Chapter 126: Lightning Magic Hunting, Ranked Ninth

Chapter 119: Thunder Magic Hunt, Ranked Ninth! (Third Update)

As Lu Bang pressed his hands down, the Cloud Magic trial immediately entered its second phase.

Most people couldn't focus on dealing with others, as resisting Lu Bang's cloud magic was already incredibly challenging.

A hum. Under Lu Bang's pressure, everyone's cloud layers quickly descended.

Clouds dropping below 100 meters would result in elimination. No one dared to be distracted; they all actively cast their cloud magic to resist the pressure from above.

"Ascend, lightning to the skies!" In a corner of the eastern suburbs, Yu Chunwu's face was flushed. He had just observed the battle between Li Feng and Zhao Xing and even wanted to personally question Zhao Xing about why he had betrayed them. But now, such thoughts were gone, replaced by a sole focus on resisting Lu Bang's oppressive power.

Yu Chunwu was not weak, but even with his full control over his thunderclouds, the cloud layer still gradually descended towards the 100-meter mark.

A faint hiss. Within the thunderclouds, wisps of cloud energy escaped, drifting towards Lu Bang's cloud layer at a thousand meters. Cloud Energy Domain! Although Lu Bang wasn't using Cloud Devouring Magic, his cloud energy had already formed a domain, slowly absorbing the cloud energy from the talents below. As one waned and the other grew, the difficulty of resistance increased significantly.

Hum. The cloud layer finally couldn't resist. Yu Chunwu felt a gust of wind envelop him, and the next moment, his vision blurred. He found himself outside the boundary marker.

"Failure in the trial. Report to one of the other branch academies," an armored man said, looking calmly at Yu Chunwu. "You'll have opportunities to advance to the four major academies later; there's no need to dwell on this temporary outcome."

"Yes," Yu Chunwu respectfully nodded. Although somewhat unwilling, he knew that a trial was a trial.

As time passed, the number of eliminated participants increased.

Two quarters of an hour later, out of 931 participants, fewer than 800 remained.

At this point, Lu Bang's cloud layer had also descended from a thousand meters to seven hundred meters.

"Still pushing down. How many people does this old man need to eliminate before we can move to the next stage?" Zhao Xing also felt the pressure.

His current cloud layer was maintained at a height of six hundred meters. After previously absorbing Li Feng, his height had risen to nine hundred meters, a height where only a few individuals were present at that time. However, with Lu Bang's descent, he also had to lower his clouds. Yet, he still maintained the level of the first tier.

"The number of eliminations is still increasing; it's already below 800." Zhao Xing scanned his surroundings. Each eliminated person was immediately transported outside the boundary marker by wind magic. Gradually, the people standing around him became sparse.

Hum! Lu Bang's cloud layer pressed down further. It suddenly dropped to five hundred meters!

Zhao Xing was startled. "The old guy has no martial ethics; he launched a sneak attack." "Dropping two hundred meters at once, this is trying to kill people!"

Zhao Xing cursed inwardly. His cloud layer was almost shattered by that old man's impact. Although it didn't collapse, it was significantly scattered. It was an all-encompassing suppression, making resistance impossible. After reacting, he immediately controlled his cloud layer to descend to four hundred meters. The cloud energy, dispersed, was re-absorbed and replenished.

Others weren't faring much better. Top-ranked individuals like Shi Yong, Zhuang Ziqing, Hua Zhilin, Feng Qiu, and Guan Junyang also sustained considerable damage to their cloud magic. As for those further down, they suffered greatly. Participants barely maintaining their clouds at a hundred meters were instantly hit hard by such a forceful downward pressure.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh. Dozens of people vanished from within the boundary marker in an instant.

"Trial concluded! Everyone, please disperse your cloud layers and rest where you are." Zuo Zizhi's voice resonated. The dark golden cloud energy domain in the sky also disappeared.

A collective sigh of relief. The participants collectively breathed a sigh of relief; some even slumped to the ground. The pressure was immense. Lu Bang was at least a Fifth-Rank expert, and even with so many people resisting him together, the pressure on each individual did not lessen.

"Finally over. I wonder how many people are left?" Zhao Xing looked up at the sky.

"For the second trial, 720 participants have passed. The remaining individuals may report to the other branch academies to compete for internal rankings." "Those eliminated need not be discouraged. Outstanding performance in other branch academies in the future still offers opportunities to advance to the four major academies." Zuo Zizhi's voice carried across the fields with the wind.

"Only 720 people left?" Zhao Xing secretly clicked his tongue in amazement.

It was mainly that final move. Lu Bang suddenly launched an attack. That wave eliminated at least sixty to seventy people.

The second trial: Phase one was sustaining clouds and vying for control. Phase two was increasing altitude, where cloud height also determined spell range. The final phase tested cloud stability.

Even though these more than nine hundred individuals were already the cream of the crop, over two hundred were still eliminated after the second trial.

"The Military Agronomist's selection process is truly rigorous." In Zhao Xing's view, the Ten Yang Cavern Heaven's selection for military agronomists was also quite strict.

"I wonder what the next trial will be. There are eight trials in total, and we've only completed two." Many people were also discussing in low voices.

"The first trial was wind, the second was cloud." "The third trial should be thunder or rain?" Zhao Xing thought silently as he rested.

"Of the Four Heavenly Weather Arts, cloud and wind magic have been tested, so there's no reason not to test thunder and rain magic." "It just depends on how they'll be tested." "They should all be comprehensive trials."

The first trial, 'Wind Communication,' and the second, 'Cloud Pressure,' both integrated practical combat. The third trial probably won't be as simple as comparing whose thunder magic has more turns.

"That's enough," Lu Bang said, standing on the flying boat. "Bring the tower ship over."

"Won't you let them rest a bit longer?" Zuo Zizhi asked. "They've only rested for a quarter of an hour."

"A quarter of an hour is already very long," Lu Bang replied coldly. "In real warfare, even a quarter of an hour of rest is a luxury."

"Alright, you're the presiding officer, you make the call." Zuo Zizhi, resigned, pulled out his Earth Mirror to send a message.

"All participants, please board the tower ship." "You will be heading to the Myriad Beast Garden region." "The Myriad Beast Garden is a fenced-off area of plains and hills, teeming with various exotic beasts. The lowest ranked are 'Entered-Rank,' or comparable to 'Entered-Rank' in certain aspects, with the highest being Ninth-Rank." "Participants will be dropped into a random area of the Myriad Beast Garden. The trial's requirement is to kill exotic beasts." "The trial will last for four hours, and rankings will be determined by the number of kills."

On the tower ship, Zuo Zizhi announced the rules to everyone.

Everyone listened quietly.

"You may use the standard-issue treasures of the Agronomists, but you are only permitted to use cloud magic and thunder magic. There will be no resupply." "Using any other magic spells will result in elimination." "If you face life-threatening danger and are rescued, you will withdraw from the trial early, and your kill count will be based on the number of exotic beasts killed up to that point." "After four hours, rankings will be announced. The top five hundred will proceed to the next trial."

After Zuo Zizhi finished announcing the rules, those below couldn't help but shake their heads. "Another two hundred-plus people will be eliminated!"

"Four hours, with exotic beasts comparable to or directly 'Entered-Rank,' and only cloud and thunder magic allowed." "Thunder magic is powerful, but with no resupply, how many times can it be used?" "Rescued from life-and-death danger? That means serious injury is possible." "This trial is very dangerous..."

Even though most of these 'recruits' weren't truly greenhorns, their expressions still changed at this point. All exotic beasts were 'Entered-Rank' or comparable. And it's called the Myriad Beast Garden, so the number won't be small. But having come this far, no one wanted to retreat. They all quietly seized the time to rest on the dragon-headed tower ship.

Soon after, the dragon-headed tower ship flew into the Myriad Beast Garden. The Agronomists could choose to jump off from any point. But they had to make their choice within a quarter of an hour. Other spells could be used before landing, but after landing, all spells except thunder and cloud magic were prohibited. If used, it would result in elimination.

Whoosh! Zhao Xing leaped down from the dragon-headed tower ship. He cast the Lesser Nine Heavenly Gang Wind Art, drawing strong winds from the sky to encircle himself. Compared to his previous jump from the Great Lake entrance, Zhao Xing was much more composed this time.

Soon, he landed on a desolate patch of ground covered in bushes. By then, the sky had grown dim, with two suns setting in the east and west respectively.

A howl! As soon as he landed, the roars of wild beasts echoed around him.

"Cloud Devouring!" Without a word, Zhao Xing immediately cast Cloud Devouring Magic, raising a cloud layer. He didn't expand the cloud's range, only covering a hundred-meter radius.

"Use cloud magic to sense the presence of exotic beasts, and thunder magic to kill enemies." After raising his cloud layer, Zhao Xing quickly sensed eighteen exotic beasts in his vicinity. Clearly, there was a group of gregarious exotic beasts nearby.

Boom-crack! Zhao Xing pointed, and a bolt of lightning immediately descended from the cloud layer, striking towards the exotic beasts in the darkness.

Swish swish swish. The exotic beasts were extremely fast, making them very difficult to target. Although the perfected intermediate-level Lightning Attraction was powerful, the strike only hit half of them, with the other half rapidly closing in on Zhao Xing.

"Relying solely on Lightning Attraction consumes too much energy and is inefficient." "Fortunately, I know more than one thunder magic." "I must reduce the speed of these exotic beasts before attacking with Lightning Attraction."

Zhao Xing remained calm in the face of danger. This trial also tested one's combat mindset: entering an unfamiliar and unknown environment with so many restrictions. If one became nervous, perhaps only twenty to thirty percent of a spell's full power could be utilized. There was also the possibility of encountering danger and, in desperation, using another spell, leading to elimination.

"Rolling Thunder!" Zhao Xing pointed, and a golden light sank into the ground. Soon, the power of lightning was guided from the earth's ley lines. Dozens of translucent blue orbs, more than twenty of them, floated around Zhao Xing.

"Disperse!" Zhao Xing waved his hand, and the Rolling Thunder began to spread outwards, hovering half a meter to a meter above the ground.

Howl! Roar! The Rolling Thunder exploded upon contact with a target, with a considerable blast radius. Anyone caught in it would instantly feel a paralyzing sensation spread throughout their body. Under the influence of the Rolling Thunder, the exotic beasts in the darkness experienced a sharp decrease in speed. At this point, Zhao Xing's use of Lightning Attraction significantly increased in efficiency. For any stragglers who still managed to approach, he would trap them with Lightning Chains, then strike them with a Lightning Palm, leaving virtually none alive.

"Time to go, next location." After clearing this area of exotic beasts, Zhao Xing quickly departed.

Just as Zhao Xing began his battle with the exotic beasts, back on the tower ship, inside a pavilion, a figure was observing the performance of those below through an Earth Mirror instrument.

"Of the eight trials for the branch academies, the first four are set by our Heavenly Timing Academy." "As long as one passes these four trials, they can enter our Heavenly Timing Academy, and we will also get first pick of candidates." "Have you all decided on your preferred candidates?"

The four figures all held important positions in the Heavenly Timing Academy and would be the main individuals responsible for training new recruits after the branch academy assignments.

"Shi Yong's wind, cloud, and thunder magic are all excellent. He should join our Heavenly Timing Academy." "Indeed, all three of his magic arts are at the top level, and he's very young. It's been a long time since we've seen such a promising talent." "We can provide him with Grade A+ level resources for cultivation." "Agreed." "Agreed." "Approved." All four nodded, having no objections to selecting Shi Yong.

"Feng Qiu specializes in wind magic, but he didn't have a chance to showcase it in this trial. While his cloud magic is first-rate, his thunder magic is mediocre, and his efficiency is quite slow. He's already falling behind, so providing him with Grade C resources for cultivation should suffice." "Let's offer him up to Grade B. If he wishes to choose us, he can; if not, we won't force him." "Understood."

After discussing Feng Qiu, the four turned their attention to the next name.

"Zhuang Ziqing specializes in geomancy-based spells and is likely to enter the Geomancy Academy. However, his wind, cloud, and thunder magic are also excellent, all at a first-rate level. Should we try to recruit him?" "We can't compete with those guys from the Geomancy Academy. Moreover, Zhuang Ziqing is the direct grandson of Marquis Meng, and they've already greeted 'Marquis Tian' of the Geomancy Academy. It's likely he won't choose the Heavenly Timing Academy." "Skip him. Let's look at Hua Zhilin and Guan Junyang from the Black Armored Army." "Currently, they can only receive Grade C treatment; there's nothing particularly outstanding about them. We'll see if they can perform exceptionally in the next trial."

The four observers from the Heavenly Timing Academy were evaluating the outstanding performers. In fact, for the branch academy assessment, the Heavenly Timing Academy only considered the results of the first four trials. The Geomancy Academy focused on the middle two trials, while the Pinghuai Academy and Taicang Academy looked at performance in the last two trials. Once participants passed the fourth trial, there would be no more eliminations. Everyone would have the opportunity to participate in the remaining four trials and, based on their performance, strive for different levels of resource allocation for cultivation!

Soon, their attention fell upon Zhao Xing's name.

"His cloud magic is first-rate, and his thunder magic is also good. We've already seen that three of his thunder spells are at Seventh Turn or above." "However, his wind magic is only the Fourth Turn Lesser Nine Heavenly Gang Wind Art. Based on his current performance, he can only be given Grade B+ treatment," one person stated his opinion.

"That's not right. Lu Bang once told me that Zhao Xing knows a Yin Wind Art that has reached Ninth Turn, possibly even perfection. That's how Li Feng was defeated by him, so his talent in wind magic is actually not weak," another person countered.

"Oh? I wasn't aware of that. So, Grade B treatment then?" "He's a newly formalized civil servant, still like a blank slate with great potential for improvement. I believe he could be given Grade A resources." "Not appropriate. Precisely because he lacks experience, Grade B is sufficient."

The three had differing opinions, but the fourth person quickly interjected, "Let's see his performance in the fourth trial. It's coming up soon anyway." "Understood."

Time flew by; four hours quickly passed. When it was Mao hour (5-7 AM) on the second day, the Myriad Beast Garden assessment concluded, and everyone boarded the ship. Zuo Zizhi also sent the Myriad Beast Garden hunt rankings to all participants via the Earth Mirror instrument.

First Place: Shi YongSecond Place: Zhuang ZiqingThird Place: Guan JunyangFourth Place: Lei MengNinth Place: Zhao XingTenth Place: Jiang TianmingOne Hundred Eighty-eighth Place: He Zheng

The rankings changed significantly. Many people exclaimed in surprise after seeing the results.

"I killed so many exotic beasts, yet I'm only ranked 385th? Damn, the ones ahead are too fierce!" "Shi Yong is still first. How is he so strong?" "Zhuang Ziqing is also formidable, holding steady at second place. It seems the top two from the initial reporting trial significantly surpassed the others." "Guan Junyang also rose to third place." "Those three have stabilized, but the top ten underwent a significant shake-up, and everyone else dropped." "Sigh, I'm at 700th place. I won't be entering the four major academies." "It's frustrating; I know two thunder magic arts, each at Seventh Turn, yet I'm still ranked in the 200s." "There are too many geniuses. Everyone is Ninth-Rank, so how are others so strong..."

Zhao Xing silently browsed the rankings.

"Ninth place, better than expected." He knows four thunder magic arts: Lightning Attraction, Lightning Chains, Lightning Palm, and Rolling Thunder. Among them, Rolling Thunder is at Fourth Turn, Lightning Attraction is perfected, Lightning Chains is at Ninth Turn, and Lightning Palm is at Eighth Turn! Knowing many thunder magic arts meant varied attack methods, naturally leading to higher efficiency in killing monsters. After all, there are many types of exotic beasts in the Myriad Beast Garden; a single spell might not be able to handle all situations. Multiple thunder spells—combining Yang and Yin thunder, and utilizing remote, single-target, and area-of-effect attacks—would prevent wasting too much time on any specific exotic beast species. Therefore, Zhao Xing's monster-killing efficiency was quite high. He directly surged to ninth place!

"Compared to the eight people ahead, my gap is also small, only significantly larger with the first and second places." The Earth Mirror showed that Shi Yong had hunted 1534 exotic beasts! Zhuang Ziqing had hunted 1325 exotic beasts! Both of them surpassed a thousand. Starting from Guan Junyang in third place, the count was only 921. Further down, to Zhao Xing's ranking, his hunt count was 825.

"The landing spot and the type of exotic beasts encountered can be attributed to luck. Perhaps slight differences in luck led to the ranking disparities." "My luck couldn't have been bad, which means there's still a certain skill gap between me and those ahead. This gap likely stems from me not yet having learned the classic secret arts of the three major schools, and my Qi Condensation only being at the fifteenth stage," Zhao Xing thought to himself. Qi Condensation at the fifteenth stage is relatively low. Most others were already at Qi Condensation nineteenth stage, just one stage away from the Eighth-Rank's twentieth stage. According to the ancient cultivation system, such a talent would be Ninth-Rank perfected. In the Great Zhou system, it would be a true Ninth-Rank Upper. Secondly, there's a difference between having cultivated and not having cultivated the classic secret arts of the three major schools. For example, the *Yin-Yang Fundamental Self Scripture*, which cultivates the Inner Five Elements, significantly increases vital energy recovery speed and total amount. This difference becomes evident in high-intensity combat. Zhao Xing, despite reaching ninth place, felt it was due to good luck, having encountered relatively easier exotic beasts to kill.

"He actually ranked ninth?" Jiang Hai and Jiang He looked at Zhao Xing's ranking with some surprise. Both brothers were outside the top twenty this time. "He's a strong opponent!" "Zhao Xing of the Divine Might Army. I didn't expect his practical thunder magic to be so strong." Zhuo Li also noticed Zhao Xing when checking the rankings. "I'm only fifty-ninth. I originally thought I could surpass him, but I didn't expect him to reach ninth." "Interesting. He truly lives up to his reputation of being able to defeat Li Feng." Hua Zhilin glanced at Zhao Xing, an unusual glint in her eyes.

Just then, Zuo Zizhi emerged from the pavilion, interrupting everyone's discussions.

"The top five hundred have been determined. Those eliminated may choose to go to other branch academies." "The remaining five hundred will proceed to the fourth trial." "In the fourth trial, only two hundred will remain." "However, once you pass this trial, there will be no further eliminations in subsequent stages. You will be able to choose your branch academy and receive different training benefits based on your performance..."

The third update has been delivered. The fourth update will be available before 1 AM.