Shennong Dao Master
Chapter 160 - 101: The Temple Examination Concludes, The List is Announced!

Chapter 160: Chapter 101: The Temple Examination Concludes, The List is Announced!

Zhao Xing squatted down to use the Five Elements fluctuations of the earth veins to determine the exact time.

Just like the final big question in a theoretical exam, the Five Elements could match the Four Seasons.

The fluctuation patterns of the earth veins’ Five Elements could be used to infer the time in reverse.

Even though it was a small world, the small world fragments should still have earth veins.

However, the result was somewhat unexpected.

"Can’t sense the earth veins."

Zhao Xing shook his head. It seemed that using the Five Elements fluctuations of the earth veins to determine the time wouldn’t work.

The night blocked the celestial phenomena, and the earth veins were also isolated.

With neither heavenly time nor earth advantage working, there was only one method left.

"Self Sect." Zhao Xing’s gaze fell on the distant fields. Looking at the plants, he quickly walked over.

Ahead lay a stretch of plants, continuous and seemingly endless.

How to use the Self Sect’s method to determine the time?

"Using the Self Sect’s ’Yin Yang Five Elements Self Scripture’ to determine the time."

The Self Sect believed that living beings had their own set of heavenly operations within their bodies.

In layman’s terms, it was a ’bioclock,’ matching the five organs to the Five Elements and matching other body parts to heavenly stems and earthly branches.

This theory was known as the ’Small Five Elements Four Seasons Theory,’ also called the ’Inner Five Elements Four Seasons Theory,’ from the name alone, it was clear it wasn’t mainstream and quite niche.

Zhao Xing hadn’t systematically studied the magic of the Self Sect, not to mention that observing the inner Five Elements wasn’t within a clerk’s capabilities.

Only after practicing the "Yin Yang Five Elements Self Scripture" could one achieve it.

In other words, inner observation of the Five Elements wouldn’t work.

Zhao Xing searched among the plants ahead and soon fixed his gaze on one plant.

"This is a Noon Grass, also known as Vitex."

The human body had a bioclock, and naturally, so did plants.

Inner observation of the Five Elements wasn’t possible, but observing external objects wasn’t that difficult.

Moreover, this was a specific hourly grass for clerks to observe.

"What an obscure test, first recognizing the hourly grass, then needing to have learned spells for discerning types to accurately determine the time’s changes."

"In the past ten years, this has never come up, did a Self Sect bigshot get involved this year?"

Zhao Xing thought this way because the twelve-hour grass wasn’t a ’native variety.’

But rather a ’derivative species’ artificially modified afterwards.

"Does the Self Sect want to showcase their presence through this Temple Examination?"

"They always followed the elite route, usually roping in academy and Daoist academy elites, are they targeting the lower-level clerks now?"

"But doing this won’t you get cursed to death by all the clerks?"

Zhao Xing felt speechless.

Because very few clerks from the Self Sect could achieve anything noteworthy, like Zhao Xing only mastered one initial stage spell [Thriving Growth], and one intermediate spell [Savage Growth].

These were just the basics of the Self Sect, they didn’t touch the core at all.

So, in his view, using twelve-hour grass in the clerks’ Temple Examination wasn’t to draw attention.

But to invite curses.

Because it was so difficult.

Identifying derivative species ’twelve-hour grass’ was already a technical task.

Then using it to observe and calibrate time was even more challenging, arguably the hardest among the five difficulties.

We barely managed to reach the Temple Examination, and you give us such an obscure question?

"Using twelve-hour grass to pinpoint the time, it’s just... too bullshit." Zhao Xing couldn’t help but curse on behalf of other clerks.

This question was as cold as analyzing the ’strange light in a dead fish’s eye.’

It would cause many clerks who originally had a chance to perform poorly.

If this stage wasn’t passed, it would be truly bullshit.

"Luckily I practiced Five Elements Observation, otherwise, I’d be stumped at this stage in a blink."

Zhao Xing swiftly found the twelve types of hourly grass, transplanted them around himself, forming a circle.

He then sat cross-legged in the circle, quickly confirming it was exactly between Mao Hour and the first quarter.

"It seems I entered this small world at exactly Mao Hour."

"At Chen Hour, thunder would break, giving clerks only an hour to adapt."

"Whether this was the intention of the Self Sect or not, the clerks’ venting would all be directed at the Self Sect... they would surely take the blame."

Zhao Xing could already foresee clerks going crazy at the divine temple after the exam.

"Five Elements Observation."

Zhao Xing cast a spell and began to observe the ’Mao Hour Grass’ in front of him.

It was about a meter tall.

The grass stem was straight, about the thickness of a thumb, with twelve leaves.

In the state of Five Elements Observation, he could see its internal veins, with a flow of energy within.

On a microscopic level, the meter-tall grass stem was divided into 7,200 segments.

It was like a ladder, and each segment represented one second.

The ’energy’ rose to the second segment in exactly one second.

7,200 segments precisely made up an hour.

With such a test method, you’d say it’s not bullshit!

.......

"Bullshit? What did you say?!" Chen Shijie sprang from his chair, looking at the clerk delivering the exam questions.

It had been three days outside the divine temple already.

According to the hours, all the clerks had entered the small world fragments for field tests.

As the chief officer of Gucheng Minister of Agriculture, he also got the exam questions.

But learning the content of the field test, Chen Shijie couldn’t help but slap the table.

"Using twelve-hour grass to test clerks’ time calibration?" Chen Shijie muttered, "Is it necessary to make it so difficult? It’s not a Military Minister of Agriculture Officer’s test!"

Long Xiao glared: "You’re the Minister of Agriculture, why are you looking at me... I don’t even know what you’re talking about."