Chapter 128: Rain Law Ranking, House Selection

Zhao Xing walked to the bow of the flying boat and took out a pearl. Its azure blue color immediately captured everyone's attention.

"His pearl holds an impressive amount of water," Jiang He murmured, his eyes narrowing. "It might be the most collected on this flying boat."

"Lucky him," Jiang Hai said sourly. "He was the first to find it."

Zhuo Li looked at the blue pearl, his earlier triumphant expression fading. Just by looking at this rain pearl, as long as Zhao Xing's rain magic wasn't terrible, he was guaranteed to achieve good results in this trial.

"If a rain pearl holds no blue, cloud-gathering efforts are in vain. But if it holds seven parts blue, clouds can bring rain that crushes mountains," Hua Zhi-lin recited in a sweet voice, staring at the pearl in Zhao Xing's hand. "Brother Zhao's rain pearl is at least five parts blue."

Zhao Xing was speechless. He suspected Hua Zhi-lin was deliberately trying to mess with people's minds.

"Sir, are there any rules against others interfering?"

The judge, having had enough, declared sternly, "Yes, there are. Anyone who makes noise while another person is being tested will be disqualified."

At this, everyone fell silent, quietly watching Zhao Xing perform.

"Clouds, come!"

Zhao Xing pointed a finger, immediately casting the Cloud Devouring spell. Because of the five suns in the sky and the harsh environment, the cloud mass was only ten meters in diameter and about two meters thick. However, Zhao Xing's cloud magic was very stable. If the Cloud Devouring spell wasn't stable, how could it absorb other cloud spells and convert them for one's own use? Furthermore, the clouds formed by Cloud Devouring could manifest characteristics of other cloud spells. Although the five suns made the environment harsh, the effect wasn't significantly greater than what he experienced in the Thunderous Expanse. It simply made it harder to expand water collection.

"Pearl, go!"

Zhao Xing tossed the blue pearl into the cloud mass. The pearl immediately released billowing cloud energy, causing the cloud mass to rapidly expand. In no time, it was already over ten meters thick and a hundred meters long. As for its width, others couldn't see it because the flying boat's view was fixed, and Zhao Xing's cloud had completely obscured their vision.

"Judging by this scale, his basic score alone will be several times higher than others'," He Yu thought silently. "Forget it, what happened before the Thunderous Expanse, I'll just pretend I don't remember." With his top-tier cloud magic, his ninth-place ranking in Thunder Magic Hunting, and now such excellent results in the Rain Magic trial, He Yu wasn't as angry about being used by Zhao Xing as a tool before. Maybe he could even use this to get closer to Zhao Xing later!

Rain began to fall from the cloud. At this point, Zhao Xing hadn't chosen to control the black or white side; he simply let the rain fall naturally. This rain wouldn't actually reach the ground; anything below five hundred meters would evaporate. However, the basic score only accounted for how much rain reached the area below five hundred meters from the cloud. The rule stated that it had to last at least fifteen minutes (a quarter of an hour). If it lasted less, the time component would be zero. The basic score was calculated by multiplying time by rainfall. If the time was zero, even a large amount of rain would be meaningless.

Zhao Xing was very steady. He persisted for a full seven quarters of an hour (105 minutes) before the pearl gradually became transparent, with only ten percent of its water remaining. Only after seven quarters of an hour did he grab a black piece from the chess basket at the bow, holding it in his hand, ready to attempt the bonus objective.

"Buzz." Zhao Xing pressed his hands down virtually, and with this action, the view before everyone's eyes suddenly cleared. It was because he was controlling the cloud mass to descend.

"Huh? He can even make the cloud descend?"

"This person's cloud control is truly impressive."

"With five suns in the sky, yin descends and yang rises. The lower the cloud goes, the harder it is to keep it stable."

"He wants to shorten the distance to the ground so he can more precisely control the black and white mechanical puppets."

"Isn't he overconfident! He's already secured so many basic points, why risk more? If it were me, I'd have stopped long ago."

Everyone had different thoughts, and even the judge glanced at Zhao Xing. However, with the ban in place, no one dared to speak up and disturb Zhao Xing. The cloud mass continued to descend until it reached an altitude of five hundred meters, where Zhao Xing brought it to a halt. As it descended, the cloud mass also shrunk significantly. This was necessary to counteract the rising Yang energy, forcing the cloud to become more condensed. This maneuver had pros and cons. The disadvantage was a reduced coverage area, making it uncertain if the rain would fall onto the puppet zone. The advantage was freeing up observation sight for spellcasting. Zhao Xing's control over cloud magic was excellent, truly masterful. His rain magic hadn't yet been revealed. Was he confident or arrogant in doing this?

Everyone stared intently downwards. Lightning flashed cyclically within the cloud, but its presence wasn't grand; instead, it gave off a chilling sensation. Soon, blue raindrops began to fall from the cloud. They were fist-sized and emitted a cold aura! Mid-level perfected Ice Rain! As soon as the Ice Rain appeared from the cloud, it plummeted rapidly.

A raindrop landed on the head of a silver-white puppet. A faint array light glowed in the area where the silver-white puppet's head was struck. As this light flashed, its movements became stiff, remaining completely rigid for at least two seconds.

"Thump!" A black puppet wielding a saber swung fiercely, chopping it down to the ground. Not far away, a silver-white puppet was flying high, leaping to strike a black puppet, but just then, a raindrop landed on its wrist. After the blue raindrop fell, the light spread throughout its entire arm, rendering the arm instantly immobile.

The black and silver-white formations intertwined, but the raindrops falling from above greatly aided the black formation. Originally, the strengths of the black and white sides were identical, meticulously calculated to ensure that even a battle lasting three days and three nights wouldn't yield a victor. But now, that balance was broken. The white side was rapidly falling.

A blue raindrop fell onto a black puppet. At the same time, the black chess piece in Zhao Xing's palm trembled. He knew his limit had been reached. He had to control his cloud magic, regulate the pearl's overflowing rainfall, manipulate the Ice Rain, and simultaneously use the "Observant Insight" technique to monitor the battle between the black and white sides. Such precise micro-management heavily consumed both his vital energy and mental power. Now that his own side had suffered casualties, Zhao Xing knew he couldn't maintain peak operational levels; he would decline. He barely managed for another fifteen minutes, and seeing that the Ice Rain's damage to both allied and enemy sides became equal, Zhao Xing immediately stopped.

"Buzz." The clouds dissipated, and the rain ceased. Zhao Xing extended his hand, and the pearl returned to it, now completely transparent. "Phew." Zhao Xing let out a long breath, feeling somewhat fatigued. He stepped down from the bow, put the black chess piece back, and waited for the score.

Due to their limited abilities, most people on the flying boat didn't understand Zhao Xing's operations, or at least not entirely. However, even understanding a part of it was enough to be extremely shocked. Hua Zhi-lin, in particular, looked at Zhao Xing with an odd, admiring gaze! Zhuo Li, Jiang He, and Jiang Hai also discerned some key elements. They all vaguely felt that Zhao Xing's score this time would be exceptionally high! The judge also looked at Zhao Xing with a peculiar expression; he hadn't expected Zhao Xing to perform such a maneuver.

When announcing the score, his tone held unconcealed admiration: "Zhao Xing of the Divine Might Army, gathered clouds and brought rain, lasting one hour, with a rainfall volume of 352 points. As the Black side, he eliminated 1,416 enemies and sustained 213 self-inflicted losses."

"Final score: 4019!"

"Excellent, well done. Come down and rest."

Zhao Xing cupped his hands and replied, "Thank you."

As soon as the judge's voice fell, the people on the flying boat could no longer restrain themselves.

"What?! 4019 points?!" He Yu's eyes were wide with shock. "I expected him to get over a thousand points, but I never imagined over four thousand!"

"My goodness, his score is almost ten times higher than Zhuo Li's!"

"Jiang He and Jiang Hai only got a little over two hundred points each."

"I didn't even understand what he did; how did he get over four thousand points?"

"If you understood, wouldn't you also get over a thousand points? Not understanding is normal."

"In the Rain Magic trial, who can claim invincibility, who dares to say they're first?"

"Zhao Xing of the Divine Might Army is too powerful!"

Zhuo Li, Jiang He, and Jiang Hai, being compared to Zhao Xing at this moment, felt no discomfort. The gap was simply too vast; they couldn't possibly refute it! Even if Zhao Xing was lucky and his pearl collected enough rainwater, his bonus points alone were over a thousand!

"Eliminated 1,416 enemies and sustained 213 self-inflicted losses?" Zhuo Li murmured to himself. "Is this kind of rain magic talent even human..." When rain falls from a thousand meters, who knows where the drops drift after hitting the ground. Moreover, they couldn't even clearly see the battles on the ground, so how could precise control be achieved? It could only be a vague strike, trying to cover the enemy's area without distinguishing between friend and foe. But being able to provide more help to one's own side than to the enemy was already quite good. Yet Zhao Xing's enemy-to-ally damage ratio was simply astounding. The originally equally matched black and white factions, after his single rainfall, had a combat loss ratio approaching 7! Eliminating seven enemies while only one on his own side was killed or injured?

"It's too exaggerated. Although it's just a drill and not as demanding as real combat, how could he achieve such a feat?" The Jiang He and Jiang Hai brothers also had bewildered expressions.

As for Hua Zhi-lin, he seemed to want to say something more to get closer to Zhao Xing. But seeing Zhao Xing's clenched fists and stern expression, as if he was about to strike if another word was spoken, Hua Zhi-lin immediately recoiled. Moreover, the judge had already called his name, so he immediately gave up on talking and quickly walked to the bow. While waiting for Hua Zhi-lin to perform, Zhao Xing quietly recovered his vital energy in a corner of the deck.

He wasn't surprised to get 4019 points because he had performed similar trials countless times in his previous life. His Ice Rain was also the first mid-level spell he had perfected, and ever since leaving Donghu Mountain, Zhao Xing had distinctly felt that his comprehension of water element magic far surpassed that of other elements. Earlier, at Gucheng Temple, when he first observed the Rainwater Diagram, he had an epiphany, but his insight was interrupted because he didn't have the status of a Military Agriculturist.

Another influencing factor was his Destiny Soul. In the Great Zhou's system of destiny dynasties, one couldn't cultivate a Destiny Soul until reaching the third rank; it could only be passively enhanced. Zhao Xing's Destiny Soul was at the mid-ninth rank, and he also cultivated the top-tier secret technique, Great Dream Spring and Autumn, which significantly aided his extreme control over spells. High talent, comparative operational experience from his previous life, the Destiny Soul factor, and ample rainfall as a foundation naturally allowed him to shine in this trial.

"I've definitely passed the fourth trial," Zhao Xing thought to himself. "Now it's about my ranking and whether the Institute of Heavenly Cycles can provide me with good training resources." Passing the fourth trial would grant him the opportunity to enter the Institute of Heavenly Cycles. Of course, the Institute of Heavenly Cycles couldn't take all 200 people. The Heavenly Cycles faction was the current mainstream, but it also needed to leave some room for other scholarly factions to survive. "The Institute of Heavenly Cycles will certainly have many people. I wonder if they can give me the best training resources," Zhao Xing mused.

"Hua Zhi-lin of the Black Armored Army, performed Lotus Cloud Rain, lasting four quarters of an hour, with a rainfall volume of 108 points. He eliminated 1,104 enemies and sustained 532 self-inflicted losses."

"Final score: 1004."

The trial for the last person in this group concluded. Hua Zhi-lin's score barely surpassed a thousand, making it the second-highest score in this group. Although Zhao Xing found this person a bit strange, he indeed possessed strength. Anyone who could score over a thousand in the Rain Magic trial was not simple; they were considered first-class among the reserve corps.

"All trials for this group have concluded. We are now returning to the main ship to await the final ranking announcement." The judge turned the flying boat around on the spot and headed directly towards the main ship. The trial ended, and it was nearly the start of the *xu* hour (7-9 PM), but the sky remained bright. The five suns still shone upon the land, clearly indicating that this area was within the Ten Suns Grotto-Heaven's polar day region.

Zuo Zizhi and Lu Bang stood on the second floor of the tower, waiting for the other groups to return. When Zhao Xing's group returned to the main ship, Zuo Zizhi and Lu Bang's gazes fell on Zhao Xing, and they smiled slightly. Evidently, they already knew the scores. Now they were just waiting for everyone to return before making the joint announcement.

Before long, another flying boat returned. As soon as the people disembarked from the flying boat, exclamations erupted.

"What? Such a high score?!"

"My heavens, the combat loss ratio is too exaggerated!"

"Before performing Cloud Gathering and Rain Bringing, Shi Yong cast the 'Seasonal Edict,' which actually weakened the five suns in the sky a bit! He can influence the heavenly cycles even in such an extreme environment?"

"With five suns in the sky, how difficult it is to influence! Shi Yong truly lives up to being the top-ranked selection from within the Tiger Dragon Army."

"Zhuang Ziqing is also good, but unfortunately, he still can't compare to Brother Shi in this trial."

"Alas, the gap between people is too wide."

Zhao Xing also looked in the direction of the exclamations, seeing Shi Yong and Zhuang Ziqing walk from the flying boat onto the main ship's deck. The cheers were coming from that direction.

"Shi Yong, his combat loss ratio reached eight?"

"That high?"

Listening to the conversation, Zhao Xing couldn't help but feel surprised. Shi Yong might just be the strongest of this batch.

On the pavilion, Lu Bang and Zuo Zizhi were also discussing these two. "In the bonus objective, Shi Yong's combat loss ratio exceeded eight, and Zhuang Ziqing's also reached seven."

"Both of them have several years of military experience, selected from secondary legions. The bonus objective for the Rain Magic trial is a combat scenario, so it's quite normal," Zuo Zizhi said.

"Shi Yong is already twenty-six, and Zhuang Ziqing is a bit younger at twenty-four. Both of them have already started cultivating the 'Seasonal Edict' and have gained some benefit from it. Zhao Xing, however, is only twenty this year and hasn't even had time to cultivate the 'Seasonal Edict,' so his achievement is purely due to his magical talent."

Lu Bang said, "I, for one, am more optimistic about Zhao Xing's potential. It just depends on what the old fellows at the Institute of Heavenly Cycles think."

After waiting another hour, all the dispatched flying boats returned one after another. Early in the *hai* hour (9-11 PM), Zuo Zizhi cleared his throat.

"The fourth trial has now concluded! Everyone's scores are out. Now, we will announce everyone's results!"

As Zuo Zizhi waved his hand, the Earth Mirror standing on the deck shimmered like flowing water. Everyone stared intently at the Earth Mirror.

First place: Shi Yong, total score 5845Second place: Zhuang Ziqing, total score 4537Third place: Zhao Xing, total score 4019Fourth place: Cao Shuang, total score 3712Eighth place: Han Bing, total score 3401Thirteenth place: Feng Qiu, total score 2851Twenty-ninth place: Hua Zhi-lin, total score 1004Two hundredth place: Pan Shou, total score 251

With the rankings revealed, some were happy, others sorrowful. Zhao Xing also looked.

"My gap with Zhuang Ziqing isn't that big, but why is there such a large difference with Shi Yong?"

"My basic score should have been higher than his, so it seems the bonus objective is where the gap widened. He must have comprehended the Seasonal Chart, or even multiple seasonal nodes." The fourth trial didn't state that only rain magic could be used. If one had cultivated the "Seasonal Edict," then some of the environmental impact of the five suns in the sky could be offset by it. Afterward, performing Cloud Gathering and Rain Bringing would be easier, perhaps even unaffected by the previous water collection. Of course, Shi Yong was also only a ninth-rank cultivator; he couldn't completely reverse the environmental impact of the five suns.

"After the top ten, the gaps become significant. The further down the ranking, the more precipitous the score drop."

"Even though most people had begun cultivating the secret manuals of the three major schools, the 'Know,' 'Stabilize,' and 'Alter' realms of the Seasonal Chart—three profound stages—most were only at the superficial first stage. Their abilities weren't powerful when used, and they were powerless against such extreme environments." In environments like Gucheng, where power fluctuations weren't significant, cultivating the Seasonal Edict for a year or two could allow one to alter and stabilize the heavenly cycles. The Ten Suns Grotto-Heaven was on a different level of intensity. What could be easily influenced in Gucheng became ten to a hundred times more difficult in the Ten Suns Grotto-Heaven.

"Participants ranked two hundredth and below, please board the Flowing Cloud Flying Boat and disembark." Zuo Zizhi didn't give anyone time to feel melancholic. After the results were announced, these eliminated participants were immediately arranged to disembark. Soon, more than half of the people on the main ship's deck were gone. Out of five hundred people, only two hundred remained.

"The remaining individuals may take out their Earth Mirrors and register for the Institute of Heavenly Cycles," Zuo Zizhi announced. "The Institute of Heavenly Cycles will also proactively send you messages, but regardless of how many register, it will ultimately only select fifty individuals based on merit. Of course, you can also decide whether to register based on your future plans. Even if the Institute of Heavenly Cycles sends you a notification, you can refuse and continue to participate in the trials for the Institute of Earthly Advantage, the Institute of Granaries, or the Institute of Pacification. This is a mutual selection process; there will be no compulsion."

After Zuo Zizhi finished speaking, people on the deck took out their Earth Mirrors and began registering, while some waited for notifications from the Institute of Heavenly Cycles. Zhao Xing had also intended to take out his Earth Mirror to register, but he saw Lu Bang and Zuo Zizhi beckoning to him.

"Are they calling me over?" Zhao Xing was somewhat puzzled but walked up to the second-floor pavilion.