"At that time, I almost died. When our general broke down the door and sent me to the doctor, my intestines were rotten through, my teeth had all fallen out, and blood was flowing from my seven orifices..."
"It was because I made a slight mistake in the dosage of a certain medicinal herb while using supplementary materials, leading to severe problems with my cultivation."
"Although it turned out to be no big problem later, and I accidentally advanced to the fourth level, my hair never grew back, and there are still a few scars. Without reaching the sixth rank, I guess it would be difficult to recover."
The bald warrior reminisced about the past and couldn’t help but sigh.
"Wow, you were really tough, man. Training until your intestines were rotten, you deserve to enter the Xuanwu Department." Someone beside him gave a thumbs-up in admiration.
"Outer back Xuanwu Shield, inner cultivation of Gluttonous Food, who would be invincible if not you?"
"Damn it, I’ll go back and train right now!" a short warrior gritted his teeth and hurried off.
Xier County, Divine Might Army Camp.
Inside the Marching Hall.
"Huff~" Flames rose, and a letter popped out of the fireplace.
A large, sturdy hand picked up the letter, and Long Xiao shouted inside, "Old Chen, there’s a letter."
"Why don’t you open it and read it aloud instead of yelling?" Chen Shijie’s voice came.
"Whoa!" Long Xiao opened the secret letter and immediately exclaimed, "Zhao Xing has made quick progress, already establishing the Heaven and Earth Spirit Bridge and reaching the eighth grade."
"Hmm? He also cultivated three kinds of sound wave martial skills, with Kui Niu Thunder Roar reaching the seventh transition?!"
"He even eliminated the military department’s genius Fu Ying once?! Good, good, well done!"
"Let me see." Chen Shijie, hearing Long Xiao’s exclamations, walked over as well. After taking the letter and glancing at it, he saw that it contained some information about Zhao Xing’s training in April.
This letter was not written by Zhao Xing himself but by a colonel stationed at the Grotto Heaven camp of the Divine Might Army.
"Sound wave martial skills, Kui Niu Thunder Roar? Already at the seventh transition, where did this kid get so many points for cultivation?" Chen Shijie said, "Top-grade resources shouldn’t be enough to buy so many supplementary materials."
Kui Niu Thunder Roar and Gluttonous Eating Skill both required precious materials for cultivation; otherwise, reckless training could cause big problems.
"He apprenticed under Marquis Tian. Marquis Tian is well-known for being wealthy," Long Xiao said, "Didn’t you know that?"
"Right." Chen Shijie suddenly realized, "It seems Marquis Tian gave him some assistance."
"You need to keep working hard," Long Xiao laughed, "This kid has more talent than you. Don’t let him outshine you in training."
"If he surpasses me, I’ll be more than happy." Chen Shijie laughed, "Another great general for the Marquis."
"Oh, Colonel Huang said Zhao Xing wants us to look for someone named ’Mi Fei.’" Long Xiao said, "Do you know Mi Fei?"
"Mi Fei?" Chen Shijie frowned and took another look at the letter, "No, I don’t. It doesn’t mention where he’s from or his official position, how are we supposed to find him?"
"He mentioned that Mi Fei is proficient in the Condensation Skill and came to know about him while buying magic classics."
"That’s still like finding a needle in a haystack. We’ll keep an eye out for him."
Rich Spring Garden, Zhao Xing came to Tian Shan’s Rich Spring Garden right after finishing the first mandatory training session of the day.
"You performed well last month. Whether it was in the Minister of Agriculture Supervision or the military department, many people spoke highly of you."
"I am also very pleased with your performance. I didn’t expect you to make such great progress in such a short time. Using only five Hundred Beasts Throat Pills and Earth Evil Lung Training Pills, you managed to master Kui Niu Thunder Roar to the seventh transition level."
Tian Shan smiled and praised Zhao Xing.
Although Tian Shan was kind and generous, he was also very strict with his disciples. Zhao Xing frequently came for guidance this past month.
Rarely would any praise come from Tian Shan; thus, these words showed his true satisfaction.
In one month, Zhao Xing trained the sound wave martial skills to a high level and entered the high-level vision, being mentioned many times.
As his teacher, Tian Shan naturally felt proud.
"Teacher, you overpraise me. I actually spent a lot of points and relied on external forces to train Kui Niu Thunder Roar to the seventh transition," Zhao Xing humbly said.
"I know." Tian Shan nodded, "You spent points, but doesn’t everyone else as well? Top-grade resources are all similar. I gave you a gift upon our first meeting, and other teachers would do the same for their students."
"But you chose to train Kui Niu Thunder Roar, which shows you’re not afraid of hardship and have great insight."
Zhao Xing quietly listened.
"Good performance is just that, no need for over-modesty," Marquis Tian said, "Do you have the confidence to stay in the top twenty-one for the next [Supply Training]?"
"I’m confident, but only barely," Zhao Xing replied.
He didn’t know what circumstances he would encounter this time, so he couldn’t make any promises.
Heavenly time and Earth advantage were totally random. He still hadn’t mastered the Seasonal Order, and his Ksitigarbha Skill lacked techniques for plant cultivation.
Among the twenty-one top-grade geniuses, he was the youngest, without local experience and little time to learn the three great classics.
"Don’t push yourself too hard, I’ll give you something worth 30,000 points," Tian Shan smiled.
"Teacher, won’t this..." Zhao Xing was a bit surprised. He didn’t know if what Tian Shan was doing was good or bad for him. Wouldn’t others talk?
"Your situation is quite special," Tian Shan said, "I discussed it with a few lords in the Geography Institute and also sought approval from Fan Zhaoqi to grant you a special allowance."
"You were just regular staff turned official and were immediately selected. Despite your weak foundation, you still passed the fourth checkpoint."
"Ge Jingsong and Cheng Qingming from the Heavenly Time Institute failed to recognize your talent, but I am not blind."
"Another 30,000 points of support is nothing."
Hearing this, Zhao Xing immediately thanked him, "Thank you, Teacher, for your guidance."