The Dao Sovereign of Shennong

Though surprised, Tang Wanchun and Pang Yuan had no choice but to sit back down, not daring to disrupt the exam's proceedings.

Still, they couldn't help but worry. If things continued this way, their students would suffer a hidden disadvantage.

"Earth Vein Consolidation is so covert that even I didn't notice it until the second day. Xiao Ze must still be completely in the dark," Tang Wanchun thought, sighing to himself. "Zhao Xing... what a remarkable talent! Old Shennong Officer didn't exaggerate—his comprehension is truly exceptional."

Earth School spells were notoriously the hardest to learn among the three schools.

Heaven School spells, reliant on celestial phenomena, could at least be seen, heard, or felt.

But Earth School spells involved earth veins, feng shui positioning, and even the arrangement of formations and tools, making them extremely complex.

Not to mention that the earth's veins were hidden deep underground, making them difficult to manipulate.

Even though Earth Vein Consolidation was a beginner-level spell, its difficulty surpassed that of many intermediate spells.

The widespread popularity of Heaven School spells was largely because the other two schools were far harder to master.

Even for seasoned Shennong officers, many had only a superficial grasp of Earth School techniques, let alone mastery.

"What a waste, serving under Xue Wenzhong," Pang Yuan thought regretfully. "He's so old—why should he have such a promising student? He should be under my tutelage, where I could guide him toward future success in the officialdom."

Gao Linong, on the other hand, said nothing, quietly enjoying the misfortunes of others.

His students, Li Chengfeng and Zong Shichang, hadn't been affected and were performing as expected.

As for the students of other officials? Well, the worse their results, the better.

Even high-ranking Shennong officers had taken a while to figure out what was going on. The lower-level clerks had no idea what was happening.

On top of that, since Earth Vein Consolidation wasn't activated during the day, the clerks' spell effects returned to normal, leaving many of them completely confused.

"Could it be that picking plants that grow at night is seen as cheating, and we're being punished for it?" Huang Tao looked at the dead plants before him, his eyes red with frustration.

His friend, Ma Wu, wore a similar expression of despair. "If that's the case, then why did they even give us these seeds to choose from? It feels like we're being played!"

Huang Tao couldn't hold back his anger and cursed under his breath, "Damn you, Chen Shijie! I must be cursed to be taking the exam under him."

Their conversation in the seedling area quickly attracted the attention of other clerks.

After all, Chen Shijie had a reputation for making exam questions overly complicated, often just for the sake of tormenting people.

"Brother Huang is right. Chen Shijie is always pulling these stunts. Remember the last Minor Heat Exam?"

"And that time he specially brought in those grain-eating birds from the North—was that really necessary?"

"I've changed plants over and over, but after an entire night, I still haven't grown a single thing!"

"Exactly, that Northern bastard!"

Once the topic opened up, all the frustrated clerks joined in, venting their grievances toward Chen Shijie.

Chen Shijie was infamous for these kinds of antics.

Though it was Xue Wenzhong who had designed the exam, no one believed that the old Shennong Officer, known for his fairness, would come up with something so devious.

This had to be one of Chen Shijie's modifications! Even the emperor himself couldn't convince them otherwise!

If Chen Shijie had heard these complaints, he would have given them a good beating and loudly declared, "This time, it really wasn't me!"

But of course, he wasn't there to hear their grumbling.

Were there any suspicions directed at Zhao Xing?

There were, indeed.

As Huang Tao returned to his planting area, he couldn't help but cast a suspicious glance at the vast golden bamboo forest.

"Could someone have used an Earth School spell to drain all our energy?"

"Could it be him?"

He looked toward the northern part of the field, at the Seven-Star Sword Cloud and Tiger-Head Cloud formations. "Or could it be one of them?"

"Forget it, there's no point in overthinking it."

Huang Tao shook his head.

Even if it was, what could he do about it? He couldn't win in a fight, and talking wouldn't accomplish anything.

"This batch of clerks is truly weak. To hasten the growth of the Diamond Bamboo, I had already opened up its full energy absorption by the Yin hour (3:00 AM). And even then, no one dared challenge me?"

"Peaceful times really have softened them," Zhao Xing mused. In his previous life, he had seen Shennong officers who were fierce and unyielding, each one willing to fight tooth and nail to survive the terrifying disasters of a chaotic age.

Without that spirit, survival wasn't possible.

But this time was different. Except for those in border regions or military positions, most of the inland Shennong officers felt soft and weak to Zhao Xing.

Chen Shijie, of course, was an exception.

Zhao Xing found him to be much more to his liking.

"I don't need to worry about these mediocrities below the A-list. They can't and won't fight. It's the few regulars on the A-list that I need to be wary of," Zhao Xing thought, scanning his surroundings as he began cutting down the Diamond Bamboo branches.

Zhao Xing was always prepared for contingencies, which didn't conflict with his willingness to fight for what he wanted.

Since he had dared to use Earth Vein Consolidation, he was fully prepared for retaliation.

As soon as the Diamond Bamboo matured, Zhao Xing gathered the materials and began crafting straw puppets.

"Right now, I know four types of straw puppets: Swift, Binding, Thorny, and Reviving."

"The Reviving Straw Puppet is at the third transformation, while the others are still at the first."

Zhao Xing gazed at the dozen or so Reviving Straw Puppets hidden within the bamboo forest, gleaming with gold, like a battalion of valiant warriors.

"Using Diamond Bamboo to make the other types of puppets would be a bit wasteful. Only the Reviving Straw Puppet is barely worthy of this material. But there's an even more suitable type."

"The Liu's Compiled Eighty-One Techniques—the Mighty Straw Puppet!"

"The branches of the Diamond Bamboo are the perfect material for crafting it." Seeing that things were calm for the moment, Zhao Xing began attempting to make his fifth type of puppet.

The Liu's Compiled Eighty-One Techniques was the ultimate expression of Soldier of Grass and Wood. The puppets were simply referred to as straw puppets, but any creation made from grass, wood, or bamboo materials fell under this technique.

For Zhao Xing, puppets made from Diamond Bamboo were called Mighty Vajra Puppets.

Similarly, there were also Swift Vajra, Reviving Vajra, and other types.

Zhao Xing had already memorized the crafting method for the Mighty Straw Puppet, but this was his first time practicing it. Now that he had the perfect materials, he naturally wouldn't let the opportunity slip by.

Recalling the steps for crafting the Mighty Straw Puppet in his mind, Zhao Xing set to work on his first attempt.

[You have crafted a Mighty Vajra Puppet. You have learned a new puppet technique.]

[Soldier of Grass and Wood proficiency +25]

[Mighty Vajra Puppet]

[Proficiency: 100/9999]

[Effect: Indestructible, immense strength.]

On his first try, Zhao Xing succeeded. Moreover, thanks to the high-quality materials, his proficiency jumped significantly!

"A full 100 points of proficiency, and even Soldier of Grass and Wood gained 25 points. This really is top-tier material."

In this life, Zhao Xing had never fought in such luxury. When training under Xue Wenzhong, he'd only used withered grass from Primordial Rice or ordinary willow branches.

Who knew whether these materials would be confiscated after the exam? Zhao Xing certainly wasn't going to miss this chance to take advantage while he could.

Ordering the Reviving Puppets to stand guard outside, Zhao Xing eagerly immersed himself in the joy of crafting Mighty Vajra Puppets.