After a brief interlude, Zhao Xing continued to transplant seedlings, finishing the last acre of public land he was responsible for before sunset.
Basic and initial-level spells upgrade quickly in the early stages, and the proficiency of the initial-level spell 'Thrive' had already accumulated to 200 points.
Looking at the neatly arranged, verdant fields, Zhao Xing straightened up and clapped his hands in satisfaction.
As he wrapped up for the day, he habitually glanced at his status panel.
[Name: Zhao Xing]
[Realm: Not Entering Grade]
[Fortune: Yan One]
[Spells: Basic Cultivation (Max Level)]
[Thrive: Initial Level (201/9999)]
[Cloud Walking: Initial Level (352/9999)]
[Gathered Essence: First Level (58/100)]
Due to not having changed professions, the panel data was quite rudimentary.
Upon obtaining a profession and with version updates, these would change accordingly, but even from this limited data, Zhao Xing recalled a lot of additional information.
"After the Great Zhou's founding ancestor unified the Nineteen Provinces, he made a grand vow: 'All talents of the world shall enter my cauldron, and my law shall be the law for all generations.'"
"He unified the cultivation realms, establishing the 'Nine Grades and Thirty Levels.'"
"Below the Fourth Grade, there are the Zheng, Cong, Shang, and Xia divisions. Above the Fourth Grade, there are only Zheng and Cong."
"Then, with the great divine ability of Mo, he bound the dynasty's Fortune and established a rule: 'Those who are not subjects of the Zhou Dynasty shall not cultivate.'"
"And built the Temple of Divinity in the Nineteen Provinces, spreading myriad laws."
"This system has been in use until the revival version, or until players broke through the level restrictions, allowing for updates."
In the early days, this system was often criticized by players on forums: 'This is even worse than being at the Half-Step Pinnacle Great Perfection!'
Since he hadn't changed professions, his realm was 'Not Entering Grade.'
The Fortune system is divided into forty-nine levels.
It takes the meaning of the Great Yan's fifty and the Heavenly Yan's forty-nine.
Yan One Fortune is essentially the standard for countless commoners.
It also affects the efficacy and success rate of certain spells; for instance, the recently cast [Cloud Walking] had a 'Great Success' rating, which purely depended on luck.
The three types of spells are 'Arts,' while Gathered Essence is 'Merit.'
Countless commoners can 'Gather Essence,' strengthening their bodies and extending their lives. This is another achievement of the Great Zhou's founding ancestor.
In the absence of a large-scale revival of spiritual energy, civil and military officials can even wield powerful spells using a lower level of vital Qi.
"Practicing is like building a towering skyscraper; the Great Zhou's dynasty Fortune can help people lay the foundation and add bricks. A single imperial decree can elevate one to great heights, extend life, and change fate, directly reaching the First Grade realm."
"Without becoming an official, limited by qualifications, one may be stuck at a bottleneck until death, while others soar upwards. The unified Fortune dynasty, through this official-centric cultivation system, truly achieved the goal of gathering all talents into my cauldron."
"However, the drawbacks are also quite evident; the same imperial decree can also cast one into the abyss, stripping away both cultivation and fortune."
"I remember there’s a way to eat the sugar coating and send the cannonball back... but it’s too early to think about these things now."
"In this current era, the Great Zhou is in invincible mode; now is the time of Emperor Jing. After Emperor Wu, the invincible Great Zhou will begin to decline. By then, this Fortune dynasty model will reveal more and more flaws..."
Thinking of this, Zhao Xing couldn’t help but shake his head and smile, not out of pity for the Great Zhou, but rather in self-deprecation.
He still didn’t know if he could survive the time of Emperor Wu; right now, he hadn’t even received a profession change task.
The Zhao family of Grain City is a prominent household in Nanyang County, known for their virtuous reputation.
Every few years, they would sponsor the government institution, the orphans' asylum, even sending family members to personally adopt orphans displaced by natural disasters, with Zhao Xing being one such example.
The Zhao family’s enterprises encompass clothing, food, housing, transportation, as well as lucrative industries like machinery and forging.
As a large family, donating money to other government institutions raises suspicions of collusion between officials and businessmen, making them easy targets for criticism.
However, engaging in charity draws much less scrutiny.
Zhao Xing’s adoptive father is Zhao Ruide, a branch member from East Lake. In his early years, he worked as a guard and escort for merchant caravans, living quite comfortably.
Unexpectedly, at the age of forty-five, he lost his only child when his wife and son drowned while on a boat.
The hidden injuries accumulated from years of travel were diagnosed by doctors as making it difficult for him to have another child. Thus, under the family’s arrangement and persuasion, Zhao Ruide brought home the six-year-old Zhao Xing from the orphans' asylum, adopting him as a son.
Initially, he treated Zhao Xing with considerable affection, but in recent years, things changed.
Six years after adopting Zhao Xing, Zhao Ruide took a concubine who unexpectedly bore him a son!
Overjoyed at the old tree blossoming, Zhao Ruide immediately elevated the concubine to the status of wife, while showering all his affection on his biological son, gradually becoming estranged from Zhao Xing over the years.
Looking at the Zhao family mansion before him and recalling the various experiences of his original self, Zhao Xing felt a slight pang of emotion and pushed the door open to enter.
Zhao Ruide was resting under a willow tree, fanning a child who was napping on a mat. Upon seeing Zhao Xing enter, he quickly made a shushing gesture and pointed to the kitchen, indicating for him to help himself to food.
Zhao Xing didn’t mind that the family hadn’t waited for him to eat; he clasped his hands in greeting and headed toward the kitchen.
It shouldn’t be this distant between an adoptive father and son, but Zhao Xing had come into the picture later, and he hadn’t experienced the years when Zhao Ruide doted on the original owner. Maintaining a facade of respect was the most comfortable way for him to interact.
As for Zhao Ruide? His thoughts weren’t on Zhao Xing; previously, there had been disagreements over Zhao Xing’s career—he wanted Zhao Xing to practice martial arts or engage in business, but Zhao Xing insisted on entering the Agricultural Affairs Bureau.
How much money could one make as an Agricultural Affairs official? What kind of future could one have?
In the end, Zhao Ruide reluctantly accepted it, but their relationship became even more estranged.
If the relationship with his adoptive father was distant, then the relationship with his new wife, Madam Cai, was cold.
As soon as he entered the kitchen, Zhao Xing heard a sharp voice from outside.
"Is his nose a dog’s? It’s so sensitive! The moment there’s meat stewing at home, he comes running back. Could it be that the smell of the stew wafted all the way to the Agricultural Affairs Bureau?"
"Shh, keep your voice down; Zheng Er just fell asleep after playing hard... Eating a few pieces of meat won’t make a difference; our family isn’t poor."
"I’m not worried about the meat, but he’s already eighteen or nineteen years old and doesn’t contribute anything to the family. Which child doesn’t know to honor their family?"
"Master, you raised him to adulthood, yet he doesn’t listen to you at all, insisting on going to that Agricultural Affairs Bureau. That’s fine, but it’s been almost a year, and he still hasn’t entered a grade. I’m afraid he’ll come to compete with Zheng Er for the family inheritance..."
"Are you done? What’s the point of saying this? I’m not dead yet!"
"Woo... "
"Sigh, crying again, it’s really annoying. Look, you woke Zheng Er up..."
Then came the sound of a child crying and a woman’s wailing.
"Madam Cai, I’ve already made it clear that I won’t divide Zheng Er’s inheritance in the future. Why don’t you believe me? This crying is making me feel ashamed."
Zhao Xing thought to himself, but his body was honest, quickly lifting the pot lid and eating rapidly and heartily.
Zhao Ruide had some savings and was a martial artist, so in the kitchen, three out of four large pots were filled with meat dishes.
The Agricultural Affairs Bureau didn’t provide meals, and the minor officials had no salary, only some allowances.
To increase the proficiency of the [Gathered Essence] technique, it simply meant finding ways to absorb the vital Qi of heaven and earth, strengthening one’s own energy and blood. Eating well was the first step.
Eating from one’s father is only natural! Even if he is an adopted son!
Players in the Agricultural Affairs Bureau are all practical; Zhao Xing had to take advantage of the situation!
The louder the cries outside, the faster Zhao Xing ate.
By the time the noise subsided, he was full.
Seeing that the progress in the Gathered Essence column had increased by 3 points, Zhao Xing wiped his mouth and walked out of the kitchen, satisfied.
Once he emerged, Madam Cai stopped her fussing; after all, she had to give the master some face.
Zhao Xing was used to this and clasped his hands in greeting: "I pay my respects to my adoptive father and Madam; I’ll return to my room to rest."
Zhao Ruide nodded lightly, signaling Zhao Xing to hurry along; he wanted some peace and quiet.
However, Madam Cai began to murmur again: "Every time he comes home, he eats and sleeps, never bothering to play with Zheng Er. Does the Agricultural Affairs Bureau only take in gluttons...?"
"..."
This was truly unfair to Zhao Xing.
He returned to his room, but he didn’t intend to sleep.
Closing the door, he lit three incense candles and ground special materials into ink.
Beside the desk was a wastebasket filled with crumpled yellow paper.
What Zhao Xing needed to do now was to obtain a secondary profession—Talisman Maker.
"Fortunately, in this period, the techniques are complete, materials are cheap, and there are many ways to obtain them, so it doesn’t take much effort."
Zhao Xing dipped his brush in ink and began to draw talismans on the yellow paper.
Perhaps he had tried too many times, or perhaps his vital Qi was increasing daily; this time it was exceptionally smooth.
At the moment the brush was about to finish, Gathered Essence activated, a brilliant light transmitted from his fingertips to the brush handle, and then to the yellow paper, causing the entire sheet to emit a faint glow before retracting within.
[You have successfully comprehended the way of Talisman Making and created a Guiding Talisman.]
[You have obtained the secondary profession 'Talisman Maker.']
[Basic Guiding Talisman (1/1000): When affixed to the body, it can enhance the absorption of heaven and earth's vital Qi.]
"There are over five hundred people in the Agricultural Affairs Bureau, yet there are less than five positions for permanent staff each year. For someone like Li Chengfeng, a scion of a great family with ample wealth, to compete with them, one must take a shortcut."
Becoming a Talisman Maker could lead to significant profits, but would it help him get ahead?
Clearly not; Zhao Xing believed that with his current level, selling his talismans would only lead to customers overturning his stall, and he couldn’t compete with other Talisman Makers at all.
Thus, his goal was not the secondary profession at all.
Taking advantage of the good feeling, Zhao Xing began to attempt drawing a second talisman.
Soon, he obtained a second type of basic talisman.
[You have successfully comprehended the way of Talisman Making and created a Soul Calming Talisman.]
[Soul Calming Talisman: Has the effect of calming the soul and stabilizing the mind.]
"I did it!"
Zhao Xing affixed the Guiding Talisman to his abdomen and the Soul Calming Talisman to his forehead, lying on the bed in a strange position, murmuring:
"Student Zhao Xing requests the Grand Dream Academy to open the door to learning."
(End of Chapter)