Traveling Together to Claim Credit? Let Him Know There Are Always People Better Than Him!

People! (5k)

The eruption of East Mulberry Volcano shocked Jiang Ming's tens of thousands of troops.

The night suddenly turned into daylight, and it didn't gradually subside until noon the next day.

The surrounding area, spanning thirty miles, was covered by a thick layer of lava ash, and the air was thick with the scorching heat of fire.

"This dormant volcano has become completely active, and it's at its most vigorous and active stage!"

"You said your advanced Volcano Art is only at the Third-Turn, but it doesn't seem like something an advanced Third-Turn Volcano Art could do."

The next day, Chen Shijie and Zhao Xing came to observe the active volcano again.

Since the first wave of volcanic activity has passed, it is no longer as dangerous as before.

Jiang Ming learned his lesson and immediately set the defenses of the Sea-Covering Warship to maximum.

Regardless of whether it was near the crater or not, as long as Zhao Xing boarded his ship, he would activate the defensive barrier to its maximum.

"Didn't I tell you it had a bit of a mystical element to it?" Zhao Xing said. "This time the effect was quite good."

It's not just a little good, it's too good.

Zhao Xing's panel contains many records:

[You used a high-level Volcano Art on a dormant volcano. This casting triggered 'Blessing of Luck,' increasing the spell's effectiveness by 80%.]

[You cast a high-level Volcano Art on a dormant volcano. This casting triggered "Blessing of Luck," doubling the spell's effectiveness.]

Until the final volcanic eruption, the records are as follows:

[Because you have used a total of seventy-two high-level Volcano Art on a dormant volcano, this spellcasting has triggered "Blessing of Luck," increasing the spell's effectiveness fivefold!]

[You have activated a level five fire vein! Earth fire erupts for thirty miles, its effects radiating for a hundred miles!]

What is the concept of a level 5 fire vein?

The Earth Vein turmoil that Zhao Xing caused in the Earth Fire Plain of the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven was only a level three berserk riot.

A level-five fire vein shot up from the ground, its ferocity reaching level five in an instant.

When marching and fighting, many people prefer to build camps on mountains.

If we don't consider the defense of large-scale machinery Divine Soldier.

Jiang Ming's 30,000 troops were within a ten-mile radius, so basically no one could survive.

Even Jiang Ming, Sixth Rank, could not escape death.

Within a range of ten to twenty li, only those of the Seventh Grade can survive.

A safe distance is only 30 miles away.

Because Zhao Xing's Volcano Art is not a single-use technique.

It took advantage of the Earthly Advantage Institute, using an extinct volcano as a base, and cast a total of seventy-two spells, which also triggered the Fortune Critical Success in terms of luck.

Its power far exceeds that of high-level single-target attacks.

The Volcano Art can already be seen as a means of combating natural disasters.

Just like the witches of the Southern Wilderness, who could use the Canglan River to launch natural disasters against the Great Zhou.

A uniquely advantageous Earthly Advantage Institute location can often allow high-level spells to unleash extraordinary power.

"There are many volcanoes in the Southern Barbarians, both dead and alive. If you use this Volcano Art to destroy enemies in the future, the destructive power will be terrifying," Chen Shijie assessed.

"You yourself mentioned the future; using it now to kill the enemy is still a stretch," Zhao Xing said.

The Volcano Art is powerful, but the preparation time is too long.

It took him three days and three nights to achieve this effect.

In that time, the enemy would have already fled.

Moreover, even an hour or two before the outbreak, the commotion is quite significant, making it easy for the enemy to escape.

Of course, killing people won't work, but destroying buildings and plants is very effective.

Neither Cloud Method nor Rain Art can compare to the destructive power of Volcano Art, which covers a wide area.

In this area, even fragile plants cannot survive, and all the fifth-order engineering buildings and mechanisms will have to be burned down.

Unless Zhao Xing reaches the Fourth Grade and completes the high-level magic, his spellcasting will be completely silent.

A single spell is enough to fully activate the volcano.

The timing, range, and power of the eruption are all controllable.

Moreover, it erupts in an instant, making it impossible to defend against.

For now, all we can do is farm.

"Nothing else can survive, but the Earth Fire Lotus needs just such an environment."

"Old Chen, take some people and plant the third and fourth tier seeds on the outer perimeter first."

"Call me when you're ready. I need to rest for a bit."

Zhao Xing was also exhausted. He had been using advanced techniques for three days and three nights in a row. The mental fatigue he had experienced was something that Sleepy Bug could not alleviate.

"Go and rest assured," Chen Shijie nodded. "Leave the rest to us."

They stole several hundred seeds of the Earth Fire Lotus from the lava Lava Cavern in Fire Dragon Pass, mostly of the third rank, with a few of the fourth rank and none of the fifth rank.

There is no Agricultural Official in the Divine Might Army who has mastered the advanced techniques of the True Self Faction.

Therefore, Zhao Xing is the one who should be in charge of breaking through the shackles of growth.

However, Zhao Xing wouldn't need to trouble himself with the ripening, propagation, and large-scale deployment of third and fourth-order seeds.

Once it matures, Zhao Xing can then use the Instant Primordial to break the growth shackles of the Earth Fire Lotus.

The entire process couldn't be left entirely to Zhao Xing; otherwise, he would be exhausted from supplying fifth-tier materials to tens of thousands of troops.

Chen Shijie arrived in the Cloud Rain Tower Ship, and most of the Nine Section Battalion had been transferred here. He also transferred a lot of Seventh Grade Agricultural Official knew how to farm from the rear, such as Han Bing.

The volcano has erupted; now is the time for them to unleash their power.

Each person is more than capable of handling one seed.

Once the first batch was distributed, the Military Sima Nong in the Nine Section Battalion immediately began planting the seeds of the Earth Fire Lotus in the volcanic ash.

The third-tier Earth Fire Lotus seed will begin to germinate after one hour, enter the growth stage after three hours, and enter the maturity stage after five hours.

The fourth-order Earth Fire Lotus seed will germinate after two hours, enter the growth period after six hours, and mature after twelve hours.

This speed meets the requirements of the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven for the Military Sima Nong.

However, it is still a bit slow. If it is not planted near a volcano, the speed will be greatly reduced, and the survival rate may not even reach 100%.

At this point, Zhao Xing doesn't need to intervene; he should first harvest a new batch of seeds to increase production.

So Chen Shijie sent people to pick the seeds and begin replanting.

When the third crop is harvested and replanting begins.

Jiang Ming arrived at the Cloud Rain Tower Ship. He was piloting a flying boat and was accompanied by a group of Agricultural Official from the Sea Pacifying Army.

"Brother Chen, could you perhaps ask my men to lend a hand as well?"

Chen Shijie glanced at the Agricultural Official behind Jiang Ming and immediately understood Jiang Ming's intention.

He probably figured something out, which is why he wanted to get involved.

"Commander Jiang," Chen Shijie, looking at Jiang Ming's hopeful eyes, "Your men can help, but they'll have to obey my orders."

"Furthermore, if the Commandant wishes to cooperate more deeply, it would be best to write to Marquis Lan."

"What happens next is beyond our control."

Chen Shijie was also very blunt: attacking Fire Dragon Pass is not something Jiang Ming can get involved in just because he wants to.

He was a captain with only 30,000 troops, and they were all naval forces.

Attacking Fire Dragon Pass would be of little use.

Besides, the Divine Might Army doesn't lack partners right now; Xia Jing came over the day before yesterday.

Aren't the Black Armor Army much stronger than the Sea Pacifying Army?

It's not even the Sea Pacifying Army's turn.

"Brother, you know what you're doing. I've already informed General Lan, and I believe news will arrive soon," Jiang Ming said gratefully. "I just want to help out."

"They are all under your command."

"Okay." Chen Shijie nodded. He was just helping to plant some Earth Fire Lotus and wouldn't be able to claim any credit.

The Military Realm is currently facing a severe shortage of fire-resistant materials, which cannot be produced by a single Nine Section Battalion.

Making things convenient for others is making things convenient for yourself.

After sleeping for two and a half days, Zhao Xing awoke, his Fate Soul rested, and he woke up refreshed.

He discovered that he had actually reached the thirty-ninth level of the Essence Gathering.

"I'm only First Tier away from breaking through to the Sixth-Rank Heavenly Dipper Realm."

"Since being granted the title, my cultivation level has finally become stable today," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

He had previously reached the Official Seventh Rank, Upper, and his cultivation level had remained unchanged ever since.

The main reason is that the upgrade speed is too fast, and the understanding of techniques and principles gradually becomes equal.

The improvement now proves that the foundation for the Seventh Grade rank has been solidified.

Step out of the room, cross the Tower Ship's veranda, and arrive at the forward deck.

Zhao Xing saw Chen Shijie discussing matters with a group of Agricultural Official.

When he arrived, Chen Shijie immediately ended the meeting. "Awake?"

"Hmm, how's the situation?"

He was sleeping on the Cloud Rain Tower Ship, and looking down, he saw that many lotus flowers had already bloomed.

"We already have 120,000 Earth Fire Lotus," Chen Shijie said. "I have ordered a halt to replanting; we'll maintain this scale for now."

"120,000 plants? That's fast." Zhao Xing was taken aback.

"The Divine Might Army has over a thousand Agricultural Official, and the Sea Pacifying Army and Black Armor Army have also sent some people to help."

"I personally collected and planted the 120,000 plants. It's not difficult to replant level 5 fire veins and third-tier Earth Fire Lotus."

"There are fewer fourth-order plants, but there are still 10,000 of them."

Provided the environmental conditions are right, a thousand Military Sima Nong can easily produce 100,000 third-tier plants a day.

The thousand Agricultural Official of the Divine Might Army are no mediocre talents.

A group of elites were transferred from Wen Shaoyang's troops, and when Xia Jing came, he also brought a group of Agricultural Official elites from the Black Armor Army.

The Sea Pacifying Army also provided dozens of people, and in addition, talented Agricultural Official such as Han Bing were drawn from the rear supply cities.

"Has Wang Ji arrived yet?" Zhao Xing asked.

"Here it comes. The Earth Fire Nurturing Array is a quarter complete." Chen Shijie pointed to a corner of the volcano.

"I didn't know how difficult it was to grow a fifth-order Earth Fire Lotus, so I set up some Magic Array at the foot of the mountain and on the mountainside."

"I didn't send anyone to the mountaintop; we'll talk about it when you wake up."

"Wang Ji is currently in charge of a Magic Array at the foot of the mountain."

Zhao Xing nodded. Old Chen was very meticulous and thoughtful in his work.

When he wakes up, he doesn't need to think about anything else; he can just go straight to casting spells.

That's why he likes to team up with Chen Shijie.

Because Old Chen has strong execution skills, he is a perfect adjutant!

"Then I'll go cast the spell first."

"Wait a minute." Chen Shijie called out to Zhao Xing again. "Don't rush, there are still a few people you need to meet."

"Who?"

"Xia Jing has brought his men over. He said that you must be present for this cooperation, so Liao Rulong and Pu Zhong also came along."

Zhao Xing smiled slightly.

Good brother, loyal to the end!

No wonder he liked teaming up with Xia Jing back in Cloud City; Xia Jing was a savvy guy!

Xia Jing was confident in his decision to cooperate with the Divine Might Army, as the Black Armor Army was inherently stronger than the Divine Might Army.

The Divine Might Army has none of the Agricultural Official have mastered the True Self Faction, but the Black Armor Army has two.

Xia Jing was Grade A genius who Qidian out as Official Seventh Rank, Upper and was also Heir Apparent.

They are fully qualified to represent the Black Armor Army in this operation at Fire Dragon Pass.

He specifically requested Zhao Xing's presence, indicating his intention to place Zhao Xing among the ranks of senior commanders.

Why?

Because when the collective war merits of the Great Zhou were distributed, the commanders accounted for a large proportion.

For example, once Fire Dragon Pass was captured, Liao Rulong was the one who made the greatest contribution.

Because he is the commander of this army, the result will be the same even if he stands in Zhiyou City watching the show.

Of course, rights and obligations are equal. If the siege fails and the losses are heavy, Liao Rulong's military achievements will be severely reduced.

The situation is serious; they might even be beheaded.

Xia Jing requested Zhao Xing's presence, so that if they could take down Fire Dragon Pass, Zhao Xing could share the credit as a member of the joint command.

Zhao Xing understands these intricacies, and so does Xia Jing.

"Besides Xia Jing, there's someone else you need to meet as well," Chen Shijie said.

"Who?"

"He's an advisor sent by Tantai Ming. How did you get involved with this Fourth Grade Directorate of Waterways?"

"What's going on?" Zhao Xing asked. "Why did he send someone?"

"Jiang Ming, the Sea Pacifying Army, wants to join the battle to attack Fire Dragon Pass."

"Lan Hongming and the Marquis had no connection, but he asked Tantai Ming to act as an intermediary."

"When Tantai Ming was talking to the Marquis, he mentioned you. The Marquis didn't know what your relationship with Tantai Ming was, so he gave you the decision-making power." Chen Shijie looked at Zhao Xing.

"The Marquis gave you the decision-making power because he thought that if you had received any favors from Tantai Ming, this would be a way of repaying that favor for you."

Zhao Xing was speechless. Tantai Ming was originally a powerful patron that his teacher had found for him.

Before he could even use Tantai Ming, Tantai Ming had already asked him to use him.

The commander of the Sea Pacifying Army, Lan Hongming, did not have a particularly good relationship with Yang An, but it was easy to find a middleman in Nine Heavens Responding Origin Prefecture. As he searched, he unexpectedly got involved with him.

However, since the Earth Fire Lotus was found by himself, and the fifth-tier lotus also had to be planted by himself, it wasn't unreasonable for Yang An to give him the decision-making power.

Zhao Xing pondered for a moment, "Tantai Ming was my direct superior when I was an official in Cloud City. He provided a lot of support for my ability to quickly clean up the political affairs of Cloud City and unite the forces of the Five Offices."

"He had a very close relationship with my teacher, Tian Yan."

Zhao Xing did not mention the specifics of Tian Yan and Tantai Ming's past.

It's true that the teacher saved their life, but they might not want people to brag about it everywhere.

"Shall we meet?" Chen Shijie asked.

"How will the multiple Sea Pacifying Army affect us?" Zhao Xing asked.

"The Military Advisor said it's dispensable. The Sea Pacifying Army's fighting strength is not strong. Even if they participate in the war, how much credit they get is up to us."

"We are currently on the front lines, and the Black Armor Army, our biggest partner, has designated you to discuss matters, so you can make the decision."

"The navy might need it sometime. We'll have to cross the Canglan River a few times sooner or later... Okay, I'll go see them first." Zhao Xing nodded.

He decided to meet with the people sent by Tantai Ming first, and then meet with Xia Jing.

Based on his rank and his relationship with his teacher Tian Yan, he would have to see Tantai Ming's confidants first.

On the Cloud Rain Tower Ship, Zhao Xing met Zhu Xinwen, a confidant of Tantai Ming.

Since they didn't know each other very well, Zhao Xing and Zhu Xinwen didn't exchange many pleasantries and went straight to the point.

"Zhao Xing, Marquis Lan contacted Divine Might General through Lord Dan's connections, but Divine Might General said that you should make the decision on this matter."

"After Lord Tantai found out, he sent me to find you in secret."

Zhao Xing asked, "What does Lord Tan mean?"

"Does the master mean that if you feel uncomfortable, just pretend I was never here?" Zhu Xinwen said. "Take it as Divine Might General's excuse."

Zhao Xing thought carefully for a moment and said, "Please reply, sir. I am willing to speak on behalf of Lord Dan. However, the effectiveness of the Sea Pacifying Army in battle is beyond my control."

Zhu Xinwen smiled and said, "Alright, your words are enough."

After meeting Zhu Xinwen, he went to another place to meet Xia Jing.

The Black Armor Army promoted Xia Jing to the position of temporary Sub-Sixth Rank lieutenant general.

Sitting next to Xia Jing was a Sub-Sixth Rank agricultural official.

Zhao Xing could tell at a glance that this was a Military Sima Nong, and the fact that he was sitting to Xia Jing's lower left indicated that Xia Jing was the principal and he was the assistant.

The Heir Apparent's status is off the charts.

"Brother Zhao, you're finally awake," Xia Jing said. "How did your talk with Tantai Ming's men go?"

"You know about this too?" Zhao Xing asked in surprise. Didn't Zhu Xinwen say he was coming secretly?

"If you can get involved with Fourth Grade official, why can't I know that Marquis Lan hired Tantai Ming as an intermediary?" Xia Jing smiled.

"Do you think I should agree?" Zhao Xing asked before giving a result.

"Of course I'd agree. Why wouldn't I?" Xia Jing said. "It's just a small favor, and you can get in touch with Tantai Ming and Marquis Lan. That would be good for you."

"I mean, don't you think there are too many people? Jiang Ming's department is clearly here to claim credit," Zhao Xing asked.

"The credit he received is insignificant. If we can capture Fire Dragon Pass, there's a huge piece of meat waiting to be eaten," Xia Jing said calmly. "Your agreement is of course more advantageous. Am I, Xia Jing, the kind of person with a narrow mind? Besides, Jiang Ming's troops are no pushovers either."

"After we pass Fire Dragon Pass, we might have to cross the river sometime, and that will be the territory of Marquis Lan."

"Thanks." Zhao Xing nodded.

"We're brothers, why Guest Qi?" Xia Jing smiled and said, "Come, let me introduce you. This is Lord Dong He, the Sixth Rank Military Sima Nong in my Black Armor Army."

"He is a True Self Faction of the Primal School who specializes in Agricultural Official and knows high-level magic."

"Greetings, Lord Dong." Zhao Xing bowed. "The cultivation of the Earth Fire Lotus will depend on Lord Dong."

Dong He cupped his hands in a nonchalant manner and said, "It's fine, I also need Lord Zhao's assistance."

Upon hearing the other party's choice of words, Zhao Xing raised an eyebrow.

The saying goes that those in the same trade are enemies. Dong He also knows the advanced techniques of the True Self Faction. Hearing this, it sounds a bit like he's here to steal my job.

He glanced at Xia Jing, who looked somewhat helpless, indicating that he couldn't stop this person from taking his work away from him.

"Lord Dong, Brother Zhao and I have some private matters to discuss," Xia Jing said. "Please, Lord Dong, go and rest for a while."

"Hmm." Dong He nodded lightly and left the room.

"What's wrong with this guy?" Zhao Xing asked Dong He.

"The Black Armor Army wants to speed up the planting of the Earth Fire Lotus, so they sent a Military Sima Nong to help," Xia Jing said. "Two people planting it is better than one person planting it."

"Fine, fine, you've sent people to seduce me, haven't you?"

"How could that be?"

"To be honest!"

Xia Jing said helplessly, "This guy acts like a big shot in my camp. I've just taken command of the army, and I can't really control him."

It's normal for Sixth Rank Military Sima Nong to be a bit temperamental, especially since he's also skilled in advanced techniques of the True Self Faction.

Zhao Xing looked at Xia Jing: "So you mean...?"

Xia Jing nodded. "That's right, I specifically chose to bring him along."

"Dong He acts like he's my father every day in my camp, and I really can't stand it."

"Zhao Xing, you have to help your brother out."

"You need to show him what it means to have mountains beyond mountains and people beyond people!"

Chapter Two, 5k words delivered! Update times are getting earlier and earlier, which is a good sign!