After waiting for a moment, Zhao Xing entered the Hall of Saints to seek a technique. There were no divine statues here, only memorial tablets, which held a status slightly lower than those of the individually worshipped Yin Gods. However, since he was only seeking mid to low-tier spells, it was of no concern.
Finding a secluded corner, Zhao Xing sat cross-legged on a mat. "Disciple has no particular preference; any sect's spell will do. Whichever True Lord is willing to impart their teachings, I shall learn from them," Zhao Xing silently prayed. His thoughts conveyed only one meaning: no picky choices!
It seemed as though his prayer had been heard, as a gentle breeze soon enveloped Zhao Xing's body. He involuntarily closed his eyes; this was a sign that he was about to receive teachings.
At the same time, among the densely packed memorial tablets of the Hall of Saints, one tablet named 'Zheng Lun True Lord' began to emit a faint glow.
"Kill!"
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"
"Xiliuli~"
"Enemy attack!"
Dark clouds gathered, and the canyon was filled with an eerie atmosphere. The sounds of clashing weapons and battle cries echoed through the air.
Zhao Xing found himself in a narrow canyon, pushing a grain cart, while boulders, logs, and a rain of arrows fell from both sides of the canyon. Instinctively, Zhao Xing wanted to cast a spell, but he realized he felt ethereal in this place. The arrows passed through him, leaving him unharmed.
"So this is a scene from receiving teachings; it seems the True Lord who is imparting the spell was a military Agricultural Affairs official in life." Encountering a battlefield scene during enlightenment usually indicated that the person had significant military achievements, which led to their posthumous title.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~" The arrows fell like rain.
However, this grain convoy was not without means to fight back. The soldiers transporting the grain exerted some effort, and the cart was overturned. They quickly dove underneath, moving both cart and men together.
"Is this a Ling Shield Cart?" Zhao Xing recognized it at a glance.
"Form a defensive formation with the Ling Shield Cart! Lieutenant Congyun, immediately obscure the enemy's line of sight!" A shout spread with the wind. Upon hearing this command, the attacked grain convoy began to defend themselves.
Zhao Xing looked towards the source of the voice and saw a middle-aged man dressed in a golden raincoat and wearing a flowered straw hat, issuing orders. A wind swirled around him, causing arrows to veer off course three feet before reaching him.
Beside him were several similarly dressed Agricultural Affairs officials, their faces obscured, beginning to cast spells.
"Lieutenant Zhongxian, grain officer Zheng Lun." Zhao Xing naturally recalled this person's name, title, and the honors he had received.
"It seems this True Lord is imparting the teachings to me." Focusing his mind, he began to carefully observe Zheng Lun's spellcasting.
The clouds obscured the ambushers' line of sight from both sides of the canyon, and the rain of arrows decreased significantly. After ten breaths, the arrows, boulders, and logs came to a complete stop. Thunder began to rumble within the clouds; if they did not flee or hide soon, they would be struck down by Zheng Lun's thunder.
However, it was already too late to escape.
"Boom!" Thunder fell like a thread, directly shattering the enemies atop the mountain. Even those hiding behind rocks could not evade the lightning, which curved to strike them.
"Kill!" The pressure of the attacks from above eased slightly, but two groups of soldiers charged out from the front and back of the canyon.
"Great Halberd Soldiers?!" Zhao Xing recognized this ancient troop type. The soldiers rushing towards them all wielded three-meter-long great halberds.
The soldiers were fully armored, even their faces were covered, revealing only their eyes. On their heads were fierce horns, and as they ran, they crushed fist-sized stones underfoot, shaking the ground.
The Great Halberd Soldiers were filled with vigorous Qi and blood, and a military flag among them shone brilliantly. Countless strands of Qi and blood coalesced around the flag, and then a rainbow light shot up into the sky.
"Buzz~" A gap was torn in the clouds above the canyon.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~" The soldiers inside the Ling Shield Cart began to shoot arrows in retaliation, but the arrows could not penetrate the armor.
As the Great Halberd Soldiers closed in, Zheng Lun acted again.
"Wind, come!" A fierce wind suddenly rose in the canyon, and Zhao Xing was caught off guard by the gust.
He looked at Zheng Lun, only to see a black storm raging in the man's eyes. At the same time, this strange phenomenon reflected in the eyes of the Great Halberd Soldiers.
"Thud!" The first row of Great Halberd Soldiers fell without warning, as if they were mere paper figures easily blown down by the strange wind.
Row after row fell, like straw being flattened by a strong wind; nearly five hundred Great Halberd Soldiers were wiped out in the blink of an eye.
Seeing such a bizarre scene, the remaining Great Halberd Soldiers began to panic and retreated.
"Hmph!" Zheng Lun pointed back, and the clouds swiftly followed.
"Pouring rain!" The heavy rain fell, causing the Great Halberd Soldiers' speed to slow, as if they were mired in mud.
"All troops, pursue and kill the enemies!" Zheng Lun commanded, and all the soldiers emerged from the Ling Shield Cart, turning to chase the remnants.
The grain convoy had only 500 men, but the ambushers from both sides totaled over 1,500. Yet, they had failed to capture them and instead were driven into a rout.
"Impressive." Witnessing this scene, Zhao Xing couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
In the heavy rain, enemy soldiers fell one after another, eventually becoming stiff and pale.
Zhao Xing gained insight. He understood what spell the military Agricultural Affairs official was imparting.
At that moment, everything suddenly froze. The cold Zheng Lun turned to look at Zhao Xing, the 'outsider,' as if encouraging him.
"Thank you, True Lord." Zhao Xing cupped his hands in respect and then the scene shattered completely.
[You have received teachings in the Hall of Saints and comprehended the mid-tier spell 'Summoning Thunder.']
[Summoning Thunder: Mid-tier Spell]
[Effect: Summons thunder to strike enemies.]
[Proficiency: 0/9999]
[You have received teachings in the Hall of Saints and comprehended the mid-tier spell 'Yin Wind.']
[Yin Wind: Mid-tier Spell]
[Effect: The Yin Wind blows, scattering souls.]
[Proficiency: 0/9999]
[You have received teachings in the Hall of Saints and comprehended the mid-tier spell 'Ice Rain.']
[Ice Rain: Mid-tier Spell]
[Effect: Dripping rain turns to ice, solidifying Qi and blood.]
Zhao Xing opened his eyes, looked at one of the memorial tablets, followed the procedure to bow again, and then exited the great hall.
He did not expect that this visit to the Hall of Saints would yield unexpected gains, learning three mid-tier spells. Moreover, all were offensive types.
Under normal circumstances, Summoning Thunder was relatively easy to learn, while Yin Wind and Ice Rain were exclusive to military Agricultural Affairs officials, making the probability of learning them before officially taking office extremely low.
"Summoning Thunder, Yin Wind, Ice Rain—these three are upgraded versions of the Four Methods of Heavenly Timing. It seems I am adept at combat, which is why this military Agricultural Affairs official took notice of me and imparted these offensive spells."
This perfectly compensated for Zhao Xing's lack of offensive power; he was no longer just a military Agricultural Affairs official who relied on straw men to hide but had become one with considerable lethality!
Upon returning to the Agricultural Affairs Bureau, Zhao Xing recounted his experience of receiving teachings to Xue Wenzhong. The old Agricultural Affairs official was momentarily taken aback. "I can teach you Summoning Thunder, but I do not know Yin Wind and Ice Rain. You will have to seek out Chen Shijie."
The proficiency of spells does not escalate dramatically; otherwise, later on, astronomical numbers would become indistinguishable, as 1 billion and 800 million would not differ much. Thus, each time one advances, proficiency is calculated from zero. The difficulty of gaining proficiency also increases, and the same applies to Gathered Essence.
(End of Chapter)