Chapter 136: Fame Grows, Tai Cang Institute’s Selection and Training Course

Within the first quarter of an hour of the training, a large number of martial artists were eliminated, including many talents from the four Martial Divisions.

“The effect is truly remarkable,” Zhuang Ziqing remarked, glancing at Zhao Xing. “His sonic martial arts have grown stronger.”

“In terms of sonic martial arts alone, neither Shi Yong nor I can compare to him.”

Indeed, during the recent charge, Zhao Xing was not the only one who acted; Zhuang Ziqing and Shi Yong also participated. In such a chaotic battle, sonic martial arts are naturally more effective. They possess great destructive power, a wide range, and can also boost morale.

However, both Zhuang Ziqing and Shi Yong realized that their own sonic martial arts were not as potent as Zhao Xing’s recent attack. The battlefield was incredibly noisy. Yet, nothing could drown out Zhao Xing’s roar. The effect was astonishingly good.

“Could we actually win?” Guan Junyang, Cao Shuang, Jiang Tianming, and others nearby grew excited. To be frank, if they could eliminate all the martial artists, they would be making history. Since the inception of the ‘Unstoppable Training’, the Agriculturist Division had never achieved victory.

Zhuang Ziqing and Shi Yong, however, remained clear-headed. They knew the chances of winning were slim. But at this moment, they no longer cared about winning or losing. Who wanted to keep getting beaten by the martial artists?

Fifteen minutes later, a turning point emerged. After a period of chaos, two individuals from the Martial Division stepped forward. More accurately, they leaped into the air.

“Roar!” “Howl!”

Behind one of them, a spectral azure dragon seemed to emerge, staring coldly downwards. Behind the other, a roaring lion’s head materialized.

“It’s Xia Jing!”“And Fu Ying!”“Ah, my ears!”“It’s over, I can’t hear anything.”

Zhao Xing felt a tightness in his chest. Around him, many agriculturists clutched their heads and writhed on the ground. It was clearly Xia Jing from the opposing side who had retaliated with sonic martial arts.

Behind Xia Jing and Fu Ying, twenty-three more figures appeared, all rushing towards Zhao Xing’s team. The two strongest talents from the Martial Division had organized a small squad amidst the chaos and began to counterattack the agriculturists. Although the martial artists were at a numerical disadvantage, Xia Jing, Fu Ying, and the others overwhelmingly surpassed the agriculturists in martial arts strength.

The people behind Zhao Xing, Shi Yong, and Zhuang Ziqing, though slightly weaker, had mostly cultivated their martial arts to the seventh revolution or higher. After all, Zhao Xing’s initial requirement was for those with martial arts at the seventh revolution to gather around him.

“Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!”

The two elite teams generated incredibly fierce elemental energy fluctuations. At this point, the battle escalated into a fierce, white-hot conflict.

“Nine Explosions of the Dark Ocarina!”“Melody of the Lushu!”“Blazing Fist Strike!”“Elemental Shattering Finger!”

Almost everyone sustained numerous martial arts attacks, which came from all directions, making them extremely difficult to evade. Zhao Xing countered the two great talents with his Kui Niu Thunder Roar, but could only contend with them in terms of sonic martial arts. In an instant, his bamboo hat and straw cape were damaged.

“Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Crash!!”

On the training ground, elemental energy unleashed a storm, kicking up sand and stones, completely engulfing the two elite teams. The remaining agriculturists and martial artists were completely caught up in the frenzy, colliding with each other in a frantic melee. After the elemental energy surge, it became a pure close-quarters battle. However, this time, the situation in the hand-to-hand combat changed significantly.

“Thud!”“Argh!”“My leg!”“Damn it, martial artists, die!”“Get lost, you agriculturists!”“Damn, who shattered my pants?”

The ‘Unstoppable Training’ on May 19th began at the fourth quarter of Mao Shi (6:00 AM) and concluded at the beginning of Si Shi (9:00 AM)! The short duration far surpassed previous battles. However, its intensity and chaos far exceeded previous rounds. Moreover, the rankings were completely overturned!

The moment it concluded, the martial masters on the tower ship couldn’t help but be astonished:“Half of the martial artists from the four Martial Divisions in this ranking did not achieve a rank matching their previous evaluation.”“Even Fu Ying was eliminated, and very early at that, not even making it into the top thousand.”“Fu Ying cannot be blamed. Shi Yong, Zhao Xing, Zhuang Ziqing…all the renowned talents from the Agriculturist Directorate converged on him. With over a dozen people ganging up on him, in such a situation, they could only teleport Fu Ying away; otherwise, he would have died.”“This battle was far too unexpected.”“Indeed. Though the Martial Division won, it was a pyrrhic victory. In previous rounds, our casualties never exceeded 1,200, but this time, we were battered down to just over 800 people.”“The space was too small, leaving no room for maneuver, and the time for reaction was too limited.”“Most crucially,” Chen Min sighed, “if it hadn’t been for Zhao Xing’s initial roar, the outcome might not have been this way.”

The other martial masters nodded in agreement. The incredibly powerful Kui Niu Thunder Roar had a profound impact on the martial artists’ formation. Although the martial masters analyzed various reasons, such as the training ground being too small, insufficient reaction time, and the stronger martial artists of the division being positioned at the rear while the weaker ones were at the front, etc., the most undeniable reason was Zhao Xing.

Even Fang Wu believed that the martial artists’ pyrrhic victory this time was largely attributable to Zhao Xing. “I feel that this young man already had a plan in mind during the previous rounds,” he said. “It wasn’t until today, when his Kui Niu Thunder Roar achieved a breakthrough, that he began to execute his plan.”“His timing was excellent. After experiencing several great victories, the Martial Division was complacent, while the agriculturists were harboring suppressed frustration.”“Furthermore, he organized from the very beginning, seizing the initiative, instead of waiting to be attacked before acting.”

Seeing Fang Wu’s praise, Fan Zhaoli couldn’t help but laugh. “Although that is true, the talents of the Agriculturist Directorate also paid a price; they were all eliminated early as well.”

“It’s not the same,” Fang Wu shook his head. “The rules are different. If the Agriculturist Directorate also counted knockouts, with the damage Zhao Xing inflicted, he would certainly be among the top performers. After this, our Martial Division will need to properly discipline those arrogant individuals back home.”

“Awesome, this is absolutely awesome!” Cao Shuang’s hands were both fractured. While receiving treatment from the physician, he grimaced in pain, but still had an excited expression. “We finally got our revenge!”

“Hahahaha, I was knocked down three times by Fu Ying, and each time he broke my ribs. This time, I finally broke one of his bones!” Jiang Tianming’s face was swollen like a pig’s head, but he was laughing heartily.

The injured from the Agriculturist Directorate’s side were among the first to be teleported out. At this moment, Zhao Xing, Zhuang Ziqing, Shi Yong, Han Bing, Feng Qiu, Guan Junyang… most of the talents who had passed the fourth stage were eliminated and were now receiving treatment here. Yet, the atmosphere was remarkably high-spirited, for one simple reason: catharsis!

“Zhao Xing, you’re something else, daring to charge first!” Cao Shuang looked at the figure lying on a mat nearby, bandaged. “Old Cao respects you!”

“Zhao Xing is truly fierce,” Jiang Tianming chuckled. “His Kui Niu Thunder Roar caused a lot of trouble for the opponents. Without his attack, our charge might not have had such a significant effect.”

“Zhao Xing, are you alive? Say something! Everyone’s praising you,” Zhuang Ziqing said with a laugh.

“Not dead. I wouldn’t die even if you, Zhuang Ziqing, did, h-h-h…” Zhao Xing’s voice emerged from his bandages.

A chubby old man nearby cast a glance at him. “Still showing off, huh? Shut your mouth, or I won’t treat you.”

“Hahahaha.” A burst of laughter erupted nearby.

After this event, Zhao Xing’s name gradually spread throughout the Agriculturist Directorate. The Martial Division also learned of a ‘Zhao Xing’ from the Agriculturist Directorate, who hailed from the Divine Might Army. He had nearly overthrown the martial artists in the ‘Unstoppable Training’, causing Fu Ying, a talent from the Azure Dragon Martial Division, to rank at the very bottom in this battle.

On May 20th, at the Eighteen Locust-Willow Courtyard, Zhao Xing pushed open his courtyard gate, intending to attend the selection training at Taicang Academy. Although his ranking had dropped once, as long as it didn’t drop three times consecutively, he wouldn’t be demoted. Zhao Xing wasn’t afraid of being targeted afterward. The initiative was in his hands. Whether to fight aggressively or play it safe, with his ninth-revolution Folding Sound Curved Blades and Sound Stings, and his seventh-revolution Kui Niu Thunder Roar, he had options.

“Zhao Xing, where are you headed?”“Brother Zhao, are you recovered?”“Brother Zhao, going to study together?”

As he walked along the road, many people greeted Zhao Xing. Although he didn’t recognize many of them, they all recognized him. Seeing the people greeting him on the road, Zhao Xing smiled back.

“The fights weren’t for nothing. After this, I’ve become quite familiar with the talents from the four academies. My relationship with a few talents from the Geomancy Academy has deepened,” Zhao Xing mused to himself. “We’re all from the same grotto-heaven outpost. If we are assigned positions later, those from the same batch of reservists, and with some prior acquaintance, might prove useful.”

Zhao Xing took out his ground mirror and checked it. “For the first required training course, I no longer feel much pressure. Now, it’s about improving myself through the elective courses.”

“First, I’ll go check out Taicang Academy.”

At Taicang Academy, on a fertile, flat piece of land, Lu Bang, aboard a flowing cloud flying boat, descended to a low altitude. By this time, many agriculturists were already waiting below. They were there to attend Lu Bang’s training course.

“My elective training is very simple,” Lu Bang pointed to the land in front of them and said, “It’s about farming. This entire area is for cultivation. It has been specially treated, making the soil incredibly fertile. You may cast any spell you wish. The weather conditions here have also been modified to provide two days of favorable atmospheric conditions for cultivation. The factors of favorable weather and advantageous terrain have both reached their peak here, and everyone’s initial conditions are identical.”

“In the seed breeding area, you can freely choose from seed bags and seedlings. The lowest grade is Tier 3, and the highest is Tier 4. You can pick any you wish to plant. I have only one requirement for you: speed! Whether it’s a seedling or a seed, you must find a way to make it reach maturity, blossom, and bear fruit as quickly as possible.”

“To receive a passing Grade C rating from me, you must choose a Tier 3 seed or seedling and have it blossom, bear fruit, and reach maturity within six *shi-chen* (12 hours). For Tier 4, the deadline is extended to twelve *shi-chen* (24 hours).”

“To receive a Grade B rating, a Tier 3 seed or seedling must reach maturity within three *shi-chen* (6 hours). For Tier 4, it is six *shi-chen* (12 hours).”

“To receive a Grade A rating, a Tier 3 seed or seedling must reach maturity within one *shi-chen* (2 hours), and for Tier 4, it is two *shi-chen* (4 hours).”

Lu Bang finished with a smile, then his tone shifted. “Do not even think about cheating. If cheating is discovered, regardless of your talent level, you will be immediately expelled. You have one year to complete this training course. You only need to pass within that year. If you wish to obtain a good rating, you should frequent Taicang Academy to study the ‘Myriad Growth Diagram’, diligently practice the ‘Yin-Yang True Self Scripture’, or seek enlightenment at the ‘Primal Dao Field’.”

Zhao Xing stood below, listened to Lu Bang’s requirements, then headed to the breeding area to select seedlings or seeds.

“The land is indeed fertile, and this is training, so there’s no need for competition. No need to contend for resources.”

Lu Bang was a figure of the True Self School. He had already excluded the factors of favorable weather and advantageous terrain, now simply requiring the agriculturists to cultivate these seeds and seedlings using only the methods of the True Self School.

“Only speed is required, and the soil is infinitely fertile. This is testing the military agriculturists’ ability to produce military provisions. When armies march and fight battles, logistics and supply are a major issue. However, with military agriculturists, supply burdens are greatly reduced, as only a small amount of seeds or seedlings need to be carried. Wherever the battle takes them, that’s where they can plant.”

“If they can achieve extremely rapid maturity, disregarding advantageous terrain and favorable weather factors, then wherever the army goes, they will not starve.”

Of course, training is training, but in reality, factors like favorable weather and advantageous terrain still need to be considered. The Great Zhou primarily expanded outwards. During campaigns, there was no need to worry about exhausting the land’s fertility, as the land wasn’t even theirs yet. First, they would conquer it, then consider cultivating it into mature land.

“To get an A+ rating, a Tier 3 plant or seedling must reach maturity within one *shi-chen* (2 hours). That’s too difficult.”

Zhao Xing attempted it. Indeed, the Earth Vein Comprehensive Essence could no longer make the soil any more fertile. The only True Self School spell he could use was Wild Growth. The basic ‘Vigorous Growth’ spell had no significant effect.

“Wild Growth has reached the ninth revolution of mid-tier, but it still can’t make plants mature within one *shi-chen*.”

“With only one spell mastered, for Lu Bang’s required course, I can only get a Grade B rating.” While a Grade B rating was excellent, it wasn’t enough for Zhao Xing. Because he was being cultivated with A+ level resources, only an A-grade in elective training would count.

“Well, then, I’ll start by learning the spells of the True Self School.”

The True Self School’s power was not apparent at this time. That was a conclusion Zhao Xing drew from viewing the entire school’s development and comparing it across different periods. At his current level, True Self School spells were still very useful. He needed to learn some to have at his disposal.

“If a squad had a military agriculturist skilled in True Self School spells, they would never starve. Even if trapped or besieged, they could sustain themselves for longer.”

“True Self School spells can make plants themselves stronger, and can even be applied in extreme environments. You could grow food even in magma.”

Currently, during the break in the ‘Unstoppable Training’, there weren’t many elective courses available yet. Lu Bang’s training course was relatively simple, only involving spells from one school. He didn’t want to miss out on the rating for this elective course.

“I have two free opportunities to enter the Primal Dao Field at Taicang Academy. I wonder if I can comprehend that extraordinary spell of the True Self School there.” Zhao Xing recalled some experiences from his previous life. “If I can comprehend this extraordinary spell early, it would significantly help my future development. I might even be able to condense Pure Elemental Soil ahead of schedule!”

That’s all for today. Everyone, get some rest early. I need to rest too.

Also, a quick survey: If you’d like me to write all three updates and post them together, type 1, but they’ll be very late. If you prefer separate posts, with each chapter released as it’s ready, type 2.

(End of this chapter)