Celestial Silkworm Transformation, Straw Man Art Training Course

[Zhao Xing, Divine Might Army, you have been randomly matched against Wei Chen (Sea Pacifying Army).]

The random environment is "Yanghu Wetland".

[The battle will begin in sixty breaths. Please prepare yourself.]

"Wei Chen? He seems to be Grade C genius from the Tranquil Flood Academy."

Zhao Xing found the name somewhat familiar.

There are only so many geniuses on the Grade A List, and Wei Chen is quite well-known in the Tranquil Flood Academy.

"It's Zhao Xing's turn in line!"

On another preparation platform, Wei Chen was somewhat excited.

He had just finished watching the battle between Zhao Xing and Feng Qiu, so on Heart's Blood Surge, he decided to play a game.

I never expected to actually run into him.

Wei Chen is already at the third rank in the Nine Sections Dojo, but he has been hovering around the first or second star of the third rank.

"Hopefully, we can hold out for a little longer under his control."

Wei Chen waited expectantly for the battle to begin.

Five breaths later, Wei Chen reappeared on the preparation platform, his face filled with shock.

"I was defeated in a single move, not even lasting five breaths?!"

The difference between people is truly enormous.

Wei Chen shook his head and sighed.

Yanghu Wetland was an environment he was familiar with, and Wei Chen immediately used magic to defend himself after entering the battle.

Wei Chen's specialty is a water-based secret technique called "Gate of Heavy Water".

It is a secret technique that combines the Water Flow Method with the Mystic Earth Art.

He can open nine heavy water gates, each of which can use the power of water to neutralize or distort the opponent's magical attacks. They can also be used to trap the opponent.

"He broke through the nine layers of heavy water gates with a single move."

"It's as if it were made of paper."

Wei Chen looked somewhat melancholy.

He originally thought that the gap between himself and Grade A genius was not that big, and that he could at least exchange a few blows.

As a result, they were instantly defeated.

[Zhao Xing of the Divine Might Army, you have completed the battle to advance to the third tier!]

[Dojo Points: 69]

Net wins: 69

[Dojo Rating: Tier 3, 1 Star]

[Ranking of Dojo Points: 712452 (Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven)]

[Nine Sections Dojo Ranking: 55214 (Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven)]

Once your dojo rating reaches Tier 3, you can choose to challenge an opponent who is also at Tier 3, or accept a challenge invitation.

"One of the selection and training tasks has been completed." Zhao Xing smiled slightly.

In the second match of the third-tier advancement battle, feeling that Wei Chen posed no pressure on him, Zhao Xing directly used water magic to instantly kill his opponent.

Having advanced to the third rank, the ranking of the Nine Sections Dojo reached over 50,000, and the ranking of the entire Ten Suns Dojo also rose by 200,000 places.

"Now that Cen Sanji's elective course is finished, I can go and complete Lu Bang's elective course. I'm currently planting third-tier plants, and with unlimited soil power, they should reach maturity within an hour without any problem."

"Once completed, two of the ten elective courses will be finished," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

Even Grade A geniuses need to achieve a top-tier rating in training selection.

He must complete the training at the Agricultural Supervisorate Grade A, and in addition to performing exceptionally well in the mandatory training, he must also be selected for ten additional training sessions.

"Buzz~"

Suddenly, there was a tremor in the Earth Mirror.

[Zhao Xing the Divine Might Army and Zhuang Ziqing of the Tigron Army have issued a challenge to you. Do you accept?]

[Zhao Xing the Divine Might Army and Guan Junyang of the Black Armor Army have issued a challenge to you. Do you accept?]

[Zhao Xing the Divine Might Army and Cao Shuang of the Black Armor Army have issued a challenge to you. Do you accept?]

[...]

In an instant, many prompts appeared on the Earth Mirror.

"So many people are waiting for me to advance," Zhao Xing couldn't help but laugh.

It seems everyone wants to have a match with him, the runner-up from the last mandatory training session.

Especially after Feng Qiu's defeat, the geniuses were itching to try their luck.

Let's take on another match.

Zhao Xing accepted Zhuang Ziqing's invitation.

He also wanted to see what the outcome would be in a real battle with Zhuang Ziqing after he had figured out the Water Drop Art.

Because Zhuang Ziqing and Shi Yong clearly entered the Fourth-Turn the Knowing Realm.

As for the others? Zhao Xing didn't know.

To accept a challenge, you must choose a worthy opponent.

"Agreed." Zhao Xing selected "Confirm" on the Earth Mirror.

This is a secret challenge; spectators are not allowed. The battle will begin in sixty breaths...

"A secret challenge? Is Xiao Zhuang keeping it hidden, afraid someone will see his secret techniques?"

Private challenges can be made public or kept private. If made public, viewers can watch the battle through the Earth Mirror.

If it's not made public, it only shows that the battle has begun, but the outcome won't be announced.

"He agreed?" Zhuang Ziqing stood on the preparation platform, and the moment he saw Zhao Xing accept the invitation, he became excited. "It seems he has truly entered the Fourth-Turn the Knowing Realm; he's very confident."

Zhuang Ziqing didn't even sleep; he just wanted to fight Zhao Xing.

Because Shi Yong is too strong, it's impossible to beat him, and sparring with him is a completely unenjoyable experience.

He was naturally itching to get closer to Zhao Xing, who had finally appeared.

"Is the random map Spring Grassland?"

Zhuang Ziqing glanced at it, put away the Earth Mirror, and waited quietly.

After Tier 3, the waiting time for individual invitation battles is slightly longer, since the area needs to be expanded to allow players to fully utilize their skills once they reach Tier 3.

In the Spring Grassland, the sky is incredibly blue, without a single cloud.

Two figures appeared on the grassland.

"Zhao Xing!"

After Zhuang Ziqing entered, he did not take action immediately, but instead called out to Zhao Xing.

"You should have already entered the Fourth-Turn the Knowing Realm and comprehended a high-level technique, right?"

"Let's skip the rest of our spells and go straight for our strongest attacks, deciding the outcome in one fell swoop, shall we?"

Zhao Xing nodded. "Okay."

Zhuang Ziqing flew closer. "You should make the first move. You've only just grasped the essence of the Knowing Realm, while I've already learned several secret techniques. If I make the first move, you won't have a chance."

"OK."

Zhao Xing didn't Guest Qi. He circulated his vital energy at his fingertips, Solar Terms Decree within his dantian trembled slightly.

The map here is "Spring Grassland", which is perfect for using [Dripping Rain].

In just a moment, he easily borrowed the power of heaven and earth.

A drop of water appears on the fingertip.

"Call out!"

Zhao Xing flicked his finger, and the water droplet flew quickly toward Zhuang Ziqing.

"Um?"

A strange light flashed in Zhuang Ziqing's eyes.

Even though it was just Water Drop, he felt as if the entire world had crashed down on him.

He couldn't help but use magic to resist.

"Hiss hiss hiss~"

Suddenly, a large amount of fluffy material appeared around Zhuang Ziqing's body, and at the same time, the grass under his feet was growing wildly.

Thread by thread, countless threads intertwined, quickly forming an oval white shell, like a silkworm pupa, enveloping Zhuang Ziqing.

As the water droplets arrive, the silkworm pupa is formed.

"Bang!"

The silkworm seemed to have been hit by a huge force, and both the person and the pupa were knocked back.

"Boom!"

The soil churned and green grass danced in the air.

The silkworm pupae plowed a furrow more than ten meters long and half a meter deep in the ground before stopping.

"Huh? This is the secret technique Celestial Silkworm Transformation?" Zhao Xing looked at Zhuang Ziqing in surprise. "Didn't you say you were strong in lightning magic? How come you've comprehended a high-level technique, the wood element technique?"

"Aren't you the same? Everyone says that your Devouring Cloud Art is unmatched, but what you've comprehended is a high-level water-based technique." Zhuang Ziqing's voice came from the silkworm cocoon.

The water droplets failed to breach the silkworm's defenses, though they created many cracks. However, the wood magic is characterized by its continuous regeneration, and the Celestial Silkworm Transformation technique is an even more advanced application of this skill.

The power of the wood element, like needles, flew up and down, and the silkworm pupa quickly repaired itself.

"Didn't break through, hehe, my turn."

The silkworm pupa encasing Zhuang Ziqing suddenly flew into the air and began to spin wildly.

Countless silk threads flew towards Zhao Xing.

Some of the silk threads swayed and twisted, while others were taut and straight like sharp arrows.

There are ways to hide, but hiding defeats the purpose of this training.

Zhao Xing did not use any defensive spells, because he had said at the beginning that he would not use any other spells.

"Water Drop."

Another water droplet appeared in Zhao Xing's palm, swirling around him and attempting to destroy the silk threads.

"Bang bang bang bang!"

When a water droplet touches a silkworm thread, it makes a heart-stopping popping sound. Clearwater City and the silkworm thread are insignificant objects, the commotion they cause is quite large.

Zhao Xing initially found it easy to draw upon the power of heaven and earth, but as the water droplets touched the silkworm silk, he clearly felt a sense of stagnation, because Zhuang Ziqing was also drawing upon the power of heaven and earth.

"Hiss hiss hiss~"

The silkworm silk quickly Entanglement Zhao Xing's right arm, interrupting the spellcasting. The water droplets lost control and rushed towards the ground, blasting a deep crater.

More and more silkworm threads were produced, and soon they were embedded in the flesh.

"Buzz~"

Guardian Barrier appeared, Golden Light swept over Zhao Xing's entire body, teleporting him away.

On the preparation platform, Zhao Xing's injuries were rapidly healing; what were originally just superficial wounds were instantly cured.

They flew out of the Cloud Gate and arrived at the square, where they met Zhuang Ziqing.

"Huh? What's wrong with you?" Zhao Xing asked, somewhat surprised upon seeing the person.

"What? What's going on?" Zhuang Ziqing was taken aback.

"You look dazed and confused. How long has it been since you slept?" Zhao Xing could tell at a glance that Zhuang Ziqing was not in a good state. When cultivating the "Great Dream Spring and Autumn", he could feel that Zhuang Ziqing's Fate Soul was excited, which was caused by the repeated use of the treasure that relieved fatigue.

Physical fatigue can be relieved, but fatigue of the Fate Soul is difficult to alleviate. Zhao Xing needs to sleep for an hour every day, mainly to allow the Fate Soul to rest.

"It's nothing, I'll go back and go to sleep." Zhuang Ziqing said nonchalantly.

"You came all this way just to fight me?"

"You've made a breakthrough, so of course I have to come and spar with you," Zhuang Ziqing said with a smile. "Currently, among the reserve force, only you, me, Shi Yong, Cao Shuang, Guan Junyang have learned advanced techniques from the Solar Terms Decree. What you've comprehended is different from ours, so naturally I have to come and give it a try."

He actually had other thoughts in mind. Zhao Xing was improving so quickly, if he didn't take this opportunity to fight him now, he might not be able to beat him in the future!

After all, among the reserve Agricultural Supervisorate, Zhao Xing's growth rate was the fastest, and he was the only one who was selected and transferred immediately after becoming a regular clerk.

Even with the resource boost from the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven, it's terrifying that someone could cultivate a Solar Terms Decree to the Fourth-Turn of the Knowing Realm in just a few months.

"It's still very superficial; he's only just grasped the basics." Zhao Xing shook his head. Zhuang Ziqing's Heavenly Celestial Silkworm Transformation was clearly very proficient, and he had mastered the secret technique. The silkworm silk and silkworm pupa were extensions and applications of advanced wood magic.

"I only have a superficial understanding," Zhuang Ziqing said. "If you were more proficient in the Water Drop Art and master the secret techniques, I wouldn't be able to defeat you so easily. Among the five of us, only Shi Yong is faster and can be considered to have truly entered the door."

"Have you fought with Shi Yong?" Zhao Xing asked.

"We've fought." Zhuang Ziqing nodded. "We're both from the Tigron Army, so we're quite familiar with each other. Since we entered the Nine Sections Dojo, we've fought ten times."

What will be the outcome?

"Don't ask about things that hurt you," Zhuang Ziqing shrugged. "I'll tell you after I surpass him."

That means they haven't won a single game... Zhao Xing thought to himself.

"I'm going now, I should go back to sleep." Zhuang Ziqing yawned. "The selection training will be out in a few days, and there will be points rewards. I need to prepare well. Zhao Xing, let's practice together again when we have time."

"No problem."

After Zhao Xing and Zhuang Ziqing parted ways, Zhao Xing did not return to the Nine Sections Dojo.

It's not too late to train again once you have new insights.

On July 17th, Zhao Xing received a third-level rating at the Nine Sections Dojo and also received an A-level rating from Cen Sanji.

On July 18th, Zhao Xing went to the inner hall of the Earth Vein Hall to study. The Earth Vein Map in the inner hall was more profound than that in the outer hall. There were only nine Earth Vein, but these nine Earth Vein were far more powerful than those in the outer hall. It was on this day that the Earthly Advantage Faction's magic made a breakthrough.

Divine Swift Guard has broken through to the Tenth-Turn, as both the Mystic Earth Art and the Swift Travel Earth Palace are related to the Earth Vein. This breakthrough in the combination of two techniques has also given Zhao Xing two spells with high-level power.

From July 19th to July 23rd, I visited Celestial Timing Academy again to view the 108 solar Solar Terms Monument.

Five days later, Zhao Xing reluctantly left this precious place.

"I've used up my two free opportunities to study this precious place at the Celestial Timing Academy."

"However, my Solar Terms Decree have all reached the Third-Turn of the Knowing Realm, except for the [Start of Spring] which is at the Fourth-Turn of the Knowing Realm."

"There's one more chance to study the Earthly Advantage Institute for free, Great Granary Institute and Tranquil Flood Academy have two more opportunities left."

"The high-level spell [Water Drop] has reached the Third-Turn. It will be difficult to break through in a short time unless you purchase [Water Drop Domain]." Zhao Xing's progress is very fast.

However, even at higher levels of magic, bottlenecks are encountered.

Advanced techniques are standard for Sixth Rank, while for Seventh Grade officials like Military Sima Nong, only about 30% of them know one advanced technique.

As for those who master high-level techniques at the Eighth Grade, they are extremely rare, precisely because they are too difficult to cultivate.

"I only have a little over 10,000 points right now, and I'm still quite a bit short of what I need to buy the [Water Drop Domain]."

We can't ask Tian Hou for it anymore, since Tian Hou has already given us something worth 80,000 points.

Giving more would be excessive and against the rules.

"You cannot take on any missions during training unless it is arranged by the Agricultural Supervisorate."

"However, the elective training courses that started on July 15th will reward points, because the reserve Agricultural Official have gradually become stronger after several months of training, and their need for points is also increasing."

"Let's see what elective training courses offer reward points." Zhao Xing took out the Earth Mirror to check.

"Hmm? Straw Man Art Training Course?"

The first line that catches the eye is a Straw Man Art Training Course.

"It's starting on the afternoon of July 23rd, at Tianning Estate, and is being organized by Liu Tianning, Fifth Grade Agricultural Official. Isn't that today?"

"The first-place prize is 50,000 points?"

"How come the Straw Man Art Training Course gives such a high score?"

I was bored and felt drowsy during the day, but I became energetic at night.

There will be more updates today.