Chapter 241: Handsome Name God, Waiting for the Upgrade Effect of the Reform (Combined Large Chapter)

Ji Zixuan led the guests off the boat and introduced them to Zhao Xing one by one.

Xia Tong hailed from the Black Armor Army, holding the rank of Fifth Rank Upper as the "Five Camps Cavalry General," in charge of three famous camps within the Black Armor Army: the Dragon Cavalry Camp, the Iron-Back Flying Bear Camp, and the Black Colt Camp.

He was Xia Jing's cousin and immediately called Zhao "younger brother" upon arrival.

Although he was over twenty years older than Xia Jing, this age gap was not considered significant.

Pei Yuanchang was also in his fifties, yet he still treated Zhao Xing as a brother and friend, wasn't he?

He was the most enthusiastic toward Zhao Xing, acting as if they were all one family.

The other two military officers, He Wu and Fang Ze, came from the Wu Luo Army and the Jiujiang Army respectively.

Both armies belonged to the Eastern Sea Legion of Pinghaizhou.

The two armies shared a single cave heaven garrison—the Jiujiang Cave Heaven—which was quite famous.

He Wu and Fang Ze were both Fifth Rank Upper officers; they had come out of respect for Princess Youruo, because the Eastern Legion operated at sea, whether fighting pirates, water spirits, or launching expeditions to the Eastern Sea, and all required passing through Princess Youruo's territory.

In the vast ocean, obtaining supplies was far more difficult than on land; Princess Youruo possessed many resource-rich islands along the routes these armies had to take, making disrespect impossible, as they controlled the food supply.

Their attitude toward Zhao Xing, beyond mere politeness, carried a touch of curiosity.

Primarily, Zhao Xing's method of training war horses had attracted their attention.

Generals placed great importance on discipline and obedience, especially for war beasts; making war beasts possess these two qualities was extremely difficult.

A battle formation with war beasts and one without were completely different concepts.

Especially in large-scale battle formations, individual martial prowess could be ignored.

Take Long Xiao, a sword cultivator, as an example; if he crashed into a Level Six battle formation, he would face nine deaths and one life.

Qin Hongying from the Bishui Dao Academy was a Fourth Rank Upper Doctor of the Classics! Her own strength was even greater, having reached the Third Rank Yuan Soul Realm.

The other two, Wen Ji and Zhai Zhong, were also Fourth Rank, but in terms of status, they fell slightly short of Qin Hongying.

Ji Zixuan, like Lord Zhao, was very skilled at waving Princess Youruo's banner; after a round of persuasion, she managed to invite all three big shots to Twin Island.

However, they had little interest in war horses and battle formations; instead, their eyes were fixed on the lynx beside Zhao Xing.

One side emphasized the individual, the other the collective; visiting together was clearly unsuitable.

Zhao Xing summoned a Myriad Methods Clone to receive the two groups separately.

"Marquis Yuanrang, has this lynx cultivated a second form?" Zhai Zhong asked.

After the pleasantries, Zhai Zhong turned his gaze to the lynx.

"Indeed, the lynx's second form is the Pure Wind and Thunder Body," Zhao Xing said.

"Could you demonstrate it?" Wen Ji asked.

"No problem."

Zhao Xing waved his hand toward the lynx, instructing it to transform.

"Meow~" Aotian Meow was somewhat reluctant; transforming also consumed a great deal of energy.

Only after Zhao Xing promised to catch many large fish for it to eat did the lynx agree to perform.

"Meow~~~~~~"

With a roar from the lynx, its body suddenly underwent a change.

Its body, two meters long and one meter tall, surged again, growing to one and a half meters tall and five meters long.

After the lynx unleashed its energy, purple and cyan streams of qi appeared at its head and tail, alternately circling its body.

After three breaths, the fur on the lynx's body retracted into its interior, replaced by dense scales.

Only the fur on its four limbs remained, but it changed from gray, brown, and black to purple and cyan, forming ring patterns consistent with the scales on its body.

The head and tail also changed; the tail and head were similarly covered in layers of cyan and purple scales.

Fangs and claws lengthened; with every breath, Lei Ting and gale winds flowed around its body.

At this moment, the lynx had thick limbs and developed muscles, like a cat clad in battle armor, filled with a metallic texture.

It strode forward with head held high, like a cat general returning victorious.

"Such a divine anomaly, truly remarkable; how did you raise it?" Qin Hongying was also quite interested. "Is there any secret?"

Wen Ji and Zhai Zhong also looked at Zhao Xing.

Zhao Xing clasped his hands and said, "The cultivation of the lynx is likely difficult to replicate."

"Does Marquis Yuanrang look down on our Bishui Dao Academy's Beast Taming Bureau?" Wen Ji said displeased. "Doesn't our Beast Taming Bureau have access to what it eats?"

Zhao Xing helplessly said, "Doctor Wen, do not misunderstand; that is not my meaning."

"Then tell us then," Zhai Zhong said. "How exactly was it raised?"

Zhao Xing said, "In my hometown, there is a Spirit Mountain; the lynx was originally raised by the Mountain God, consuming Spirit Essence since childhood. During its cub stage, within one month, it entered the ranked realm. Later, in less than half a year, I brought it into the army, and with the help of friends in the military, it reached Eighth Rank."

"At one and a half years old, due to frequent training with the army and eating well, it reached Seventh Rank."

"That is not so remarkable," Wen Ji said.

Zhao Xing continued, "Later, the lynx accompanied me to explore the Ten Yang Cave Heaven; the amount of Spirit Essence it consumed could rank in the top ten."

"..." Wen Ji and Zhai Zhong immediately fell silent.

"No wonder," Qin Hongying smiled.

Indeed, it could not be replicated.

They were aware of the Spirit Essence eruption in the Ten Yang Cave Heaven.

If the amount of Spirit Essence the lynx swallowed could rank in the top ten, how terrifying would that be?

The bloodline and body of a strange beast are inherently stronger than those of humans; the lynx's consumption limit was also higher than that of a typical Sixth Rank.

Zhao Xing took the lynx to soak in hot springs, entered the Tianmen, and later the Spirit Essence Fish of the Eternal Night Sea even made the lynx's body swell by a full size.

The Bishui Dao Academy might perhaps find Spirit Essence hot springs and Spirit Essence Fish of similar quality.

But the Cave Heaven Tianmen, the Fate Soul Yin-Yang Fish, and Dragon Whale meat—those were beyond even thinking about.

At this level, there isn't enough for humans, let alone for cats to eat.

When Master Zhao was wealthy, besides the Dragon Whale Heart, the Yin-Yang Fish, the Dragon Whale Meat, and the Dragon Whale Bone Marrow, all of these were fed to the mountain cat until it was full.

"A Fifth Rank mountain cat is rare in the world," Zhai Zhong exclaimed in wonder, "You are truly willing to cultivate it."

"Its bloodline talent has also been developed quite well." Wen Ji reached out to feel the mountain cat's bones, "It seems it has not only been fed well but also trained well."

The mountain cat looked disdainful and wanted to slap away Wen Ji's old hand with its paw, but Zhao Xing immediately gave it a look.

Aotian Miao could only weakly wave in protest:

Add fish! Must add several big fish!

"Hahaha, what a spiritual big cat." Zhai Zhong saw the mountain cat's expression and couldn't help but laugh: "It actually despises Wen Ji, hahaha."

Qin Hongying examined it carefully, then looked at Zhao Xing: "Now that it has broken through to Fifth Rank, is there any other help?"

Zhao Xing clasped his hands and said, "Dr. Qin has keen insight; when it shaped the Pure Yuan Body, it indeed received help from the Hou Transformation Method."

Qin Hongying, truly Third Rank, had such sharp eyes that she saw the mountain cat's journey to breakthrough to Fifth Rank at a glance.

"The Hou Transformation Method cultivates both internally and externally; it is the mechanism of heaven and earth, possessing immense power." Qin Hongying praised, "I never expected Liu Tianning to have such attainment in the Hou Transformation Method, and even use it to tame beasts."

Qin Hongying still thought Liu Tianning had helped and never thought to look at Zhao Xing.

After all, Zhao Xing was only Sixth Rank; the Hou Transformation Method was a high-level technique, and the Hou Transformation Method used to evolve strange beasts was even rarer.

Because destruction is easy, but reconstruction is hard.

Qin Hongying had seen a pile of Ministry of Agriculture officials who mastered offensive Hou Transformation Methods. But the Hou Transformation Method used for strange beast cultivation was relatively rare.

Zhao Xing said, "I dare not deceive Dr. Qin; the mountain cat's advancement happened recently and was not caused by my master."

"Oh?" Wen Ji looked at Zhao Xing, "You wouldn't want to say it was you, would you?"

Zhao Xing nodded: "It is indeed this junior."

Zhai Zhong said in surprise: "You are only Sixth Rank, yet you master this kind of Hou Transformation Method?"

Ji Zixuan said from the side: "Master Zhai, Master Wen, the mountain cat has eaten so much spiritual essence, let alone Senior Brother?"

Zhai Zhong and Wen Ji immediately understood.

Yes, the mountain cat had eaten until it was stuffed, so Zhao Xing would only have eaten even more.

The Transformation of the Cave Heaven is hard to encounter in ten thousand years; it is not strange that it produced a genius like Zhao Xing.

Qin Hongying said: "Zhao Xing, since you master this kind of technique, we have not made this trip in vain."

"Later, I will send some Beast Tamers over to hand their pets to you."

"First, sign a fifty million contract to observe the results; are you willing?"

How could Zhao Xing not be willing? This was exactly the political merit he wanted.

Whether it is money or not is a small matter; later, his resume could add one more line: Once provided powerful war beasts for the Beast Taming Bureau of the Bi Shui Academy.

In the future, these will be capital for promotion.

"Thank you, Dr. Qin, Dr. Zhai, Dr. Wen; this junior will go all out and not betray the Academy's support."

While Zhao Xing was chatting with the three doctors of the Bi Shui Academy, the clone took Fang Ze, He Wu, and Xia Tong to visit the Tuoquan Palace.

"The current Tuoquan Palace raises four types of war horses, divided into Dragon Whisker Horses, Heavenly Horses, Purple Lightning, and Fire Flame."

"I do not know which one the three would like to see first?" Zhao Xing asked.

"Let's see the Dragon Whisker and Purple Lightning," Fang Ze said.

They had already seen the Heavenly Horse and the Fire Flame Horse during the welcome earlier.

"Agreed," He Wu said.

"I have no objection," Xia Tong smiled; he was going to place an order anyway, so Zhao Xing just needed to serve the clients from these two armies well.

"Good, please follow me," Zhao Xing led the way ahead.

He Wu and Fang Ze carried a bit of expectation.

Because the Green Heavenly Horse and the Fire Flame Horse could only be considered of Fine Horse bloodline, while the bloodlines of Purple Lightning and Dragon Whisker were of Famous Horse level.

The Great Zhou divided war horses with excellent bloodlines into three grades.

Fine, Famous, Divine.

Purple Lightning and Dragon Whisker were both on the list of Famous Horses.

The Fire Flame Horse and the Green Heavenly Horse were only of Fine Horse bloodline.

Divine Horses only had ten types; Fang Ze and He Wu did not hope for the Ten Great Divine Horses because they could not buy them either.

What family assets would use a Divine Horse as a mount?

"If the Dragon Whisker Horse and the Purple Lightning Horse can perform like the Fire Flame Horse and the Heavenly Horse, I will reserve some to take back; Brother Fang, what about you?" He Wu asked.

"Hmm, for the sake of the East Sea Princess, I must buy some too," Fang Ze said.

The East Sea Princess they spoke of referred to Princess Youruo, because the Water Tribe side was more accustomed to calling her 'East Sea Princess'.

They had been dealing with the Water Tribe in the East Sea for years, so they had also become accustomed to calling her the East Sea Princess.

Upon arriving at the Tuoquan Palace, Tao Anchun had already been waiting for a long time.

Now that the 【Divine Selection Bureau】 had been restored, he was also responsible for assisting Zhao Xing in training war horses.

"Tao Anchun, release the Dragon Whisker Horses," Zhao Xing said.

"Yes."

Tao Anchun blew a whistle, and then the fence mechanisms opened one by one.

"Clip-clop~ Clip-clop~ Clip-clop~ Clip-clop~ Clip-clop~ Clip-clop~"

The sound of hooves resounded.

One by one, the Dragon Whisker Horses walked out of the room.

The Dragon-Beard Horse, the overlord among exotic beasts, resembles a horse yet possesses long whiskers like a dragon, exuding an ethereal, otherworldly grace.

Its eyes shine like brilliant stars, radiating light so intense that no one dares to look directly at them.

Its whiskers dance with the wind, possessing the ability to command clouds and storms; its four hooves strike the ground, causing mountains and rivers to tremble.

Its entire body radiates golden dragon scales, revealing boundless power and majesty.

Among famous horses, the Dragon-Beard Horse possesses the most formidable vital energy and strength.

A battle formation composed of Dragon-Beard Horses can truly shatter city walls, making them extremely favored by mid-level commanders.

"Assemble! Form ranks!"

Zhao Xing roared.

The Dragon-Beard Horses, upon exiting their cages, did not rush outward but instead formed ranks on the spacious corridor outside the door.

Once all the horses had left the rooms, the Dragon-Beard Horses arranged themselves into four rows and marched out of the Dragon-Beard Palace with perfectly synchronized steps.

As they passed Fang Ze, He Wu, and Xia Tong, they did not even glance in their direction.

This scene left Fang Ze and He Wu clicking their tongues in amazement.

"How do I feel like I've come to a military camp rather than a stable?"

"Even a military camp might not be this clean and orderly." Fang Ze looked at a horse stall. "Good heavens, look at where these horses live; even the dry grass beds inside are laid out perfectly neat."

"Zhao Xing truly has a way with taming beasts."

The two exchanged thoughts via telepathy.

Seeing their expressions, Zhao Xing knew they were very satisfied.

If only these horses didn't need to cover themselves with quilts, otherwise Lord Zhao would surely have them fold their bedding into perfect square blocks.

Of course, that was just a thought; Zhao Xing was not quite so obsessive-compulsive.

The neatly arranged dry grass inside was not arranged by the horses themselves but was swept and cleaned daily; the cleaning of feeding troughs and manure troughs was done the same way.

"Clip-clop!"

As the final hoofbeat fell, outside the Dragon-Beard Palace, fifteen hundred Grade Eight and twenty Grade Seven Dragon-Beard Horses stood silently with heads held high, awaiting inspection.

"My lords, which aspect would you like to see next?" Zhao Xing asked.

"The battle formation," Fang Ze immediately replied. "We wish to see the effect of the Dragon-Beard Horses forming a vital energy battle formation."

"Certainly." Zhao Xing nodded and immediately blew a whistle.

"Boom~"

The Dragon-Beard Horses, motionless just a second ago, let out a neigh, and the next second, their vital energy ignited.

It surged toward the twenty Grade Seven leaders.

Vital energy gathered like clouds, and dragon whiskers swayed.

Soon, above the heads of the twenty Dragon-Beard Horses, a phantom image of a vital energy dragon appeared.

The phantom flickered four times, gradually solidifying.

A total of twenty vital energy dragons coiled in the sky above the Dragon-Beard Palace.

"Dragon Armor to Protect the Body!"

Zhao Xing shouted loudly.

Boom~

All the Dragon-Beard Horses instantly activated their innate skill; a faint golden light seeped from every pore on their bodies, then densely interwove to form secret-patterned scale armor.

It looked as though they had donned a layer of battle armor.

This not only enhanced their defense but also further increased their strength and speed.

The twenty vital energy dragons in the sky grew even larger, reaching the threshold of a Level Five battle formation.

Fang Ze and He Wu exchanged a glance, utterly shocked in their hearts.

After witnessing this scene, they had already decided to place an order; to facilitate better negotiations later, they forced themselves to show no expression whatsoever.

In reality, they were already communicating via telepathy at great speed: "The bloodline of his Dragon-Beard Horses feels stronger than that of ordinary Dragon-Beard Horses."

"Remove the 'feels'; it is simply stronger than the rest. The strength of the battle formation is at least one-fifth greater."

"Why is this so?"

"Two possibilities," Fang Ze said. "Either Zhao Xing feeds them superior food with proper nutritional balance."

"Or, after training, the coordination among the Dragon-Beard Horses has improved significantly."

"A battle formation formed with three-tenths of one's strength is naturally different from one formed with six-tenths."

Fang Ze could not help but ask: "How did he manage to make the Dragon-Beard Horses coordinate their output so well? These horses of his have never even been on a battlefield."

If they had spent years fighting on the battlefield, the Dragon-Beard Horses, accustomed to the battlefield and battle formations through years of combat, would naturally be able to unleash greater power.

Zhao Xing's Dragon-Beard Horses might not compare to those warhorses that spend their entire lives on the battlefield.

However, judging solely by their "factory condition," they are already superior to those from their own channels.

If taken back and allowed to bond with knights, these warhorses could soon be put to use.

Because Zhao Xing has already trained them very well.

Nevertheless, Fang Ze and He Wu still wished to find some faults.

There was no other way; without finding faults, the price could not be driven down.

"Marquis Yuanrang," Fang Ze said, "do these Dragon-Beard Horses of yours obey only your commands?"

"Furthermore, you use the Myriad Beasts True Words Method and the Slave Seal Method, correct? If our knights come to control them, can they achieve such excellent results?"

Zhao Xing smiled. "General Fang, I did not use the Myriad Beasts True Words Method just now. I did use it before, but later it became unnecessary."

"May I give them an order?" He Wu asked.

"Certainly." Zhao Xing waved his hand, and Tao Anchun immediately brought over a tray holding a row of signal arrows.

"But the Dragon-Beard Horses are not yet accustomed to you; only by wearing this token can you approach them."

Dragon-Beard Horses have fierce temperaments; in truth, no famous horse is gentle, and all are difficult to subdue.

Zhao Xing used the token to save the time needed for familiarization and breaking in; holding the token allowed immediate use of the horses, which was also a fairly common practice.

After riding for a while, naturally, there would be no need to wear the token arrow anymore.

Seeing that Fang Ze truly had no flaws to pick, He Wu still refused to give up, saying, "Might I be allowed to try riding? To experience the degree of integration with the battle formation?"

Zhao Xing smiled and said, "Of course."

Without another word, He Wu stuck the token arrow behind his neck, then leaped in one bound onto the lead seventh-grade Dragon-Beard Horse.

He Wu was somewhat cunning; when he sat down, he specifically circulated his blood and qi, making the weight of every single golden bone in his body transfer onto the Dragon-Beard Horse.

The moment he sat, the seventh-grade Dragon-Beard Horse's legs immediately trembled, and its body sank.

"You!" Tao Anchun's eyes instantly bulged with anger.

"No need to worry," Zhao Xing stopped Tao Anchun.

If one was to let someone 'test drive,' one could hardly let them go easy.

As long as the Dragon-Beard Horse was not crushed to death or injured, Zhao Xing would not intervene.

Warhorses are meant to be used; they must follow their masters onto the battlefield.

Naturally, they must be able to withstand their masters performing Wu Ji upon them.

If they could not endure even this much torment, they would not be called warhorses.

He Wu still had some restraint; he only wanted to gauge the quality, not deliberately make things difficult.

"Aaaah~"

The Dragon-Beard Horse emitted a clear dragon-like cry, and the blood qi dragon swimming in the sky roared along with it.

It forcibly lifted He Wu up again and stood straight.

He Wu silently praised the fine horse, then raised his clenched fist above his head.

He intended to connect with the blood qi battle formation.

To become the controller of the battle formation.

Originally, the core of the battle formation was this precious horse beneath his crotch.

Now, if he took over the battle formation, it would be equivalent to taking over the life and death of the entire herd.

Because once he gained control, any damage he suffered would be transferred and shared among the herd.

Normally, the initial training of a battle formation is the most troublesome time, because the resistance of the fierce horses is very great.

They do not easily give up their lives.

As expected, He Wu's blood qi encountered resistance and was not accepted by the blood qi dragon.

The herd below also became restless.

Zhao Xing remained unmoved, simply watching quietly.

He Wu fell into thought, switching his method of circulating blood and qi to make himself more compatible with the blood qi dragon battle formation.

The resistance encountered immediately weakened, and after a quarter of an hour.

The herd's agitation vanished.

He Wu's expression was somewhat stunned; then he gently patted the Dragon-Beard Horse.

The entire formation of the herd moved forward in unison by one step, following his will.

"Change!"

He Wu pointed with his hand, and one of the blood qi dragons in the sky instantly transformed into a massive blood qi long spear.

Now, it was the battle formation he was familiar with.

Although it trembled unsteadily and might collapse at any moment, successfully changing the formation on the first attempt still left He Wu so surprised he could not speak.

On the first attempt, he did not last long; after all, these were quasi-warhorses, not true warhorses.

They could not withstand his severe torment.

After He Wu flipped off the horse's back, he returned to the steps.

He opened his mouth, wanting to point out some flaw, but it ultimately became: "Marquis Yuanrang, name your price."

There was no way; he truly could not go against his conscience and stubbornly pick faults.

He He Wu was a soldier, not a merchant; he was not the kind of person who valued profit over righteousness.

To pick faults and haggle over the price for such warhorses?

If he really went against his conscience and did so, he would have to slap himself in the face when he got up at midnight.

"General can also see that the Twin Dragon Horse Stable employs elite-style cultivation and training," Zhao Xing said.

"Therefore, eight-grade is forty thousand, seven-grade is two hundred thousand per horse, settled with military realm points, transferred to the public account, no bargaining allowed."

This price was more than double the normal market rate.

But He Wu felt it was worth it.

He still asked one question: "If my Wu Luo Army requires a large quantity, is there a discount?"

Zhao Xing smiled: "The price cannot be lowered, but since you all are the first matchmakers, if you buy a lot, we can gift a few extra fine horses to the generals in your army."

He Wu said: "I will first order one thousand eight-grade Dragon-Beard Horses! Five hundred seven-grade Dragon-Beard Horses. However, I need to take these back immediately; my army has a recent equipment requirement of ten thousand. How does Marquis Yuanrang wish to handle payment?"

"This transaction must be settled immediately; no credit allowed. If there are subsequent reservations, a thirty percent deposit is required, and the balance must be paid in full when picking up the goods."

"Deal."

"Wait!" Fang Ze could no longer sit still; how could you just leave me, the Jiujiang Army, behind and start negotiating on your own?

A smile appeared on the corner of Zhao Xing's mouth: "General Fang, what are your instructions?"

"Marquis Yuanrang, how many Dragon-Beard Horses do you have here?"

"The available adult Dragon Whisker horses are all here; even combining the seventh and eighth grades, there are only a little over a thousand." Zhao Xing said, "However, in half a year, this number can increase to around eight thousand."

"The equipment demand of my Jiujiang Army is even greater; at the very least, we need fifty thousand!" Fang Ze said. "I also need to take a batch of adult horses back; you cannot give them all to the Luo Wu Army."

"Old Fang, you are just bragging. What does the Jiujiang Army need so many Dragon Whisker horses for? Your navy is the majority; where could such a massive allocation demand come from?"

"You need not worry about that; in short, I want these horses!"

"You rascal! Do you think you can just take them just because you say so? Clearly, I spoke first!"

Military generals have explosive tempers; the two who were originally amicable immediately began to quarrel.

Tao Anchun, standing nearby, listened with tears welling in his eyes.

If the occasion were not inappropriate, he would have burst out laughing right now.

Generals of two powerful armies fighting over them; the Twin Dragon Horse Stable has actually reached such a day!

"Enough, you two." Zhao Xing advised, "We are all brother armies; do not harm our harmony."

"I also come from the military and can understand the feelings of both generals."

He Wu and Fang Ze immediately stopped arguing and looked at Zhao Xing.

"For this current batch of Dragon Whisker horses, you shall each take half back." Zhao Xing made the ruling.

"If the superiors are satisfied, further orders will be placed according to procurement needs at our discretion."

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"What I can guarantee is that in these few years, the Twin Dragon Horse Stable can fully satisfy your needs."

"Good." He Wu and Fang Ze immediately agreed.

Zhao Xing then arranged for Tao Anchun to lead the two men to the government office to discuss the details.

Only Xia Tong remained here.

"Brother, you have waited a long time." Facing Xia Tong, Zhao Xing was much more intimate, addressing him directly as "Brother."

"No problem, no problem." Xia Tong said cheerfully, "The Qilin Child indeed did not speak falsely; even if you are just raising horses here, you are extraordinary."

"These two fellows are very picky; I was about to reprimand them just now, but unexpectedly, this batch of Dragon Whisker horses actually silenced them."

Zhao Xing said modestly, "It is all due to the support of elders from all sides, especially Princess Youruo. Without her, I would not have been able to achieve such results."

"The Princess is indeed a great help, but you need not be so modest. Even if others had so many young beasts, they might not be able to tame and train them into capable steeds."

Zhao Xing did not dwell on this topic: "What type of warhorse does Brother need, and in what quantity?"

Xia Tong pondered, "Are the Purple Lightning Horses you trained of this same tier?"

Zhao Xing said, "The Purple Lightning excels in speed, being the fastest among famous horses. It and the Dragon Whisker each have their own strengths and weaknesses, but I can guarantee that the training results will be the same."

"If that is the case, I want you to send all your Purple Lightning Horses back to the Black Armor Army, and I will also reserve another twenty thousand."

Zhao Xing clasped his hands and said, "Brother, please act according to your capacity. If the Black Armor Army does not have this need..."

Although his relationship with Xia Jing was good, he could not simply impose a burden on others.

He was not someone who could not get by; there was no need to do this.

Xia Tong waved his hand and said, "The Great Campaign to Pacify the Barbarians has progressed to this point; the offensives in all major war zones have slowed down, and the counterattack strength of the Four Wang Ting of the Southern Wilderness is gradually increasing."

"The Five Great Caves are continuously reinforcing troops and expanding their own strength. Let alone twenty thousand Purple Lightning Horses, it is even possible that another two hundred thousand will be invested in the battlefield in the future."

"My Black Armor Army truly has this need." Xia Tong said.

"Doesn't the Black Armor Army have its own high-level channels?" Zhao Xing asked.

"Yes." Xia Tong said, "We and the Tiger Crocodile Army both have procurement quotas on the Sub-Dragon Island. However, since Liang Wang took power, these quotas have also been compressed this year because Liang Wang implemented a unified military supply coordination, even regarding the sources of war beasts."

"Starting from this year, if our Dragon Cavalry Camp wants to replenish dragon beasts, it will not be as easy as before; at least, it will not be as convenient as before."

"Therefore, finding an alternative channel is very important."

Hearing him say this, Zhao Xing nodded.

Liang Wang taking power means controlling all legions of the entire Great Campaign to Pacify the Barbarians battlefield.

The power of military supply allocation is something he must grasp immediately upon taking power.

Otherwise, one could not speak of controlling the entire Great Campaign to Pacify the Barbarians legions.

Now that the position of Great Campaign to Pacify the Barbarians Commander-in-Chief has appeared, the will of all armies must obey the Commander-in-Chief; they can no longer fight wherever they wish as before.

In the end, it is because there are not as many favorable battles on the battlefield as before.

The momentum of the offensive is blocked, and casualties are increasing.

Even during the troop training stage, to reduce unnecessary consumption, the strength of each army must be integrated, and resource integration is of paramount importance.

Since the Black Armor Army truly needs it, Zhao Xing did not persuade them further.

When leaving the next day,

Xia Tong, Fang Ze, and He Wu all signed the 【Divine Spirit Contract】 with the Twin Island Dragon Horse Stable.

Such contracts are considered one of the most binding contracts in the Great Zhou.

Because the paper used for the contracts consists of relatively high-grade materials, and it also requires the Yisuan Xing Jun to witness it.

"My Lord is wise!" Tao Anchun, Dong Yuanqiu, Bao Shiqiu, and Dong Jiang were all extremely excited.

The total transaction amount confirmed on the spot by the three generals was one hundred and sixty-five million! When these three return, there is a high probability that subsequent orders will bring over a billion to the Twin Island Dragon Horse Stable!

The Bishui Academy also gave an order of fifty million. Of course, this market is relatively high-end and difficult to scale up because only Zhao Xing knows the Jinglei Marquis Reform.

But if the reputation is established, there will be no lack of business afterwards.

These are all tangible political achievements.

"You gentlemen are excited too early." Zhao Xing smiled, "This is only the beginning; in the future, more and more people will come to my Twin Island Dragon Horse Stable."

It truly is just the beginning; the investment in his Twin Dragon Horse Stable has already exceeded one billion five hundred million, and Zhao Xing also intends to continue investing the two billion he just collected.

Only by thoroughly building up the scale can he cultivate a batch of elite war beasts to participate in the Ten Thousand Beasts Competition.

The Jinglei Marquis Reform has the possibility of failure; he must make the base extremely large to achieve the expected goal, otherwise, he risks ending up in the same situation as the previous Stable Director.

Of course, the previous Supervisor cannot compare to him; their starting points are not the same.

"Everyone must work together to develop the Twin Dragon Horse Pavilion even better."

"We strictly obey my lord's orders." The officials of the Dragon Horse Pavilion bowed in unison.

On the other side, Zhao Xing was chatting with Ji Zixuan.

"This time I brought so many orders for senior brother; when does senior brother plan to train me?" Ji Zixuan asked with full expectation.

If senior brother Zhao can train horses so well, training her should not be a problem.

"Have you started practicing the Gluttony Eating Method?"

"I have; at the end of last year, I found it and started practicing, but I have only just reached the first layer." Ji Zixuan said, "This secret technique is too difficult."

Zhao Xing looked at the almanac and pondered, "Training the Gluttony Eating Method requires a reasonable dietary combination; wait until the autumn harvest, then spare some time to come to Twin Island; I will help you accelerate your cultivation of this method."

"By then, the things I planted should have a batch enter the maturity stage, enough for you to advance several layers."

"Good, thank you, senior brother." Ji Zixuan's eyebrows curved, and she smiled happily.

"Don't thank me in haste yet." Zhao Xing said, "This matter will require enduring a lot of hardship; just don't resent me when the time comes."

"How could junior sister be someone afraid of hardship?" Ji Zixuan's voice was firm. "Rest assured, senior brother; no matter how bitter or tiring, I will not utter a single complaint."

…………

Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, it was already late July.

Zhao Xing no longer needed to handle the army's orders personally, because at the beginning of last month, Chongming Prefecture allowed the Twin Dragon Horse Pavilion to restore the 【Divine Selection Bureau】.

People under his command, such as Tao Anchun and Cao Jiang, were all capable of being used.

Zhao Xing could also spare some energy to deal with the orders from the Bi Shui Dao Academy.

"Currently, only I can meet the requirements of the Academy's Beast Taming Bureau; my Thunder Marquis Transformation Method has only been used once on a mountain cat; I still need more reference samples."

Zhao Xing arrived at a wasteland area on Ludao.

The sky here was filled with thunder clouds, and the thunder-attribute energy was extremely dense.

Since the New Year, while Zhao Xing was constructing the King Di Zang Return-to-Origin Great Array, he had also set aside several experimental areas for himself.

This Lei Chi here was modeled after the Ten Thousand Mile Lei Chi within the Ten Yang Heavenly Cave.

However, the scope and the intensity of the thunder clouds were completely incomparable to those within the Ten Yang Heavenly Cave.

"This area has continuously been the Jingzhe solar term for six months; the thunder clouds have not dispersed for a full six months."

"Practicing my Thunder Marquis Transformation Method here allows me even greater control over its release and restraint," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

"Boom~"

From all directions of the wasteland, many strange beasts appeared in groups.

These were Zhao Xing's Ten Thousand Dharma Straw Men, driving some of the unranked strange beasts originally on Ludao over here.

"There were originally three million seven hundred thousand unranked strange beasts on Ludao, but that was data from early November last year."

"After the King Di Zang Return-to-Origin Great Array transformed Ludao, it has become a secondary treasure land; now the number has increased greatly."

"In the wild, there are quite a few ranked strange beasts."

The exact number, Zhao Xing had not tallied, because there were no relevant tasks for the time being; the Dragon Horse Pavilion's main business was still cultivating warhorses and dragon beasts.

However, with the addition of orders from the Bi Shui Dao Academy now, the pets of the Academy's Beast Taming Bureau were of all kinds; what Zhao Xing needed to do at this moment was to verify the Thunder Marquis Transformation Method.

To open a path with the Academy.

"The fifty million order is just Qin Hongying testing the waters; the pets sent over for cultivation will not be of high rank."

"If unranked strange beasts can withstand my Thunder Marquis Transformation Method, then the probability that ranked strange beasts can withstand it is even greater."

Not splitting the pets to death was Zhao Xing's main objective now.

Because his Thunder Marquis Transformation Method had already reached the High-Grade Eighth Turn level, its power was too great; he needed to control the degree carefully.

Of course, if the power was too small, it would not work either; if it was too small, it would not achieve the effect of the Marquis Transformation.

"Roar~"

"Awooo~"

"Maa~"

"Om~~"

The sounds of various strange beasts gathered over this wasteland.

Zhao Xing's true body floated in the sky; above his head was a 'Jingzhe' solar term token of the Knowledge Realm Eighth Turn.

"Meow!" Ao Tian Miao saw this scene and immediately hid far away.

When it advanced back then, it suffered great misery; it did not want to experience such a feeling a second time.

"Boom boom boom!"

The thunder clouds began to gather their strength.

Zhao Xing sat cross-legged in the clouds and began to control the Lei Ting to descend.

The strange beasts below seemed to sense something and scattered in all directions, fleeing.

But they had not yet managed to escape this area.

"Crack!"

A thunderclap sounded, falling from the sky.

"Thud~"

Within the herd of one-horned wild boars, a strange beast equivalent to the Gathering Spirit Seventh Stage immediately fell to the ground upon hearing the sound, its whole body turning into black charcoal.

"Om!!"

The herd of one-horned wild boars immediately became even more panicked and disoriented.

"Crack crack crack~~~~~"

Lightning became denser, sometimes large, sometimes small, its shapes varying—some straight lines, others like cracks, forming mysterious patterns across the sky.

Others transformed into spheres of lightning, chasing after the wild boar herds.

"Boom—crack! Boom—crack!"

More than three thousand wild boars were immediately struck down.

No matter how fast they ran, they couldn't outpace lightning; the surrounding wasteland offered no place to hide.

About fifteen minutes later, Zhao Xing landed on the ground.

He began inspecting the results.

Charcoal, charcoal, charcoal… everywhere were boar-shaped lumps of charcoal.

After spotting a faint golden hue, Zhao Xing ran over—and fell silent.

It was a roasted suckling pig.

"Ah, the power's still too strong—this one had weaker lightning, yet it was still roasted golden."

Adhering to the principle of not wasting food, Zhao Xing sat down and ate the roasted suckling pig while pondering his earlier spellcasting.

After finishing one roasted boar, Zhao Xing flew back into the thunderclouds to cast again.

"Boom—crack!"

The Thunder's Waiting Transformation continued.

…………

As time passed, Zhao Xing grew increasingly proficient in applying the Thunder's Waiting Transformation.

His Thunder's Waiting Transformation had already reached a high level of Dao comprehension, forcibly elevated to Gao Jie Eighth Turn within the Tianmen.

But he rarely used it; now, through practical application, he slowly sought the subtleties.

"The Thunder's Waiting Transformation has a higher success rate with Earth-affinity beasts—it's typically applied to Mid-Grade beasts."

"I'm not after success rate—I want to reduce power while maintaining it."

The base power of the Thunder's Waiting Transformation is fixed; weaker beasts can't survive the strike.

What's the success rate for Ungraded beasts? Zhao Xing didn't know.

But the phenomenon he observed in the Season Stele showed billions upon billions of insect-beasts dying to birth a single Earth Dragon.

A worm the size of a fingertip transforming into a hundred-zhang Earth Dragon—such a leap in life tier had a probability so low it was one in a hundred million.

Of course, the phenomenon demonstrated divine power, presenting only ideal conditions.

Theoretically, the Waiting Transformation could turn an ordinary Ungraded worm into a Mid-Grade Earth Dragon—yet the probability was vanishingly, vanishingly low.

"The Ungraded One-Horned Wild Boar is Earth-affinity—if I can't control it, using the Thunder's Waiting Transformation on other beasts will be even harder."

"Observe carefully its internal Five Elements qi fluctuations—summarize the method." Zhao Xing continued casting.

…………

Master Zhao had decided to practice his art—the One-Horned Wild Boars paid the price.

On the first day, over three hundred One-Horned Wild Boars were killed by lightning.

On the second day, over five hundred One-Horned Wild Boars were killed by lightning.

On the third day, Zhao Xing expanded his range—seventeen hundred One-Horned Wild Boars were killed.

On the fifth day—three thousand five hundred and forty-two.

On the seventh day…

……

Since confirming the Azure Water Dao Academy's order in early July, Zhao Xing had been striking One-Horned Wild Boars nonstop.

He kept striking until late July.

The number of One-Horned Wild Boars slain exceeded eighty thousand.

Across the Lei Chi Wasteland, wild boar corpses lay everywhere.

Of course, not all were corpses.

A few One-Horned Wild Boars had luckily advanced, becoming leaders of the herd.

Yet even as leaders, they still faced even stronger lightning strikes.

Now, this entire herd was undergoing Tribulation Crossing.

Survive it, and they lived; fail it, and their lives were over.

And Zhao Xing had fallen into a trance of relentless boar-striking cultivation.

Constantly adjusting the power and casting environment of the Thunder's Waiting Transformation.

In this trance-like cultivation, his success rate gradually rose.

He was utterly unaware that the date had reached July 27th.

It was the day the Azure Water Dao Academy had agreed to send someone.

…………

July 27th, Chen Hour.

Ling Ruoxue arrived on a flying vessel, seeking Zhao Xing in the Lei Chi Wasteland.

Because Zhao Xing's true body had entered trance-like cultivation, all his Ten Thousand Methods clones were offline—unresponsive to calls.

With the Twin Dragon Horses' Watch arriving, Tao Anchun had no choice but to send Ling Ruoxue to find Zhao Xing.

"What happened here?"

As Ling Ruoxue flew into the Lei Chi Wasteland, she saw the ground littered with charcoal-roasted boars—charred hides, suckling pigs, maimed boars…

"My lord Zhao… how many One-Horned Wild Boars have you killed…?" Ling Ruoxue involuntarily shuddered.

The scene was terrifying—corpses piled like mountains, some with bizarre, unnatural transformations in their bodies.

For instance, the single horn on the pig's head was gone, yet two feet had grown in its place... and its eyes seemed to shimmer with light.

"Boom-Crack!"

A thunderclap startled Ling Ruoxue; ahead on the hillside, a wild boar leader nearly four meters tall was immobilized, and as Lei Guang flashed across it, the beast collapsed with a crash.

Lei Guang flickered, illuminating Zhao Xing's figure; beneath the gloomy sky, Zhao Xing's face also appeared dark and grim.

He furrowed his brows; watching him, Ling Ruoxue instinctively stepped back a few paces.

Zhao Xing seemed to have noticed Ling Ruoxue; suddenly he raised his head and glanced at her.

In the next instant, his form vanished, then abruptly reappeared upon her flying boat.

"Ah—"

Ling Ruoxue was half-dead with fright; her body clattered backward, colliding with the cabin wall.

"You... are you human or ghost? Do not come closer!"

Zhao Xing was speechless.

He pointed at the sky, brightening the surrounding light; a window opened in the clouds, and a beam of sunlight scattered the gloom, shining upon the flying boat.

"Now, do you see me as human or ghost?"

"Zhao... Zhao my lord, is it you?" Ling Ruoxue clutched her chest.

"Of course it is me," Zhao Xing said irritably.

These officials of the Ministry of Agriculture were truly too weak.

The imperial court really should subject every official of the Ministry of Agriculture to half a year of military training before they took up their posts.

Ling Ruoxue had already reached the seventh rank, yet she possessed only this much courage.

Was it really that terrifying?

When he had slain turtles back then in the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven and the Peaceful Barbarian Battlefield, onlookers hadn't even furrowed their brows!

"You no longer herd at Tianma Lake; what brings you to me?" Zhao Xing asked.

"Uncle Tao asked me to..."

"Use titles during work hours," Zhao Xing reminded.

"Oh, it was my lord Tao who sent me to find you," Ling Ruoxue said. "He said the Bishui Dao Academy people are arriving soon and require your reception. Since I was nearby, I came to find you."

"Understood, return now." Zhao Xing closed his eyes briefly; the Ten Thousand Laws Avatar within the Si Zheng Prefecture reactivated.

In the Eastern Sea, a law-beast tower ship was traversing the Cloud Path.

From the lower three decks of the warship, faint roars of beasts could be heard.

On the upper two decks, dozens of youths and maidens clad in emerald-green Dao robes were moving about.

They were all students of the Bishui Dao Academy's main branch, all hailing from the Beast Taming Bureau.

At this moment, they were all conversing.

"Did you hear? The reason the Dao Academy signed a contract with the Twin Dragon Horse Bureau this time is entirely due to Senior Sister Ji."

"A fifty-million training contract! Senior Sister Ji is doing better and better."

"Senior Sister Ji was the most outstanding graduate of Jingxin Year 19; she has already reached the Tiangang realm. What is this little matter?"

"I heard Senior Sister was titled Princess Chenxi last year; only then did I learn she is actually the granddaughter of King Chenglan."

"Really? Senior Sister is far too low-key; we never heard her mention it."

"It is said the Si Zheng of the Twin Dragon Horse Bureau is actually one of Senior Sister's admirers, hahaha..."

"What? Tell us the details quickly..."

"..."

On the very top deck of the tower ship, Ji Ji Zixuan was gazing at the two young maidens before her.

"Ziyan, Minghui, you must seize this opportunity for the contracted training."

"I have placed you in the top two positions for this training contract; your pet beasts will receive priority cultivation."

"Yes." Su Minghui and Shang Shang Ziyan responded respectfully.

They possessed self-awareness; among this year's students of the Beast Taming Bureau, their performance was merely average.

Compared to the many sons and daughters of Wang Gong and nobility, their origins were ordinary, their wealth ordinary, and their talent merely passable; only their diligence and hard work had caught this senior sister's eye.

Thus, in this contracted training, they were placed in the top two positions.

While those below had the leisure to gossip about this and that, they only thought of how to seize this opportunity.

Shang Shang Ziyan plucked up her courage and asked, "Senior Sister, what manner of person is the chief official of the Twin Dragon Horse Bureau, Marquis Yuanrang Zhao Xing? How shall we gain his favor?"

Ji Ji Zixuan said, "Zhao Xing is a rare talent of the present age; he admires those who are positive and upwardly striving."

"When you disembark from the tower ship later, bring your pet beasts and cooperate well."

"If an opportunity arises, strive to demonstrate your talent."

"If you can win his favor, you will have struck great fortune for the rest of your lives."

"Senior Sister, is Marquis Yuanrang truly so extraordinary?" Su Minghui plucked up her courage to voice her curiosity. "I heard he is merely of the sixth rank, the same realm as Senior Sister, yet Senior Sister holds him in such high esteem; it is truly curious."

Ji Ji Zixuan smiled. "I owe my rapid ascent to the sixth realm entirely to his help."

"Setting aside other deeds, consider last year: with a single move, he defeated the Hundred Arts Mage, hailed as the strongest sixth-ranker of the Li Fire Dao Academy's Great Source Branch."

"Furthermore, he masters dozens of high-level laws and can even cultivate sixth-rank plants!"

"Tell me, if you learned even a little from him, would it not benefit you endlessly?"

Upon hearing this, Shang Shang Ziyan and Su Minghui were utterly astonished; if what Ji Ji Zixuan said was true, then this Marquis Yuanrang Zhao Xing was indeed a peerless genius.

"Senior Sister, does Marquis Yuanrang have any taboos?" Shang Shang Ziyan asked cautiously.

"He despises lazy, ignorant, and indecisive fools," Ji Ji Zixuan recalled. "Remember, do not ask foolish questions."

"Very well, the skyship is about to land; all of you, prepare to summon your pet beasts," Ji Ji Zixuan said, waving her hand.

"Yes, thank you, Senior Sister," Shang Shang Ziyan and Su Minghui obediently withdrew.