he did not take things for nothing; if he took money, he would get things done.

The Transport Office transported supplies; sometimes assignments were made according to the Military World list, and sometimes they were allocated by various departments of the Transport Office from different regions.

Sometimes supplies were scarce, and they could not be supplied in time.

Whether to supply the Shenwei Army first or other armies first was a matter of a single word from the Transport Commissioner; a slight delay in timing could cause many problems.

With such great power, naturally everyone sought to curry favor.

Lu Tingzhi also gradually developed the habit of accepting people's gifts; at first it was harmless, but later his appetite grew larger and larger.

"There is indeed one matter troubling my Lord Lu," Zhao Xing said. "Although my Shenwei Army captured Huolong Pass, the losses were also considerable."

"Especially the demand for smiths and mechanics is great; I wonder if my Lord can temporarily lend some personnel for the emergency."

Lu Tingzhi pondered for a moment: "How many people do you need, and what are their ranks?"

Zhao Xing said: "Only one eighth-rank team is needed."

Lu Tingzhi nodded slightly; Zhao Xing did not ask for much, just ten people.

The Transport Office had many craftsmen; they could easily pull out several hundred people.

Lu Tingzhi saw that Zhao Xing was a promising figure and quite well-mannered, and he was willing to befriend such talent.

Moreover, the gift was indeed given appropriately, and the matter to be handled was a small one.

He immediately took out a token and said, "A trivial matter. Take my token to the Works Bureau and pick whoever you need."

"Thank you, my lord. This official takes his leave." Zhao Xing pretended to be very pleased, took the token, and withdrew.

Lu Tingzhi watched Zhao Xing leave, casually flipped through the box, and revealed a faint smile: "This fellow is rather interesting—grand ceremony for a small matter. In the future, I really should visit his camp more often."

After receiving the token, Zhao Xing hurried to the Forging Division of the Transport Bureau and crossed Yue Lingzhi's name off the list.

He then casually selected nine more people and transferred them to the Divine Might Army.

Once the procedure was done, these ten men became soldiers of the Divine Might Army.

Afterward, a seventh-rank official from the Forging Division followed him to the Divine Weapon Hall and found Yue Lingzhi.

"Stop sweeping. Come with me."

"Who are you?" Yue Lingzhi raised his head in confusion, but in that moment of distraction, the broom in his hand began shooting lightning, and Yue Lingzhi's body visibly trembled.

"Yue Lingzhi, this is Lord Zhao of the Divine Might Army." The person in charge clearly didn't think much of Yue Lingzhi either. "You're in luck. Lord Zhao has taken a fancy to you. You belong to Lord Zhao now. Why don't you pay your respects?"

Zhao Xing flicked the broom with a bent finger, and the mechanism inside was destroyed on the spot.

Yue Lingzhi's hand involuntarily let go of the broom.

Zhao Xing waved the transfer order in his hand: "I've now conscripted you. Are you willing to leave? If not, I won't force you."

"I'm willing." Yue Lingzhi nodded. Though he didn't know why, staying here sweeping in utter darkness was no better than leaving.

Zhao Xing smiled faintly. He guessed Yue Lingzhi was willing to go, because this kind of punishment from Lu Tingzhi, apart from humiliating a person, brought no training effect whatsoever.

The time spent under Lu Tingzhi's command was purely "garbage time" in one's life.

Free this brother earlier, and perhaps he could take off sooner.

"Let's go."

Zhao Xing patted Yue Lingzhi on the shoulder.

Yue Lingzhi gazed at that upright, broad-backed figure and instinctively followed.

After disembarking, Zhao Xing assigned the other nine smiths to Wang Ji's charge.

But for Yue Lingzhi, Zhao Xing had other arrangements.

"Going to war with the Divine Might Army isn't the most suitable choice for you."

"I'd like to recommend you to a place. I wonder if you're willing?"

Yue Lingzhi was full of doubts—he had gone to the trouble of requisitioning him, yet didn't want to keep him in the Divine Might Army?

"Where does my lord wish to send me?"

Zhao Xing thought for a moment and said, "Youyuan Prefecture, Hundred Weapons Dao Academy."

Yue Lingzhi was taken aback: "This official is untalented and unlearned. How could I be fit to be a teacher at Hundred Weapons Dao Academy?"

Zhao Xing chuckled lightly: "You're overthinking it. I don't have the ability to make you a teacher. I'm sending you to be an outer-gate dao officer."

In his previous life, Yue Lingzhi muddled through three years in the army, achieved nothing, and ping-ponged around the eighth rank.

Later, he left the army and sat for the Hundred Weapons Dao Academy entrance exam, and instead rose all the way to become a Hundred Weapons Dao Officer and Vice-Principal of the Youyuan Prefecture branch.

His path to rise began at Hundred Weapons Dao Academy. Zhao Xing intended to send this brother onto the very path where he had originally risen.

Why did Zhao Xing know all this so clearly?

Because Yue Lingzhi eventually had a biography that circulated in the world, which recorded much of his past. Even he himself said his time in the army had been wasted, and that his greatest gains came at Hundred Weapons Dao Academy.

"Outer-gate dao officer?" Yue Lingzhi fell into thought. An outer-gate dao officer was a sinecure post—not a formal teacher, but a step above a dao student.

He was currently at upper eighth rank. If he went to Hundred Weapons Dao Academy, he'd have to be demoted back to ninth rank.

Making that decision was truly no easy matter.

In his previous life, Yue Lingzhi had also dawdled in the army for several years before making that decision.

But Zhao Xing's timing was also excellent—it happened to be right after Yue Lingzhi had gone through a dark stretch at the Transport Bureau.

So after only a little consideration, Yue Lingzhi already had his answer.

But before giving his answer, he couldn't help but first voice the doubts in his heart.

"Why does my lord wish to help me?"

"You remind me of an old friend of mine," Zhao Xing said lightly. "And seeing you humiliated at the Divine Weapon Hall, I couldn't help but lend you a hand."

"If you're unwilling, that's fine too. I'll send you back to the ship. With my connections, Lord Lu certainly won't give you trouble again."

"I'm willing to go to Hundred Weapons Dao Academy." The moment Yue Lingzhi heard he'd be sent back to the ship, he immediately made his choice.

Hundred Weapons Dao Academy was one of the seventy-two dao academies. Even going there as a ninth-rank dao officer held more promise than staying at the Transport Bureau.

Staying at the Transport Bureau, returning to serve under Lu Tingzhi—what future could there be?

Tempering one's mind? Being humiliated doesn't temper a person's mind; it only makes them waste time healing those wounds.

Just as Han Xin's later rise to Grand General had nothing to do with enduring the humiliation of crawling between someone's legs, but rather with finally finding a Xiao He who could recognize his talent.

What Zhao Xing was doing now was sending Yue Lingzhi to the place where he could truly unleash his gifts.

"Stay at Fire Dragon Pass for a while. I'll handle this matter for you," Zhao Xing said. "I can't say exactly when, but I will definitely get it done for you."

"Thank you." Yue Lingzhi bowed sincerely. "Although I don't know which old friend of yours I resemble, but… thank you."

Zhao Xing smiled faintly. This investment was half done.

The other half, naturally, would require leveraging Xia Jing's connections to arrange.

Hundred Weapons Dao Academy was in Youyuan Prefecture, not in Ping Haizhou at all, but in the neighboring Yuanpin Prefecture.

Crossing an entire prefecture and still having influence—that was something only a big shot like Xia Hou could manage.

Even his teacher Tian Shan didn't have that kind of reach.

Because Tian Shan had already left the military sequence. In Yangcheng he was effectively a civil official, mainly teaching students. He didn't command troops, and his fief had no private soldiers.

Talking to Tian Shan about it would still mean Tian Shan having to run around looking for people, and explaining things would be a hassle.

Yang An went without saying—he was still very young, and besides, Zhao Xing wasn't comfortable asking him to handle this kind of matter.

But when speaking to Xia Jing, there was only one sentence: "Young Master, do me a favor."

"What favor?" Xia Jing glanced at Zhao Xing. "It sounds difficult; you've even called me 'Young Master'."

Zhao Xing smiled. "Slip someone into the Hundred Weapons Dao Academy in Youyuan Prefecture. The requirements aren't high; just make him an outer sect Daoist of the ninth rank. He is already an eighth-rank Forger."

Xia Jing said, "That is simple enough, but why must it be Youyuan Prefecture? That branch academy is still in Yuanpin Province. Don't the Heqiu, Anping, and Datong Prefectures of Haizhou all have branch academies?"

Why send him to Yuanpin Province? Naturally, because that young brother Yue Lingzhi's opportunities all lie in Yuanpin Province.

"He has relatives over there," Zhao Xing casually invented a reason.

"I see." Xia Jing asked no further questions. "When must this be done?"

"Urgent matters have urgent methods; non-urgent matters have non-urgent ways."

Zhao Xing said, "It is not very urgent."

Xia Jing nodded. "Since he is already an eighth-rank Forger, it can be accomplished within a month. Tell him to wait for my news."

"Thank you, Young Master. I cannot repay this great kindness; in my next life, I will work as an ox or a horse for you."

"Save that act... Hmm? Did you say that wrong?"

"Hahaha."

After meeting Yue Lingzhi, Zhao Xing also remembered his investment plan.

He specifically went to the fifteen armies stationed beyond the passes, wandering through their camps to see if any great figures were hiding in the wilds.

Unfortunately, he did not discover any other outstanding talents.

After returning, he asked Xia Jing about that extraordinary person, 'Mi Fu'.

However, Xia Jing had never heard of 'Mi Fu' either, so acquiring the 'Mysterious Yellow Analysis of Origin Art' would have to wait a bit longer. Still, he promised to help Zhao Xing inquire.

Zhao Xing flipped through the rankings for the seventh and eighth ranks again, and indeed, a few familiar names appeared.

But familiar names alone were useless; there were countless people with identical names in this world. Before seeing the person himself, Zhao Xing dared not be certain.

He quietly kept an eye on them; if he could meet them and see them in person, he could probably confirm their identities.

However, in this life, Old Master Zhao's standards had risen significantly; anyone who caught his attention could at least reach the fourth official rank in the future.

Lower than that was useless, as Old Master Zhao's own promotion speed was already quite fast.

Since the Fire Dragon Pass had been captured, he had already accumulated a million military merits.

He ranked sixty-ninth on the seventh-rank list.

Barring any accidents, during the phased rewards, he would be promoted three ranks at once, skipping 'Upper Seventh Rank', jumping from Lower Sixth Rank directly to 'Upper Assistant Sixth Rank'.

As long as they did not suffer defeat, in the phased rewards of the eighteenth year of the Jingxin Era, those at the top of the ninth, eighth, and seventh-rank lists would all be promoted three ranks at once.

On the sixth-rank list, those at Lower Assistant Sixth Rank would also smoothly advance to Official Sixth Rank.

But if one was already at Upper Assistant Sixth Rank, they would not be promoted to the fifth rank.

Because promoting to the fifth rank meant withdrawing from the battlefield, which would cause a massive replacement of commanders mid-battle; tens of millions of soldiers would need their main generals replaced at once!

Such an approach was naturally inappropriate, so upon reaching Upper Assistant Sixth Rank, even if one could rise further, the merit would be accumulated first, waiting until the training phase for low and mid-level stages concluded before a unified enfeoffment.

In the Military Realm, within the Hundred Weapons Tower, in the inspection chamber of the Three Kings.

"Chen Shijie has eight hundred and ninety thousand military merits; Long Xiao and Yu Ziqi also have slightly over eight hundred thousand."

"The two Commandants, Liao Liao Rulong and Wen Shaoyang, have also broken through the million mark. Jiang Ming, this sixth-rank Commandant, is slightly weaker; he has only just come ashore, and currently has only about five hundred thousand military merits."

"In this battle, the Divine Might Army has truly made its name famous on the Pingman Battlefield," King Ling De sighed with emotion. "I did not expect the Divine Might Army, which was at the bottom of the Ten Sun Grotto-Heaven, to perform so brilliantly this time."

"Liao Ru was indeed decisive," King Tianyan smiled. "Otherwise, he would not have broken the million military merit mark so quickly."

"Correct. Since Liao Ru is the main general of a flank army, no matter how great the merit achieved by his subordinates, a share belongs to him," King Ling De nodded. "For instance, Zhao Xing stealing the Earth Fire Lotus seeds, planting the Earth Fire Lotus, and exploding Full Moon City—none of this could have happened without Liao Ru's strong support."

"If a more conservative general had been in charge, the plan would have been rejected right at the step of stealing the Earth Fire Lotus seeds."

"Among the Divine Might Army, there are only seven sword cultivators; not counting Yang An, that leaves six."

"Yu Ziqi and Long Xiao account for two of them."

"Chen Shijie and Zhao Xing are also elite Agrarian Officials."

"Daring to dispatch these four to carry out an infiltration mission is a decision an average general would truly not dare to make."

"If even one of these four had died, Liao Ru's career as a Commandant would have been over," King Tianyan said.

? Co

Because Liao Ru's action would be judged by the Military Realm as: intentionally sending subordinates to their deaths.

The Fire Dragon Pass is a mighty southern pass; with Liao Ru as the main general issuing such an order, if nothing went wrong it would be fine, but if something did go wrong, he would inevitably bear full responsibility.

Liao Ru knew deeply that this was a huge gamble; for those few days, he could not even sleep well.

But having captured the Fire Dragon Pass, Liao Ru also gained a great deal of military merit.

As for Wen Shaoyang, his military merit was already relatively high; originally, he was slightly ahead of Liao Ru, but now he had instead been caught up to by Liao Ru.

"Zhao Xing is truly a talent; he actually managed to persuade Liao Ru to execute such a plan."

"Originally, I thought he would become indistinguishable from the crowd within the Divine Might Army; I even felt regret for him before, wondering why he did not go to the Tiger Jiao Army."

"Seeing it now, if he had gone to the Tiger Jiao Army, he might not necessarily have had such an opportunity," King Ling De sighed with emotion.

"Luo Hou, why are you not speaking?" King Tianyan smiled. "Do you not wish to say anything?"

"Hmph." King Luo Hou snorted sullenly but still made no sound.

He was also utterly speechless.

Originally, there was absolutely no opportunity at the Fire Dragon Pass, yet Zhao Xing forcibly carved out a chance.

Is the Earth Fire Lotus something humans can snatch back?

He actually knows a high-level technique of the Benwo Sect and was able to cultivate a fifth-stage Earth Fire Lotus!

It is simply unbelievable!

Nowadays, Zhao Xing has already reached the threshold for enfeoffment as a third-rank Hou Jue, and Xia Jing is close behind.

Although the bet was on a second-rank Marquis title, if things develop like this, a second-rank Marquis is not impossible.

What mood did Luo Hou Wang have to speak?

"Luo Hou, surely you wouldn't go that far? It's only two seventh-tier Divine Weapons." King Tianyan laughed, "You wouldn't be so poor a loser."

"I don't care about the Divine Weapons," Luo Hou Wang shook his head, "but this Zhao Xing repeatedly defies my judgment..."

Luo Hou Wang did not care about the two seventh-tier Divine Weapons, but he cared about his own judgment of war and his eye for people.

Zhao Xing had already surprised Luo Hou Wang several times, making him doubt himself.

Ling De Wang smiled and said, "Luo Hou, you still have a chance. Next, they will attack the Qinggang Mining Area; he surely cannot achieve another great merit there."

"Lu Yuanwei on the Western Front has not yet broken Yang Qilin's second defensive line. With the Shenwei Army, the Xuanjia Army, and the Zhenhai Army having only this few men, they cannot possibly take on the millions of troops of Jin Yu's Wang Ting alone."

King Tianyan also said, "Yes, Luo Hou, don't be discouraged; you haven't necessarily lost."

Luo Hou Wang finally spoke: "According to the intelligence provided by the Creation Plate, the Huolong Pass has now been breached. The defending general has been fleeing southeast, and most cities along the route have been abandoned."

"There is little resistance along the way, which means there is little military merit to be gained."

"Unless they take a detour to attack the Jihuan Pass defensive line; only there is there enough merit to be gained. Otherwise, they must wait for the strong armies of the Zhaoyuan Army and the Venerable Han You Army in the north to break through, or wait for the Shenlei Army in the west to break through."

"The Jihuan Pass is guarded by a legion sent by the Shengling Wang Ting Sect to support Jin Yu's Wang Ting."

"This defensive line guards against armies from the north and east; its strength cannot be underestimated."

"Of course, they have another choice: to fight the Water Witches on the Canglan River."

"However, the master-subordinate status would change. Naval warfare is the Zhenhai Army's home ground, yet even the Zhenhai Army has few achievements there."

"It will be difficult for Zhao Xing and Xia Jing to gain merit in such a place."

Luo Hou Wang said, "Judging by the current progress, there may not be any major breakthroughs within this year."

"Unless some unexpected situation arises."

Speaking to this point, Luo Hou Wang saw Ling De Wang and King Tianyan looking at him with smiles, so he could not continue.

"You are just waiting for me to finish my analysis to laugh at me?" Luo Hou Wang said angrily.

"No, no," Ling De Wang hurriedly said.

"Absolutely not," King Tianyan curled his lips upward.

"Hmph!"

Luo Hou Wang waved his hand and stopped chatting with the two.

He turned to look at the battlefield situation.

Recalling the things Zhao Xing had done, Luo Hou Wang could not help but feel a murmur in his heart.

"Creating opportunities where there are none... could he truly be a peerless genius? What commotion will he cause next?"

The Alliance Leader character has appeared~ If anyone wants to be an extra, leave a comment~