Chapter 55: 引雷与冰雨

"Old Chen must have done it on purpose!"

"As a military agronomist, how could he lose control of his technique?" Zhao Xing rubbed his aching shoulder, where a patch of frost was melting into water. "Perhaps my spell affected him, causing nightmares he doesn't want to admit. Or maybe he heard me call him 'Old Chen'?"

Zhao Xing had just seen Chen Shijie's contorted, pained expression and, unsure what was happening, blurted out "Old Chen" in a moment of urgency. Dreams were not ordinary occurrences in this world, so he was worried something had happened to Chen Shijie.

"Sooner or later, I'll surpass Old Chen. Then, it'll be 'Little Chen'..." A smile touched Zhao Xing's lips as he patted his shoulder and slowly walked away.

***

Since practicing Dark Wind spells was unsuitable during the day, Zhao Xing moved his practice to the evening. Grasping the fluctuations of the earth veins and capturing the underground dark winds was highly challenging. However, even without reaching the first 'turn' of mastery, its power was considerable. This spell was mandatory for Zhao Xing, and he needed to master it.

"The Dark Wind technique can not only harm people but is also essential for cultivating certain rare treasures," he mused. "For instance, the Soul-Returning Grass is extremely difficult to grow without dark wind; conversely, its presence can accelerate its maturation." As for the mornings, he focused on nurturing the Heavenly Pear saplings, ensuring their robust growth.

After leaving home, Zhao Xing went to the Directorate of Agronomy to practice Lightning Induction in Xue Wenzhong's backyard. The old agronomist was very strong in lightning techniques; in terms of refined control, Chen Shijie might not even be stronger than Xue Wenzhong.

"Between inducing lightning and striking with lightning, there's only one step: controlling the direction of the lightning's dispersion," Xue Wenzhong patiently explained. "Actually, the lightning strike spell already generates considerable lightning power, but it cannot escape the confines of the moving clouds. Even if it did, it wouldn't follow the caster's will. To induce lightning, you need to strengthen your control over the moving clouds, so the lightning power pours out at a specific angle."

"So the key to inducing lightning isn't striking with lightning, but controlling the clouds?" Zhao Xing couldn't help but nod as he looked at the cloud in Xue Wenzhong's palm. The old agronomist's teaching method was indeed unique; having immersed himself for decades, he had developed his own understanding of spells. Three feet of heavenly lightning, a cloud in his palm—this technique was enough to last a lifetime of learning. To shrink the moving cloud to such an extent, with its lightning power increasing rather than decreasing, it already resembled the 'Palm Lightning' Zhao Xing had seen in the recovery version! This was the result of diligently studying a spell and continuously breaking through its limits. How many 'turns' had the old agronomist's Cloud Movement and Lightning Induction spells reached? Even he probably couldn't say.

***

The divine agility straw figures were incredibly fast and nimble. Made from primal rice, the straw figures continuously darted around the courtyard, seemingly dodging something. A cloud overhead covered the entire backyard, occasionally releasing a bolt of lightning.

"Boom-crack!" Lightning struck a straw figure. After a flash of light, the figure burst into flames and collapsed onto the ground. More than one figure lay burning, but many more were still darting around, hiding. The straw figures weren't made by Zhao Xing, but by Xue Wenzhong. Hitting them was much more difficult. Their movement speed was too fast; by the time Zhao Xing controlled his aim, the straw figure had already moved to the next spot.

"Unless I indiscriminately blast, increasing the coverage area, my hit rate is too low—only thirty percent," Zhao Xing thought to himself. But the old agronomist didn't allow him to do that, as the straw figures were also confined within the lightning cloud's range, precisely to train his proficiency. Anyone could blast indiscriminately. What would be the point of training then?

"If you can destroy seventy percent of the straw figures before noon, your Lightning Induction technique will have advanced significantly," Xue Wenzhong stated. He had already gained a general understanding of Zhao Xing's aptitude and comprehension, which was why the straw figures he released were all exceptionally fast and agile.

Zhao Xing didn't get discouraged. He slowly sought the right feel. His experience controlling things as a player in his previous life was very different from controlling spells now, but through gradual adjustment, he was regaining his touch.

*You cast Lightning Induction, spell proficiency +20.**You cast Lightning Induction, spell proficiency +30.**You cast Lightning Induction, spell proficiency +45.*...

"Boom-crack!" "Boom-crack!" Completely absorbed, Zhao Xing's hit rate gradually improved. When the almanac indicated noon, all the straw figures in the backyard had turned to ashes.

"Phew~" Zhao Xing glanced at his panel.

**Lightning Induction: Intermediate Spell****Proficiency: 1025/9999****Effect: Induce lightning into the ground, strike enemies.**

"My Lightning Strike is at seven turns, and Cloud Movement is at nine turns. Even though these prerequisite spells are so proficient, I only gained one 'turn' this morning. Although the proficiency cap hasn't changed, the difficulty of improvement is vastly different from when it was at the basic level," Zhao Xing thought to himself. He found it a bit slow, but Xue Wenzhong was quite satisfied and gave Zhao Xing the afternoon off, allowing him to arrange his own schedule.

***

The afternoon's itinerary was Chen Mansion. At a quarter past noon, Shen Zhui was punctually waiting at the training ground of Chen Mansion.

"Brother Zhao, please."

"Brother Shen, please."

The two stood twenty meters apart, then began their game of chase and evasion once more. This was their third spar. The beginning was no different from the previous two times. Zhao Xing still simultaneously unleashed Cloud Movement, Lightning Strike, Rain Dispensing, and Wind Rising. Shen Zhui was already familiar with his routine and immediately began pursuit after ten breaths.

However, after the rain started, Shen Zhui felt something unusual. "Why is this rain so cold?" Shen Zhui had only run a few steps in the rain before he felt something was off. He looked up, and water droplets trickled down his straw hat onto his brow. "Hiss~" Shen Zhui couldn't help but shiver. Cold, it was too cold. It was as if this wasn't summer rain, but winter rain. Shen Zhui even felt like adding more clothes.

"What kind of rain is this? It's completely different from the previous two times." He thought. "I must use my primal energy to resist the cold's erosion, otherwise it will greatly affect my mobility." Although the effect of each raindrop was slight, it was continuously accumulating. Shen Zhui knew he had to act quickly.

***

Meanwhile, Zhao Xing, hiding elsewhere, was making straw figures and calculating. "Against Shen Zhui, I shouldn't use Dark Wind, as he's not Chen Shijie and can easily withstand it. That leaves only Ice Rain and Lightning Induction. First, I'll reduce his mobility, then strike him with lightning." Dark Wind harms the soul; Ice Rain harms the body.

"The Ice Rain spell also utilizes Yin-attributed power, but it's much easier than Dark Wind. Water is inherently Yin, so by simply guiding it with primal energy and removing Yang-attributed power from the moving clouds, ice rain can form." When the old agronomist taught Lightning Induction, he pointed out that the key to getting started was mastering control over the moving clouds. Zhao Xing applied this same logic to casting the Ice Rain spell and indeed found it easy to grasp.

"Plink~" A raindrop fell on his hand, and Zhao Xing felt the cold. Although he had just started and his proficiency was far from the first 'turn,' if he dragged the match out long enough, it would greatly deplete Shen Zhui's primal energy and reduce his mobility. A game of chase and evasion? For Zhao Xing, there was no simply running without attacking! Before, he didn't have many offensive spells, but now that he did, he certainly wouldn't wait to be caught!