Gambler's Tactic? A Visitor from the Divine Might Army, Zhao Xing's Shock!

The Ten Thousand Arts Cloud Chart was a supreme Preaching Painting because it contained a comprehensive array of Cloud Art mysteries. It also had one special trait: it could present corresponding insights according to the viewer's desires.

For example, Zhao Xing's previous Earth Palace Void Image painting had likewise possessed a supreme painting called the Ten Thousand Arts Earth Palace. Whatever effect of Earth Palace Art Zhao Xing wished to comprehend, he would most likely obtain that type.

That was why Lu Qian had written: May your wishes come true.

The Ten Thousand Arts Cloud Chart truly could grant the comprehender Wish Fulfillment.

Before beginning his comprehension, Zhao Xing first made some choices in his heart:

"Among mid-level Cloud Arts, the renowned ones include the Flowing Cloud Art. Clouds flow endlessly, and when Supporting Cloud, their momentum resembles mighty rivers. It is also fast."

"The Weapon Cloud Art has the strongest offensive power. Its clouds can transform into all kinds of Divine Soldiers, and in a Cloud-Striving Spell Duel, its destructive force is the greatest."

"The Blood Cloud Art is the strangest. It can use cloud qi to backlash against the caster. Once someone is entangled by Blood Cloud, they cannot Break Free in a short time. Both their blood qi and cloud qi will be excessively depleted. If it wins a Cloud-Striving Spell Duel, it inflicts the greatest damage upon the enemy themselves."

"The Thunder Cloud Art can enhance the power of lightning arts."

"And there is also the relatively obscure Frozen Cloud Art..."

"However, the path of Cloud Art emphasizes dominance. In my opinion, the most domineering one is still the Devouring Cloud Art! This is also a spell technique I was fairly familiar with in my previous life."

"It can sever and devour an enemy's cloud qi for one's own use, and can even briefly gain the effects of other Cloud Arts."

"It is all about being domineering, and in large-scale melee battles, it only grows stronger the longer it fights."

"My beginner Cloud Art already faintly carries the essence of the Devouring Cloud Art, but it is still far from complete. Its effects came only from my techniques and experience."

After recalling everything, Zhao Xing confirmed what he wanted before opening his eyes and looking at the scroll.

The scene of enlightenment within the painting was a Cloudsea.

The Cloudsea held clouds of every shape and kind. Some resembled mountain peaks, representing relatively ordinary Cloud Arts.

Zhao Xing swiftly passed them by.

Some took the form of weapons. They were Weapon Cloud Art, and Zhao Xing skipped them as well.

Some clouds were brilliantly multicolored. With a thought from Zhao Xing, those clouds drifted past him too.

He maintained a single thought throughout: he wanted the Devouring Cloud Art!

"Why have I been searching for so long without finding it? Wasn't the Ten Thousand Arts Cloud Chart supposed to grant Wish Fulfillment?"

"Could it be a fake?"

Zhao Xing felt that his intention was firm enough. By all reason, he should have easily found the Devouring Cloud Art.

Yet countless types of clouds drifted past his eyes, and none were what he wanted.

"Devouring Cloud Art, I want the Devouring Cloud Art!"

Zhao Xing shouted inwardly.

Suddenly—

The clouds before him vanished. Every cloud drifted away, revealing a clear blue sky.

"Is it over? Was it really a fake? Impossible... Hm?"

Just as Zhao Xing was puzzled, he abruptly looked in one direction.

All the clouds he had just seen were drifting that way.

A pitch-black vortex of clouds appeared on the distant horizon, drawing every cloud into itself.

Each time it swallowed a cloud, it flickered once before growing larger.

At that terrifying rate of devouring, the black clouds rapidly expanded, filling Zhao Xing's entire field of vision in the blink of an eye.

"Buzz~"

Zhao Xing was sucked into the black cloud vortex as well.

At the center of the cloud vortex,

Specks of black light entered Zhao Xing's body.

Zhao Xing's body flickered again and again. Black light washed over him, making him appear exceptionally sinister and alluring.

It flickered seven times in total before the darkness gradually settled.

The next moment,

Zhao Xing opened his eyes in the real world.

Four meters above his head, a pitch-black storm cloud appeared. At its center was a huge vortex.

"Devouring Cloud Art! This is the Devouring Cloud Art!"

Zhao Xing looked up, delighted.

"Whoosh~"

The Preaching Painting suddenly ignited on its own and quickly turned to ash.

Unlike other Preaching Paintings, the supreme Ten Thousand Arts series offered one and only one opportunity for comprehension.

But the Ten Thousand Arts Cloud Chart's effects were also far more potent!

During his comprehension, black light had flashed over Zhao Xing's body seven times, proving that he had comprehended this spell to the Seventh-Turn level!

Reaching the Seventh-Turn in one go showed just how powerful its effects were.

"With the effects of a supreme Preaching Painting, only someone with utterly terrible talent would comprehend a spell at merely the First- or Second-Turn level."

"For someone with ordinary talent who comprehends the Cloud Art they desire, this opportunity can bring them from the Third-Turn to the Sixth-Turn."

"The Seventh-Turn is the limit of a fourth-rank Cloud Chart's teachings."

Though it could not compare to the Myriad Laws Spiritual Elegance found in the great Spirit Mountains, its effects were already quite good.

After all, how rare was Myriad Laws Spiritual Elegance? It generally appeared only during major mountain-sealing or mountain-opening events.

Preaching Paintings could be mass-produced, so in comparison, the means of acquiring them were far more reliable.

"Now that I have the Devouring Cloud Art, the four mid-level Four Seasonal Arts can barely be considered complete." Zhao Xing was in high spirits.

Once the Four Seasonal Arts were complete, combining the spells would produce greater power.

Of course, Zhao Xing's Yin Wind could not be considered an ordinary mid-level Wind Art, so combining it with the Devouring Cloud Art offered no real enhancement.

But with his other spells, such as casting Devouring Cloud Art before Guiding Thunder, the power was much greater than before. The same went for the Rain Art.

The Four Seasonal Arts were called that because they were interconnected and could mutually enhance one another.

By the same reasoning, the four Earthly Advantage arts—Mystic Earth, Earth Treasury, Earth Split, and Earth Palace Art—were also interconnected.

"The final scroll."

"A fourth-rank mid-grade Preaching Painting: Earth Rift."

After resting briefly, Zhao Xing opened the final box and pulled out the scroll.

"Rumble~"

Zhao Xing felt the ground beneath him shake, while a great mountain ahead of him trembled violently.

"Crack, crack, crack, crack~"

Fissures opened across the ground. Bottomless cracks spewed terrifying Earth Vein power.

"Hiss, hiss~"

Zhao Xing was about to leap across the fissure when a Fiery Red pillar of light suddenly erupted ahead of him.

Scorching magma sprayed high-temperature droplets around it, melting even the hard boulders nearby.

Zhao Xing hurriedly retreated, only for another fissure to open behind him.

Violent Earth Vein power erupted again, but this time it blew the Yin Wind he knew so well!

Whoooo—

It felt as though his soul would be blown away. Zhao Xing swayed as if he might collapse.

Just as he gritted his teeth and held on, suddenly—

"Boom!"

A deafening crash rang out as the mountain ahead split in two down the middle, massive rocks tumbling from above.

Zhao Xing tried to dodge, only to discover that unknown vines had somehow appeared beneath his feet. Like crawling insects, they rapidly wrapped around him.

He finally managed to Break Free.

"Gurgle, gurgle~"

A spring unexpectedly burst from beneath his feet and launched Zhao Xing into the air.

When he finally landed freely,

"Clang!"

A sharp object pierced through his chest.

A gigantic stone sword had erupted from the ground.

His entire body was completely impaled.

There was pain and tearing agony, yet strangely, Zhao Xing's mind grew ever clearer.

Just like with the Yin Wind and magma before, he could still observe the mysteries within these terrifying phenomena.

And so, Zhao Xing remained pierced through by the stone sword and suspended in midair, watching scene after terrifying scene unfold across the earth.

"Buzz~"

Half an hour later, Zhao Xing opened his eyes.

You observed the fourth-rank mid-grade Preaching Painting "Earth Rift" and comprehended the mid-level spell "Five Elements Earth Splitting." Remaining comprehension attempts: 3

Five Elements Earth Splitting Art: Mid-level spell

Progress: Third-Turn (3546/9999)

Effect: Earth Veins Surge and wreak havoc upon the world, using random Five Elements Earth Vein power to attack.

"Five Elements Earth Splitting Art? I actually comprehended this spell from among the Earth Splitting Arts." Zhao Xing wore a strange expression. "There were so many Earth Splitting Arts within this Earth Rift painting, yet I happened to comprehend this one?"

The reason for Zhao Xing's strange expression was entirely because of this spell's nickname.

The Five Elements Earth Splitting Art was also known as the Gambler's Tactic!

Its actual combat effect depended entirely on luck.

It randomly produced one or several effects from the Five Elements.

When it was strong, it was terrifyingly strong. With all five elements emerging at once, one spell could equal five spells!

When it was weak, casting the Five Elements Earth Splitting Art would produce nothing more than a tiny sapling. In battle, it could only add a little excitement.

"The Earth Veins vary from place to place as well. Nanyang County's Earth Veins are extremely stable, while this spell can only display its greatest power in places where the Earth Veins are violent."

"The Gambler's Tactic depends entirely on luck. That is actually not too bad. The probability of me rolling an effect with all five elements should be fairly high." Thinking of this, Zhao Xing found some small consolation.

After all, he now possessed the luck of Derivation Three. When facing this kind of luck-based spell, his chances of triggering a major success should be quite high.

The vast majority of other spells were highly stable.

Only when one had just begun and their realm was low would luck come into play.

Naturally, there were successes and failures alike.

Large fluctuations in spell power were actually a manifestation of unstable spell control during the beginner stage.

Once one had entered the path and their Essence Gathering level and realm had risen, things became relatively stable, and such triggers became rare.

In battle, occasionally being in peak condition could raise a spell's power somewhat. As for breaking through during battle? The odds of that were exceedingly, exceedingly low.

"I'll see whether I get a chance to use it in the future. If I truly have an opportunity to gamble on luck, or encounter an extreme Earthly Advantage environment, I can use this move."

The first three paintings had all exceeded his expectations. As for the last one, he was barely satisfied.

On October 4th, Zhao Xing was a guest at the Zong Residence.

On October 5th, Zhao Xing was a guest at the Xue Residence.

On October 6th, Zhao Xing was a guest at the Chen Residence.

During his five days at the Zong Residence, he finished comprehending two Preaching Paintings.

He had intended to go to Old Sima Nong's place to comprehend another art, but after staying only one night, Xue Wenzhong had business in the county city and needed to visit his grandson, Xue Bai.

Thus, on October 6th, he came to Chen Shijie's residence as a guest.

At dusk, a mysterious visitor also arrived outside the Chen Residence.

Chen Shijie was conducting his daily training in the front courtyard training grounds, while Zhao Xing was comprehending in the pear garden.

Suddenly, Chen Shijie sensed unusual fluctuations in the breeze and sharply looked outside.

Through the gates, he saw a blurry black shadow appear beyond the entrance.

"What petty wretch dares spy upon this official?!"

"Chen Shijie, what impressive official authority you have!" The black shadow stopped wavering and steadied itself. A transmission entered his ears, carrying an aged voice.

Upon hearing that voice, Chen Shijie's face immediately lit up with delight. "Long Xiao? Why did you come so early?!"

"No fun at all. I even changed my voice. How did you still recognize me?" The shadow's voice returned to normal.

"You are my brother. I would recognize you even if you turned to ashes." Chen Shijie smiled. "But why did you come so early?"

"Shouldn't you invite me in before asking that?" Long Xiao said.

"Oh, I nearly forgot. Please, come in."

After Chen Shijie spoke, the figure outside the gate leaped over it and appeared within the training grounds.

Long Xiao lowered the Black Robe draped over him, revealing his true appearance. He had swordlike brows and bright eyes, with a greatsword strapped to his back. Standing in the training grounds, he resembled an unsheathed blade.

"Good lad, your Divine Firmament Sword Art has improved again." Chen Shijie examined him and praised him.

"You have not been idle either. In the five years since leaving the Divine Might Army, your senses have become sharper." Long Xiao stared brightly at Chen Shijie. "I had only just arrived outside your residence, yet you already noticed me."

The two looked at each other and laughed heartily.

Both had discovered that neither had slackened in the years they had been apart. A single glance told them that the other was still the like-minded good brother of old!

"Come, let's talk inside."

The two walked side by side into the main hall.

At that moment, Zhao Xing, who had finished his comprehension, also came outside the hall. Though he had not heard Long Xiao's voice, he had heard Chen Shijie's.

"Lord Chen, did something happen?"

"Nothing. A guest has arrived. Your timing is perfect, so come inside. I'll introduce you."

After entering, Zhao Xing saw Long Xiao beside Chen Shijie, and surprise appeared on his face.

"Hm?" Long Xiao keenly caught the change in Zhao Xing's expression. "You seem to know me?"

Of course I know you. Divine Firmament Marquis Long Xiao... I even worked under you before. But what year was he granted the title of marquis? It was not during the New Splendor Era. It seemed to have been during the Great Governance Era?

"I do not know you. I simply felt that your bearing was astonishing, like a sharp sword. I was overwhelmed by your imposing aura." Zhao Xing cupped his hands and lowered his head, quickly composing himself.

Long Xiao nodded and turned toward Chen Shijie. "This is the lad you mentioned? He seems rather ordinary."

Chen Shijie said calmly, "He's still young and hasn't seen many swordsmanship experts like you. If he joins the army and trains for a dozen years or so, perhaps even you'll have to rely on him for a living."

"Oh? Relying on you, the Military Sima Nong, for a living would be one thing, but you're saying I'll rely on him in the future?" Long Xiao gave Zhao Xing another careful look. Just now, he had thought Zhao Xing was merely so-so after being suppressed by his aura, but after Chen Shijie's words, he looked more closely and discovered that Zhao Xing possessed an extraordinary bearing.

"Zhao Xing, let me introduce you. This is Yiwei Commandant Long Xiao of the Divine Might Army, and also my good brother."

"Greetings, General." Zhao Xing cupped his hands. Yiwei Commandant was a seventh-grade official rank, which meant Long Xiao was at least a Seventh Grade expert, possibly higher.

"No need for such formalities. I haven't yet resumed my official military post, so I only hold a provisional rank." Long Xiao waved a hand.

"Sit," Chen Shijie said.

Zhao Xing cupped his hands again and took a seat.

Though he appeared calm on the surface, he was greatly startled inside.

Because the current Yiwei Commandant Long Xiao was vastly different from the Divine Firmament Marquis Long Xiao.

The current Long Xiao was fairly outgoing and cheerful, while the Divine Firmament Marquis had been steady and reserved, even somewhat melancholic.

Zhao Xing had never heard of Chen Shijie in his previous life, but from the looks of it now, Chen Shijie was a member of the Divine Might Army.

Long Xiao had become a Martial Marquis, yet Old Chen had left behind no name. Had he died young before reaching his potential?

So Long Xiao also came from the Divine Might Army. Then his superior now is the Divine Might Marquis?

The Divine Might Marquis is gone, and Old Chen is gone too. It seems this legion was wiped out during... Zhao Xing searched his memories carefully, but he could not recall it for the moment. After all, by the time he had begun doing missions, the Divine Might Army had already ceased to exist.

"You still haven't told me—how did you get here from Xier County so quickly? That's such a great distance. Even if you set out on the day you received my letter and took the army's Dragon Head Tower Ship, there's no reason you should have arrived this fast, right?" Chen Shijie's words suddenly stirred Zhao Xing's memories. "Pacify Barbarian Six Counties" and "Xier County" reminded him of certain events.

But he was still not entirely certain, so he decided to listen a little longer.

Long Xiao smiled. "I didn't take the Dragon Head Tower Ship. I borrowed a route through the Li Fire Dao Academy, arriving first at Dayuan Prefecture before coming to Nanyang County."

"How about it? I've been good to you, haven't I, brother? By borrowing the Fire Element route, once we return, I'll have to travel at least eighty thousand li to repay the favor I owe that Li Fire True Lord."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xing subconsciously used Five Elements Observation on Long Xiao. He saw an extremely faint yet exceptionally high-quality power of the Fire Element entangled around the man's body.

If his level were higher, he would probably even be able to discern that this Fire Element power would form the image of a deity.

Naturally, Long Xiao sensed the inspection. He asked curiously, "Kid, you understood that?"

Zhao Xing cupped his hands. "I understood. By borrowing the Fire Element route, General means using the Li Fire Divine Altar of the Li Fire Dao Academy and its extraordinary long-distance fire escape formation to instantly travel from Xier County, tens of thousands of li away, to the Li Fire Branch Academy in Dayuan Prefecture."

"Correct." Long Xiao nodded slightly. "Then do you know why I must walk eighty thousand li on my return?"

Zhao Xing continued, "Since it is borrowed, it must be repaid. The Li Fire True Lord worshiped by the Li Fire Dao Academy was a figure from ancient times. Fearing that his disciples would be unable to guard the Li Fire Divine Altar, he cast a spell and established a great vow between Heaven and Earth."

"Whenever an outsider uses the Li Fire Divine Altar to travel a certain distance, afterward, they must rely on their own feet, without using any magical power and purely with their physical body, to walk twice the distance of the Fire Element route they borrowed."

"General should have borrowed the route for a round trip of roughly forty thousand li. Therefore, after using that route, you must walk eighty thousand li before the debt to the Li Fire True Lord is repaid."

"Not bad. You know quite a bit." Long Xiao was somewhat surprised. For a mere Minister of Agriculture clerk to know of Great Zhou's Seventy-Two Dao Academies showed that Zhao Xing had read extensively. In that regard, he at least met the requirements of a Military Sima Nong.

Know the world and its affairs, and one could quickly adapt no matter where one went.

And when a Military Sima Nong adapted quickly to an unfamiliar environment, it meant the army under him could also adapt quickly and gain a firm foothold.

"I told you long ago not to underestimate him." Chen Shijie smiled. "Being young doesn't mean lacking knowledge."

"Hahaha, that's true." Long Xiao laughed heartily. "But you're far too stiff, kid. Why do you keep calling me General? I already told you, I haven't resumed my old post yet. Be bolder—call me Brother Long."

Zhao Xing did not know what to say. Seeing Long Xiao had simply awakened certain old habits in him.

Then Long Xiao pointed at Chen Shijie. "Call him Second Chen."

Amid Zhao Xing's somewhat stunned expression, Chen Shijie gave a cold smile. "Trying to take advantage of me with wordplay, are you? Once we return to the army, I'll make sure to starve you for a few meals!"

"Hahahahaha. My mistake, my mistake, I admit it." Long Xiao hurriedly laughed the matter off. "Brother Chen, Big Brother Chen, you're the greatest. Let's discuss serious business."

"Your little brother arrived twenty days early, and I guarantee no one knows. Can I help you wipe out this Profound Heaven Sect stronghold in one fell swoop?"