He opened the door and walked onto the balcony.
He looked down at the people below with a stern face and asked.
"If any of you on the deck have forgotten to bring the Cloud Rain Pearl, raise your hand."
Zuo Zizhi’s tone was as cold as an interrogation.
Eighteen people below instantly panicked.
They raised their hands, trembling.
Zuo Zizhi snorted coldly, "You eighteen, you’re eliminated immediately!"
"Sir, we thought we didn’t need to bring it, that the assessment would provide it."
"Yes sir, please give us a chance, we just forgot."
Among the eighteen people, many pleaded or argued.
Zuo Zizhi scolded harshly, "Nonsense! How dare you still speak? Before entering the Ten Suns Cave Heaven, each of you was given a standard set of equipment."
"Golden Raincoat, Flowers Fighting Umbrella, Stepping Cloud Boots, these are all third-tier top-grade treasures. The Cloud Rain Pearl is even a fourth-order inferior-grade!"
"Each treasure, if damaged, can be replaced for free!"
"I’d like to ask you, why do the other treasures cost money to replace, but these four pieces of equipment can be replaced for free?!"
"In this assessment, the other treasures are forbidden. Why are these four not banned?"
"Because these four pieces of equipment are your lifelines!"
"For a Military Minister of Agriculture Officer, a fourth-order Cloud Rain Pearl is crucial! It might be just a bit of water that enables the army to wait for rescue, or a rain that turns defeat into victory... The importance of the Cloud Rain Pearl is the highest among all!"
"If you forget to bring your lifeline, how can you call yourselves Minister of Agriculture Officers?"
"How do you still have the face to question why? Hmm? What’s your face worth?!"
It was clear that Zuo Zizhi was truly furious.
A series of questions made these eighteen people feel utterly ashamed, and they all bowed their heads.
As for the others on the deck, they were also somewhat fearful.
Because although they had brought theirs, they did not act immediately. Judging by Zuo Zizhi’s attitude, their performance this time was also likely to be deemed poor.
Sure enough, Zuo Zizhi glanced at the rest on the deck and continued, "This assessment is to bring rain!"
"The place where the boat is anchored is the most scorching area under the Five Suns, but there are a few clouds fixed around by the Heavenly Time Institute."
"The boat deliberately stayed longer to give you time to observe and prepare to collect rainwater."
"But it seems you all don’t need it. You’re all geniuses, confident you can bring rain in extreme conditions. Fine, very good!"
Zuo Zizhi’s sarcasm was completely undisguised.
Those who realized what he meant quickly pulled out their Cloud Rain Pearls and flew out.
One after another, soon everyone flew off the deck, leaving only the eighteen who didn’t bring their Cloud Rain Pearls, standing there in a daze.
Among these eighteen, there was one who had a high ranking in the previous round, at fifteenth place.
But now, he was also ruthlessly eliminated.
This lesson would undoubtedly be etched in his memory for a lifetime.
Outside the boat, Zhao Xing held the Cloud Rain Pearl, absorbing the cloud qi outside the boat.
Since he was the first to react, his fourth-order Cloud Rain Pearl quickly absorbed to half capacity.
Then the speed slowed because many people came out to collect.
With only a few clouds left, they couldn’t withstand so many people competing for them. Soon the air became completely dry.
Zhao Xing flew back to the boat.
He happened to hear Zuo Zizhi’s scolding speech.
As for why Zhao Xing reacted first, it was purely due to years of experience from his previous life.
He also deeply agreed with Zuo Zizhi’s words about how the Cloud Rain Pearl had a significant impact on warfare.
"Qishan did not rain for nine whole months, why today of all days is it pouring... Heaven does not help Liu, but helps you lot... puh~"
"Prime Minister! Prime Minister..."
Zhao Xing imagined a scene in his mind.
"Your reaction was really fast." Han Bing stood beside Zhao Xing, "It’s no wonder Minister of Agriculture Chen values you."
"Eh? You knew?" Zhao Xing had never mentioned his relationship with Chen Shijie to Han Bing.
"You have letters, extra resources, so do I. We are in the same batch." Han Bing said, "Only the one who selected me is another Nine-Section Minister of Agriculture Officer from the Divine Might Army, ’Huang Chengzhi’."
"Oh, oh." Zhao Xing nodded.
A quarter of an hour later, Zuo Zizhi ordered everyone to return to the boat’s deck.
Immediately after, he announced all the assessment content.
"Everyone, take the Cloud Flying Boat to this area under the Five Suns and bring rain, lasting at least fifteen minutes."
"Duration, amount of rain, and area covered are the basic scoring criteria."
"On the ground, there are black and white mechanical puppets with identical strength."
"Entrants can pick either black or white side. After entering the designated area, the black and white mechanical puppets will start to battle!"
"The rain skills you have learned, as long as they enhance your side’s strength and weaken the enemy’s strength, will score points based on the number of puppets affected."
"Scores will be ranked, with the top two hundred passing. The rest will be eliminated."
After Zuo Zizhi finished speaking, the crowd on the boat gasped in shock.
If the first three stages were just difficult, then this fourth stage was simply perverse!
Under the Five Suns, in such an extreme environment, bringing rain was already challenging.
Still, they had to test the entrant’s control, enhance or weaken the puppet armies below?
"So those black dots are the mechanical puppets." Someone realized, "But here, a thousand meters above, even the Bright Eyes Technique can barely see blurry figures. They still require precise care or elimination?"
"Blurry is enough, black and white colors are easy to distinguish." Someone replied.