Invisibility, Soul Capturing, Suicide Bombing, Guardian Art: Four New Straw Man Arts

"The Straw Man Art is truly exquisite. I never imagined Straw Man Art could be this ingenious... Why did my belt come off?" Cao Shuang was pondering the gray straw doll in front of him when he suddenly realized that his belt had come off.

"Who the hell is casting a spell?!"

People around him covered their mouths and laughed. Zhao Xing walked over with a grin and gave a command, causing the Invisibility Straw Figure to appear.

"Brother Cao, we're all men, what are you afraid of being seen naked?"

"It's you?" Cao Shuang wasn't angry when he saw Zhao Xing. He smiled and tightened his belt. "Brother, I'm not a woman. Why are you untying my belt? I don't have any homosexual tendencies."

Zhao Xing laughed and said, "Your vigilance is too poor. If the Invisibility Straw Figure had a pair of scissors, your manhood would be gone, and you would have no name left, only a surname."

Cao Shuang patted his crotch and laughed heartily, "Ha, brother, I'm not only well-endowed and skilled in bed, but I'm also incredibly hard. You'd need at least a fifth-grade pair of scissors to handle me."

Zhao Xing grinned. "Then your wife is going to suffer a lot, haha."

"Hahaha."

The two chatted and laughed as they walked to the side.

There are only two quickest ways for men to build friendships: fighting side by side, or going to fight side by side in another place.

Since the "Lawless Training" incident, Zhao Xing inspired the fighting spirit of the Agricultural Official, and within a month, Zhao Xing had become quite popular.

He has a good relationship with Cao Shuang, Jiang Tianming, Zhuang Ziqing and others.

"Brother, I didn't expect you to have such a talent for making straw figures."

Cao Shuang's delusional appearance makes it hard not to have misunderstandings.

"Can you stop looking so frivolous when you say that? It just doesn't feel right when you talk about Straw Man Art," Zhao Xing laughed. "It's tough in the army, but don't use Straw Man Art for anything weird or indecent, it's indecent."

"With my physique and appearance, do I need to resort to such methods?" Cao Shuang patted his chest. "If I stand at the entrance of the Yang City Weaving Division, a whole bunch of Weaving Girl will throw handkerchiefs at me."

Zhao Xing gave a thumbs up. He didn't know about Cao Shuang's other skills, but he was confident that no one could match him.

"Alright, enough chit-chat, how do you understand it?" Cao Shuang asked.

"I've mastered one technique, the Invisibility Straw Figure. It saw you and came over to say hello," Zhao Xing said. "And you, how many techniques have you learned?"

"The square is full of mid-level straw dolls, how can anyone comprehend more techniques?" Cao Shuang said. "I've been here for half a day, and I've only comprehended one technique, which is the Suicide Bombing Straw Figure."

"Oh?" Zhao Xing raised an eyebrow. "Where? Let me see."

"Look, it's over there," Cao Shuang said. "Come on, I'll take you to see it."

Cao Shuang led Zhao Xing to the south side of the square, where there was a bamboo grove with green leaves but dark red bamboo stalks.

There were also many split, dark red bamboo strips nearby.

"Firecracker Forest? And they're all third or fourth grade." Zhao Xing was somewhat surprised.

"Yes, I was also shocked when I first arrived. Such a large Firecracker Forest, with so many Firecracker Bamboo piled up next to it. Aren't they afraid of blowing someone up?" Cao Shuang said. "I was trembling with fear as I squatted here trying to understand."

"Don't worry, buddy." Zhao Xing pointed to several uniquely shaped stone pillars and mythical beast statues next to the Firecracker Forest. "The Black Tortoise Locking Yuan Formation has four layers. Even if you blow up this bamboo forest, it won't explode."

"Oh? I didn't realize you knew so much about Magic Array."

Zhao Xing said, "Brother Cao, I've also been quite envious of this straw Straw Man Art, so I've been studying it here. Would you like to join me?"

Cao Shuang waved his hand. "I won't stay here. I'm going to practice on the Suicide Bombing Straw Figure. Go south for a kilometer, then turn left. There's a courtyard there with straw dolls that keep self-destructing. I'll practice there while watching. You can come find me when you've learned it."

"Okay." Zhao Xing nodded.

After watching Cao Shuang leave, he began to study the process of performing the ritual of the Suicide Bombing Straw Figure.

The Suicide Bombing Straw Figure is a limited spell.

It's one of the more resource-intensive methods among intermediate-level techniques.

It is usually made of Firecracker Bamboo.

Some plants with explosive properties can also be used as raw materials.

Without these materials, the power will be greatly reduced.

"The Suicide Bombing Straw Figure' contains the power of the five elements, with fire and lightning being the dominant elements."

"Materials like Firecracker Bamboo provide a large amount of fire elemental power, and their internal circulation involves constantly compressing air."

"The hard bamboo joints burst open, scattering tens of thousands of fragments, enough to turn a person into a sieve."

Zhao Xing had a vivid memory of Firecracker Bamboo, because Firecracker Bamboo were the ones who played a crucial role in killing Wu Mei of the Profound Heaven Sect.

The Suicide Bombing Straw Figure is more practical than a simple Firecracker Bamboo. Firecracker Bamboo need to be buried in the ground to have the Predetermined effect; throwing them over there doesn't have much effect.

Because it's easy to dodge, but also easy to hurt yourself.

By utilizing the mobility of the Suicide Bombing Straw Figure, the effect of the Firecracker Bamboo can be perfectly realized.

Of course, it's not just Firecracker Bamboo; many other plants can also be used. Zhao Xing isn't in Gucheng anymore; he can now access many amazing plants.

In its previous life, the Suicide Bombing Straw Figure was used in many ways by players of the Agricultural Official.

For example, the Poison Explosion Straw Figure is a variant of the Suicide Bombing Straw Figure.

There are also bizarre practices like adding excrement and urine into the Suicide Bombing Straw Figure used for homicide.

"A straw man dipped in excrement, whoever touches it will die, or at least be disgusted to death." Zhao Xing's lips curled into a smile as he recalled the many applications of this spell.

[You observe the straw doll's performance of the spell, and you comprehend the intermediate-level spell 'Suicide Bombing Straw Figure'.]

[Suicide Bombing Straw Figure: 1/9999]

[Effect: Utilizes the properties of plants to trigger an explosion of the five elements' power]

"Zhao Xing, take the Suicide Bombing Straw Figure to another place for practice."

Just as Zhao Xing was about to give it a try, a straw figure with the character 'willow' on it suddenly spoke up beside the bamboo grove.

"Yes." Zhao Xing cupped his hands in greeting and left with the Suicide Bombing Straw Figure to find Cao Shuang.

Just then.

Several more people flew into the palace square.

One of them looked quite familiar.

"Li Feng?"

"This kid really likes the summoner build. He's already reached the third level of the straw doll training course so quickly."

Zhao Xing glanced at it and then left the square.

After Li Feng landed, he also saw Zhao Xing's back.

Why did he recognize him just by looking at his back? Because he hated him.

Damn it, I can't beat him in a fight, and I've even gotten tricked by this guy a few times.

The report misled them once, the branch was misled once, and they were even defeated by Zhao Xing in the promotion battle.

Even if he turned to ashes, Li Feng would still recognize him, let alone his back view!

"Good, good, good! I've found an opportunity so quickly." Li Feng was overjoyed to see Zhao Xing. "I can't beat you at other techniques, but I'm most skilled at the Straw Man Art!"

"Even the commander said I have a talent for Straw Man Art."

Li Feng revealed a slight smile.

Because he likes the Straw Man Art, many of his spells unconsciously lean towards the summoning style.

"Learn the law first, then compete for rankings. There will definitely be an opportunity to fight him."

Li Feng soon went to the square to find a suitable Straw Man Art to study.

If you walk south for a kilometer, there will be many other courtyards sealed off by Magic Array. Turn left at the kilometer mark and Zhao Xing will see Cao Shuang practicing making Suicide Bombing Straw Figure inside.

The sound of explosions could be faintly heard, but each time an explosion occurred, everything in the courtyard was enveloped by Magic Array, preventing any damage to a single plant or tree.

Cao Shuang was standing inside a circle, within the blast radius, and remained unharmed.

On the contrary, they were able to watch the explosion up close.

"Zhao Xing, what brings you here? Haven't you learned it yet? Let me teach you... Hmm? You've already learned it?" Cao Shuang thought Zhao Xing had come to ask him for advice, but he hadn't expected him to come to practice.

But they'd only been apart for a quarter of an hour, and Zhao Xing had already mastered the Suicide Bombing Straw Figure? That's absolutely insane!

"Luck, luck," Zhao Xing said. "I happened to have seen the Suicide Bombing Straw Figure before, and I've also handled Firecracker Bamboo. Brother Cao, have you already mastered the basics?"

Entering the beginner level means that the progress of spell cultivation has reached the First-Turn.

Zhao Xing glanced at the power of Cao Shuang's Suicide Bombing Straw Figure and concluded that it had reached the First-Turn.

It will be soon, after all, they came on the morning of the 23rd, so it will take them at most three hours.

"For beginners, the Suicide Bombing Straw Figure Art is quite difficult to master. The internal five-element cycle is so precise that even a slight error can lead to disastrous results. The weaving method is also very important; if it's not locked properly or locked too tightly, it will cause all sorts of problems."

"Take your time, there's still plenty of time. The others won't reach the third level so quickly either. Brother Cao, you're already ahead of the curve. With your talent, you'll only get faster at the beginning. The mere Straw Man Art is a piece of cake for you, isn't it?"

"Haha, Zhao Xing, if you used that mouth of yours to coax young girls, you'd probably win them over every time." Cao Shuang's gloomy mood improved a bit. With a friend like Zhao Xing, you could always gain emotional value from being with him.

"I cultivate in the adjacent courtyard. Brother Cao, please give me some pointers when you have time."

"No problem."

"Bang bang bang bang bang bang!"

Entering the adjacent courtyard, Zhao Xing also began his explosive cultivation process.

His progress is accelerating rapidly.

Because there is a progress record panel, if the progress given is high during practice, it proves that the cultivation direction is correct.

If progress is particularly low, or even nonexistent, it indicates that the direction is wrong and the error needs to be corrected.

There are countless wrong paths, but Zhao Xing always manages to quickly find his way back to the right one because he is Derivation Three generation of destiny.

Even if you choose blindfolded, you can't stray too far from the mark.

Therefore, Zhao Xing's ability to learn everything quickly is not entirely due to talent and comprehension; he also has some special abilities.

"I've completed the Third-Turn."

Zhao Xing glanced at the panel.

Within an hour, the Suicide Bombing Straw Figure had reached the Third-Turn level.

"If someone were to be grabbed by Nine Turns Suicide Bombing Straw Figure and then explode, among Eighth Grade warriors, only a genius like Black Tortoise Division could withstand it."

Among martial artists, the geniuses of the Black Tortoise Martial Division are the best at defense.

Among the Eighth Grade, there are many geniuses who have mastered the Black Tortoise Shield externally and the Gluttony Art internally, achieving great success in developing copper skin Iron Bone, with blood and qi as pure as mercury and silver marrow just beginning to form, making them extremely resilient.

"However, if you coat the Suicide Bombing Straw Figure with a layer of poison, the effect will be different."

"Crushed Thunder God Vine into juice, along with Yellow Springs Flower and aconite, can all be used to make highly poisonous substances. If applied to a straw man, the poison will explode inside his body, and even Sixth Rank military doctor cannot save him unless he knows the Ghost Gate Thirteen Needles, which can keep him alive for twelve hours."

Standing inside the Magic Array, the explosion couldn't reach him. Zhao Xing leisurely honed his skills with the Suicide Bombing Straw Figure.

Two quarters of an hour later, the Suicide Bombing Straw Figure Art reached the Fourth-Turn.

Zhao Xing then stopped training. Firstly, it was difficult to make a breakthrough in a short period of time, and the stagnation was not due to any mistakes, but rather to insufficient accumulation of knowledge.

If you want to improve, the method is simple: study other Straw Man Art and learn by analogy.

Ten Thousand Laws Palace may not have much else, but it has the most straw figures.

After leaving the villa, Zhao Xing saw that Cao Shuang was still training diligently, so he wandered around the Ten Thousand Laws Palace by himself.

A short while later, he stopped beside the training ground.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh~"

A dark golden straw figure bent its fingers into a sword, and bursts of sword energy burst from its fingertips.

Heading towards the grayish-brown straw head opposite.

Just as they were about to arrive, they were blocked by a Turtle Shell.

Martial arts secret technique: Black Tortoise Shield.

"Dharma Protector Straw Figure"

Zhao Xing saw yet another familiar Straw Man Art.

Back in Gucheng, Chen Shijie had arranged for him to have a Dharma Protector Straw Figure for protection.

Dharma Protector Straw Figure: Can contain a spell or martial art.

The Nine Turns Dharma Protector Straw Figure can accommodate nine different secret techniques, but not movement techniques. Unless it is Swift Travel Dharma Protector Straw Figure that combines two techniques, there is no basis for casting spells.

It can also accommodate the same secret technique, but the power will not be stacked. The upper limit of the power of the Dharma Protector Straw Figure does not depend on the caster, but on the person being imprinted.

For example, if Zhao Xing asks Xia Jing for a sword aura, then the power of this Dharma Protector Straw Figure will depend on how strong Xia Jing's swordsmanship is.

Of course, the stronger the scarecrow, the higher its capacity.

The Dharma Protector Straw Figure can hold high-level spells, but the materials are quite expensive, and it needs to be able to lock it in place to prevent leakage; otherwise, it's not cost-effective.

The Dharma Protector Straw Figure is usually used to contain martial arts techniques, specifically defensive ones, because the magic Agricultural Official, possesses them himself.

The main purpose of learning the Dharma Protector Straw Figure is to compensate for the weakness in close combat.

In critical moments, the Dharma Protector Straw Figure can save lives.

This is something I must learn.

Zhao Xing observed and learned on the training ground for half an hour. The Dharma Protector Straw Figure was easy to learn but difficult to master. Zhao Xing quickly mastered it, but it was more difficult for him to get started than for the other straw figures.

Because the practice of the Dharma Protector Straw Figure is an improvement in the process of storing and casting the Dharma.

Saving one's own methods doesn't significantly improve one's abilities.

One is naturally very familiar with the spells one knows, which will affect the process of comprehending them.

It's like setting challenges for yourself; the training effect is minimal. To improve, you mainly need to learn from others' methods, preferably martial arts techniques.

Having mastered the magic, he led a Dharma Protector Straw Figure away and continued to wander around the Ten Thousand Laws Palace.

After wandering aimlessly for a while, I suddenly came to a large hall. The building inside was solemn and dignified, with a black and white color scheme.

Zhao Xing saw two straw figures guarding the door and was about to leave, but stopped abruptly as soon as he lifted his foot.

"Um?"

Turning back, Zhao Xing took a closer look at the two straw effigy guards at the entrance. After staring at them for a while, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

"I misjudged them; these are actually two Soul Capturing Straw Figure?"

The Soul Capturing Straw Figure is specifically designed to target Yin Soul.

As the Great Zhou expanded outwards, its main enemies were the barbarians and the Outer Sects. Among them, the Outer Sects were skilled in using Yin Soul magic, such as the Soul Venerating Banner.

A powerful figure like the Blood Spirit Venerable should be at the Third-Rank Yuan Soul Realm. He is skilled in Yin Soul Techniques. His divided soul body can be quickly reconstituted as long as his believers provide enough blood, making him virtually inexhaustible. Moreover, his methods are strange and covert.

If it were outside the territory, without the protection of the Great Zhou's Yin Spirit, it would be difficult to cope.

The Soul Capturing Straw Figure can effectively counter this type of spell.

But this is somewhat taboo.

Among the eighty-one methods, the Soul Capturing Straw Figure was considered an evil practice and has been criticized. The imperial court deleted this method a long time ago and did not allow it to be passed on to outsiders.

"Lord Liu." Zhao Xing found a straw figure with the character "Liu" printed on its clothes.

The straw figure paused for a second before speaking, "What is it?"

"May I learn how to make Soul Capturing Straw Figure?"

The straw man paused for a second, as if there was a delay. "Okay, but you must remember three rules."

"May I ask, Lord Liu, which three regulations are they?" Zhao Xing asked.

I haven't even written it yet, but Alliance Leader Du Yun has already guessed the Suicide Bombing Straw Figure. My dear readers are truly amazing! Feel free to share your inspirations in the book review section.

Spells, extras, anything goes.

PS: This is the second update from yesterday. There will be a third update during the day.