Handsome, Famous, Divine: The Upgrade Effects of the Transformation of Seasons Art

Ji Ziyun led the guests off the ship and introduced them to Zhao Xing one by one.

Xia Tong came from the Black Armor Army. He was a fifth-rank upper Five Camp Cavalry General and commanded three renowned Black Armor Army camps: the Dragon Rider Camp, the Ironback Flying Bear Camp, and the Black Colt Camp.

He was Xia Jing's cousin. The moment he came down, he called Zhao Xing Brother Zhao.

Though he was more than twenty years older than Xia Jing, that age gap was not considered much.

Pei Yuanchang was also over fifty, yet he still addressed Zhao Xing as a brother, didn't he?

He was the most enthusiastic toward Zhao Xing, acting as though they were all family.

The other two generals, He Wu and Fang Ze, came from the Wuluo Army and the Jiujiang Army respectively.

Both armies belonged to the East Sea Legion of Pinghai Province.

The two armies shared a Grotto Heaven garrison—the Jiujiang Grotto Heaven—and it was quite famous as well.

He Wu and Fang Ze were both fifth-rank upper generals. They had come out of respect for Youruo Princess, because the eastern legions operated at sea. Whether fighting pirates, battling aquatic tribes, or launching expeditions to Eastern Ying, they all had to pass through Youruo Princess's territory.

Resupplying on the vast sea was far more difficult than on land. Youruo Princess possessed many resource-rich islands along the routes these armies had to take. They had no choice but to show her respect—after all, she controlled their food supply.

Beyond politeness, the two were also somewhat curious about Zhao Xing.

What had caught their attention was mainly Zhao Xing's method of training warhorses.

Generals placed great importance on discipline and obedience, especially among war beasts. Making war beasts possess those two qualities was extremely difficult.

And a battle formation with war beasts was an entirely different thing from one without them.

Especially in large-scale battle formations, individual martial strength could be ignored.

Take a sword cultivator like Long Xiao as an example. If he charged into a level-six battle formation, he would still face near-certain death.

Qin Hongying of the Azure Water Daoist Academy was a fourth-rank Classics Scholar! Her own strength was even greater, having already reached the third-rank Yuan Soul Realm.

The other two, Wen Ji and Zhai Zhong, were also fourth-rank, but their status was somewhat below Qin Hongying's.

Ji Ziyun, much like Old Master Zhao, was very good at waving Youruo Princess's banner around. After a round of persuasion, she had actually invited all three big shots to Twin Islands.

However, they had little interest in warhorses or battle formations. Instead, their eyes were fixed on the Mountain Cat beside Zhao Xing.

One side focused on individuals, while the other focused on groups. It was clearly unsuitable for them to tour together.

Zhao Xing summoned a Ten Thousand Laws Clone and had it receive the two groups separately.

"Yuan Rang Marquis, has this Mountain Cat of yours cultivated a second form?" Zhai Zhong asked.

After the pleasantries, Zhai Zhong turned his gaze to the Mountain Cat.

"That's right. The Mountain Cat's second form is the Wind Thunder Pure Yuan Body," Zhao Xing said.

"Could it demonstrate it?" Wen Ji asked.

"No problem."

Zhao Xing waved at the Mountain Cat, telling it to transform.

"Meow~" Aotian Meow was somewhat unwilling. Transforming consumed plenty of strength too.

Only after Zhao Xing promised to catch it many large fish later did the Mountain Cat agree to put on a demonstration.

"Meow~~~~~~"

As the Mountain Cat let out a roar, its body suddenly began to change.

Its body, originally two meters long and one meter tall, swelled again, reaching one and a half meters tall and five meters long.

After the Mountain Cat ignited its qi and blood, a purple and a cyan current of energy appeared around its head and tail, alternately circling its body.

Three breaths later, the fur on the Mountain Cat's body contracted into its flesh, replaced by dense scales.

Only the fur on its limbs remained, but it had changed from gray, brown, and black into purple and cyan. Ring after ring of markings matched the scales covering its body.

Its head and tail changed as well, both becoming covered in layers of cyan and purple scales.

Its fangs and claws grew longer. With every breath, lightning and fierce winds flowed around its body.

At that moment, the Mountain Cat had thick limbs and powerful muscles, like a cat clad in armor, brimming with a metallic texture.

It raised its head and puffed out its chest as it strode forward a few steps, like a feline general returning victorious.

"Such an extraordinary creature. It truly is remarkable. How did you raise it?" Qin Hongying was quite interested as well. "Do you have some secret method?"

Wen Ji and Zhai Zhong also looked toward Zhao Xing.

Zhao Xing cupped his hands. "I'm afraid the Mountain Cat's cultivation cannot be replicated."

"Could it be that Yuan Rang Marquis looks down on our Azure Water Daoist Academy's Beast Taming Division?" Wen Ji asked unhappily. "Could it be that our Beast Taming Division lacks whatever it eats?"

"Doctor Wen, please don't misunderstand. That isn't what I mean," Zhao Xing said helplessly.

"Then tell us," Zhai Zhong said. "How exactly was it raised?"

Zhao Xing said, "In my hometown, there is a Spirit Mountain. The Mountain Cat was originally raised by the mountain god and had consumed lingxiu since it was young. After just one month in its cub stage, it entered the Ranked Realm. Less than half a year later, I brought it into the army, and with help from friends in the military, it reached the eighth rank."

"At one and a half years old, because it often trained with the army and ate well, it reached the seventh rank."

"That alone is nothing special," Wen Ji said.

Zhao Xing continued, "Later, the Mountain Cat explored the Ten Suns Grotto Heaven with me. The amount of lingxiu it consumed could rank among the top ten."

"..." Wen Ji and Zhai Zhong immediately fell silent.

"No wonder." Qin Hongying smiled.

It truly could not be replicated.

They knew about the lingxiu eruption in the Ten Suns Grotto Heaven.

If the Mountain Cat's consumption of lingxiu ranked among the top ten, how terrifying was that?

The bloodline and body of an exotic beast were innately somewhat stronger than a human's. The Mountain Cat's Upper Limit for consumption was also higher than that of an ordinary sixth-rank cultivator.

Zhao Xing had taken the Mountain Cat to soak in hot springs and enter the Heavenly Gate. Later, the lingxiu fish from the Midnight Sea had stuffed it so full that its body had grown a whole size larger.

The Azure Water Daoist Academy might be able to find items of comparable quality, such as Lingxiu Hot Spring water and lingxiu fish.

But things like the Grotto Heaven's Heavenly Gate, Fate Soul Yin Yang Fish, and Dragon Whale meat were beyond even their dreams.

At that level, there was not even enough for people to eat. How could there be any left for a cat?

Old Master Zhao had been generous back then. Aside from the Dragon Whale Heart, he had let the Mountain Cat eat its fill of Yin Yang Fish, Dragon Whale meat, and Dragon Whale marrow.

"A fifth-rank Mountain Cat is rare in all the world." Zhai Zhong clicked his tongue in amazement. "You really were willing to invest in its cultivation."

"Its bloodline talent has been developed quite well too." Wen Ji reached out and felt the Mountain Cat's bones. "It seems it was not only fed well, but trained well too."

The Mountain Cat looked disgusted and wanted to slap away Wen Ji's old hand with a paw, but Zhao Xing immediately shot it a look.

Aotian Meow could only weakly wave its paw in protest.

More fish! You have to add several more big fish!

"Hahaha, what a spirited big cat." Seeing the Mountain Cat's expression, Zhai Zhong could not help laughing. "It actually despises Wen Ji. Hahaha."

Qin Hongying examined it carefully, then looked at Zhao Xing. "Did it receive any other help in breaking through to the fifth rank?"

Zhao Xing cupped his hands. "Doctor Qin has sharp eyes. When it formed its Pure Yuan Body, it did indeed receive help from the Transformation of Seasons Art."

Qin Hongying truly deserved to be third-rank. Her eye was keen, and she saw through the Mountain Cat's path to breaking through the fifth rank at a glance.

"The Transformation of Seasons Art, whether for inner or outer cultivation, harnesses the transformations of heaven and earth and possesses immense power." Qin Hongying praised, "I never expected Liu Tianning to have reached such attainments in the Transformation of Seasons Art, enough to use it for taming beasts."

Qin Hongying thought Liu Tianning had helped. She had never considered that Zhao Xing himself could have done it.

After all, Zhao Xing was only sixth-rank. The Transformation of Seasons Art was a high-level art, and one capable of causing an exotic beast to evolve was even rarer.

Destruction was easy; rebuilding was difficult.

Qin Hongying had seen plenty of Ministers of Agriculture who mastered offensive Transformation of Seasons Arts. But Transformation of Seasons Arts used for cultivating exotic beasts were much rarer.

Zhao Xing said, "I would not dare deceive Doctor Qin. The Mountain Cat's advancement happened only recently. It was not my master's doing."

"Oh?" Wen Ji looked at Zhao Xing. "Don't tell me you mean it was you?"

Zhao Xing nodded. "It was this junior."

Zhai Zhong was astonished. "You are only sixth-rank, yet you have mastered this type of Transformation of Seasons Art?"

Ji Ziyun said from the side, "Master Zhai, Master Wen, the Mountain Cat ate so much lingxiu. How could Senior Brother have eaten less?"

Zhai Zhong and Wen Ji immediately understood.

That was right. The Mountain Cat had eaten until it was stuffed. Zhao Xing could only have eaten more.

Changes in a Grotto Heaven were rarely encountered even once in ten thousand years. It was not strange for them to produce a genius like Zhao Xing.

Qin Hongying said, "Zhao Xing, since you have mastered this kind of art, we have not made this trip for nothing."

"Later, I will send some beast tamers here and entrust their pet beasts to you."

"Let us first sign a contract for fifty million and observe the results. Are you willing?"

How could Zhao Xing refuse? This was precisely the kind of achievement he wanted.

Money was a minor matter. Later, he could add a line to his record: he had provided powerful war beasts for the Beast Taming Division of the Azure Water Daoist Academy.

Those would become capital for future promotions.

"Thank you, Doctor Qin, Doctor Zhai, and Doctor Wen. This junior will certainly give it his all and live up to the academy's support."

While Zhao Xing spoke with the three doctors from the Azure Water Daoist Academy, his clone brought Fang Ze, He Wu, and Xia Tong to tour Tuoquan Palace.

"Tuoquan Palace currently raises four types of warhorses: Dragon Whisker Horses, Celestial Horses, Purple Lightning Horses, and Firemane Horses."

"Which kind would the three of you like to see first?" Zhao Xing asked.

"Let us see the Dragon Whisker and Purple Lightning Horses," Fang Ze said.

They had already seen the Celestial Horses and Firemane Horses when they were welcomed earlier.

"Agreed," He Wu said.

"I have no objections." Xia Tong smiled. He would be placing an order anyway. Zhao Xing merely needed to focus on serving the guests from those two armies well.

"All right, please follow me." Zhao Xing led the way.

He Wu and Fang Ze both looked somewhat expectant.

The cyan Celestial Horses and Firemane Horses could only be considered fine-bred horses, while the Purple Lightning and Dragon Whisker bloodlines belonged to the famed horse class.

Great Zhou divided superior warhorse bloodlines into three grades.

Fine, famed, and divine.

Purple Lightning and Dragon Whisker Horses both belonged among famed horses.

Firemane Horses and cyan Celestial Horses were merely fine-bred horse bloodlines.

There were only ten divine horse breeds. Fang Ze and He Wu did not dare hope for one of the Ten Divine Horses, because they could not afford them anyway.

What kind of family background did one need to use divine horses as mounts?

"If the Dragon Whisker Horses and Purple Lightning Horses perform as well as the Firemane Horses and Celestial Horses, I will order some to take back. What about you, Brother Fang?" He Wu asked.

"Mm. For the East Sea Princess's sake, I should buy some too," Fang Ze said.

The East Sea Princess they spoke of was Youruo Princess, because the aquatic tribes were more accustomed to calling her the East Sea Princess.

They dealt with aquatic tribes in the East Sea year-round, so they had also grown accustomed to that form of address.

When they arrived at Tuoquan Palace, Tao Anchun had already been waiting for quite some time.

Now that the Divine Selection Division had recovered, he was also responsible for assisting Zhao Xing in training warhorses.

"Tao Anchun, release the Dragon Whisker Horses," Zhao Xing said.

"Yes."

Tao Anchun gave a sharp whistle, and the mechanisms on the fences opened one after another.

"Clop~ clop~ clop~ clop~ clop~ clop~"

The sound of hooves rang out.

One Dragon Whisker Horse after another emerged from the rooms.

The Dragon Whisker Horse was a tyrant among exotic beasts. Its body resembled a horse, yet its long whiskers were like a dragon's, elegant and transcendent.

Its eyes were like dazzling stars, shining brilliantly enough that people did not dare look directly at them.

Its whiskers danced in the wind, capable of commanding wind and clouds. When its four hooves struck the ground, mountains and rivers trembled.

Golden dragon scales covered its entire body, radiating endless strength and majesty.

Among famed horses, Dragon Whisker Horses possessed the most robust qi and blood.

A battle formation mounted on Dragon Whisker Horses could truly trample city walls to pieces, making them extremely popular among mid-ranking officers.

"Gather! Form ranks!"

Zhao Xing shouted.

After leaving their enclosures, the Dragon Whisker Horses did not rush outside. Instead, they first formed ranks in the broad corridor beyond the doors.

Once every horse had left its room, the Dragon Whisker Horses formed four lines and marched out of Dragon Whisker Palace in perfectly synchronized steps.

As they passed Fang Ze, He Wu, and Xia Tong, they did not even glance at them.

This sight left Fang Ze and He Wu clicking their tongues in amazement.

"Why do I feel as if we have not come to a stable, but to a military camp?"

"Even military camps may not be this neat and orderly." Fang Ze looked toward one of the stalls. "Good heavens, look at how these horses live. Even the hay beds inside are laid out perfectly."

"Zhao Xing really knows what he is doing when it comes to taming beasts."

The two communicated privately through voice transmission.

Seeing their expressions, Zhao Xing knew they were very satisfied.

These horses did not use blankets, or else Old Master Zhao would have made them fold their bedding into tofu blocks.

Of course, that was merely a thought. Zhao Xing was not obsessive enough to go that far.

The neatly arranged hay inside was not prepared by the horses themselves. People cleaned and organized it every day, and the feed troughs and manure troughs were handled the same way.

"Clop!"

As the final hoofbeat fell, outside Dragon Whisker Palace, one thousand five hundred eighth-rank and twenty seventh-rank Dragon Whisker Horses stood silently with their heads held high, awaiting inspection.

"Which aspect would the three of you like to see next?" Zhao Xing asked.

"The battle formation." Fang Ze immediately spoke. "We want to see the effect of the Dragon Whisker Horses forming a Qi and Blood Battle Formation."

"Certainly." Zhao Xing nodded and immediately gave a sharp whistle.

"Boom~"

The Dragon Whisker Horses that had stood motionless a moment before neighed. In the next instant, the qi and blood around their bodies ignited.

Their qi and blood gathered toward the twenty seventh-rank leaders.

Their qi and blood rolled like clouds, and their dragon whiskers writhed.

Before long, a phantom Blood Qi Wyrm appeared above the heads of the twenty Dragon Whisker Horses.

The phantom flickered four times, gradually solidifying.

A total of twenty Blood Qi Wyrms circled above Dragon Whisker Palace.

"Dragon Armor Protection!"

Zhao Xing shouted.

Boom—

All the Dragon Whisker Horses immediately activated their innate skill. Threads of pale golden light seeped from their pores, densely intertwining to form runic scale armor.

They looked as though they had donned a layer of armor.

Not only had their defense increased, but their strength and speed rose once more.

The twenty Blood Qi Wyrms in the sky grew stronger again, reaching the threshold of a level-five battle formation.

Fang Ze and He Wu exchanged glances, their hearts filled with shock.

After witnessing this scene, they had already decided to place an order. To make the later price negotiations easier, they forcefully kept their expressions blank.

In truth, they were rapidly communicating through voice transmission. "The bloodline of his Dragon Whisker Horses feels stronger than that of ordinary Dragon Whisker Horses."

"Take out 'feels.' They are stronger than the others. The battle formation's strength is at least one-fifth higher."

"Why is that?"

"Two possibilities," Fang Ze said. "Either Zhao Xing usually feeds them better food, with proper nutritional balance."

"Or their coordination has greatly improved after training."

"A battle formation formed with thirty percent effort is naturally different from one formed with sixty percent effort."

Fang Ze could not help saying, "How did he get the Dragon Whisker Horses to cooperate and exert themselves so well? These horses have never even been on a battlefield."

If they had fought on battlefields for years, Dragon Whisker Horses would naturally be able to display greater power after becoming accustomed to war and battle formations through prolonged combat.

Zhao Xing's Dragon Whisker Horses might not compare to warhorses that had spent years on the battlefield.

But in terms of their "factory condition" alone, they were already somewhat better than the stock from their suppliers.

Once they were brought back and allowed to acclimate with their riders, these warhorses would soon be ready for use.

Because Zhao Xing had already trained them so well.

Still, Fang Ze and He Wu wanted to find faults.

They could not help it. If they did not pick at flaws, they could not bring down the price.

"Yuan Rang Marquis," Fang Ze said, "do these Dragon Whisker Horses only obey your commands?"

"Also, you use the Myriad Beasts True Word Art and the Slave Seal Art, correct? If our riders came to handle them, could they still achieve such good results?"

Zhao Xing smiled. "General Fang, I did not use the Myriad Beasts True Word Art just now. I did use it before, but later, it was no longer necessary."

"Can I give them orders?" He Wu asked.

"Yes." Zhao Xing waved his hand, and Tao Anchun immediately brought over a tray bearing a row of command arrows.

"But the Dragon Whisker Horses are not yet accustomed to you. You can only approach them safely while wearing these tokens."

Dragon Whisker Horses were fierce by nature. In fact, no famous horse was docile; all were difficult to tame.

Zhao Xing used the tokens to save time on familiarization and coordination. With a token in hand, one could use the horses immediately. This was also a fairly common practice.

After riding them for some time, there would naturally be no need to wear command arrows anymore.

Seeing that Fang Ze truly could not find any faults, He Wu still refused to give up. "May I test-ride one? I want to experience the degree of battle formation integration."

Zhao Xing smiled. "Of course."

Without another word, He Wu inserted a command arrow behind his neck. Then, with a leap, he jumped onto the leading seventh-rank Dragon Whisker Horse.

He Wu was rather sly. As he sat down, he deliberately circulated his qi and blood, transmitting the weight of every one of his golden bones onto the Dragon Whisker Horse.

The moment he sat down, the seventh-rank Dragon Whisker Horse's legs began trembling, and its body sank.

"You!" Tao Anchun immediately glared in fury.

"Leave him be." Zhao Xing stopped Tao Anchun.

Since they were letting someone "test-drive" the horse, they could not expect him to go easy on it.

As long as he did not crush or injure the Dragon Whisker Horse, Zhao Xing would not interfere.

Warhorses were meant to be used. They were meant to follow their masters onto the battlefield.

Naturally, they had to withstand their masters using martial techniques while mounted on them.

If they could not endure even this much rough treatment, they could not be called warhorses.

He Wu still knew his limits. He merely wanted to gauge their quality, not deliberately make things difficult.

"Neigh—"

The Dragon Whisker Horse let out a clear dragon-like cry, and the Blood Qi Wyrms in the sky roared along with it.

It forcibly lifted He Wu again and straightened its stance.

What a fine horse, He Wu thought. Then he raised a clenched fist above his head.

He wanted to connect to the Qi and Blood Battle Formation.

He wanted to become the battle formation's controller.

Originally, the core of the battle formation was the fine horse beneath him.

Now that he wanted to take over the battle formation, it was equivalent to taking control of the entire herd's lives.

Because once he gained control, any damage he suffered would be transferred to and shared among the herd.

Normally, the initial stage of battle formation training was the most troublesome, because fierce horses would resist fiercely.

They would not easily hand over their lives.

Sure enough, He Wu's qi and blood met resistance and was not accepted by the Blood Qi Wyrms.

The horses below also began to stir restlessly.

Zhao Xing remained unmoved, merely watching in silence.

He Wu fell into thought. He switched the method by which he circulated his qi and blood, making himself more compatible with the Blood Qi Wyrm battle formation.

The resistance immediately weakened. After a quarter of an hour—

The unrest among the horses vanished.

A trace of astonishment appeared on He Wu's face. Then he lightly patted the Dragon Whisker Horse.

The entire square formation of horses moved one step forward in unison at his command.

"Transform!"

He Wu pointed outward, and one of the Blood Qi Wyrms in the sky immediately changed into an enormous blood-red spear.

Now, this was the battle formation he knew.

Though it swayed unsteadily and might collapse at any moment, succeeding in changing the formation on his first attempt still left He Wu too astonished for words.

On his first attempt, he did not maintain it for long. After all, these were prospective warhorses, not true warhorses.

They could not withstand him putting them through too much.

After He Wu flipped down from the horse's back, he returned to the steps.

He opened his mouth, wanting to point out some flaw, but in the end, he said, "Yuan Rang Marquis, name your price."

There was no helping it. He truly could not force himself to fabricate faults.

He Wu was a soldier, not a merchant. He was not the sort to value profit over righteousness.

To find faults with such warhorses just to haggle down the price?

If he truly did something so unconscionable, he would have to slap himself awake in the middle of the night.

"General, you can see that the Twin Dragon Horse Bureau uses elite-style breeding and training," Zhao Xing said.

"So, fourth-rank horses cost forty thousand each, seventh-rank horses cost two hundred thousand each. Settlement will be in Military Realm points, transferred through official accounts. No bargaining."

This price was more than twice the normal market rate.

Yet He Wu felt it was worth it.

Still, he asked, "If my Wuluo Army purchases a large quantity, will there be any discount?"

Zhao Xing smiled. "The price cannot be lowered, but you are the first to recognize their worth. If you buy enough, I can give you several more fine horses for the army's officers."

He Wu said, "I'll first order one thousand eighth-rank Dragon Whisker Horses and five hundred seventh-rank Dragon Whisker Horses. But I need to take them back immediately. My army has a recent equipment demand of ten thousand. How does Yuan Rang Marquis wish to settle payment?"

"This transaction must be paid in full immediately. No credit. For subsequent preorders, a thirty percent deposit is required, and the remaining payment must be settled when you come to collect the goods."

"Deal."

"Hold on!" Fang Ze could not sit still any longer. How could this bastard start negotiating on his own and leave the Jiujiang Army behind?

A smile appeared at the corner of Zhao Xing's lips. "What instructions does General Fang have?"

"Yuan Rang Marquis, how many Dragon Whisker Horses do you have here?"

"All the adult Dragon Whisker Horses currently available are here. There are only a little over a thousand seventh-rank and eighth-rank horses combined," Zhao Xing said. "However, in half a year, that number can increase to around eight thousand."

"The Jiujiang Army has an even greater equipment demand. We need no fewer than fifty thousand!" Fang Ze said. "I also need to bring back a batch of adult horses. You cannot give them all to the Wuluo Army."

"Old Fang, keep bragging. What does the Jiujiang Army need so many Dragon Whisker Horses for? Most of you are navy troops. Where would you get so much equipment demand?"

"That is none of your concern. In any case, I want these horses!"

"Bastard, you think you can have them just because you say so? I was clearly the first to speak!"

Military generals had fiery tempers. The two men, who had been cordial moments ago, immediately began arguing.

Beside them, Tao Anchun listened with tears in his eyes.

If the occasion had been appropriate, he would have burst out laughing.

The commanders of two powerful armies were fighting over them. The Twin Dragon Horse Bureau had actually lived to see such a day!

"Enough, you two," Zhao Xing advised. "You are brother armies. Do not damage the harmony between you."

"I also came from the military, so I understand how the two generals feel."

He Wu and Fang Ze immediately stopped arguing and looked at Zhao Xing.

"For the current batch of Dragon Whisker Horses, each of you may take half back," Zhao Xing decided.

"If your superiors are satisfied, then place orders as appropriate based on your procurement needs."

"What I can guarantee is that, over the next few years, the Twin Dragon Horse Bureau can fully meet your demands."

"Good." He Wu and Fang Ze immediately agreed.

Zhao Xing then arranged for Tao Anchun to lead the two men to the government office for detailed discussions.

Only Xia Tong remained here.

"Brother, sorry to keep you waiting." Zhao Xing was much more familiar with Xia Tong, directly addressing him as brother.

"It's fine, it's fine." Xia Tong chuckled. "The Qilin Child truly was right. Even when you came here to raise horses, you did something extraordinary."

"Those two fellows are incredibly picky. I was nearly about to rebuke them just now, but unexpectedly, this batch of Dragon Whisker Horses forced them to shut up."

Zhao Xing said modestly, "It is all thanks to support from elders on every side, especially Youruo Princess. Without her, I could not have achieved these results."

"The princess certainly helped, but there is no need to be so modest. Even if someone else had that many young beasts, they might not be able to train them into capable mounts."

Zhao Xing did not dwell on the subject. "What sort of warhorses does Brother need, and how many?"

Xia Tong considered it. "Are the Purple Lightning Horses you trained also of this caliber?"

Zhao Xing said, "Purple Lightning excels in speed and is the fastest among famous horses. It and Dragon Whisker each have their own strengths and weaknesses, but I can guarantee that the training results are the same."

"If that is the case, I want all your Purple Lightning Horses brought back to the Black Armor Army, and I will preorder another twenty thousand."

Zhao Xing clasped his hands. "Brother, please act within your means. If the Black Armor Army does not have such a demand..."

He had a good relationship with Xia Jing, but he could not simply burden others for no reason.

He was not desperate for business. There was no need to do that.

Xia Tong waved his hand. "The Pacifying Barbarians War has progressed to this point, and the offensives in all major war zones have already slowed. The counterattacks of the Southern Wilderness's Four Great Royal Courts are also gradually intensifying."

"The Five Great Grotto Heavens are constantly sending reinforcements and expanding their own strength. Let alone twenty thousand Purple Lightning Horses, it is possible that two hundred thousand more may be sent onto the battlefield in the future."

"The Black Armor Army truly has this demand," Xia Tong said.

"Doesn't the Black Armor Army have its own high-end channels?" Zhao Xing asked.

"Yes," Xia Tong said. "The Tigron Army and we both have procurement quotas on Dragon Island. But after the Liang King took office, those quotas were also reduced this year, because the Liang King implemented unified military supply allocation. Even the sources of war beasts are subject to it."

"Starting this year, it will no longer be so easy for our Dragon Rider Camp to replenish dragon beasts—at least, not as convenient as before."

"Therefore, finding an alternative channel is extremely important."

Hearing this, Zhao Xing nodded.

When the Liang King took office, he took control of all the legions across the entire Pacifying Barbarians Battlefield.

The authority over military supply allocation was something he had to seize immediately after taking office.

Otherwise, there would be no talk of controlling the entire Pacify Barbarian Legion.

Once the position of Pacifying Barbarians Commander came into being, the will of every army had to obey the Pacifying Barbarians Commander. They could no longer fight wherever they pleased as before.

Ultimately, there were simply not as many easy victories to be won on the battlefield as there had been before.

The offensive momentum had been stalled, and casualties had increased.

Even during the training phase, the forces of each army had to be consolidated to reduce unnecessary losses, and resource consolidation was the top priority.

Since the Black Armor Army truly had such a need, Zhao Xing did not try to dissuade him further.

When they departed the next day—

Xia Tong, Fang Ze, and He Wu all signed Divine Spirit Contracts with the Twin Islands Dragon Horse Bureau.

Such contracts were among the most binding agreements in Great Zhou.

That was because the paper used for the contracts was made of relatively high-grade materials, and they also required the Star Lord of Calculation as a witness.

"My lord is wise!" Tao Anchun, Dong Yuanqiu, Bao Shiqiu, and Dong Jiang were all thrilled beyond measure.

The total value of the deals finalized on the spot by the three generals was one hundred sixty-five million! Once those three returned, there was a strong possibility that they would bring more than a billion in additional orders to the Twin Islands Dragon Horse Bureau!

The Azure Water Daoist Academy had also placed an order worth fifty million. Naturally, this was a relatively high-end market and difficult to scale up, because only Zhao Xing knew the Startling Thunder Transformation Art.

But once their reputation spread, they would not lack business afterward.

These were all tangible achievements.

"You are celebrating too early," Zhao Xing said with a smile. "This is only the beginning. More and more people will come to our Twin Islands Dragon Horse Bureau in the future."

It truly was only the beginning. His investment in the Twin Dragon Horse Bureau had already exceeded one and a half billion, and Zhao Xing intended to continue investing the two hundred million he had just received.

Only after fully expanding the scale could he cultivate a group of elite war beasts to participate in the Ten Thousand Beasts Competition.

The Startling Thunder Transformation Art could fail, so he had to greatly increase the base number to achieve his expected goal. Otherwise, the situation of the previous bureau chief could easily happen again.

Of course, the previous bureau chief could not compare to him. Their starting points were different.

"Everyone must work together and make the Twin Dragon Horse Bureau better and better."

"We shall obey your orders, my lord." The Dragon Horse Bureau officials bowed one after another.

Meanwhile, Zhao Xing was chatting with Ji Ziyun.

"I brought Senior Brother so many orders this time. When are you planning to train me?" Ji Ziyun asked expectantly.

Senior Brother Zhao could train horses so well. Training her should not be a problem either.

"Have you started practicing the Gluttony Art?"

"I have. I found it and started practicing at the end of last year, but I've only reached the first level." Ji Ziyun said, "This secret art is too difficult."

Zhao Xing glanced at the almanac and considered it. "Training in the Gluttony Art requires a proper dietary balance. When the autumn harvest arrives, set aside some time to visit Twin Islands. I'll help you speed up your cultivation of this art."

"By then, a batch of what I planted should be entering maturity. It'll be enough to raise you several levels."

"Alright, thank you, Senior Brother." Ji Ziyun's eyes curved into crescents as she laughed happily.

"Don't thank me so quickly," Zhao Xing said. "You'll have to suffer quite a bit for this. Just don't blame me when the time comes."

"Am I someone afraid of hardship?" Ji Ziyun's voice was resolute. "Don't worry, Senior Brother. No matter how bitter or exhausting it is, I won't make a sound."

Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, it was already late July.

Zhao Xing no longer needed to personally handle the army's orders, because Chongming Prefecture had permitted the Twin Dragon Horse Bureau to reestablish the Divine Selection Division at the beginning of the previous month.

Tao Anchun, Cao Jiang, and the others under his command were all capable people.

Zhao Xing could now spare some energy to deal with Azure Water Daoist Academy's order.

"At present, I'm the only one who can meet the Beast Taming Division's requirements. I've only used my Startling Thunder Transformation Art on a Mountain Cat once. I still need more reference samples."

Zhao Xing arrived at a wilderness region on Land Island.

The sky here was packed with thunderclouds, and lightning-element power was extremely dense.

Since the end of the New Year, while constructing the Earth Treasury Return to Origin grand formation, Zhao Xing had also set aside several experimental areas for himself.

This thunder pool had been built in imitation of the Ten Thousand Mile Thunder Pool in the Ten Suns Grotto Heaven.

However, neither its scale nor the intensity of its thunderclouds could compare to those within the Ten Suns Grotto Heaven.

"This region has remained in the Awakening of Insects solar term for six months. The thunderclouds have not dispersed for six whole months either."

"When I use the Startling Thunder Transformation Art here, I can control it much more freely." Zhao Xing thought.

Rumble—

Groups of strange beasts appeared from all directions across the wilderness.

Zhao Xing's Ten Thousand Laws Straw Puppets had driven over some of the unranked strange beasts originally living on Land Island.

"There were originally 3.7 million unranked strange beasts on Land Island, but that was data from the start of November last year."

"After the Earth Treasury Return to Origin grand formation transformed Land Island, it became a secondary treasure land, and their numbers have increased greatly."

"There are quite a few ranked strange beasts in the wild as well."

Zhao Xing had not counted the exact number, since there had been no related task for the time being. The Dragon Horse Bureau's main business was still raising warhorses and dragon beasts.

However, with Azure Water Daoist Academy's order now added, the pet beasts from the academy's Beast Taming Division came in all varieties. What Zhao Xing needed to do now was verify the Startling Thunder Transformation Art.

That way, he could open a path through the academy.

"The fifty-million order is merely Qin Hongying testing the waters. The pet beasts she sends for training won't be high-level."

"If unranked strange beasts can withstand my Startling Thunder Transformation Art, then ranked strange beasts will have an even greater chance of enduring it."

Not killing the pet beasts with lightning was Zhao Xing's primary goal.

His Startling Thunder Transformation Art had already reached high-grade eighth transformation. Its power was too great, so he had to control the measure carefully.

Of course, its power could not be too weak either. If it was too weak, it would not achieve the transformation effect.

Roar—

Awoo—

Baa—

Omm—

The cries of all kinds of strange beasts gathered over this wilderness.

Zhao Xing's true body floated in the sky. Above his head was an Awakening of Insects Solar Terms Decree at Knowing Realm eighth transformation.

"Meow!" Seeing this, Aotian Meow immediately hid far away.

It had suffered terribly during its advancement back then. It had no desire to experience that feeling a second time.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The thunderclouds began to accumulate power.

Zhao Xing sat cross-legged amid the clouds and began controlling the descent of lightning.

The strange beasts below seemed to sense something and scattered in panic.

But before they could flee this area—

Crack!

A thunderclap exploded and descended from the heavens.

Thud—

Within the One-Horned Wild Boar herd, a strange beast equivalent to Gathering Yuan Seventh Level immediately fell in response, its entire body turned into charcoal.

Omm!!

The One-Horned Wild Boar herd immediately became even more frantic.

Crack! Crack! Crack—

The lightning became denser. Sometimes it was large, sometimes small, and its shapes varied as well. Some formed straight lines, while others resembled cracks, creating profound patterns in the sky.

Still others turned into balls of lightning that chased after the boar herd.

Crack! Crack!

More than three thousand wild boars immediately suffered disaster.

No matter how they ran, they could not outrun lightning. The surrounding area was open wilderness, leaving them nowhere to hide.

About a quarter of an hour later, Zhao Xing landed on the ground.

He began inspecting the results.

Charcoal. Charcoal. Charcoal... Pig-shaped charcoal was everywhere.

When he finally spotted a flash of golden yellow, Zhao Xing ran over to look and was immediately left speechless.

It was a roasted suckling pig.

"Sigh, the power is still too great. This one was hit by weaker lightning, yet it was still roasted golden."

In keeping with the principle of not wasting food, Zhao Xing sat down and ate the roasted suckling pig while pondering his spellcasting from before.

After finishing a roasted pig, Zhao Xing flew back into the thunderclouds and cast the art again.

Crack!

The Startling Thunder Transformation Art continued.

As time passed, Zhao Xing gradually became more proficient in using the Startling Thunder Transformation Art.

The Dao level of his Startling Thunder Transformation Art was already very high. Within the Heavenly Gate, it had been forcibly raised to high-grade eighth transformation.

However, he had rarely used it. Now that he was putting it into practice, he slowly searched for its secrets.

"The Startling Thunder Transformation Art has a higher success rate on earth-element strange beasts. It is generally used on mid-grade strange beasts."

"What I need now is not a success rate. I need to maintain the success rate while reducing the power."

The basic power of the Startling Thunder Transformation Art was right there. Those too weak simply could not withstand a single strike.

How low was the probability of an unranked strange beast completing its transformation? Zhao Xing did not know.

But in the phenomenon he had observed on the Solar Terms Monument, countless hundreds of millions of insect beasts had died before a single earth dragon was born.

An earthworm the size of a finger transformed into an earth dragon a hundred zhang long. Such a leap in life level had an incredibly low probability—one in hundreds of millions.

Of course, the phenomenon displayed great power and naturally presented an ideal scenario.

In theory, a transformation art could turn an ordinary unranked earthworm into a mid-grade earth dragon. The probability was simply far, far too low.

"Unranked One-Horned Wild Boars are earth-element. If I can't control things properly even when using them as examples, it will be even harder to control the Startling Thunder Transformation Art on other strange beasts."

"Carefully observe the transformations in their internal five-element qi and summarize a method." Zhao Xing continued casting.

Old Master Zhao had decided to practice his art, and the One-Horned Wild Boars suffered terribly.

On the first day, more than three hundred One-Horned Wild Boars were struck to death by startling thunder.

On the second day, more than five hundred One-Horned Wild Boars were struck to death by startling thunder.

On the third day, Zhao Xing expanded the range, and seventeen hundred One-Horned Wild Boars were struck to death.

On the fifth day, 3,542.

On the seventh day...

From the start of July, when Azure Water Daoist Academy's order was confirmed, Zhao Xing had continuously struck One-Horned Wild Boars with lightning.

He kept at it until late July.

The number of dead One-Horned Wild Boars exceeded eighty thousand.

The Thunder Pool Wasteland was covered in wild boar corpses.

Of course, not all of them were corpses.

A few One-Horned Wild Boars had fortunately advanced, becoming leaders of the herd.

Yet after becoming leaders, they still had to face even more powerful lightning strikes.

This herd of wild boars was now completely undergoing tribulation.

If they made it through, they lived. If they failed, their lives were over.

As for Zhao Xing, he entered a state of self-forgetful cultivation through lightning-striking pigs.

He continuously adjusted the power of the Startling Thunder Transformation Art and its casting environment.

In this self-forgetful cultivation, the success rate gradually rose as well.

He was completely unaware that the date had already reached July twenty-seventh.

It was already the day Azure Water Daoist Academy had agreed to send someone over.

July twenty-seventh, Chen Hour.

Ling Ruoxue rode a flying vessel to the Thunder Pool Wasteland in search of Zhao Xing.

Because Zhao Xing's true body had entered self-forgetful cultivation, even his Ten Thousand Laws Clones were offline and could not be awakened no matter how they were called.

A guest had arrived at the Twin Dragon Horse Bureau, so Tao Anchun could only send Ling Ruoxue to find Zhao Xing.

"What happened here?"

The moment Ling Ruoxue flew into the Thunder Pool Wasteland, she saw roasted charcoal wild boars, charred-skin wild boars, roasted suckling pigs, crippled wild boars... scattered all over the ground.

"Lord Zhao, how many One-Horned Wild Boars has he killed..." Ling Ruoxue could not help shuddering.

The sight was far too terrifying. Corpses were everywhere, piled like mountains. Some had died in extremely bizarre ways, their bodies seeming to have undergone some strange transformation.

For instance, the horn on a boar's head was gone, but two feet had grown in its place... Its eyes even seemed to glimmer with light.

Crack!

A thunderclap startled Ling Ruoxue. On the hill ahead, a wild boar leader nearly four meters tall was imprisoned in place. When the lightning flashed, it collapsed with a boom.

Lightning flickered, illuminating Zhao Xing's figure. Under the gloomy sky, his face looked equally grim.

His brow was furrowed. Seeing him, Ling Ruoxue subconsciously retreated several steps.

Zhao Xing seemed to notice Ling Ruoxue. He suddenly raised his head and glanced at her.

The next moment, his figure vanished and abruptly appeared on her flying vessel.

"Ah—"

Ling Ruoxue was scared half to death. She stumbled backward and crashed into the cabin wall.

"Y-you, are you human or a ghost? Don't come any closer!"

Zhao Xing was speechless.

He raised a hand and pointed at the sky, brightening the surroundings. A skylight opened in the clouds, and a beam of sunlight dispersed the gloom, shining upon the flying vessel.

"Now, do I look like a human or a ghost?"

"Lord Zhao, is that you?" Ling Ruoxue clutched her chest.

"Of course it's me." Zhao Xing replied irritably.

These civil Ministers of Agriculture were far too weak.

The imperial court really ought to put every civil Minister of Agriculture through half a year of military training before sending them out to take office.

Ling Ruoxue was already seventh rank, yet she had so little courage.

Was he really that frightening?

Back when he was killing turtles in the Ten Suns Grotto Heaven and the Pacifying Barbarians Battlefield, onlookers did not even furrow their brows!

"Why have you come looking for me instead of tending livestock at Celestial Horse Lake?" Zhao Xing asked.

"It was Uncle Tao who asked me to..."

"Use titles while working," Zhao Xing reminded her.

"Oh, Minister Tao sent me to find you." Ling Ruoxue said, "He said Azure Water Daoist Academy's people would arrive soon, and you need to receive them. I was nearby, so he sent me over."

"Understood. Go back." Zhao Xing closed his eyes briefly, and the Ten Thousand Laws Clone within the Bureau Chief's residence was reactivated.

East Sea. A Law Beast Tower Ship traveled through a cloudway.

Faint beast roars came from the lower three decks of the warship.

On the upper two decks, dozens of young men and women in emerald Daoist robes moved about.

They were all students from Azure Water Daoist Academy's main academy, and every one of them came from the Beast Taming Division.

At this moment, everyone was chatting.

"Did you hear? The reason the academy signed a contract with the Twin Dragon Horse Bureau this time was all because of Senior Sister Ji."

"A fifty-million training contract. Senior Sister Ji is really doing better and better."

"Senior Sister Ji was the most outstanding graduate of Jingxin Calendar Year Nineteen. She's already in the Heavenly Star Realm now—what does something like this even count for?"

"I heard Senior Sister was named the Lady of Morning Dawn County last year. I only just found out that she's actually the Cheng Lan King's granddaughter."

"Really? Senior Sister is way too low-key. I've never heard her mention it."

"They say the Twin Dragon Horse Bureau's chief director is also one of Senior Sister's devoted admirers. Kuku kuku..."

"What? Tell us all about it..."

"..."

On the top deck of the flying ship, Ji Ziyun looked at the two young girls standing before her.

"Ziyan, Minghui, you must make good use of this contract training opportunity."

"I placed the two of you in the first two slots for this training contract. Your Pet Beasts will receive priority cultivation."

"Yes." Su Minghui and Shang Ziyan replied respectfully.

They knew their own limits well. Among the students of this year's Beast Taming Division, their performances were only average.

Compared with the children of princes, dukes, and nobles, their backgrounds were ordinary, their financial resources ordinary, and their talents merely passable. Only their diligence and hard work had caught this senior sister's eye.

That was why, in this contract training, she had placed the two of them in the foremost two positions.

The people below had the leisure to gossip about this and that, but they only wanted to figure out how to seize this opportunity.

Shang Ziyan gathered her courage and asked, "Senior Sister, what kind of person exactly is the Twin Dragon Horse Bureau's chief official, Yuan Rang Marquis Zhao Xing? How can we earn his favor?"

Ji Ziyun said, "Zhao Xing is a prodigy of this age. He appreciates people who strive to improve themselves."

"When you get off the flying ship later, bring your own Pet Beasts and cooperate properly."

"If you get the chance, make sure to show your talents."

"If he takes a liking to you, then you can consider yourselves incredibly fortunate for the rest of your lives."

"Senior Sister, is the Yuan Rang Marquis really that extraordinary?" Su Minghui gathered her courage and voiced the curiosity in her heart. "I heard he's only at the sixth rank, in the same realm as Senior Sister, yet Senior Sister praises him so highly. It's truly curious."

Ji Ziyun smiled. "Back then, it was thanks to his help that I reached the sixth-rank realm so quickly."

"Not to mention anything else—just last year, he defeated the Hundred Arts Dharma Master, reputed to be the strongest sixth-rank practitioner at the Great Origin Branch of Li Fire Dao Academy, with a single move."

"Also, he has mastered dozens of high-level spells, and he can even cultivate sixth-tier plants!"

"Tell me, wouldn't you benefit endlessly from learning even a little from him?"

Shang Ziyan and Su Minghui were immediately astonished. If Ji Ziyun's words were true, then Yuan Rang Marquis Zhao Xing truly was an unparalleled genius.

"Senior Sister, does the Yuan Rang Marquis have any taboos?" Shang Ziyan asked cautiously.

"He hates lazy, ignorant, indecisive fools." Ji Ziyun recalled. "Remember this well: don't ask any stupid questions."

"All right, the flying ship is about to land. Go prepare to summon your own Pet Beasts." Ji Ziyun waved her hand.

"Yes, thank you, Senior Sister." Shang Ziyan and Su Minghui obediently withdrew.

Friendly book recommendation, link below.