Shennong Dao Master
Chapter 261 - 34: Shi Yong, you have to hold on!_2

Chapter 261: Chapter 34: Shi Yong, you have to hold on!_2

Because he wasn’t on the scene, Lu Bang didn’t see Zhao Xing’s operations underground, nor did he notice the extraordinary power of the Five Elements Earth Splitting Skill.

"He spent two months catching up to the training progress that others took years to achieve, it’s simply unbelievable. Ge Jingsong and Cheng Qingming really..." Lu Bang shook his head, refraining from uttering the words "blind fools" that were on the tip of his tongue.

Because his student, Cai Jin, was standing right next to him.

Putting down the Earth Mirror, Lu Bang looked at his student, "Cai Jin, your rank soared to fourth place this time, which really surprised me. However, you benefited from some inherent advantages of our institute. This doesn’t reflect your true strength, do you understand?"

Cai Jin, with his tanned skin and vigorous aura, stood up immediately upon hearing his teacher, "I understand, teacher. The seeds and seedlings provided during this training were seventy percent derivative species, which I recognized from studying at the Taicang Institute, giving me an edge in this aspect."

"Hmm." Lu Bang nodded in satisfaction, "This knowledge is easy to catch up to, you must work even harder in the future. I heard that Zhao Xing from the Geography Institute only sleeps one two-hour period each day, dedicating all his remaining time to cultivation. That’s why he ranked second in this training."

"You should take him as an example."

One two-hour period?

Cai Jin was stunned for a moment.

He had thought that studying at the Taicang Institute under Lu Bang was already considered diligent.

But it turned out Zhao Xing was even more diligent than him.

That can’t just be called diligence; it’s downright painstaking!

"Yes, I will take him as my example."

"Since you have such aspirations, I have a small gift for you." Lu Bang waved his hand, and a Jade Pendant flew into Cai Jin’s hand, "Fourth-rank Netherworld Evil Jade, which has the effect of clearing the mind and refreshing the spirit. With this, you’ll only need to sleep one two-hour period every day as well."

"..."

Cai Jin had only casually agreed, not expecting his teacher to take it seriously.

Damn it, it’s all Zhao Xing’s fault!

Why did he have to set such a high bar?!

"Yes, thank you, teacher, for the treasure." Despite his inner reluctance, Cai Jin did not dare to show it on his face and solemnly accepted the gift.

From now on, he had no choice but to compete even harder.

.....

In Feng Qiu Mansion, a cold-looking young man stared at the Earth Mirror.

"Shi Yong scored close to 270,000 points, Zhao Xing nearly 240,000 points... and I only have 180,000 points?"

"How has he progressed so much?"

Feng Qiu grasped the Earth Mirror, his eyes darkening.

He had a strong desire to win, believing that with rigorous training, he could achieve remarkable results this time. But it was still far from satisfactory.

"Didn’t surpass Zhuang Ziqing and Shi Yong, not even Zhao Xing, and now there’s an unknown Cai Jin..."

Feng Qiu took a deep breath, put away the Earth Mirror, and dived into the training room for frenzied cultivation.

.....

At the Heavenly Time Institute, as several flying boats landed, many geniuses disembarked and received their ranking information from the Earth Mirror.

"Hahaha, my rank has risen by 50 places, from lower Alpha to middle Alpha!"

"Alas, I’ve dropped 37 places, my resources have been downgraded."

"Phew~ So close, just one place away from being demoted."

"Looks like my spell training and combinations still have a lot of issues."

"I was busy comprehending the Jieqi Stele right after the division, so I lagged behind in Geographical Advantage Technique, resulting in only 3,000 points in the last ten days."

Everyone was talking.

People in upper Alpha levels were going up and down, let alone those in middle and lower Alpha.

The second training session covered a wide range of content. Many people, after being divided into institutes, improperly allocated their cultivation time, gaining many points in one area, only to lose points in another.

"Zhao Xing, ranked second? He even surpassed Zhuang Ziqing." Guan Junyang glanced at the Earth Mirror, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. "The Divine Might Army recruited a talent this time."

Hua Zhilin also looked at the Earth Mirror, "I heard he was selected into the Divine Might Army right after being promoted from an officer. I already thought he was remarkable back at Cloud Skill Pass and Rain Magic Pass, and now it has come true."

Guan Junyang nodded, "I heard from Cao Shuang that this person rarely shows up in the Geography Institute, spending all his time cultivating. But I didn’t expect him to improve this much."

Cao Shuang, Guan Junyang, and Hua Zhilin all belonged to the Xuanjia Army and were in frequent contact.

Hua Zhilin said, "Brother Guan, you must work hard. You’ve dropped to twenty-first place, barely holding onto upper Alpha. If you fall out, the Xuanjia Army will be left with only Cao Shuang."

Guan Junyang nodded, "I must work hard. I heard from Cao Shuang that Zhao Xing trains for ten two-hour periods a day, it’s inhuman. When we were in the Wei Kuo Army, we never pushed ourselves that hard. Coming here really opened my eyes."

"However, to strive, one must not only aim to catch up with Zhuang Ziqing and Zhao Xing but also surpass Shi Yong." Guan Junyang looked at a tall figure in the distance.

But Shi Yong paid no attention to the crowd’s gazes. After disembarking from the flying boat, he left the Heavenly Time Institute without a word.

...

Heavenly Time Institute, Qiushui Inn.

"The training rankings have been released, and our Heavenly Time Institute has had two people squeezed out of the upper Alpha list." A middle-aged man in a cloud-patterned robe looked at his colleagues around him; his name was Mei Zhiru, the Agricultural Officer of the Heavenly Time Institute. The Great Agricultural Officer generally doesn’t handle training new recruits, so he held the most authority here.

"Among the top five, only Shi Yong remains from our Heavenly Time Institute."

"Looking at the top hundred, many from our Heavenly Time Institute have slipped in ranking."

"Why has this two-month training made them regress even further? What are your thoughts, gentlemen?"

"Mr. Mei, at the beginning of the training, it’s normal for the rankings of the geniuses to fluctuate." An official responded, "If we continue teaching diligently and the students keep learning earnestly, we’ll eventually reclaim more upper Alpha positions."

"Oh? Then why has the Geography Institute had more people rising and fewer falling? Look at Zhao Xing, ranked second. At the beginning of the division, he was evaluated as lacking experience and showed only mediocre performance. Now, his remarkable progress must be a testament to the Geography Institute’s teachers being more diligent and dedicated?"

"Ahem ahem..." Mei Zhiru’s question left the responding official at a loss, prompting him to cough awkwardly and look towards a particular seat.

Everyone else also looked at two seats.

There sat Ge Jingsong and Cheng Qingming.

Facing their colleagues’ gazes, Cheng Qingming’s lips twitched, while Ge Jingsong tactically sipped his tea.

Mei Zhiru hadn’t participated in the initial division of the students, but seeing the subtle atmosphere, he roughly understood what had transpired.

He calmly stated, "I’m not accusing anyone of any negligence, but our Heavenly Time Institute has always led among the four major institutes. We cannot let this batch under our watch become the worst."

"Currently, we still have Shi Yong holding the first position, but the overall top hundred is not as good as the previous batch. It is our duty to train Military Minister of Agriculture Officers for the court. The Heavenly Time Institute should not rest on its laurels, nor should we stick rigidly to the old ways. We all must be more diligent from now on."

"Mr. Mei is right." The other officials echoed.

Cheng Qingming and Ge Jingsong also voiced their agreement.

But their hearts were not pleased.

Resting on laurels, sticking rigidly to old ways... this was clearly saying they hadn’t been diligent in choosing students initially, not giving Zhao Xing an upper Alpha rating!

Mei Zhiru had almost pointed at their noses and called them "blind fools."

Cheng Qingming and Ge Jingsong glanced at each other, feeling a bit helpless.

If Zhao Xing continued to excel, their teaching records for the year would likely suffer.

"Ahh... I was careless." Ge Jingsong thought silently.

"Shi Yong, you must hold on." Cheng Qingming had another thought in his mind.

.....

Rich Spring Garden.

Tian Shan looked at Zhao Xing, who had returned from training.

Though happy, Tian Shan was also puzzled, "You say you haven’t made significant progress in the three secret arts, so how did you rank second?"

"Teacher, I’ve practiced the Five Elements Earth Splitting Skill, and I’ve made breakthroughs in Condensation Skill and Strong Foundation Skill. Those complex terrains were easy for me to maneuver with Divine Movement Protection, allowing me to adjust the earth veins easily. I imagine that’s the reason," Zhao Xing replied.

"I see." Tian Shan said, "Then for the next month, focus your cultivation on the three secret arts. There’s a training session relevant to the Nine-Section Dojo."

"When you usually study the three secret arts, if you gain any insights, you can verify them at the Nine-Section Dojo."

"You haven’t earned a rating in the Nine-Section Dojo yet, have you?"

"No." Zhao Xing shook his head; the Nine-Section Dojo was a place for combat and sparring. He had spent the past couple of months solely focused on cultivation and hadn’t gone there once.

"Shi Yong and Zhuang Ziqing have already started training at the dojo. Now that you’re delving into the three secret arts, it’s the right time for the training session." Tian Shan said, "You may put Lu Bang’s training session on hold for now and first meet the training requirements of the Nine-Section Dojo."