Chapter 72: Cloud Duel, Is There a Master?

Zhao Xing’s confidence surged after his Dark Wind spell reached the ninth revolution. Previously, he hadn't dared to hope for one of the first few incense sticks, but now, he felt a certain assurance.

"The temple gates are about to open; quickly restore your vital energy."

Zhao Xing quickly took out three Vitality Gathering Pills from his bamboo box and swallowed them, then bit into a Sky Origin Pear. His complexion immediately brightened.

Once his vital energy was more than half restored, he glanced at the sundial.

"It’s already the sixth quarter of the Hai hour; only two quarters of an hour remain until the temple gates open."

Zhao Xing scanned the Altar Square, noticing that Shen Zhui still hadn't arrived.

"Who knows what he's been through; he even missed the incense competition on the second night."

"Hopefully, it was for a good reason."

He himself hadn't competed for the first incense stick on the first night, choosing instead to hide in a cave and consume a Vermillion Fruit to achieve a breakthrough.

After some thought, Zhao Xing walked towards another part of the square.

"Young Master Zong."

Zong Shichang was consulting with someone nearby and was annoyed by the interruption. When he saw it was Zhao Xing, his brow relaxed, and he smiled, "What happened to you? You look a bit drained after such a short time."

The Myriad Laws Spirit Essence had directly elevated Zhao Xing's Dark Wind from beginner to the ninth revolution, but this had also consumed a vast amount of his vital energy, primarily his physical and ethereal souls. This intense cultivation had caused significant fluctuations, making Zhao Xing appear somewhat listless at the moment.

Zhao Xing ignored Zong Shichang's teasing and got straight to the point, "How about we compete for the first incense stick together when we enter the temple later?"

Hearing this, Zong Shichang looked troubled and whispered, "To be honest, I'm willing, but the people I've gathered will only protect me; they might not be able to fully guard you. Let me ask them."

Zhao Xing nodded. Zong Shichang was only at the fourth stage of Vitality Gathering. It would be absurd to let such a dandy lead them in combat. If Zong Shichang could decide on his own, Zhao Xing would turn and leave; that would be treating life as a game.

Zong Shichang turned back and discussed in a low voice among his group. There were about seventeen or eighteen people gathered around him.

The first tier, of course, consisted of three eighth-stage Vitality Gathering experts, hired by his father. Since they were hired, Zong Shichang couldn't order them around. For most actions, he had to heed the advice of these masters. Zong Shichang also understood this clearly; he would never, as an amateur, try to direct professionals.

The second tier comprised five seventh-stage Vitality Gathering experts. They were relatively young, rising talents from Nanyang Prefecture, and formed part of Zong Shichang's own network. They had agreed to act together, but there was no master-subordinate relationship, only cooperation.

The third tier consisted of fifth and sixth-stage Vitality Gathering practitioners whom Zong Shichang had recruited with silver notes. These people were amenable to Zong Shichang's commands.

Zong Shichang himself was a pleasure-seeker, and he had no objection to Zhao Xing joining them. The more people, the better; he wished everyone in the Altar Square would come join his lively group!

However, he understood the gravity of the situation and felt that Zhao Xing's chances of joining were slim. After all, a Steward of Agriculture wasn't inherently combat-capable, and in his impression, Zhao Xing's rank wasn't high – at least, Zong Shichang couldn't discern it.

However, as he spoke, a tall, thin middle-aged man carrying four battle sabers nearby spoke up, "Young Master Zong, I think he can join."

"Huh?" Zong Shichang was surprised and looked at 'Uncle Cang,' one of the masters his father had hired.

"Indeed, Old Cang is right," another middle-aged swordsman with a mole at the corner of his mouth added, "Young Master, you can also learn from this."

Zong Shichang was a bit bewildered, "Uncle Cang, Uncle Hu, are you joking? You weren't happy when I borrowed silver just now." He wasn't sure what to make of it, thinking these two were mocking him, implying, "We gave you silver, and now you want to bring someone else? Don't you know your limits, Young Master Zong?"

"That was then, this is now," Uncle Cang smiled. "Before he absorbed the third Spirit Essence, he could only be considered marginally useful."

"But after absorbing the third Spirit Essence..." a strange glint flashed in the swordsman 'Uncle Hu's' eyes, "I actually sense a strong threat from this young man, a threat of life and death."

Two of the three top masters agreed; the remaining one said nothing. Not speaking meant no opposition. Zong Shichang, surprised, immediately understood and chuckled, "Actually, I saw it all along! See, my previous two hundred silver notes made perfect sense!"

The three masters merely smiled, saying nothing. *You saw it? You saw jack squat! You were just being a spendthrift!*

"Ahem, I'll go tell him now." Seeing no one playing along, Zong Shichang stopped boasting and turned to Zhao Xing.

"Brother Zhao, I've sorted everything out. You'll compete for the incense with us later."

Zhao Xing had actually heard everything, but he still gave a thumbs-up, "Impressive, as expected of Young Master Zong."

"Oh, it's nothing," Zong Shichang felt completely at ease, his smile growing even brighter.

"There's still some time. Shall I give you a rundown of the competition?"

"Alright." Zhao Xing listened intently; he indeed knew little about these experts.

Zong Shichang stood beside Zhao Xing and pointed to a corner of the Altar Square, "See that man with the feather fan? His name is Wen Zhao, ninth stage of Vitality Gathering, thirty-six this year, and an official of Nanyang Prefecture's Ministry of Rites."

"He's a Rite cultivator, particularly skilled in 'Harmony Rites' and 'Fire Rites'."

"He secured the fifth incense stick last night."

Zhao Xing nodded slightly. He had also recognized him as a Rite cultivator; it was this person who had burned several of his straw effigies when he entered the Altar Square.

"The saber wielder beside him is Zhang Boran, eighth stage of Vitality Gathering. He's Wen Zhao's cousin, uses a high-grade third-tier 'Tiger Ring Saber,' and is skilled in a mid-tier secret technique called 'Tiger's Malice Saber'."

"These two, one a scholar and one a warrior, work very well together."

Zong Shichang's finger moved across, pointing in another direction, "That man wearing a straw cape and a dull, grey hat is Cao Qiushui, ninth stage of Vitality Gathering."

"He's also a Steward of Agriculture official, from the direct lineage of the Cao family's younger generation. He ranks third among them, and his strength is also third. He's not as good as his elder brother Cao Chunfang, nor his seventh younger brother Cao Wangdong."

Zhao Xing raised an eyebrow, "The Cao family, are they descendants of the True Monarch?"

Zong Shichang pursed his lips and said, "Indeed, they are descendants of True Monarch Caoxi, but this bloodline is over a thousand years old now; there's nothing remarkable about it. As the saying goes, 'each generation is worse than the last'."

Seeing him stop, Zhao Xing reluctantly prompted, "What does that mean?"

Zong Shichang smiled, "It means each generation is worse than the last. In the past three hundred years, the Cao family has only produced one official of the fifth rank, and that was a loose, unattached position."

Zhao Xing said, "You can't really blame them for not trying. Noble families genuinely have a hard time navigating this era."

Zong Shichang nodded, "Indeed, that person is too ruthless, constantly bleeding the noble families dry..."

Zhao Xing waved his hand, "Let's not get sidetracked; that's taboo."

Zong Shichang fell silent, looking around. Then his eyes lit up, and he pointed to the east side of the square, "She's here."

"Who?"

"Du Jiaojiao. Do you see the one with the spear? Yes, she's blocked by the woman holding the willow zither."

Zhao Xing looked over, seeing Lu Qian chatting with a woman holding a willow zither. Behind them was a cute girl who was a head shorter. However, her spear was remarkably tall, probably nearly four meters long.

"I see her. Her name suits her; she's quite petite... Why are you laughing?"

Before Zhao Xing finished, he saw Zong Shichang secretly chuckling while clutching his stomach.

"Is something wrong?"

Zong Shichang slapped his thigh and said, "Her name is Du Jiaojiao (meaning 'delicate' or 'petite'), but she's not petite at all! She's sitting down!"

"Huh?" Zhao Xing was stunned.

"Don't believe me? I'll show you." Zong Shichang picked up a stone from the ground and threw it in their direction. "Hey! Brother Du!"

The stone landed in front of the three girls. Lu Qian, who was talking, frowned. Seeing it was Zong Shichang, she immediately scolded, "Zong Eighteen, what are you doing, you ignorant scoundrel!"

Zong Shichang waved his hand, "Qianqian, your scolding sounds so lovely! Say a couple more for me, little master."

Lu Qian was furious and was about to rush over, "Are you trying to die?!"

At this moment, Du Jiaojiao stood up and pulled her back, "Qianqian, don't mind him."

"Hmph," Lu Qian glared fiercely and sat back down, fuming.

Zong Shichang turned back, "See?"

Zhao Xing nodded, "I see. Truly astonishing."

Du Jiaojiao stood up, revealing she was eight feet tall! A rough estimate put her at no less than 2.4 to 2.5 meters! Furthermore, her build was exceptionally robust. Her face was cute and delicate, but unexpectedly, she was a 'Muscle Barbie'.

"No wonder she uses such a long spear."

Zong Shichang said, "The Du family spear is very famous in Nanyang Prefecture. Her father can be called the top spear master in Nanyang Prefecture. This woman also knows at least three mid-tier secret techniques. Last night, she secured the second incense stick. If she hadn't arrived a bit late, even Yang Junxiong might not have been able to decisively defeat her."

At the mention of Yang Junxiong, Zong Shichang's tone grew cold, "Yang Junxiong, the one riding the bamboo horse, is the culprit behind Brother Wang's death."

"Originally, among the ninth-stage Vitality Gathering experts, there were also Hong Sihai, Dong Chuan, and Xiang Chenglin, all quite formidable. But these three were severely injured by Yang Junxiong yesterday and had to descend the mountain early, ending their journey."

Severely injured three ninth-stage Vitality Gathering experts? Zhao Xing was slightly surprised, "Has this Yang Junxiong already attained a rank? What's his background?"

For these three days, only officials were allowed up the mountain, and officials generally hadn't reached a formal rank yet. However, breakthroughs were possible if one encountered opportunities after ascending the mountain.

"I don't know," Zong Shichang shook his head. "I haven't been able to find out his origins. Nanyang Prefecture has hundreds of counties; I don't know where this person came from."

"Damn it, he defeated so many people; he must have gained a lot of Spirit Essence. His strength is too great; I can't avenge myself on the mountain."

Zong Shichang was furious, but once they descended the mountain, everyone would forget everything.

Zhao Xing reminded him, "Brother Zong, if he was already at the ninth stage of Vitality Gathering and gained Spirit Essence, then don't think about revenge for now. Staying alive is more important."

"You should also pray that he wasn't targeting you, and that Brother Wang's death was just something he did incidentally."

"Never mind, let's not talk about him."

Zong Shichang gloomily opened his bamboo box. Whether it was the mention of Yang Junxiong that made him angry or simply speaking too much that made him thirsty, he pulled out chilled plum soup and took two large gulps.

Seeing Zong Shichang lose his interest in talking, Zhao Xing stopped asking questions, silently gathering his strength and waiting for the temple gates to open.

In the final quarter of an hour before the temple gates opened, the Altar Square gradually emptied. Because it was completely dark, officials without Night Vision ability had long since retreated from the Altar Square, keeping their distance.

Although there were fewer people, the atmosphere grew increasingly somber, and the murmuring subsided. By the time midnight approached, no one spoke. They simply stared silently at the sundial's pointer on the square, as it was about to leave the 'Cease Hostilities' zone.

Some couldn't bear the heavy atmosphere and chose to withdraw at the last moment. The number of people on the square decreased by another third.

Zhao Xing's eyes emitted faint green light in the darkness as he also stared at the pointer.

"Clang!"

Suddenly, a heavy bell toll echoed from the temple ahead. And the sundial's pointer had moved to midnight! In the midnight zone, two characters were inscribed: 'Might Only!'

The temple gates opened, and ten golden orbs of light drifted out from within. Those were the 'incense offerings' required to enter the temple! The incense offerings floated above the Altar Square, suspended in mid-air like bright lanterns.

"Move!" Uncle Cang, standing beside Zong Shichang, immediately shouted.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

Another eighth-stage Vitality Gathering expert, 'Uncle Hu,' also quickly leaped into the air, attempting to seize the incense offerings. Only truly confident experts dared to compete for the first wave of incense offerings. Although most others were tempted, they held back and didn't act, because during the 'Might Only' period, one's life and death were their own responsibility!

In the vast Altar Square, only twenty-one people dared to leap into the air to contend for the first incense sticks. But this didn't mean those on the ground remained still. The very next moment after these twenty-one martial artists leaped—

A voice emanated from the southeast of the square.

"In the application of rites, harmony is prized!"

The mellow voice resonated directly in everyone's ears, causing a brief moment of disorientation for all. It was as if an old scholar, adorned with a cap, was kindly teaching by their ears. At that moment, the twenty-one martial artists who had just leaped lost all will to fight. Twenty of them landed, some even stumbling and struggling to stand steadily upon impact.

"Wen Zhao!" Uncle Cang roared unwillingly. He and another person also involuntarily fell to the ground.

Only a silver spear broke through the air; not only was it unaffected, but it soared straight up, grabbing one of the incense sticks. It was Du Jiaojiao.

Simultaneously, the sound of horse hooves came from outside the square. A dark figure, riding a bamboo horse, flew through the air, unaffected. Coming from behind, he arrived first, snatching an incense stick before Du Jiaojiao. His momentum undiminished, he landed at the stone steps leading to the temple.

"Yang Junxiong!" Du Jiaojiao's voice was soft, but full of battle intent. When she landed, her position was nearly identical to Yang Junxiong's. The stone steps were too narrow for many to pass at once. Who would claim the first incense stick depended on who ascended first.

"Get lost!" Yang Junxiong roared. He also used a spear, but his was entirely fiery red, and his aura was astonishing, as if even his bamboo horse was covered in a layer of radiant light. Even from such a distance, his roar made the ears of those on the square ache, yet Du Jiaojiao seemed completely unaffected.

"Mid-tier secret technique, Lion's Roar?" Du Jiaojiao held her spear horizontally in front of Yang Junxiong, her eyes gleaming. "Make me get lost? That depends on whether you have the strength!"

These two were the first to seize incense. The third person was Zhang Boran, next to Wen Zhao, who was unaffected because he had jumped backward. However, after he landed, he didn't dare to advance. Because Yang Junxiong and Du Jiaojiao blocked the path, and he was only at the eighth stage of Vitality Gathering, he dared not approach them.

With three incense sticks taken, the battle on the square erupted instantly. Wen Zhao's suppression was released in an instant, as he intended for Zhang Boran to seize an incense stick.

"Moving Clouds!"

Zhao Xing pointed his hand. The moment midnight arrived, he immediately attempted to raise clouds, intending to cover the entire Altar Square. But before casting Moving Clouds, he had first unleashed his Dark Wind. He had the Dark Wind encircle him, forming a barrier. Beyond the Dark Wind, he used a Wind Raising spell to create a second barrier.

Tempered by the subterranean Dark Wind, the Myriad Laws Spirit Essence had made his soul resilient, difficult to sway. Thus, Wen Zhao's influence on him was minimal. Instead, it was Yang Junxiong's Lion's Roar that pierced his wind barrier. The slight delay was mainly due to the nature of the spell; Moving Clouds also required time to coalesce.

Almost as the first group of martial artists landed and Du Jiaojiao and Yang Junxiong snatched the incense, Zhao Xing's Moving Clouds rose over the square. He had to seize the initiative; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to cast subsequent spells like Lightning Attraction and Ice Rain, and might not be able to obtain an incense offering.

"Moving Clouds!"

Zhao Xing wasn't the only one with this idea; eight others on the Altar Square successively cast spells, attempting to gain the advantage of controlling the weather. Those who dared to act in this initial phase possessed absolute confidence in their spells. The square was only so large; it couldn't accommodate that many clouds.

Thus, collisions occurred immediately. As the clouds collided, thunder roared, illuminating the Altar Square in an instant. Even Wen Zhao privately marveled, "The Rites of Heaven have become this chaotic. It seems Cao Qiushui isn't the only formidable figure in the Steward of Agriculture role this time."

On the west side of the square, Cao Qiushui, dressed in a straw cape and conical hat, manipulated his Moving Clouds, which surged like an endless river, forcefully pushing aside surrounding clouds. Soon, three people in his half of the square were defeated.

"Brother Cao's Flowing Cloud spell has reached the fifth revolution; I concede."

"Thank you, Brother Cao, for your leniency."

"Hmph, my skill is inferior; there's nothing to say."

"Thank you all for yielding!" Cao Qiushui smiled and cupped his hands towards the three.

Just as he intended to expand the range of his Moving Clouds to cover the entire square, he discovered that the other half of the square, at some unknown point, also had only one cloud remaining. It was Zhao Xing who had already dealt with the other competitors. He hadn't suppressed the other four purely by his Moving Clouds. He had simply subtly unleashed a wisp of Dark Wind to ambush these four. With their soul-fires flickering precariously, how could they possibly control their Moving Cloud spells? They were immediately cut apart and absorbed by Zhao Xing's cloud layer, becoming nourishment. Therefore, Zhao Xing's elementary cloud spell was no weaker in power than Cao Qiushui's mid-tier cloud spell.

"What's going on? Why did my Moving Clouds go out of control?"

"Who? Who is attacking me secretly?!"

"Damn it!"

Curses rang out from four different places on the square.

"Zhao Sanjia, how could you..." Zong Shichang looked at the clouds above his head in disbelief. He hadn't known Zhao Xing was so powerful, able to raise his cloud layer immediately among many experts and defeat four other Stewards of Agriculture.

"What astonishing control! How can his Moving Clouds technique devour others' cloud energy?" Uncle Cang and Uncle Hu, after landing, didn't jump again but waited for an opportune moment. They were very surprised after seeing Zhao Xing's actions. Because they hadn't expected Zhao Xing to be of much use, at least not to achieve anything significant in the first wave of incense competition.

"It's that move again! In the previous assessment, his cloud layer could devour Huang Tao's cloud layer and turn it into his own..." Zong Shichang was a bit excited.

Ignoring the surprise of others, Zhao Xing quickly controlled his cloud layer to absorb the defeated opponents' cloud energy, getting ready. Seizing the moment while Cao Qiushui was showing off, he charged straight into him.

Thunder boomed again. A fifth of the cloud layer above Zhao Xing's head was scattered by the impact. But it was rapidly absorbed back in, demonstrating astonishing control. Although Cao Qiushui's cloud layer held an advantage in the collision, the surging momentum of his flowing clouds was obstructed.

Although it was a passive collision, this completely exceeded everyone's expectations, because Cao Qiushui was using a mid-tier Flowing Cloud spell, while Zhao Xing's was only an elementary Moving Clouds spell.

"Hmm? Another master?" Cao Qiushui looked in a certain direction with surprise.