The Dao Sovereign of Shennong

"First, the four middle-grade laws of the Heaven School."

"Right now, what I've learned are Yin Wind, Lightning Summoninging, Ice Rain, and Cloud Devouring."

"Yin Wind only targets the soul. I need to learn a Yang Wind technique to complement it."

"Lightning Summoninging is average, enough to scare off small fry, but not enough for a full battle. Even though I have my two self-created lightning techniques, they haven't broken through their limits yet, making them somewhat weak. So I need to learn a new lightning technique."

"Ice Rain and Cloud Devouring don't need to be replaced."

Ice Rain and Yin Wind were both passed down by Yin God Zheng Lun, who was a military officer during his life. These two techniques are formidable military spells.

"From the Earth School, the Boundless Earth Palace is a defensive spell, excellent for entrenched battles. As for the Earth Splitting Technique, it's more of a gamble—its effects are unpredictable."

"The Human Path version of Earth Consolidation is a supportive technique."

"I'm still missing a reliable offensive spell and a movement technique."

"I can choose from the Earth Solidification, Earth Splitting, or Earth Palace spells," Zhao Xing pondered. As for the Earth Consolidation technique, it primarily served auxiliary purposes.

"I should focus on mastering one or two spells in these areas to prepare for the academy's upcoming assessment."

"But I also have to return the Dao. It's best if I can return the Dao to Lord Lihuo within a month. Otherwise, the impact, although slight, will start after a month. Time is a bit tight." Zhao Xing felt a little helpless.

"In the future, I should consider taking the exam for an honorary transmission master at the Lihuo Dao Institute."

The Lihuo Dao Institute has five levels: Multi-Art Master, Transmission Master, Doctor of Scriptures, Deputy Head, and Head.

Multi-Art Masters can borrow the Dao for personal use up to three times a year for free. For missions on behalf of the Dao Institute, there's no charge.

A Transmission Master, regardless of whether the mission is personal or official, can use the Lihuo Divine Altar without cost.

This corresponds to the status of a true disciple or a sect protector in ancient sects.

Doctors of Scripture, Deputy Heads, and the Head are akin to the elders of a sect.

Not only can they use the Divine Altar themselves, but they can also grant others free usage a few times each year.

Only the Head of the institute, akin to the ancient sect's leader, can allow unlimited, unrestricted use of the Divine Altar for others. However, using it on a large scale without cost would drain the Divine Altar.

"Becoming an honorary Transmission Master should suffice," Zhao Xing thought.

Multi-Art Masters are essentially teachers at the Lihuo Dao Institute, following a set curriculum. The only slightly challenging part is that you need to be proficient in many techniques, but it's not too difficult to pass.

Transmission Masters, on the other hand, must have a unique understanding of various techniques and must have created at least one spell of their own. The self-created spell must be high-level, and others must be able to follow the method to achieve mastery.

This makes it considerably harder. As the saying goes, "Those who imitate me survive, but those who replicate me die." Many people's self-created spells are only powerful in their own hands. If others try to imitate them, the effectiveness is halved, if not worse.

Becoming a Transmission Master in the Dao Institute requires more stringent qualifications.

As for a Doctor of Scriptures or a Deputy Head, those titles are reserved for individuals who have made significant contributions to the Lihuo Dao Institute, and Zhao Xing wasn't considering those positions.

Mid-grade spells are free to learn. As long as you can grasp them, you're free to study as many as you want.

Through the ground mirror in the arsenal, Zhao Xing browsed the spell books.

First, wind spells.

The most powerful wind-based spells often require harnessing high-quality winds.

Zhao Xing quickly found a secret art called Minor Nine Heavenly Gale Technique, a Yang wind spell.

"Riding the Gang Wind offers tremendous speed."

"Its power is also formidable. The Nine Heavenly Gale Technique is fierce and strong, capable of toppling mountains."

"At the eighth grade, it truly begins to show its power. When the Spirit Bridge connects heaven and earth, it absorbs the energy of the world and can summon the Nine Heavenly Gale Technique."

"With each layer of the Spirit Bridge, the power of the Gang Wind increases. The Nine Heavenly Gale Technique includes middle-grade, high-grade, and top-tier versions. But what I have here is only the middle-grade version, hence the name Minor Nine Heavenly Gale Technique."

His eyes wandered further and soon settled on another spell, Great Heat Wind Gale.

"Great Heat Wind Gale raises the surrounding temperature drastically, and anyone caught in it won't escape unscathed."

"This spell draws power from the Great Heat seasonal node and is also known as the Blazing Sun Wind Gale."

"It harnesses the seasonal power of Great Heat without altering the overall weather."

"There's also Great Cold Wind Gale, an extreme cold wind that cuts like a blade."

"Both are decent options. Let's keep looking…"

Zhao Xing perused the wind spell category, but his gaze eventually returned to the first one.

"After all this searching, it seems that the Minor Nine Heavenly Gale Technique is still the best fit. My first choice is usually the right one."

Having decided on his wind spell, Zhao Xing moved on to lightning spells.

Being familiar with lightning spells, he knew exactly what he was looking for.

It didn't take long for him to find the secret art he had in mind—Rolling Thunder.

"Found it! This period really has a wealth of techniques," Zhao Xing grinned.

He sought this secret art because Rolling Thunder isn't limited by cloud-based techniques. Even without using a Cloud Summoning, it could still be cast, much like his self-created spells.

But Rolling Thunder could also be enhanced by cloud-based techniques.

Unlike Lightning Summoninging, Rolling Thunder doesn't require a Cloud Summoning as a prerequisite.

"The technique is also quite subtle. It's a type of Yin Thunder, but its power surpasses many Yang Thunder techniques."

"Let's go with this one."

After finalizing his choice for lightning spells, Zhao Xing browsed the Earth School's techniques.

"I need to find a movement technique and a reliable offensive spell from the Earth School."

"Most movement techniques fall under Earth Solidification or Earth Palace spells."

"Very few Earth Splitting or Earth Consolidation spells include movement techniques."

While in the Ten Thousand Li Thunder Pool, Zhao Xing had seen someone traversing the earth's veins using an Earth Solidification spell.

As he flipped through the texts, Zhao Xing furrowed his brow.

"Earth Solidification is too difficult to start. You have to go underground to comprehend it?"

"I only have a month, so I don't have time to practice Earth Solidification."

Zhao Xing had no choice but to postpone learning Earth Solidification.

He only had a month to return the Dao and cultivate. Other spells could be practiced while running, but Earth Solidification required delving underground for comprehension, which was too time-consuming.

Even without the pressure of returning the Dao, Zhao Xing decided to put Earth Solidification aside for now.

With just one month, he had to manage his time wisely.

"I'll settle on Nine Heavenly Gale Technique and Rolling Thunder first. As for the Earth School spells, I can start with Post-Earth Consolidation and then decide after visiting the Earth Hall."

The spell books were made of ordinary paper and offered no enhanced comprehension effects.

Inside the Shennong Command, there were several public places for contemplation, where people could gain deeper insights.

Zhao Xing needed to be efficient, so he chose to focus on whatever was easiest to learn from the Earth School first.

As for Rolling Thunder and Nine Heavenly Gale Technique, those were solid choices. He had learned them in his past life, knew their strengths, and was familiar with how to combine them effectively.

Having finalized his choices, Zhao Xing placed his order through the ground mirror, after which a mechanical beast would deliver the materials.

However, just after placing the order, Zhao Xing noticed that two of his points had been deducted.

"Hmm? What's going on? I thought the spells were free to learn. Why was I charged two points?"

Zhao Xing was puzzled.

After a quick search in the ground mirror, he found out that it was for the cost of the spell books themselves.

While learning the spells was free, there was a one-point fee for the physical copies of each spell.

"How ridiculous. During the reign of Emperor Wen and Emperor Wu, they didn't even charge for the materials. Emperor Jing is really stingy—no sense of grandeur at all," Zhao Xing muttered.

At Eighteen Locust Willow Courtyard.

"Clip-clop~"

Hoofbeats echoed along the main path outside. A mechanical master, riding a bamboo horse, leapt down from the sky and landed on the path.

Strapped to his bamboo horse were numerous packages and a bamboo box, making him look quite bulky.

"Whoa~"

The mechanical master stopped outside the gate of Eighteen Locust Willow Courtyard.

"Zhao Xing of the Shenwei Army."

"Your items have arrived."

"I'll leave them at the door."

The mechanical master called out from outside the gate.

"Alright, thank y—" Zhao Xing began to reply, but before he could finish, the mechanical master sped off on his bamboo horse, flying toward the next destination.

Looking up at the sky, Zhao Xing saw more figures on bamboo horses appearing. Clearly, more people had completed their registrations and were placing orders at the arsenal with their initial points.

"The mechanical masters must be earning a fortune in points these days—probably making a thousand a day," Zhao Xing muttered as he opened the gate and retrieved his package.

Within Ten Suns Cave-Heaven, each profession had its own way of completing tasks to earn points.

For mechanical masters, when they weren't venturing out, they often took up delivery jobs to earn points and serve the stationed forces.

"Nine Heavenly Gale Technique."

Zhao Xing first opened the Nine Heavenly Gale Technique spellbook to study.

He carried his bamboo box, but for now, it was filled only with heavy blocks of compressed earth.

Using the Boundless Earth Palace, he compressed loose soil and then packed it into the bamboo box.

Each compressed block weighed a thousand pounds.

There were two blocks in the bamboo box, totaling two thousand pounds.

For Zhao Xing, carrying two thousand pounds wasn't overly strenuous.

In the military examination at Gucheng, one of the tests involved lifting cauldrons. Shen Zhui had been able to lift a cauldron weighing a thousand pounds when he was at the seventh rank of Energy Gathering.

Now that Zhao Xing was at a higher cultivation level and was carrying the weight on his back, two thousand pounds was manageable.

"Let's begin training!"

Zhao Xing began studying the spellbook while carrying the bamboo box, running around his estate.

He even took off his Cloud-Stepping Boots and ran barefoot.

Relying on his sense of the wind, he didn't need to look at the path ahead, maintaining a good speed.

Running while studying wasn't difficult for him; in fact, Zhao Xing enjoyed thinking while running.

Focusing intently on comprehending the Nine Heavenly Gale Technique technique made the physical exertion feel less intense.

March 2nd, at the hour of Mao.

Chen Shijie and Long Xiao had already arrived at Xier City for rest.

Xier City was one of the six prefectures bordering the southern barbarians and served as a military stronghold on the frontier.

Since it was a border town, the number of troops in Xier Prefecture exceeded the civilian population.

"I wonder how Zhao Xing is doing. By now, he should have completed his registration, right?" Long Xiao asked. "Do you think he managed to place in the rankings?"

"It doesn't matter whether he placed this time or not," Chen Shijie said calmly. "He was just confirmed as an official and then transferred to the Shenwei Army. I didn't expect him to perform particularly well at this stage. The key is the training that comes afterward."

"What I value is his potential. Within a month, he should be able to make significant progress."

"How can you be sure he won't slack off?" Long Xiao asked. "He might become complacent, given that he skipped several stages."

"He won't. You don't know him like I do," Chen Shijie said confidently. "If he were the type to slack off, why would he take the time to learn so much? He has knowledge of military tactics, the Northern Sea, and even knows about the ancient Water Books hidden on Purple Sky Island. Someone like that has grand ambitions and has already made plans for the future."

"True enough," Long Xiao stroked his chin. "I'll send him a letter in a few days to check on his progress. I'll also exchange the Blood Fiend Beads and Blood Spirit Needles for something he might need."

"Exchange them for Thunderstones and tell him to use them in the arsenal to exchange for points," Chen Shijie instructed. "He can decide what he needs. Also, make sure to give him extra—don't forget the exchange rates in the arsenal differ between buying and selling. And remind him that the various halls of the Shennong Command offer free places for contemplation."

"Got it. You really do worry about him like a father would," Long Xiao laughed. "If you two didn't look so different, and if the timelines didn't add up, I'd suspect he was your illegitimate son."

Chen Shijie smiled without a word.

Long Xiao looked in a certain direction and mused, "In just one month, Zhao Xing will have to prepare for the academy's assessment while also returning the Dao. Time will be tight. I wonder if he has already made the detailed plans you mentioned."

March 2nd, at the hour of Chen.

Zhao Xing had entered Ten Suns Cave-Heaven on the evening of March 1st.

He reached the Shennong Command near the end of the Xu hour.

He registered, settled in, and received his spellbooks just before midnight.

Now, it was already the morning of the second day.

He had been training and studying for four hours straight.

"Whoosh, whoosh—"

Zhao Xing finally had to stop to rest. Even after taking the Giant Whale Pill, he could feel his lungs burning.

He had been running with a heavy load for four hours straight. Despite the endurance of a Sifang-level cultivator, his body had reached a state of extreme fatigue.

"At first, I could distract myself by studying the Nine Heavenly Gale Technique technique."

"But in the last two hours, I couldn't focus on studying at all."

"This hardship of returning the Dao is truly grueling."

At this point, Zhao Xing felt that if it weren't absolutely necessary, he would never want to borrow the Dao again.

However, after a brief rest, that thought faded away.

After calming his mind and sensing the Fire Path entwining his body, Zhao Xing realized it had receded by one-tenth.

"A ninth-grade cultivator can run a thousand li in a day, referring to six daytime hours."

"I've only run three hundred li in four hours."

"But I was carrying two thousand pounds, so the effect should be multiplied by ten. It's equivalent to returning three thousand li of the Dao." Zhao Xing lay on the ground, panting heavily.

Carrying two thousand pounds was like running with the weight of ten or more people on his back—utterly exhausting.

The upside was that it saved time. At this rate, he could return the Dao to Lord Lihuo in about seven days.

"Gurgle, gurgle—"

Zhao Xing summoned a small cloud, then turned to the side and buried his face in it to drink water.

After quenching his thirst, he lay back down to rest.

"The hardship of returning the Dao is also a form of training. If I keep at it, both my energy-gathering abilities and physical body will improve," Zhao Xing consoled himself.

March 3rd, at the hour of Mao.

"Whoosh—"

A gust of cyan wind, like a ribbon, spiraled around Zhao Xing, lifting him into the air.

"Swoosh—"

The next moment, the cyan wind carried him swiftly into the distance, leaving Zhao Xing as a mere afterimage as he appeared on the other side of his courtyard.

"Whoosh—"

The wind roared briefly, its sound lingering in his ears.

"I'm still far from reaching sonic speed."

Zhao Xing slowly descended from the sky.

In both secret movement techniques and spellcasting speed, breaking the sound barrier was a key benchmark.

"You need to reach at least the seventh level of Gang Wind mastery to achieve that."

"Still, this is much faster than using the basic wind-stepping technique."

After a day and night of rigorous training, Zhao Xing's comprehension, combined with his experience with the basic wind-stepping technique and the insights he gained from mastering Yin Wind, allowed him to quickly grasp the Gang Wind technique, reaching the third level of mastery.

"The Nine Heavenly Gale Technique is not just an offensive spell. It includes movement and defense techniques."

"Riding the Gang Wind means moving with the wind, and the sound follows. Once you've mastered it, you can use the Gang Wind to control your body's movement in the air. When perfected, you'll reach your destination before the sound of your arrival does."

"At the ninth level of Gang Wind mastery, the 'Azure Dragon Protection' will render you invincible, repelling all spells. When fully mastered, nine cyan Gang Winds circle around you like nine Azure Dragons, deflecting any spell that comes your way."

"And at the highest level, the 'Azure Dragon Emergence' unleashes the destructive power of the Gang Wind like nine rampaging dragons."

The description was awe-inspiring, but that referred to the full version of Nine Heavenly Gale Technique.

Right now, Zhao Xing could only practice the middle-grade version—Minor Nine Heavenly Gale Technique.

"With just this book and no special enhancements, reaching the third level in such a short time is my limit."

Zhao Xing dispersed the Gang Wind and tossed the book aside. He then picked up his bamboo box and turned his attention to another secret art—Rolling Thunder.

In seven days, Zhao Xing aimed to complete his Dao-returning mission and bring both Rolling Thunder and Nine Heavenly Gale Technique to the third level. This was the foundation of his training plan.

So far, he was making good progress. After a day and night, he had already mastered the third level of Minor Nine Heavenly Gale Technique.

"Rolling Thunder is a pure offensive spell. This Yin Thunder technique also has advanced stages."

"It shares similarities with Yin Wind. Both draw power from the earth's veins. While other lightning techniques call down thunder from the sky, Rolling Thunder erupts from the ground as thunderballs."

Zhao Xing continued his barefoot run around his estate, carrying his bamboo box as he contemplated the spell. His Eighteen Locust Willow Courtyard was quite spacious, about the size of four soccer fields—one of the perks of arriving early to register.

Latecomers would have to settle for shared accommodations. Forget about practicing spells—without proper barriers, you might even hear your neighbors snoring.

"Thud, thud, thud!" Heavy footsteps echoed through the courtyard as Zhao Xing began his contemplation and his daily Dao-returning hardship.