Heavy Snow

The next ten days saw Chong Li busy with lifting the seal. Zhao Siqi and Old Zhao received the first batch of grain, along with the old spiritual plant master. They began searching for suitable areas to attempt their first planting once the spiritual eye was opened.

Meanwhile, Ming Shu went into hiding, busy practicing fortune-telling. As he practiced, he gained more notes and annotations from the Fate Book, slowly starting to grasp its essence.

Was it like a past life where I was a self-taught wild sorcerer?

Although there were Taoists who were skilled in fortune-telling, ever since the Sky-Toppling Observatory rose to prominence, that profession had been virtually monopolized by them.

The Sky-Toppling Observatory was a new guise; they were originally called the [Star Cult]. In essence, they had drawn upon the partial inheritances of other major sects to create a new system of power.

It wasn't just fortune-telling; spiritual planting, alchemy, artifact refining, formations, and more were all cases of "the student surpassing the master," allowing them to defeat the immensely powerful Daoist Sect a thousand years ago.

Sorcerers were specialists in their respective fields! There were not only sorcerers focused on combat but also those specializing in other directions.

That night, Ming Shu flipped through the Fate Book, gazing at the starry sky, calculating star positions and orbits. Since there were no specialized instruments yet, he could only refer to the star charts drawn in the book for a general idea.

This profound and mysterious art had a very low barrier to entry, but the element of luck was very high. Ming Shu had been calculating for several days without any significant findings.

Fortunately, he had the mindset cultivated by nine years of education. He tried shifting his focus, starting with natural phenomena like wind direction and cloud layers.

First, he would predict the weather.

He would calculate weather changes in the Fate Book, attempt to draw conclusions, and then wait for tomorrow or the day after to verify them.

Just as Ming Shu was preparing to return to cultivate and rest, the Fate Book finally reacted.

Heavy snow!

Disaster of bloodshed!

Two prompts appeared on the Fate Book simultaneously!

These two events were originally unrelated, but this was a fantasy world, and perhaps supernatural powers could influence the weather. The pirates would then leverage these powers to launch an attack.

Ming Shu immediately went out and, late into the night, summoned Old Zhao, Zhao Dun, and Little Zhao. The four of them discussed the situation all night, devising tactics. Before dawn, he had Little Zhao sneak away to find the Butcher and the others.

He instructed them to prepare for battle in the northern valley.

With the spiritual eye's seal lifted, Ming Shu officially entered the second stage of sorcerer cultivation, the [Spirit Awakening Realm].

At the same time, he had people erect an arrow tower in the courtyard, built simply from bamboo and wood, where lookouts could be stationed.

However, if others were to ascend it, it would be of little use. Only Ming Shu, with the special function of the Fate Book, could detect the power of demon beasts that were bleeding within his field of vision, allowing him to issue warnings.

The spiritual eye underground, having accumulated energy for years, was rich in spiritual energy. Even Zhao Siqi couldn't resist retreating into her room to cultivate.

She hadn't mentioned her strength before, and Ming Shu felt that the Zhao Clan wouldn't marry off a cultivation prodigy at such a young age.

Even if she could cultivate, she'd likely be a novice like himself.

Therefore, he hadn't paid much attention.

Chong Li remained in the cellar, observing the changes.

Ren Yuan was helping to set up traps, sharpen, and repair weapons. The main force consisted of the guards brought by Zhao Siqi; the other farmers could only assist and lacked the ability to fight.

Another day passed, and indeed, a north wind began to blow, the cold biting to the bone, and the clouds on the horizon gradually thickened.

The reclamation of the spiritual plant fields had to be put on hold. Everyone returned to the manor, needing to guard against both the cold and potential enemies.

Ming Shu himself climbed onto the arrow tower. At the second stage, [Spirit Awakening Realm], he had already gathered enough spiritual energy within his body to transform it into his own exclusive spiritual power.

Combined with the sorcerer's specialized hand seals, incantations, and artifacts, he could begin to guide and use this power.

The most effective tools, of course, were the specialized external items refined by sorcerers. The small green stone pagoda in Ming Shu's hand, for instance, was used to contain demonic spirits.

The spiritual power within him could now freely enter and exit it, their connection growing ever tighter.

His influence and control over the demonic spirit within would also gradually deepen.

Sensing that the demonic spirit within had recovered to its peak condition, Ming Shu became even more confident about the upcoming battle.

Zhao Siqi was still in seclusion. Chong Li emerged and informed Ming Shu that Zhao Siqi was likely a second-stage Taoist cultivator, the [Aperture Opening Realm], and was currently attempting to forcefully break through to the third stage, the [Foundation Establishment Realm].

Judging by the situation, she had likely consumed a Foundation Establishment Pill.

Ming Shu estimated that this pill was also part of her dowry. It was only after discovering that Ming Shu was not a Daoist Sect cultivator and that he had the backing of the Sky-Toppling Observatory that she decided to attempt the breakthrough herself.

If she had truly intended to use this Foundation Establishment Pill for herself, she could have easily pocketed it when she left the Zhao family.

Looking at the people sent by the Zhao family, they were all obedient to her, which showed the strong influence she and her parents held over them.

Old Zhao had heard from Zhao Dun that after things stabilized here, they would bring their families over. This was likely arranged by Zhao Wuxu long ago.

Although Old Zhao was once part of the Zhao Clan, he had entered the palace from a young age and didn't know Zhao Dun and the others. He also felt unfamiliar with the current Zhao Clan.

The person who had brought him in had long since passed away, and the subsequent liaison had no ties to him, making it easy to sever connections.

It was just that neither side had explicitly stated it. Maintaining the existing tacit understanding was beneficial for all parties.

Under the vast expanse of snow, Ming Shu opened his eyes every quarter of an hour to scan his surroundings. He didn't look too closely, just a rough sensing was enough.

Within such a short period, pirates with strength not exceeding the fifth stage would be unable to approach quickly.

In the icy, snowy weather, he also worried about his eyes.

Having prepared in advance, he had made simple cold-weather arrangements on the arrow tower, using several types of beast hides for construction, providing decent windproof and cold-resistant effects.

With Ming Shu's own strength added, it was barely enough to hold on.

And with someone watching from above, it could deter enemies to a certain extent.

Not only was the road blocked by heavy snow, but the nearby river channels had also frozen over long ago. Even if there was still water flowing at the bottom of the river, once the Pirates from Qunwa Island submerged themselves using the current, it would still take them time to break through the ice.

These movements wouldn't be too small, nor would they be too quick, giving Ming Shu enough time to discover them and prepare for battle.

She continued to calculate with the newly made counting rods in her hands, which Chong Li had made from wooden chips. They looked disposable.

Fortune-telling is essentially calculating probabilities. This was a teaching from the Sky-Toppling Observatory, and how Chong Li had learned it before. However, her talent in this area was limited.

Unable to rely on fortune-telling skills to navigate the world, she could only depend on her fists, feet, swords, and sabers.