Chapter 209: Aftermath and Re-entry into the Dream Academy

Before taking action, Zhao Xing had already considered various possibilities:

**One:** Conviction for a serious crime, confiscation of all military achievements, stripping of his official position, and imprisonment.This possibility was highly unlikely because, even if everything were recorded and Zhao Xing had intentionally killed him, Qian Shougeng was at fault first. Ultimately, it was a powerful general bullying others. As this was not a period of dynastic collapse, the probability of such a severe punishment was extremely low.

**Two:** Conviction for a minor crime, his official position remaining intact, but military achievements penalized as a disciplinary measure. The range for confiscated military achievements was about 30,000 to 100,000. This was also what Zhao Xing had anticipated.

In his previous life, many players had used feudal kings to farm "reputation." They would intentionally target and eliminate offending generals under these kings to gain reputation points. Such actions usually resulted in gaining "reputation" but losing "military achievements," "official positions," and "titles." However, with proper execution, one wouldn't lose their official position or title, only some military achievements, in exchange for reputation points.

Farming reputation by targeting feudal kings was also a favorite task for players, as weakening royal power aligned with Emperor Jing's strategy during the reform period. Everyone wanted to emulate Cao Cao assassinating Dong Zhuo to gain fame. Large guilds were particularly fond of engaging in such activities because, during the great war against the barbarians, military achievements were easy to obtain, but reputation points were hard to raise. Reputation had many uses, including but not limited to political prestige, recruiting famous generals, and advancing in civilian ranks.

The King of Liang was the most popular target for players. Because of his significant power, gaining reputation by challenging him yielded higher rewards. However, the cost would also be higher.

Zhao Xing estimated that a penalty of 100,000 military achievements would be sufficient. He and Long Xiao together had two million military achievements, so losing 100,000 each wouldn't be a major issue.

As he had considered earlier, they would soon rendezvous with other armies to fight in the Qinggang war zone. If they didn't strongly retaliate against this "powerful army bullying" random event today, then in the future, there would be more like Li Shougeng and Wang Shougeng trying to usurp their achievements. "One punch opens the door, saving a hundred punches later." With this precedent set, future friction with allied forces would likely be more restrained.

However, neither being convicted nor penalized for military achievements was an outcome Zhao Xing hadn't anticipated. "There's no reason for this," he thought. "Although I insisted it was an unknowing counterattack, anyone with a discerning eye could tell there was some personal vendetta involved. They should at least have confiscated some military achievements."

Zhao Xing pondered deeply. The lack of a military achievement penalty actually bothered him a little. This was because certain events exceeded his understanding; or rather, some of his past life's experiences had lost their relevance.

"Someone intervened," he mused. "But I didn't even use Tian Yan's three letters. Who could be so influential as to suppress the King of Liang's faction? Yang An? Is he that powerful? Fan Zhaoli? No, that can't be right; he's only a fifth-rank official, and my relationship with him is very ordinary. Liu Tianning? He does think highly of me, but Old Liu is at most fourth-rank now, isn't he?"

Logically, this should have been good news, but Zhao Xing felt uneasy. After withdrawing from the vicinity of Xixian Pass, he immediately wrote to his teacher, Tian Yan, to inquire.

Not long after, Tian Yan replied to Zhao Xing. The letter contained only one sentence: "The final verdict was jointly decided by King Lingde, King Rahu, and King Tianyan."

"Whoosh," the letter paper burned, its flickering light illuminating Zhao Xing's face. After getting the answer, a weight was finally lifted from Zhao Xing's heart.

Although Tian Yan's message was brief, it revealed a wealth of information. "I only knew the preliminary investigation results, but my teacher mentioned the 'final verdict,' meaning there must have been some changes in between. According to protocol, the Nine Heavens Responding Yuan Mansion first issues a judgment, which is then reported to the Ministry of Supervision in the Military Realm."

"The great war against the barbarians is overseen by thirty-three feudal kings. In the most severe cases, it requires a joint deliberation of all thirty-three feudal kings overseeing the five great grotto-heavens. However, an incident like this doesn't warrant 'a meeting of all thirty-three feudal kings.' I belong to the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven, which is supervised by King Rahu, King Tianyan, and King Lingde in the Military Realm. It's quite surprising that it reached this level," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

With more information, Zhao Xing finally felt reassured. He had no impression of King Lingde, but the names King Rahu and King Tianyan were not unfamiliar. King Rahu, in particular, was the first to react when the King of Liang suddenly rebelled, preventing a portion of the King of Liang's army from advancing north into Lüliang Prefecture. This person was also the fiercest fighter against the King of Liang, and ultimately, he and King Tianyan raided the King of Liang's stronghold.

"Things are different now compared to two hundred years ago," Zhao Xing mused. "At the start of the reform period, Emperor Jing, wanting to implement reforms, heavily relied on his brother, the King of Liang, granting him significant power. By the Jingxin period, Emperor Jing had many people at his disposal, so his younger brother's utility became irrelevant; he even had people watch him. So these three supervise the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven. No wonder..."

Understanding the key point, Zhao Xing immediately felt much more at ease.

In the Military Realm, at the top floor of the Hundred Weapons Pagoda, King Lingde, King Rahu, and King Tianyan were gathered.

"Rahu, I'm surprised you were willing to sign?" King Tianyan said, looking at King Rahu. "I thought you wouldn't get involved in this matter." During the second round of review for the Qian Shougeng incident, the King of Liang's faction intervened, and the proposed verdict for Zhao Xing and Long Xiao was a penalty of 200,000 military achievements and a two-rank demotion. However, King Tianyan blocked this judgment and changed it to "not guilty, no demotion," with a symbolic penalty of only 30,000 military achievements. When King Rahu learned of this, he revised the judgment again, leaving his verdict in the archives: "If there is no guilt, why should there be a penalty for achievements?" He then called upon King Lingde and King Tianyan to sign it together, directly setting it as the final verdict.

King Lingde quipped, "I also thought King Rahu would support penalizing military achievements. After all, if Zhao Xing were penalized, Rahu's chances of winning would increase." King Tianyan waved his hand, saying, "You're underestimating Rahu. Why would he care about such a thing?"

King Rahu stated, "Public matters are public, and private matters are private. The bullying of weaker units by powerful armies must not be allowed to proliferate in the military. Qian Shougeng unlawfully requisitioned the fifth-grade Earthflame Lotus and was subsequently killed by the Divine Might Army. This can serve as a perfect example to warn arrogant and complacent generals."

Originally, under a normal judgment, Zhao Xing and Long Xiao should have received some penalty to their military achievements. King Tianyan's approach was quite normal, but the second-round judgment was overly protective of the King of Liang's Black Dragon Army, with monitoring officials acting opportunistically. When King Rahu found out, he simply decreed no guilt and no penalty. King Tianyan and King Lingde were persuaded by Rahu, which led to the current final outcome.

The incident of Qian Shougeng's death quickly spread throughout the major war zones. Taking the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven as a lesson, the main generals of powerful armies in the other four great grotto-heavens were all shaken. Having won too many easy battles, many had grown arrogant and complacent. Previously, many weaker armies had suffered exploitation from stronger ones, but after this incident, they all began to show restraint.

Zhao Xing and Long Xiao, associated with this incident, both became famous. Zhao Xing, especially.

Originally, he was not widely known. Even his cultivation of the Earthflame Lotus only gained him fame in a specific region and among a few armies. There were one or two hundred six- and seven-rank officials across the five great grotto-heavens who could cultivate Earthflame Lotuses to the fifth grade, which was not enough to make him famous throughout the entire war zone.

However, this incident greatly boosted Zhao Xing's fame more than Long Xiao's. First, Zhao Xing had more military achievements than Long Xiao, already exceeding one million. A seventh-rank military agronomist, especially a new generation one, with over a million military achievements was extremely rare. Second, Zhao Xing was the one who directly killed Qian Shougeng. A low-tier seventh-rank official being able to kill a high-tier sixth-rank official truly astonished many.

After this incident spread, the Divine Might Army and Zhao Xing both became renowned. "Zhao Xing is amazing! He actually killed a high-tier sixth-rank official?" In the Tiger-Jiao Army, Zhuang Ziqing's eyes widened as he read the intelligence report. "And he killed a general from the King of Liang's private army, yet ended up without punishment, not even a military achievement penalty?"

"He can fight sixth-rank officials now?" Li Feng and Feng Qiu stared blankly at the intelligence, their attention drawn to the fact that 'Zhao Xing could kill Qian Shougeng.' Feng Qiu and Li Feng had both been bested by Zhao Xing before and had always considered him a target to catch up with. But after such a short time apart, this person already had a million military achievements and could even slay a martial general at the peak of the Tiangang realm.

In another camp within the Tiger-Jiao Army, Wei Hong stood before a sandbox map, examining the intelligence. "Father really should have tried harder to recruit him into the Tiger-Jiao Army back then," Wei Hong lamented. He knew that Wei Yuan had tried to recruit someone from the Geography Institute back then and had almost succeeded. "He's much more useful than Shi Yong."

Shi Yong was now working under Wei Yuan, but his performance in all aspects showed a vast difference compared to Zhao Xing. Indeed, Shi Yong no longer held any significant advantage in combat power, as he couldn't possibly slay a high-tier sixth-rank martial general from the Black Dragon Army. It was known that Qian Shougeng was a warrior one in ten thousand.

"Hahahahaha, wonderful, truly wonderful!" In the Black Armored Army, Cao Shuang burst out laughing after reading the letter. "What's so funny? You're laughing so happily," Jiang Tianming asked, leaning closer. "Let me see."

Jiang Tianming and Cao Shuang were both from the Black Armored Army, but they hadn't followed Xia Jing to Huolong Pass; instead, they were serving in the main army to the north. However, both had been top-tier talents at the Geography Institute and had a strong connection with Zhao Xing. "Hiss, he killed Qian Shougeng?" Jiang Tianming exclaimed after reading the letter. "He and Long Xiao only had five hundred men, yet Qian Shougeng was a sixth-rank official leading a thousand Black Dragon Guards, and he was just killed like that?"

"I wish I could have followed Xia Jing to Huolong Pass!" Cao Shuang slapped his thigh. The letter made him feel incredibly excited, almost wishing he could find a sixth-rank official to take down himself. "Why are you so excited?" Jiang Tianming said. "The Black Armored Army is a powerful force. If you appeared in such an intelligence report, you'd be the antagonist."

In the Blazing Sun Army camp, "Is that him?" Helian Lie's mind replayed the scene of his first meeting with Zhao Xing. "We first met two years ago at the Lihuo Daoist Academy, and now he's almost caught up to me." Helian Lie was silent.

He ranked twentieth on the seventh-rank military achievements list, but now, Zhao Xing was already sixty-ninth. At the time, Helian Lie had also chosen a new recruit named Zhuo Lie, but now, Zhuo Lie was only a true eighth-rank official. He was completely incomparable to Zhao Xing.

In the northern part of the Fiend-Fire Clan's territory, the four main generals—Qi Yuanjun of the Zhaoyuan Army, Yi Yue of the Yuanhua Army, Nangong Ye of the Phantom Dark Army, and Pang Zheng of the Zhaoyuan Army—were deliberating in the marching hall.

"Zhao Xing of the Divine Might Army killed Qian Shougeng in Xixian Pass, which led to tens of thousands of Liao Rulong's troops confronting the Black Dragon Army." "Our allied forces had originally retreated three hundred li from the front line, intending to attack the Fiend-Fire Clan's garrison commander at Xixian Pass." "Now, look what happened. The Xixian Pass commander was scared half to death and completely holed up, refusing to come out."

Qi Yuanjun, who ranked first on the seventh-rank military achievement list, pointed at the map with a speechless expression. Yi Yue, ranked second on the seventh-rank military achievement list, was also furious: "What's wrong with this Qian Shougeng? Why would he suddenly go and seize the Divine Might Army's supplies?"

"I've held back for over a month from attacking Xixian Pass, precisely to let its garrison commander lower his guard. We were already prepared to make a move... Damn it, that Qian fellow couldn't pick a better time to seek death!" Yi Yue excitedly pounded the table. Furious, utterly furious. It was like when Zhao Xing and Liao Rulong's troops were about to attack Huolong Pass, and suddenly, an army appeared, causing Huolong Pass's defenders to strengthen their defenses... Liao Rulong and Zhao Xing would have been equally livid.

"We'll have to give up on attacking Xixian Pass," Pang Zheng said, looking at Qi Yuanjun. "That fellow is like a startled bird; there's no chance of a surprise attack now. Even if we took Xixian Pass, the subsequent passes would be heavily defended." "If we don't dislodge this 'nail,' our supply lines will be stretched too thin," Nangong Ye's voice was somewhat ethereal.

"The cost of attacking now is much higher than before; my superiors won't agree." "Commander Li has already sent word, asking me to consider entering the pass from a different direction, or we won't be able to keep up with the main force of the Phantom Dark Army."

"Can we ask the Divine Might Army to lend us passage through Huolong Pass?" "How is that possible? We just said that powerful armies must not bully weaker ones. How could the Divine Might Army let us pass?" "Right, many armies are already cooperating with Liao Rulong's Divine Might Army. It's impossible to add anyone else." "Ugh, damn it..."

The four main generals stared at each other, utterly disgusted. Zhao Xing himself saw the usefulness of Xixian Pass, which led to the construction of City No. 98. These military elites naturally also had foresight. Among the northern armies, these four had united, separated from the main force, and had long targeted Xixian Pass, planning to use it as an entry point into the Fiend-Fire Clan's territory. Now, look how that turned out. It was all that damn Qian Shougeng's fault!

Zhao Xing was unaware of how many chain reactions he had set in motion. After the standoff was resolved, he returned with his army to City No. 98.

When Liao Rulong returned, he was also inwardly apprehensive. While he spoke boldly, he was actually quite panicked. If it had truly escalated into a large-scale armed conflict with the Black Dragon Army, his position as commander would have been over. "Since Zhao Xing arrived, my military achievements have increased, but so have my moments of dread," Liao Rulong remarked.

"It's a good thing Zhao Xing handled it," Pu Zhong said. "If it had been Long Xiao leading, things would have been dicey." From clarifying the situation at City No. 98 to annihilating Qian Shougeng's detachment, Zhao Xing's handling was flawless. He didn't provide any unfavorable evidence to the investigation team, demonstrating his ability to stir up trouble and also settle it. If Long Xiao had been in charge, it would likely have been classified as "deliberate post-incident retaliation."

"In any case, after this incident, our Divine Might Army is now considered a powerful force," Pu Zhong said. "Anyone who wants to bully us again will have to consider whether they can withstand our counterattack." "Indeed," Liao Rulong smiled. "We've also gotten some satisfaction."

Upon returning to City No. 98, Zhao Xing saw Han Bing, Che Shihai, Wang Ji, Yuan Yang, and others waiting to welcome him. As he disembarked from the flying boat, the gazes of the people below seemed to burn with admiration. The news that Zhao Xing and Long Xiao had killed Qian Shougeng had already spread. They felt immensely honored to have a superior who so deeply cared for his subordinates.

"Boss, you're back!" Che Shihai excitedly ran over. "What 'boss'? How many times have I told you to address me by my official title in formal settings?" Zhao Xing chided. "Yes, Commander," Che Shihai quickly corrected himself.

"Wang Ji, how are your injuries?" Zhao Xing asked. "Commander, if you had returned any later, I probably would never have fully recovered," Wang Ji said with a hint of melancholy. "What happened?" Zhao Xing asked, puzzled.

"Didn't the Commander give the order?" Yuan Yang also looked confused, as if asking, "Did you forget so quickly?" Upon closer inquiry, Zhao Xing realized that Yuan Yang had indeed carried out his orders: every time Wang Ji woke up, he was immediately knocked unconscious again. Despite his minor injuries, Wang Ji had remained unconscious for a full seven days. He only recovered after the investigation team left.

Wang Ji felt utterly bitter. His injuries should have healed the very same day, but his own people had forcibly suppressed his recovery, leaving him to feign misery on a stretcher for days. Zhao Xing didn't know what to say. Yuan Yang had been too obedient; after the "feigning misery" part was over, he could have just healed Wang Ji.

As they entered the hall, Zhao Xing turned to Wang Ji and Han Bing, saying, "You both need to learn from this incident." "Wang Ji, Han Bing, one of you was too impulsive, and the other too calm." "Wang Ji, you shouldn't have tried to stop them and get yourself injured. How could a fifth-grade Earthflame Lotus be more important than your own life?" "Han Bing, you overthink things too much. Even if it was the Black Dragon Army, you shouldn't have been so submissive. If you had organized a fight outside the city and resisted, our subsequent pursuit would have been more reasonable, coherent, and better justified. You shouldn't have waited for me to arrive to rectify the situation."

Han Bing and Wang Ji quickly nodded, indicating they had taken his advice. "Alright, I'm tired these past few days. You two can go now and let me rest for a bit." Zhao Xing knew these two didn't need much teaching; they simply lacked experience. "Yes, Commander."

After dismissing everyone, Zhao Xing used his Divine Movement Guard technique to sink into the ground. City No. 98 had not yet established a temple, and with the investigation team gone, Zhao Xing decided to risk entering the Grand Dream Academy once. The intervention of the three kings, after all, made Zhao Xing feel a sense of caution. He felt he couldn't solely rely on his past life's experience and needed to become stronger. With greater strength, he could handle unforeseen variables more calmly.

Previously, he had been wary of being monitored, but now Zhao Xing had become accustomed to the battlefield and had a deeper understanding of the Great Zhou's Yin God surveillance system. He felt he could try entering the Grand Dream Academy again.

The octagonal underground palace descended two thousand meters. He then dug a tunnel, affixed many talismans around it, and sat cross-legged as if meditating. In reality, he silently chanted a spell, quietly entering the Grand Dream Academy.

"Whoosh," Zhao Xing stepped into the mist-shrouded portal. With a single stride, the scenery shifted. Before his eyes appeared magnificent palaces, each enveloped in a semicircular light barrier.

These palaces flashed before his eyes, then most vanished, leaving only three. One was the 'Hall of Heavenly Craft,' where Zhao Xing had previously obtained the sixth-grade Soul Armor, guarded by a mechanical mythical beast, the Xiezhi. Second was the 'Platform of Heart Inquiry,' the place where one could obtain Dao Embryo Pills, which had now reappeared. Third was the 'Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets,' a new palace.

"I'll try the Hall of Heavenly Craft first," Zhao Xing decided, entering the hall. He had previously cleared three levels of the Hall of Heavenly Craft.

The first level was the Gate of Profound Mystery. The second level was the Mechanical Box. The third level was the Mechanical Maze. The first two levels offered pill rewards. The third level awarded a sixth-grade Soul Armor.

Upon seeing the mechanical beast Xiezhi again, he heard the familiar question: "Student Zhao Xing, you have reached the threshold to challenge the fourth level, the 'Six Harmonies Yin-Yang Array.'" "The minimum reward for the fourth level is a low-grade fourth-tier treasure, and the maximum reward is a high-grade sixth-tier treasure." "Do you wish to challenge the level?"

Zhao Xing nodded: "Yes, Guardian, I choose to challenge." "Please enter that gate." The mechanical beast Xiezhi blew a breath, scattering the surrounding mist, and a portal appeared ten meters in front of Zhao Xing. Zhao Xing stepped into the portal, and the scenery around him immediately changed, placing him at the foot of a tall mountain.

"The Six Harmonies Yin-Yang Array is formed by the complementary Yin and Yang powers of Earth Fiend and Heavenly Gang. The entire mountain is constructed from this array." "To climb the mountain, the minimum requirement is to reach the Earth Fiend realm and begin refining the body with Earth Fiend energy. To reach the very summit, one must be at the peak of the Heavenly Gang realm, refining the body with Heavenly Gang energy." "To perfectly clear the level and obtain the highest reward, one must fearlessly endure four types of trials: earth, wind, fire, and thunder."

Not every level could be cleverly bypassed. Unlike the mechanical maze in the third level, the fourth level was a pure test of strength. "However, I possess nine high-grade techniques. When challenging this level, the spells I know in reality are equally usable here." "My strength shouldn't be judged by the normal Earth Fiend realm. I wonder if I can reach the summit?"

After a brief preparation, Zhao Xing began to ascend the mountain. Within the first quarter of an hour of starting his ascent, the ground began to shake, the mountain cracked, and massive boulders continuously rolled down, smashing towards Zhao Xing. Each boulder carried a dense Earth Fiend power; if struck by one of the large boulders, the impact force would be beyond Zhao Xing's ability to resist. Thus, the mythical beast Xiezhi had stated that Zhao Xing merely met the threshold to challenge the level.

"Heaven and Earth evolve Yin and Yang. The earth tribulation of the Six Harmonies Array is like a high-grade mountain-sealing technique." "However, this mountain-sealing technique is offensive; anyone attempting to climb the mountain will be attacked by it." When Zhao Xing entered the trial, his 'body' replicated his real-world condition, so the spells he knew were also effective here.

"Divine Movement Guard!" Zhao Xing immediately sank into the mountain, not directly confronting the boulders. His Divine Movement Guard was now a fourth-stage high-grade spell. Traversing through the mountain, he quickly passed the 'earth tribulation' and reached a quarter of the mountain's height.

At this point, his tunneling became slow, as the Six Harmonies Yin-Yang Array produced its second transformation: Six Harmonies Wind Fiend. Not only did the ground shake, but violently raging winds also blew towards the octagonal underground palace from deep within the earth. "Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle, sizzle, sizzle." The octagonal underground palace swayed precariously. Although the wind didn't blow directly inside, Zhao Xing, who was within, felt an extreme chill, a coldness that permeated his very soul.

"Yin Wind Fiend!" Zhao Xing immediately activated his second high-grade technique, the Yin Wind Fiend. Using wind fiend against wind fiend, he enveloped the octagonal underground palace and continued to ascend the mountain.