Chapter 121: Small Nine Heavenly Strong Wind and Rolling Ground Thunder; Ascetic Practice and Returning to the Dao

First are the four mid-tier weather manipulation spells. Currently, I've mastered Shadow Wind, Lightning Attraction, Ice Rain, and Cloud Swallowing.

Shadow Wind only affects souls, so I need to add a yang-element wind spell. Lightning Attraction is decent for deterring petty criminals from afar, but it's not powerful enough for battle. Even my two self-created lightning spells, while useful, haven't broken through their limits and are a bit weak. Therefore, I also need to learn a new lightning spell. Ice Rain and Cloud Swallowing, however, don't need to be replaced.

Ice Rain and Shadow Wind were taught by the Yin God Zheng Lun. During his life, he was a military chief of agriculture, and both are potent military spells.

As for geomancy spells, the Boundless Earth Palace is a defensive spell, excellent for trench warfare. Earth Rend, however, is a high-risk combat spell with unstable effects. The Human Path version of Earth Store Return to Origin is an auxiliary technique. I still lack a stable offensive spell and a travel spell. These could be learned from Profound Earth spells, Earth Rend spells, or Earth Palace spells. Zhao Xing pondered these options. As for the broader category of Earth Store spells, they are primarily auxiliary in nature.

From these categories, I need to add one or two spells to prepare for the branch academy test. However, I also need to repay my debt to the path of True Lord Lihuo. It's best to do so within a month; otherwise, there will be consequences, albeit minor ones at first. Still, a month is a tight deadline. Zhao Xing felt a little helpless.

If I get the chance, I should try to become an honorary Preaching Master at Lihuo Academy.

Lihuo Academy has five ranks: Artisan Master, Preaching Master, Doctor of Classics, Vice Dean, and Dean. Artisan Masters receive three opportunities per year to borrow the path for free, which applies to personal matters. For official academy assignments, there's naturally no cost. Preaching Masters, regardless of whether it's for public or private matters, can use the Lihuo Altar freely. This rank corresponds to the True Disciple and Sect Protector levels from the ancient sect era. As for Doctor of Classics, Vice Dean, and Branch Dean, they are roughly equivalent to elders. Not only can they use it themselves, but they also get a few opportunities each year to allow others to use it without cost. Only the Dean, equivalent to the ancient Lihuo Divine Sect's sect master, can permit anyone to use it without limit to frequency or number of users. Of course, large-scale free use is still a drain on the Lihuo Altar itself.

"Becoming an honorary Preaching Master should be sufficient," Zhao Xing mused to himself.

An Artisan Master is a teacher at Lihuo Academy. They follow the academy's curriculum, teaching by rote. The only slight requirement is a broad knowledge, but it's not particularly difficult to achieve this rank. For a Preaching Master, the teacher must possess a unique understanding of various spells and of the 'Dao' itself. They must be able to create at least one original spell, and that spell's level shouldn't be too low; others should be able to cultivate it to a high level by following their example. This is quite difficult. It's a common saying that blindly imitating leads to failure, while truly understanding and adapting leads to success. Many self-created spells are most powerful only in their creator's hands; when others learn them by following the steps, the spell's power is only half, or even less. The requirements for becoming a Preaching Master at the academy are quite stringent. As for Doctor of Classics and Vice Dean, these honorary positions are only granted for significant contributions to Lihuo Academy. Obtaining a permanent position is also extremely difficult and generally not within Zhao Xing's consideration.

Mid-tier spells are all free to learn; you can learn as many as you can master. Zhao Xing, through his Earth Mirror Avatar, browsed spell texts in the Armory.

First, wind spells. Powerful wind-movement spells generally require control over higher-quality winds. Zhao Xing casually flipped through and found a Minor Nine Heavens Astral Wind Secret Art, a type of yang-element wind spell. Controlling astral winds for movement is very fast. Its power is also impressive; the Nine Heavens Astral Wind is fierce and strong, capable of blowing down mountains. Upon reaching the eighth rank, it begins to truly unleash its power. The Spirit Bridge connects to heaven and earth, absorbing elemental essence and allowing one to channel the Nine Heavens Astral Wind. When channeled through the Spirit Bridge, the spell's power increases with each higher heaven. The full Nine Heavens Astral Wind includes mid-tier, high-tier, and peak versions, but what I'm seeing now is only the mid-tier portion, hence it's called Minor Nine Heavens Astral Wind Art.

His gaze shifted, and soon he saw another secret art: Great Heat Wind Blight. Great Heat Wind Blight: when the wind blows, the surrounding temperature rises sharply. If a person is caught in it, they'll be severely injured, if not killed. This spell was inspired by the Great Heat solar term, also known as Blazing Sun Wind Blight. It borrows the influence of the solar term, specifically the wind blight of the Great Heat term, without needing to alter the overall weather. Similarly, there are Great Cold Wind Blight and Extreme Cold Wind Blight, where the wind feels like a knife scraping bone.

"All are good, let's keep looking..." Zhao Xing searched within the wind spell category but ultimately returned his attention to the first one. "After all that looking, I still feel the Minor Nine Heavens Astral Wind best meets my requirements. It seems that what you like at first glance is often what you're most satisfied with."

Having decided on a wind spell, Zhao Xing began searching for a lightning spell. He was quite familiar with lightning spells, so he searched with a clear purpose. He quickly found the secret art he wanted: Rolling Thunder.

"I actually found it. Spells from this era are truly abundant," Zhao Xing grinned. The main reason he wanted this secret art was that Rolling Thunder isn't restricted by cloud spells; it can be cast even without summoning clouds, just like his self-created spells. However, Rolling Thunder can also be enhanced by cloud spells. Unlike Lightning Attraction, which has a prerequisite: one must first summon clouds to cast it. Rolling Thunder's casting is also relatively discreet; it's a type of yin-element lightning, yet its power surpasses many yang-element lightning spells.

"You're the one."

After deciding on a lightning spell, Zhao Xing again looked through geomancy spells. "I'm looking for an escape technique and a geomancy spell with stable destructive power." Escape techniques are generally categorized under Profound Earth spells and Earth Palace spells. Very few escape techniques are found within Earth Rend spells or Earth Store spells. In the Ten Thousand Thunder Pool region, he had seen someone move stealthily through the earth veins using a Profound Earth spell.

However, as he flipped through, Zhao Xing frowned slightly. "Profound Earth spells are too difficult to begin with; do people have to go underground to comprehend them? With only a month, there's no time to cultivate Profound Earth spells." Zhao Xing could only put aside learning Profound Earth spells for now. With only a month, he has to repay his debt to the path and cultivate. Other spells are fine; he can even cast them while running. But Profound Earth spells require going underground to comprehend them, which is too time-consuming. Even without the matter of repaying his debt, Zhao Xing decided to set it aside for now. With only a month, he had to manage his time efficiently.

"First, I'll decide on Nine Heavens Astral Wind and Rolling Thunder. As for geomancy spells, I can start cultivating 'Houtu Return to Origin' and visit the Geomancy Hall later." The spell books were made of ordinary paper and offered no special comprehension bonuses. Within the Ministry of Agriculture, there were several public comprehension areas that could aid understanding. Zhao Xing needed efficiency now, so for geomancy spells, he'd learn whatever was quickest to master. As for Rolling Thunder and Nine Heavens Astral Wind, he could finalize those first because he liked both spells. He had learned them in his previous life, knew their power, and was very familiar with their combined applications.

Having chosen the two spells, Zhao Xing placed an order through the Earth Mirror, and mechanical beasts would deliver them to his doorstep later. However, immediately after placing the order, Zhao Xing noticed he was two points short. "Hmm? What happened? Didn't they say learning was free? Why were two points deducted?" Zhao Xing was puzzled. He checked in the Earth Mirror and discovered it was the production cost for the spell texts. Regardless of the spell type, learning was free, but there was a 1-point production fee.

"Hilarious! Emperors Wen and Wu didn't even charge this production fee. Emperor Jing is truly stingy and lacks any foresight," Zhao Xing grumbled inwardly.

Eighteen Scholar Tree Courtyard.

Clip-clop, clip-clop. Hoofbeats echoed from the main road outside. A mechanist, riding a bamboo horse, descended from the sky and landed on the main road. His bamboo horse was laden with numerous packages and bamboo boxes, and he also carried some on his back, making him look quite bulky.

"Whoa!" The mechanist stopped outside the gate of the Eighteen Scholar Tree Courtyard. "Divine Might Army's Zhao Xing! Your items have arrived. I've left your items outside the gate, alright?" the mechanist called out from outside the courtyard gate.

"Alright, thank you..." Zhao Xing was still doing weighted exercises in the courtyard. Before he could finish his thanks, the mechanist rode his bamboo horse and sped off to the next location.

He looked up at the sky. More and more figures on bamboo horses were appearing, indicating that new recruits were steadily arriving, acquiring their initial points, and beginning to place orders in the Armory. "Mechanists must be earning thousands of points a day accepting delivery tasks these days," Zhao Xing remarked as he opened the courtyard gate and collected the packages. Within the Ten Yang Grotto-heaven, all professions could earn points by completing tasks in their own ways. For instance, mechanists, when not planning to venture out, would work part-time delivering packages to earn points, serving the garrison.

"Nine Heavens Astral Wind." Zhao Xing first opened the 'Nine Heavens Astral Wind' secret art to examine it. He was carrying a bamboo box on his back. However, at this moment, the box contained no other items, only heavy blocks of soil. Weighted running could accelerate the process of repaying his debt to the path. First, he used the Boundless Earth Palace to compress loose soil, then loaded it into the bamboo box. The compressed soil blocks weighed a thousand jin each. He placed two such blocks in the bamboo box. A total weight of two thousand jin was not particularly strenuous for Zhao Xing. During the assessment at Gucheng Martial Ministry, there was a cauldron-lifting event. Shen Zhui, at the seventh stage of Qi Gathering, could lift a thousand-jin cauldron. Now that Zhao Xing had reached a certain rank and was carrying the weight on his back, two thousand jin wasn't an exaggeration.

"Begin training!" Zhao Xing ran around his estate, carrying the bamboo box on his back while flipping through the spell text. He even took off his Cloud-Treading Boots, running barefoot. With his perception of wind, he didn't need to look where he was going, and his speed wasn't slow. Meditating while running wasn't difficult either; in fact, Zhao Xing preferred to ponder things while running. Completely focusing on comprehending the Nine Heavens Astral Wind Secret Art seemed to make him less tired.

March 2nd, the hour of Mao (5-7 AM).

Chen Shijie and Long Xiao had already arrived in Xier City to rest and regroup. Xier City is one of the Six Pacified Barbarian Commanderies, a new territory, and a bridgehead for conscripting the southern barbarian tribes. As a frontier stronghold, the number of troops in Xier Commandery actually outnumbered its civilian population.

"I wonder how Zhao Xing is doing. Judging by the time, he should have reported in by now, right?" Long Xiao asked. "I also wonder if he achieved a high ranking."

"Whether he gets a high ranking this time is irrelevant," Chen Shijie said calmly. "He was transferred here directly after being promoted from a clerical official; I didn't expect much from his initial performance. The focus is on the subsequent training."

"What I value is his potential. Within a month, he should be able to make significant progress."

"How do you know he won't become complacent?" Long Xiao asked. "Perhaps he'll grow arrogant, having skipped many usual stages."

"No, you don't understand him," Chen Shijie said with certainty. "If he were to become complacent, why would he bother learning so much? He knows about the military realm's legion exercises, the Northern Sea region, and even that the Water Scripture was originally kept on Zixiao Island... A person like that must harbor great ambitions and has long since planned for the future."

"You have a point," Long Xiao stroked his chin. "In a while, I'll send him a letter to check on his situation, and also exchange the Blood Fiend Orb and Blood Spirit Needle for things he needs and send them over."

"Exchange them for 'Thunder Stones,' then tell him to use those Thunder Stones to exchange for points at the Armory," Chen Shijie instructed. "He can choose whatever he lacks. Remember, send him a bit more than usual, and don't forget that the Armory's buy-back rate is different from its selling rate. Also, tell him about the free comprehension areas in the various halls of the Ministry of Agriculture."

"Got it. You're quite meticulous with your concerns, almost like his father," Long Xiao chuckled. "If you two didn't look so different and the timelines didn't mismatch, I'd suspect he was your illegitimate son."

Chen Shijie merely smiled.

Long Xiao glanced in a certain direction: "With only a month, he has to prepare for the branch academy test and also undergo arduous practice to repay his debt to the path. Time is quite tight. I wonder if he truly has everything planned out, as you said."

March 2nd, the hour of Chen (7-9 AM).

Zhao Xing entered the Ten Yang Grotto-heaven on March 1st at the hour of You (5-7 PM). He arrived at the Ministry of Agriculture at the end of the hour of Xu (7-9 PM). Reporting in, settling down, and receiving the texts was close to the hour of Zi (11 PM - 1 AM). It was now a quarter past the hour of Chen on the second day. He had been meditating and training for eight hours.

Huff, huff. Zhao Xing finally had to stop and rest. Even after taking the Giant Whale Pill, he felt a burning pain in his lungs. He had run with weights for a full eight hours, and even with a Ministry of Agriculture official's physique, his body was now in a state of severe fatigue. At first, he could use comprehending the Nine Heavens Astral Wind as a way to distract himself. But in the last two quarters of an hour, he was completely unable to concentrate on comprehension. Arduous practice to repay his debt to the path was truly a hardship. At this moment, Zhao Xing felt that unless absolutely necessary, he would never borrow from the path again. However, after a brief rest, that thought vanished.

He calmed his mind and sensed the fire-element path entwined around him; a tenth of it had now faded. "In the ninth rank, the phrase 'traveling a thousand li in a day' refers to covering a thousand li during the six *shichen* of daylight. In my eight hours, I only ran three hundred li. However, I carried two thousand jin of weight, multiplying the effect by 10, which means I've repaid three thousand li of the path." Zhao Xing lay on the ground, gasping for breath. Carrying two thousand jin was like having a dozen versions of himself running, exhausting him completely. "But the benefit was time saved. At this rate, he could repay his debt to True Lord Lihuo's path in about seven days."

Gurgle, gurgle. Zhao Xing summoned a small cloud, then sat up sideways and drank water from within the cloud. After drinking, he lay back down to rest. "'Arduous practice to repay the path also has a training effect. If I continue, both my Qi Gathering and physical body will improve,' Zhao Xing reassured himself."

March 3rd, the hour of Mao (5-7 AM).

Whoosh! A gust of cyan wind, like a swirling ribbon, wrapped around Zhao Xing, lifting him entirely. Swish! The next moment, the cyan wind sharply drifted into the distance, and Zhao Xing, reduced to a blur, appeared at the other end of the courtyard.

Whoosh— The wind roared, sharp and fleeting, echoing in his ears. "Still far from the speed of sound, it seems." Zhao Xing slowly descended from the air. "For movement secret arts and escape spells, the ability to break the sound barrier is a crucial metric. Only at Seven Revolutions or above can one control astral winds to break the sound barrier. Still, this is much faster than using my beginner-level Wind Raising spell."

After a day and a night of arduous practice, with Zhao Xing's comprehension, combined with his foundation in perfected beginner-level Wind Raising and his insights from perfected Shadow Wind, he quickly grasped the Astral Wind spell, reaching the third revolution level. "Nine Heavens Astral Wind isn't just an offensive spell; it also includes movement and defensive techniques."

"'Moving with astral winds, body follows wind, sound follows body' means one can use astral winds to control aerial movement. Upon perfection, the person and wind arrive, and only then does the sound follow from behind. 'Astral Wind Nine Revolutions, Azure Dragon Body Protection, Immune to All Spells' means that upon perfection, nine streaks of cyan astral wind encircle the user, like nine azure dragons, blowing away any incoming spells. 'Astral Wind Nine Revolutions, Azure Dragon Manifestation, Rampage Across the World' refers to the destructive power of the nine astral winds upon perfection, as if nine azure dragons have descended to wreak havoc."

The descriptions are grand, but they refer to the power of the complete 'Nine Heavens Astral Wind' version. Currently, Zhao Xing can only cultivate this mid-tier version, 'Minor Nine Heavens Astral Wind.' "Reaching the third revolution in a short period using books without any comprehension bonuses was his limit."

Zhao Xing dispelled the astral winds, set the book aside, then shouldered his bamboo box and turned his attention to another secret art, 'Rolling Thunder.' Within seven days, he aimed to complete his repayment to the path and bring both Rolling Thunder and Astral Wind to the third revolution. This was his self-imposed basic training goal. Progress was good; in just a day and a night, Minor Nine Heavens Astral Wind had already reached the third revolution.

"Rolling Thunder is purely an offensive spell. This yin-element lightning technique also has subsequent advancements. It shares a similar ingenious mechanism with Shadow Wind: both conjure lightning from earth veins. While other lightning spells descend from the sky, Rolling Thunder manifests as lightning spheres rising from underground."

Zhao Xing, carrying the bamboo box on his back, ran barefoot in his courtyard, meditating. His Eighteen Scholar Tree Courtyard was quite spacious, roughly the size of four football fields—this was the advantage of reporting early. Those who arrived late would have to live in row houses, where not only cultivation but even a neighbor's snoring might be audible without a magical array for isolation.

Thump-thump-thump! Heavy footsteps echoed in the courtyard as Zhao Xing began his comprehension and his daily arduous practice to repay his debt to the path.