The Lord of the Four Seasons

Chen Jin walked slowly through the valley, carefully sensing this so-called "Qi of the Four Seasons."

This gave him an unprecedented, intuitive grasp of the Nongjia School's core tenet: "Follow the heavens and adapt to the seasons; spring brings birth, summer brings growth."

The bottleneck of his [Shennong Technique] mastery, which had been stalled at 69%, now showed signs of loosening.

He found a spot where the flow of energy was most tranquil, sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and focused his mind, preparing to break through the barrier in one go.

"Hey."

A clear voice rang out abruptly beside his ear.

Chen Jin whipped his head around to look toward the sound. On the side of the cliff, there was a small hole the size of a palm, and an eye was peering through it at him.

Chen Jin: "..."

There's actually someone in this godforsaken place?

The next moment, he heard the person whisper, "How is there someone in this ghost of a place? Did you break the formation outside?"

Chen Jin secretly used [Glance of the Startled Swan] to observe, but all he saw were question marks.

He doesn't even recognize Ren Tu...

So, Chen Jin decided to ask.

"Who are you?" Chen Jin asked, his internal energy circulating quietly as he prepared for a fight.

"Me?" The voice behind the hole chuckled. "You've come to this Langya Terrace, and you don't know who I am?"

"I am the Lord of the Four Seasons, the deity who governs the changing of the seasons, the spring of birth, the summer of growth, the autumn of harvest, and the winter of storage."

[Lord of the Four Seasons]

One of the Eight Divine Lords of Qi, governing the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

Langya Terrace is the primary site for his worship, where believers pray for favorable weather and a Bountiful Harvest.

The Eight Gods: First is the Lord of Heaven, worshipped at Tianqi. Second is the Lord of Earth, worshipped at Mount Tai and Liangfu. Third is the Lord of War, worshipped at Chiyou. Fourth is the Lord of Yin, worshipped at the Three Mountains. Fifth is the Lord of Yang, worshipped at Zhifu. Sixth is the Lord of Moon, worshipped at Mount Lai. Seventh is the Lord of Sun, worshipped at Mount Cheng. Eighth is the Lord of the Four Seasons, worshipped at Langya. -- <Records of the Grand Historian: The Treatise on the Feng and Shan Sacrifices>

When Jiang Taigong enfeoffed the state of Qi, he canonized the Eight Gods at the God-Conferring Terrace and established the Lord of the Four Seasons on Mount Langya.

"Lord of the Four Seasons?" Chen Jin frowned slightly. He had naturally heard of the Eight Divine Lords of Qi, but, "Why would a venerable god be trapped in this place?"

"Hmph!" The voice behind the hole mocked itself. "Ever since the rise of humanity and the peak of imperial power, we ancient gods who rely on faith and incense have gradually withered away."

"How many others besides me have been suppressed in the wilderness or imprisoned in secret realms?"

"By comparison, I am lucky enough to still be able to catch a glimpse of the outside world through this hole."

Sun Wukong was pressed under the Five Elements Mountain, the Third Goddess was pressed under Mount Hua... Chen Jin immediately associated this with various legends and felt relieved. It seemed that being suppressed was standard procedure for deities; the most important thing now was to improve his own strength.

He asked no more, closed his eyes, and, with the help of the vast and pure Qi of the Four Seasons surrounding him, threw himself into breaking the bottleneck of his [Shennong Technique].

Chen Jin's original intention was merely to use this Qi of the Four Seasons to break through the 70% bottleneck.

However, when he truly began to channel the massive "Qi of the Four Seasons" into his own understanding of the Nongjia School's path, the situation instantly spiraled out of control.

It was like digging a small hole in a dry riverbed, only to accidentally unleash a surging underground river.

The energy, containing the vitality of spring, the intensity of summer, the abundance of autumn, and the storage of winter, seemed to have found its most compatible vessel, pouring into his consciousness with unprecedented joy.

The 70% bottleneck shattered at the sound, but the surging power showed no signs of stopping.

75%, 80%... his [Shennong Technique] mastery value climbed crazily at an unprecedented speed.

This was no longer him actively cultivating; it was the true essence of the four seasons, accumulated by this land over countless years, forcibly infusing itself into him and broadening his foundation.

The obscure and difficult parts of the Nongjia classics he had read in the past suddenly became clear; his insight into the withering and flourishing of plants and the growth of all things reached an unprecedented microscopic level.

Eventually, this torrent of improvement gradually slowed, finally stabilizing at a staggering value.

[Shennong Technique Mastery: 96%]

This had suddenly become the highest mastery value among all his current abilities.

Chen Jin awoke from that profound state of epiphany, feeling the vast knowledge of farming, soil, solar terms, and even the growth cycles of all things filling his mind, yet his expression was somewhat complex.

"This..." He subconsciously flexed his fingers, feeling no increase in strength, speed, or defense.

The mastery is high, but it feels useless for combat.

Let's see what skills can be learned from the Shennong Classic.

He immediately took the transcript of the Shennong Classic from his personal mark, preparing to contemplate it.

As his mind sank into it, Chen Jin witnessed in his consciousness countless scenes of the ancestors slash-and-burning fields, sowing seeds, and harvesting.

In the faint light of dawn, they used coarse stone knives to fell trees and fire to clear the wasteland, sweat rolling down their dark, muscular backs as they buried the first seeds into the fertile soil;

He saw generations of farmers following the footsteps of the solar terms, transplanting rice seedlings in the spring rain, weeding under the summer sun, swinging sickles in the autumn wind, and calculating plans for the coming year while huddled by the fire in the winter snow.

His understanding of agricultural civilization deepened by another layer.

[Learned Skill: Bountiful Harvest]

Effect: Slightly increases the growth rate and vitality of crops in a designated area; requires consumption of personal vital energy.

Chen Jin: "..."

Chen Jin felt he had been swindled by Ren Tu. If he had spent his energy improving Daoist arts or Yin-Yang techniques, he would surely have a few more powerful offensive skills by now, wouldn't he?

"Yo, who would have thought that in this day and age, there's still a foolish lad willing to delve into the studies of the Nongjia School?" The voice rang out once more.

Chen Jin was in a foul mood, so he retorted, "What's wrong with the Nongjia School? Are you looking down on them? Whether the people of the world can fill their bellies depends entirely on the farmers. Without them toiling the fields, even emperors, generals, gods, and sorcerers would all go hungry."

"It's not that I look down on them." The voice shifted, losing some of its flippancy. "If you truly have the heart to learn the ways of the Nongjia, I can help you. There isn't much I can do, but this happens to be one thing I can assist with."

Before the words had even faded, a tender sprout broke through the soil at Chen Jin's feet without warning.

The pale, delicate tip pierced the dust, its emerald leaves unfurling at a speed visible to the naked eye. A pink-white bud burst open in the span of a breath, its petals layering and spreading out, only to instantly bear a crimson fruit so plump the juice within was visible. The next second, the petals began to wither, the fruit shriveled rapidly, and finally, it turned into a pinch of light dust that scattered with the breeze.

Only a single seed remained.

[Flick of the Finger, Beauty Withers]

Category: Yanfu Secret Treasure

At the corner of the sea, at the edge of the sky, grows a strange flower that, within a flick of a finger, breaks the soil, sprouts, thrives, blooms, flourishes, bears fruit, ripens, and finally withers.

Can strengthen an inheritance skill; requires the inheritance to be one of the following three hundred and sixty-four items.

Examples: ...

Your Flesh of Vision meets the requirements for inheritance strengthening.

Strengthening will cost the Walker 1000 Yanfu Points.

"What are the conditions?" Chen Jin asked.

"No conditions, just one request: leave this place at once. Trouble will descend here in a few days, and if you get dragged into it, you won't stand a chance of survival."