Shi Yong, You Have to Hold On!

[First place: Shi Yong, training points: 267450]

[Second place: Zhao Xing, training points: 238850]

[Third place: Zhuang Ziqing, training points: 235330]

[Fourth place, Cai Jin, training points: 208550]

[Fifth place, Feng Qiu, training points: 180200]

[10th Place, Li Feng, Training Points: 154520]

[15th Place, Han Bing, Training Points: 125580]

[21st place, Guan Junyang, training points: 98540]

[Rank 100, Tao Tao, Training Points: 56780]

"Second mandatory training, and you still ranked second?" Zhao Xing looked at the rankings. "You only scored a little over three thousand points more than Zhuang Ziqing, which isn't a big difference. If we're talking about fourth-tier supplies, it's only a difference of three hundred jin."

The difference is indeed very small. With the same number of plants, the final survival rate and yield can vary by as much as four or five hundred catties.

"He and Shi Yong are almost 30,000 points apart."

Thirty thousand points, if converted into third-tier supplies, is thirty thousand catties. If eaten sparingly, it would be enough to feed ten warriors for three months, and they could still maintain sixty to seventy percent of their combat strength.

"It's normal for there to be a gap. I'm improving, and so is he. It's still quite difficult to surpass a genius who has Military Sima Nong for several years in just over two months."

"But I've actually surpassed Xiao Zhuang. I wonder what he'll think," Zhao Xing chuckled.

"Brother Zhao." A voice came from behind, it was Zhuang Ziqing came down from the flying boat.

"Brother Zhuang." Zhao Xing turned to look at Zhuang Ziqing.

"I didn't expect you to win in the end." A strange look flashed in Zhuang Ziqing's eyes. "You've improved really fast."

Since they both lived in the Earthly Advantage Institute, and he would occasionally consult Tian Hou, while Zhao Xing would also consult his teacher, the two were quite familiar with each other.

Zhuang Ziqing also knew that Zhao Xing was selected to join the Divine Might Army after being promoted from a clerk!

He had no experience in Military Sima Nong at all. He had only been in the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven for a little over two months, and he even learned the Three Great Secret Classics after entering the cave. How did he reach this level?

"It's just luck," Zhao Xing said with a smile.

"Luck?" Zhuang Ziqing shook his head. "Although there's not much difference between us, you don't need to say that. You were indeed a step ahead of me in this training."

Zhao Xing smiled.

It really was just luck.

Objectively speaking, the main reason he was able to surpass Zhuang Ziqing and rank second was the success of his "Gambler's Tactic"!

If we remove the influence of the Gambler's Tactic, Zhao Xing probably wouldn't be able to surpass Zhuang Ziqing, and he might even struggle against Cai Jin Feng Qiu.

After all, he only has two months, and there's so much for him to learn; time is very tight.

In particular, regarding the cultivation progress of the three secret manuals, others have been studying for several years, while I have only been studying for a little over two months.

The three secret texts significantly enhance spell power.

The important treasures of the Agricultural Supervisorate are all related to the three major secret texts.

He was actually quite surprised to rank second this time.

At first, Zhao Xing thought that as long as he could stay in the top 21 and not lose resources, that would be fine.

My rise to second place was purely due to my Gambler's Tactic combined with my past life experience and knowledge.

For the first ten days, the gap was not significant.

During the ten days in between, because the cultivation time for the three secret manuals was too short, he should have fallen behind the other geniuses. However, thanks to the Gambler's Tactic and his knowledge and experience from his previous life, he managed to maintain his second place.

In the following ten days, the gap did not widen, but Zhao Xing's Five Elements Earth Splitting Art still brought some effects.

Therefore, he ultimately ranked second.

"You beat me this time, but next time might be different." A fighting spirit flashed in Zhuang Ziqing's eyes. "After the second training session, there will be a month to arrange your own training. I've decided to do the same as you and only sleep for one hour a day."

Zhao Xing was taken aback; he hadn't expected Zhuang Ziqing to also be involved.

How did the fact that I only sleep for one hour a day spread like wildfire?

Zhuang Ziqing was filled with fighting spirit. He was also from Noble Families and had good talent and resources. He didn't spend much time cultivating, at most four hours a day. Even so, he made rapid progress.

But now, Zhuang Ziqing has also been provoked by Zhao Xing.

"Zhao Xing, shall we have another match during the next training session?"

Zhao Xing looked at Zhuang Ziqing and smiled, "Alright, I'll wait."

"I'm leaving." Zhuang Ziqing cupped his hands in greeting and turned to leave.

As for the other people on the rankings, Zhao Xing also glanced at them briefly.

Feng Qiu and Han Bing were originally only treated Grade B, but after the second mandatory training, they broke into the top 21, so their treatment will be upgraded to Grade A.

Li Feng, having been eliminated early in the challenge, didn't even make it into the Grade A List. But now, having broken into the top ten, he's finally receiving treatment commensurate with his abilities.

To Zhao Xing's surprise, Cai Jin ranked fourth.

Cai Jin is a student of Lu Bang of Great Granary Institute. He was only treated Grade C student before, but now he has jumped to fourth place and his score has exceeded 200,000.

After putting away the Earth Mirror, Zhao Xing headed towards Fuchun Garden. On his way to see Tian Hou, he also made minor adjustments to his upcoming cultivation.

"Now I have almost expanded the number of my spells. The Four Seasonal Arts and the four spells of Earthly Advantage Institute are complete. I only need two more of the True Self Minor Four Arts."

"From now on, our training should focus on the three great secret texts."

You can't always win by luck. The Five Elements Earth Splitting Art Counter-Gambler's Tactic terrain like the Seven Peaks Basin.

At the Great Granary Institute, Lu Bang looked at the final rankings.

"As expected, Shi Yong still came in first place."

"But Zhao Xing actually managed to hold onto second place?"

"Could it be that his progress in cultivating the three secret manuals has caught up with the others?"

Because Lu Bang wasn't present, he couldn't see through Zhao Xing's underground operations, nor did he notice the unusual power of the Five Elements Earth Splitting Art.

"It's unbelievable that he caught up with the cultivation progress that others took several years to achieve in just two months. Ge Jinsong and Cheng Qingming are really..." Lu Bang shook his head, ultimately refraining from uttering the words "blind and ignorant."

Because his student Cai Jin was still standing there.

Setting down the Earth Mirror, Lu Bang looked at his student. "Cai Jin, your ranking in this training has reached fourth place, which is quite beyond my expectations. However, you have some inherent advantages from our academy, and this is not your true strength. Are you aware of that?"

Cai Jin, with his dark skin and capable demeanor, immediately stood up from his seat upon hearing his teacher's words. "I understand. Seventy percent of the seeds and seedlings distributed in this training are Derived Seed. I have studied at Great Granary Institute and can recognize most of them, which gives me an advantage."

"Hmm." Lu Bang nodded in satisfaction. "This level of knowledge is easy to catch up with. You need to study even harder in the future. I heard that Zhao Xing from the Earthly Advantage Institute only sleeps for one hour a day and spends the rest of his time cultivating. That's why he was able to rank second in this training."

"You should take him as your role model."

An hour?

Cai Jin was taken aback.

He thought he had been diligent enough in studying under Lu Bang at Great Granary Institute.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Xing was even more diligent than him.

This can't be called diligence, it's downright hard work!

"Yes, students should take him as a role model."

"Since you have this intention, I will give you a small gift to help you." Lu Bang waved his hand, and a jade pendant flew into Cai Jin's hand. "It is a fourth-grade Nether Asura Jade, which has the effect of clearing the mind and refreshing the brain. With it, you will only need to sleep for one hour a day."

"..."

Cai Jin was just making a casual Derivation One, but he didn't expect the teacher to take it seriously.

Damn it, it's all Zhao Xing's fault!

Why are you curling your hair like that?!

"Yes, thank you for the gift, teacher." Cai Jin felt helpless but dared not show it on his face as he solemnly accepted the gift.

But from then on, he had no choice but to roll up his sleeves, whether he wanted to or not.

In Feng Qiu Residence, a cold-looking young man looked at the Earth Mirror.

"Shi Yong is close to 270,000 points, Zhao Xing is close to 240,000 points... and I only have 180,000 points?"

"His progress has been so remarkable?"

Feng Qiu gripped the Earth Mirror, his eyes somewhat gloomy.

He has a strong competitive spirit and thought that his hard training would lead to a brilliant result, but the result was still disappointing.

"They didn't surpass Zhuang Ziqing and Shi Yong, nor even Zhao Xing, and then there appeared a Cai Jin I'd never heard of..."

Feng Qiu took a deep breath, put away the Earth Mirror, and rushed into the training room to train like crazy.

At the Celestial Timing Academy, after the flying boats landed, many geniuses disembarked and received ranking information from the Earth Mirror.

"Haha, I've moved up 50 places! From the Grade C to the Grade B!"

"Sigh, I dropped thirty-seven places, and my resources have been downgraded."

"Phew~ That was close, I was just one place away from dropping a rank."

"It seems there are still quite a few problems with my spell training and combinations."

"When I first entered the academy, I was so focused on studying the Solar Terms Monument that I neglected the Earthly Advantage Spells, which resulted in me only getting three thousand points in the last ten days."

The crowd was buzzing with discussion.

If Grade A have subordinates, then subordinates in position A are even more likely to be Grade C in Grade B A.

The second training session was more comprehensive. Many people, after being assigned to different academies, may have gained a lot of points in one area but lost points in another due to unreasonable allocation of their training time.

"Zhao Xing, actually ranked second? He even surpassed Zhuang Ziqing." Guan Junyang looked at the Earth Mirror, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. "The Divine Might Army has recruited a talent this time."

Hua Zhilin also looked at the Earth Mirror: "I heard that he was selected to join the Divine Might Army after he was promoted from a clerk. I felt that he was extraordinary back then at Cloud Law Trial and Rain Law Trial, and now it has indeed come true."

Guan Junyang nodded. "I heard from Cao Shuang that this person doesn't show up often at the Earthly Advantage Institute and spends all his time cultivating, but I didn't expect him to have made such great progress."

Cao Shuang, Guan Junyang, Hua Zhilin were all members of the Black Armor Army and had regular contact with each other.

Hua Zhilin said, "Brother Guan, you have to work hard. You dropped to twenty-first place this time, barely managing to maintain your Grade A ranking. If you had fallen out of that ranking, Cao Shuang would have been the only remaining member of the Black Armor Army."

Guan Junyang nodded. "We must work hard. I heard from Cao Shuang that Zhao Xing cultivates for ten hours a day, which is simply inhuman. We never saw anyone working so hard in the Bandit Defense Army before. Coming here has really opened my eyes..."

"However, if I'm going to work hard, I'll not only catch up with Zhuang Ziqing and Zhao Xing, but I'll also surpass Shi Yong!" Guan Junyang looked at the tall figure in the distance.

However, Shi Yong didn't care about the gazes of the crowd at all. After getting off the flying boat, he left Celestial Timing Academy on his own.

Celestial Timing Academy, Autumn Water Residence.

"The training rankings are out. Two people from our Celestial Timing Academy have been dropped from the Grade A list." A middle-aged man in a brocade robe looked at his colleagues. His name was Mei Zhiru, the head of agriculture at the Celestial Timing Academy. The head of agriculture usually didn't manage the training of new recruits, so he was the official with the most say here.

"Of the top five, only Shi Yong remains from my Celestial Timing Academy."

"Looking at the top 100 list, many students from our Celestial Timing Academy have seen their rankings drop."

"Why is it that our training over the past two months has actually regressed? What are your thoughts, gentlemen?"

"Lord Mei, it's normal for the rankings of the geniuses to fluctuate at the beginning of training," an official replied. "We are teaching with all our might, and the students are also working hard. Sooner or later, they will be able to regain more Grade A positions."

"Oh? Then why are there so many students admitted to the Earthly Advantage Institute and so few admitted?" Mei Zhiru pointed to the list. "It means that Zhao Xing, who was ranked second, was initially evaluated as lacking experience and only showing below-average performance. Now that he has made such rapid and diligent progress, doesn't that prove that the teachers at the Earthly Advantage Institute are teaching well and are more dedicated?"

"Ahem..." Mei Zhiru's question caught the official off guard, who could only cough twice and look at a certain seat.

The others also looked towards those two locations.

Ge Jinsong and Cheng Qingming were sitting there.

Faced with the gazes of his colleagues, Cheng Qingming's lips twitched, while Ge Jinsong tactfully drank his tea.

Mei Zhiru did not participate in the selection of students for the branch at that time, but seeing the subtle atmosphere on the field, he roughly understood what was going on.

He then spoke calmly, "I am not accusing you of any faults, but our Celestial Timing Academy has always been the best among the Four Great Academies. We cannot become the worst when we take over this term."

"Currently, Shi Yong is still holding the top spot, but the overall top 100 is not as good as the previous session. It is our duty to train Military Sima Nong for the court. The Celestial Timing Academy should not rest on its laurels, nor should it stick to old ways. You and I should work even harder in the future."

"Lord Mei is right," the other officials echoed.

Cheng Qingming and Ge Jinsong echoed each other verbally.

I just couldn't stand hearing it.

What do you mean by "just getting by" and "sticking to old ways"? This is clearly implying that they didn't put their heart into selecting people and didn't give Zhao Xing a Grade A evaluation!

Mei Zhiru practically pointed at the two of them and said, "You two are blind!"

Cheng Qingming Ge Jinsong exchanged a glance, both looking somewhat helpless.

If Zhao Xing becomes even more outstanding in the future, their teaching achievements this year will probably be ruined.

"Sigh... I was careless," Ge Jinsong thought to himself.

"Shi Yong, you must hold on." Cheng Qingming had another thought in his mind.

Fuchun Garden.

Tian Yan looked at Zhao Xing, who had returned from training.

While pleased, Tian Yan also had some doubts. "You said your three secret manuals haven't improved by leaps and bounds, so how did you manage to get second place?"

"Teacher, I have made breakthroughs in the Five Elements Earth Splitting Art, the Condensation Art, and the Foundation Strengthening Art. I can easily enter the underground to regulate the Earth Vein in those complex terrains by using the Divine Swift Guard. I think these are the reasons," Zhao Xing replied.

"I see," Tian Yan said. "Then you should focus your cultivation on comprehending the three great secret texts for the next month. There is a training course available this month that is related to the Nine Sections Dojo."

"If you gain any insights from studying the three great esoteric texts, you can go to the [Nine Sections Dojo] to verify them."

"You haven't received a rating in the [Nine Sections Dojo] yet, have you?"

"No." Zhao Xing shook his head. The Nine Sections Dojo was a place for combat and sparring, and he had been so engrossed in his cultivation for the past two or three months that he hadn't gone there even once.

"Shi Yong and Zhuang Ziqing have already started training in this training ground. Now that you're beginning to comprehend the three great secret texts, it just so happens to be the selection training month," Tian Yan said. "You can put Lu Bang's selection training course aside for now and focus on meeting the training requirements of the [Nine Sections Dojo] first."

The centipede bite wasn't a big problem, but running back and forth all day took up a lot of time, which is why I'm only updating now.

We'll be at 3 AM as usual today. It'll just be quite late, so please don't stay up too late.