Chen Shijie looked as though he were enjoying a show. The other officials had no choice but to accept the invitation and take their seats.
What could they do? He was the senior one, after all.
His official rank was higher than theirs, and his cultivation was stronger as well. Moreover, Chen Shijie was the youngest official in the Ministry of Agriculture—not merely in Gucheng, but throughout all of Nanyang County.
It was easy to imagine that Lord Chen's future would not stop at the rank of ninth grade.
"Lord Chen's revisions are truly brilliant. As Minister of Agriculture, one must contend with heaven and contend with earth for the sake of the people. Without the will to prevail, how can anything be accomplished?"
After they sat down, Gao Linong was the first to speak. He had said the wrong thing during the previous Lesser Heat Assessment and had been looking for a chance to make up for it. Now that he had finally found one, he voiced an opinion aligned with his superior's.
Chen Shijie smiled faintly and nodded in response.
That flattery was far too stiff. It was practically a repetition of what Chen Shijie had said last time.
Tang Wanchun was far more clever. Rather than praising him directly, he brought up the clerk Chen Shijie had previously commended. "I think that first clerk to hold up the clouds understood Lord Chen's painstaking intentions, which was why he seized the initiative. I just wonder whether he can keep it up."
"Lord Xue's test is comprehensive. It examines the abilities of the clerks below while also testing their endurance. Going without food or drink for four days and three nights in such scorching weather is no simple matter."
Chen Shijie was indeed intrigued. "I remember that he also performed quite well in the last minor assessment. Elder Xue, was he taught by you?"
Xue Wenzhong had not intended to speak. After taking his seat, he had simply closed his eyes to rest. But since they were talking about Zhao Xing, he changed his mind. "That's right. His name is Zhao Xing. I merely did my humble part in teaching him; his own comprehension is the main reason. Lord Chen, please look after him more. This boy is a rare talent."
Chen Shijie nodded. "Since Elder Xue says so, I truly must take a good look at his performance."
Xue Wenzhong rarely praised anyone in public, much less recommended a clerk under his command before Chen Shijie. Could it be that he had taken on a disciple? The other officials became somewhat wary.
Becoming a full official was not only what minor clerks yearned for. These formal officials valued it greatly as well. Recommending and educating talent was a major achievement.
Just as someone was about to say something, Chen Shijie fixed his gaze somewhere. "Look, someone's heading for Zhao Xing."
Zhao Xing had been the first to cast Cloudcalling, claiming two spring wells and three piles of grass ash in the northeast.
Wen Nanxing was to his north, and Xiao Ze to his south. The challengers defeated by those two immediately set their sights on Zhao Xing.
However, Zhao Xing's Cloudcalling did not look easy to provoke either. A seventh-turn spell was already among the better ranks in the Ministry of Agriculture.
There were quite a few onlookers, but only three approached.
One of them, a fair-skinned young man, cupped his hands toward Zhao Xing. "Huang Tao of Hundred Flowers Garden. Brother Zhao, could you move over a little?"
Huang Tao intended to be courteous before resorting to force. The opponent's seventh-turn Cloudcalling and his previous Grade A result were worthy of some respect.
Zhao Xing sneered. "Brother Huang, may I ask the three of you to get lost?"
Huang Tao's expression stiffened, and his gaze turned hostile. "You alone occupy two spring wells and three piles of grass ash, yet you refuse to yield. In that case, forgive us for offending you!"
The people beside him had long grown impatient after failing to reach an agreement. "Why waste words on him? He got Grade A once through luck and now he's arrogant beyond measure... Cloudcalling!"
All three cast Cloudcalling at once. The clouds rolled and billowed, and all of them, Huang Tao included, were at the seventh turn!
Dark clouds spread out and rapidly crashed toward Zhao Xing's position.
"It's been a long time since I last fought someone." Zhao Xing licked his lips. Staring at the clouds above, he actually felt a little excited.
In truth, he had been waiting for challengers all along. This was bound to happen sooner or later; otherwise, he would never be able to secure his footing.
"Rising Wind!"
Zhao Xing pointed with one hand, and a fierce wind came from the east.
Then the wind split into two currents and blew toward two different places.
"Whooo—"
"Wooooo—"
The two gusts blew toward the two challengers beside Huang Tao. Their Cloudcalling clouds actually piled up in midair and rolled backward, as though there were a Wind Wall there!
"Huh? My Cloudcalling can't move!"
"Mine too. It can't get through."
The two challengers looked shocked. They had not expected Zhao Xing's Rising Wind spell to block them.
"Ha!" The two unconvinced challengers poured in more vital energy.
Yet every time their Cloudcalling clouds rolled, the wind blew again.
The more they tried to advance, the greater the resistance became. After expending tremendous effort, they had only moved forward a tiny bit!
"Why is his Rising Wind so strange?"
"This wind is unnatural. It's like it knows my weakness, and it's boring inside and darting everywhere... Oh no!"
One of them had slightly weaker control over his vital energy, and nearly half his Cloudcalling cloud suddenly dispersed.
Once it started dispersing, it could no longer be stopped. He lost the contest of strength.
Before the three could even threaten Zhao Xing, one of them had already been scattered by the wind!
"Cough, cough, cough..." The minor clerk whose Cloudcalling had been dispersed suffered backlash from his vital energy and coughed incessantly.
Huang Tao's expression changed at once, a bad feeling rising within him. His position had not encountered any obstruction at all.
The fight had only just begun, so how had his companion already fallen?
But there was no time to worry about that now. Taking advantage of Zhao Xing being distracted by his companions, he controlled his Cloudcalling and slammed into him.
"Bzzz—"
The expected violent collision did not occur. There was no thunder, no rain, and no wind.
Zhao Xing's clouds suddenly caved in sharply, revealing flashing lightning within, like a giant purple-black mouth.
"What?" In Huang Tao's senses, part of his cloud suddenly vanished from his control, as though it had been bitten clean off.
Then the dark clouds above Zhao Xing's head rushed toward him.
"Boom!" Thunder crashed!
The Cloudcalling clouds above Huang Tao shrank at a visible rate.
"What? This... such exquisite control... I surrender!" Huang Tao felt himself completely lose control of his clouds and immediately shouted.
But Zhao Xing ignored him completely. The lightning was like blades, cutting with precision, thoroughly shattering Huang Tao's control and devouring the mass of cloud energy.
"Pfft—" Huang Tao felt as though blades were cutting through his mind. His spell backlash was far more severe than the others', and he instantly fell stiffly to the ground.
"Brother Huang, Brother Huang..." His companions immediately ran over to support him.
"I-I'm fine..." Huang Tao panted heavily. "Don't try again. Find somewhere else."
"Zhao Xing was too vicious." His companion complained. "It was only a spar. How can we just let him off?"
"Don't. We were simply inferior in skill; there's nothing to say." Huang Tao looked toward Zhao Xing, deep apprehension flashing through his eyes. "His control over spells felt even greater than Wen Nanxing's and Xiao Ze's. Forcing a contest would only bring humiliation upon ourselves. Let's go!"
Watching the three flee in disgrace, Zhao Xing then used the wind to carry his voice in every direction. "Which colleague still wishes to seize my territory, Zhao Xing's territory? Come and try!"
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