Chapter 249: Lightning Bamboo, Hallucinogenic Mushrooms, Jungle Leaping (12,000)

Liu Tianning did not expect that Zhao Xing had not only opened up Pure Origin soil, but that its range was so vast.

Over three thousand square meters; many Fifth Rank elders of the Benwo Sect are no better than this.

"Your progress is considerable," Liu Tianning nodded. "These three hundred million points were well spent."

With such performance, three hundred million points are too valuable.

Zhao Xing said, "The actual expenditure involved resources worth one billion. The Princess has also shown me considerable care, and my Ten Thousand Dharma Avatar has had some encounters while exploring the East Sea."

Liu Tianning pondered, "Once you reach the Fifth Rank realm, I will find resources worth ten billion for you."

Resources worth ten billion? This time it was Zhao Xing's turn to be stunned.

Is Old Liu really that wealthy?

Liu Tianning said indifferently, "With the Pacification of the Man campaign concluded, regardless of whether I am promoted to a Third Rank official, I will become the Vice Dean of the Shangluo Academy."

"Even if it is only the early stage, the resources I can command will be at least in the trillion-level range. These resources are mainly used to cultivate the genius Agronomists of the Benwo Sect."

"As my disciple, enjoying cultivation with resources worth ten billion is not difficult."

Zhao Xing thought for a moment and immediately understood.

Liu Tianning of the Taihe Commandery's Agronomist noble family might not be able to casually hand over ten billion to a disciple. Even if he had that much, the Liu family is a vast clan; he also has an older brother, and strictly speaking, it is his brother who is the family head.

But Liu Tianning, the leader of the Benwo Sect, is different.

The Way of the Agronomist has been passed down for tens of millions of years. Places where Agronomists gather, such as the Shangluo Academy and the Lianhua Academy, have long historical traditions; just how terrifying their foundations are, no one can say clearly.

But no matter who sits on the throne, it does not affect their farming.

Because Agronomist officials have no political tendencies; their ideal and ambition is simply to farm and bring order to the world.

No dynasty will come to slaughter Agronomist officials; on the contrary, they are the primary targets sought by new dynasties.

When conquering the Jiangshan, the Nineteen Provinces experienced numerous wars and ravages; the timing and terrain were in chaos. To restore quickly and stabilize the world, one cannot do without Agronomists.

For Liu Tianning, with the end of this great war to pacify the Man, whether or not he becomes a Third Rank official of the imperial court matters little; as long as he becomes the leader of the Benwo Sect, a high official rank is certainly unavoidable.

The reason it is the Vice Dean of the Shangluo Academy is mainly because the current leader of the Benwo Sect, 'Xu Xing', has not yet died.

However, Xu Xing will not endure much longer. Zhao Xing recalled that this Second Rank Junior Agronomist Minister is already seven hundred and seventy-five years old.

Xu Xing, a Second Rank official, possesses First Rank strength. Even if he can live past eight hundred years, he has little time left.

And in his previous life, Xu Xing also died of old age in the seventeenth year of Great Peace.

The Benwo Sect cannot wait for someone to die before selecting a successor; they have long begun scouting candidates. From the moment Liu Tianning stepped out of the military world to start working, this matter had no suspense.

The spell that best represents the Benwo Sect is the Ten Thousand Dharma Straw Man.

Liu Tianning's Ceng Zu was the Dean of the Lianhua Academy; although not the leader, his status was very high.

With such a pure and upright lineage, and having taken the Ten Thousand Dharma Straw Man to new heights, Liu Tianning...

The other Vice Deans simply cannot compete with him; they are merely running alongside for show.

Liu Tianning himself does not have that much money to give to a disciple.

But after he succeeds, he will shoulder the heavy responsibility of prospering the Benwo Sect and need not wait for Xu Xing to die before acting.

Cultivating Agronomists for the Benwo Sect is what he must do, just as he once opened classes to teach the Straw Man spell in the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven.

Although the Benwo Sect has few people, they are extremely united. Those who can be called Agronomists of the Benwo Sect are at least in the Fifth Rank realm.

If Liu himself can command resources at the trillion-level, then he was still speaking modestly!

Selecting the worthy without avoiding relatives; although Zhao Xing is his disciple, his ability is evident, so there should be no objection to him receiving resources worth ten billion.

However, this is not given for free.

True to Old Liu's character, his assessment of disciples is very strict.

As expected, Zhao Xing heard Liu say again:

"For the first stage, I will give you five hundred million first."

"With these five hundred million, you need to cultivate mainstream fifth-tier plants of 'Class', 'Order', 'Family', 'Species', 'Phylum', and 'Genus'; you must dabble in every level of classification."

"Additionally, you must skillfully use the Pure Origin Projection, master its combat methods, and enter the 【Dojo】 to improve your ranking."

"This is the goal of the first stage."

"For the second stage, I will give you at least two billion to cultivate sixth-tier plants and fifth-level Pure Origin soil."

"Additionally, you must go to the Dojo to temper yourself. Regardless of whether you are Fifth Rank or Fourth Rank, you must become the top-ranked Benwo Sect Agronomist of the Mid-Rank realm in Haizhou."

"For the third stage, I will give you at least eight billion to cultivate seventh-tier plants across six levels, with the goal of becoming the number one Agronomist of the Mid-Rank realm in the Province."

After that, Liu Tianning said no more, because if Zhao Xing completed the three goals, regardless of his official rank, he would already possess high-rank combat power.

At that time, Zhao Xing would also be part of the upper echelons and would have to shoulder the responsibility of cultivating the younger generation; as for how to proceed on the path thereafter, Liu Tianning has not yet arranged anything that far ahead for him.

Zhao Xing listened quietly.

Fifth-tier plants, he can cultivate with ease.

The only difficulty lies in Liu's requirement to cover all series.

Some growth cycles are relatively long, such as for large trees; with his current scale, planting large trees is still quite difficult.

Of course, the first stage goal is, overall, relatively simple; accomplishing these things with five hundred million is not hard.

The difficulty lies in the second and third stages.

"Once you complete the first stage goal, come find me again."

"Yes, thank you, Teacher, for your cultivation," Zhao Xing said respectfully.

Next, Liu Tianning asked some questions, mainly about insights into the Three Great Secret Scriptures. The two master and disciple discussed the Dao across the Earth Mirror for half an hour before ending their conversation.

As soon as it ended, Zhao Xing received a message in his Earth Mirror that five hundred million points had been credited.

"Elites from an Agronomist noble family like Old Liu really drop a lot of gold coins."

"Completing one of his missions is a hundred or a thousand times better than completing those of others," Zhao Xing couldn't help but sigh.

Compared to Liu Tianning, Mi Fu's influence during his lifetime was completely incomparable; perhaps only in his later years would people compare him to Liu Tianning.

"Mi Lao Tou's Xuan Huang Xi Yuan Art isn't ready to be revealed yet," Zhao Xing thought.

First, Old Liu had already embarked on an invincible path—whether in strength, family background, prestige in court and countryside, or military and political power… Liu Tianning's rise was unstoppable; he was destined to become Da Si Nong.

Whether or not this Xuan Huang Xi Yuan Art existed made no difference.

But Zhao Xing needed this secret art to complete his own plan; this matter must wait until he reached high rank.

At this stage, spiritual treasures were hard to find; even Princess Youruo's treasury had yielded only this one willow branch—telling anyone would be meaningless.

Once more spiritual treasures were found, they could be used on Old Liu and Mi Fu.

"Team up with Liu Tianning, and you've truly boarded the fast track to advancement."

"Giving me so much… he's truly afraid I'll steal," Zhao Xing couldn't help smiling.

Adding the three hundred million he'd received before, the total now amounted to eight hundred million.

Liu Tianning isn't even Deputy Dean yet; these funds were probably his own money.

"Maybe the Princess lent him the money," Zhao Xing speculated.

Not long after, Princess Youruo contacted him, asking if he had broken through to fifth rank.

He hadn't told anyone about his breakthrough to fifth rank—she must have heard it from Liu Tianning.

"Probably the Princess initiated it herself—truly enviable, earning money just by standing still."

With five hundred million points gained, Zhao Xing's main body once again left Twin Island.

He needed to procure supplies in the Soldier Realm, and the nearest entrance to the Soldier Realm was Jiujiang Cavern.

Although Old Liu hadn't set him a deadline, Zhao Xing himself felt time was pressing.

Mainly because the twenty-ninth year of Jingxin Calendar was drawing near a critical juncture.

First, the thirtieth year of Jingxin Calendar would host the East Sea preliminary round of the Ten Thousand Beasts Competition; advancing would grant entry to the Four Seas Competition.

Securing a place in the Four Seas Competition would allow entry into the Dragon Court Ancient Land.

Meanwhile, in the thirtieth year of Jingxin Calendar, Chongming Prefecture would surely promote him to fifth rank.

Because he had received outstanding performance evaluations for ten consecutive years, far exceeding the highest standard, promotion was inevitable.

At that time, he would again undergo a baptism of the state's qi.

But simultaneously, he would enter the dangerous threshold of fifth-rank officialdom.

Whether the Liang Wang faction or external forces, all would take notice of him.

It was already autumn; after the New Year (the Spring She Festival in February), he would be promoted—meaning he had less than half a year to prepare.

Enemies could arise from within or without, especially since Liang Wang had surely begun plotting rebellion—Zhao Xing had calculated this using the Ten-Thousand-Year Black Tortoise and the Five-Finger Destiny.

He had calculated many times; no matter how he interpreted the hexagrams, the thirtieth year of Jingxin Calendar was destined to be a year of turmoil for him.

"The world changes too fast—if chaos erupts, even farming won't escape being swept up; forming combat-capable plant troops would give him one more precaution."

Flying his airship, three days later, on the twenty-sixth of September, Zhao Xing arrived at Jiujiang Commandery in Chongming Prefecture.

The entrance to the Jiujiang Cavern lay in the eastern part of Juncheng.

The cavern entrance was located inside Juncheng, unlike the Shiyang Cavern entrance, which sat in the wilderness of Dashan, due to Jiujiang Cavern's unique nature.

It was also a movable gate, similar to the Star Ruins Realm.

But Jiujiang Cavern was in the middle stage of a small world, internally extremely stable.

A thousand years ago, the gate of Jiujiang Cavern was not in Jiujiang Commandery, and this place was not called Jiujiang Commandery.

Emperor Wen moved the gate entrance from Yuanpin Province here, stationing it to strengthen the eastern military power of Haizhou.

Yet during Emperor Wen's reign, peace prevailed; the aquatic races deeply admired his benevolence, and the East Sea saw no major incidents.

Jiujiang Cavern's military function was never realized; instead, over time, it became a rich storage depot.

If one wished to buy East Sea goods, Jiujiang Cavern offered the most complete selection.

It was also a major transit hub of the Soldier Realm—anything purchasable with money could be found here.

After sitting for a while in the passenger hall of the Longchuan Office in eastern Juncheng, a burly warrior clad in light armor, with a long sword at his waist, strode in quickly.

"Marquis Yuanrang, it's my fault for keeping you waiting," the warrior bowed.

"General Fang, no need for formalities—I've only just arrived myself," Zhao Xing rose.

The man was Fang Ze of the Jiujiang Army; for eight years, the warhorses bred by Longma Supervision had always been delivered to the Xuanjia Army, Wulu Army, and Jiujiang Army.

Among them, the officer from Jiujiang Army responsible for liaising with Zhao Xing was this fifth-rank-up warrior, Fang Ze.

"Marquis Yuanrang, please follow me," Fang Ze, aware of Zhao Xing's nature, skipped further pleasantries and led him directly to Jiujiang Cavern.

"After you."

Zhao Xing was not a soldier; under normal procedure, to enter the Soldier Realm cavern, he needed to submit paperwork and wait for approval from the local government.

After all, the Soldier Realm was equivalent to the entire Zhou Empire's military camp; non-soldiers could not enter at will.

But with Fang Ze leading him, it was different.

He was taken directly through Jiujiang Army's exclusive passage.

Passing through a hundred-meter-tall gate, he emerged beside a great river.

Not far from the river stood Jiujiang Military City.

Its layout was nearly identical to Yangcheng, as military city construction followed standardized regulations.

Unlike Shiyang Cavern, here the climate and geography were exceptionally stable—spring-like all year round, comfortable upon entry.

"Marquis Yuanrang, this is the Longjiang Guesthouse arranged for you by our army."

"It's close to the Soldier Realm's internal treasury—less than thirty li."

"It's also near the Dao Hall—less than twenty li."

"Whether you wish to purchase goods or spar at the Dao Hall, it's very convenient."

"If Marquis Yuanrang wishes to tour our Jiujiang Army camp, this token grants you access anywhere," Fang Ze handed Zhao Xing a token engraved with the character "Fang," his eyes full of hope.

"Thank you, General Fang." Zhao Xing took the token.

"The Jiujiang City Ministry of Agriculture also has four bureaus: Tian Shi, Di Li, Tai Cang, and Ping Huai."

"It also has sacred sites such as the Seasonal Steles, the Primordial Dao Field, the Seventy-Two Underground Palaces, and the Xuan Soil Prison."

"If Marquis Yuanrang has time, please visit our Ministry of Agriculture training camp and offer some guidance," Fang Ze said hopefully. "If you could give them a single lesson, that would be even better."

Zhao the Elder had no such leisure time; he took the token, murmured two vague replies, and dismissed Fang Ze.

After briefly familiarizing himself with the facility, Zhao Xing pulled out the Earth Mirror and purchased fifth-rank seeds.

Now, he possessed third-rank Pure Yuan Soil, capable of growing up to seventh-rank plant life.

But the soil already contained the Floating Vine, a voracious consumer of resources; no other high-rank plants could be planted without hindering the Vine's growth.

After all, the Floating Vine could naturally grow to ninth rank.

Of course, its growth must be prioritized.

Liu Tianning also understood this, and had set Zhao Xing's goal as fifth-rank plant soldiers.

"Fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-rank plant soldiers, purely by life rank, roughly correspond to human sixth-, fifth-, and fourth-rank cultivators."

"But among human cultivators, strength varies greatly; plant quality is divided even more finely," Zhao Xing browsed the Earth Mirror.

The Shangluo Academy classified plant ranks as first through ninth rank, plus Super Rank (rare treasures, peerless wonders).

Quality was further divided into: "Common," "Elite," "Royal," "Imperial," and "Legendary."

Imperial and Legendary qualities typically appeared only in rare treasures and peerless wonders.

If a seedling possessed Imperial quality, and could be nurtured until the maturity stage, it had a high chance of surpassing ninth rank.

The Floating Vine given by Liu Tianning was merely Royal quality.

The reason Old Liu later raised it beyond ninth rank was entirely due to the sheer volume of resources poured into it, breaking through the quality ceiling.

Of course, the Benwo Sect added one more line to its quality classification: All plant life has the potential to become Legendary.

But one should just glance at that line.

Common quality plants had a maximum growth potential of third rank.

To nurture one into a Legendary? The manpower, materials, and wealth required would be a hundred times harder than directly nurturing a Legendary-quality seedling.

"Generally speaking, selecting the right quality means selecting growth potential."

Zhao Xing filtered out all other options and viewed only "Elite quality."

For third-rank Pure Yuan Soil, cultivating Elite quality was appropriate; cultivating Royal quality would overload it.

"Liu Tianning set my first-phase goal to include mainstream plant soldiers from six classifications: 'Order,' 'Family,' 'Genus,' 'Species,' 'Phylum,' and 'Class.'"

"Even 'mainstream' adds up to quite a few," Zhao Xing studied carefully. "First, pick those with short growth cycles and easy cultivation."

The fastest-growing were undoubtedly vines, bamboos, and herbaceous plants.

But such plants had few Elite-quality variants.

Even fewer could be used in combat.

Because they must possess an "Active" effect.

"First, buy these three as practice."

【You purchased 30 Lightning Bamboo seedlings, Quality: Elite Second Rank】

【You purchased 10 Tough Long Vine seedlings, Quality: Elite Second Rank】

【You purchased 30 Hallucinogenic Mushroom seeds, Quality: Elite Second Rank】

All were Elite Second Rank, meaning they would reach maturity at fifth rank—by life level alone, equivalent to human fifth rank.

Take the 【Hallucinogenic Mushroom】: its toxin affects fifth-rank beings.

But if it were only Elite First Rank (commonly called fourth rank), it could not poison fifth-rank targets.

The Mushroom family was Zhao Xing's favorite type of plant soldier; they had many applications and high operability.

After purchasing, Zhao Xing's balance was deducted by five thousand points.

Seeds and seedlings were relatively cheap; the real cost lay in the cultivation process.

If one simply placed seeds or seedlings into Pure Yuan Soil and ignored them, it amounted to purely draining the soil's energy.

The energy tier of the Pure Yuan Soil would drop.

Severely, it could regress to first-rank soil, or even decompose back into gravel.

This would cause permanent damage; even if reconstituted into Pure Yuan Soil, it would be weaker than before.

So Zhao Xing needed to purchase additional resources to bring in as well.

"Purchase ten sixth-rank Yuan Crystals."

【You purchased ten sixth-rank Yuan Crystals, deducted six hundred thousand points.】

Shortly after placing the order, a clattering sound came from outside the courtyard.

Zhao Xing stepped out and froze—now even deliveryers rode bamboo steeds?

For a moment, he thought he had returned to the Eighteen Locust Willow Courtyard and encountered Gao Ming delivering goods.

"My lord, your items have arrived," the mechanical engineer pulled Zhao Xing back to reality.

"Hmm." Zhao Xing waved his hand, drawing the bamboo box into the courtyard.

The three bamboo boxes contained: 【Hallucinogenic Mushroom】, 【Tough Long Vine】, 【Lightning Bamboo】

Opening the boxes, Zhao Xing focused his mind.

Hum~

A Pure Yuan projection instantly appeared, enveloping the seeds and seedlings inside.

"Absorb!"

The boxes remained in place, but the seeds and seedlings had vanished.

Zhao Xing sank his spirit inward, gazing within at the Pure Yuan soil.

At this moment, the seeds and ten seedlings of three plants appeared within the Pure Yuan soil.

Immediately after planting, the seedlings and seeds grew wildly, surpassing the seedling stage at a visible rate and entering the growth stage.

"The Pure Yuan soil bears the Dao I have comprehended, and the Yuan Crystals provide ample energy—equivalent to automatically casting Wilderness Condensation and Savage Growth."

Zhao Xing lifted his spirit upward; now he need do nothing but wait for maturity.

Previously, cultivating plants required constant spellcasting, but with the Pure Yuan soil, it became fully automatic—so effortless it was almost too easy.

"Next, I must master the Benwo Sect's manipulation technique."

Learning spells costs nothing, so Zhao Xing flew directly to the Ministry of Agriculture in Jiujiang.

After presenting the token given by Fang Ze, Zhao Xing entered the Jiujiang Granary Courtyard.

The technique he now sought to learn was one he had once touched upon in his clerk days—【All Plants Are Soldiers】.

"【All Plants Are Soldiers】 is a spell for controlling plant troops."

"To use plants in battle, this Benwo Sect technique is indispensable."

He had learned 【All Plants Are Soldiers】 during his clerk days, but back then he merely used plant traits to draft human forms—hardly true 【All Plants Are Soldiers】.

True 【All Plants Are Soldiers】 is an advanced spell.

Zhao Xing arrived at a mural corridor within the Granary Courtyard and observed.

At this moment, many reserve military agricultural officers cast glances his way.

But after one glance, they returned to their tasks, mistaking Zhao Xing for some instructor of the Granary Courtyard.

Zhao Xing sat before the mural, gazing upward in silence.

"Hum~"

Zhao Xing closed his eyes, then found himself standing before a bamboo grove.

There, a farmer clad in a straw cape and conical hat, wielding a staff, stood before the bamboo grove.

"【All Plants Are Soldiers】 is the cornerstone of the Benwo Sect's agricultural officers."

"To make plants into troops, responsive as limbs to the will, you must deeply comprehend the Yin-Yang Benwo Scripture."

"Look, this is a second-rank elite bamboo cannon." The nameless farmer pointed to one bamboo cannon.

"It has fully matured and possesses the 'explosion' trait."

"Even without intervention, when the moment arrives, it will naturally explode."

Then the farmer pointed to another bamboo cannon:

"In about a quarter-hour, it will explode naturally—observe carefully how it bursts on its own."

Zhao Xing fixed his full attention.

Indeed, after a quarter-hour, the eighteenth segment of one bamboo cannon exploded.

With that explosion, the rest ignited in sequence; all thirty-eight segments blazed, and powerful Fire-element energy sprayed outward in all directions.

Zhao Xing fell into thought.

The nameless farmer then pointed to another: "This bamboo cannon is far from its natural explosion time."

"But now, I shall cast 【All Plants Are Soldiers】 upon it—watch closely the state of explosion under my control."

"【All Plants Are Soldiers】—Burst!"

As the nameless farmer swung his staff, the thirty-eight segments of the bamboo cannon began to glow red from the base segment.

Layer by layer, Fire-element energy traveled from the root to the topmost thirty-eighth segment.

Now, the topmost segment burned crimson, radiating intense heat.

"Boom!"

The top bamboo segment exploded, launching a red beam forward.

"Crash!" A ten-meter-tall boulder a hundred meters ahead shattered into fragments.

The direction of the explosion matched the exact point the nameless farmer's staff had pointed!

"The timing, direction, and even power of the bamboo cannon's explosion have become controllable!"

"This is 【All Plants Are Soldiers】!"

"Not just bamboo cannons—other plant life works the same."

"They are born with innate talents akin to demonic beasts, but plant life possesses such low sentience it cannot activate them voluntarily—they are uncontrollable."

"Harnessing traits, guiding traits, seizing timing—this is the first level of control."

"The second level is direct manipulation: replacing the plant's mind, becoming its brain."

"Watch."

The nameless farmer waved his hand; the bamboo grove vanished, replaced by a vast expanse of vines.

With a sweep of his staff, the vines lying on the ground all lifted their heads like serpents.

Even after witnessing countless similar scenes, Zhao Xing still felt a thrilling shiver run up his scalp.

For these vines were truly moving.

"Sssss~"

Vines and leaves scraped against the ground.

Ahead, a wild boar lowered its head to graze, utterly unaware as vines surrounded it from all sides.

"This vine possesses extreme resilience—it can extend and contract."

"Thus, I name this technique 'Death Coil.'"

【All Plants Are Soldiers】—Death Coil!

Zhao Xing stirred with excitement again, for this was a classic skill of the vine lineage.

This life, he finally saw such a scene again.

Hundreds of vine branches instantly wrapped the wild boar tightly.

"Whoosh~"

The thousand-plus-jin wild boar was instantly dragged away, moving from a hundred meters away to stand before the Nameless Official of Agriculture.

"Crack crack crack crack~"

As the Nameless Official of Agriculture clenched his palm into a fist, the vine branches tightened continuously; this wild boar was instantly strangled into dozens of pieces, its bones even snapped!

After the demonstration, the Nameless Official of Agriculture continued: "The first layer of 'All Vegetation as Soldiers' is Guidance."

"The second layer is Control."

"Both rely on the cultivation of the Yin-Yang Benwo Sutra."

The Nameless Official of Agriculture waved his hand; at that moment, the world became transparent and illusory.

The wild boar and the land vanished, leaving only a single vine.

A certain connection formed between it and the Nameless Official of Agriculture.

Looking closely, Zhao Xing could see threads of Five Elements Qi flowing within the vine.

"Five Elements Qi like threads, countless threads; now I understand." Zhao Xing suddenly realized.

No wonder one of the essential conditions for Pure Origin Soil is fully comprehending the second layer of the Yin-Yang Benwo Sutra.

The power of the Five Elements, like threads, penetrates into the plant life body; this allows control over the plant life, fully bringing out its characteristics.

Thus, Control is achieved.

"Its principle is similar to the Straw Man Method, except the Straw Man Method is more complex and leans more toward the Art."

"Plant soldiers, however, lean more toward the innate talents of the plant life itself."

Zhao Xing himself had studied the Ten Thousand Arts Straw Man; seeing this now, he understood why the Straw Man Method was placed within the 【All Vegetation as Soldiers】 category.

"The third layer of All Vegetation as Soldiers is also the ultimate goal of the Benwo Sect."

The Nameless Official of Agriculture waved his hand; another scene appeared around them.

Another phantom figure appeared beside him.

Beside the phantom figure lay a field of golden beans.

It walked into the bean field, plucked a handful of bean seeds, then spread its palm open and blew a breath.

Hoo~

Dozens of bean seeds instantly transformed into dozens of soldiers clad in Golden Armor.

"What is presented before you now is an image passed down from the Ancient Era."

"It records the legendary supernatural power—Scattering Beans to Form Soldiers."

"It is also the third layer of All Vegetation as Soldiers: Bestowing Spirit."

"We must study and practice diligently to recreate the supreme supernatural power of the Benwo Sect from the Ancient Era."

The scene ended here.

Zhao Xing opened his eyes again.

"I didn't expect the Benwo Sect to already have the concept of supernatural powers in this period, and even preserve images passed down from the previous Qi Era; this is truly not easy," Zhao Xing thought inwardly.

Things passed down from the previous Qi Era are very, very few; too much time has passed, and since they cannot be cultivated, they gradually became legends.

"The Straw Man Method and Mountain Method both require the Qi Era to restore their true glory. As eras change, the power of these arts will further strengthen."

"Learning the second layer is enough for me," Zhao Xing thought inwardly.

Restoring them in the Yuan Qi Era is impossible.

Unless he can find a large amount of Qi; but if there were a large amount of Qi, he would use it to upgrade the level of Pure Origin Soil, not to cultivate the third layer of All Vegetation as Soldiers.

The third layer is called Bestowing Spirit; without Qi, how can one bestow it?

Cultivating mountain spirits and wild monsters requires the opportunity of the Qi Era.

How much Qi currently remains in the Xuan Huang Realm?

Zhao Xing shook his head: "That rain was the final glory, and it will also be the last Qi resurgence in the Xuan Huang Realm."

Locking the thoughts in his mind into the Memory Palace, Zhao Xing looked at the panel.

【All Vegetation as Soldiers: High-Grade Art】

【Effect: Use one's own understanding of the Great Dao to guide and control plant soldiers to release Benwo characteristics.】

【Progress: High-Grade Sixth Turn】

"Once the Yin-Yang Benwo Sutra reaches the second layer, comprehending the All Vegetation as Soldiers art results in the Sixth Turn."

However, this art must also adapt according to the characteristics of the plant life itself.

Its power depends entirely on the plant soldiers.

The first two layers of this art focus on the soldiers, not the person.

Having learned the high-grade version of All Vegetation as Soldiers, the rest is waiting for the plant soldiers to mature and conducting combat drills.

"Besides that, there is the cultivation of derivative species; wait until proficient before cultivating them."

"The cultivation of derivative species is also the top priority for the Benwo Sect's Officials of Agriculture."

"The Straw Man Method can combine multiple arts, while derivative species fuse the characteristics of multiple plant lives."

Zhao Xing couldn't help but think of the mushroom seeds he had selected.

Firecracker plus hallucinogenic mushroom, covered with an Invisibility Art; simply essential for sneaky people.

"Step on it and it explodes, then sprays hallucinogenic poison gas; in positional warfare, it is simply invincible. I just don't know if it can be used during the Ten Thousand Beasts Competition."

Zhao Xing felt people would attack him for this, but he hadn't heard that an Official of Agriculture acting as a Beast Tamer was forbidden from using his own profession's arts.

Time passed; in the blink of an eye, three days had gone by.

The three types of plants had all matured on the very first day, but Zhao Xing's cultivation of 【Grass and Trees as Soldiers】 had delayed things a bit.

"Pure Origin Projection!"

A hum~ A shadowy image of soil descended, covering an area of over three thousand square meters on the surrounding ground.

Thirty Lightning Bamboos, ten Resilient Long Vines, and thirty Illusion-Causing Mushrooms appeared.

Zhao Xing held the plant version of the Shangheng Instrument and scanned the three plants.

Detailed information was obtained quickly.

【Name: Lightning Bamboo】

【Quality: Elite Second Tier】

【Status: Mature Stage】

【Traits: Lei Ting Power; Every node of the Lightning Bamboo stores Lei Ting. For a mature-stage Lightning Bamboo, the minimum standard is thirty-six nodes; this particular bamboo has forty-five nodes.】

【Comprehensive Evaluation: Fifth-Tier Supreme】

【Name: Resilient Long Vine】

【Quality: Elite Second Tier】

【Status: Mature Stage】

【Traits: Dual Resilience, Free Extension and Retraction; The Resilient Long Vine possesses extraordinary toughness; even a Fifth-Tier Divine Weapon cannot sever it with a single strike. Its natural length is one thousand meters, it can extend up to twice that length, and retract to a minimum of one hundred meters. This particular vine reached a maximum of fifteen hundred meters, with extensibility exceeding the average by one time.】

【Comprehensive Evaluation: Fifth-Tier Supreme】

【Name: Illusion-Causing Mushroom】

【Quality: Elite Second Tier】

【Status: Mature Stage】

【Traits: Illusion-Causing Toxin; The Illusion-Causing Mushroom can explode and splash, releasing poisonous gas. Inhalation or contact with the skin will cause poisoning effects and severe hallucinations in the target. The toxin of this mushroom exceeds the average by eighty percent.】

【Comprehensive Evaluation: Fifth-Tier Supreme】

"The traits of all three plant soldier types far exceed the average values."

"This is because my Momentary Primordial Origin raised the upper limit of their traits," Zhao Xing thought silently.

However, he had also consumed one Origin Crystal, worth sixty thousand, wiping out more than half a month's wages.

Of course, he could have chosen not to use an Origin Crystal and waited for the Pure Origin Soil to recover naturally.

The rich have their way of training; the poor have theirs.

Now that Zhao Xing was a veritable millionaire, he naturally did not care about a mere sixty thousand.

"Grass and Trees as Soldiers · Lightning!"

Zhao Xing pointed with his hand, and the twenty-meter-tall Lightning Bamboo fired a total of forty-five bolts of lightning in the direction he indicated!

Each bolt of lightning was equivalent to a full-power strike by a Rank-Five Late-Stage Thunder-Walking Cultivator.

All thirty Lightning Bamboos released the energy within them in an instant.

One thousand three hundred and fifty bolts of Lei Ting power instantly covered the area a thousand meters ahead.

Lei Ting Cleansing the Ground!

It directly blasted a huge crater a thousand meters away!

Sensing the state of the Lightning Bamboos, Zhao Xing pondered briefly and arrived at a calculation result.

"It will take about half a day to recharge the Lei Ting power."

The power is great, but the flaw is also obvious.

With one thousand three hundred and fifty bolts of Lei Ting concentrated in a bombardment, even Zhao Xing's Ten Thousand Dao Body would feel pain.

If a martial artist's defense is strong enough, under the condition of a Rank-Five Golden Bone fully formed, this barrage would likely still cause serious injury.

Of course, the flaw is that the cooldown time is too long; it takes half a day to recover, meaning that after this barrage, the Lightning Bamboos would have to withdraw from the battlefield.

"This problem will be solved as the Pure Origin Soil continuously upgrades and its scale expands."

"If it were a Level-Four Pure Origin Soil, the recovery speed of this batch of Lightning Bamboos would drop to within two quarter-hours, their quality would increase by one tier, and their sustaining power would rise by several dozen times."

"Furthermore, if the scale of the Lightning Bamboos expands and the quantity is sufficient, they can rotate in batches; once the last group finishes their bombardment, the first group will have recovered, making non-stop attacks entirely possible."

"Moreover, I can make them change positions." A thought crossed Zhao Xing's mind.

The thirty Lightning Bamboos appeared a hundred meters away.

It was not the Lightning Bamboos moving, but a trait of the Pure Origin Soil; it could move like quicksand, and its speed was extremely fast.

"This way, it is as if I am carrying a mobile plant army with me, one that absolutely obeys command, because I am the general of this army; how much combat power the army can exert depends entirely on whether I, as the general, can control the coordination of so many soldier types."

The deep crater revealed many stones; he controlled the Resilient Long Vines to extend, dragging the huge rocks back and building a stone wall in front of the Lightning Bamboos.

Seeing this, Zhao Xing smiled slightly: "Either the Benwo Sect cannot cultivate it, or, if cultivated, it becomes a heaven-defying existence."

"Right now, there are only thirty; if there were thirty thousand, three hundred thousand... or even a million striking together, that would truly be Lei Ting Cleansing the Ground, possessing world-destroying might; with a wave of the hand, an entire city could be leveled."

Of course, reaching a scale of millions is still very difficult.

Without the Profound Yellow Origin-Dividing Art, in the Era of Primordial Qi, one could not even dream of building a plant army; the Pure Origin Soil simply could not bear such a burden and would be crushed directly.

"Bang!" The Illusion-Causing Mushroom exploded.

Zhao Xing walked over, inhaled some of the poisonous gas, and then his face turned somewhat green.

"Sigh, it's better not to test this on myself; I actually saw Fang Ze come out without clothes on, truly eye-searing..." Zhao Xing muttered to himself.

Fang Ze flew in front of Zhao Xing with a strange expression: "Little brother, what are you doing? Why are you looking at me so strangely? Is there something on my face?"

"No." Zhao Xing glanced away, "Does Brother Fang need something?"

"I came over after hearing the commotion." Fang Ze pointed at the large craters around them. "Young brother, if you want to cultivate, you must go to the dojo; this is after all a place for living, public property."

He wouldn't make Zhao Xing pay for the damage, but the disturbance to the residents would have a bad impact.

That thunderclap just now scared the sixth and seventh-rank residents around here quite badly; they thought the Xie Sect had infiltrated the Jiujiang Grotto-Heaven to cause trouble.

"Alright, I was not thoughtful enough; Brother Fang has my apologies."

"Actually, in the past, this would have been a trivial matter; you could practice as you pleased," Fang Ze said. "But you are also clear that after the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven incident, the restrictions within the grotto-heavens have become stricter."

"I understand." Zhao Xing had experienced that incident, so of course he knew.

"However, young brother, to create such a huge commotion is impressive." Fang Ze looked at the large crater and took two steps forward. "You even blasted out the stone foundation; the foundation of the Jiujiang Hall was specially reinforced by array masters."

"Eh, why is a beauty popping out of the ground? Hmm? Why does she have Brother Jiang Wuhou's face... Holy crap, what kind of demon are you!"

Zhao Xing: "..."

Watching Fang Ze draw his sword and hack wildly at the air, Zhao Xing couldn't help but feel a mix of helplessness and amusement.

Did this old brother see Brother Jiang Wuhou in women's clothing or what? No wonder his reaction was so extreme.

He quickly retracted the Pure Origin projection to prevent this old brother from stepping on any more mushrooms.

After a bout of chaos, both Fang Ze and Zhao Xing sobered up; the two stared at each other, both feeling extremely awkward.

"Ahem... I have other matters, so I won't keep you company, Brother Zhao."

"Mm, I must go to the dojo as well; farewell, Brother Fang."

The two awkward men quickly parted ways.

Zhao Xing then arrived at the dojo of the Jiujiang Grotto-Heaven.

"Old Liu has set my goal for the second stage: to become the first Benwo Sect farmer in the Zhongpin Realm of Pinghaizhou."

"I wonder who this 'Cai Tingzhi' is; his rating is surprisingly as high as Seventh Rank, Six Stars." Zhao Xing looked at the dojo rankings.

He was checking the Zhongpin Office Farmer list for the Pinghaizhou dojo.

First place, Cai Tingzhi, with a terrifying dojo score of 75,231 points!

The net wins were the same, yet his total matches were only 76,081.

A win rate of 99%!

Dojo rating: also reached the terrifying Seventh Rank, Six Stars!

What concept is this? Seventh Rank is already the strength of the High Ranks!

Seventh Rank, Six Stars means he has won many matches even within the Third Rank Realm.

"The number one Zhongpin Realm farmer in Pinghaizhou is probably infinitely close to Second Rank strength."

It showed Cai Tingzhi was a Fourth Rank farmer; with this record, he must have defeated countless Third Ranks.

"I wonder which sect Cai Tingzhi belongs to," Zhao Xing thought. "However, if he does not break through, I will have to fight him sooner or later in the future."

After all, the goal set by Old Liu was to make himself the number one Zhongpin Realm farmer in Pinghaizhou.

"The second place, Lan Caiyue, also has a 99% win rate; her score is slightly lower than Cai Tingzhi's, missing by only one hundred, and she is also Seventh Rank, Six Stars."

Zhao Xing looked for a while, then closed the rankings.

He had just entered the Fifth Rank and could not possibly defeat these established veteran farmers.

Heroes under heaven are as numerous as carp crossing the river; Zhao Xing never looked down on others. Not to mention the distant ones, Mi Fu is also Fifth Rank; even fighting him now would be a struggle for me.

Because he has cultivated in the Fifth Rank for several decades; the Hou Transformation Method, the Ten Thousand Techniques Straw Man, the Pure Origin Soil... Mi Fu is proficient in everything.

He is a genius who could create the Xuanhuang Separation Origin Art!

If he didn't have some skill, given his personality of offending people, he would have been killed long ago.

When Zhao Xing chatted with Old Mi, he learned that Mi Fu's Ten Thousand Techniques Straw Man was forced upon him.

There was no choice; too many people wanted him dead.

Mi Fu was also a man who had gone head-to-head with a King; when the Su Lin King invited him to bless the elders, he pointed at the king's nose and scolded him.

Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, it was the eighth day of the tenth month of the twenty-ninth year of the Jingxin Era.

Zhao Xing had been at the Jiujiang Dojo for ten days.

In a primeval forest.

"Vmm~" Zhao Xing stepped out from a willow tree.

He stretched his body, then placed his hand on the tree trunk.

The next moment, he stepped out from another pine tree a thousand meters away.

The spell he was currently practicing was a new high-level technique of the Benwo Sect, named 【Forest Leap】.

This is a Wood Escape technique; as long as living grass or trees exist, he can escape to another location.

【Forest Leap: High-Level Spell】

【Progress: High-Level Fourth Cycle】

【Effect: Escape through grass and trees; each escape covers a distance of four thousand meters; the escape must be based on living plant life.】

"High-Level Fourth Cycle; the progress is not bad." Zhao Xing smiled slightly.

"Compared to other Wood Escape techniques, 【Forest Leap】 requires living plant life."

"However, its distance is greater, and its speed is faster."

"At High-Level Fourth Cycle, one can instantly cover four thousand meters; upon perfection, one can instantly cover ten thousand meters."

"However, the consumption is quite large, unless I am willing to transfer the cost onto the plant life."

Zhao Xing looked at a willow tree beside him; it had completely withered and died.

This was because he had consumed all the life force of the willow tree during his escape just now.

"If in a forest environment, with someone chasing behind, the path I escape through, others cannot escape through again."

"As long as there is a patch of primeval forest, my escape speed can rival Liu Tianning flying in the sky while riding his normal floating device."

Of course, this spell has considerable limitations; it can only be cast within vast tracts of primeval forest.

Cultivated to perfection, it allows teleportation of ten thousand meters in an instant, yet a single leap covers only ten thousand meters; if the next tree lies beyond that distance, the teleportation technique fails.

Furthermore, the consumption is excessive. The willow beside Zhao Xing is a fifth-rank tree; this is a training ground he specifically selected, allowing him to transfer the cost to the willow.

However, in actual combat, where are there so many fifth-rank trees for him to teleport through? The consumption must be borne by himself.

Relying entirely on himself, a long-distance escape of a thousand li would force him to stop and rest.

"Switch to the fifth-grade target range for training." Zhao Xing leaped onto the floating stone platform and selected a new training scene in the ground mirror.

"Hoo~" The floating stone platform then carried Zhao Xing flying through the mist.

In less than a minute, it stopped again.

The surrounding mist dispersed, revealing a wasteland below.

Many mechanical targets surrounded the wasteland.

Some floated in the sky, while others stood upright on the ground.

There were moving targets and fixed target positions.

【You have entered the fifth-grade training target range. This range contains a total of twelve thousand target positions.】

【This training ground charges 500 points per quarter-hour; any duration less than a quarter-hour is calculated as one quarter-hour.】

"Truly expensive." Zhao Xing couldn't help but complain; one shi costs four thousand points, and twelve shi cost forty-eight thousand points.

Training for a day in this fifth-grade range would wipe out a month's wages.

However, there is a reason for the high price; the mechanical targets within the range are all top-quality goods.

Thirty percent of the target positions here are humanoid mechanical puppets, all possessing fifth-grade combat power, and their defense types are diverse, covering the five elements, wind, and thunder.

Even if you break them, no compensation is required.

"Pure Origin Projection!"

"Vroom~"

Immediately, plants appeared around Zhao Xing; compared to ten days ago, the number within his Pure Origin soil had increased significantly.

Among them, Lightning Bamboo had increased to one hundred stalks, Tough Long Vines to thirty stalks, and the hallucinogenic mushrooms were the most numerous, expanding to over three thousand!

"I command all humanoid mechanical targets to attack me!"

"If they touch me, the training stops." Zhao Xing shouted to the sky.

While he was honing his skills at the Jiujiang Dojo.

Twin Island, on a sea surface three hundred li away.

"Splash~"

A vortex appeared on the sea surface, and a black warship, ghost-like, emerged from beneath the waves.

Standing on the warship's deck was a man clad in black-and-gold battle armor, wearing a helmet with cyan fangs, and holding a long spear.

Behind him stood martial artists holding sharp blades and wearing battle armor.

The formation was neat and uniform, with a black qi coalescing above their heads.

"General Jin Hou, which island shall we attack this time?" the adjutant beside him asked.

Their operations were quite secretive; they only learned the mission target just before the action commenced.

General Jin Hou extended his hand, revealing a palm covered in hair: "Bring the map; let us see where we have infiltrated."

"Yes." The adjutant immediately presented the map; the map was ancient and primitive, entirely hand-drawn with no spell fluctuations whatsoever.

Moreover, the text on it differed from the elegant script of Great Zhou, being crooked and slanted; if Zhao Xing had seen it, he would have discovered it was actually the Snake Script of the Eastern Barbarian States.

General Jin Hou's gaze swept over the islands marked on the map; his finger tapped on Twin Island: "This island is weak in strength; why is it specially marked?"

The adjutant replied: "My lord, this map was handed to us by the Liang Wang faction of Great Zhou; islands marked with red circles are their political enemies."

"I see." General Jin Hou tapped the map again, "Then let us first attack this place."