Chen Shijie sat with an expression as if watching a show, while the other officials, feeling helpless, could only take their seats as invited.
There was no other choice; after all, he was a proper official, wasn’t he?
His official rank was higher than theirs, and his cultivation was also stronger. Moreover, Chen Shijie was the youngest official in the Agricultural Affairs Bureau—not just in Grain City, but in the entire Nanyang County, he was considered quite young.
It was easy to imagine that this Lord Chen's future would not stop at the Ninth Rank.
“Lord Chen's changes are truly remarkable. The Agricultural Bureau serves the people and must compete with heaven and earth. Without the heart to strive for victory, how can one accomplish anything?”
The first to speak after sitting down was Gao Linong. He had made a mistake during the last Xiaoshu assessment and had been wanting to make up for it. Now, he finally seized the opportunity to express his views in agreement with his superior.
Chen Shijie smiled faintly and nodded as a response.
This flattery was too stiff, almost a mere repetition of what Chen Shijie had said last time.
Tang Wanchun was much more clever; instead of directly praising, he brought up the official that Chen Shijie had previously commended: “I see that the first official to support the clouds is the one who has understood Lord Chen's good intentions, thus gaining the upper hand. I just wonder if he can maintain it.”
“Lord Xue's questions are comprehensive; they test not only the abilities of the officials below but also their endurance. To persist without food or drink in the scorching heat for four days and three nights is no simple task.”
Chen Shijie indeed became interested: “I remember that during the last minor examination, this person performed quite well. Lord Xue, was he taught by you?”
Xue Wenzhong had originally not wanted to speak and had closed his eyes to rest after sitting down, but since the topic had turned to Zhao Xing, he changed his mind: “Indeed, his name is Zhao Xing. I merely provided a bit of guidance; mainly, he possesses excellent comprehension. Lord Chen should pay more attention to him; this child is a rare talent.”
Chen Shijie nodded: “Since Lord Xue says so, I must take a good look at his performance.”
Xue Wenzhong rarely praised anyone in public, let alone recommended an official under his command to Chen Shijie. Could it be that he had taken on a disciple? This made the other officials feel somewhat wary.
The promotion of officials was not only something the minor officials yearned for; these formal officials also valued it greatly. Recommending and educating others was a significant achievement!
Just as someone was about to say something, they heard Chen Shijie’s gaze fixate on a certain spot: “Look, someone is heading towards Zhao Xing.”
Zhao Xing was the first to manipulate the clouds, occupying two spring wells and three stacks of grass ash in the northeast.
To his north was Wen Nanxing, and to his south was Xiao Ze. The challengers defeated by these two immediately set their sights on Zhao Xing.
However, looking at Zhao Xing's manipulation of the clouds, he was not so easy to deal with; his level of the Seven Transformation Technique was among the top in the Agricultural Affairs Bureau.
There were quite a few spectators, but only three approached.
One of them, a fair-skinned young man, cupped his hands towards Zhao Xing: “I am Huang Tao from Hundred Flowers Garden. Brother Zhao, could you please move a bit?”
Huang Tao intended to be courteous before resorting to force, respecting the Seven Transformation clouds above Zhao Xing and his previous achievements.
Zhao Xing sneered: “This Brother Huang, may I ask you to get lost?”
Huang Tao's expression stiffened, and then his gaze turned unfriendly: “You occupy two spring wells and three stacks of grass ash alone, yet refuse to yield. Since that is the case, I must take offense!”
The others nearby, having failed to negotiate, were already impatient: “Why waste words with him? He got lucky once and is now acting so arrogant… Cloud Manipulation!”
The three of them simultaneously executed the Cloud Manipulation technique, the clouds rolling and shifting, all of them at the Seven Transformation level!
The dark clouds surged forward rapidly towards Zhao Xing's position.
“It’s been a while since I’ve faced an opponent.” Zhao Xing licked his lips, staring at the clouds above, feeling somewhat excited.
In fact, he had long been waiting for challengers; it was only a matter of time before this happened; otherwise, it would be difficult to establish a foothold.
“Wind rise!”
Zhao Xing pointed a finger, and a strong wind blew in from the east.
Then, the wind split into two, blowing in two directions.
“Whoosh~” “Woo~”
Two gusts of wind blew towards the two challengers beside Huang Tao, causing their clouds to accumulate in mid-air and roll back, as if there was a wind wall there!
“Hmm? My clouds can’t move!”
“Mine too, I can’t get through.”
The two challengers looked astonished; they had not expected Zhao Xing's Wind Rise technique to actually block them.
“Ha!” The two, not believing in evil, increased their vital Qi.
However, every time their clouds surged forward, the wind blew back.
The more they tried to advance, the greater the resistance became, and despite exerting great effort, they only moved forward a tiny bit!
“Why is his Wind Rise so strange?”
“This wind is wicked; it seems to know my weaknesses and is darting around… Not good!”
One of them, with slightly weaker control over his vital Qi, found his clouds scattering by half.
Once scattered, they could no longer be stopped, and he was defeated in the struggle.
Before the three could threaten Zhao Xing, one of them was already blown away!
“Cough cough cough…” The minor official, who had suffered a backlash from his vital Qi and had his clouds scattered, coughed incessantly.
Seeing this, Huang Tao's face changed, and a sense of foreboding rose in his heart. Because he had not encountered any obstruction in his position.
This was just the beginning; how could his companion fall so quickly?
But at this moment, he could not care about that anymore. Seizing the opportunity while Zhao Xing was distracted dealing with his companion, he controlled his clouds and charged forward fiercely.
“Buzz~”
The anticipated massive collision did not occur; there was no thunder, no rain, and no wind.
Instead, Zhao Xing's manipulated clouds suddenly caved in, revealing flickering lightning within, resembling a giant purple-black mouth.
“What?” In Huang Tao's perception, a part of his clouds directly lost its connection, as if a portion had been bitten off.
Immediately after, the dark clouds above Zhao Xing swiftly attacked him.
“Boom!” A deafening thunderclap!
The clouds above Huang Tao shrank at a visible speed.
“What? Such a brilliant technique… I concede!” Huang Tao felt he had completely lost control over the clouds and immediately shouted.
But Zhao Xing paid him no mind; the lightning sliced through like a knife, accurately cutting and completely shattering Huang Tao's control, devouring the mass of cloud energy.
“Pfft~” Huang Tao felt as if a knife was cutting through his mind; the backlash from his technique was far heavier than the others, and he instantly collapsed to the ground.
“Huang brother, Huang brother…” His companions rushed over to support him.
“I… I’m fine…” Huang Tao gasped for breath, “You all should stop trying; let’s change places.”
“This Zhao Xing is too ruthless.” One companion complained. “But it’s just sparring; how can we let him off?”
“No, we are outmatched; there’s nothing more to say.” Huang Tao looked in Zhao Xing's direction, a deep wariness flashing in his eyes. “His control over the technique feels even stronger than Wen Nanxing and Xiao Ze. To forcefully compete would be to humiliate ourselves; let’s go!”
Seeing the three of them flee in disarray, Zhao Xing then used the wind to transmit his voice, spreading it far and wide: “Are there any other colleagues who wish to come and seize my Zhao Xing's territory? Feel free to give it a try!”
(End of Chapter)