Chapter 152: Silkworm Transformation, Grassman Magic Training Session

God-Might Army's Zhao Xing, you have been randomly matched with opponent 'Wei Chen' (Garrison Army).

The random environment is 'Yanghu Wetland'.

Combat will begin in sixty breaths. Please prepare yourself.

"Wei Chen? He seems to be a Tier-A Minor Genius from Pinghuai Academy." Zhao Xing found the name somewhat familiar. There were only so many Tier-A geniuses, and Wei Chen was quite well-known in Pinghuai Academy.

"I've been matched with Zhao Xing!" On another ready-battle platform, Wei Chen was somewhat excited. He had just finished watching Zhao Xing's battle with Feng Qiu and, on a whim, started a new match. He hadn't expected to actually encounter Zhao Xing.

Wei Chen was already a Third-Tier cultivator in the Nine-Section Dojo, though he had consistently hovered between one and two stars in that tier. "I hope I can last a bit longer against him," Wei Chen thought, full of anticipation, as he waited for the battle to begin.

Five breaths later, Wei Chen reappeared on the ready-battle platform, looking stunned. "I was defeated in just one move? I didn't even last five breaths!" He shook his head and sighed, "The gap between people is truly immense."

The Yanghu Wetland was an environment he was proficient in. Upon entering the battle, Wei Chen immediately cast a defensive spell. His specialized water-based secret art was called "Gate of Heavy Water," a secret art combining water and earth elements. He could create nine Heavy Water Gates, each capable of dissolving, distorting, or trapping an opponent's spell attacks with the power of water.

"My nine Heavy Water Gates were shattered by just one of his moves," Wei Chen lamented. "They were like paper." He felt a pang of melancholy. He had originally thought the difference between himself and a Tier-A Top Genius wasn't significant, and that he could at least exchange a few blows. Instead, he was instantly defeated.

God-Might Army's Zhao Xing, you have completed your Tier-3 promotion battle!Dojo Points: 69Net Wins: 69Dojo Rating: Tier-3 One-StarDojo Points Ranking: 712,452 (Ten-Sun Grotto-Heaven)Nine-Section Dojo Points Ranking: 55,214 (Ten-Sun Grotto-Heaven)

Upon reaching Tier-3 in the Dojo rating, you can choose to challenge or accept challenges from opponents who are also Tier-3.

"One selection course completed," Zhao Xing smiled slightly. For the second round of his Tier-3 promotion battle, feeling no pressure from Wei Chen, Zhao Xing directly used a water spell to instantly defeat his opponent. After promoting to Tier-3, his ranking in the Nine-Section Dojo reached over 50,000, and his overall ranking in the Ten-Sun Dojo also rose by 200,000 places.

"Now that Cen Sanji's selection course is done, I can proceed with Lu Bang's," Zhao Xing mused. "With infinite land energy, cultivating Tier-3 plants to maturity within an hour shouldn't be a problem." He thought to himself, "Once that's done, two of the ten selection courses will be complete."

Tier-A Top Geniuses must also achieve A-grade scores in their selection training. To maintain his Tier-A status upon completing training at the Directorate of Agriculture, he needed to excel in mandatory training and earn A-grades in all ten selection courses.

*Buzz*

Suddenly, the Mirror of Earth vibrated.

God-Might Army's Zhao Xing, Tiger-Dragon Army's 'Zhuang Ziqing' has challenged you. Do you accept?God-Might Army's Zhao Xing, Black-Armored Army's 'Guan Junyang' has challenged you. Do you accept?God-Might Army's Zhao Xing, Black-Armored Army's 'Cao Shuang' has challenged you. Do you accept?

In an instant, many notifications appeared on the Mirror of Earth.

"So many people were waiting for me to get promoted," Zhao Xing couldn't help but chuckle. It seemed everyone wanted to challenge him, the second-place finisher in the last mandatory training. Especially after Feng Qiu's defeat, the other geniuses were itching to try their luck.

"I'll accept one match." Zhao Xing agreed to Zhuang Ziqing's invitation. He also wanted to see how his "Droplet Art" would perform against Zhuang Ziqing in a real battle, especially since Zhuang Ziqing and Shi Yong had explicitly reached the fourth rotation of the Insight Realm. As for the others, Zhao Xing didn't know. To accept a challenge, he naturally had to pick a worthy opponent.

"Accept," Zhao Xing confirmed on the Mirror of Earth.

This challenge is a private match, no spectators allowed. Battle will begin in sixty breaths...

"A private challenge? Is Zhuang Ziqing hiding something, afraid of others seeing his secret techniques?" Private challenges could be public or private. If public, observers could view the battle process on the Mirror of Earth. If private, it would only show "in combat" without revealing the outcome.

"He accepted?" Zhuang Ziqing stood on the ready-battle platform, a wave of excitement washing over him the moment he saw Zhao Xing accept the invitation. "It seems he really has entered the fourth rotation of the Insight Realm, he's very confident." Zhuang Ziqing hadn't slept, precisely because he wanted to fight Zhao Xing. Shi Yong was too strong; sparring with him offered no sense of accomplishment. Now that Zhao Xing had appeared, Zhuang Ziqing was naturally eager.

"The random map is 'Spring Meadow'?" Zhuang Ziqing glanced at the map, then put away his Mirror of Earth, waiting quietly. After Tier-3, private invitation duels had a slightly longer waiting time, as the combat arena expanded to allow combatants to fully display their abilities.

In the Spring Meadow, the sky was incredibly blue, without a single cloud. Two figures appeared on the grassland.

"Zhao Xing!" Zhuang Ziqing didn't immediately attack upon entering; instead, he called out to Zhao Xing. "You must have already entered the fourth rotation of the Insight Realm and comprehended a high-tier spell, right?" He proposed, "Let's not use any other spells; let's go straight for our strongest moves and decide the winner in one blow. How about it?"

Zhao Xing nodded. "Agreed."

Zhuang Ziqing flew a little closer. "You go first. You've only just comprehended your Insight Realm spell, while I've learned several secret arts. If I go first, you won't have a chance."

"Alright." Zhao Xing didn't stand on ceremony. Energy circulated at his fingertip, and the Qi Orifice Tablet in his dantian vibrated slightly. This map, 'Spring Meadow,' was naturally suited for casting "Droplet Art." In an instant, he effortlessly drew upon the power of heaven and earth. A single water droplet appeared at his fingertip.

*Whoosh!*

Zhao Xing flicked his finger, and the water droplet swiftly shot towards Zhuang Ziqing.

"Hmm?" A flicker of surprise crossed Zhuang Ziqing's eyes. Though it was merely a single drop of water, he felt as if the entire world was crashing down on him. Instinctively, he cast a spell to resist.

*Chichichi*

Around Zhuang Ziqing, a large amount of fibrous material suddenly appeared. At the same time, the green grass beneath his feet began to grow wildly. Threads upon threads, countless strands, intertwined with each other, quickly forming an oval, white outer shell, like a silkworm cocoon, enveloping Zhuang Ziqing. As the water droplet arrived, the cocoon also fully formed.

*Bang!*

The cocoon seemed to take a tremendous impact, and both man and cocoon were pushed backward.

*Rumble*

Dirt churned, and green grass flew everywhere. The cocoon plowed a trench over ten meters long and half a meter deep in the ground before finally coming to a halt.

"Huh? Is that the secret art Heavenly Silkworm Transformation?" Zhao Xing looked at Zhuang Ziqing in surprise. "Didn't they say your lightning spells were strong? Why is your comprehended high-tier spell wood-based?"

"Aren't you the same?" Zhuang Ziqing's voice came from inside the cocoon. "They all say your Cloud Swallowing Art is unrivaled, yet what you comprehended is a high-tier water-based spell." The water droplet hadn't broken through the cocoon's defense. Although it created many cracks, the characteristic of wood magic is its endless vitality, and the Heavenly Silkworm Transformation secret art utilized this with superb skill. The wood-based energy, like needles and threads, flew up and down, and the cocoon quickly repaired itself.

"Didn't break through, hehe, my turn now." The cocoon enveloping Zhuang Ziqing suddenly levitated and began to spin wildly. Countless silken threads flew towards Zhao Xing. Some threads twisted and swayed, while others stretched taut like arrows.

Zhao Xing could have dodged, but dodging would defeat the purpose of this training. He didn't cast any defensive spells either, adhering to their initial agreement. "Droplet Art." A water droplet reappeared in Zhao Xing's palm. The droplet flew around him, attempting to destroy the silken threads.

*Bang, bang, bang, bang!*

When the water droplet touched the silken threads, it produced heart-pounding explosions. Though both the water droplet and the threads were insignificant objects, the commotion they caused was considerable. Zhao Xing had initially drawn upon the power of heaven and earth with ease, but as the water droplet touched the threads, he distinctly felt a sense of sluggishness, because Zhuang Ziqing was also drawing upon the power of heaven and earth.

*Chichichi*

The silken threads quickly wrapped around Zhao Xing's right arm, interrupting his spell. The uncontrolled water droplet shot towards the ground, blasting out a deep pit. More and more silken threads appeared, quickly embedding themselves into his flesh.

*Buzz*

A protective barrier appeared, golden light sweeping over Zhao Xing's body, teleporting him away.

On the ready-battle platform, Zhao Xing's injuries rapidly healed. They were only superficial wounds to begin with, so he recovered instantly. He exited the Cloud Gate and met Zhuang Ziqing in the plaza. "Huh? What's wrong with you?" Zhao Xing asked, a little surprised upon seeing him.

"What do you mean, 'what's wrong'?" Zhuang Ziqing was taken aback.

"You look like a zombie, how long have you been without sleep?" Zhao Xing could tell at a glance that Zhuang Ziqing's condition was off. Having cultivated the "Great Dream of Spring and Autumn" technique, he could sense Zhuang Ziqing's life-soul was in an excited state, a result of repeatedly using treasures to clear fatigue. Physical fatigue could be relieved, but life-soul fatigue was difficult to resolve. Zhao Xing himself had to sleep for an hour every day, primarily to allow his life-soul to rest.

"It's a minor thing, I'll sleep when I get back," Zhuang Ziqing said nonchalantly.

"You specifically came all this way just to fight me?"

"You've had a breakthrough, so of course I had to come and spar," Zhuang Ziqing smiled. "Currently, in the Reserve Army, only five of us—you, me, Shi Yong, Cao Shuang, and Guan Junyang—have learned high-tier spells from the Qi Orifice Tablets. What you've comprehended is different from ours, so naturally, I had to test it." He also harbored another thought: Zhao Xing was progressing so fast; if he didn't seize the opportunity to fight now, he might not be able to defeat him later! After all, among the Directorate of Agriculture Reserve Army, Zhao Xing's growth speed was the fastest. He was the only clerk directly selected for the Reserve Army after becoming a regular official. Even with the resource bonuses from the Ten-Sun Grotto-Heaven, it was terrifying that he had cultivated a Qi Orifice Tablet to the fourth rotation of the Insight Realm in just a few months.

"It's still very superficial; I've only just grasped the basics," Zhao Xing shook his head. Zhuang Ziqing's Heavenly Silkworm Transformation was clearly very proficient, and he had mastered the secret art. Those silken threads and the cocoon were advanced applications of high-tier wood magic.

"I've only grasped the basics too," Zhuang Ziqing said. "If your Droplet Art was more proficient and you mastered a secret art, I wouldn't have won so easily. Among the five of us, only Shi Yong is quicker, having truly 'gotten through the door'."

"Have you fought Shi Yong?" Zhao Xing asked.

"Yes," Zhuang Ziqing nodded. "Both of us are in the Tiger-Dragon Army and are quite familiar with each other. Since joining the Nine-Section Dojo, I've fought him ten times."

"What's the win-loss record?"

"Don't ask about sad things," Zhuang Ziqing shrugged. "I'll tell you when I surpass him."

*So, he hasn't won a single match...* Zhao Xing thought to himself.

"Alright, I'm off. I need to go back and sleep," Zhuang Ziqing yawned. "The selection training courses coming out in a few days will have point rewards. I need to prepare well. Zhao Xing, let's train together again when you're free."

"Sounds good."

Zhao Xing parted ways with Zhuang Ziqing and didn't re-enter the Nine-Section Dojo. It wasn't too late to train again once he had new insights.

On July 17th, Zhao Xing received his Tier-3 rating at the Nine-Section Dojo and an A-grade score from Cen Sanji.

On July 18th, Zhao Xing went to the inner hall of the Earth Vein Palace to meditate. The Earth Vein Map in the inner hall was far more profound than that in the outer hall; there were only nine earth veins, but these nine were much more powerful than those outside. It was on this day that his Geomancy spells made a breakthrough. His Divine Movement Guard even reached the tenth rotation because both Geomancy and the Divine Movement Palace were related to earth veins. This dual-spell breakthrough also gave Zhao Xing two spells with high-tier power.

From July 19th to July 23rd, he once again visited the Celestial Timing Institute to observe the 108 Qi Orifice Tablets.

Five days later, Zhao Xing reluctantly left the treasured site. "My two free meditation opportunities at the Celestial Timing Institute's treasured site are used up," he thought. "However, all of my twenty-four Qi Orifice Tablets have reached the third rotation of the Insight Realm, though only 'Start of Spring' is at the fourth rotation." He still had one free meditation opportunity left at the Geomancy Institute, and two at the Granary Institute and Pinghuai Institute.

"My high-tier spell, 'Droplet Art,' has reached the third rotation. It will be difficult to achieve a breakthrough in a short time, unless I purchase the 'Droplet Domain'," Zhao Xing noted. His progress was rapid, but he had also encountered a bottleneck at the high-tier spell level. High-tier spells were standard for sixth-rank cultivators, and only about thirty percent of seventh-rank military agronomists possessed one. As for those who mastered high-tier spells at the eighth-rank, they were extremely rare, precisely because they were so difficult to cultivate.

"I only have just over ten thousand points now. To buy the Droplet Domain, I'm still quite a bit short." He couldn't ask Lord Tian Hou for more, as Tian Hou had already provided him with items worth 80,000 points. Asking for more would be excessive and against regulations. "I can't accept missions during training, unless it's arranged by the Directorate of Agriculture."

"However, selection courses that opened on July 15th will now award points because the reserve agronomists have gradually grown stronger over a few months of training, and their need for points is increasing." Zhao Xing pulled out his Mirror of Earth to check which selection courses awarded points.

"Hmm? A 'Straw Man Spell Training Course'?" The first line he saw was a Straw Man Spell Training Course. "It starts this afternoon, July 23rd, at Tianning Manor, hosted by Fifth-Rank Agronomist 'Liu Tianning.' That's today, isn't it?"

"First place rewards 50,000 points?" "Why does the Straw Man Spell Training Course give so many points?"