Chapter 109: Leaving the Fire Dao Academy, Traveling by Detour

"Are you getting anxious?" Long Xiao knew the reason for Zhao Xing's visit as soon as he saw him.

"If I don't leave soon, my family will get fed up," Zhao Xing said. "Who can drag out a farewell for over a month?"

He had already had several farewell dinners with the old Minister of Agriculture.

Zhao Xing was tired of saying goodbye to his family.

He needed a definite answer; waiting too long for a transfer wasn't a good thing.

If there were any issues preventing his transfer to the Divine Might Army, Zhao Xing would have to prepare for the military agricultural official examination.

There were fixed examination times every year, mostly in spring; missing them meant waiting another year.

Given his current situation, Zhao Xing believed he could pass the exam even now; he just needed the opportunity.

After all, his understanding of spells already rivaled that of many veteran eighth-rank agricultural officials. Most of his four Heavenly Timing spells and Earth Advantage spells were at the eighth or ninth rotation level, with very few at the seventh.

He even had self-created spells!

Compared to a true eighth-rank official, Zhao Xing only lacked the stages of Spirit Gathering and Life Soul.

Long Xiao said, "The process for cross-domain transfers is quite slow, and your transfer also involves crossing both civil and military systems. But rest assured, I guarantee with my life that it will definitely happen."

With such an assurance, Zhao Xing breathed a sigh of relief. As long as it happened, he didn't mind waiting a few more days.

"Whoosh!" Just then, a gust of wind swept past the door.

Chen Shijie's figure appeared in the main hall.

"No need to wait anymore."

"We'll leave the day after tomorrow."

Long Xiao looked up. "Is there news?"

Chen Shijie nodded. "Yes, I just received the letter. The Marquis wants us to arrive in Xier Commandery on March 2nd."

Long Xiao said, "Time is a bit tight. We'll have to rush there using the Blazing Fire Daoist Academy's altar."

Chen Shijie said, "I've already contacted the branch academy in Great Origin Prefecture. The Blazing Fire Altar will be activated the day after tomorrow, and we'll use it to travel to Xier Commandery."

Long Xiao pointed at Zhao Xing. "What about his transfer?"

Chen Shijie pulled a document from his pocket. "I just picked up your transfer order from the county yamen. You've been transferred to the Divine Might Army, but according to procedure, you'll need to complete training in the military realm before you can assume your post."

Zhao Xing took the document and saw it was a transfer order issued by the Ministry of Military Affairs. "Which blessed land will I be assigned to?"

Chen Shijie replied, "The Divine Might Army's blessed land encampment has been moved to a new location. This blessed land also houses eight other armies."

In the last grand military exercises in the military realm, the Divine Might Army ranked five hundred and eighty-seventh. Consequently, it doesn't have its own blessed land encampment and must share with other garrisons.

With only eight armies, it's still considered a relatively small number.

In some places, hundreds of armies share a single blessed land; the thought alone makes it feel cramped.

But there's no helping it; too many wolves, too little meat.

To have exclusive use of a blessed land, an army must rank among the top three hundred in the military realm's grand military exercises.

This is because blessed lands are not merely training grounds; they also offer numerous advantages. Armies stationed there naturally get to be the first to enjoy these benefits.

"So, it's no longer Jinting and Danxia. What's the new blessed land called? What's special about it, and what benefits does it offer?" Long Xiao asked.

Chen Shijie replied, "It's called the Ten Suns Blessed Land. I'm not clear on the specifics; the Marquis's letter didn't elaborate. Anyway, we'll arrive by early March, so we'll know then."

The Ten Suns Blessed Land?

Zhao Xing's heart stirred.

Chen Shijie and Long Xiao were unaware of the Ten Suns Blessed Land's situation, but Zhao Xing was.

"The Ten Suns Blessed Land was discovered in the tenth year of Jingxin. It is now the sixteenth year, meaning it has only been discovered for a little over five years. It's in the early stages of development, with vast unexplored areas."

"The Divine Might Army's stationing in the Ten Suns Blessed Land is likely not just for training; they'll also be tasked with exploration. I, for one, know the locations of many treasures..."

Zhao Xing managed to control his emotions well this time, suppressing his thoughts after only a brief recollection.

Ever since mastering "Discern Autumn Hairs," he had paid special attention to such details. High-level cultivators using this spell were terrifying; they could not only discern lies but also grasp the mental activities of lower-ranked cultivators.

It was one thing for him to know other things, but if he also possessed perfect knowledge of a newly developed blessed land like the Ten Suns Blessed Land, it would be inexplicable.

"Then I'll go back and prepare." After appropriately expressing his curiosity about the Ten Suns Blessed Land, Zhao Xing left the Chen residence and returned home to prepare.

Kangping Ward, the Zhao Residence.

"The transfer order has arrived. I'll be departing the day after tomorrow with Chen Shijie for Xier Commandery," Zhao Xing informed his family during lunch.

"Xier Commandery..." Zhao Ruide pondered for a moment. "That must be tens of thousands of miles from home."

"Yes, it's still in Pinghai Prefecture, but upstream of the Canglan River. It will be over forty thousand miles round trip," Zhao Xing replied.

At that time, Long Xiao had traveled using the Blazing Fire Daoist Academy's altar, a fire escape technique with a straight-line distance of twenty thousand miles.

By land or water, it would be even further.

Now that the Divine Might Army's encampment had moved, the distance would likely be even greater.

"Be careful in everything, and if you have time, come back often to visit." Zhao Ruide gave a simple instruction; after all, over the past month, everything that needed to be said had already been repeated numerous times.

Everyone's emotions were much calmer now.

His younger brother, Zhao Zheng, had evolved from initial reluctance, begging, "Brother, don't leave; I'll definitely train hard," to a tone of exasperation, "Brother, why haven't you left yet? Stop interfering with my training!"

"Brother, I'll miss you!" Zhao Zheng exclaimed. "But Father says a man's ambition lies in all directions, so I'll definitely think of you!"

"Stop pretending; your mouth is practically grinning from ear to ear," Zhao Xing said, pinching his younger brother's cheek. "Don't think you can be lazy and skip training after I leave."

"Godfather, I've hired someone from Zong Shichang's place. From now on, Zheng'er will train there every day, so you won't have to worry about it."

Zhao Ruide nodded. Lady Cai opened her mouth but ultimately said nothing.

Although she didn't want her son to suffer hardships, seeing Zhao Xing's impressive progress and vigor over the past month gradually changed her mind.

Who wouldn't want their son to make a name for himself?

Only Zhao Zheng disagreed with this. "No, brother, how could you do this to me? I object!"

"Objection overruled! Eat!"

"Oh..."

February 25th.

Chen Shijie resigned as the chief official of the Ministry of Agriculture, with Xue Wenzhong temporarily taking his place.

Chen Shijie left his mansion and all his other properties in Gucheng to Gui Niang, including the Heavenly Origin Pear Orchard.

Only then did everyone discover that Chen Shijie had a mistress in Gucheng.

However, no one dared to covet the Heavenly Origin Pear Orchard.

This was not only due to the strict laws but also because Chen Shijie had accumulated considerable prestige in Gucheng over the past five years.

Moreover, Chen Shijie had connections within the commandery, so even though his family wealth was considerable, no one dared to harbor ill intentions.

Of course, most importantly, Chen Shijie also left behind the straw guardian figure he had once used to protect Zhao Xing.

February 26th, Mao Hour (5-7 AM).

Zhao Xing donned his bamboo backpack and left his home in Kangping Ward.

Upon arriving at the Chen residence, a Cloud-Flowing Flying Boat was already waiting at the drill ground.

Chen Shijie piloted the Cloud-Flowing Flying Boat, circling Gucheng three times in the darkness before heading directly for Great Origin Prefecture.

Great Origin Prefecture, located in the southern part of Pinghai Province, was also the superior administrative body to Nanyang Commandery, and its Prefect was a third-rank official.

The Blazing Fire Daoist Academy had established a branch academy in the eastern part of the prefectural city.

As one of the Great Zhou's seventy-two Daoist Academies, the Blazing Fire Daoist Academy had only established branch academies in prefectural cities.

Even so, its numerous branch academies spread across nineteen provinces, and its influence could be said to radiate throughout the entire Great Zhou.

Traveling by Cloud-Flowing Flying Boat from Gucheng to the prefectural city took only half a day.

After entering the city, the three headed straight for the Blazing Fire Daoist Academy branch.

"The Blazing Fire Daoist Academy was formerly the Blazing Fire Sect, which was once quite prominent and ranked ninth among the divine sects."

"After the old sect system was dismantled, the Blazing Fire Sect pledged allegiance to Great Zhou, no longer calling itself a sect, and was renamed the Blazing Fire Daoist Academy."

"The Grand Ancestor served as the honorary dean for all Daoist Academies. Subsequently, his descendants gradually took on important positions in various academies."

"Currently, the vice-dean of the Blazing Fire Daoist Academy is the imperial relative Ji Changkong, who is the Emperor's cousin and was enfeoffed as King Liyang five hundred years ago."

"The dean of this branch academy in Great Origin Prefecture, Ji Qingshan, is also an imperial relative. However, he is still quite young at only two hundred and one years old; he is the Emperor's grandnephew."

"Two hundred years old is still considered young?" Zhao Xing asked, feigning surprise.

"For a third-rank realm, two hundred years old is indeed young," Chen Shijie explained. "A third-rank official, considering their increased lifespan and Spirit Gathering level, can live to five or six hundred years."

"Their life is only a third over, so isn't that young?"

"That's true."

The Blazing Fire Daoist Academy covered over five thousand acres, encompassing even spirit mountains and spirit lakes within its grounds.

The Great Zhou's seventy-two Daoist Academies had a very unique enrollment mechanism; most of them had "Daoist Children's Academies" that only recruited children under ten years old.

Furthermore, dedicated scouts would patrol various regions to find promising talents with excellent aptitude.

They were further divided into inner and outer academies, with both having upper and lower divisions.

Students from local academies and schools who performed excellently could test into different levels within the academies for further study.

In those days, to secure the allegiance of the sects, the Grand Ancestor established the "Daoist Official Selection System." Anyone who graduated from the seventy-two Daoist Academies could directly go to various regions to become officials; in other words, graduation guaranteed job placement.

In the ancient sect system, the relationship between master and disciple was profoundly deep, often surpassing blood ties. The term "son-disciple" signified a master treating a disciple as if they were their own child.

Disciples, conversely, could never betray their master or switch to another sect throughout their lives.

However, in today's Daoist Academies, while respect for teachers and the Dao is still emphasized, the titles have changed to simply "teachers" and "students."

Teachers are not responsible for students' personal futures; they are only responsible for completing the teaching tasks assigned by the imperial court. Students are not required to learn from only one teacher, nor is there any concept of betraying one's master.

Of course, some Daoist Academies still retained certain ancient customs, including formal apprenticeship ceremonies.

However, as long as they avoided practices like "purging the sect" or killing students for disobedience, and everything adhered to the laws of Great Zhou, the imperial court would not interfere with their private relationships.

The entrance archway of the Blazing Fire Daoist Academy was exceptionally tall, grand, and very ancient.

As entry and exit required credentials, Zhao Xing, Chen Shijie, and Long Xiao waited at an entrance for someone to escort them in.

"Teachers in the Daoist Academy are divided into five ranks: Hundred Arts Master, Preaching Master, Scripture Doctor, Vice-Dean, and Dean."

"The Marquis knows a Scripture Doctor at the Great Origin Prefecture branch, and he will send someone to escort us in," Long Xiao explained.

The relationship between the Divine Might Army and the Blazing Fire Daoist Academy seemed quite good. Not long after, a yellow-robed youth flew out and landed before the three.

He held half of a jade pendant, which matched the half in Chen Shijie's hand.

"Are you General Long Xiao and Master Chen Shijie?" the yellow-robed youth asked.

"Indeed."

"My teacher has ordered me to escort you to the Blazing Fire Altar." The yellow-robed youth glanced at Zhao Xing. "Hmm? Why is there an extra person? And a cat?"

"He's also a member of my Divine Might Army."

"Can it withstand a True Monarch's Dao?" The yellow-robed youth looked at the wildcat with some confusion. He was merely a student from the lower academy, with average perception, unable to discern the wildcat's rank.

"This is an exotic beast, an eighth-rank wildcat," Chen Shijie briefly explained. "You don't need to worry about it."

The yellow-robed youth nodded and asked no further questions.

"Please follow me, all three of you."

The Blazing Fire Altar was situated in a valley surrounded by five fiery-red hills.

Within the valley were numerous fire pits.

As Zhao Xing approached the altar, he felt a wave of intense heat.

He was not unfamiliar with this place.

The Blazing Fire Altar was a sophisticated teleportation array that also incorporated escape techniques.

In the era of the Qi Luck Dynasty, the Blazing Fire Altar's ultra-long-distance teleportation, with its minimal side effects, was a unique existence.

Other Daoist Academies also possessed similar means, but their side effects were ridiculously severe. In the era before spiritual energy recovery, the cost was prohibitive: either extremely expensive, or users faced high thresholds, or suffered severe side effects.

In contrast, the usage requirements for the Blazing Fire Altar were quite minimal.

When using the borrowed path, one had to walk double the distance that was covered by teleportation.

Upon reaching the destination, one could "return the path" by simply taking a few steps, which was incredibly convenient.

"We're here," the yellow-robed master said, pointing ahead. "Fire Pit Number Nine will open in another two *ke*."

"Once it opens, just walk straight in. I see this brother is also carrying a cat; is this your first time?"

Zhao Xing nodded. "It is."

The yellow-robed youth enthusiastically added, "Then allow me to offer a few more reminders. When using the borrowed path, do not move around recklessly or attempt to comprehend the Way of Fire. After exiting, return the path as soon as possible, ideally within a month, otherwise there will be some negative effects."

"Thank you very much," Zhao Xing said, cupping his hands in a respectful gesture.

"You're welcome." The yellow-robed master said a few more words, then fell silent, waiting patiently for the opening.

Zhao Xing looked around. Several fire pits burned with red flames. Occasionally, people would emerge from or enter the flames, but each time someone passed through, the flames within the fire pit would diminish significantly.

The diminished flames then formed lines that encircled the user's body.

As they waited quietly, someone suddenly approached, and several voices could be heard.

"Lord Helian, we're here. This is Fire Pit Number Nine... Eh? Why are there people here?"

Zhao Xing turned his head and saw another yellow-robed youth leading five people to the waiting area for Fire Pit Number Nine.

Among the five, two appeared to be in their early forties, wearing armor and military boots. The other three were younger, two men and one woman, all only ninth-rank.

Chen Shijie and Long Xiao also noticed this. They exchanged glances, their brows slightly furrowed.

"Friend, what's going on? Fire Pit Number Nine is already occupied; why are you bringing them here?" the youth next to Zhao Xing couldn't help but ask.

"That doesn't make sense," the tall, thin youth opposite them muttered. "I just checked the fire registry two *ke* ago. Fire Pit Number Nine to Datong Prefecture was open at Chen Shi-si *ke*."

"Then did you register?"

"I... I should have registered..." The yellow-robed youth opposite them changed his expression.

"Impossible. If you had registered in the fire registry, then I couldn't have registered just a *ke* ago," their yellow-robed youth stated. "Friend, you were too careless. Please quickly take your esteemed guests to find the next available time slot."

"I apologize, Lord Helian, Lord Lei, it... it was my mistake," the tall, thin yellow-robed youth quickly apologized.

Helian Lie's voice was low. "Which other fire pits are available for five people heading to Datong Prefecture, besides Number Nine?"

"It seems, it seems..." The tall, thin yellow-robed youth stammered, clearly not thinking clearly.

The yellow-robed youth next to Zhao Xing couldn't bear it anymore and answered for him. "For five people traveling to Datong Prefecture, there are also Fire Pits Number Fourteen, Twenty-six, and Forty-nine."

Helian Lie looked over. "When do they open?"

The youth thought for a moment and replied, "Fire Pit Number Fourteen opens tomorrow at Mao Hour, Number Twenty-six tomorrow at Wu Hour, and Fire Pit Number Forty-nine won't open until the day after tomorrow."

"Too late," the man surnamed Lei next to Helian Lie said, shaking his head. "After arriving at Datong Prefecture, we still need to travel for six more hours to reach the blessed land entrance. We will miss the military deadline."

Helian Lie looked at the yellow-robed youth beside him. "Is there any other way to temporarily arrange a channel for us?"

The tall, thin youth almost burst into tears. "L-Lord, this... this seems impossible..."

Helian Lie immediately turned his gaze to Long Xiao, pulling out a jade pendant from his pocket. "I am Helian Lie, Valiant Colonel of the Blazing Sun Army. We are under military orders and must rush to Datong Prefecture. Please allow our five people to pass first. This dragon crystal jade pendant is offered as compensation for the three of you."

The Blazing Sun Army? Long Xiao and Chen Shijie exchanged glances.

The Blazing Sun Army was another garrison stationed in the Ten Suns Blessed Land, and its rank was even higher than the Divine Might Army.

In terms of rank, Helian Lie, the Valiant Colonel, was one rank higher than all of them.

This was no mere coincidence, as the Ministry of Military Affairs had issued the same assembly date to all nine garrisons stationed within the Ten Suns Blessed Land.

To avoid trouble, Chen Shijie also introduced himself. "I am Chen Shijie, Ninth Section Military Agricultural Official of the Divine Might Army. This gentleman next to me is Long Xiao, Aide-de-Camp Colonel."

"I apologize, but we also have military orders and need to rush to Datong Prefecture as soon as possible."

"Heh, so it's the Marquis of Boping County's military order," the middle-aged man surnamed Lei next to him suddenly chuckled. "Can a third-class county marquis's order outweigh a martial marquis's order? Did the Divine Might Army rank higher than our Blazing Sun Army in the military realm's grand exercises? I think it's better if you let us pass first! Our military order is more important!"

"What the hell are you talking about? Isn't *my* military order a military order?"

A flicker of anger flashed in Long Xiao's eyes, and the scabbard behind him trembled incessantly.

Insulting him was tolerable, but insulting the Marquis and the Divine Might Army was not.

At that moment, he yearned to draw his sword and fight this person to the death.

Chen Shijie held back Long Xiao, shook his head slightly, and then said, "Please find another method, gentlemen. Don't waste your breath, or you will only waste your own time."