The lamplight flickered as Zhao Xing stared at the book, its brightness shifting unpredictably before his eyes gradually grew clearer.
He had thought it was merely a normal fluctuation, but the sensation of brightness grew stronger and stronger until, at a certain moment, it became completely like daylight.
"Huh?" Zhao Xing raised his head, set down the book, and glanced around.
He found that it was not yet dawn outside. It was still the middle of the night, and the almanac showed that it was the Rat Hour. Nothing unusual had happened.
When he checked the interface records again, he immediately understood.
You read the Herbal Classic at night. Essence entered your eyes, and you comprehended the spell 'Bright Eyes Night Vision.' Bright Eyes Night Vision: Beginner Spell Proficiency: 20/9999 Effect: See objects at night and gaze a thousand meters into the distance.
"A universal spell, and I actually unlocked this one."
Zhao Xing smiled faintly. He had not expected to gain something after reading for only a short while, and it was an extremely practical skill at that.
"However, I'm not far from the third stage of Essence Gathering. It's about time I acquired this spell."
Bright Eyes Night Vision was an adaptive spell. It could function passively or be cast actively, adapting to changes in the surrounding environment.
It was basically standard equipment for the Ninth Grade realm. There was also a certain chance for the Unranked to obtain it, with martial professions finding it the easiest to acquire, even at the First Tier of Essence Gathering, because their essence was primarily used to strengthen their bodies. Ministers of Agriculture obtained it somewhat later.
"It's highly practical. Later, it can advance into 'Discern Minute Details.' Not only can it observe subtler movements and essence fluctuations, it can even grasp a person's psychological activity—but it only works on those below one's own realm," Zhao Xing thought.
If they were at the same realm or a higher one, their essence would be perfectly integrated, capable of locking itself in without leaking out. It would be difficult to detect, and psychological activity would be even harder to capture.
"An even stronger one is the judicial official profession's Bright Mirror Asks the Heart. It's especially effective for interrogating criminals."
With Bright Eyes Night Vision, reading became much more convenient for Zhao Xing.
He continued studying the Herbal Classic, Grand View Tree Classic, and Compendium of Herbs.
The ultimate goal of the Minister of Agriculture profession was to cultivate crops. These three books introduced and classified the plants of heaven and earth.
By function, they could be divided into medicinal, edible, and livestock-use categories.
There were also divisions such as "class," "order," "series," "division," and "species."
For example, on a page of the Herbal Classic Zhao Xing was currently reading, there was mention of a miraculous plant called Selaginella, also known as Resurrection Grass. It could treat damage to the soul and was classified under the herbaceous order.
After turning the page, Zhao Xing saw another familiar name.
"In the mushroom family, it describes a strange mountain in Mingdao Province where a plant called Color-Changing Mushroom grows. It can change color and blend into its environment. Touching it causes it to explode, and the explosion releases poisonous gas that can blind, poison, and knock people unconscious. In severe cases, it can cause death."
Zhao Xing had grown plenty of Color-Changing Mushrooms in his previous life. They grew quickly, survived easily, were inexpensive, and had decent effects. They were practically a must-grow for Minister of Agriculture players looking to ambush people.
By species, there were Original Seeds, which had originally existed in heaven and earth, and Derived Species, which were artificially created later.
There were also distinctions based on the attributes of the five elements, wind, and lightning, such as the Purple Lightning Bamboo Zhao Xing had grown in his previous life.
It belonged to the lightning element of the five elements. Its bamboo joints could fire purple lightning attacks, making it one of the stronger offensive plants among bamboo species.
The weakness of Minister of Agriculture players in the early stages was that they could only fight positional battles and defensive battles, requiring advance deployment.
But after Essence Gathering reached the fiftieth tier, this problem disappeared.
That was because they could use Dantian Seed Cultivation, opening up a patch of small Pure Origin Soil that was equivalent to a mobile reserve base.
When encountering an enemy, they could use Pure Yuan Projection on the real world, making plants appear at a designated location and take root in reality. They could basically be deployed instantly.
With a wave of the hand, there would be an army of plants!
As for the later Revival Version, they could directly cultivate seeds within the Inner Landscape, possessing even more miraculous plants that could even take root in the void, completely free of terrain and environmental constraints. That was the most powerful era for True Self Faction Ministers of Agriculture...
"I really miss it. I wonder whether I can live until then."
"In the Dynasty of Fate system, an emperor's lifespan is at most a thousand years. Among officials, the longest-lived was Peng Zu of the Yin Dynasty, who lived eight hundred years."
"This shackle was later broken by the Wu Emperor. Officials actually lived longer than emperors, while emperors' lifespans grew shorter and shorter. That was because the dynasty had begun to decline, and everyone was 'stealing fate to prolong their lives.'"
Zhao Xing counted on his fingers. "I must use the Dynasty of Fate system to extend my lifespan if I'm to have any chance of waiting for the future revival era. Emperor Jing, Wu Emperor, and fifteen more emperors after them. As long as I survive the Wu Emperor Dynasty, the emperors after that will all be short-lived."
"Each dynasty only lasts a little over a hundred years on average... Extending my lifespan will be much easier then. I'm also a Minister of Agriculture with abundant vitality, so outlasting those short-lived fools won't be much of a problem."
"The hardest part is the Emperor Jing's era. Not only is he a Diligent Emperor, he's also tightfisted. He's extremely stingy when it comes to extending officials' lifespans. The Wu Emperor, on the other hand, is generous. With a wave of his hand, he often fills up some general's lifespan..."
After letting his mind wander for a while, Zhao Xing resumed reading. His current goal was still to complete his class advancement.
You read the Grand View Tree Classic at night and comprehended the spell 'Five Elements Observation.' Five Elements Observation: Beginner Spell Proficiency: 1/9999 Effect: Use the Principles of Five Elements to identify the vitality of plants.
"Whoa, my luck is pretty good. Another practical spell." Knowledge of the spell emerged in Zhao Xing's mind, profound and mysterious.
There were countless strange flowers and exotic grasses in the world. Even Ministers of Agriculture throughout the ages had never managed to exhaustively catalogue them all. Many things had no records at all.
Five Elements Observation was equivalent to an advanced detection skill for the Minister of Agriculture profession.
If he encountered an unknown plant, he could observe its internal vitality from afar and use the Principles of Five Elements to distinguish its effects.
Combined with other spells, he could basically judge it accurately.
Minister of Agriculture players also had many other identification skills, such as the Body Melting Identification Method.
They could cut off a small portion and taste it personally, using the body as a furnace to experience its specific effects in greater detail.
But that spell was incredibly deceptive. Many Minister of Agriculture players had suffered terribly because of it. Zhao Xing often saw people on the forums complaining that they had been poisoned to death by one herb or another.
"With this, Shennong need not taste a hundred herbs. He can identify them simply by observing them."
Having acquired two practical spells in a row, Zhao Xing was in an excellent mood.
Even after the Rat Hour had passed, he continued reading tirelessly.
The classics issued by the imperial court contained certain miraculous powers that could help people comprehend spells. A single book could usually grant comprehension twice.
After those two times, it would lose its miraculous effect and would only reinforce the spell knowledge already comprehended.
Time passed, but Zhao Xing was completely unaware of it, wholly immersed in a wonderful feeling.
Though the miraculous power in the classics was weak, it would occasionally give him a flash of inspiration. That was the feeling of "comprehension." It was brief, like a meteor flashing across the sky, but as long as he caught it, he would feel incomparably fulfilled.
"Cock-a-doodle-doo~" A rooster crowed outside. The oil lamp had long since gone out. Zhao Xing looked up and discovered that dawn was nearly here, while the faint glow on the classics had completely vanished.
"Tonight's harvest was truly plentiful. With the Dao Embryo Pill and Derivation Two Blessing of Luck, I actually gained so much even from these standardized classics."
Zhao Xing glanced at the interface.
Before you continue