Chapter 1: Si Nong Minor Official

Late May, in the fifteenth year of the Jingxin era, in the eastern suburbs of Gucheng.

The scorching sun beat down, and sweat poured down Zhao Xing's back as he bent at the waist, transplanting rice seedlings into the paddy field. With each seedling he planted, small numerical notifications popped up beside him: "Successfully planted a seedling, Basic Cultivation skill proficiency +1." The notifications repeated, "Successfully planted a seedling, Basic Cultivation skill proficiency +1," and so on.

Upon reaching max level in Basic Cultivation, he comprehended the novice spell 'Vigorous Growth.'

Vigorous Growth: Novice SpellProgress: (1/9999)Effect: Accelerates nutrient absorption, shortens plant maturation time.

Two more quarters of an hour passed, and Zhao Xing was drenched in sweat. He went to the paddy field embankment to rehydrate. However, the sun was scorching, and the inner heat and restlessness wouldn't subside.

So he stretched out a hand and pointed at the sky. "Buzz~" A golden light emerged from his fingertip, dissipating about three or four meters above his head. Immediately, a mass of grayish-white cloud appeared, hovering directly above his head. A notification popped up: "You activated the spell 'Moving Cloud.' This spell triggered a fortuitous enhancement, doubling its effectiveness, extending the cloud to ten meters. Novice spell 'Moving Cloud' proficiency +2."

“Ah, that’s much more comfortable,” he sighed. The cloud obscured the sun, like a parasol, enveloping Zhao Xing in its shadow. As Zhao Xing moved, the cloud above his head moved with him.

The eastern suburbs of Gucheng County were public lands managed by the Directorate of Agriculture. A portion of the officials' sustenance and daily expenses came from here. With Mangzhong (Grain in Ear) approaching, minor agricultural officials like Zhao Xing were everywhere in the eastern suburbs. This was because if crops weren't planted by Mangzhong, planting them later would be useless. Furthermore, the public fields' harvest not only provided food but also determined whether they could become full-fledged officials this year. Transitioning from an unranked minor official to a formal Agricultural Officer meant a world of difference in treatment.

Ever since transmigrating here a year ago, he had realized he was seemingly in an early version of a mysterious game. In his previous life, this game had suddenly appeared on Earth, nameless, with only one entrance. It felt like a real world, and its exceptionally high freedom and realism had caused a massive sensation. This was the era of Emperor Jing of the Great Zhou, a period marking the dynasty's peak. The overall environment was relatively stable, and compared to later versions, the safety factor was arguably the highest. The advantage was that spiritual energy hadn't fully recovered, so combat power levels weren't absurdly high. There wouldn't be grand cultivators slaughtering entire cities with a wave of their hand. After all, he was no longer a player; there was no resurrection option on his status panel. The downside was that it was too stable, and his initial identity was ordinary. Finding opportunities as an NPC within this early, stable social order was relatively difficult.

“In my previous life, I could change professions in two or three days. Now, I've spent half a year and still haven't seen any hope,” he mused. “My initial identity was also mediocre: an orphan from an orphanage, later adopted by a wealthy family, but my situation is still just so-so. I heard that in my previous life, some players were lucky enough to be born into families of nobles and generals…” He shook his head. “Never mind that. I'll rest for a bit, then redouble my efforts. Whether I can complete my professional advancement quest this year will largely depend on how this field performs.”

Zhao Xing found a haystack, gathered some rice stalks, and was about to rest, waiting for his primal energy to recover. However, he spotted a young man in a standard uniform and a straw hat beckoning him from a haystack ahead: “Brother Zhao, come over here.”

Zhao Xing turned and quickly walked towards him. “Ziyu, are you also here to rest?”

Chen Ziyu was also a minor official from the Directorate of Agriculture. In the year since Zhao Xing's transmigration, he had become closest with Chen Ziyu. Their relationship was that of colleagues and also classmates, as the focus at this stage wasn't just labor, but more on studying to secure a higher position soon and escape this dirty work. Next to Chen Ziyu lay another youth named Qian Dong, also an acquaintance.

Chen Ziyu, chewing on a blade of grass, enthusiastically greeted him: “I just arrived a moment ago. Brother, you can simply use my cloud for shade; no need to waste extra primal energy.”

“That works,” Zhao Xing replied. Nodding, Zhao Xing dispersed the cloud above his head and lay down beside Chen Ziyu.

As soon as he lay down, he heard Chen Ziyu grumble: “It's only early summer, but the weather in Gucheng is already so hot. And all the larger trees in the eastern suburbs have been cut down by the esteemed officials of the Directorate of Agriculture. If you want shade, you have to cast a spell yourself.”

Zhao Xing chuckled, “It's also a form of training, isn't it?”

“Want to cool down? It's simple, watch this,” Qian Dong said. He tossed the straw hat he was fanning himself with, dramatically pointing his finger skyward. “Wind, come!”

Chen Ziyu looked a little surprised. “Brother Qian, you've already learned to conjure wind?”

Qian Dong smirked, then picked up his straw hat and fanned Chen Ziyu with it. “See, there it is!”

Only then did Chen Ziyu realize he had been fooled. He grabbed a handful of dried grass and started tickling Qian Dong's neck: “You rotten Qian Dong, how dare you trick me! Unless you fan me for a quarter of an hour, I'm not done with you!”

“Ow, stop tickling! Ziyu, don't be angry, I'll fan you!”

...

As the two boys laughed, the cloud above them seemed to wobble. Witnessing this scene, Zhao Xing couldn't help but feel a little speechless. *Can you two not be so touchy-feely on such a hot day?*

Just as Zhao Xing was about to speak, Qian Dong spoke first: “Alright, if you don't stop, Brother Zhao will scold us again for being unlearned and lacking decorum.”

Zhao Xing lazily replied, “No, go on, keep going. You'd best fight until you're both injured. That'll reduce the competition for the Agricultural Officer position, and my chances of getting promoted this year will be higher.”

“Brother is being sarcastic again…” Chen Ziyu retorted.

After resting for a quarter of an hour, Zhao Xing felt his primal energy gradually recover. He planned to nap a bit longer before continuing his professional advancement plan. However, the cloud above his head suddenly dispersed, and dazzling light abruptly shone on his eyelids.

“What's wrong, Ziyu? You didn't even say anything before removing the cloud…” Qian Dong complained. But Zhao Xing had already propped himself up on an elbow, his eyes squinted as he looked ahead.

A dark cloud, nearly a thousand meters wide, slowly rolled in from the front. Standing on a grain pile beneath the cloud was a tall figure. The Moving Cloud spell had an exclusive property; it was this person who had collided with and absorbed Chen Ziyu's cloud, dispersing it. Having his spell abruptly interrupted, Chen Ziyu's body trembled slightly. Due to the backlash, his primal energy had suffered minor damage.

“It's that hypocrite Li Chengfeng again! Damn him!” Chen Ziyu glared furiously at the figure on the grain pile ahead.

Why call him a hypocrite? Because Li Chengfeng's voice was spreading in all directions, amplified by a Wind Conjuration spell. “Esteemed colleagues,” his voice boomed, “you are welcome to rest beneath my cloud. A light rain will fall shortly to wash away the dust for you all.”

It wasn't just Chen Ziyu's spell that was dispersed; many others were also affected. However, Li Chengfeng had effectively united most of them, saving them primal energy. Many people applauded and praised Li Chengfeng for his gentlemanly conduct.

“This man's tactics of building himself up while putting others down are truly disgusting!” Chen Ziyu said bitterly. “He always loves to show off, completely disregarding others' feelings. Once, when I tried to reason with him, others accused me of being petty and jealous of his reputation as a gentleman… Me, jealous of him? Bah!”

Qian Dong also shook his head. “If he were truly a gentleman, it would be fine. But he comes from a prominent family and only ever associates with other wealthy scions. He acts one way in public and another behind closed doors. He's not even a formal Agricultural Officer yet, but he already carries himself like a superior. It's truly sickening. If he becomes our boss next year, who knows how he'll torment us below, sigh…”

Zhao Xing agreed with their sentiments and could only pat their shoulders in comfort. “I also dislike him, but complaining is useless. Strength is what truly matters. Let's just work hard; sooner or later, there'll be a day when we can make him eat his words.”