Beginning of Winter Assessment, Dreaming of Yin Souls, Great Misfortune!

"The abandoned forge in Anping Town was originally the site of the Heavenly Craft Workshop twelve years ago."

"Due to a major problem that occurred when the earth's fire was being ignited, the Earth Vein's fire went berserk, resulting in the deaths of many people."

"My family used to have a factory here, but we had just built a new forging workshop and recruited workers when the accident happened. Nanyang County issued a ban, and we had to close it down not long after. It was a losing proposition."

Zhao Xing sat in Zong Shichang's carriage, looking out at the barren land and dilapidated houses.

They walked around the land for a quarter of an hour, but there wasn't a single decent tree; it was mostly low, thin shrubs.

There were weeds, mostly oddly shaped Thorns; only these kinds of resilient plants could survive in the scorched earth.

"Destruction is easy, but reconstruction is difficult. Three years ago, there wasn't a single blade of grass here, let alone a tree," Zong Shichang said. "It's much better now, thanks to Chen Shijie's efforts."

"Indeed." Zhao Xing nodded slightly.

Chen Shijie took office in Gucheng three years ago.

Before him, Anping Town, this scorched land, had been neglected for nine years.

The former head of the Agricultural Supervisorate was a man who was afraid of getting involved in trouble and never dared to restore the land.

Because the land was directly approved by Nanyang County, and the destruction was caused by Heavenly Craft Workshop in Gucheng, which included investments from prominent families like Zong Shichang.

The issue of rights and responsibilities has never been clarified, so it has been shelved.

Neither the higher-ups cared, and Li Wenzheng, the magistrate of Gucheng County, didn't want to get involved either.

The former head of the Agricultural Supervisorate dared not interfere.

So the land and factory buildings in Anping Town were left abandoned for nine years until Chen Shijie came.

Upon learning this, he immediately began preparing for repairs.

Li Wenzheng didn't want to get involved, nor did he stop him, but it was impossible for him to offer any help.

Chen Shijie then planned to start working with the Assistant Official from the Agricultural Supervisorate.

Every week, they would come down to perform Earthly Advantage Faction magic to regulate the Earth Vein and repair the soil.

This was a thankless and arduous task, and only Xue Wenzhong immediately expressed his support. Tang Wanchun, Gao Linong, Pang Yuan, and others all felt it was too difficult and opposed it.

Old Chen is so domineering, it's difficult to deal with? Then let's not do anything at all!

He suspended all administrative affairs of the Agricultural Supervisorate, and no matter what reports came up from Tang Wanchun, Gao Linong, Pang Yuan, and others, he would simply say, "Not approved."

Old Chen's attitude was, since you want to slack off, then just go all the way and we'll all be labeled as 'mediocre officials' for the next few years.

Anyway, I was demoted because of the punishment. I never wanted to be the Civil Sima Nong in the first place, so I'm not afraid of being demoted again.

There was nothing Agricultural Supervisorate could do but grit their Assistant Official and get to work.

Afterwards, Old Chen went to the Agricultural Supervisorate to find Gongsun Yang, borrowing manpower and Divine Soldier from the workshop. Gongsun Yang initially refused, fearing that the food would stick to the pot.

As a result, Chen Shijie kept a close eye on Gongsun Yang every day, and would hail down on the ancestral graves whenever he had free time. Everything that was planted on Gongsun's land would die, and it would either be windy or rainy.

Upon learning this, Gongsun Yang angrily went to question Chen Shijie.

What? You're asking why the Earth Sky?

Didn't I tell you before that I needed to borrow tools and manpower to carry out the work? You didn't agree.

Sorry, this is all the power I have. I can't control the weather in Gucheng. You old codger, if you have the guts, go and sue me in the county seat!

Gongsun Yang was so angry that he pulled out all his beard hairs.

There was no other way but to agree to his request.

It took Chen Shijie a year to restore this scorched land to the level of wasteland.

Next, Chen Shijie reported his achievements to the prefectural government. The higher-ups knew that this man was a stubborn fool, so they could only reluctantly give him a commendation.

Although the abandoned factory buildings were not demolished, this incident allowed Chen Shijie to gain a foothold in Gucheng, win over the hearts of the people in the Agricultural Supervisorate, and impress Gongsun Yang and Li Wenzheng.

Therefore, in the Agricultural Supervisorate, Chen Shijie always had the final say, and no one dared to oppose him.

"Old Chen's first political achievement is right here. He's about to leave, and he's set up this trap to attract the Profound Heaven Sect here, hoping to gain some military merit... He really has a bit of OCD." Zhao Xing looked outside.

November is the last Yang month, and it's no secret that Chen Shijie is being transferred.

This assessment in Anping Town involved a large number of people, and unlike the one in Autumn Equinox Mountain, it was not conducted with the East Lake Army maintaining order or the Prefectural Inspector present.

The protective measures appear to be rather weak.

Zhao Xing felt that if he were the leader of the Profound Heaven Sect, he would also take this opportunity to make a move.

Chen Shijie guessed that the Profound Heaven Sect might take this opportunity to strike.

The Profound Heaven Sect guessed that Chen Shijie would anticipate their move.

"These possibilities aren't hard to guess... it just depends on who dares to do it and who has done the best preparation." Zhao Xing thought to himself.

Judging from historical experience, the Profound Heaven Sect's plans during the New Splendor Era period were more successful than ever, having learned from past failures.

Did the Profound Heaven Sect succeed or fail in Nanyang County? Zhao Xing didn't know, but with his reminder, Old Chen made significant changes to his original plan.

Zhao Xing was unsure of the final outcome.

However, he has a very good attitude.

"There's no real danger to my life. If I happen to get caught by the Profound Heaven Sect, I'll just do my job well on that ship. There's always a way to survive until the Resurrection Era within a sect." He wasn't that rigid; Zhao Xing could get by anywhere. However, the path of the Dynasty of Fate was still safer, and he secretly hoped he wouldn't be captured.

The assessment conducted by the Agricultural Supervisorate on the Beginning of Winter the beginning of winter) began on the afternoon of November 7th.

The assessment of officials in other departments was also conducted at the same time.

It's called a joint assessment, but in reality, it just throws the officials into one area, and the content is completely different.

There's not much competition between different professions; it's mainly competition within the same profession.

The assessment criteria of the Agricultural Supervisorate required that at least ten different types of plants be successfully grown on this scorched land.

The assessment at the Heavenly Craft Workshop requires officials to forge new furnaces and reignite the Earth Vein fire.

The examination for the Weaving Division is to weave robes for martial artists, Mechanism Master, Agricultural Official, and ceremonial Ceremonial Official. Only four types can be woven: the Heluo Dharma Garment, the Fire-Warding Robe, the Soul Protecting Magic Robe, and the True Yuan Magic Robe.

The Martial Office's assessment focuses on "capturing sorcerers." Outside this abandoned factory area, soldiers disguised as "sect sorcerers" will appear, launching sneak attacks from the outer perimeter and causing damage.

The rating is based on the number of "monsters" captured.

The Divine Temple's assessment was similar to that of martial artists, except that the target was the Yin Soul that had been burned to death in this factory.

"The start and end times for each of the five professions are different."

"The Weaving Girl's assessment starts earliest, beginning at dawn on the seventh day, when she enters to weave the ceremonial robe. It ends at dawn tomorrow, leaving only twelve hours. All the materials for the ceremonial robe are ready, and regardless of whether it's finished or not, she must leave the site after one day."

"The assessment for the Mechanism Master will last for two days, starting at noon on the 7th and ending at noon on the 9th."

"The Divine Temple and the warriors will start the latest, from 5 PM on the 7th to 7 AM on the 10th, lasting two and a half days."

"The Agricultural Official will begin at Wei Hour PM on the 7th and end at 5-7 AM on the 11th, lasting three days and four nights."

Zhao Xing stepped out of the carriage, looked at the entrance to the ruined factory, and said thoughtfully, "Old Chen believed my judgment, but not entirely. That's fine too."

Starting at Wei Hour, the Agricultural Supervisorate began organizing officials to enter the designated area.

Zhao Xing carried a Wen Bamboo Box that was much larger than the one he had last time and walked into the abandoned factory.

There weren't many officials taking the exam for the Agricultural Supervisorate this time, because the Agricultural Supervisorate wasn't a lucrative position. Unless you were aiming for a high-ranking position, no matter how well you did on the exam, you wouldn't get much money at the end of the year.

The other companies are different; they have a fairly large number of people taking the exam.

"Zhao Xing, let's go together!" Zong Shichang eagerly chimed in. "Which one are you planning to join?"

"Do you trust my judgment?" Zhao Xing pointed to a plot of land not far from the entrance. "You can plant here; I think it's a good piece of land."

"Really?" Zong Shichang looked at it; it was just a patch of scorched earth.

"I've learned quite a few Earthly Advantage Faction spells, don't you believe me?"

"I believe you, but where are you going?" Zong Shichang asked.

"Are you out of your mind?" Zhao Xing said. "Do you think such a small plot of land can support two people?"

"Let's go together, I think it's pretty boring to be alone..."

"Get out of my way! Don't affect my grades," Zhao Xing said coldly. "Can't you understand human language? I don't want to be with you."

"You..." Zong Shichang was stunned. He didn't understand why Zhao Xing's attitude had changed so drastically, and he stood there frozen for a moment.

Zhao Xing ignored him and walked directly towards a certain area of the ruined factory.

As the saying goes, "If things are not kept secret, one will lose one's life." Zhao Xing knew some of Chen Shijie's plans, but not the whole story, and he could not possibly reveal them to Zong Shichang.

Furthermore, if a sorcerer really does make a move this time, it wouldn't be a good thing for Zong Shichang to follow him.

The abandoned factory occupies a considerable area; after all, it was originally a project approved by the county government.

Zhao Xing carried Wen Bamboo Box on his back and walked along the road, as if he were searching for something.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, he came to a relatively intact house, which used to be the living quarters for the workshop workers.

"This is it." Zhao Xing pushed open the door and entered.

"Meow~" The Mountain Cat saw its owner coming and immediately jumped over lightly.

"Shh~" Zhao Xing gestured for the Mountain Cat to be quiet. "Stay put and don't make a sound."

The little Mountain Cat nodded.

Zhao Xing then looked into the room.

This room was prepared for him by Chen Shijie.

Besides the Strange Beast Mountain Cat, there were many other things prepared inside. The room was filled with many dark red bamboo tubes, probably as thick as a calf.

In the center of the room, there was a table, an oil lamp, a piece of paper, and a writing brush and ink.

On the long platform at the front is a wooden sculpture of the Earl of East Lake.

In the southeast corner, there stood a straw figure wearing a raincoat and a bamboo hat, which was the Dharma Protector Straw Figure that had followed Zhao Xing out of the city earlier.

"Everything is perfect." Zhao Xing checked everything, then took out the Evil Aversion Almanac and hung it behind the door. He also tied the Thousand Mile Transmission Token to his wrist.

He then sat down at the table, picked up a pen and paper, and signed his name on the Yellow Paper.

This is a land deed.

From the moment he signed his name, Zhao Xing became the owner of this house.

He then took out the Sandalwood Soul Box from the Wen Bamboo Box and began to move the dark red bamboo tubes from the corner, burying them one by one around the fence outside the house.

After finishing all this, Zhao Xing patted himself down and rested on the steps.

He is no longer just an ordinary examinee. As one of the insiders of Chen Shijie's plan and an important talent that the Profound Heaven Sect wants to capture, he naturally receives extra benefits.

After resting for a while, Zhao Xing started planting crops in the fenced yard.

In addition to the ten types of seeds required for the assessment, Zhao Xing also brought three extra types of seeds into the Wen Bamboo Box.

"The assessment task is simply to plant ten kinds of Materia Medica seeds throughout this fenced yard."

"Plant the plants for the assessment task first."

Zhao Xing put down the Wen Bamboo Box, cast a spell to Cloudcalling, and made the clouds cover the entire courtyard.

Then the Rising Wind and plowed the land.

"Whoosh~" Small tornadoes plowed furrows into the soil.

"Whoosh~" A gentle breeze swept up the grass seeds from the Wen Bamboo Box and landed them precisely in the ditch.

"Splash~" Raindrops began to fall from the clouds.

"Flourishing Growth!"

"Earth Treasury Return to Origin!"

"The Boundless Earth Palace!"

Zhao Xing cast the spell quickly.

Explore the Earth Vein and utilize Earth Vein within the courtyard area to perform the Earth Treasury Return to Origin and the Boundless Earth Palace.

The first few spells went very smoothly.

However, a problem arose when attempting to use the Earth Palace Art.

"What happened? Why didn't it work?" Zhao Xing was stunned. His [Boundless Earth Palace] was already at the Eighth-Turn of the middle stage. Although the Earth Vein here were weaker than elsewhere, they still existed. Logically speaking, there should have been no possibility of failure.

"Let's try again." Zhao Xing took off his shoes, stepped onto the ground, and as he cast a spell in the Boundless Earth Palace, his mind seemed to penetrate deep into the earth, beginning to explore the Earth Vein.

Zhao Xing quickly detected the fluctuations of the Earth Vein. It was a dark red Earth Vein, and based on his senses, Zhao Xing estimated that it had reached the strength of Third Grade Fire Vein.

This discovery surprised Zhao Xing somewhat.

"A level three Earth Vein? Did I sense something wrong?"

"How is that possible? This area was once burned by the Earth Vein fire. Even after Old Chen's restoration, it should only reach the level of a first-level Earth Vein."

"How come my senses are only at level three? No, they might even be close to level four!"

With his doubts still lingering, Zhao Xing continued casting the spell, the Golden Light enveloping his mind as he continued downwards.

But just then, a faint yet clear thought came from the Earth Vein: "How is it you?"

"You... Old Chen?" The Golden Light representing Zhao Xing rippled around the underground Earth Vein, clearly showing great surprise.

Chen Shijie didn't pay attention to Zhao Xing's way of addressing him and asked with some surprise, "Didn't you say that you only mastered the Third-Turn of the Earth Palace Art? How could you have discovered me?"

Zhao Xing controlled the fluctuations of Golden Light and transmitted the information through the Earth Vein: "I used up my painting attempts at the end of the month and have made some progress. You're too busy, so I didn't have time to explain in detail."

Chen Shijie asked, "How many turns has it been now?"

"Eighth-Turn".

"..."

Seeing that Chen Shijie remained silent for a long time, Zhao Xing couldn't help but ask, "What's going on with this Earth Vein? Wasn't it said that this place was once burned by Earth Vein fire, so the Earth Vein is not visible and is only level one?"

"That was then. Half a month ago, I used magic to strengthen the Earth Vein here. After a month, they will return to their original strength."

"Then why can't I cast the Earth Palace Art?"

"Take a closer look down."

Zhao Xing increased his energy output and replenished it with another burst of energy, finally able to see clearly what was below.

Beneath the Earth Vein, a dark red palace loomed in the distance. The palace's color was very similar to that of the fire veins, and it was shrouded by a hazy, cloud-like power, making it impossible to see without careful observation.

As the vague feeling dissipated a little, Zhao Xing immediately caught a glimpse of it.

"Hiss~"

A huge, fiery red palace, with just one tile measuring three or four meters in length and width.

Based on the scale of the palace's top floor, Zhao Xing immediately deduced that this fiery red Earth Palace could cover the entire abandoned factory area.

"This is the Fire Hell Earth Palace Art!" Zhao Xing exclaimed in surprise. "Old Chen, you did this?"

He even recognizes this? Chen Shijie was also taken aback, then said calmly, "That's right, you don't need to waste any more energy casting the Earth Palace Art."

"Awesome!" Zhao Xing thought to himself, feeling incredibly impressed.

That makes sense, though. He already knew that Chen Shijie was the Earthly Advantage Faction Shennong when White Dew was taking the theoretical exam.

It's perfectly normal for someone to know the Earth Palace Art.

Zhao Xing's Boundless Earth Palace was characterized by its size, but upon seeing it now, he knew that no matter how "large" his Boundless Earth Palace was, it could not compare to Chen Shijie's Fire Hell Earth Palace.

"I'm going up first."

"Be careful," Chen Shijie reminded him again. "If anything happens, Long Xiao and I might not be able to keep an eye on you."

"Understood." Zhao Xing would naturally keep a low profile and not cause Chen Shijie any trouble.

In the evening, the fenced courtyard was covered with grass and vines, and bamboo seedlings were gradually emerging.

As night fell, Zhao Xing lit the candles on the table, which burned all night.

Nothing happened on November 7th.

At dawn on November 8th, the officials of the Weaving Division completed their assessment.

After the rankings are announced, the Weaving Girl can give the robes she made to the other four professions.

Zhao Xing also encountered a Weaving Girl gently knocking on the courtyard gate.

"Hello..."

"No, thank you." Zhao Xing waved his hand without even looking up.

Lin Baiwei, who had just received her Grade A, looked at Zhao Xing, who was busy planting crops, and swallowed the words she wanted to say. She silently hung her robe on the fence and turned to leave.

After a while, Zhao Xing looked up and was completely bewildered by what he saw on the fence. "Have you lost your mind? I already said no, why are you still insisting on giving it to me?"

He beckoned, ordering the straw figure to fetch it, and discovered that its quality was actually quite good. Upper Third Tier True Yuan Magic Robe, which could increase the speed of energy recovery when worn.

He could easily be rated as a top-tier official in the Weaving Division's assessment, but in Zhao Xing's eyes, it was of no use whatsoever.

"How ridiculous! I don't know any Weaving Girl... Is it because I'm handsome?"

Zhao Xing casually tossed the robe aside and continued farming.

On November 8th, during the day, shouts of battle filled the air. Zhao Xing stood on the courtyard wall and looked into the distance. He saw that the personnel of the Martial Office were fighting against soldiers dressed as sorcerers.

On November 9th, the ever-burning lamps began to sway at night, and the temple staff began to carry out the ritual of capturing souls with lanterns.

Zhao Xing scanned his surroundings with his Bright Eyes and discovered that these ghosts all had a fiery red tinge, representing their state of death in life.

On November 10th, at Chenshi (7-9 AM), the assessments for the Martial Office and the Divine Temple ended, and the surroundings quieted down, leaving only the assessment for the Agricultural Official Department still ongoing.

November 10th, evening, Rat Hour.

Zhao Xing, who had already confirmed that he would get Grade A in his assessment, was taking a nap with his eyes closed at the table. The Mountain Cat was also lying listlessly in front of its owner, yawning.

Suddenly, the Mountain Cat shuddered! It arched its back, its eyes gleaming green, and stared intently at the door.

"Phew~"

The ever-burning lamp shook violently before suddenly going out, and the surroundings fell into silence.

It nudged Zhao Xing with its paws, but the latter did not wake up, as if he were already fast asleep.

"Splash!"

Hearing the noise, the Mountain Cat turned its head to look.

The Evil Aversion Almanac automatically turned to a page and quickly froze:

Dreaming of Yin Souls Great Misfortune!