As soon as it ended, Zhao Xing received a notification in his Earth Mirror that five hundred million points had been credited.
"Lao Liu, an elite from the Minister of Agriculture family, really spills a lot of gold coins."
"Doing one task for him is a hundred or a thousand times better than doing it for others," Zhao Xing couldn’t help but sigh.
Compared to Liu Tianning, Mi Fei’s influence during his lifetime was completely incomparable, and it was only in his later years that anyone even began to compare the two.
"Old Man Mi’s Xuanhuang Analysis Technique is not suitable for public release for now," Zhao Xing pondered.
First of all, Lao Liu had already embarked on an invincible path, unrivaled in strength, family background, reputation in court and military and political power... Liu Tianning’s rise was unstoppable; he was destined to become the Grand Minister of Agriculture in the future.
With or without the Xuanhuang Analysis Technique, it made no difference.
But Zhao Xing needed this Secret Technique to complete his own plans, at least until he reached a high grade.
Currently, spiritual treasures were hard to come by. Even in Princess You Ruo’s treasury, he only found a section of willow branch, which was meaningless.
When more spiritual treasures were found, they could be useful to both Lao Liu and Mi Fei.
"Teaming up with Liu Tianning really put me on the fast track to promotion."
"Giving so much... he really fears I might become greedy." Zhao Xing couldn’t help but smile.
Counting the three hundred million given previously, the total was now eight hundred million.
At the moment, Liu Tianning was not even the vice dean, so this money likely came out of Lao Liu’s own pocket.
"Maybe this money was borrowed from the princess," Zhao Xing speculated.
Because not long after, Princess You Ruo contacted him, asking if he had broken through to the fifth rank.
He never mentioned breaking through to the fifth rank to anyone; it must have been Liu Tianning who told her.
"It probably was the princess’s initiative. Truly enviable, earning money standing still."
After acquiring five hundred million points, Zhao Xing left Twin Islands once again.
He had to make some purchases in the Military Realm, and the nearest Military Realm entrance was at Jiujiang Cave Heaven.
Although Lao Liu did not specify a time frame, Zhao Xing felt that time was pressing.
Primarily because the twenty-ninth year of the Jingxin Calendar was approaching a critical point.
First, the thirtieth year of the Jingxin Calendar would mark the East Sea qualifiers of the Ten Thousand Beasts Tournament; advancing through would allow participation in the Four Seas Tournament.
Securing a place in the Four Seas Tournament would grant access to the Dragon Court Ancient Land.
Also, in the thirtieth year of the Jingxin Calendar, Chongming Prefecture ought to promote him to a fifth-rank official.
Because he had been rated outstanding in his political performance evaluations for ten consecutive years, far exceeding the standard for excellent, promotion was inevitable.
At that time, he would undergo another wave of the country’s Qi Fortune blessing.
But at the same time, he would enter the dangerous line of fifth-rank officials.
Be it Prince Liang’s Party or Outer Realm Forces, they would start to pay attention to him.
It was already autumn; after the Spring Festival (the second month of the Spring Society Day) he had to be promoted, which meant less than half a year to prepare.
Enemies could come from both inside and outside, especially since Prince Liang must have already started planning his rebellion. Zhao Xing calculated using the Ten-thousand-year-old Mystic Turtle and Five-Finger Destiny.
After many calculations, no matter how he deciphered the hexagrams, the thirtieth year of the Jingxin Calendar would be a tumultuous year for him.
"World events change too quickly. If chaos ensues, even farming won’t be spared from being affected. Forming plant species into combat power gives me an extra layer of preparation."
Three days later, on September 26th, Zhao Xing, piloting the Flying Boat, arrived at Jiujiang County in Chongming Prefecture.
The entrance to Jiujiang Cave Heaven was located in the eastern part of the county city.
The entrance to the Grotto Heaven was within the county city, unlike the entrance to Ten Suns Cave Heaven, which lay in the mountains outside the suburbs. This was mainly due to the unique nature of Jiujiang Cave Heaven.
It was a movable gate entrance, similar to the Star Ruins Realm.
Only Jiujiang Cave Heaven was in the mid-stage of a small world, and its interior was very stable.
A thousand years ago, the entrance to Jiujiang Cave Heaven was not in Jiujiang County, and this place wasn’t called Jiujiang County.
It was Emperor Wen who moved the entrance from Yuanpin State to this location with the intention of boosting the military strength of Pinghai State’s eastern region.
However, the Emperor Period was relatively peaceful, and the Water Clan admired Emperor Wen’s kindness. Hardly any major incidents occurred in the East Sea during that time.
The military use of Jiujiang Cave Heaven was not realized; over time, it became a rich resource storage site instead.
If you wanted to buy East Sea seafood, Jiujiang Cave Heaven had the most comprehensive selection.
It also served as a major transfer station for the Military Realm; essentially, anything that could be bought with money could be found here.
After sitting in the guest hall of the Tower Ship Department in the eastern part of the county city for a while, a burly military officer, wearing light armor and carrying a long sword at his waist, quickly approached.
"Marquis Yuan Rang, it’s my fault for making you wait," the military officer cupped his hands in greeting.
"General Fang, there’s no need for courtesy; I just arrived," Zhao Xing replied, standing up.
The visitor was Fang Ze of the Jiujiang Army. For eight years, the warhorses bred by the Dragon Horse Guard had been transported to the Xuanjia Army, the Wuluo Army, and the Jiujiang Army.
Fang Ze, a Standard Fifth Rank military officer of the Jiujiang Army, was responsible for liaising with Zhao Xing.
"Marquis Yuan Rang, please follow me," Fang Ze, knowing Zhao Xing’s personality, led him directly to Jiujiang Cave Heaven without any further pleasantries.
Zhao Xing was no longer a soldier, and under normal circumstances, he would need to go through procedures to enter the Military Realm Cave Heaven, waiting for local government approval to be submitted to the Military Realm for review.
After all, the Military Realm was akin to the entire Great Zhou’s military camp, and non-military personnel were not allowed to enter freely.
However, with Fang Ze leading the way, it was different.
He directly took Zhao Xing through the exclusive passage of the Jiujiang Army.
Entering through a hundred-meter-high gate, they arrived at the bank of a large river.