The Dao Sovereign of Shennong

As Zhao Xing crafted his first Reviving Straw Puppet, it wobbled and struggled to stand upright. The second puppet, though still walking with a stagger, managed to hold its posture steadily. By the time he made the third one, it could walk at a faster pace.

...

When Xue Wenzhong returned from his rounds in the front courtyard, he was met with quite a scene in the back courtyard: one puppet was dashing around, another leaping between straw piles, a third was swinging under the locust tree, a fourth was sifting through grain, and a fifth was pulling weeds in the vegetable garden.

Although a few "failed" puppets were knocking over baskets and clothes poles or startling the chickens and ducks, Xue Wenzhong paid no attention to these. His eyes were focused on the puppets that moved with a hint of life.

He hurried toward Zhao Xing, who was busy fixing the knocked-over items. "I was only gone for half an hour, and you've already made all these?"

Zhao Xing, feeling slightly embarrassed by the mess in the courtyard, apologized, "I'm sorry, Old Shennong. I'll clean up right away. One of the ducks flew over the fence... I'll replace it for you!"

But Xue Wenzhong laughed, his face wrinkling with amusement. He clapped Zhao Xing on the shoulder. "What's a duck compared to your progress? Don't worry about it!"

Patting Zhao Xing's back, he added, "Keep up the good work. Aim to earn an A in the Winter Evaluation, and after you pass the Spring Temple Exam, you'll surely secure your place as an official Shennong."

Zhao Xing was momentarily taken aback, but seeing that the old Shennong wasn't blaming him, he smiled and bowed. "Thank you, teacher."

"But with so many skilled clerks in the Shennong Division and my humble background, I might not have the chance..."

Xue Wenzhong understood what Zhao Xing left unsaid—he was referring to how some clerks received special treatment from certain Shennong Officers who accepted bribes or favors in exchange for extra help.

"With such talent, it's my mistake not to have noticed sooner. From now on, you may come to the back courtyard every day to train for an additional hour."

Zhao Xing had been hoping for this very outcome. Xue Wenzhong's words now sounded like he was being treated as a disciple, and he immediately took the opportunity to bow deeply. "Thank you, teacher, for your guidance and generosity."

Moved by Zhao Xing's potential, Xue Wenzhong formally accepted the gesture. "Keep working hard and don't waste your talent. If you continue to apply yourself, you'll surely succeed. I don't care what the others do—if you're still not promoted next year, I'll step down and let you take my place!"

If anyone else had said such a thing, Zhao Xing might have dismissed it as an empty promise. But coming from Xue Wenzhong, it was highly credible. He was a man of his word, and at his advanced age, stepping down was a real possibility.

If it came down to a tight spot where there weren't enough slots and Zhao Xing's score was on the borderline, Xue Wenzhong might actually make good on his promise and step aside.

"Thank you, teacher. I will work hard and won't let you down."

Over the next three days, Zhao Xing learned the fourth method of straw puppet-making from Xue Wenzhong. Even Xue Wenzhong was amazed by how fast Zhao Xing progressed, especially since he was only practicing during that extra hour of training each day.

Zhao Xing, too, was filled with gratitude. "The combination of luck and treasures has not only accelerated my cultivation but also earned me Old Shennong's recognition. The Grand Dream Academy is truly a treasure trove. Just a bit of its blessings has made such a huge difference."

However, during the past few nights, when Zhao Xing tried to return to the Grand Dream Academy, even the Heart-Testing Platform had disappeared. It seemed there were no suitable challenges left for him at his current level.

Now, Zhao Xing was walking along the fields on the eastern outskirts of town.

As a Shennong clerk, his mornings were spent studying, while the afternoons were dedicated to fieldwork.

In addition to agricultural tasks, there were various duties like advising farmers and inspecting the harvest. Much of the work depended on the assignments given by their supervisors.

Having so many clerks under Xue Wenzhong had its pros and cons. On the positive side, with so many clerks available, there were fewer tasks distributed among them, which made things less hectic.

This freed up more time for studying and preparing for evaluations.

The process of becoming a full-fledged Shennong involved several components.

First, there was the performance of the regions they oversaw, which was tracked by the county government, not the Shennong Division. Most regions were fairly average, but some had land classified as good, average, or poor. Those assigned to fertile regions had an advantage. Since Xue Wenzhong wasn't competitive, the best regions had already been snatched up by the other Shennong Officers.

Second, there was the Character Evaluation, which covered various aspects like how well clerks handled their assigned duties, their attitude toward learning, and their reputation. There weren't any strict standards for this; it was mostly up to the higher-ups.

Third was the Skill Assessment, which was based on the 24 solar terms. Eight key terms—Start of Spring, Spring Equinox, Start of Summer, Summer Solstice, Start of Autumn, Autumn Equinox, Start of Winter, and Winter Solstice—were mandatory. Other important planting and harvesting terms were also part of the assessment.

For example, a month ago during Grain in Ear, they were tested on the last planting of yuan rice and its survival rate.

The person responsible for setting the test questions and conducting the evaluation was Chen Shijie, a Ninth Rank Shennong Officer.

These three components formed the "regular score." Those with the highest scores were recommended by the Shennong Division for the Nanyang County Governor's Office at the end of the year. Together, they determined the Winter Evaluation.

Sometimes there would be an additional round of tests during the Winter Evaluation, depending on the circumstances, especially based on the overall performance of the entire Nanyang County in the previous year. If the county had outperformed others and the imperial court had allocated enough positions, there might be no need for further testing.

After that, in the coming spring, there was the Temple Exam.

The imperial court set the questions, further screening the candidates nominated by each county.

Passing the Temple Exam was the final step.

Afterward, a formal decree would be issued, officially appointing the clerks to their positions. They would undergo a Qi Luck Baptism at the temple, becoming part of the Qi Luck Dynasty of the Great Zhou.

In essence, this was a series of interconnected promotion tasks.

In his previous life, Zhao Xing had completed the promotion process during Emperor Wu's reign, so he was very familiar with the steps. It was a challenging process during that era.

In the Revival Version, it became much easier.

Still, the difficulty had its advantages—many things available now would become impossible to find later on.

"With the Qi Luck and the treasures I've gained, getting promoted should be no problem," Zhao Xing thought confidently, walking lightly toward the public fields.

The Summer Solstice had passed, and Minor Heat was approaching.

In the county's public fields, the yuan rice was already beginning to ripen.

This year's Winter Evaluation hadn't included a Summer Solstice test, so the Minor Heat would definitely be included to complete the required evaluations.

At this time, most Shennong clerks were heading to the public fields, knowing that they couldn't miss the chance to be evaluated. The fields in Gucheng were already crowded with clerks waiting for their test.

"Everyone's crowding here for the Minor Heat test—it's just like scrambling for elective classes in my previous life," Zhao Xing observed, amused at how similar it felt to university registration.

It made sense though—missing even one evaluation wouldn't disqualify someone outright, but it could significantly hurt their chances of promotion. No one wanted to take that risk.

As Zhao Xing entered the public fields, the heat became intense, and sweat began to bead on his forehead. Even with the Cloud Movement spell shielding him from the sun, it wasn't enough to fully ward off the heat.

After waiting for a while, Chen Ziyu, Qian Dong, Li Chengfeng, and Wen Nanxing all arrived as well, joining the crowd of clerks already gathered.

Without exception, everyone was sweating and panting heavily, clearly suffering under the scorching sun.

"It's only Minor Heat, but the sun feels as fierce as during the Major Heat. Shennong Chen sure has a wicked sense of humor. Brother, what do you think he'll test us on this time?" Chen Ziyu asked.

"How would I know? You're the one with the surname Chen."

"That's just coincidence. He's a traveling officer from Xishan County—we share a surname, but we're not related at all," Chen Ziyu scoffed.

"Let's just conserve our energy and wait," Qian Dong said weakly, fanning himself with his hat.

Just as the group was wilting in the heat, a sudden commotion came from the south.

"Look, what's that?!"

"The test! The test is coming!"

"My god, it's..."