Releasing River Lanterns, Sacrificing to Departed Souls

As the saying went, "Master the techniques but not the principles, and you would end up with nothing in old age. Master the principles but not the techniques, and ten years of work would be in vain."

Theory was also an extremely important part of the assessment.

To outdo the other minor clerks, he had to be more well-rounded. If their spell performances were nearly identical, the position would go to the one with superior theoretical knowledge.

Zhao Xing casually pulled a book from the shelf. It was called "Seventy-Two Pentads of the Lunar Calendar" and was included in the Agrarian School's ancient text, "Commentaries on Seasonal Instructions." Its original author could no longer be verified, but it had been recompiled by Grand Agriculture Official Wu Cheng during the era of the Grand Ancestor.

"The first pentad of the first month: east winds thaw the ice; harmonious yang arrives, and solid congealment disperses."

"The second pentad: hibernating insects begin to stir; stir means move."

"The third pentad: fish rise and bear the ice. Rise means accumulate, ascend, and go high. Yang energy has begun to move, and fish gradually swim upward, drawing close to the ice."

Zhao Xing activated Bright Eyes Night Vision and began reading carefully.

The sages of the ancient Agrarian School had sought stable celestial phenomena and tried to find patterns that were stable and enduringly adaptable within them. Thus, they created many theories.

"Seventy-Two Pentads of the Lunar Calendar" was one such theory.

It took five days as one pentad, three pentads as one solar term, six solar terms as one season, and four seasons as one year. The year's Twenty-Four Solar Terms contained seventy-two pentads in total.

Each pentad corresponded to a phenological phenomenon, known as a "pentad response."

Plant pentad responses included budding, flowering, and fruiting. Animal pentad responses included first stirring, first calls, mating, and migration. Nonliving pentad responses included water beginning to freeze, thunder beginning to sound, and soil becoming moist in sultry heat.

"The first pentad of the second month: peaches begin to bloom. In the first pentad, peaches begin to bloom; harmonious yang emerges and grows, gradually flourishing from this point onward."

"The second pentad: orioles sing; they are yellow warblers."

"The third pentad: Hawk Transforms into Dove. Hawks are birds of prey. At this time, hawks transform into doves, and in autumn, doves transform back into hawks."

The Seventy-Two Pentads of the Lunar Calendar recorded many miraculous phenomena.

For example, the first pentad of the second month had "Hawk Transforms into Dove."

The first pentad of the third month had "Mouse Transforms into Quail."

The final pentad of the ninth month had "Sparrow Enters Water and Becomes Clam."

These were "species pentad transformations," caused by seasonal changes combined with drastic shifts in the environment and primordial energy.

Those examples were not particularly outrageous.

The ancient edition of "Commentaries on Seasonal Instructions" also recorded that in some places, the first pentad of the fourth month saw "Earthworm Transforms into Earth Dragon."

That was to say, earthworms could transform into Earth Dragons hundreds of zhang long!

During the first pentad of the eighth month, "Nestling Swallow Transforms into Dark Bird"—ordinary swallows and sparrows could transform into Heavenly Mandate Dark Birds!

In the final pentad of the twelfth month, in the lands of the Northern Abyss, there was the "Kunpeng Transformation." Kun fish soared into the sky overnight and transformed into great rocs of the Ninth Heaven!

Ordinary "pentad transformations" were measured in years. Above them were "decadal pentad transformations," "centennial pentad transformations," and "Millennial Climate Shifts."

The version compiled by Wu Cheng recorded only "decadal pentad transformations," with only brief mentions of centennial pentad transformations.

As for the nearly legendary Millennial Climate Shifts, they had been removed.

After all, an Agriculture Official would never see a Millennial Climate Shift in their lifetime. Moreover, after Great Zhou was founded, changes in primordial energy were no longer so intense, making such cases increasingly unlikely.

Another reason was that it was taboo.

For instance, "Nestling Swallow Transforms into Dark Bird," and "The Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird descended and gave birth to Yin Dynasty."

It was said that the Grand Ancestor of the Yin Dynasty had been raised by a Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird. If another Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird appeared somewhere, it would likely trigger unrest.

In my previous life, I saw the Kunpeng Transformation twice in the North Sea, but I can't remember exactly when. As for the Heavenly Mandate Dark Bird, I only heard of it and never witnessed one myself. I wonder whether I'll have the chance in this life.

But there seemed to have been no Millennial Climate Shift during the Emperor Jing's reign. At most, there were centennial pentad transformations. When was it, and where did it happen?

Zhao Xing thought for a while. His memories were somewhat blurry, and he only vaguely recalled that it seemed connected to certain events.

"Where people arrive, the land prospers; Yellow earth turns into true gold."

"Of the five elements, earth is prized; it does not contend with fire for fame."

Zhao Xing read "Five Elements and Four Seasons Theory" for a while longer. This was another classic work, a theoretical doctrine that paired the five elements with the four seasons and formed a self-consistent system.

"Pairing the five elements with the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches is easy enough, but pairing them with the four seasons truly tormented the Agrarian School's ancient sages—and made life miserable for Agrarian School examinees as well." Zhao Xing could not help but smile as he looked at the book.

He had previously taken many questions on Five Elements and Four Seasons Theory. Official-grade Agriculture Officials who cultivated the Solar Terms Decree had to understand the principles of the five elements and yin and yang. Otherwise, the solar terms they commanded and transformed would be neither fish nor fowl.

"At present, the most popular theory is Earth Reigns in Late Summer Theory: spring is wood, summer is fire, late summer is earth, autumn is metal, and winter is water."

"This system's assignment of the five elements to the months remains incomplete. The periods corresponding to fire and earth are too short, making it impossible to reconcile with the claim that all five elements should hold equal status."

Still, I'll make do with it for now. I'll see what questions come up, then make plans accordingly, Zhao Xing thought.

He understood many refined theories from later generations, but those versions were far too advanced and might not suit the present age.

He was merely a county-level clerk. If he wrote some earth-shattering theory, it might cause a huge stir at the Temple Examination. Being too high-profile was not necessarily a good thing. He would have to take things one step at a time.

After studying bitterly through the night, Zhao Xing finally set down his book when the golden rooster crowed.

When he checked the panel, there was already a string of records.

You read at night. Bright Eyes spell proficiency +2

You read at night. Bright Eyes spell proficiency +3

You read at night...

Bright Eyes was a spell that was easy to train. Its proficiency increased almost by the minute.

Studying so hard that he forgot day and night, Zhao Xing focused solely on the Bright Eyes spell and quickly saw notable results.

After one night, the Bright Eyes spell had already broken through to Four Turns.

Bright Eyes Night Vision—night vision was merely the introductory effect of Bright Eyes.

To achieve the effect of Bright Eyes Night Vision Sees Ghosts and Gods, Four Turns was still nowhere near enough.

"Looks like I'll have to take a shortcut." Zhao Xing left home and ran to a medicine shop in the market, where he bought a large bundle of Mugwort Leaf and a box of high-grade Tung Oil.

He also purchased Yellow Paper, Bright Sand, Heavenly Heart Grass, and other materials.

After a major shopping spree, he returned home.

"I should be remembering Bright Eyes' rapid-training method correctly. I really wonder which ruthless player figured this out."

Muttering to himself, Zhao Xing lit a mixture of Mugwort Leaf, Bright Sand, and Heavenly Heart Grass.

A thread of smoke rose like a pillar, condensed without dispersing.

Zhao Xing leaned over the smoke and began fumigating his eyes.

"Hiss~"

The smoke was not choking and even carried a faint fragrance, but it truly stung his eyes!

Before long, Zhao Xing felt a burning sensation. After enduring it for the time it took to drink a cup of tea, he had no choice but to move away.

He then smeared Tung Oil over his eyelids. A cool sensation spread through them, making him feel much better.

Bright Eyes Night Vision spell proficiency +20

Bright Eyes Night Vision spell proficiency +30

His suffering had not been in vain. His spell proficiency began to leap upward.

Following the same procedure, Zhao Xing began practicing repeatedly.

Apart from going to the Ministry of Agriculture each day to cultivate the Favorable Timing and Location cultivation spell, he spent his nights focusing on Bright Eyes.

Finally, before the twenty-second day of the eighth month, Zhao Xing had cultivated the Bright Eyes spell to Nine Turns.

"Tomorrow is the Limit of Heat solar term. Releasing River Lanterns, Sacrificing to Departed Souls. I wonder if I can fish up some benefits."