The Dao Sovereign of Shennong

"Today's second test is a challenge of cloud techniques," Zuo Zizhi's voice echoed.

"The boundaries are set by the four boundary markers in the eastern outskirts. Lord Lu will create a cloud cover over the entire area."

"Participants must ascend into the clouds. Anyone who stays below 100 meters will be considered as having failed."

"Combat between participants is restricted to the use of cloud techniques. Any use of other techniques to attack others will result in military punishment."

"Anyone whose cloud disperses, fails."

"Anyone who faints from energy depletion, fails."

"Anyone pushed beyond the boundary, fails."

As soon as Zuo Zizhi announced the rules for the second test, the expressions of the 900-plus participants varied greatly.

Some were skilled in cloud techniques, while others were not.

Those confident in their cloud techniques looked pleased.

Those who doubted they could hold out looked downcast.

But no one questioned this test.

Regardless of what kind of Military Shennong you were, cloud techniques were fundamental to the Heaven School's Four Techniques, which were also the foundation of the mainstream cultivation today.

A Military Shennong could forgo learning Earth School or Inner School techniques, but they couldn't neglect Heaven School techniques, as they were the most essential.

The Four Techniques of Heaven were the basic techniques of this mainstream approach.

"The first test already eliminated 90% of the participants. I wonder how many will be cut from this round," Zhao Xing thought with anticipation. "But when it comes to cloud techniques, I'm confident."

Although his Cloud-Devouring Technique was only at the eighth transformation, it was still the strongest among all cloud techniques—without exception!

Even at the eighth transformation, Zhao Xing didn't fear other fully perfected mid-level cloud techniques.

As soon as Zuo Zizhi finished reading the rules for the first time, the participants began to spread out, each searching for a spot where they wouldn't be crowded by others.

After all, their primary opponent was Lord Lu.

If they could hold their own under his cloud suppression, that would suffice.

There was no need to engage in unnecessary clashes with others.

The eastern outskirts of Yangcheng were vast enough that if everyone compressed their cloud area a little, each participant could have their own patch of sky.

Zhao Xing also glanced around, ensuring he kept a fair distance from others.

By the time Zuo Zizhi read the rules for the second time, everyone had more or less found their ideal positions.

However, Zhao Xing noticed a familiar figure approaching.

It was Li Feng.

Wherever Zhao Xing went, Li Feng followed, maintaining a distance of about fifty meters.

In the realm of cloud techniques, fifty meters was already a dangerously close and congested distance.

"It seems this won't end peacefully," Zhao Xing thought as he observed the look in Li Feng's eyes. He knew that this guy was definitely holding a grudge.

"Where do you think you can run? The eastern outskirts aren't that big. How far can you go?" Li Feng's expression was taunting.

"Are you so sure you can beat me in cloud techniques?" Zhao Xing responded. "Here's some advice: now's not the time."

"Afraid?" Li Feng sneered. "I asked around and found out you're Zhao Xing from the Shenwei Army. If you're scared, just get out of the testing area!"

Li Feng's voice wasn't quiet. Since the test hadn't officially begun, he transmitted his voice using a wind technique, ensuring many people heard it.

As a result, a lot of people turned their attention toward Li Feng and Zhao Xing's confrontation.

"Looks like there's some drama."

"That's Li Feng. Who's the other guy?"

"According to Li Feng, he's from the Shenwei Army, someone named Zhao Xing."

"Are there any experts in the Shenwei Army besides Han Bing? Why's Li Feng picking a fight with some no-name guy?"

"After being here for a month, a bit of friction is normal."

"Li Feng was ranked sixth in the Hujiao Army's internal selection. But I've never heard of this Shenwei Army Zhao Xing before."

"I remember now! Zhao Xing from the Shenwei Army was ranked twenty-ninth during the reporting test."

"Interesting."

Li Feng's loud declaration had drawn a lot of attention, which was exactly what he wanted.

He was trying to force Zhao Xing into a confrontation, leaving him no option but to engage.

Otherwise, if they ended up chasing each other later, there would be interference from others.

"Afraid?" Zhao Xing scoffed. "Fine, I'll give you a chance to get your revenge! Whoever runs away is a coward!"

Li Feng had brought up the Shenwei Army, and this was no longer just a personal issue. If Zhao Xing didn't stand his ground, not only would others look down on him, but even his comrades from the Shenwei Army would lose respect for him.

Li Feng had indeed forced Zhao Xing into a fight, but Zhao Xing wasn't one to back down.

Since avoidance was no longer an option, he would fight!

"Good!" Li Feng's eyes gleamed. "Whoever runs is a coward!"

Seeing the tension between the two, everyone nearby backed away a bit, afraid of getting caught up in their conflict.

Han Bing, after some thought, positioned himself behind Zhao Xing but didn't intend to intervene, only standing by in case Li Feng took things too far.

On a hill, Zhuo Li from the Lieyang Army also noticed the face-off between Zhao Xing and Li Feng.

"It's him. I saw him back at Dayuan Prefecture."

"So, this Zhao Xing from the Shenwei Army ranked twenty-ninth during the reporting test?"

Zhuo Li mentally noted Zhao Xing's name.

Thanks to Li Feng's scene, the previously low-profile, little-known Zhao Xing from the Shenwei Army was now on everyone's radar.

After Zuo Zizhi finished reading the rules for the third time, the second test officially began.

In the next moment, a dark golden cloud appeared, centered around the flying vessel, rapidly spreading outward.

The cloud hovered at an altitude of one thousand meters, its surface eerily flat, like a sheet of iron pressed in the sky.

Seeing this perfectly flat cloud, many participants felt a sense of oppression, as if it would collapse and fall at any moment.

"Cloud Summoning!"

"Flowing Clouds of the Four Seas!"

"Seven-Star Cloud Formation!"

"Blood Shadow Clouds!"

"…"

At the start of the test, everyone deployed their cloud techniques, propelling their clouds upwards.

The eastern outskirts of Yangcheng instantly became a kaleidoscope of vibrant clouds. Given the sheer number of participants, collisions were inevitable.

Not everyone was aiming for peaceful advancement. Since Zuo Zizhi hadn't mentioned an end time for the test, it was clear that this wasn't a timed trial.

It would only end once a certain number of people had been eliminated.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Many clouds clashed before even reaching the hundred-meter mark, leading to fierce battles throughout the eastern outskirts.

Clouds intertwined, and with nearly a thousand people ascending at once, the Essence Energy quickly became chaotic.

Those with weaker cloud control couldn't stabilize their clouds amid this initial wave of chaos.

And when the cloud technique failed, it meant instant elimination.

Within the first wave alone, dozens of people were eliminated!

"Swish~"

As soon as someone's cloud dispersed, they were immediately removed from the field.

One Military Shennong, wrapped in a gentle wind, was taken outside the boundary before he even realized what had happened.

"Your test is over. Report to another academy. You can still compete for rankings within that academy and gain rewards," said a man clad in armor, giving the eliminated recruit a cursory glance.

"I…"

He wanted to protest, but the armored man had already walked away.

At the boundary, anyone who accidentally stepped out was also swept away by a soft wind.

"Eliminated!"

"Eliminated!"

"Eliminated!"

Many participants were pulled out and informed that they had lost their chance to join the four main academies, leaving them no choice but to walk away dejectedly.

During this initial, chaotic stage, Zhao Xing and Li Feng both held steady, managing to lift their clouds to the one hundred-meter mark.

Part of this was because, after hearing the two had a grudge, many people had chosen to stay far away, giving them more space.

Additionally, both Zhao Xing and Li Feng were highly skilled in cloud techniques, and despite the volatile Essence Energy, their clouds remained stable.

"Their cloud control techniques are evenly matched," Zhuang Ziqing remarked casually as he observed Li Feng's side.

With Li Feng's loud declaration, most people had backed off from him, and as the second-ranked participant, Zhuang Ziqing naturally had even more space since no one dared to provoke him. Thus, the top-tier participants ascended smoothly to the hundred-meter altitude.

Zhuang Ziqing even had the leisure to observe the battle between Zhao Xing and Li Feng.

"Li Feng's cloud is rising faster," Feng Qiu commented coldly. As a fellow member of the Hujiao Army, Feng Qiu kept an eye on Li Feng's challenge, especially since it now involved the reputation of their army.

However, Shi Yong, the top-ranked participant, who was also from the Hujiao Army, paid no attention to the matter. He stood alone atop a giant boulder on a distant hill, aloof and detached, as if nothing concerned him.

Within two breaths, Zhao Xing's cloud had ascended above the hundred-meter mark.

Li Feng's cloud had done the same, and was slightly higher than Zhao Xing's.

"Impressive, his cloud control isn't too far off from mine," Li Feng noted, his arrogance receding slightly.

"However, this is where it ends for you!"

"Cloud-Armored Giant, appear!"

Li Feng was the first to make a move. His cloud suddenly swirled, and a massive silver-armored giant emerged from within.

The giant looked extremely lifelike, as if it were a true armored warrior.

Its armor gleamed silver, but the spear it wielded was a dark purple-black.

"It's the Cloud-Armored Giant, a technique from the Soldier Cloud Technique, and he's even formed a thunder spear!" someone quickly recognized the move.

"No wonder Li Feng is so confident. He was ranked sixth in the Hujiao Army's internal selection. His Soldier Cloud Technique must be at least at the seventh transformation."

"The Soldier Cloud Technique is known for its lethal power, unmatched in direct combat among cloud techniques."

"That's nonsense! The Blood Cloud Technique is the strongest!"

"You heretics! The Thunder Cloud Technique is the real deal! Fight me if you disagree!"

The surrounding participants erupted into debate.

Li Feng's cloud technique indeed garnered admiration. He was, after all, one of the Hujiao Army's top talents.

But Zhao Xing remained calm.

Watching Li Feng's Cloud-Armored Giant charge forward, Zhao Xing gave a casual comment: "What a flashy display."

As the giant spearheaded its charge, Zhao Xing's cloud remained motionless, as if frozen in fear.

Amid the crowd's gasps, the Cloud-Armored Giant pierced Zhao Xing's cloud with a single thrust.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Thunder rumbled within the cloud, not as a separate thunder technique but as a natural feature of the Soldier Cloud Technique.

The Cloud-Armored Giant's strike leveraged the power of thunder to destabilize an enemy's cloud, pushing it to collapse.

But the expected collapse didn't occur.

While Zhao Xing's cloud trembled, it was far from disintegrating.

"Is that all you've got? You call yourself a genius of the Hujiao Army?" Zhao Xing's lazy voice drifted through the air.

"Put more effort into it. I can take it."

"Wait, how did he withstand that?"

"Can anyone tell what kind of cloud technique Zhao Xing is using?"

"Looks like it could be the Thunder Cloud Technique."

"Must be. Otherwise, how could he endure the lightning strikes?"

The Cloud-Devouring Technique could consume all kinds of clouds and even take on their characteristics. When Zhao Xing had learned it from the Ten Thousand Law Cloud Diagram, he'd seen the technique devour other clouds, one by one.

It could devour or transform, so effortlessly neutralizing the attack naturally made others think it was the Thunder Cloud Technique.

"Hmph, still talking tough!"

Li Feng's eyes glinted as his cloud swirled seven times more.

Seven more Cloud-Armored Giants, each wielding a purple-black thunder spear, emerged and began to relentlessly stab at Zhao Xing's cloud.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

At the eighth transformation of the Soldier Cloud Technique, a total of eight Cloud-Armored Thunder Spear Giants now besieged Zhao Xing's cloud.

The crackling thunder and crashing strikes filled the air.

It was a bizarre sight, like eight warriors frantically stabbing a pile of hay.

At first glance, it seemed Li Feng had the upper hand.

But the more he attacked, the stranger he felt.

His first thought was: Why isn't Zhao Xing fighting back? He can't be that weak, can he?

His second thought was: Why are my Cloud-Armored Giants getting smaller? The consumption is too fast!

By the time Li Feng realized that Zhao Xing's cloud was growing larger with each strike, he knew something was wrong.

"Damn it, this isn't the Thunder Cloud Technique. Could it be…?"

Li Feng tried to retract his Cloud-Armored Giants immediately.

But it was too late. He found that they couldn't retreat.

The moment the thunder spears pierced into Zhao Xing's cloud, they were as if embedded into stone.

"Boom!"

A darker hue crept up the purple-black thunder spears, spreading rapidly along the bodies of the Cloud-Armored Giants.

In no time, the eight Cloud-Armored Giants turned pitch-black.

Li Feng's heart sank as he looked at Zhao Xing in disbelief.

He had lost control over his eight Cloud-Armored Giants.

"Hmm?" Zhuang Ziqing, observing from a distance, was surprised. "Could that be... the Cloud-Devouring Technique?"

"The Cloud-Armored Giants have become Zhao Xing's," Feng Qiu remarked with a solemn expression. "I thought it was the Thunder Cloud Technique, but it turns out to be the Cloud-Devouring Technique."

"Now, his cloud has transformed into the form of the Soldier Cloud Technique."

"He… he's using the Cloud-Devouring Technique." Li Feng was drenched in cold sweat.

The reversal had come too quickly. He had thought victory was within his grasp, only to discover that Zhao Xing had been using the Cloud-Devouring Technique all along!

The Cloud-Devouring Technique was the most domineering of all cloud techniques, not only capable of devouring an opponent's cloud energy but also replicating their cloud techniques. For example, Zhao Xing's cloud had now transformed into the Soldier Cloud Technique.

The eight black-armored spear-wielding giants turned on Li Feng's cloud, attacking with relentless force.

"If I can hold out, as long as his Cloud-Devouring Technique isn't too advanced, I won't lose!" Li Feng's eyes were bloodshot, but deep down, he knew things were looking grim.

He had learned the Cloud-Devouring Technique, but only at the third transformation. Most people, including him, only studied it as a supplementary technique.

His plan had been to use the Soldier Cloud Technique to crush Zhao Xing and then absorb Zhao Xing's cloud energy to strengthen himself.

However, the fact that Zhao Xing could absorb his Cloud-Armored Giants and turn them against him meant that Zhao Xing's Cloud-Devouring Technique had to be at least at the seventh transformation. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been possible to devour his eighth-transformation Cloud-Armored Giants so easily.

"Still resisting?"

Seeing that Li Feng was still struggling, Zhao Xing didn't hesitate. His cloud suddenly expanded, and a massive vortex appeared within the dark clouds, like a giant mouth of the abyss, pulling Li Feng's cloud toward it.

"Spare him!" A sword-shaped cloud suddenly shot from the south, aiming to stop Zhao Xing.

"Wait!" From the north, a thundercloud rushed over to support Li Feng.

Zhao Xing squinted and saw that it was the brothers Jiang He and Jiang Hai, who had ranked in the top ten during the reporting test. They, too, were talented recruits from the Hujiao Army.

Shi Yong, Zhuang Ziqing, Feng Qiu, Jiang He, and Jiang Hai—these five had made up half of the top ten during the reporting test, all from the Hujiao Army.

"Zhao Xing, you've already won. Give our Hujiao Army some face and don't eliminate Li Feng," Jiang He and Jiang Hai said.

"Give face?" Zhao Xing retorted coldly. "You think your face is that big? Two rookie recruits think they can represent the Hujiao Army? If I lost, do you think he'd spare me?"

"If you don't want to be eliminated, come at me!"

Without hesitation, Zhao Xing swallowed Li Feng's cloud completely.

"Boom!"

Zhao Xing's cloud swelled, transforming into a Soldier Cloud state, and from within the vortex, it spat out eighteen Cloud-Armored Giants.

These black-armored giants, dark as ink, were clearly far stronger than those Li Feng had summoned.

"Urgh~"

Li Feng coughed up blood as the backlash from the collapse of his cloud overwhelmed him, leaving his face pale.

It wasn't that he couldn't handle the defeat, but being humiliated in front of everyone had shaken him, leading to his loss of control over the Essence Energy backlash.

"Whoosh~"

A gentle breeze enveloped Li Feng, and in the next moment, he was standing outside the boundary.

Jiang He and Jiang Hai, seeing this, could only snort coldly and give up.

"Li Feng was defeated?"

"That's the Cloud-Devouring Technique—such a powerful one. It must be at least at the seventh transformation, right?"

"Who is this Zhao Xing from the Shenwei Army? Why have we never heard of him?"

"In the world of cloud techniques, the Cloud-Devouring Technique reigns supreme. But it's incredibly hard to master. I've only reached the fourth transformation myself."

"Who would dare make the Cloud-Devouring Technique their primary focus? It would slow down their overall cultivation progress too much. Most people just study it as a supplementary technique."

"When the Cloud-Devouring Technique comes out, who can compete?"

"Looks like no one in this cloud technique test can beat Zhao Xing."

Many eyes were now fixed on the swirling black vortex of clouds, and the name Zhao Xing of the Shenwei Army was etched into everyone's memory.

On the flying vessel, Zuo Zizhi and Lu Bang silently observed the commotion below.

"Cloud-Devouring Technique, eighth transformation," Zuo Zizhi said in amazement. "No wonder the Shenwei Army selected him right after his promotion to official staff. He indeed has some unique qualities."

"Li Feng was too arrogant. He dared to boast with only cloud techniques, but his previous streak of victories had clearly gone to his head," Lu Bang snorted. "It's good that he lost here; it'll bring him back to reality. In the future, if he enters the military with this kind of arrogance, he'll jeopardize not only himself but his entire unit."

"I see many people down there are too idle. Some are even watching the fight and chatting. Should we speed up the elimination process?" Zuo Zizhi asked.

"I was thinking the same thing." Lu Bang nodded, then pressed his hands down.

The flat, dark golden cloud in the sky suddenly began to descend.