Chapter 284

After the golden dragon warship's honor guard entered the fire pit, the surging flames swallowed the honor guard.

The warship's barrier was also dyed a fiery red.

To go from Pinghai Continent to Daoyuan Continent, one must pass through three major continents.

If it were not wartime, relying on transfers via storied ships, even taking a ninth-tier storied ship would take three months.

The Lihuo Divine Altar is different; crossing between prefectures, including preparation time, is basically done within a day.

Traveling across continents depends on how many prefectures are on the route.

Fire pit teleportation, from Tianyuan Prefecture in Pinghai Continent to Daoguang Prefecture in Daoyuan Continent, the shortest route is three continents and fifteen prefectures.

Emergency military operations during wartime would have preparations made in advance, and then the efficacy of the Lihuo Divine Altar would be pushed to the limit, at the cost of shortening the lifespan of the fire pit to reduce travel time.

Three continents and fifteen prefectures can be reached in one day.

Such overloaded operation is a form of damage to the Lihuo Divine Altar, and the fire pit also requires precious materials to maintain its operation.

However, even during wartime, such situations rarely occur; for example, when the Prince of Liang rebelled, it was only used for extreme teleportation once, and it was never activated during the Great Barbarian War.

Relying purely on the Lihuo Divine Altar, the Dao Academy wouldn't agree either. Therefore, it basically requires coordination with other travel methods, such as the Biyou Vast Sea + Lihuo Divine Altar + Ancient Earth Path.

Liu Tianning did not choose the shortest route, and it is not wartime now.

He chose a travel route of three continents and eighteen prefectures.

During this time, he also has to walk the ancient path.

Returning to Taihe Commandery in Daoyuan Continent will take about seven days, meaning arrival on the tenth of the fifth month.

Seven days is also very fast; Liu Tianning is now a Prince, and while the princely titles have been cut back significantly, he is a Prince with real power, so the preparation work along the way is very short, and there is basically no need to wait too long.

On the fourth day of the fifth month, they entered the territory of Luliang Continent.

On the fifth day of the fifth month, they switched to the ancient earth path.

This is because the fire pits in several directions of Luliang Continent were severely damaged; originally it could have been half a day faster, but now it is not possible.

The Prince of Liang was defeated and died in December of last year, and it is only May now; repairs are not that easy.

Liu Tianning sometimes has to go out to coordinate with the honor guard to display his majesty, and after passing through three more prefectures, he still has to chat with some big figures who support him.

Zhao Xing estimates that it will be difficult to reach the Shangluo Academy this May.

On the eighth day of the fifth month, the honor guard entered the territory of Daoyuan Continent.

Zhao Xing also came out of the cabin to view the scenery outside the ship.

"Daoyuan Continent, a magical place."

Zhao Xing couldn't help but feel a bit emotional.

The three holy lands of agricultural officials are all in Daoyuan Continent.

Besides that, one of the holy lands of martial arts, the 【Divine Martial Academy】, one of the holy lands of weavers, the 【Divine Weaving Academy】, and the holy land of physicians, the 【Heavenly Medical Academy】, are all in Daoyuan Continent.

"The abundance of vital energy in Daoyuan Continent far exceeds that of other continents, and the population is also the densest, being the highest among the nineteen continents, with its national fortune being the second in the world, second only to Tianyong Continent."

There is a saying: he who gains Daoyuan Continent gains the world.

"Daoyuan Continent nurtures people; so many talents come from here. Its innate environment is too good; ordinary people growing up here easily reach the threshold of being ranked."

"Among them, the sixteen commanderies are the most abundant in vital energy, and many blessed lands are in the sixteen commanderies of Daoyuan Continent."

"One of the national capitals, 'Luoyi', is here, and it is also known as the Dao Capital."

"Buying a house here is truly worth an inch of gold."

Zhao Xing looked at the land below; there are many cities in Daoyuan Continent, and there are many tall and majestic buildings, with various skyscrapers reaching into the clouds visible everywhere.

Withdrawing his gaze, Zhao Xing walked casually on the deck.

Just after turning a corner, he ran into Pang Yuanzhen.

"Junior Brother Zhao."

Zhao Xing frowned; why does this person always try to take advantage of him?

He and Pang Yuanzhen only cooperated to complete the mission in Mingyue Prefecture.

If it were a normal social interaction, that would be fine, but this person keeps trying to climb into a relationship with him.

Wouldn't that just add unnecessary karma to himself?

How could that be!

The current Master Zhao has already passed the period of carrying heavy karma for others after a few Heavenly Yuan Pears.

"Doctor Pang, I am traveling on official business; please address me by my title."

Pang Yuanzhen was stunned: "Official business again? I wonder what official business it is."

"Confidential; it is inconvenient to discuss the Dao with Doctor Pang today."

Zhao Xing bowed faintly, then turned and left.

Pang Yuanzhen shook his head helplessly.

He had originally thought that after the two had cooperated in Mingyue Prefecture, their relationship should have been closer.

Unexpectedly, there was still a sense of distance about Zhao Xing.

Zhao Xing arrived at the exhibition area.

Ritual boats were displayed at the end.

"The rewards for a Prince are indeed prestigious."

"The gifts are all boatload by boatload."

"Hmm? So fragrant, what is this?"

Zhao Xing suddenly twitched his nose; he saw a scent of wine coming from ahead, and it soon permeated the entire corridor.

He vaguely saw a figure passing by at the end of the corridor, carrying a bronze vessel, walking into a room.

"It seems a distinguished guest has arrived," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

It is one of the Nine Bestowals, and it is also the national wine; the vessel used to hold it is called a 'lu'.

There are handled lu, fairy lu, and tiger-head lu; these special bronze vessels have different appearances, but they are all for royal use.

Without the status of a Prince or a special bestowal from the Emperor, using them would lead to beheading.

Just as he was about to walk away, Zhao Xing heard a voice.

"Zhao Xing, come to the Taihe Hall and meet the guests with me."

"Yes."

Upon arriving in Daoyuan Continent, Liu Tianning no longer teleported, but used the warship to fly.

He had to entertain some people and also be entertained by some.

Returning home in glory is like this, except Liu Tianning's status is higher; he hadn't even reached Taihe Commandery, just entered Daoyuan Continent, and all parties had already reacted, starting to run over to send gifts.

"Old Liu's golden dragon warship doesn't stop easily; once it stops, someone is sure to send gifts, and he will also accept them."

"They have all been screened in advance."

The gifts are not precious; they are all normal social exchanges.

However, even so, an ordinary Marquis would not have the qualifications to send them.

At the very least, one must be a second-tier Martial Marquis, and even then, that only qualifies one to send gifts; it is impossible to invite Liu Tianning down for a small gathering or to board Liu Tianning's ship.

But being able to send them up counts as having a certain status; as for whether one can be invited to a banquet later, and how long one has to wait in line, that is heaven knows.

As Liu Tianning's disciple, Zhao Xing naturally needs to accompany him in welcoming and sending off guests.

From Nanmu Prefecture in Daoyuan Continent to Taihe Commandery in Daoguang Prefecture, they traveled for thirteen days along the way.

A total of thirty-four Princes and eight direct descendants of Dukes came to send gifts.

"Truly prestigious," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

It was already the twenty-first of the fifth month when they finally reached Taihe Commandery.

Another round of blowing and beating, and various ceremonies.

Fortunately, both Zhao Xing and Liu Tianning have avatars.

When the true self faces the ceremonies, the avatars can do other things.

Zhao Xing accompanied Liu Tianning to meet guests; many times it was the avatars who went to meet them, and only when the status was truly high, such as a Prince with real power, a Duke, or a first-tier Marquis,

would the true self go to show respect.

During this period, Zhao Xing's true self was not idle either.

"Heavenly Spirit Pearl."

In a secret room, Zhao Xing flipped his hand, and a fist-sized, seven-colored pearl appeared in his palm.

"My Pure Essence Soil is level four."

"The total area is about 550, 00 square meters."

"The radius is about 420 meters."

"I obtained spiritual energy twice in total: first in the treasury of Princess Youruo's mansion, and second at a stronghold of the Xuan Tian Sect, obtained from a Xuan Tian Spirit Coffin."

"Two wisps of spiritual energy, because of the existence of the Xuanhuang Analysis Technique, make my Pure Essence Soil much stronger than the level four standard."

"Now, there are five wisps of spiritual energy here!"

Zhao Xing looked at the Heavenly Spirit Pearl.

It exploded out of the body of the little Prince Yanda.

Upon seeing this thing, Zhao Xing did not hesitate to spend a favor to exchange it from the hands of the God Luo King.

"Five wisps of spiritual energy, contained within the Heavenly Spirit Pearl."

"The five elements are complete, and each wisp is twice as dense as the ones obtained before."

"The Southern Barbarians know how to use spiritual energy, but the method is very crude; the Heavenly Yuan Pearl created with the five-element spiritual energy only activated the vitality of the wood spiritual energy, which is a complete waste."

Wood spiritual energy provides life, making vitality endless, but the little Prince Yanda was too weak.

No matter how strong the life recovery is, there is no way if he is killed in seconds.

"Xuanhuang Analysis Technique!"

"Pure Essence Projection!"

Zhao Xing stroked the Heavenly Spirit Pearl with both hands, and a shadow covered the crystal-clear spirit pearl.

"Hum~ hum hum hum~"

Five wisps of spiritual energy were extracted.

The Heavenly Spirit Pearl shattered.

Zhao Xing immediately put away the Pure Essence Projection and pulled the shadow-wrapped five-element spiritual energy back into his body.

"Comfortable~"

A feeling of satisfaction surged in Zhao Xing's heart.

His mind sank, arriving at the Pure Essence Space.

"Boom~ boom~"

The five wisps of spiritual energy appeared very large in the space, like millstone-sized light clusters, pouring into the soil.

Expanding!

Expanding crazily!

The range of the Pure Essence Soil, including the Pure Essence Space, was expanding.

The surrounding gray mist disappeared, and new soil appeared.

"It's like the creation of the world."

Zhao Xing watched all this.

The five wisps of spiritual energy fell into the earth like meteorites, and the earth boiled like water.

The gray mist representing the boundary in the Pure Essence Space dissipated.

The change lasted for a long time!

Finally, the dust settled.

"2502 meters."

Zhao Xing watched with a smile.

"With a radius of over a thousand, this is level five Pure Essence Soil, and the planting limit has been raised to level eight."

"It can nurture large-scale level six plants, making them mature quickly."

"It can make level seven plants grow quickly."

"It can maintain the normal survival of level eight plant life."

"The total area has reached 19. million square meters, nearly 30, 00 mu of land!"

Watching the Pure Essence Soil expand, Zhao Xing was very gratified.

"The area has increased by nearly forty times, a level five Pure Essence Space, and this is very powerful even among level five standards."

"The point is that the five-element spiritual energy is complete, and my Pure Essence Soil initially possesses five-element characteristics. By casting Pure Essence Projection, I can suppress others so they cannot cast theirs."

"This is the extra effect brought by spiritual energy; normally, cultivating Pure Essence Soil with vital energy absolutely cannot achieve this," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

To summon plant troops, one must first cast Pure Essence Projection.

In a civil war between two agricultural officials of the Self-Nature School, the first thing is definitely to cast Pure Essence Projection, just like when the Heavenly Time School fights, they must first raise clouds.

Both are competing for control over the heavens and earth.

If a person is suppressed to the point where they cannot even cast Pure Essence Projection, or the range is shrunk very small.

Then there is no need to fight.

"The spiritual energy of heaven and earth inherits creation and nurtures all things. The power level is different from vital energy."

"The Shangluo Academy must have spiritual energy; I wonder if I can get some on this trip," a trace of longing appeared in Zhao Xing's eyes.

Whether it is for future ascension or life extension, spiritual energy is crucial.

"Xu Xing probably passed away in the seventeenth year of Dazhi."

"This is something that can be calculated; basically everyone knows it."

"After Old Liu becomes the First Vice Dean, he will be able to exercise some of the Dean's rights."

Cultivating successors is always done early, and power will also be transitioned slowly; it won't be that once someone dies, it is suddenly pressed onto one's body.

"However, Liu Tianning is Liu Tianning, and I am I; funds are earmarked for specific purposes, and things he can use himself might not necessarily be available for me to use," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

Just like when Liu Tianning gave Zhao Xing hundreds of millions to cultivate, it could only be used for his own cultivation; giving it to others was impossible.

"Let's calculate."

Zhao Xing arrived at his silver dragon flying boat and dragged out a tortoise shell the size of a single room.

The ten-thousand-year-old mysterious tortoise, after years of fire methods, had become much smaller.

"Tortoise Divination to ask for good fortune."

Zhao Xing pointed, and the flames burned fiercely.

Then he cooperated with the Five-Finger Destiny to test his fortune.

"Great good fortune."

Finally, Zhao Xing reached such a result.

"I just don't know if I will obtain spiritual energy," Zhao Xing thought to himself. "The indication is still not clear enough."

"If I don't use ancient coins, I can only reach this level."

Ancient coins are hard to come by; how could he abuse them here?

"My own fortune is still at the level of Derivation Six; the fourth-rank official appointment did not advance me."

"If the fortune could stabilize at Derivation Seven, that would be comfortable."

In Pinghai Prefecture, he was able to find three ancient coins, all of which happened when the fortune fluctuation reached Derivation Seven.

"However, Derivation Seven fortune is too hard to come by."

"Derivation Seven fortune is basically the standard configuration for veteran Heavenly Fortune Realm experts."

"Derivation Six is the qualification to enter the Heavenly Fortune Realm."

"After reaching the second-rank Heavenly Fortune Realm, many experts, in order to stabilize their realm, will request to be sent to blessed lands to accumulate heavenly fortune; only with sufficient fortune can one slowly reach the perfection of the Heavenly Fortune Realm."

Zhao Xing pondered for a moment, leveled his state of mind, and then walked out of the silver dragon flying boat.

On the third day of the sixth month, Liu Tianning's 'returning home in glory' was basically finished.

The remaining trifles can be left to the avatars.

It was also on the third day of the sixth month that Liu Tianning took Zhao Xing to the Shangluo Academy.

Since it was Zhao Xing's first time going, Liu Tianning introduced it to him:

"The Shangluo Academy has seven important branches: Shenhua, Jiedao, Yuanming, Yuanji, Bingshi, Shuangsheng, and Shenmu."

"Others like Tianzhu, Baihua, Qinghe, Ziting, Shangheng, etc., there are dozens of large and small ones, but their fame is smaller, and the world rarely hears of them."

Zhao Xing asked with some doubt: "Is the fame of the Shangheng Academy small?"

Shangheng was one of the founders; in Zhao Xing's view, this fame should not be small at all.

For example, the Shangheng Instrument is a widely used measuring instrument.

Additionally, the Wenhua Bottle was also invented by Shangheng.

Liu Tianning said: "The Shangheng Academy mainly researches and produces agricultural divine weapons and magic arrays; although some achievements are not weaker than some holy lands of the artisan school, our research on low-to-mid-end mechanical magic arrays and divine weapon production is generally not as good as pure artisan schools."

"That's true," Zhao Xing nodded.

Every profession has its specialty; maybe other professions can steal the limelight of this profession in some aspects, but can they steal everything?

For example, the priest profession can also invite agricultural official gods to cast agricultural magic.

But if you really compare, they are generally not as good as pure agricultural officials.

"Shenhua, Jiedao, Yuanming, Yuanji correspond to the four methods of Self-Nature: Ninghua, Zhejie, Xiyuan, Qiangji."

"The Bingshi Academy is specifically responsible for plant troops; combat-type Self-Nature agricultural officials basically come from the Bingshi Academy."

"The Shuangsheng Academy researches native species and derivative species."

"The Shenmu Academy has an ancient heritage and possesses plants that have lived for over 500, 00 years."

Zhao Xing nodded while listening; in fact, he already knew these things very well, but Liu Tianning was in high spirits, so he couldn't interrupt.

The seven important branches, four were founded based on the four methods of Self-Nature, while the Bingshi Academy was born specifically for combat.

"Grass and trees as soldiers" and "jungle jumping" are the mandatory methods of the Bingshi Academy.

Agricultural officials who come out of the Bingshi Academy basically do not plant economic plants; they are all used for fighting or as troops to assist in combat.

The space of the Pure Essence Soil is limited, and they must be meticulous about every inch of land.

The Shuangsheng Academy researches native species of the world and, based on this, cultivates derivative species.

When Zhao Xing was in the Extreme Night Sea, he obtained seeds from the top research institute of the Shangluo Academy: Blue Sea Cloud Vine and Fish-Eating Grass.

They were all derivative species after improvement, and the effects were much stronger than those of the same tier.

Many basic agricultural crops planted in the world today, such as Yuan Rice, are improved varieties, known as Yuan No. 18 rice seeds.

And the Heavenly Yuan Pear that Chen Shijie gave him to eat back then was also an improved variety, from the Shuangsheng Academy of the Shangluo Academy.

Based on these alone, the Shangluo Academy can be said to have immeasurable merit; no dynasty would ever move against them.

Even if the path of the Self-Nature School is difficult to walk, and one only counts as a beginner at the fifth rank, dynasties throughout history will still provide resources to support the Shangluo Academy, ensuring that Self-Nature School agricultural officials do not die out.

"Master, the Shenmu Academy has the most ancient heritage; are there any rare treasure-level big trees existing today?" Zhao Xing asked.

What he was most interested in was the Shenmu Academy,

because its heritage is the most ancient.

Plants over ten thousand years old can be seen everywhere in the Shenmu Academy, and those ten thousand years old are nothing.

Of course, only big tree-type plants can possess such a long lifespan.

Other types, even if they wanted to inherit for such a long time, would be difficult.

"Of course there are," Liu Tianning smiled. "I have seen one, and eaten the fruit produced by two."

"Which ones are they?" Zhao Xing's eyes lit up.

"This is confidential; I have been placed under a gag order by ritualists, so I cannot tell you."

Liu Tianning said: "But when I become the Dean, I will take you in to see them, and pick some for you to eat."

Zhao Xing nodded; the preservation of divine trees during this period was still very strict.

"The Shenmu Academy shoulders the responsibility of heritage."

"The agricultural officials of the Shenmu Academy spend their whole lives preparing for the ancient trees left behind by the sages."

"Once successful, they will only plant one tree for the rest of their lives."

"Since then, this agricultural official basically will not leave the Shenmu Academy."

"One is for fear of accidents; if this agricultural official accidentally dies in another place, the Pure Essence Soil in their body will explode and scatter, and the divine tree will also be exposed. 'With the grade of the divine tree, once exposed, if it takes root in barren soil, its life will soon walk toward death.'"

"Even if it happens to be a blessed land, suddenly arriving in a strange environment is not conducive to the inheritance and transplantation of the next person."

"During the time of the Grand Ancestor, such an accident occurred."

Zhao Xing listened quietly to Liu Tianning telling history.

"At that time, it was the late period of the chaotic war of ten thousand nations; a Vice Dean of the Shenmu Academy had an accident on the way to be summoned by the Grand Ancestor, and was ambushed by a mysterious expert."

"A treasure-level divine tree in his body, the 'Dragon-Elephant Divine Tree', was snatched away."

"It is rumored to have been done by the Great Snake God Monarch of Yinghuang, and some say it was snatched by the Heavenly Witch 'Anzu' of the Southern Wilderness."

Zhao Xing was stunned: "Dragon-Elephant Divine Tree?"

Liu Tianning: "It seems you have heard of it."

Zhao Xing nodded: "Yes, disciple saw it in the confidential files from the Prince of Tianyan."

"It is rumored that the Dragon-Elephant Divine Tree can produce two kinds of fruits: Elephant God Fruit and Dragon God Fruit!"

"Eating them can possess the power of the ancient Dragon-Elephant."

Liu Tianning nodded: "Correct, this tree also involves an ultimate secret method, the Dragon-Elephant Golden Body. If a warrior takes it, they can cultivate the legendary Dragon-Elephant Golden Body."

"Ji Shuang, who was known as the Martial God back then, cultivated the Dragon-Elephant Golden Body; this method is also known as the Martial God Golden Body."

"The Grand Ancestor summoned the Dean of the Shenmu Academy to go there just to cultivate a few more Dragon-Elephant warriors."

"Unfortunately, an accident occurred."

Martial God Ji Shuang is Duke Zhao.

Zhao Xing is very familiar with this history, because the Dragon-Elephant Divine Tree of his past life appeared as a dungeon event during the Martial Emperor period in the Eastern Wilderness; many top players at the time received the mission to escort agricultural officials into the royal forbidden land of the Great Snake Kingdom in the Eastern Wilderness to complete the transplantation.

Zhao Xing was invited by a large guild at the time and joined the top team, but they ultimately did not complete the mission, and the Dragon-Elephant Divine Tree was snatched away by another top team one step ahead.

"I shouldn't have split the push back then, that idiot Ba Dao Zhan Zhan Zhan..." Zhao Xing was relatively relaxed chatting with Old Liu, and without knowing it, he cursed out loud.

"What did you say?" Liu Tianning frowned.

"Oh, disciple remembered a warrior I knew; his technique was too poor."

"If the warrior team escorting the divine tree had been more capable, how could it have been snatched away," Zhao Xing added.

"Has your cultivation gone wrong?" Liu Tianning seemed to have thought of something; he also turned around, worried about whether Zhao Xing would go crazy.

"It's fine," Zhao Xing said. "There is no situation of losing control for the time being; Master, please continue."

Liu Tianning said: "Many accidents have occurred in history; later, the successors of the divine trees of the Shenmu Academy basically stopped going out."

"The second reason is that the cultivation and inheritance of the divine tree cannot be separated from some special places."

Zhao Xing nodded.

The vast majority of Self-Nature School agricultural officials, after planting that tree, will dedicate all their energy and spirit to nourishing that tree.

Most of them have no combat power.

It is best not to go anywhere; staying at the headquarters of the Shangluo Academy is the safest.

Additionally, the divine tree cannot be nourished entirely by the agricultural official's Pure Essence Soil; for those treasures of the world and rare wonders, wanting them to bloom and bear fruit cannot be done by one person alone.

Basically, they all need to be planted in blessed lands or concentrated with a large amount of vital energy to cultivate.

The highest-level Earth-Hidden Return-to-Origin Magic Array in the world, although arranged by Earth-Benefit School agricultural officials, is not located in the Kunyuan Academy, but in the Shangluo Academy.

Afterward, Liu Tianning introduced the secret rumors and legends of other branches.

Zhao Xing did not know many of them, because he was not powerful in this period in his past life and could not come into contact with the high-level secrets of the Self-Nature School, so he could only analyze them based on later situations.

"Hearing Master say this, disciple finally understands," Zhao Xing said. "No wonder back in the Extreme Night Sea, the sons of the Prince of Liang all wanted to win over Master. Even though Master killed their vassals."

Later, Zhao Xing cursed the Prince of Liang on the battlefield, and nothing happened; Ji Ye even wanted to mediate, and in the end, it was because he really couldn't bear it anymore, and after Zhao Xing cursed for a year or two and constantly exposed the scandals of the Prince of Liang's party, they completely tore off the mask, forcing Zhao Xing to leave the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven.

If the Prince of Liang could have won over any one of the three schools, he wouldn't have been defeated so quickly. If all three schools had supported him, perhaps there would have been a possibility of success.

However, this is impossible; what the Prince of Liang did was also inconsistent with the philosophy and purpose of the agricultural officials.

"I wonder which of the seven branches Master leads?" Zhao Xing asked.

"Previously, I only led the Vice Dean of the Shuangsheng Academy," Liu Tianning said. "Now what I am competing for is the Vice Dean of the Shangluo Academy, and it is the first priority."

Zhao Xing nodded; one is in charge of the whole, one is in charge of a specific branch, and the meaning represented is also different.

"It seems Master's remaining resistance basically comes from the Bingshi Academy and the Shenmu Academy."

"About that," Liu Tianning said. "Actually, no one can stop me anymore."

"But after all, I have to let them see more clearly; it's not that when I give orders, they can just coax me twice and deal with it."

"What I want is total control."

"Involving some fundamental interests, there will still be some old stubborn people who cannot figure it out."

Liu Tianning said faintly: "Obedient in words but not in heart, how can that work? Some things cannot be compromised from the beginning, otherwise there will be a pile of trouble afterward."

Zhao Xing also understood Old Liu's meaning.

He is now going to be this Vice Dean and become the first candidate, and already 80-90% of people support him.

Before this, whether it was displaying personal martial power in the Dao field or his overall planning ability during the Great Barbarian War, as well as his background and connections, he had already been tested.

Now, even if he doesn't fight, Xu Xing's position is his.

But, Liu Tianning is unwilling to take office with missing pieces; he wants all the power!

Because his goal is not the leader of the Self-Nature School at all, but to compete for the position of Grand Agricultural Official.

In the future, when Li Boqian passes away, Liu Tianning will go to compete with the other two schools for the position of Grand Agricultural Official.

The Self-Nature School is already at a disadvantage.

If they drop the chain at a critical moment and drag their feet, how can they win?

"Currently, there are still some discordant and questioning voices, in every branch, but mainly from some people in the Bingshi Academy and the Shenmu Academy. 'It just so happens that they have the things I want in their hands.'"

Zhao Xing asked curiously: "For example?"

Liu Tianning said: "For example, the Shenmu Academy has a Vice Dean named Zhuang Danian; he is at the second-rank perfection realm and has mastered three kinds of irreplaceable ninth-tier great medicines."

"This medicinal material can be handed over to alchemists, and the pills refined can make warriors go further. It can also be given to physicians to treat some difficult and miscellaneous diseases."

Zhao Xing nodded slightly; that is indeed important.

Mastering three kinds of irreplaceable ninth-tier great medicines can mobilize many alchemists, warriors, and physicians.

"He is unwilling to hand them over?" Zhao Xing asked.

"It's not that he is unwilling to hand them over, but the conditions are harsh," Liu Tianning said faintly. "Additionally, if everyone else has to talk to him, then wouldn't I, this Dean, be manipulated by him?"

"I have already communicated with him several times, and have also asked people to talk a few times in between."

"The conditions he proposed are always unacceptable."

"Another example is Chu Qianqiu of the Bingshi Academy," Liu Tianning said. "He has a supporter behind him who inherited a treasure of the world, named the Heavenly Soul Fruit Tree."

"After taking this fruit, assuming the soul is beaten to the 'Yi' state of nothingness, it will not be truly nothingness, but after a period of time, it will return to the 'Xi' state; you tell me, is this important?"

"Important!" Zhao Xing said without hesitation; if this is true, it is equivalent to deceiving the enemy.

If Yang An had eaten such a fruit, then he could have been resurrected as a Yin God from the Heavenly Soul Temple.

"However, Chu Qianqiu decided this distribution right; how to use it is entirely up to him."

"Even Xu Xing's words, he only listens to half."

"Even if I successfully become the Dean, if this is the result, I absolutely cannot accept it!"

Speaking of this, a trace of coldness flashed in Liu Tianning's eyes:

"This trip to the Shangluo Academy is my final ultimatum, and also my last chance."

"If they still refuse to agree to my conditions, I can only engage in a Great Dao contention with them!"

Under certain circumstances, 【Great Dao contention】 cannot be refused; it is the moment that determines the future direction of the Shangluo Academy.

Of course, if they are willing to hand over power, then naturally it can be refused.

If they hold on to the end, then they can only truly die.

If he beats them up, Liu Tianning will have the same opportunity to obtain those treasures.

Old Liu and his supporters behind him are obviously not negotiating with those people for the first time.

But this time, it is the final ultimatum.

Either the other candidates beat Liu Tianning to death, proving that they can bring a brighter future to the academy.

Or they are beaten to death by Liu Tianning!

"Master, what can I do?" Zhao Xing asked.

"You are my disciple, and also my only successor, and also the best proof of my cultivation plan," Liu Tianning looked at Zhao Xing. "If someone challenges you, you must accept a few matches and win them; this is the best support for me."

Cultivation plan? Zhao Xing couldn't help but think of the three stages Old Liu explained back then.

The second stage is to cultivate level six plant troops, level five soil, and you can get ten billion in resources.

"The reason I want to bring you along on this trip to compete for the position is to promote the cultivation plan of the Self-Nature School agricultural officials, which is what I told you before," Liu Tianning said.

"Previously, I listed you in the first batch, and no one objected, because I seemed to give you a lot, but it didn't actually involve unique and precious resources."

"Now that you have become stronger, the plan will also change."

"I want to fight for more precious resources for you, because ordinary resources are already useless to you."

"I understand," Zhao Xing's eyes became sharp. "Please rest assured, Master."

This table of dishes at the Shangluo Academy is only enough for ten people to eat; now that he wants to eat, someone has to quit.

Because if he eats, he can be stronger, and he can also make the Shangluo Academy stronger.

"I am naturally assured of your strength," Liu Tianning said faintly. "My requirement is that once someone who doesn't know better initiates a Great Dao contention against you, you must beat them to death and show no mercy."

Zhao Xing's eyebrows jumped; it seems Old Liu is worried that he is not ruthless enough!

What gave Old Liu such a misconception?

Oh, that's right.

He had encountered similar things at the Lihuo Dao Academy, but he held back at that time.

And at the Xuan Tian Academy, when facing many criticisms, he did not accept those people's challenges.

It must be these things that made Liu Tianning feel that he might be a bit soft-hearted.

"Master, I understand," Zhao Xing nodded.

This time is completely different from previous challenges.

There is no way; some people are reluctant to let go even in death, and there are people in the world who simply cannot be persuaded.

Master Zhao does not fight battles without profit, but this time there is profit, and it is a huge profit!

He will never be soft-hearted!

"Hum~"

The two chatted for a long time, and the barrier outside the warship changed from fiery red to clear.

They are about to arrive at the Shangluo Academy.

Liu Tianning still needs to find people to chat with and issue the final ultimatum.

Seeing that he was busy, Zhao Xing found a room to rest.

After chatting with Liu Tianning, Zhao Xing subconsciously closed his eyes and fell asleep, entering a dream to check his past life memories; a moment later, he had some doubts again.

"Chu Qianqiu? Is that the Chu Qianqiu... Old Liu didn't kill him, why does it feel like this Chu Qianqiu won't live long now."

"The one surnamed Zhuang, I seem to have heard of him too; did I remember wrong?" Zhao Xing was a bit puzzled.

In his past life memories, Chu Qianqiu did not die, and he was also familiar with Zhuang Danian.

"I don't know what's going on; it seems I will only know after I go there."

Shangluo Academy, Bingshi Academy.

In a huge manor, around the houses of the manor, many strange, dense plants resembling iron swords, reaching a hundred meters high, were planted.

Sword Bamboo Forest, this is the place of cultivation for Chu Qianqiu, Vice Dean of the Bingshi Academy.

Many students of the Bingshi Academy would come to beg Chu Qianqiu to bestow a sword bamboo.

The plant troops in the Sword Bamboo Forest he manages are all very powerful, and their power is about twice as strong as those obtained elsewhere.

However, very few people can get what they want, because passing Chu Qianqiu's test is very difficult.

The process is also quite troublesome; wanting to obtain a precious troop type is by no means easy.

Even so, there are still people who come to beg.

June is usually the time when sword bamboo matures.

The Sword Bamboo Forest, which should have been lively, had no one in sight.

Because Chu Qianqiu, this Vice Dean, sealed the Sword Bamboo Forest and was flashing through the bamboo forest, feeling upset and confused.

Before long, the entire Sword Bamboo Forest became cold.

"Qianqiu~"

A voice accompanied by gusts of cold wind blew past.

Chu Qianqiu stopped, because there was one more person in the Sword Bamboo Forest.

"Uncle-Master, why are you here?"

Chu Qianqiu appeared in front of a giant whose body was very large, even bloated.

His Uncle-Master, Jiang Yaochun, was Chu Qianqiu's most steadfast supporter.

He was also the master of the Heavenly Soul Divine Tree.

"Liu Tianning is coming," Jiang Yaochun, who was over five meters tall and three meters wide, resembling a meatball, said in a gloomy voice.

"He is coming this time, and has already issued a final ultimatum."

"Final ultimatum?" Chu Qianqiu's brows tightened. "I am at the late second-rank, he just entered the second-rank, and he is so confident?"

"Qianqiu, you cannot compete with him," Jiang Yaochun sighed. "No matter from which angle you look at it, you have no chance of winning."

"He wants to lead the Shangluo Academy to become the prominent school of the world, suppressing Xuan Tian and Kunyuan, and has too many supporters."

"He himself is also a peerless genius; even Xu Xing does not have his talent."

Chu Qianqiu can also be considered a rare genius, and his background is not worse than Liu Tianning's; his "grass and trees as soldiers" method and "divine bamboo sword array" have all received praise from many old seniors.

Unfortunately, he is facing Liu Tianning.

Having calculated it ten thousand times, Chu Qianqiu had no possibility of competing with Liu Tianning.

"Yes, Uncle-Master," Chu Qianqiu, although arrogant, also understood that what his Uncle-Master said made sense.

"I suggest you agree to his conditions."

"Uncle-Master," Chu Qianqiu suppressed his anger. "I can withdraw from the competition, but his conditions are too excessive."

"What you exchanged with your life, why should it become his stepping stone to the top? I don't agree!"

Chu Qianqiu respects this Uncle-Master very much, because his Uncle-Master is also second-rank, and his vital energy exceeds the second-rank perfection by more than ten times!

But the price is what he looks like now, neither human nor ghost.

Feeding the tree with his body, he cannot leave the Shangluo Academy for the rest of his life, and he has no combat power at all.

"Qianqiu, the divine tree is not mine; I just inherited it, and I feel very honored," Jiang Yaochun looked at Chu Qianqiu kindly. "Are you feeling it's not worth it for me, or are you reluctant to give up the power in your hands?"

Chu Qianqiu was silent for a moment before saying: "To tell you the truth, Uncle-Master, it is both."

"This is because I don't think Liu Tianning can lead the Shangluo Academy to rise; his cultivation plan will drain the academy's foundation."

"Ancient rumors say that the glory of the Shangluo Academy is in the next recovery period, definitely not now."

"Correct, he is stronger than me, even stronger than Xu Xing!"

"But he will also go crazy earlier than Xu Xing; if he encounters another warlike monarch in the next generation, the future of the academy is worrying."

Jiang Yaochun nodded: "You have your persistence; since you can see yourself clearly, no matter what decision you make, Uncle-Master supports you."

"Thank you, Uncle-Master."

Shenmu Academy, Zhuang Danian paced back and forth, the fat on his face wobbling.

"Damn it, so ruthless; kill if you don't submit. He's comparable to Old Xu when he was young."

"Tell me, why is he in such a hurry? It's not like I don't submit to him being this Dean."

"Isn't it all his sooner or later? I don't have any selfish motives either."

"It's all for the good of the academy, right?"

Zhuang Danian looked at a middle-aged woman with an elegant temperament sitting on the seat.

"I have already said it many times, Vice Dean Zhuang."

"This is not the first time we have discussed it."

The middle-aged woman put down her teacup and said unhurriedly: "Vice Dean Zhuang, now you just need to give an answer, whether you agree or not."

"If you agree, then swear by your life soul."

"If you don't agree, that's also one word; I will leave now."

After saying that, the middle-aged woman was about to get up.

"Hey, hey, wait," Zhuang Danian said. "Don't go, I agree. I agree, is that not enough?"

After saying that, Zhuang Danian swore by his life soul that the three ninth-tier great medicines in his hands would all be decided by Liu Tianning.

"Good," the middle-aged woman smiled. "Dean Zhuang, farewell."

"... will see you off?"

"Please stay."

Watching the woman leave, Zhuang Danian's face immediately collapsed.

"Sigh, I am truly furious."

Just then, three disciples walked in hurriedly.

"Master, Liu Tianning and his successor Zhao Xing have already arrived at the Shangluo Academy."

Zhuang Danian rolled his eyes and looked at one of the disciples: "Xin Bojian, you go and challenge Zhao Xing."

Xin Bojian was truly speechless upon hearing this.

Why don't you go catch Tang Seng yourself?

How is this any different from letting me go to my death?

"This... Master, I suddenly feel a bit uncomfortable in my stomach; I need to see a physician..."

Zhuang Danian snorted and looked at another female disciple: "Wen Weiqi, you go."

Wen Weiqi suddenly blushed: "Master, I am already six months pregnant, it seems I am about to give birth, I, I..."

Yu Gongzhi, who was beside her, immediately said: "Junior Sister, I will take you to see a physician immediately."

After saying that, the two of them slipped away hand in hand.

"Useless things!"

Zhuang Danian cursed and let the disciples slip away.

Then he turned to look at the memorial tablet on the offering table: "Well, everyone has seen it, don't blame me for not leaving them a foundation. It's just that they are not striving for success themselves, and I have no other way..."