Lightning Bamboo, Hallucination Mushroom, Jungle Leap
Liu Tianning hadn't expected that Zhao Xing had not only created Pure Origin Soil, but also that the area covered was so large.
More than three thousand square meters, even many of the Fifth Grade of the True Self Faction are no more than this.
"You've made great progress." Liu Tianning nodded. "That 300 million was well spent."
With this kind of performance, the 300 million points are well worth it.
Zhao Xing said, "It actually cost 1 billion in resources. The princess also took good care of me. My Ten Thousand Laws Clone also had some encounters while exploring the East Sea."
Liu Tianning pondered for a moment and said, "Once you reach the Fifth Grade, I will find you resources worth tens of billions."
A resource worth tens of billions? This time, it was Zhao Xing's turn to be stunned.
How come Old Liu is so rich?
Liu Tianning said calmly, "Pacifying Barbarians War ends, regardless of whether I can be promoted to Third Grade official, I will become the vice dean of the Shangluo Academy."
"Even in the early stages, I can control at least trillions of resources, which are mainly used to cultivate the Agricultural Official of the True Self Faction."
"As my disciple, it's not difficult for you to enjoy billions of dollars worth of resources for your upbringing."
After a moment's thought, Zhao Xing understood.
Liu Tianning, from the Agricultural Official Noble Families of Taihe County, might not be able to casually hand over billions to his apprentice. Even if he did have that much, the Liu Family is still a large clan, and he has an older brother who is, in fact, the head of the family.
But Liu Tianning, the leader of the True Self Faction, was different.
The way of Agricultural Official has been passed down for thousands of years. The Shangluo Academy, Lotus Flower Academy, and other places Agricultural Official was gathered have a long history. No one can say for sure how terrifying its heritage is.
But no matter who rules the country, it doesn't affect their farming.
Because the Agriculture Official had no political leanings, their ideal and ambition was simply to cultivate the land and bring Great Governance Era to the world.
No dynasty would ever massacre the Agriculture Official; on the contrary, they were the primary targets for the new dynasty to win over.
When the country was being conquered, the Nineteen Provinces had suffered from numerous wars, and the Favorable Timing and Location were in chaos. To quickly restore order and stabilize the country, the Agricultural Official was indispensable.
After the Pacifying Barbarians War, it didn't matter whether Liu Tianning became Third Grade official in the imperial court or not. As long as he could become the leader of the True Self Faction, a high-ranking Official Rank was definitely within his grasp.
The reason he is the vice dean of the Shangluo Academy is mainly because the current leader of the Original True Self Faction, Xu Xing, is still alive.
However, Xu Xing wouldn't last much longer. Zhao Xing thought back and realized that this Second Rank Vice Agriculture Minister, was already 775 years old.
Xu Xing, a Second Rank official, possesses the strength of a first-rank official. Even if he can live for eight hundred years, he doesn't have much time left.
In his previous life, Xu Xing also died in the seventeenth year of the Great Governance Era.
The True Self Faction wouldn't wait until someone dies to select a replacement; they had already begun looking for someone. The moment Liu Tianning left the Military Realm and started working, the matter was no longer in doubt.
The most representative spell of the True Self Faction is the Ten Thousand Laws Straw Puppet.
Liu Tianning's great-grandfather was the dean of the Lotus Flower Academy. Although he was not a leader, he still held a very high position.
With such a solid foundation, Liu Tianning has taken the Ten Thousand Laws Straw Puppet to new heights.
The other vice deans were no match for him; they were just there to make up the numbers.
Liu Tianning himself didn't have that much money to give to his disciples.
However, after he took over, he shouldered the important task of revitalizing the True Self Faction, and did not have to wait for Xu Xing's death to do his work.
His task was to cultivate the Si Nong of the Primordial School, just as he had taught the Grass Man Method when he opened a class in the Ten Yang Cave Heaven.
Although the number of members in the Original Self Faction is small, they are very united. Those who can be called the Minister of Agriculture of the Original Self Faction are at least at the fifth rank.
Liu Tianning claims to control resources worth trillions, but he's being modest!
The principle of recommending the worthy should not be biased towards relatives. Although Zhao Xing is his apprentice, his abilities are undeniable, and it is unlikely that there will be any objection to him receiving billions in resources.
However, this wasn't given away for free.
Given Old Liu's personality, he was very strict in evaluating his disciples.
As expected, Zhao Xing heard Liu Tianning say again:
" In the First Tier, I'll give you 500 million."
"With this 500 million, you need to cultivate plants of the five major categories: 'family,' 'system,' 'class,' 'species,' 'phylum,' and 'genus.' You need to be familiar with each level of classification."
"In addition, you need to master the use of Pure Yuan Projection and its combat tactics to enter the [Dojo] and improve your ranking."
"This is the First Tier goal."
"In the second phase, I'll give you at least two billion to cultivate sixth-tier plants and level five Pure Origin Soil."
"In addition, you need to go to the training ground to hone yourself. Whether you are a fifth-grade or fourth-grade, you must become the first-ranked Minister of Agriculture of the Primordial Self Sect in Pinghai Prefecture, at the middle-grade level."
"In the third stage, I will give you at least eight billion to cultivate six levels of Seventh Order plants. The goal is to reach the middle grade realm of Pingzhou and become the number one Agricultural Official."
Liu Tianning didn't say anything more after that, because if Zhao Xing had completed the three objectives, regardless of his official rank, he would have already possessed high-level combat power.
At that time, Zhao Xing was also a high-level executive, and he also had to shoulder the responsibility of cultivating the next generation. As for how to proceed in the future, Liu Tianning had not yet made such a far-reaching plan for him.
Zhao Xing listened quietly.
He can easily cultivate fifth-tier plants.
The only difficulty lies in what Liu Tianning said, which encompasses all series.
Some things have a long growth cycle, like large trees. Given his current size, it would be quite difficult to plant large trees.
Of course, the First Tier goal is relatively simple overall; it's not difficult to accomplish these things with 500 million.
The difficult part is the second and third stages.
"Come find me after you've achieved the First Tier goal."
"Yes, thank you for your guidance, teacher," Zhao Xing said respectfully.
Next, Liu Tianning asked some more questions, mainly about his understanding of the three great secret texts. The two master and disciple discussed the Dao for half an hour across the Earth Mirror before ending their conversation.
As soon as it ended, Zhao Xing received a message in his Earth Mirror that 500 million points had been credited to his account.
"Old Liu, an elite from Noble Families Agricultural Official, really gets a lot of gold coins."
"Doing one of his tasks is a hundred or a thousand times better than doing it for anyone else," Zhao Xing couldn't help but sigh.
During his lifetime, Mi Fu's influence was incomparable to that of Liu Tianning. It was probably only in his later years that people would compare him to Liu Tianning.
"Old Mi's Profound Yellow Origin-Analysis Technique is not suitable for public release yet," Zhao Xing thought.
First of all, Old Liu has embarked on an invincible path. Regardless of his strength, family background, reputation in the court and among the people, military and political power, Liu Tianning's rise is unstoppable. He is destined to become the Grand Minister of Agriculture in the future.
Whether or not this Profound Yellow Origin-Analysis Technique exists makes no difference.
However, Zhao Xing needed to rely on this secret technique to complete his plan, and this matter would have to wait until he reached a higher level.
At this stage, spiritual treasures are hard to find. Princess Youruo's treasure vault only had this one willow branch, so there's no point in talking about it.
Once we find more spiritual treasures, we can give them to Old Liu and Mi Fu to use.
"Getting on Liu Tianning has really put us on the fast track to advancement."
"Giving so much... he's really afraid I'll embezzle it." Zhao Xing couldn't help but chuckle.
Including the 300 million given before, the total amount given now is 800 million.
Liu Tianning isn't the vice dean yet, so he'll probably have to pay for all this Old Liu.
"It's possible that the princess lent him the money," Zhao Xing guessed.
Not long after, Princess Youruo contacted him and asked if he had broken through to the Fifth Grade.
He broke through to the Fifth Grade without telling anyone; it must have been Liu Tianning who told her.
"I guess the princess offered it herself. It's really enviable that she can make money while standing up."
Having earned 500 million points, Zhao Xing's true form left Twin Islands once again.
He needed to make some purchases in the Military Realm, and the nearest entrance to the Military Realm was Jiujiang Grotto Heaven.
Although Old Liu didn't give him a time limit, Zhao Xing felt that time was tight.
The main Jingxin Calendar, a critical juncture is approaching.
First, in the thirtieth year of the Jingxin Calendar, there will be the East Sea group stage of the Beast Competition. Those who advance will be able to participate in the Four Seas Competition.
Once you secure a place in the Four Seas Competition, you can enter the Dragon Court Ancient Land.
At the same time, in the thirtieth year of the Jingxin Calendar, Chongming Prefecture should at least promote him to Fifth Grade official.
Because he had received excellent performance evaluations for ten consecutive years, far exceeding the standard of "excellent," he was bound to be promoted.
At that time, they will be subjected to another wave of National Dynasty Luck Cleansing.
But at the same time, he will also be entering the dangerous line of Fifth Grade official.
Both the Liang King Faction and Outside Forces will take notice of him.
It is already autumn, and the promotion will take place after the New Year (the Spring She Day in February), which means there is less than half a year to prepare.
Enemies may arise both internally and externally, especially since the Liang King must have already begun plotting a rebellion, Zhao Xing calculated using the Ten Thousand Year Mysterious Turtle and the Five Finger Heavenly Mandate.
I've calculated it many times, and no matter how I interpret the divination, the thirtieth year of the Jingxin Calendar will be an eventful year for me.
"The world changes too fast. If things get chaotic, even farming will inevitably be affected. If Plant Soldier become combat forces, we can be prepared for the worst."
Zhao Xing sailed his flying boat, and three days later, on September 26th, he arrived at Jiujiang County in Chongming Prefecture.
The entrance to Jiujiang Grotto Heaven is located in the eastern part of the county town.
The reason why the entrance to the Grotto-Heaven is located inside the city, unlike the entrance to the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven, which is situated in the mountains outside the city, is mainly due to the unique nature of the Jiujiang Grotto Heaven.
It is also a movable entrance, similar to the Star Ruins Realm.
However, Jiujiang Grotto Heaven is in the middle stage of a small world, and its interior is very stable.
A thousand years ago, the entrance to Jiujiang Grotto Heaven was not in Jiujiang County, and this place was not called Jiujiang County.
Wen Emperor moved the gate entrance from Yuan Pin Province and placed it here to increase the military strength of the eastern part of Pinghai Province.
However, Wen Emperor's reign was relatively peaceful, and the aquatic peoples greatly admired Wen Emperor benevolence. As a result, no major incidents occurred in the East Sea.
The Jiujiang Grotto Heaven did not play a military role; instead, it became a rich storage station for supplies over time.
If you want to buy seafood from the East Sea, Jiujiang Grotto Heaven has the most complete selection.
It is also a major transit station for the Military Realm; you can basically buy anything with money here.
After sitting for a while in the reception room of the Tower Ship Office in the eastern part of the county town, a burly general wearing light armor and a long sword at his waist strode over.
"Marquis Yuan Rang, it is my fault for keeping you waiting." The military officer bowed and said.
"General Fang, you're too Guest Qi. Actually, I just arrived a little while ago." Zhao Xing stood up.
The visitor was Fang Ze of the Jiujiang Army. For the past eight years, the warhorses trained by the Dragon Horse Bureau have been transported to the Black Armor Army, Wuluo Army, and Jiujiang Army.
Among them, the one in charge of liaising with Zhao Xing in the Jiujiang Army was Fang Ze, a military officer of the Fifth Grade.
"Marquis Yuan Rang, please follow me." Knowing Zhao Xing's personality, Fang Ze didn't stand on ceremony and directly led him to Jiujiang Grotto Heaven.
"Please."
Zhao Xing is not a soldier now. According to normal procedures, if he wants to enter the Military Realm Grotto-Heaven, he needs to go through the process and wait for the local government to submit the application to the Military Realm for approval.
After all, the Military Realm was equivalent to the entire military camp of the Great Zhou, and non-military personnel could not enter at will.
However, with Fang Ze leading the way, things are different.
They took him directly through the Jiujiang Army's exclusive passage.
Entering through a gate a hundred meters high, you find yourself on the banks of a great river.
Not far from the Yangtze River lies Jiujiang Army City.
The layout inside is almost identical to that of Yang City, because the construction and layout of military cities follow uniform regulations.
The difference between this place and Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven is that the Favorable Timing and Location here are very stable, with spring-like weather all year round, making it very comfortable to enter.
"Marquis Yuan Rang, this is the Dragon River Guest House that my army has arranged for you."
"It is very close to the Military Realm depot, less than thirty miles away."
"It's also very close to the temple, less than twenty li away."
"Whether you're going to buy something or want to go to the dojo for a sparring match, it's very convenient."
"If Marquis Yuan Rang wishes to visit my Jiujiang Army, with this token, you can go anywhere." Fang Ze handed Zhao Xing a token engraved with the character "Fang," full of hope.
"Thank you, General Fang." Zhao Xing accepted the token.
"The Jiujiang City Agricultural Supervisorate also has four departments: Heavenly Timing (Earthly Advantage Institute), Di Li (Geographical Advantage), Grand Granary Grain Storage), Huai Equalization Office)."
"It also has treasures such as the Solar Terms Monument, the Primordial Dao Field, the Seventy-Two Earth Palaces, and the Mystic Earth Prison."
"If Marquis Yuan Rang has the time, could you please visit our army's Agricultural Official training camp and offer some guidance?" Fang Ze said hopefully. "It would be even better if you could give them a lesson."
Old Master Zhao had no time for such things. He took the token, said a few perfunctory words, and sent Fang Ze away.
After familiarizing himself with the venue for a while, Zhao Xing took out the Earth Mirror and purchased fifth-tier seeds from it.
Now, it is a level three Pure Origin Soil, capable of supporting the growth of plant life at the highest Seventh Order.
However, since the soil already contains the resource-intensive Floating Vine, it's impossible to plant any other higher-level plants, otherwise it would affect the growth of the Duckweed.
After all, Duckweed can naturally grow to the Ninth Order.
Of course, its growth should be prioritized.
Liu Tianning was aware of this, and set Zhao Xing's target as a Tier 5 Plant Soldier.
"The fourth, fifth, and sixth tier Plant Soldier, in terms of life rank alone, are roughly equivalent to the Sixth Rank, Fifth Grade, and Fourth Grade humans."
"However, among Human Race cultivators, there are varying degrees of strength, and the classification of plant quality is even more detailed." Zhao Xing browsed the Earth Mirror.
The Shangluo Academy classifies plants into Ninth Order, with the Supreme Grade being a rare and precious item.
The quality is divided into "Common Grade", "Elite Grade", "King Grade", "Emperor Grade", and "Legendary Grade".
Among them, the Emperor Grade and Legendary Grade qualities generally only appear in rare treasures and peerless gems.
If a seedling is of Emperor Grade quality, it has a very high chance of surpassing the Ninth Order if it can be cultivated to maturity.
The Floating Vine that Liu Tianning gave him was only of King Grade quality.
The reason why Old Liu was able to raise it to a level beyond the Ninth Order was entirely because he accumulated enough resources to break the quality ceiling.
Of course, the quality criteria established by the True Self Faction are followed by another statement: all plant life has the potential to become legend.
However, just take this sentence with a grain of salt.
It has average quality and growth potential, and can only reach level three at most.
To cultivate it into a legend? The manpower, material resources, and financial resources required are a hundred times more difficult than directly cultivating a seedling of legendary quality.
"Generally speaking, choosing the right quality means choosing the right growth potential."
Zhao Xing filtered out the other options and only looked at "Elite Quality".
Level 3 Pure Origin Soil is suitable for cultivating elite-quality plants, but it would be too much for cultivating King Grade.
"The First Tier goal that Liu Tianning set for me included the mainstream Plant Soldier classified into six categories: 'family,' 'lineage,' 'class,' 'species,' 'phylum,' and 'genus.'"
"They're considered mainstream, and the total quantity is quite substantial." Zhao Xing examined them carefully. "Let's start by choosing those with short growth cycles and easy to grow."
The fastest growing plants are undoubtedly vines, bamboo, and herbaceous plants.
However, there are relatively few of these plants of elite quality.
Even fewer of them can be used in combat.
Because it must have a 'proactive' effect.
"Buy these three types first, as practice."
You purchased 30 Lightning Bamboo seedlings, quality: Elite Second Tier.
You have purchased 10 Tough Long Vine Seedlings, Quality: Elite Second Tier 2
[You have purchased 30 Hallucination Mushroom Seeds, Quality: Elite Second Tier]
All of them are Elite Second Tier, which means that when they reach maturity they will be Tier 5, which, in terms of life level alone, corresponds to the Fifth Grade of humans.
Take the Hallucination Mushroom for example; its toxicity is effective against Fifth Grade.
However, if it's only Elite First Tier (commonly known as level four), it can't poison Fifth Grade.
Mushrooms are Zhao Xing's favorite type of Plant Soldier. They have many applications and are very easy to operate.
After the purchase was completed, 5,000 points were deducted from Zhao Xing's balance.
Seeds and seedlings are actually quite cheap; the main expense is the cultivation process.
If you simply put the seeds and seedlings into the Pure Origin Soil and leave them alone, it's like you're just wasting the Pure Origin Soil's energy.
The energy level of Pure Origin Soil will decrease.
In severe cases, the soil may revert to Grade 1 soil or even decompose back into gravel.
This will cause permanent damage, and even if it is re-condensed into Pure Origin Soil, it will be weaker than before.
Therefore, Zhao Xing also needs to purchase additional resources to bring in with him.
"Purchase 10 Tier Sixth-Tier Yuan Crystal".
[You purchased 10 Sixth-Tier Yuan Crystal, deducting 600,000 points.]
Not long after I placed the order, I heard a series of tapping sounds coming from outside the courtyard.
When Zhao Xing stepped outside, he was taken aback. Why was it so fashionable for Mechanism Master to deliver goods on Bamboo Horse horses these days?
For a moment, he thought he had returned to the Eighteen Locust Willow Courtyard and encountered Gao Ming delivering goods.
"My lord, your order has arrived." The delivery Mechanism Master brought Zhao Xing back to reality.
"Hmm." Zhao Xing waved his hand, rolling up the Wen Bamboo Box from the courtyard gate.
Wen Bamboo Box were respectively [Hallucination Mushroom], [Tough Long Vine], and [Lightning Bamboo].
Upon opening the box, Zhao Xing had a sudden thought.
Buzz~
The Pure Yuan Projection appeared instantly, enveloping the seeds and seedlings in the box.
"Receive!"
The box remains in the same place, but the seeds and seedlings have disappeared.
Zhao Xing lowered his mind and looked inward at the Pure Origin Soil.
At this moment, the seeds and seedlings of the three plants, along with 10 Yuan Crystal, appeared in the Pure Origin Soil.
As soon as they were planted, the seedlings and seeds grew wildly, skipping the seedling stage and entering the growth stage at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"The Pure Origin Soil is inscribed with the Daoist principles I have comprehended, and the Yuan Crystal provides ample energy, which is equivalent to automatically performing the transformation of Wasteland Essence Condensation and Savage Growth."
Zhao Xing's mind went blank. He didn't need to do anything else; he could simply wait for it to ripen.
Previously, cultivating plants required constant spellcasting, but with Pure Origin Soil, it became fully automated, making it incredibly easy.
"The next step is to master the manipulation spells of the True Self Faction."
Learning magic costs no money, so Zhao Xing flew directly to the Agricultural Supervisorate in Jiujiang City.
After taking out the token given to him by Fang Ze, Zhao Xing went to the Jiujiang Great Granary Institute.
What he is about to learn is a spell he had only dabbled in long ago—[All Plants and Trees Seem to Be Soldiers].
"All plants are soldiers" is a spell that controls Plant Soldier.
"To use plants in combat, one cannot do without this True Self Faction magic."
I learned the Every Tree and Bush an Enemy Art" during my time as an official, but back then I only used the characteristics of grass and trees to create people, which was not a true "seeing grass and trees as soldiers".
The true Every Tree and Bush an Enemy Art " is a high-level technique.
Zhao Xing came to the long corridor of murals in Great Granary Institute to observe them.
At this moment, many reserve Military Sima Nong turned their attention to him.
However, they only glanced at him before continuing with their own business, assuming Zhao Xing was one of the teachers at Great Granary Institute.
Zhao Xing sat in front of the mural, looking up at it quietly.
"Buzz~"
Zhao Xing closed his eyes and found himself in front of a bamboo forest.
At this moment, a man named Agricultural Official, dressed in a straw raincoat and wearing a bamboo hat, stood in front of the bamboo forest, waving a staff.
"The art of treating even grass and trees as soldiers is of paramount importance to the Minister of Agriculture of the Self School."
"If you want to make plants into soldiers, so that they can be used as your own arms, you must have a deep understanding of the Yin Yang True Self Scripture."
"Look, this is an Elite Second Tier Firecracker Bamboo." The nameless Agricultural Official pointed to a Firecracker Bamboo.
"It is fully mature and has the characteristics of 'explosive'."
"Even without interference, it will naturally explode when the time is right."
Then the Agricultural Official pointed to one of the Firecracker Bamboo:
"It will explode naturally in about 15 minutes. Observe it carefully as it explodes naturally."
Zhao Xing stared intently at it.
Sure enough, a quarter of an hour later, one of the Firecracker Bamboo exploded at the eighteenth section.
With this explosion, the rest of the firecrackers were ignited, and all thirty-eight sections of the Firecracker Bamboo were set ablaze, with powerful fire energy scattering in all directions.
Zhao Xing seemed to be deep in thought.
The nameless Agricultural Official then pointed to another plant and said, "This Firecracker Bamboo is far from being ready to explode naturally."
"But now, I will treat it with extreme caution, carefully observing the state of the explosion under my control."
"Every bush and tree seems like an enemy soldier - Explode!"
As the nameless Agricultural Official waved his staff, the thirty-eight sections of Firecracker Bamboo began to turn red from the base.
Layer upon layer of fire elemental power is transmitted from the root to the top thirty-eight sections.
At this moment, the very top section was burning red-hot, radiating a fiery glow.
"Boom!"
The bamboo joint at the very top burst open, and a beam of red light shot forward.
"Bang!" A hundred meters ahead, a ten-meter-high boulder was instantly blasted to pieces.
The direction in which it exploded was exactly in the direction the nameless Agricultural Official staff was pointing!
"The timing, direction, and even the power of Firecracker Bamboo explosions have become controllable!"
"This is what they mean by seeing enemies everywhere!"
"It's not just Firecracker Bamboo, but all other plant life as well."
"They are born with innate talents and secret skills similar to those of mythical beasts, but the intelligence of plant life is extremely low, making it impossible for them to use these skills on their own initiative; they are uncontrollable."
"Leveraging characteristics, guiding characteristics, and seizing opportunities are only the first level of control."
"The second layer is manipulation, replacing the life of these plants and becoming their brain."
"Please look."
The nameless Agricultural Official waved his hand, and the bamboo forest behind him disappeared, replaced by a large patch of vines.
With a swing of its staff, the vines that had been lying on the ground all raised their heads like snakes.
Even after witnessing similar scenes countless times, Zhao Xing still felt a thrill that sent shivers down his spine.
Because these vines actually started to move.
"Swoosh~"
The vines and leaves rub against the ground.
Ahead, a wild boar was grazing with its head down, completely unaware that vines were closing in on it from all sides.
"This vine has extremely strong resilience; it can extend and contract."
"Therefore, I named this move ' Death Entanglement '."
All plants and trees seem like soldiers; Death Entanglement!
Zhao Xing was excited again, because this was a classic skill of the vine type.
In this life, he finally witnessed such a scene again.
Hundreds of vines and branches quickly Entanglement the wild boar, securing it tightly.
"Whoosh~"
The wild boar, weighing over a thousand pounds, was dragged away instantly, from a hundred meters away, to the nameless Agricultural Official.
"Click click click~"
As the nameless Agricultural Official clenched his fist, the vines tightened, and the wild boar was instantly crushed into dozens of pieces, even its bones were broken!
After the demonstration, the nameless Agricultural Official continued, "The first level of 'every bush and tree is an enemy,' guidance."
"The second layer is manipulation."
"They are all inseparable from the practice of the Yin Yang True Self Scripture."
The nameless Agricultural Official waved his hand, and at that moment, the Realm Transformation transparent and illusory.
The wild boar and the land disappeared, leaving only a vine.
It formed a connection with the nameless Agricultural Official.
Upon closer inspection, Zhao Xing could see wisps of the Five Elements energy flowing within the vines.
"The five elements are like threads, countless threads, so that's how it is." Zhao Xing suddenly realized.
No wonder one of the essential conditions for Pure Origin Soil is to have a thorough understanding of the Yin Yang True Self Scripture Second Layer Sutra.
The power of the five elements, like threads, permeates into the plant's life, allowing one to control the plant's life and fully unleash its characteristics.
This is how control was achieved.
"It is similar in principle to the Straw Man Art, except that the Straw Man Art is more complex and leans more towards the law."
"Plant Soldier, on the other hand, are more inclined to rely on the inherent talents of plant life itself."
Zhao Xing himself had studied the Ten Thousand Laws Straw Puppet, and upon seeing it now, he understood why the Straw Man Art was placed in the category of "All Grass and Trees Are Soldiers".
"The third level of seeing enemies in every bush and tree True Self Faction."
The nameless Agricultural Official waved his hand, and another scene appeared around them.
Another illusory figure appeared beside him.
Beside the phantom was a field of golden beans.
It walked into the bean field, picked a handful of bean seeds, then opened its palm and blew on them.
Whew~
Dozens of bean seeds instantly transformed into dozens of soldiers clad in golden armor.
"What is presented to you now are images passed down from ancient times."
"It records the legendary supernatural power of Scatter Beans into Soldiers."
"Also, the third level of the 'every bush and tree is an enemy' realm, Spirit Infusion."
"We should study diligently and practice hard to recreate the supreme supernatural powers of the True Self Faction in ancient times."
The video ends here.
Zhao Xing opened his eyes again.
"I didn't expect that the True Self Faction already had the concept of supernatural powers during this period, and even preserved the images passed down from the last Spiritual Energy Era. This is truly remarkable," Zhao Xing thought to himself.
Very few things have been passed down from the last Spiritual Energy Era. The time gap is too long, and it is impossible to cultivate them, so they have gradually become legends.
"The Straw Man Art and the Mountain Art can only regain their true glory in the Spiritual Energy Era. As times change, the power of these spells will be further enhanced."
"I only need to learn the second level," Zhao Xing thought to himself.
It is impossible for the Vital Energy Era to be recreated.
Unless he can find a large amount of spiritual energy, but even if he does have a large amount of spiritual energy, he will use it to upgrade the level of the Pure Origin Soil, and it is impossible for him to use it to practice the third level of the Grass and Trees Are Soldiers.
The third layer is called "Spirit Infusion." How can you bestow spirit without spiritual energy?
The opportunity to cultivate Mountain Spirits and Wild Monsters can only be found in Spiritual Energy Era.
How much spiritual energy remains in the Profound Yellow World?
Zhao Xing shook his head. "That rain was the final glory, and it will also be the last time the Profound Yellow World will Spiritual Energy Revival."
Locking his thoughts into his memory palace, Zhao Xing looked at the panel.
[All Plants and Trees Seem to Be Soldiers: Advanced Spell]
[Effect: Guides and manipulates Plant Soldier to unleash their True Self characteristics based on one's own understanding of the Dao.]
[Progress: High-level Sixth-Turn]
"Upon reaching the second level of the Yin Yang True Self Scripture, and comprehending the Every Tree and Bush an Enemy Art is an enemy,' one reaches the Sixth-Turn."
However, this spell must be adapted to the characteristics of plant life itself.
Its power depends entirely on the Plant Soldier.
The first two levels of this spell focus on troop types rather than individual soldiers.
Having mastered the advanced version of "All Plants Are Soldiers," all that's left is to wait for the Plant Soldier to mature and then conduct practical exercises.
"Besides that, there's the cultivation of Derived Seed. We'll start cultivating them once we've mastered the techniques."
"The cultivation of derivative species is also of paramount importance to the Primordial School of Agriculture."
"The Straw Man Art can combine multiple methods into one, while the Derived Seed is to integrate the characteristics of multiple plant life forms."
Zhao Xing couldn't help but think of the mushroom spawn he had chosen.
Firecracker Bamboo + Hallucination Mushroom, plus an Invisibility spell, make this an essential tool for ambushing people.
"It explodes with a single step and spews out hallucinogenic poison gas, making it invincible in positional warfare. I just don't know if it can be used in the Beast Competition."
Zhao Xing felt that this would get him beaten up, but it didn't say that Agricultural Official was not allowed to use his own profession's spells when he was a beast tamer.
Time flies, and Heavenly Timing have passed in the blink of an eye.
The three plants had already matured on the first day, but Zhao Xing's cultivation of the "All Plants Are Soldiers" technique delayed him for a while.
"Pure Yuan Projection!"
With a whoosh, a phantom image of soil descended, covering an area of over three thousand square meters.
Thirty Lightning Bamboo, ten Tough Long Vine, and thirty Hallucination Mushroom appeared.
Zhao Xing took the plant version of the Shang Heng Instrument and scanned the three plants.
Detailed information was obtained quickly.
[Name: Lightning Bamboo]
[Quality: Elite Second Tier]
[Status: Mature]
[Characteristic: Thunder Power; Each segment of the Lightning Bamboo stores thunder. A mature Lightning Bamboo has at least thirty-six segments, but this Lightning Bamboo plant has forty-five.]
[Overall Rating: Fifth-Tier Premium]
[Name: Tough Long Vine]
[Quality: Elite Second Tier]
[Status: Mature]
[Characteristics: Double toughness, free stretching and contraction; the Tough Long Vine is extremely resilient, even a fifth-tier Divine Soldier cannot cut it in one strike. Its natural length is one kilometer, and it can stretch up to twice that length, and shrink to a minimum of one hundred meters. The longest of this Tough Long Vine reaches one thousand five hundred meters, and its stretching and contraction is more than twice the average.]
[Overall Rating: Fifth-Tier Premium]
[Name: Hallucination Mushroom]
[Quality: Elite Second Tier]
[Status: Mature]
[Characteristics: Hallucinogenic toxin; Hallucination Mushroom can explode and release toxic gases. Inhaling or contact with the skin can cause poisoning and severe hallucinations. This mushroom contains over 80% of the average toxin content.]
[Overall Rating: Fifth-Tier Premium]
"The characteristics of all three Plant Soldier are far above average."
"This is because my Instant Primordial has made their potential even higher," Zhao Xing thought to himself.
However, he also consumed a Yuan Crystal, worth 60,000, which meant he lost more than half of his monthly salary.
Of course, he could also choose not to use the Yuan Crystal and wait for the Pure Origin Soil to recover naturally.
The rich have their own way of practicing, and the poor have theirs.
Now that Zhao Xing is a bona fide millionaire, he naturally doesn't care about a mere 60,000.
"Every bush and tree seems like an enemy soldier—lightning strikes!"
Zhao Xing pointed, and the twenty-meter-tall Lightning Bamboo shot out forty-five bolts of lightning in the direction he pointed!
Each bolt of lightning was equivalent to a full-force strike from a late-stage Fifth Grade lightning mage.
The thirty Lightning Bamboo released all their energy in an instant.
1350 bolts of lightning instantly enveloped an area a kilometer in front of them.
A thunderous cleanup!
It blasted a huge crater right a kilometer away!
Zhao Xing sensed the state of the Lightning Bamboo, pondered for a moment, and then came up with the calculation result.
"It will take about Heavenly Timing to rebuild the power of thunder."
It is powerful, but its flaws are also obvious.
When 1350 bolts of lightning struck down, even Zhao Xing's Ten Thousand Laws Dao Body would feel the pain.
Even with a martial artist's strong defense and the completion of the Fifth Grade Greater Mastery of Gold Bone, they would likely suffer serious injuries in this attack.
Of course, the drawback is that the cooldown time is too long, taking Heavenly Timing to recover, which means that after this wave, Lightning Bamboo has to leave the battlefield.
"This problem will be solved as the Pure Origin Soil is continuously upgraded and its scale is expanded."
"If it is level four Pure Origin Soil, the recovery speed of this batch of Lightning Bamboo will be reduced to within two quarters of an hour, the quality will be improved by one level, and its nourishing power will increase by dozens of times."
"In addition, if the scale of the Lightning Bamboo is expanded and there are enough of them, they can be rotated in batches. After the last group finishes bombarding, the first group can resume its attack without interruption."
"Moreover, I can move their positions," Zhao Xing thought to himself.
Thirty Lightning Bamboo plants appeared a hundred meters away.
It's not the Lightning Bamboo that's moving, but rather the properties of the Pure Origin Soil that allow it to move like quicksand at an extremely fast speed.
"In this way, it's like having a mobile plant army by your side, and they will absolutely obey your commands, because I am the general of these armies. How much combat power the army can exert depends entirely on whether I, as the general, can control so many types of troops."
The crater created by the blast exposed many rocks. He controlled the Tough Long Vine to extend and drag the boulders back, building Dao Stone in front of the Lightning Bamboo.
Seeing this, Zhao Xing smiled slightly, "The True Self Faction is either impossible to master, or if you do master it, you become an existence that defies the heavens."
"Right now there are only 30 plants. If 30,000, 300,000... or even a million plants were to bombard us all at once, that would be a devastating attack, possessing the power to destroy the world. With a wave of the hand, an entire city would be razed to the ground."
Of course, reaching a scale of millions is still very difficult.
Without the Profound Yellow Origin-Analysis Technique, it would be impossible to build a plant army in the Vital Energy Era. Pure Origin Soil simply couldn't withstand such a burden and would be crushed.
"Boom!" The Hallucination Mushroom exploded.
Zhao Xing walked over and inhaled some of the poison gas, after which his face turned somewhat green.
"Ugh, it's better not to test yourself like this. I actually saw Fang Ze come out naked. It's really an eyesore..." Zhao Xing muttered to himself.
Fang Ze flew up to Zhao Xing with a strange look on his face. "Brother, what are you doing? Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?"
"No." Zhao Xing glanced elsewhere. "What is it, Brother Fang?"
"I came here after hearing the commotion." Fang Ze pointed to the large pits around him. "Brother, if you want to cultivate, you still have to go to the training ground. This place is, after all, a place to live, and it's public property."
He wouldn't make Zhao Xing pay for the damage, but the disturbance to the residents would be a bad thing.
The thunderclap just now really startled the sixth and seventh grade guests around, who thought that the evil sect had infiltrated Jiujiang Grotto Heaven to cause trouble.
"Okay, it was my oversight. Please forgive me, Brother Fang."
"Actually, in the past, this would have been a minor matter; you could have practiced as you pleased," Fang Ze said. "But as you know, after the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven incident, the rules within the Grotto-Heaven have become much stricter."
"I understand." Zhao Xing had been through that incident, so of course he knew.
"But you're quite something, brother, to have caused such a commotion." Fang Ze looked at the large crater and took two steps forward. "You even blasted out the stone foundation. The foundation of the Jiujiang Hall was specially reinforced by a Magic Array master."
"Hey, how come a beauty suddenly appeared out of the ground? Hmm? And she even has the face of Martial Marquis Jiang... Holy crap, what kind of monster are you?!"
Zhao Xing: "..."
Watching Fang Ze draw his sword and slash wildly at the air, Zhao Xing couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time.
Did this guy see Martial Marquis Jiang dressed as a woman or something? No wonder he reacted so strongly.
He quickly put away the Pure Yuan Projection to prevent this guy from stepping on a few more mushrooms.
After a period of chaos, Fang Ze and Zhao Xing both came to their senses. They stared at each other, feeling extremely embarrassed.
"Ahem... I have something to attend to, so I won't keep Brother Zhao company any longer."
"Yes, I'm going to the temple too. Goodbye, Brother Fang."
The two, feeling awkward, quickly separated.
Zhao Xing then arrived at the Daoist temple of Jiujiang Grotto Heaven.
"Old Liu made me the number one person in the second stage of Pinghai Province's middle-grade realm of True Self Agricultural Official."
"I wonder who this ' Cai Tingzhi ' is, his rating is actually as high as Seventh-Tier, Six-Star." Zhao Xing looked at the ranking of the dojo.
He was looking at the list of mid-grade Agricultural Official at the Pinghai Province Dao Field.
Cai Tingzhi ranked first with a terrifying 75,231 points in the dojo!
The same applies to net wins, but his total number of wins is only 76,081.
A win rate as high as 99%!
The dojo's rating has reached a terrifying Seventh-Tier, Six-Star!
What does this mean? Seventh Order is already considered high-grade strength!
Seventh-Tier, Six-Star rating means he has won many matches in the Third-Rank Realm.
"The top-ranked mid-grade agricultural Agricultural Official in Pinghai Province is probably very close to being Second Rank expert."
The above shows that Cai Tingzhi was Fourth Grade Agricultural Official. His achievements must have come from defeating countless Third Grade.
"I wonder which faction Cai Tingzhi belongs to," Zhao Xing thought. "However, if he doesn't break through, I'll have to fight him sooner or later."
After all, Old Liu's goal was to become the top Agricultural Official in Pinghai Province.
"The second place winner, Lan Caiyue, also has a 99% win rate. Her score is slightly lower than Cai Tingzhi's, only one hundred points lower, and she is also Seventh-Tier, Six-Star."
Zhao Xing watched for a while, then closed the rankings.
He has just entered the Fifth Grade and is no match for these established and veteran Agricultural Official.
Heroes of the world are as numerous as carp crossing a river, and Zhao Xing never underestimates others. Not to mention Mi Fu, who is also Fifth Grade, he would have a hard time even beating him now.
Because he had been immersed in the Fifth Grade for decades, he was proficient in everything from Transformation of Seasons Art and Ten Thousand Laws Straw Puppet " to mastering the "Pure Origin Soil "Mi Fu technique.
He's a genius who can create the Profound Yellow Origin-Analysis Technique!
If he didn't have some skills, given his confrontational personality, he would have been killed long ago.
Zhao Xing chatted with Old Man Mi and learned that his Ten Thousand Laws Straw Puppet was something he was forced to develop.
There's nothing we can do; too many people want him dead.
Mi Fu was also a man who defied the title of king. When Sulin King invited him to celebrate the birthday of a junior, he pointed his finger at the man and cursed him.
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it is the eighth day of the tenth month of the twenty-ninth year of the Jingxin Calendar.
Zhao Xing has been at the Jiujiang Dao Field for ten days.
In a primeval forest.
"Buzz~" Zhao Xing walked out from a willow tree.
He stretched his body and then placed his hands on the tree trunk.
The next moment, it emerged from another pine tree a kilometer away.
The spell he is currently practicing is a new advanced True Self Faction spell called [Jungle Leap].
This is a wood-based escape technique; as long as there are living plants and trees, he can escape to another location.
[Jungle Leap: High-Level Spell]
[Progress: High-Level Fourth-Turn]
[Effect: Allows the user to travel through vegetation, covering a distance of four kilometers per trip. Travel requires the presence of living vegetation.]
"You've High-Level Fourth-Turn rank. Not bad progress." Zhao Xing smiled slightly.
"Compared to other Wood Release techniques, [Jungle Leap] requires the user to be a living plant or tree."
"However, it covers a greater distance and moves faster."
" At the High-Level Fourth-Turn, one can travel four thousand meters in an instant; at the peak, one can travel ten thousand meters in an instant."
"However, the cost is quite high, unless I'm willing to shift the burden to plant life."
Zhao Xing looked at a willow tree beside him, which had completely withered and died.
This was the life force of the willow tree that he had used up when he fled.
"If we are in a forest and someone is chasing us, the path I take will be the one that no one else can use to escape."
"As long as there is a primeval forest, my escape speed is comparable to Liu Tianning flying in the sky in his normal Duckweed."
Of course, this spell has significant limitations; it can only be used in vast primeval forests.
Even if one cultivates to perfection, one can travel 10,000 meters in an instant, but a single escape can only cover 10,000 meters. If the next tree is more than 10,000 meters away, the escape technique is no longer valid.
Another issue is the excessive consumption. The willow tree next to Zhao Xing is now at level five, which is a training ground he specifically chose, so he can transfer the cost to the willow tree.
However, in actual combat, where would he find so many Tier 5 trees to escape from? He would have to bear the cost himself.
You have to rely entirely on yourself; even if you travel thousands of miles, you must stop and rest.
"Switch to the Fifth Grade shooting range training." Zhao Xing jumped onto the floating stone platform and selected a new training scene in the Earth Mirror.
"Whoosh~" The floating stone platform carried Zhao Xing through the mist.
It stopped again in less than a minute.
The surrounding mist dissipated, revealing a wasteland below.
There are many target traps around the wasteland.
Some float in the sky, while others stand on the ground.
There are moving targets and fixed target positions.
[You have entered the Fifth Grade training range, which contains a total of 12,000 targets.]
The training facility charges 500 points per 15 minutes, with any fraction of an hour counted as a full 15 minutes.
"That's really expensive." Zhao Xing couldn't help but complain. Four thousand points for one hour, forty-eight thousand points for twelve hours.
Fifth Grade can lose a month's salary in just one day of training here.
However, there's a reason for the high price; all the targets in the range are top-quality.
Thirty percent of the targets here are humanoid Mechanical Puppet, all of which possess Fifth Grade combat power and have a wide variety of defensive types, including the Five Elements Wind-Thunder.
Even if you break it, you don't have to pay for it.
"Pure Yuan Projection!"
"Buzz~"
Plants suddenly appeared around Zhao Xing, their number greatly increasing compared to ten days ago within his Pure Origin Soil.
Among them, the number of Lightning Bamboo has increased to 100, the number of Tough Long Vine has increased to 30, and the number of Hallucination Mushroom has increased to more than 3,000!
"I command, all humanoid target practicers, attack me!"
"Training will stop if you touch me," Zhao Xing shouted to the sky.
It was during his training at the Jiujiang Dao Field that he was practicing.
Twin Islands, located 300 nautical miles off the coast.
"Splash!"
A whirlpool appeared on the sea surface, and a black, ghost-like warship emerged from the seabed.
On the deck of the warship stood a man dressed in black and gold armor, wearing a blue fanged helmet, and holding a long spear.
Behind him stood warriors wielding sharp blades and clad in armor.
The team was perfectly aligned, with a dark aura gathering above their heads.
"Golden Throat General, which island are we attacking this time?" the adjutant beside him asked.
Their operations are quite secretive; they only find out who their target is when the operation is about to take place.
Golden Throat General stretched out his hand, revealing a hairy palm. "Give me a map, let's see where we've infiltrated."
"Yes." The adjutant immediately presented the map, which was ancient and primitive, entirely hand-drawn and without any magical fluctuations.
In addition, the writing on it is different from the elegant script of the Great Zhou. It is crooked and slanted. If Zhao Xing were to see it, he would find that it is actually the Snake Script of the Eastern Wasteland States.
Golden Throat General's gaze swept across the islands marked on the map, his finger tapping on Twin Islands: "This island is weak; why is it specially marked?"
The adjutant replied, "Sir, this map was given to us by the Liang King Faction of the Great Zhou Dynasty. The islands marked with red circles are their political enemies."
"I see." Golden Throat pointed at the map. "Then let's attack this place first."
Two bumps have appeared on my head, unbearably itchy and numb. And then the Qidian says we have to meet the monthly performance targets, which is making me incredibly anxious.
Updates have been inconsistent lately, please bear with me. I've already updated 340,000 words this month, which is almost enough to make up for the missed updates.
The pressure to update next month will be less, and the update schedule will be more stable.