Guiding Thunder, Yin Wind, Icy Rain

After waiting for a moment, Zhao Xing entered the Hall of All Sages to seek teachings. There were no statues here, only memorial tablets. Their status was somewhat lower than that of the yin gods worshipped individually.

But he was only seeking mid- and low-tier spells, so it did not matter.

Finding a secluded corner, Zhao Xing sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion.

"I have no particular preference. Any school's spells will do. Whichever True Lord is willing to impart their teachings, I will learn from them." Zhao Xing prayed silently.

The thought conveyed only one meaning: he was not picky!

As if hearing Zhao Xing's prayer, a gentle breeze soon drifted over and circled his body.

Zhao Xing involuntarily closed his eyes. This was a sign that the teachings were beginning.

At the same time, among the densely packed memorial tablets in the Hall of All Sages, one bearing the name "Zheng Lun True Lord" began to glow faintly.

"Kill!"

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

"Neighhh~"

"Enemy attack!"

Dark clouds blanketed the sky, and the gorge was grim and eerie.

Clashing weapons and galloping warhorses filled the air as battle cries shook the heavens.

Zhao Xing found himself in the Line of Sky Gorge, pushing a grain cart. From both sides of the gorge, rolling stones, logs, and volleys of arrows rained down.

Instinctively, Zhao Xing wanted to cast a spell, but he discovered that he seemed incorporeal here.

Arrows passed through his body without leaving so much as a scratch.

So this is a scene for receiving teachings and comprehending the Dao. It seems the True Lord imparting the spell was a Military Sima Nong in life.

When one encountered a battlefield scene during enlightenment, it generally meant that the person had been a Military Sima Nong in life. Or rather, their primary achievements had been won on the battlefield, which was why they had received their title.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~"

Arrows fell like rain.

Yet this grain convoy was not entirely defenseless.

With a slight exertion of strength, the soldiers transporting the grain flipped the cart over before swiftly crawling beneath it and moving together with the cart.

"Returning Spirit Shield Cart?" Zhao Xing recognized it at a glance.

"Returning Spirit Shield Carts, quickly form up and defend! Gathering Cloud Commandants, immediately block the enemy's line of sight!"

A roar carried on the wind. Upon hearing it, the ambushed grain convoy began mounting its defense.

Zhao Xing looked toward the source of the voice and saw a middle-aged man clad in a Golden Raincoat and wearing a Hundred Flowers Hat, issuing commands.

Wind swirled around him. Any arrow that came within three feet of him automatically veered aside.

Several other Ministers of Agriculture dressed the same way stood beside him. Their faces could not be seen as they began casting spells.

"Loyal Manifest Commandant, grain transport officer Zheng Lun."

Zhao Xing naturally knew the man's name, official rank, and the grade of merit title he had received.

So this is the True Lord imparting his teachings to me.

He focused his mind and began closely observing Zheng Lun's spellcasting.

Clouds and mist obscured the vision of the ambushers on both sides of the gorge, and the rain of arrows immediately thinned.

Ten breaths later, the arrows, rolling stones, and logs had stopped completely.

Thunder began rumbling within the clouds. If they did not flee or take cover, they would all be struck dead by Zheng Lun's lightning.

But even so, they had reacted too late.

BOOM-CRACK!

Lightning descended like threads of silk, striking straight down and shattering the enemies atop the mountain.

Even those hiding behind rocks were hit as the lightning curved around to find them.

"Kill!"

The pressure from the attacks above eased somewhat, but two units of soldiers charged out from the front and rear of the gorge.

"Great Halberdiers?!"

Zhao Xing recognized this ancient troop type. Every charging soldier wielded a three-meter halberd.

The soldiers were fully armored, even wearing faceplates that revealed only their eyes. A pair of savage ram horns rose from each helmet. As they ran, fist-sized stones shattered beneath their feet, making the earth tremble.

The Great Halberdiers possessed vigorous blood and qi. Amid the soldiers, a military banner shone brilliantly. Countless strands of blood and qi gathered from their bodies upon the banner, and then a rainbow beam shot into the sky.

"Bzzzz~"

A gap was blasted open in the clouds above the gorge.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~"

The grain soldiers inside the Returning Spirit Shield Carts began firing arrows in return, but their arrows could not pierce the armor at all.

Seeing the Great Halberdiers draw near, Zheng Lun acted again.

"Wind, come!"

A fierce gale rose from the flat ground within the gorge. When it swept over Zhao Xing, he actually shuddered.

He looked at Zheng Lun and saw black storms raging in the man's eyes.

At the same time, this strange sight was reflected in the eyes of the Great Halberdiers.

THUD!

The first row of Great Halberdiers fell without warning.

Like paper figures, they were effortlessly blown over by that bizarre wind.

Row after row fell, like straw flattened beneath a strong gale. Nearly five hundred Great Halberdiers were wiped out in the blink of an eye.

Seeing such an eerie sight, the other unit of Great Halberdiers began to collapse and retreat along the path they had come from.

"Hmph!" Zheng Lun turned and pointed, and Cloudcalling swiftly followed.

"Splash, splash, splash~"

Torrential rain poured down. The Great Halberdiers immediately slowed, as though trapped in a muddy bog.

"All troops, pursue! Kill the invaders!"

Zheng Lun gave the order. All the soldiers emerged from the Returning Spirit Shield Carts and turned to chase the remnants.

The grain convoy had only five hundred men, while the ambushers from both sides and front and rear numbered more than fifteen hundred in total. Yet not only had they failed to take the convoy, they had been beaten into a scattered rout.

"So strong." Zhao Xing could not help but marvel at the sight.

Amid the rain, enemy soldiers fell one after another. By the end, their entire bodies had stiffened and their faces had turned pale.

Zhao Xing seemed to gain some insight.

He understood what spells this Military Sima Nong was teaching him.

At that very moment, everything suddenly froze.

The cold and ruthless Zheng Lun turned around and looked at Zhao Xing, this "outsider," as if offering encouragement.

"Thank you, True Lord."

Zhao Xing cupped his hands and bowed. Then the scene shattered completely.

You received teachings in the Hall of All Sages and comprehended the mid-tier spell "Guiding Thunder".

Guiding Thunder: Mid-tier spell

Effect: Draws lightning to the ground to bombard enemies

Proficiency: 0/9999

You received teachings in the Hall of All Sages and comprehended the mid-tier spell "Yin Wind".

Yin Wind: Mid-tier spell

Effect: When the yin wind blows, souls scatter and spirits disperse.

Proficiency: 0/9999

You received teachings in the Hall of All Sages and comprehended the mid-tier spell "Icy Rain".

Icy Rain: Mid-tier spell

Effect: Raindrops freeze into ice, blood and qi congeal into frost

Zhao Xing opened his eyes, looked toward a row of enshrined memorial tablets, and followed the procedure by bowing once more before leaving the hall.

He had not expected that this visit to the Hall of All Sages to receive teachings would bring such an unexpected harvest. He had actually learned three mid-tier spells at once.

And all of them were offensive spells.

Under normal circumstances, Guiding Thunder was relatively easy to learn. Yin Wind and Icy Rain were exclusive to Military Sima Nongs, and before Formal Appointment, the chances of learning them were extremely low.

"Guiding Thunder, Yin Wind, and Icy Rain are all upgraded forms of the Four Seasonal Arts. It seems I excel at combat, so this Military Sima Nong took notice of me and passed down these offensive spells."

This perfectly made up for Zhao Xing's lack of offensive power. He was no longer a Minister of Agriculture who could only rely on straw men to hide and flee, but one with considerable killing power!

After returning to the Ministry of Agriculture, Zhao Xing told Xue Wenzhong about receiving the teachings. Old Sima Nong could not help but pause in surprise. "I can still teach you Guiding Thunder, but I do not know Yin Wind or Icy Rain either. You can only seek out Chen Shijie."

The spell proficiency numbers were not made too large. Otherwise, they would become astronomical in the later stages; one billion and eight hundred million would not differ much. Therefore, every advancement in tier began counting again from zero. Correspondingly, the difficulty of gaining proficiency increased. The same was true for Gathering Essence.