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Chapter 140: The Peculiar Zhao Xing and His Third-Rank Promotion Battle
🕑 Added 2024-10-21 05:54:07 +0000 UTCJust as Li Feng's feet touched the ground, he immediately noticed something was off. The ground hadn't been covered in frost when he took off, but now, after his brief conversation with Zhao Xing, a layer of frost had formed on the surface.
Clearly, Zhao Xing had used the time spent talking to secretly cast a spell.
"This guy was just stalling!" Li Feng stomped his foot in frustration, dispersing the frost on the ground. He quickly cast an Earth Vein Consolidation technique, sensing that something was wrong.
"Golden Earth Division, rise!"
Suddenly, the ground in front of Li Feng swelled, and nine earthen mounds emerged. From them, nine stone giants rose from the ground, each standing about three meters tall, their bodies composed of gold-hued rocks, with sand and soil continuously falling from their forms.
"Zhao Xing, if you have the guts, face my Earth Vein Technique head-on! Hiding in the fog, what kind of fight is that?"
Li Feng finished speaking and strained his ears, listening for any response.
"Come."
The voice echoed faintly from within the mist.
With a twist of his finger, the nine stone giants charged into the mist, searching for Zhao Xing.
Within the fog, a pair of keen eyes observed the movements of the stone giants and the prowling beasts that had entered.
"Li Feng’s cultivation path... it’s starting to resemble a summoner's. His techniques are all about overwhelming numbers."
"He was like this with his cloud techniques last time too."
Overwhelming with numbers? Zhao Xing had used such tactics himself before, especially with his Soldier of Grass and Wood technique.
That technique belonged to the broader Grass and Wood category, which fell under Wood Element techniques.
Zhao Xing was no stranger to wood techniques either. Back when Xue Wenzhong had taught him the Liu’s Compiled Eighty-One Techniques, Zhao Xing had already mastered seven types of straw puppets, leaving seventy-four that he hadn’t practiced yet, though they were all committed to memory.
Practicing with the straw puppets was a detailed and time-consuming effort, and given the complexity of the remaining techniques, Zhao Xing had prioritized other methods since entering Ten Sun Cave-Heaven.
"Li Feng won’t be able to break my Heavenly Time Technique. No matter how strong his earth and wood techniques are, he’s only on the defensive."
"Hiding in this mist already puts me in an invincible position," Zhao Xing thought as he watched the enraged stone giants and beasts thrash about uselessly.
Fog Concealment, the technique Zhao Xing was currently employing, was a specialized concealment spell.
It nullified the effects of both Five Elements Observation and Hawk Eye. No one could see through it.
This technique was invaluable in warfare.
It could obstruct enemy forces, disrupt the command of their generals, and cover retreats by creating a dense fog that masked movements.
In a more complex environment, using this Fog Concealment technique could even lead to chaos within an army, with soldiers mistakenly attacking their own comrades amidst the confusion.
"The difference between Mist Concealment and Cloud Summoning lies in their application. Cloud techniques are used to dominate the skies and assist other techniques. Li Feng doesn’t dare to summon clouds because he knows it would be pointless and a waste of energy, possibly even backfiring."
"But without summoning clouds, half of his Heavenly Time Techniques become ineffective."
"Meanwhile, Mist Concealment focuses on trapping and hindering the enemy. It doesn’t enhance other techniques, but it’s inherently powerful."
As the stone giants continued to stumble aimlessly in the fog, Li Feng grew increasingly agitated. He attempted to cast Earth Vein Consolidation again, but the power of his technique had weakened.
The frost on the ground had seeped deep into the earth, acting as a barrier, reducing the effectiveness of his earth-based techniques. As a result, the second set of stone giants was noticeably shorter than the first.
"Zhao Xing, is this even a fight? All you’re doing is stalling for time! Your Gale Technique can’t defeat me, are you trying to force a draw?!" Li Feng yelled in frustration.
But Zhao Xing remained unfazed, watching as the mist slowly drained the strength of the giants and beasts.
"With each passing moment, the power of the stone giants and beasts wanes. This is the essence of Heavenly Time—slowly accumulating the natural forces of the environment. Even though the effects seem minor at first, as the mist expands and accumulates, it becomes an unstoppable force."
"This accumulation turns into a disaster that no single spell can withstand."
Zhao Xing felt a sense of understanding as he observed how Li Feng’s techniques were being affected by the mist. Gradually, the mist began to take on a faint crimson hue as it absorbed the pollen from the surrounding flower fields, blending it into the fog.
Accumulating the forces of nature—this was the direction Zhao Xing needed to take in mastering the Seasonal Qi Command.
"The corrosion of the environment is intensifying," Zhao Xing thought, shifting his attention back to the spell itself, as the tiger beasts and stone giants continued to weaken.
Both the Heavenly Frost Technique and Mist Concealment were spells derived from the Seasonal Qi Monument, each embodying the characteristics of a specific solar term.
When Zhao Xing first learned them, they had immediately reached the seventh-transformation stage.
Now, he was using these spells as a way to deepen his understanding of the Seasonal Qi Diagrams.
Li Feng’s Earth Vein Consolidation technique disrupted the mist and frost, but conversely, the Mist Concealment and Heavenly Frost Technique were also corroding Li Feng’s magic.
This mutual interference allowed Zhao Xing to gain further insight, and he could feel the two Seasonal Qi Command imprints in his dantian becoming more substantial.
Meanwhile, Li Feng’s constant complaints echoed below, as if he were suffering some great injustice.
"A draw? You’re overthinking it."
Zhao Xing emerged from the mist, his gaze fixed on Li Feng.
"Do you have any more tricks up your sleeve? If not, this will be over soon."
"Go!" Seeing Zhao Xing reveal himself, Li Feng immediately commanded his remaining giants and beasts to charge at him. This time, he wasn’t about to be fooled by more idle chatter.
With the ground covered in frost and the mist turning a strange pink color, Li Feng knew better than to engage in more conversation.
"It seems you’ve run out of tricks. Mastering the fusion of three techniques must have taken up most of your time, and you still have two nine-transformation spells."
Roar!
Without hesitation, Zhao Xing unleashed the Kui Niu Thunder Roar.
Ripples distorted the air, spreading rapidly.
Li Feng quickly cast a spell to direct the air away from him, attempting to weaken the impact of the roar.
But Zhao Xing hadn’t targeted him.
Boom!
Boom boom boom boom boom!
The stone beasts and weapon shadows created by the Wind-Earth Transformation were all shattered in an instant.
Though the stone giants remained largely unaffected, that was enough.
Whoosh!
The previously suppressed Gale Technique was now free to act. Eight swirling gales transformed into dragons, rushing toward Li Feng.
"Wind-Earth Consolidation, rise!"
Li Feng, his head still buzzing from the Kui Niu Thunder Roar, forced himself to focus and cast his Three-Way Fusion spell again.
But this time, the power behind his magic was barely half of what it had been at the start of the battle.
Boom boom boom!
The gale-dragons crashed into the newly summoned stone warriors, shattering them back into dust.
Li Feng’s face paled. While he had managed to block the attack, he wouldn’t be able to block a third wave.
The situation had shifted drastically in just fifteen minutes, and the initiative was now fully in Zhao Xing’s hands.
Whoosh! The gales reassembled and charged again.
Li Feng was sent flying, the golden light of the Dao Protection Barrier flashing before his body vanished from the battlefield.
The fight was over.
First match of the promotion battle: Victory!
Back on the preparation platform, as his injuries and energy rapidly recovered, Li Feng stood in a daze.
"Why... He didn’t even use cloud summoning, yet how could his spells affect mine so much?"
"The difference between the start of the battle and the end was like night and day."
"Was it the Seasonal Qi Command? No, he didn’t even use it."
Li Feng knew that Seasonal Qi Commands had a gradual impact in battle, but he hadn’t even tried to manipulate the solar terms because he knew Zhao Xing could just dominate the battlefield with cloud summoning. He would have been defeated long before his Seasonal Qi Command could take effect.
"He didn’t use a Seasonal Qi Command, but it felt like he did. Is the gap between us really this big?"
"I’ll win next time!"
Having been defeated by Zhao Xing once more, Li Feng’s confidence—bolstered by his 21 consecutive victories—was shattered.
Desperate to regain some confidence, Li Feng quickly initiated another match.
[Li Feng of the Hujiao Army, you have been matched with Hua Zhilin of the Xuanjia Army.]
But with his shaken mentality, just fifteen minutes later, Li Feng was defeated again.
Promotion failed. His seven-star rating dropped back to six.
On the other hand, after defeating Li Feng, Zhao Xing’s second promotion match was against a normal B-rank talent. This opponent wasn’t even strong enough to challenge Zhao Xing, being defeated in less than thirty breaths.
[Zhao Xing of the Shenwei Army, you have successfully completed your seven-star promotion battle!]
[Current Points: 23.]
[Net Wins: 23.]
[Rating: First Rank.]
[Current Total Ranking: 912,452 (Ten Sun Cave-Heaven).]
[Current Nine Sections Battlefield Ranking: 75,214 (Ten Sun Cave-Heaven).]
[With your current rank, you now have additional privileges. You may choose specific battle environments, filter opponents, and watch others' matches.]
"912,000? There are so many people in Ten Sun Cave-Heaven."
The overall ranking in the battlefield included all participants, regardless of their profession.
At first-rank level, Zhao Xing’s position was clearly at the bottom of the heap. He estimated that there were probably more than two million people in Ten Sun Cave-Heaven.
The nine armies alone accounted for a significant portion of that population, along with various support divisions. It was entirely reasonable for the number to be so high.
"On the front lines, there’s typically one Shennong Officer for every hundred soldiers, but here, it seems like there’s one for every ten people," Zhao Xing speculated.
With a ranking of 75,000, he estimated that there were likely over 100,000 Shennong Officers in total.
Among the reserves, he ranked about 3,000th.
Before Zhao Xing had entered the battlefield, more than 2,000 had already completed the C-rank training, which only required achieving a first-rank rating.
"Let’s keep matching," Zhao Xing thought. He knew that for now, most of his opponents were relatively weak, and that to find stronger opponents to test his skills, he would need to keep climbing the ranks.
From that day on, Zhao Xing began an intense campaign of challenges within the Nine Sections Battlefield.
In most cases, his opponents were unable to withstand even a single move from him.
Though many had achieved a first-rank rating, their cultivation levels were often limited to the ninth grade.
While their techniques were numerous, their quality was generally low. Few of them had mastered techniques at the ninth-transformation level, with most having only reached the seventh-transformation before moving on to practice other spells, using them to complement each other in hopes of future breakthroughs.
With both lower cultivation levels and weaker techniques, they were easily crushed by Zhao Xing.
Occasionally, Zhao Xing would face someone who piqued his interest, forcing him to use more of his techniques, but the vast majority were still defeated in a single blow.
With such efficient matchmaking, Zhao Xing’s net wins increased rapidly.
First-Rank One Star, First-Rank Two Stars, First-Rank Three Stars...
By the fourth day of battles within the Nine Sections Battlefield, Zhao Xing had already reached First-Rank Seven Stars.
The promotion battle for the second rank required two out of three wins to advance.
Once again, Zhao Xing achieved two consecutive victories with ease.
However, by the fifth day, his opponents' strength had increased significantly.
This slowed Zhao Xing’s progress somewhat, but it was a welcome challenge.
His second-rank opponents finally offered some valuable "nourishment" in battle.
If first-rank opponents had been like chewed-up sugarcane, offering no sustenance, then these new challengers were like still-juicy stalks, providing occasional sweetness.
Above the second rank, battles became rich with learning opportunities for Zhao Xing.
As his victories piled up, and his unique fighting style spread, Zhao Xing’s name began circulating once more within the Shennong Division’s reserves.
"Have you heard? Zhao Xing from the Dili Academy has already won 61 consecutive matches in the Nine Sections Battlefield! His record is 61 battles, 61 net wins—he hasn’t lost a single match!"
"Lost? He hasn’t even draw a match! He’s already at Second-Rank Five Stars, and no one’s even come close to forcing a tie."
"Incredible, isn’t it? I’ve fought over a hundred matches and I’m still stuck at First-Rank Five Stars."
"Zhuang Zhiqing and Shi Yong didn’t lose a single match when they reached the third rank, and it looks like Zhao Xing is on his way to becoming just as unbeatable."
"I wonder who’s stronger, Zhao Xing or Zhuang Zhiqing and Shi Yong?"
In the public square outside Cloud Gate, many warriors were taking a break, listening to Cen Sanji deliver his lectures.
Among them were Yu Chunwu, Peng Ran, Yang Yang, and He Yu, who had become fast friends after teaming up to fight Li Feng during the Ten Thousand Li Thunder Pool trial.
"I’ve never faced Shi Yong, so I can’t say, but I did have a match with Zhuang Zhiqing," Yu Chunwu said. "He only used one spell to defeat me, and that was Thunder Summoning. From what I felt, Zhuang Zhiqing is very strong, at least on par with Shi Yong."
"Not quite. I’ve fought Shi Yong twice, but I haven’t faced Zhuang Zhiqing," Peng Ran replied. "The first time, I had no idea what was happening. My Dao Protection Barrier was triggered almost instantly, and I lost."
"The second time, I asked Shi Yong to give me a chance to strike first. Want to guess what happened?"
"Nope," He Yu said, feigning disinterest.
"Stop teasing and tell us already!" Yang Yang urged.
"He just stood there, letting me cast every spell I knew. And guess what? I couldn’t even touch him!" Peng Ran said.
"No way! That’s unbelievable!" Yu Chunwu exclaimed.
"You think I’m exaggerating?"
"Wouldn’t be the first time you’ve embellished."
"It’s not that! He’s just too powerful. Do you know how I lost in the end?"
"I asked Shi Yong to hit me with his strongest move, just so I could learn from it. He barely moved, just waved his hand, and suddenly my arms were covered in scales. I couldn’t cast a single spell!"
"Then the scales spread to my chest, and the Dao Protection Barrier judged that I had suffered a fatal wound. I was transported out of the battlefield immediately."
"Scales? Could Shi Yong have already mastered the Phenological Law?" Yu Chunwu asked in shock. "That’s not an ordinary Phenological Change. It sounds like he’s learned how to alter the human body structure. You’d need an exceptionally high mastery of the Phenological Law to do that."
"That’s why I believe Zhuang Zhiqing won’t be able to stand against Shi Yong. As for Zhao Xing, I haven’t faced him yet, so I can’t say how he compares. Based on what I’ve seen, I think Shi Yong is stronger than Zhao Xing," Peng Ran concluded. "Have any of you faced Zhao Xing?"
"Yes," Yang Yang and He Yu both spoke up at once. "I fought him once."
"What was it like?" Yu Chunwu and Peng Ran asked eagerly.
"It was... strange," Yang Yang said.
He Yu, surprised, glanced at Yang Yang. "You thought so too?"
Now even more intrigued, Yu Chunwu and Peng Ran leaned in. "What do you mean, strange? Did he beat you with a single move?"
Yang Yang shook his head. "No, quite the opposite. We fought for nearly half an hour. At first, I thought I had a chance, that we were evenly matched. But as the fight went on, something felt off."
"No matter what spell I cast, he always seemed to gain a slight advantage. Little by little, until he finally won just as the match was about to end."
He Yu nodded. "Exactly! I had the same feeling. Even now, I’m not sure if I lost due to bad luck or if he was toying with me the whole time."
Peng Ran chuckled. "Come on, guys. You were clearly being toyed with. One of you losing might be a fluke, but both of you? No way."
He Yu sighed. "I even asked him afterward if he was just messing with me, and he said I was strong!"
"Same here. But what’s his angle?" Yang Yang wondered aloud.
Yu Chunwu considered for a moment. "Could it be that Zhao Xing is using the Nine Sections Battlefield as practice? Maybe he’s working on mastering a powerful new technique."
Peng Ran nodded. "Whatever it is, he’s about to reach the third rank. Once he does, I bet it won’t be long before he faces Shi Yong or Zhuang Zhiqing. If that happens, a lot of people will be watching those matches closely."
Yu Chunwu agreed. "Yes, the Earth Mirror’s spectator feature will allow everyone to watch their battles. I’m sure a lot of people will be keeping an eye on that. When they finally fight, we’ll all hear about it... Has anyone added Zhao Xing to their watchlist?"
"I have," He Yu said.
Yang Yang pulled out his Earth Mirror. "Zhao Xing has a match right now. It’s his promotion battle to the third rank."
"Oh?" The others immediately leaned in. "Who’s he matched against?"
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