The Dao Sovereign of Shennong

The lamp flickered, and Zhao Xing focused on the dimly lit book in front of him. Gradually, his vision began to brighten. At first, he thought it was just a natural adjustment to the light, but the brightness continued to intensify until, at one point, the room seemed as bright as daytime.

"Hmm?" Zhao Xing raised his head, put down the book, and looked around. He noticed that it was still deep in the night outside, with no hint of dawn. The calendar showed it was the Zi Hour (midnight), and there were no unusual occurrences.

Looking at the system panel, Zhao Xing realized what had happened.

[You have been reading the "Herbal Classic" at night. Essence has entered your eyes, and you have comprehended the skill 'Night Vision'.]

[Night Vision: Basic Skill]

[Proficiency: 20/9999]

[Effect: Ability to see clearly at night and observe objects from a distance of up to a thousand meters.]

"A general skill, huh? I didn't expect to unlock this one," Zhao Xing smiled. It was a pleasant surprise to gain such a useful ability after only a short time reading.

"But since my Essence Gathering is nearing the third level, it makes sense I would acquire this skill now."

Night Vision is an adaptable skill, both passive and active, adjusting to different environments. It was a standard skill for most ninth-rank cultivators. Some lower-rank cultivators could also acquire it, but it was more common for warriors, as their Essence was primarily focused on enhancing their physical bodies. For Shennong cultivators like Zhao Xing, the skill came a bit later.

"Its utility is undeniable. In the future, it can evolve into Keen Insight, allowing one to observe subtle movements, detect fluctuations in Essence, and even sense psychological states—though that only works on those with lower cultivation than oneself," Zhao Xing thought.

For those at the same level or higher, whose Essence is perfectly controlled, it becomes much harder to detect anything, let alone read their thoughts.

"Then there's the Inquisitor's True Gaze, a skill prized by the Inquisitor Profession—unrivaled when it comes to interrogating prisoners."

Now that Zhao Xing had Night Vision, reading in low light became much easier. He resumed studying the Herbal Classic, A Grand View of Trees, and The Compendium of All Living Things.

For the Shennong Profession, the ultimate goal was the cultivation of crops, and these three books provided comprehensive classifications and descriptions of the plants found throughout the land.

They were categorized by their uses—medicinal, edible, or for livestock—and were further divided into classes such as Family, Order, Genus, and Species.

For instance, Zhao Xing came across a page in the Herbal Classic describing a miraculous plant called Selaginella, also known as the Resurrection Plant, which could heal damage to the soul. It belonged to the Herbaceous Family.

Turning the page, Zhao Xing encountered a familiar name.

"Under the Fungi Family, there's mention of a mountain in Mingdao Prefecture where a strange mushroom known as the Chameleon Mushroom grows. It changes color to blend into its surroundings, and when touched, it explodes, releasing toxic gas that can cause blindness, poisoning, and even death."

Zhao Xing had cultivated Chameleon Mushrooms in his previous life. They grew quickly, were easy to maintain, and weren't expensive—perfect for Shennong players looking to trap others.

Plants were also classified by their origins—Native Species (naturally occurring) and Derivative Species (created by humans). Additionally, they were sorted by their Five-Element attributes, like the Purple Lightning Bamboo that Zhao Xing had cultivated in his previous life.

This bamboo belonged to the Lightning Element, and its nodes could release purple lightning strikes, making it one of the most offensive plants in the bamboo family.

One of the early weaknesses of Shennong players was their reliance on stationary plants for combat, requiring careful pre-planning and defense. Since plants couldn't move, players often had to prepare traps well in advance.

But once players reached the 50th Essence Level, this limitation disappeared.

At that point, they could begin Essence-based Seed Cultivation—developing a small mobile patch of pure-essence soil within their dantian (energy core). This acted as a portable reserve for their plants.

When encountering enemies, they could project a pure-essence projection into the real world, allowing their plants to instantly materialize and take root anywhere. It was essentially a near-instantaneous summoning of an army of plants.

A flick of the wrist could unleash an entire plant army!

In the later Revival Version, players could cultivate plants directly within their Inner World, growing mystical plants that could root in the void itself, completely bypassing the need for terrain or environmental conditions. This marked the peak of the Self-School Shennong era.

"Those were the good old days. I wonder if I'll live to see them again."

"The Fortune Dynasty System allows emperors to live for up to a thousand years, with the longest-lived officials, like Peng Zu of the Yin Dynasty, living for eight hundred years."

"This limit was broken during the reign of Emperor Wu. Afterward, officials started living longer than emperors, while emperors themselves had shorter lives because the dynasty was in decline—everyone was busy 'stealing luck and extending their lives.'"

Zhao Xing pondered as he tapped his fingers. "I must rely on the Fortune Dynasty System to extend my lifespan if I'm to wait for the Revival Era. There will be fifteen emperors after Emperor Jing and Emperor Wu, but as long as I survive Emperor Wu's reign, the rest should be easy."

"Each of those reigns lasts just over a hundred years… By then, extending my life will be much simpler. As a Shennong, with my robust life force, outliving those short-lived emperors shouldn't be an issue."

"The hardest part will be surviving the Emperor Jing era. He's a diligent but stingy emperor, who's reluctant to grant lifespan extensions to officials. Emperor Wu was much more generous, often bestowing long life on his generals with a wave of his hand..."

After daydreaming for a while, Zhao Xing refocused on his reading. His immediate goal was still to secure his promotion.

[You have been reading "A Grand View of Trees" and have comprehended the skill 'Five-Element Observation'.]

[Five-Element Observation: Basic Skill]

[Proficiency: 1/9999]

[Effect: Use the principles of the Five Elements to discern the vitality of plants.]

"Wow, my luck is great tonight. Another practical skill," Zhao Xing thought as a wave of new knowledge filled his mind.

There were countless exotic plants in the world, and no Shennong throughout history had managed to catalog them all. Many remained undocumented.

Five-Element Observation acted as a high-level detection ability for Shennong cultivators. If they encountered an unknown plant, they could observe its internal vitality from a distance and use the principles of the Five Elements to deduce its properties.

Combined with other skills, this allowed for an accurate assessment of the plant's characteristics.

Shennong players also had various other identification skills, such as Essence Fusion Identification—a skill where they would cut off a small piece of the plant, consume it, and use their body as a crucible to analyze its effects in detail.

However, this skill was notoriously dangerous. Many Shennong players ended up poisoned or worse, with countless complaints on the forums about being killed by some unknown herb.

"With Five-Element Observation, there's no need for a Shennong to taste every plant. Just observing is enough."

Having gained two useful skills in one night, Zhao Xing was in high spirits.

Even though it was already past midnight, he continued reading with great enthusiasm.

The court-issued books contained hidden powers that aided in the comprehension of new skills. Typically, one could gain insights twice from a single book.

After two revelations, the mystical power of the book would dissipate, but it would still serve to reinforce the skills already learned.

Time passed unnoticed as Zhao Xing immersed himself in the strange, wondrous sensations of learning.

Although the power within the books was subtle, every so often, it would spark a moment of clarity—a fleeting but brilliant flash of insight. If grasped, it brought an immense sense of satisfaction.

"Cluck, cluck, cluck!" A rooster crowed from outside. The oil lamp had long since burned out. Zhao Xing looked up and saw the sky beginning to lighten. The faint glow from the book's pages had disappeared.

"I gained quite a lot tonight. Thanks to the Dao Embryo Pill and the boost from Derivation Two Fortune, even these standard books have yielded such rewards."

Zhao Xing glanced at his system panel.