Chapter 139: Just You Are Called Xia Jing

Zhao Xing’s most vivid memory from his training was of Xia Jing.

The first time, Xia Jing had knocked him down, breaking four of his ribs with his Shattered Yuan Finger. He was knocked down by Xia Jing four more times during subsequent training sessions! Such an experience naturally left Zhao Xing deeply impressed by this genius of the Azure Dragon Martial Division.

He also remembered Chen Fang. That guy had been sent flying by him during their first training session and later brought Hu Bing looking for trouble, only to be scared off. As for Zhang Jie, he only remembered his name; he was from the Black Tortoise Division.

"Xia Jing, it's destiny that we meet again in this second round. I'll be sure to give you a warm welcome..." Zhao Xing entered the cabin with a smile. Despite his smile, the ten martial artists inside involuntarily shivered. Why did they all have a bad feeling?

The Flowing Cloud Flying Ship was a small divine flying artifact with limited seating—only ten spots. Zhao Xing entered and, finding no place to sit, stood in the middle of the aisle, scanning everyone. Zhang Jie immediately understood his gaze and quickly stood up. "Zhao Sinong, please take my seat. I'll go out for some fresh air." Hu Bing also stood up, smiling. "Zhao Sinong, sit here. This seat is by the window." Zhang Jie glared angrily at Hu Bing, thinking, *You have to snatch this too?* Chen Fang was a step too late; he had already started to lift from his seat but was beaten to it.

"Thank you, that's very kind of you," Zhao Xing said politely, but his actions were anything but. He casually sat down in the seat Zhang Jie had vacated, then closed his eyes to rest. The other six martial artists were somewhat bewildered by this scene. One of them quietly nudged Chen Fang in front, whispering, "Brother, who is this guy? He seems really impressive." Chen Fang whispered, "His name is Zhao Xing."

"Zhao Xing? Never heard of him. Is he that good?" The martial artist who asked was a little puzzled.

"You guys didn't participate in last month's team training with the Department of Agriculture and Forestry, so it's normal not to have heard of him."

Last time, only three thousand people were selected for training, and many martial artists went to train elsewhere. For the Sinong, it was mandatory training, but for the martial artists, it was elective. This time was different: one Sinong was paired with ten people, and almost all reserve martial artists from the nine armies were brought in. So, it was perfectly normal for some unfamiliar faces not to have seen or heard of Zhao Xing.

Chen Fang looked at Zhao Xing, who was resting with his eyes closed, and explained in a low voice, "Zhao Xing is a top-tier genius from the Earthly Fortune Institute. This guy is fierce; during one of our elective training sessions, we were almost completely defeated by the Sinong team he led!"

"Are you talking about the time Fu Ying was eliminated?" The martial artist who spoke looked surprised. "I remember now, so it was him?"

"Yes," Chen Fang nodded.

"What's the feud between him and Xia Jing? I feel like their conversation wasn't friendly; they had hidden meanings," another person asked.

"Xia Jing knocked him down multiple times," Chen Fang said. "Now he's assigned to this group. Do you think we'll have an easy time?"

"Hiss, it can't be that bad... My Gluttonous Devouring Art is only at the second layer. How did I end up with such a formidable character?" The other martial artists' faces changed.

If they encountered an overly weak Sinong, they would go hungry. But encountering an overly strong Sinong was equally difficult. Such a person would have shrewd judgment, and while ensuring their own performance wasn't affected, they would ruthlessly trick you. As Chen Fang said, if you truly offended him, would you have an easy time?

"It's bound to be a bit poisonous," Chen Fang sighed softly. The other martial artists felt uneasy after hearing Chen Fang's words.

***

Meanwhile, on a flying ship that took off from the Heavenly Time Institute. Shi Yong entered the cabin and met an acquaintance.

"Fu Ying."

"Shi Yong, come sit here," Fu Ying smiled and waved. Immediately, a martial artist next to him obediently gave up his seat. Shi Yong was from the Tiger Dragon Army, and Fu Ying was also from the Tiger Dragon Army. They both knew each other.

"Why were we assigned to the same group?" Shi Yong asked with a smile. "Was it intentional?"

"How would I know?" Fu Ying had a rugged appearance, while Shi Yong was bright and handsome. Both carried themselves with remarkable presence. "Perhaps it was intentional. After all, if I were assigned a weaker Sinong, it wouldn't serve as effective training."

"You're so confident. What layer is your Gluttonous Devouring Art at?" Shi Yong asked. Fu Ying held up four fingers.

"Good," Shi Yong nodded slightly. "That's already a top-tier level."

The Gluttonous Devouring Art is extremely difficult to master. The first three layers are relatively manageable; you eat normal things, just a lot of them, and they need to be balanced with the five elements. From the fourth layer onwards, it involves toxins! From the seventh layer onwards, what you eat is no longer food; you need to swallow gold and silver! Although the Gluttonous Devouring Art can be practiced by those of any rank, mastering it beyond the fourth layer is difficult even for those of the eighth rank. As for the seventh layer? One would need to be at least a seventh-rank practitioner and begin training Earthly Fiends to have a chance. The eighth and ninth layers require a sixth-rank Heavenly Gang realm practitioner. For Fu Ying to have reached the fourth layer, he was already considered top-tier.

"Shi Yong, how are things at the Heavenly Time Institute? Zhuang Ziqing seems to be constantly chasing after you," Fu Ying also asked about Shi Yong's situation. "And that Zhao Xing from the Divine Might Army, he's also risen suddenly... Is your number one position stable?"

"I don't know," Shi Yong's smile was gentle. "I only compare myself to myself. I don't care about others."

"You have a good mindset," Fu Ying said. "I really want to compete with Xia Jing. I heard Xia Jing's Gluttonous Devouring Art is only at the third layer. I'm definitely going to win this time!"

"He's only at the third layer?" Shi Yong was a little surprised. "Why so low?"

"Hmph, he's a Marquis's son, it's normal for him to be a bit spoiled."

***

The Cloud Rain Tower Ship traversed through the clouds. Lu Bang held a list, revealing a sinister smile.

"Shi Yong is assigned to Fu Ying's group."

"Zhuang Ziqing is assigned to Ye Feng's group."

"Zhao Xing is assigned to Xia Jing's group."

"The seeds supplied by the Grand Granary Institute are all specially selected exotic varieties. Wonderful, truly wonderful."

Zuo Zizhi, seeing his friend's expression, couldn't help but say, "Brother Lu, what kind of seeds did you put in? You look a bit creepy right now."

Lu Bang tossed the list aside. "Don't worry, they're all edible. To train the martial artists' Gluttonous Devouring Art, of course, we need to select carefully. I'm doing this for their own good, Zizhi, how can you say that about me? By the way, are the physicians and pharmacists ready?"

Zuo Zizhi: "..."

***

Two suns shone overhead, below the Shattered Rock Slope. The flying ship carrying Zhao Xing slowly descended.

"Everyone, disembark. We've arrived," an official outside called out.

Zhao Xing stepped out of the cabin and saw three people at the landing spot. Besides the judge piloting the Flowing Cloud Flying Ship, there were two other officials. Judging by their attire, one was a military officer, and the other was a physician. A military officer was responsible for training the martial artists, which made sense. But why bring a physician? The martial artists who stepped out of the cabin had a vague premonition of something ominous.

"Follow me," the military officer waved at the ten martial artists. "Your training ground is nearby."

"Yes," the ten martial artists obediently followed the military officer and physician.

"Zhao Xing, your cultivation area is within this Shattered Rock Slope region. As long as you don't leave the boundary markers, you can plant anywhere you like. Also, these are the seeds and saplings distributed from above." The judge pointed to three bamboo boxes. "Regardless of whether you manage to grow them or not, this is the total quantity. If you use them all up, new ones won't be issued for three days, understood?"

"Understood," Zhao Xing nodded, using his wind ability to move the boxes off the flying ship.

"I'll call you at mealtime. Otherwise, there's no need to disturb me." The judge lay back on the flying ship. "Remember, don't run around. If you go outside the designated area, your score will be voided."

"Yes." Zhao Xing cupped his hands, then activated his Minor Nine Heavenly Gang Wind Art, flying upwards. He didn't rush to choose seeds but first observed the surrounding environment. After flying a circle in the sky along the boundary markers, Zhao Xing gained a general understanding of the weather and terrain, then landed.

"The first day's training isn't very harsh. The weather only involves two suns overhead, so the temperature is a bit higher, but not excessively hot. It's probably equivalent to the Beginning of Summer solar term in the outside world. There's also a water source, a small pond about 1 kilometer away. Let's see the geographical conditions. Divine Movement Guard!"

Zhao Xing's thought stirred, and he was enveloped by a faint yellow light, then slowly sank into the ground. Judge Zhou Ming, who was lying on his side drinking on the flying ship, raised an eyebrow at this sight. "The Profound Earth Art, quite impressive."

After sinking into the ground, Zhao Xing's body rapidly descended. The Profound Earth Guard protected him while moving underground. Of course, if he wanted to travel by tapping into earth veins, combining both arts would be most suitable. For now, he was just checking the earth veins, so combining arts wasn't necessary.

"The five elements of the earth veins: Fire is slightly strong, Metal is slightly abundant, Water is moderate, Earth is agitated, and Wood is not prominent. Alright, the earth vein conditions are also average, neither good nor bad." Zhao Xing quickly surfaced from underground.

"If I were to grade the weather and geographical conditions, it's currently on easy mode. So the difficulty must lie in the seeds."

***

After checking, Zhao Xing opened the bamboo box marked 'Tier 3'. He naturally wouldn't plant Tier 2 supplies; those wouldn't give extra points, and such a choice wasn't fitting for a genius like him. The three bamboo boxes were all very large. The models he previously carried personally were smaller, but these were military versions. If used in a military campaign, they would be considered bamboo boxes for a twenty-person formation. Requiring four martial artists to carry indicates how large and heavy they were.

"Seeds account for seventy percent, saplings for thirty percent. But why are there so many I don't recognize? So many derived species?" Zhao Xing was a bit surprised while inspecting the bamboo box. Derived species were new varieties cultivated artificially. Many did not appear in the "Great View of Trees" or "Compendium of Materia Medica." The saplings were all trees, with long growth cycles, and most of the seeds were unfamiliar, thus presenting a challenge. If he didn't grow edible food within a day, not only would he not get basic points, but he would also lose points.

"Indeed, the difficulty is here, but this is easy for me. Rise!" Soon, Zhao Xing selected one.

**Numbfish Fruit (Seed)*** Type: Aquatic Thorny Plant* Tier 3, High Grade* Effect: Short growth cycle, edible for satiety; absorbing yuan qi from Numbfish Fruit causes a sour-numbing sensation; has a fishy taste, unpleasant; mildly toxic, small dosage.* Overall evaluation: Tier 3 supply.

"Excellent, you're the one." Zhao Xing pointed, and a batch of seeds immediately flew out. Then he manipulated the Gang Wind, carrying this batch of seeds towards the pond 1 kilometer away.

"It's starting." On a flat ground in the distance, Chen Fang watched Zhao Xing fly away, enveloped in the Gang Wind. "I wonder what he's planting."

"Chen Fang, still distracted? Take this punch!" Hu Bing immediately punched Chen Fang in the eye.

"Damn it, you ambushed me! Take this!"

***

Upon reaching the pond, Zhao Xing slowly descended. "Whoosh!" The Gang Wind blew, sending the nearby shattered rocks flying. It scraped the ground layer by layer until all the rock layers were cleared, revealing the soil, then stopped. The entire thousand-meter radius around the pond was scraped down one layer.

"Earth Store Return to Origin!" Zhao Xing pointed, and golden light flashed repeatedly, sinking into the ground. A complex and profound cage-like structure appeared in the earth veins. The five-element power was immediately harmonized, and all yuan qi began to gather here.

"Go!" Zhao Xing planted this batch of seeds. There were many of them; he had completely emptied all the Numbfish Fruit seeds.

"Swallow Clouds!"

"Spread Rain!"

Above the pond, clouds quickly covered it, drawing water from the pond, and then it began to rain. Initially, it was heavy rain. Once the trenches were sufficiently irrigated, Zhao Xing changed the rain to a fine drizzle. The continuous drizzle warmed the seeds in the soil.

"Brutal Growth!" Tier 3, high-grade seeds were very resilient. Zhao Xing wanted to rapidly mature them, so he naturally started with Brutal Growth.

"Rustle." Subtle movements emerged from the soil. In the blink of an eye, specks of green appeared all around. The seeds broke through the earth, sprouting tender shoots. After fifteen minutes, they were half a meter tall. Zhao Xing then changed his spell.

"Wilderness Condensation Art!" By this time, yuan qi was extremely abundant because Zhao Xing's Earth Store Return to Origin (Plant Version) had reached the eighth stage. Its roots, under the effect of Brutal Growth, had already deeply penetrated the ground. Entering the growth period, the most suitable technique was no longer the root-strengthening Brutal Growth, but the Condensation Art.

"Whoosh, whoosh." Green leaves swayed, beginning to spread madly outwards, circulating and renewing, growing along the optimal path.

"The Condensation Art has reached the seventh stage; the speed is indeed fast. In just half an hour, it has already passed the mature stage. Another half an hour, and it will bear fruit." Zhao Xing estimated the time. Tier 3, high-grade, from start to finish, would take about an hour to harvest. But Zhao Xing deliberately waited for an extra half an hour. Why? Because by waiting an extra half an hour, it would contain more yuan qi and grow larger. It was absolutely not because its numbing sensation would be stronger, its toxicity heavier, its fishy taste more pronounced, or because it would be harder to eat... Absolutely not!

"I've emptied the Numbfish Fruit seeds. According to this coverage area, at the very least, I can harvest five thousand catties of Numbfish Fruit, meeting the Tier 3 supply standard." A slight smile appeared at the corner of Zhao Xing's mouth. He looked in the direction where the martial artists were training.

"So you're the one named Xia Jing, huh?!"

The third update has been delivered. Everyone, rest early. See you tomorrow!