Evolution Four! Seizing the Initiative for Grotto Heaven Spiritual Wonders!
Name: Zhao Xing
[Realm Level: Upper Sub-Sixth Rank (Mid-Stage Heavenly Star Realm)]
Occupation: Agricultural Official
[Qi Yun: Derivation Four]
[Essence Gathering: Level 43]
[Fate Soul: Mid- Sixth Rank]
[Extra lifespan: 160 years]
"The extra lifespan was only 10 years, but my luck finally climbed to the Derivation Four!"
Zhao Xing pondered this change, and then seemed to understand something.
"Last time, when I was promoted before the war, my lifespan was increased by 60 years, but this time it was only increased by 10 years."
"Perhaps it's because I already have a considerable amount of extra lifespan, and my Fate Soul has reached the Sixth Rank."
"Destiny and fortune need to be improved accordingly."
"According to the Sub-Sixth Rank system, my destiny is already high and strong enough, but my luck is still at the Derivation Three. Therefore, during this baptism, the Luck Golden Dragon first enhanced my luck."
"If I am promoted to the Sixth Rank next time, I'm afraid my lifespan will outweigh my luck."
How long should Sub-Sixth Rank live? About two hundred years is about right. Zhao Xing estimated that his lifespan was nearing the limit for Sub-Sixth Rank.
However, there is still much room for improvement in one's fortune, so the increase in fortune exceeds the increase in lifespan.
Of course, there are many possibilities. Perhaps Emperor Jing enhanced the luck of geniuses from commoner backgrounds, which also aligns with Emperor Jing policy of replenishing the army with fresh blood.
If one has strong luck, their career path will naturally be smoother. If one's luck is ordinary, like the Old Sima Nong Xue Wenzhong, who only became a Ninth-Rank official after sixty years, then even a long life is of little use.
"Emperor Jing was quite generous at this time. Last time, his lifespan was increased significantly, and this time his fortune was increased significantly."
"These increases all exceed the levels seen during peacetime," Zhao Xing thought to himself.
In peacetime, many Fifth Grade officials are only at the Derivation Three Luck.
Now, even Sixth Rank can reach the Derivation Three stage of Qi! Those who are unique, like myself, have even reached the Derivation Four.
Even if he didn't inherit part of Great Li's fortune, Zhao Xing estimated that he could still reach the Derivation Three the Yan Dynasty!
Because he participated in the battles of Fire Dragon Pass and Soul Offering Pass without ever being defeated, his military achievements were outstanding! If placed on the Sixth Rank list, he would be among the top three thousand.
Of course, no one else can see these things. Unless you reach a high rank, you won't know how strong your luck really is, and you won't know how Emperor Jing arranged things.
"In terms of realm, my path to advancement has been opened."
"According to convention, if I am capable, I will only encounter the threshold of the Dynasty of Fate when I reach the Fifth Grade, and the words (cannot be upgraded) will appear on the panel."
"Entering the middle-grade realm, the difficulty of cultivation becomes much greater. The 50th level of the Essence Gathering stage is the first hurdle. To create Pure Origin Soil, breakthroughs must be made in the three major secret manuals. It can be said that one move affects the whole body."
"After passing this hurdle, there is another hurdle that is quite difficult, namely the Fourth Grade Yuan Soul Realm."
For Fourth Grade official, strengthening the physical body and Seven Po is like asking Agricultural Official official, who is used to being a clerk, to suddenly have to train his body. It's like asking a delicate city gentleman to bend over and till the fields in the scorching summer sun.
In terms of magic, Zhao Xing already possesses twelve high-level spells.
Advanced Time Law:
[Five Elements Mist Concealment: Fifth Rank] [Thunder Breaking Illusion Finger: Fourth-Turn] [Nine Heavens Astral Wind: High-Level Third-Turn] [Dripping Rain: Seventh-Turn]
During the days of Soul Offering Pass Sacrifice, he broke through to the ' Heavenly Star Realm ' and drew the Nine Heavens Astral Wind into his body. His former 'Minor Nine Heavens Gale Wind Art ' also successfully broke through to a higher level.
The intermediate-level spells, Heavenly Frost and Heavenly Fire, remain intermediate-level without any new changes.
Among them, the [Five Elements Mist Concealment] has already mastered the ' Five Elements Poisonous Miasma ', which can block enemies over a wide area.
The Water Drop Art, which achieves the "Ten Thousand Threads Flow" effect, along with the Rain Art and the Straw Man Art, are the two strongest magical talents Zhao Xing possesses.
As for Cloud Method, the Devouring Cloud Art is still at the mid-level perfection stage, and he has not yet begun cultivating advanced Cloud Method at the Soul Offering Pass.
High-order Transformation of Seasons Art:
[Soaring Serpent Transformation: Fourth-Turn] [Startling Thunder Transformation: Third-Turn]
The external training of the Soaring Serpent Transformation technique is purely for killing enemies. The internal training ultimately transforms the user into the Divine Beast Soaring Serpent; to achieve internal training, one must be at least at the Seventh-Turn.
Startling Thunder Transformation is a nurturing spell. Although it can kill enemies using its side effects, its main purpose is to nurture exotic beasts.
Advanced Earthly Advantage Method:
[Netherwind of the Fiend: Fifth Rank] [Earthly Baleful Thunder: Fifth Rank] [Volcano Art: Third-Turn]
The Netherwind of the Fiend is a soul-destroying spell, while the Earthly Baleful Thunder is called "Yin Thunder." Both are most powerful on the ground and underground. They can also be cast in the sky, but their power will be reduced by one or two levels.
The Volcano Art is a spell with a range second only to the Cloud Method Technique, and it's also Gambler's Tactic that relies on luck.
[High-level spell: The True Self Method]
[Instant Primordial: Sixth-Turn] [Ten Thousand Laws Straw Puppet: Fourth-Turn]
The Instant Primordial is a high-level Element Analysis Art, and among the True Self Four Arts, this is the only high-level method.
The Nine Dragons Bend the Nodes Technique, the Foundation Strengthening Art (Savage Growth), and the Condensation Art (Barren Condense Essence Art) are all at the intermediate level of perfection, and none of them have reached the high level.
"The fourth Ten Thousand Laws Straw Puppet is already ready. When I see Old Liu later, I'll have something to say." Zhao Xing looked at the panel.
Even if the Ten Thousand Laws Straw Puppet reaches the Fourth-Turn, he has achieved some success, but the Third-Turn were just the beginning.
Liu Tianning has high expectations for his apprentices. He himself has not fought or done anything for two months at the Soul Offering Pass. If there is no progress, Old Liu will probably lose his temper.
[Great Evolution Qi Observation Art: High-Level Fifth Stage]
The advanced method, derived from the "Great Evolution Scripture," allows one to observe the fortune of others and discern some simple changes in their destiny from that fortune.
[Heaven's Eye Art: High-Level Fourth-Turn]
This method improves as the Fate Soul realm advances. After consuming the Fate Soul Pill, the Fate Soul advanced from the initial stage to the middle stage during the two months of the Soul Offering Pass, and the Heaven's Eye Art naturally broke through to the Fourth-Turn.
[Sleep Bug Art: High-Level Fourth-Turn]
Sleep Bug Art reaches an advanced level, not only does its range and power increase, but it can also be considered an alternative self-cultivation method for the Fate Soul. It can extract parasites from the Fate Soul, which can also promote the Fate Soul's growth.
During the Soul Offering Pass, Zhao Xing barely slept, yet he managed to persevere thanks to this magic.
"The Five Finger Heavenly Mandate, the Tortoise Coin Divination Art, and the Divination of Climate Art are all advanced secret techniques, but I have only learned the intermediate-level secret techniques among them."
"Fate-related spells were difficult to master during the Great Zhou Dynasty, but I still managed to master them all to the intermediate-level perfection." Zhao Xing looked at the three spells and smiled.
During his two months at the Soul Offering Pass, he killed 32,000 turtles!
A true "turtle-killing maniac," a turtle nemesis.
Jiang Ming, the commander of the Sea Pacifying Army, became frightened as he escorted the troops.
He even thought Zhao Xing had some kind of peculiar fetish, enjoying killing turtles to satisfy his perverted psychology.
He would just deliver the turtles and run away without saying another word.
Xia Jing, Liao Rulong, Chen Shijie Long Xiao, and Wen Shaoyang also had strong opinions.
More than 32,000 turtles!
Zhao Xing only wants the blood and the Turtle Shell, but what about the meat?
Of course, eat it!
How can we waste the flesh of a spirit turtle of grade seven, eight, or nine?
Meat is a rare commodity on the front lines. While the Agricultural Official can grow crops, they have no choice but to transport meat.
Zhao Xing, the logistics supervisor, then ordered that the turtle meat be sent to the officers.
At first, the officers were quite happy.
But I can't resist eating it every day!
So they all went to Shangguan to complain.
Xia Jing even went to Zhao Xing and asked him if he had a problem with him, otherwise why would he bring turtle meat to eat every day?
The Priest Zhang Yi couldn't help but complain that the ghosts of turtles were calling out every day inside the pass, and the soldiers kept dreaming of the vengeful spirits of turtles. This couldn't go on; even he, as the Priest, couldn't keep up with the ghosts!
Ultimately, following protests from these high-ranking officers, the supply of turtle meat to them was stopped, and Zhao Xing also ceased having Jiang Ming deliver turtles.
Jiang Ming finally breathed a sigh of relief, and the rest of the soldiers were finally free.
It wasn't that Old Master Zhao was soft-hearted, but rather that he had finally mastered the [Tortoise Coin Divination] method in the "Tortoise Coin Divination" technique to the intermediate level of perfection.
However, from then on, Zhao Xing was nicknamed the "Turtle-Killing Maniac".
"These Turtle-Turtle have made a great contribution to the perfection of my Tortoise Trigram Art," Zhao Xing couldn't help but exclaim.
The Tortoise Coin Divination Art, derived from the Six-Line Classic, deepens one's understanding of this technique. Once the meaning of the classic is grasped, everything else becomes clear, and even the progress of "Five Finger Heavenly Mandate" and "Divination of Climate Art" greatly increases.
Ultimately, all three high-level secret manuals produced spells that reached the mid-level perfection stage.
Not long after leaving the temple and returning to the Eighteen Locust Willow Courtyard, Chen Shijie, Long Xiao, and Xia Jing also completed the promotion process.
Zhao Xing glanced at Old Chen using the Great Evolution Qi Observation Art.
"The gray-white pillar of fortune has disappeared and is no longer noticeable. Although the red pillar is still not as solid as the Long Xiao's, after this promotion, it has finally reached the level of the initial stage of the Derivation Three."
"Long Xiao's red light pillar is deeper. If fortune is also divided into early, middle, high and peak, then his fortune is the Derivation Three."
At this time, Old Chen was already a Sixth Rank Official Rank, one rank higher than Zhao Xing's.
This level marks a watershed moment between the positive and negative stages. Logically, this promotion should bring good fortune, and Old Chen should at least reach the middle level of the Derivation Three stage, if not the Derivation Four.
The result was that Derivation Three degree of the initial stage, and although the grayish-white color was small, there were still impurities.
"According to the Great Evolution Scripture Sutra, this means that one's fortune is unstable. When encountering a major disaster, one is unable to turn misfortune into good fortune. One cannot withstand danger and is easily brought back to the original state, still experiencing great fluctuations."
"Old Chen is truly born with a deficiency," Zhao Xing sighed inwardly.
Given the current situation, it's uncertain whether we can weather this wave of disaster at Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven.
But it's still much better than before.
If Zhao Xing hadn't gone to Liao Rulong's unit, Chen Shijie would never have been able to obtain a million battle merits, and he would probably still be hesitating at Fire Dragon Pass.
"Xia Jing's luck is indeed very strong." Zhao Xing glanced at Xia Jing again. "His complexion is reddish with a hint of blue, and occasionally purple starlight comes from the east, adorning the top of his head. This is a sign of the Derivation Four Realm, and a stable Derivation Four at that."
Zhao Xing couldn't see his own pillar of fortune, but he guessed that Xia Jing's fortune might be even stronger than his own.
Putting aside his prophetic abilities, Xia Jing's fortunes have been on the rise ever since he entered the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven!
He first met Zhao Xing during group training. He had a conflict with Zhao Xing before, and during the "Lawless Training" exercise, he beat Zhao Xing off the field multiple times, which really angered Old Master Zhao.
During the [Supply Training], Xia Jing was unfortunately assigned to Zhao Xing's group. After a period of torment, she took the opportunity to get to know Zhao Xing.
In the subsequent large-scale "real combat training" and internship in Cloud City, I was assigned to Zhao Xing's group!
Especially in the crucial Cloud City, if Xia Jing hadn't been assigned to the same place as Zhao Xing, but instead had been assigned to the same place as Agricultural Official, it would have been very difficult for him to complete his internship with the highest rating.
Even if it were completed, there would be no time saved to prepare for the Pacifying Barbarians Battlefield.
Later, he even met Zhao Xing at Fire Dragon Pass, formed an alliance, and then took advantage of the two lucrative passes of Fire Dragon Pass and Soul Offering Pass, which also solidified his position in the Black Armor Army.
Xia Jing's luck was already strong, and it was further strengthened after meeting Zhao Xing.
His current Official Rank rank is the same as Zhao Xing's, both Sub-Sixth Rank, but he has reached the Derivation Four, and is even approaching the Evolution Five.
According to the Great Evolution Scripture, if Xia Jing's fortune were drawn as a curve, there would be very few low periods, and even if he was unlucky, he wouldn't be unlucky to a great extent. However, there would be many peak periods of explosive fortune.
"Why are you staring at me like that? Did I become more handsome after my promotion?" Xia Jing joked. "If I had known that, I should have asked the court for the title of ' Handsome Marquis ' instead of some ' Profound Valor Marquis '."
"Heir Apparent, you're a bit too narcissistic," Long Xiao said disdainfully. "He's looking at your fortune."
"Oh?" Xia Jing was somewhat surprised. "You know about this?"
Zhao Xing was slaughtering a tortoise at the Soul Offering Pass, but Xia Jing didn't even glance at it. The reason was simple: he couldn't stand the fishy smell of the sea.
"I know a little bit about it."
"So what did you see?" Xia Jing asked with a smile. "How are the three of us's fortunes?"
After pondering for a moment, Zhao Xing said thoughtfully, "I have actually seen something. There is great fortune, but also great disaster. I just don't know if you believe it or not."
Long Xiao laughed and said, "I believe you. Last time you said I was lucky, and I broke through in a few days. I feel like you really have figured out something."
Xia Jing said, "Why wouldn't you believe it? My family also has fortune tellers who can judge strange beasts and pick out the best ones from tens of thousands of cubs. It is said that they can also judge people and see their fate. I don't know much about it, but it is not a myth. The imperial court has a group of magical ' Fate Officials '."
"You may not know this, but there is not only a Chinese almanac for Evil Aversion Almanac, but also Auspicious Almanac. I once saw one at my aunt's house."
Xia Jing's aunt married into the imperial family, making him practically a member of the royal family.
Chen Shijie remained silent, but ever since their trip to Flame Mountain, he had sensed that Zhao Xing was extraordinary.
When he led the team forward, everything went wrong, but after Zhao Xing took over, the trip to Flame Mountain went smoothly.
Chen Shijie had a difficult life from a young age, and his fortunes only changed after he became an official. He actually believed in these things.
"I have seen that all three of you will have very auspicious signs in the near future, mainly in terms of wealth and growth."
"But this is accompanied by great calamity; after a great rise in fortune comes a great fall. I am not entirely clear on the specifics, or where it will occur. I wonder if you yourselves have any premonitions?"
Zhao Xing's words were rather vague and general, and he couldn't say it explicitly. He could only use a guessing tone to guide the three of them to guess for themselves.
After reaching the Sixth Rank, his Fate Soul intersected with heaven and earth, and he could be touched by some things. He let the three of them guess, and then he could continue the conversation.
"I didn't," Chen Shijie shook his head.
"Now that you mention it, I really do feel that way," Long Xiao said. "I also feel like I'm going to have a lot of good luck this year, hahaha."
Although it was a joke, Zhao Xing knew that Long Xiao was indeed destined for great luck, and that the future Divine Firmament Marquis of Shenxiao would certainly not die in the disaster of the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven.
Xia Jing pondered, "It concerns wealth and personal growth? We won't be transferred any further, so we'll be staying in Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven. Could it be here? Perhaps I can go back and ask my aunt and my family's fortune teller."
Zhao Xing nodded. "Alright, I'm only a dabbler, you'd better go back and ask."
After Xia Jing and the other two left, Zhao Xing rested in the Locust Willow Courtyard, sorting through his memories in his dream.
He said these things without fear of being doubted, because the spiritual energy of Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven had been foreseen by many powerful and influential people.
The powerful and wealthy possess Auspicious Almanac and keep fortune tellers and Fate Master at home. Many of them will find that the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven will bring great benefits.
The Creation Disc of the Military Realm had also calculated long ago that the spiritual essence of the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven Heavenly Spirit Essence would erupt.
However, they only calculated the most auspicious outcome, but the Great Misfortune could not be calculated, or rather, it was overlooked.
After the eruption of the Heavenly Spirit Essence, many Agricultural Official in the Military Realm believed that the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven had been successfully stabilized after more than ten years of transformation and had truly become a blessed land.
Afterwards, an official announcement was issued. Liang King even submitted a memorial to Emperor Jing about this matter, roughly saying: Your Majesty's conquest of the Southern Barbarians has upgraded the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven to a blessed land. Such Favorable Weather is that Heaven and Earth are helping Your Majesty.
Once positive factors are involved, the minor Great Misfortune signs deduced from the Creation Disc are often overlooked.
"After the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven unleashed its Heavenly Spirit Essence, several important areas were sealed off. For those who came after, entering was as difficult as ascending to heaven, unless they were there from the beginning."
After confirming that this was a great opportunity, the imperial court quickly seized the land.
All the resources of the Grotto-Heaven belong to the state, and how they are allocated is entirely up to the imperial court.
How could lowly soldiers possibly receive such benefits?
Even in unimportant areas, if low-ranking officials found treasures, they had to hand them over to the state and receive only a token reward.
"I need to seize the initiative; one person definitely can't do that."
"The Eternal Night Sea to the north, the Inverted Peak Mountain Range to the east, Pengli Marsh to the west, and Scarlet Lake to the south—these are the key areas we must visit, because the spiritual essence born in these places is either a matter of lifespan or destiny!"
"The Ten Thousand Mile Thunder Pool, the Earth Fire Plain, the Skyfire Path, and the Astral Wind Mountain Range are four places that are mainly for nurturing treasures. They are not particularly beautiful, but the treasures they contain are of very high value."
"There are also several areas where Seventh Order ' Original Seed ' will be born. These Seventh Order Original Seed are only produced in the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven."
"There are too many benefits; I can't handle it all by myself." Zhao Xing woke up from his dream. "I need to find someone."
"Moreover, we need to find people with strong abilities and good fortune to enter those important areas together."
Even though I'm currently Sub-Sixth Rank, I still have to hand over anything I find when faced with this opportunity. No problem, I'll just get kicked out.
This is still a 'safe zone'.
What are the unsafe areas?
In some places, Emperor Jing deliberately set high "entry fees" and erected the Forget Sorrow Stele in order to squeeze those powerful and wealthy Noble Families.
Even so, a large number of descendants of prominent families were vying to get in.
Why? Because many large families face a dilemma after several generations: to maintain certain rights, the family needs a certain number of rising stars.
Here we must mention the peculiarities of the Nobility Title inheritance system: the inheritance of many Nobility Title does not inherit 'luck', nor does it extend lifespan, nor does it help improve one's cultivation level.
Nobility Title is not the same as Official Rank (except for the Martial Marquis). Take Xia Jing as an example; his father was a first-class marquis.
If he were to inherit the title, he would be demoted to a second-class marquis, but he would still be considered Martial Marquis. The court would also assign Xia Jing a corresponding Official Rank and send him to serve as an official.
Under normal circumstances, even if Xia Jing were an ordinary person, he would become a Fifth Grade, possessing the strength and corresponding fortune of a fifth -Fifth Grade.
However, if Xia Jing fails to achieve merit and passes the title to his son, the title of Second-Class Marquis will become Third-Class Marquis.
At this time, the title of marquis did not include Official Rank or the inheritance of fortune; it only included property, fief, and land.
The problem lies here: having a large fortune and Nobility Title, but lacking corresponding power and Official Rank, makes one a prime target.
However, the path to advancement remains open, because with Nobility Title, one can cultivate to the Fifth Grade rank without becoming an official. With this level of strength, the chances of securing Official Rank or protecting one's family's interests are very high, and there's no need to go through the bureaucratic or administrative system.
From this perspective, Noble Families and nobles are still much better off than commoners.
Being a powerful figure under Emperor Jing was truly difficult. Opportunities like the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven were extremely expensive, and those who entered risked their lives to compete for benefits.
However, if they win the contest, the scions of those powerful clans can solidify their Nobility Title, protect their family's interests, and even be appointed to official positions.
Originally, meritorious service on the battlefield was one way, but fighting the Southern Barbarians didn't require so many people, so we had to find another way.
"If a great opportunity were to appear in the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven, it would surely attract many powerful and wealthy young men to vie for it."
"Which big shot should I look for?" Zhao Xing pondered.
Tian Yan is not suitable. Teacher Tian is already quite old. He doesn't have a good Official Rank; he's just a teacher at the Earthly Advantage Institute. Although he has connections, connections aren't the most crucial thing at this time.
Regardless of his actual abilities, Tian Yan probably lacks the competitive spirit to compete.
Yang An? He's already a Fourth Grade military officer, so there are many things he can't get involved in, and his relationship with Yang An isn't that advanced.
Fan Zhaoli? This director of the Earthly Advantage Institute is quite capable in combat, but his position is still a bit lacking. Moreover, he only helped me last time because of Tian Yan's influence. This time, with so many powerful figures vying for his services, he might not be willing to lend a hand.
After much deliberation, Old Master Zhao finally decided to choose Liu Tianning.
Liu Tianning is Fifth Grade, so he can go almost anywhere. He is also a member of the Military Realm Inspection Department. Even if he doesn't go looking for Heavenly Spirit Essence, the imperial court will send him there.
Liu Tianning is strong, but as for his luck? Zhao Xing has never looked into Liu Tianning's luck. The straw man doesn't carry luck, and he didn't have time to check it during the retreat.
But it can't be too bad. How bad can a man's luck be if he can become a first-rank Grand Minister of Agriculture?
"Well, we agreed not to get involved with him, but now we're getting more and more entangled." Zhao Xing said with some melancholy, "The more benefits Old Liu brings now, the more hatred he'll bring later."
But we'll talk about what happens next later.
Zhao Xing must seize this opportunity.
Immediately, Zhao Xing tidied himself up and took out the Earth Mirror to request an audience with Liu Tianning.
After receiving permission, they flew towards the Ten Thousand Laws Palace.
There will be one more update before midnight!