Rankings and Points (Third Update)

Zhao Xing looked at the rankings displayed on the mirror.

First, Shi Yong, Tigron Army.

Second, Zhuang Ziqing, Tigron Army.

Third, Feng Qiu and Tigron Army.

Fourth, Hua Zhilin, Black Armor Army.

Fifth, Guan Junyang, Black Armor Army.

Ninth, Meng Song, Blazing Sun Army.

Tenth, Han Bing, Divine Might Army.

The top three spots were all taken by the Tigron Army, and five of the top ten were also from the Tigron Army. The remaining five were two from the Black Armor Army, two from the Blazing Sun Army, and one from the Divine Might Army.

Zhao Xing continued searching and soon found his own name.

Twenty-ninth, Zhao Xing, Divine Might Army.

"Ranked twenty-ninth?"

"Not bad."

Zhao Xing nodded slightly.

In this test, I am at a significant disadvantage compared to others.

Because he was a clerk who took office, he was directly selected to join the Divine Might Army.

Strictly speaking, Zhao Xing only has [Yin Wind] and [Icy Rain] as Military Sima Nong spells, while Civil Sima Nong also has the opportunity to learn [Five Elements Earth Splitting] and [Boundless Earth Palace].

In addition, classic secret methods such as the Solar Terms Decree, the All Things Growth Chart, the Houtu Return to Origin, and the Yin Yang True Self Scripture have not yet been formally practiced.

More than 10,000 people participated in this report.

Ranked 29th out of 10,000? That's already beyond Zhao Xing's expectations.

"I wasted some time at Ten Thousand Mile Thunder Pool, and my travel speed under normal conditions is not top-notch."

Zhao Xing used the cloud formations to enhance the speed of his Cloud Stepping Boots; the Rising Wind was merely a beginner-level technique.

The only ones who can truly be considered top-tier in terms of speed are those who ride the wind and those who can move stealthily through the Earth Vein.

"If it weren't for overtaking on the bends of the Earth Fire Plain and the Ten Thousand Mile Thunder Pool, I probably wouldn't even be in the top 100... But being 29th is still quite a lot of points." Zhao Xing walked forward with the people in front of him.

The first place winner will receive 10,000 points.

The second place winner will receive 8,000 points.

The third place winner will receive 6,000 points.

The fourth to tenth place finishers will receive 4,000 points.

The eleventh to twentieth place winners will receive 2,000 points.

The 21st to 50th place finishers will each receive 1,000 points.

Points from the fiftieth to the hundredth: 500 points.

After reaching 100, there are no more points rewards.

In addition to the points rewards for the top ten, there are multiple tiers, and the rewards are the same for those who rank ten or twenty places lower.

Because of this test, strength is only one factor. Some people may not be good at traveling, but they are very good at attacking. Some people are good at cultivating plants. Some people are good at supporting the army. The strength of the Military Sima Nong is a combination of many aspects.

The difference in rankings by ten or twenty places doesn't necessarily mean a significant difference in ability. In addition, the final placement also involves an element of luck.

Zhao Xing was lucky; he entered from the entrance of the Great Lake and was not far from the Earth Fire Plain.

Of course, if you can rank in the top ten, then the concept is different.

As they were walking, a paper crane suddenly landed on Zhao Xing's shoulder.

"New recruits, turn right ahead to the Tranquil Flood Hall to collect your Personal Seal."

Paper Folding Art, Thousand Paper Cranes.

Zhao Xing was familiar with this spell; it was one of the Grass Soldier Art Techniques.

Those Ritual Cultivator can use Wild Goose Letter Delivery to deliver messages, while Military Sima Nong can fold Thousand Paper Cranes. Ceremonial Official can ask Yin Spirit to deliver messages, and Mechanism Master can create Earth Mirror Instrument and the Heaven Piercing Instrument.

Even Martial Man have secret methods for transmitting information, but the distance is much shorter and it's not as convenient as other professions.

Zhao Xing was the twenty-ninth person to enter; there weren't many people at that time.

He walked through the Agricultural Supervisorate, guided by the Thousand Paper Cranes crane.

"The Agricultural Supervisorate, established within the Military Realm, is the same as that in the outside world."

"However, there are some differences. The overall architectural style and area of Agricultural Supervisorate here are many times larger." Zhao Xing said as he walked and looked around.

"The specifications are also very high. It was built to the standards of Military Sima Nong Prefecture-Level Agricultural Bureau office."

The Agricultural Supervisorate) of Gucheng was only at the county level, and many buildings were missing, such as the Arsenal, the Military Hall, and the Celestial Timing Hall.

"Name."

"Zhao Xing".

"Which army came from?"

"The Divine Might Army".

"Hold on."

A Mechanism Master hurriedly entered the inner hall and then quickly came out again.

"It's done. This is your secret seal and Earth Mirror Instrument."

The slightly balding Mechanism Master explained, "The secret seal is your identity document. The Earth Mirror Instrument is a sub-mirror, a treasure for storing information. In many places within the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven, it can connect to the mother mirror. Once you leave the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven, you can only view the information that has already been stored and cannot update it in real time."

"Thank you. When will the division training begin?"

The bald Mechanism Master shook his head. "Don't ask me that. I'm just a Mechanism Master. You should ask Paper Crane."

The paper crane on his shoulder said, "The branch selection will be in a month. Only the most outstanding students can enter the four branches: Heavenly Timing, Earthly Advantage Institute, Grand Granary, and Huai Equalization Office. As for the other Four Seasons Institute, Si Ji and Phenology Institute, you can choose freely. There are also many private branches. If you want to study there, it depends on the requirements of the owner of each branch."

"Training includes mandatory training and optional training. The mandatory training is mainly for those accompanying the troops, and no one can be absent."

"There are many training programs available, but you must pass twelve times within a year. If you fail even one, you will be removed from the reserve and sent back to your place of origin."

"If you pass both the mandatory training and the selective training, you can be officially selected and assigned to a military post."

Zhao Xing nodded. The training was mandatory, mainly training programs to support military operations. The reason why the Military Sima Nong was called the Military Sima Nong was because he served the army, so these training programs were indispensable.

Selecting a training program means choosing one's own development direction. "Military Sima Nong" is a general term, but in reality there are many different positions. There is the Agricultural Commandant is in charge of storing land, the Nine Section Shennong who is in charge of fighting, and the Tranquil Flood Commandant is in charge of managing waterways.

There are many options; it depends on your personal choice.

"Where do I live?" After saying goodbye to the bald Mechanism Master, Zhao Xing asked Paper Crane again.

"Your reporting as the twenty-ninth is also a test, and you will be granted a separate courtyard as a result."

"Turn left and go straight to reach the residential area. You can go and choose any place that is not occupied."

"After checking in, you can register using the Earth Mirror in your hand, and then you will become the owner of the courtyard."

"The Earth Mirror can also be used to view the treasures in the Arsenal and records your points."

What if I don't have enough points?

The paper crane replied, "You can go to the Exploration Hall to receive missions, explore Grotto-Heaven, modify Grotto-Heaven, and excavate Grotto-Heaven treasures. There are many types to choose from. Given your Earth Mirror Body level, you can accept missions of level four and below."

In fact, Zhao Xing was no stranger to these procedures, but there were some differences at different times.

Besides, it would seem a bit strange for a newbie like me not to ask any questions. Who knows which powerful figure is casting a spell behind this paper crane? It's better for me to act normally.

"Turn left, then go forward."

"Take out the secret seal; you can proceed now."

Turn right.

"Alright, you can now cast a spell to fly."

Led by the paper crane, Zhao Xing rode on the clouds and flew forward for about 15 minutes before arriving at the residential area.

The residential area includes terrains such as mountains, lakes, wastelands, grasslands, and even desert oases.

Moreover, the weather in the residential area varies at different intervals.

Zhao Xing traversed the designated main road, passing a manor about two kilometers long, where it was Heavy Snow.

But after the Snowfield Manor, the next manor is in the sweltering summer heat.

After flying and walking for a while, Zhao Xing had experienced different environments and different seasons.

Even though it wasn't the first time he'd seen such a scene, he was still quite moved; it was truly amazing.

"This is it."

Zhao Xing searched for a while, half flying and half walking, and finally found a fairly large courtyard with willow trees planted in the middle.

"Registering for the Earth Mirror' project requires naming the villa. Do you have any other questions?"

"There is none left."

Poof! The paper crane spontaneously combusted and turned to ashes.

"It's paper made from the leaves of fragrant bamboo." Zhao Xing sniffed it, then registered it in the Earth Mirror.

[Liuyuan]

[This is a duplicate; please rename it.]

[Locust Willow Courtyard]

[This is a duplicate; please rename it.]

[Two Locust Willow Courtyard]

[This is a duplicate; please rename it.]

"..." Zhao Xing was speechless. Why was it so hard to come up with a name?

[The Eighteen Locust Willow Courtyard]

[Naming successful. You have become the owner of the "Eighteen Locust Willow Courtyard". No one else can enter without permission.]

The coordinates and extent of this courtyard are fixed and cannot be altered by spells. It can withstand the power of a high-level Seventh-Turn spell.

Welcome!

Zhao Xing pushed open the door and entered.

Then they began to examine the information in the Earth Mirror.

Half an hour after Zhao Xing finished reporting and checking in.

Li Feng finally arrived at the Agricultural Supervisorate.

However, when he saw the crowd in the square, his heart sank.

"With so many people, it must be over a hundred."

After landing on the square, Li Feng immediately looked into the mirror.

When he looked, he quickly found his ranking.

"One hundred and forty-three?"

When he looked at the rankings of the other people Tigron Army knew, his face darkened.

"Zhuang Ziqing, Shi Yong, and Feng Qiu have taken the top three spots? The other two, who are about my level, are also in the top ten or top twenty."

Li Feng was so frustrated he felt like vomiting blood.

He ranked sixth in the Tigron Army's internal selection process!

Logically, they should have been able to get a top-ten ranking.

But now, it has jumped directly to over a hundred.

A score of over 100 is still a good result, considering that tens of thousands of people participated.

But Li Feng felt aggrieved.

"I was ranked sixth in the internal selection, but now I've fallen to over a hundred, all because of that treacherous guy."

Li Feng could never forget Zhao Xing's face, especially the way he had shouted at the beginning, "Li Feng, don't push your luck!"

It's infuriating just thinking about it!

"Don't let me run into him!" Li Feng thought bitterly, but he also knew that it wouldn't be easy to run into that person among more than 10,000 people, so he could only put the matter aside for now and go to report on it.

"Rumble~"

Zhuo Li emerged from the soil, then leaped forward and landed on the plaza.

He patted the dust off his clothes and then looked at the Earth Mirror Instrument.

"How many?"

[Chapter 235, Zhuo Li, Blazing Sun Army]

"What? They've all made it to the top two hundred?"

Zhuo Li couldn't help but sigh.

He originally thought that even if he wasn't in the top ten, he would at least be in the top fifty.

Unexpectedly, it didn't even make the top 100; it jumped straight to the top 200.

Actually, the time difference between him and the 100th place was not that much; the main difference was the number of people, with many arriving at the same time.

Even a difference of just one second can mean a difference of dozens of places.

"I wasted too much time on the Earth Fire Plain. Fifth Level Rampage and Three Isolation Zones held me back for too long," Zhuo Li said, feeling somewhat annoyed.

Not getting any points was secondary; what he didn't want to disappoint Helian Lie was that he didn't want to.

But now, he hasn't even made it into the top 100.

"Don't let me find out who did this..." Zhuo Li flicked his sleeves and walked inside.

Great Granary Institute.

Next to the Earth Mirror Instrument.

Zuo Zizhi and Lu Bang watched the names on the mirror keep changing.

In the blink of an eye, the queue had already grown to over a thousand people.

"Zhuang Ziqing." Zuo Zizhi looked at the second-place name. "Not bad, not bad. He was actually able to travel underground in the Thunder Pool."

"The escape techniques in the Mystic Earth Art are fast for traveling, and his cultivation of the [Earth Dragon Escape] has reached the perfect level." Lu Bang nodded in agreement.

The Mystic Earth Art is difficult to master; it is the most difficult series to complete among the Earthly Advantage Faction.

Other traditional methods don't necessarily require people to work in the fields.

The Mystic Earth Art mostly requires people to personally go deep underground to sense the Earth Vein. If they are not careful, they may be injured by the fluctuations of the Earth Vein.

"I remember he was the eldest grandson of the Dream Marquis, wasn't he?" Lu Bang asked.

"Yes." Zuo Zizhi nodded. "The ninth grandson of Dream Marquis, and also the youngest."

"No wonder it looked familiar."

Lu Bang browsed through the rankings from the top.

I chatted casually with Zuo Zizhi.

They all had some recollection of the names on the list, except for the tenth-ranked Divine Might Army, Han Bing didn't recognize; the others were names they had heard of before.

They either come from families of high-ranking officials or have some reputation from previous internal selections.

"Huh? How come Zhao Xing is only ranked twenty-ninth?" Lu Bang was somewhat disappointed after seeing Zhao Xing's ranking. However, he quickly realized what was going on.

"That's right, he was selected for the civil service examination and appointed as an official. As soon as he was appointed, he was transferred to the Divine Might Army."

"I'm afraid they haven't even learned a few of the magic arts of the Military Sima Nong, and probably haven't even had time to revise the Solar Terms Decree."

Thinking about it this way, Lu Bang actually thought Zhao Xing was quite impressive.

"Hahaha, Brother Lu, look! Li Feng has reached the hundred-plus mark!" Zuo Zizhi pointed to the mirror.

"Hahaha." Lu Bang laughed too.

Li Feng, who ranked sixth in the Tigron Army's internal selection, actually arrived so late?

"He didn't even make the top 100, Li Feng must be feeling really frustrated," Zuo Zizhi laughed. "He could have gotten several thousand points, but now he has nothing."

"It's good to teach him a lesson," Lu Bang said with a smile. "In that situation, he should have struck earlier. Did he really think that just because he won a few matches outside the Grotto-Heaven, everyone would be afraid of him?"

"Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit; he was a bit careless, so he can't blame anyone else."

"Look at Zhao Xing, his choice was different." Lu Bang pointed to Zhao Xing's name again and said, "From the Earth Fire Plain onwards, he used the environment to cause a lot of trouble for others and prevented many people from competing with him."

"Before crossing the Ten Thousand Mile Thunder Pool, he encountered fifteen people trying to pass the test together. He was also the first to take action and try to create a favorable situation for himself."

"I'm more looking forward to this kid's performance than Li Feng's."

Eighteen Locust Willow Courtyard.

After familiarizing himself with the area, Zhao Xing immediately took out the Earth Mirror to check the information inside.

"The 1,100 points have been credited to my account, but with only 1,100 points, I can't buy much at all," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

One thousand points are the reward for this report ranking.

As long as the person arrives, has a ranking, and completes the reporting, the reward will be issued immediately.

The additional 100 points are each person's initial points, which are distributed once a month.

The training includes meals and accommodation, but additional elixirs and treasures will require points.

"One hundred points is only enough to buy some second-tier pills, which can only be used to restore vitality. They're not very useful at all."

"However, I haven't had many opportunities to use my points this past month."

"Learning magic and understanding the Solar Terms Diagram are both free."

Zhao Xing naturally used the month to expand the breadth of his magical abilities.

After all, the number of spells he knows is still relatively small.

Most importantly, the Timing, Earthly Advantage, True Self are all crucial factors; the classic secrets of the three schools have not yet been comprehended.

"I will use this month to thoroughly study the secrets of the classics."

"Grand Granary, Huai Equalization Office, Heavenly Timing, Earthly Advantage Institute —these four branch campuses are the best."

"When it's time to choose a school, I must get into one of the four best schools," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

There are different levels of reserve training. If geniuses and mediocre people are trained together, the difference in progress will be too great. Either the mediocre people will not understand or keep up, or it will delay the cultivation of the geniuses.

Therefore, training should naturally be done separately.

"The teachers in the Four Great Academies are of a higher level, and each academy has unique treasures and resources."

"For example, many resources in Great Granary Institute are cheaper to buy. Most of the magical crops collected in Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven are grown in Great Granary Institute. Some resources are scarce and the annual yield is not large."

Resources are limited, so who should they be used for? Geniuses, of course!

"In the Celestial Timing Academy, there are 108 Dao Stone, which are insights derived from the Solar Terms Diagram. Their effect is even stronger than the Preaching Painting."

"However, the number of places available for studying the stone tablet is also limited."

"The Tranquil Flood Academy and the Earthly Advantage Institute each have their own advantages."

"The branch school will definitely have an assessment, which will be much stricter than this selection. I am currently ranked 29th, which is actually due to some luck and foresight. My true strength may not even be able to get into the top 100."

"I can't afford to waste this month; I must make up for my weaknesses as soon as possible."

Zhao Xing took a deep breath and began to plan his time for the next month.