The Dao Sovereign of Shennong

Zhao Xing's actions at the grass field quickly caught the attention of the three examiners aboard the flying boat.

He was among the first clerks to respond by creating straw puppets, and both his speed and the quality of his creations were notably superior.

While others' straw puppets wobbled and staggered, Zhao Xing's moved fluidly, running and jumping with surprising liveliness.

"Hmm? The Liu's Compiled Eighty-One Techniques. Is this clerk under Lord Gao or Lord Tang?" Chen Shijie asked.

Gao Linong and Tang Wanchun exchanged glances, both puzzled. They didn't even recognize the method at first because neither of them had fully mastered it themselves, much less taught it.

"He's not one of mine," Gao Linong replied.

"Nor mine," added Tang Wanchun.

"Oh? This clerk's use of the straw puppet technique is rather exquisite. I wonder whose subordinate he is," Chen Shijie mused.

Tang Wanchun thought for a moment and then said, "The complete Liu's Compiled Eighty-One Techniques… aside from you, Master Chen, I believe only Old Shennong Official Xue might still know it."

Chen Shijie nodded slightly. After all, Xue Wenzhong had been a Shennong for more than sixty years, so it made sense for him to know more techniques.

This reminder prompted both Tang and Gao to begin paying closer attention to Zhao Xing.

Before long, they witnessed the scene where Zhao Xing fought over straw, throwing a rock to scare off a fellow clerk and forcing his peer to retreat.

Gao Linong snorted, "Hmph, this one has an unruly temperament. Fighting his fellow clerks over a straw pile—how disgraceful."

Tang Wanchun cast a glance but remained silent, waiting to gauge Chen Shijie's reaction. After all, the chief official had just praised the young clerk. It wouldn't be wise to openly contradict him now.

Chen Shijie, however, responded calmly, "A Shennong, after all, competes with the forces of nature. Showing some sharpness is quite normal. Take Li Chengfeng, under Lord Gao's tutelage—he's often quite bold, isn't he?"

Gao Linong's eyelids twitched as he realized his earlier comment had been a mistake. Even if he thought so, it wasn't something he should have said out loud.

"Chen Shijie is from the northern wilderness, where disasters are frequent. This kid's actions likely suit his taste," Gao thought, quickly changing his tone.

"Master Chen, your insight is indeed wise. I was too shortsighted. Besides, the young clerk was there first, so he was within his rights," Gao added smoothly.

This was a classic case of hierarchy at work. Chen Shijie, with just a slight reprimand, prompted Gao Linong to immediately adjust his stance, for he was a subordinate, while Chen held the higher rank.

Zhao Xing, unaware of the discussions taking place aboard the flying boat, finally left the grass field after depleting a third pile of straw.

At this point, he had crafted a total of seventy-six straw puppets!

Under the pressure of the test, he worked with even more focus. When he reached the sixtieth straw puppet, the following notification appeared:

[Straw Puppet (Reviving Type) proficiency has exceeded 1000, reaching the first transformation level.]

From that point on, the remaining sixteen straw puppets were created even faster, moving more nimbly and with greater strength.

"This should be enough," Zhao Xing thought.

The seventy-six straw puppets took their positions in the field, standing firm with bamboo rods in hand, like soldiers ready for battle.

Zhao Xing checked his energy levels.

Qi energy had fallen below 50.

"At this rate, my Cloud Movement and Thunder Summoning spells won't last much longer. Maintaining these spells drains far more energy than the straw puppets," he mused.

The straw puppets, after all, were physical constructs that didn't require additional energy once created. The cloud and thunder spells, on the other hand, demanded continuous effort.

Still, Zhao Xing decided to hold on for as long as he could. The straw puppets, while useful, couldn't cover every angle as well as the weather spells.

In the first quarter-hour of the Minor Heat exam, Zhao Xing's Cloud Movement and Thunder Summoning had successfully deterred almost all the Grain-Eating Birds.

In the second quarter-hour, the straw puppets assembled, awaiting their role.

In the third quarter-hour, the frequency of thunder weakened, and some of the birds managed to break through the clouds and peck at the yuan rice, only to be repelled by the straw puppets.

By the fourth quarter-hour, Zhao Xing had given up on the thunder entirely, relying only on Cloud Movement. As a result, about a third of the birds made it through, forcing the straw puppets into full action.

In the fifth quarter-hour, several birds were knocked down by the straw puppets, but five straw puppets were also destroyed in the process.

By the sixth quarter-hour, a third of the birds, unable to find food, flew away. However, the number of straw puppets destroyed had increased to twenty-five.

In the seventh quarter-hour, the cloud cover shrank, and in the scorching heat, Zhao Xing's energy reserves were running dangerously low. He began to use the straw puppets as bait, luring the birds away since the straw puppets were made from yuan rice straw, which the birds loved. As a result, he lost more than half of his straw puppets.

In the eighth quarter-hour, the cloud cover shrank further, exposing half the field. Zhao Xing ordered all remaining straw puppets to act as "sacrificial lambs," allowing the birds to peck at them while the rice fields beneath began to suffer damage.

As the ninth quarter-hour began, a bell rang in the sky. All the Grain-Eating Birds immediately took flight, vanishing into the clouds above.

"Pant… pant…" Zhao Xing was drenched in sweat, utterly exhausted.

But he couldn't rest just yet. He rushed to inspect the condition of his fields.

"The southern half-mu was hit the hardest since I left it exposed first and funneled most of the birds there."

"The other fields, though, took very little damage," he noted, feeling a sense of relief.

Of the seventy-six straw puppets he had deployed, only eight remained, and even they were battered and incomplete. If they hadn't reached the first-transformation proficiency, they likely wouldn't have lasted.

"It's over. I can finally rest," Zhao Xing muttered, waving his hand. The remaining straw puppets lost their luster and collapsed at the edge of the field.

The heat was oppressive, and after an hour of intense battle, Zhao Xing felt utterly drained, ready to collapse and sleep.

Around him, the air was filled with the wails and groans of other clerks.

This exam had been far more difficult than previous ones, and many clerks' fields had suffered heavy losses.

Most had lost more than half of their crops, and some had their entire fields decimated.

"All that hard work for over a month, gone just like that?"

"Curse those wretched birds! Damn it!"

"Sigh, if only I had been more skilled. Who else can I blame? I'll just have to prepare for the makeup exam."

"Even if you pass the makeup test, all you'll get is a C—barely a pass. And then, after wasting all your energy, how will you face the next test?"

"It's not easy to become a Ninth Rank Officer. We clerks at the Shennong Division have it relatively easy—at least we only have five hundred people competing for three to five spots. In the military division at East Lake, one post has over three thousand candidates vying for it!"

"Don't even mention the military. Even the Tian Gong Workshop for engineers has nearly a thousand people competing for each spot."

"I wish I were a woman. I've heard the competition in the Weaving Workshop isn't nearly as fierce."

"Ugh, have some self-respect!"

…

At that moment, the sky suddenly darkened with clouds, and rain began to fall.

"Drip, drip, drip…"

At first, the raindrops were light, but soon they became heavy and plentiful.

The air cooled rapidly as the rain fell.

Zhao Xing slumped onto the ground, letting the rain wash over him.

Just as quickly as it arrived, the rain stopped, clearly the result of a controlled spell.

The clerks were given a quarter-hour to rest and recover. Then, just as suddenly, the sky cleared, the clouds turned white, and the weather returned to the usual Minor Heat conditions.

A flying boat descended from the clouds and landed near the grass field. At the bow stood three figures: Chief Officer Chen Shijie, and his two deputies, Gao Linong and Tang Wanchun.

"They're here. It's time to announce the results of the Minor Heat exam," Zhao Xing thought, pulling himself together and heading toward the gathering area.