Shennong Dao Master
Chapter 345 - 17: Five Grotto Heavens, Four Royal Courts, Zhao Xing Receives Title (Double Major - )_4

Chapter 345: Chapter 17: Five Grotto Heavens, Four Royal Courts, Zhao Xing Receives Title (Double Major Chapter)_4

Zhao Xing nodded and said, "You too."

Buzz~

The illusion disappeared.

.....

After a while, Chen Shijie’s illusion appeared in the hall.

"Zhao Xing, the letter has already been sent over. It includes the casualty list from Jiutian Yingyuan Mansion, as well as the casualty lists from Datong Prefecture and Anping Prefecture’s military towns along the border for March and April. Some statistics are from the Military Realm, and some are from various prefectures, so there may be slight differences."

"I received it." Zhao Xing raised the document in his hand, "When will you cross the river?"

"I’ll come over once the Pacifying Barbarian Battle Merit List is released," Chen Shijie said. "Be careful."

"Don’t worry." Zhao Xing smiled and said, "I won’t act rashly."

After finishing the conversation with Chen Shijie,

Zhao Xing looked at the casualty list in his hand. This was the casualty list after entering April.

It only listed the situation inside Ten Suns Cave Heaven.

But more than three thousand people had already died.

It didn’t seem like a lot, but it only counted those in Ten Suns Cave Heaven. There were also the regular troops originally stationed in Jiutian Yingyuan Prefecture and officials at various commanderies.

"It’s just the beginning; the casualties are relatively small."

"Once the Pacifying Barbarian Battle Merit List of Great Zhou is published and the Southern Barbarians’ Divine Court Golden List is activated, both sides will go crazy for merit," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

Normal promotion was incredibly difficult. If one slowly accumulated achievements, it could take decades or even a hundred years to reach the First Grade.

But during war, it was much faster.

However, opportunity always came with danger.

"By the end of April, the battle merit list will probably be released. The first batch of training troops, the five grotto heavens, and forty-nine armies will fight for a while. Once a considerable number of people die, they will eliminate the weak and replace them with a new batch."

The Pacifying Barbarian War continued until the 35th year of the Jingxin Calendar. In the early years, the Great Zhou Military Realm and the Southern Barbarian Royal Court only sent low-grade soldiers to fight.

The goal was to eliminate the opponent’s basic talents as much as possible, creating a talent gap. This was also a form of internal self-elimination and selection.

During that period, even Fifth Grade strongmen rarely intervened. It wasn’t until one side felt it was enough, and large-scale deployment of Fifth Grade experts began, that the real results were meant to be achieved.

"First to Tianxin Hall for my conferment."

Zhao Xing collected his thoughts and went to the divine temple early the next morning.

The process was the same as when he was a Ninth Grade, still entering Tianxin Hall, first bowing to the Grand Ancestor and Emperor Wen statues, then Emperor Jing.

Both statues and the ancestral tablet emitted golden light, quickly filling the entire Tianxin Hall.

The light was so piercing that Zhao Xing couldn’t open his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, Zhao Xing saw a giant Heavenly Gate.

Last time he was outside the Heavenly Gate, flying through it to enter the Heavenly Palace.

This time, he was already inside the Heavenly Palace, amidst the ranks of civil and military officials, so there was no such process.

A giant golden figure sat on a massive throne, overlooking the world.

When Zhao Xing looked over, the giant gently pointed a finger.

Buzz~

Golden light entered his body, and Zhao Xing felt a majestic, awe-inspiring power infusing him.

Zhao Xing felt a barrier disappear; his understanding of the Five Elements Magic, previously shrouded in a vague shadow, now suddenly became clear.

Next, his Life Soul was stirred, and he involuntarily closed his eyes, inwardly viewing the existence of his Life Soul.

Beneath his Life Soul, there had originally been a thin layer of golden light.

But now there were two more layers.

They represented the eighth-grade and seventh-grade.

"The foundation of the Fate Palace is paved with golden light beneath the Life Soul."

"This time, only a very small part was distributed to the realm," Zhao Xing thought.

He had achieved the seventh grade through his own cultivation, with a solid foundation, so the vast majority of this golden light was absorbed by the Life Soul itself.

Some increased his lifespan, and some enhanced his fortune.

The process ended quickly, and Zhao Xing kowtowed to the front.

"Minister Zhao Xing, thanks our emperor!"

"May our emperor live forever!"

"Rise." Emperor Jing’s voice echoed through the Heavenly Palace, and as the voice sounded, Zhao Xing found his stature had grown taller.

"Thank you, our emperor!"

Zhao Xing glanced back; at this moment, many lower-ranked officials stood behind him.

They were the countless Ninth and Eighth Grades of Great Zhou.

Being of the secondary seventh rank, he had already surpassed many people!

When the court session ended and the illusion disappeared, Zhao Xing followed the process, bowed again, and left the divine temple. Then, he checked his own status through the panel.

...

[Name: Zhao Xing]

[Realm: Secondary Seventh Rank]

[Occupation: Minister of Agriculture]

[Qi Fortune: Yan Three]

[Gathering Essence: Thirty-first Order]

[Life Soul: Early Seventh Rank]

[Extra Lifespan: 140 years]

"The Life Soul reached early seventh rank, adding sixty years to my lifespan."

"Emperor Jing was generous this time, giving me sixty additional years just for reaching the secondary seventh rank?"

However, on second thought, Zhao Xing understood.

This was for warfare!

And they were fighting in foreign lands. Soldiers would often pray to deities, and the cost of praying to deities in foreign lands was high, consuming lifespan.

Generosity was impossible; all the gifts from Emperor Jing had long been priced accordingly.

"The Qi Fortune didn’t change, still Yan Three."

"It seems there may be changes only upon reaching the secondary sixth rank."

The Qi Fortune level was the hardest to raise. Zhao Xing was originally Yan Three; to climb to Yan Four, the eighth and seventh-grade stages were still insufficient.

It should be noted that many fifth-rank officials only possessed Yan Three Qi Fortune.

Of course, others couldn’t see this. Even fifth-rank officials didn’t know how strong their Qi Fortune was, and had no idea if Emperor Jing was being stingy.

"From secondary seventh rank to upper secondary seventh rank, lower seventh rank to upper seventh rank, there are three levels to cross. Each level crossed would increase lifespan and fortune, but only during rank ascension would there be a visit to Tianxin Hall."

"After that, there’s no need for such a fuss."

As for his magic, there was no significant change; the court merely opened the channel for advancement, and his understanding of the Dao wouldn’t see much improvement.