The Yin Wind Technique had undergone nine transformations, greatly boosting Zhao Xing's confidence. Initially, he did not expect to seize the first few incense sticks, but now he felt he had a certain level of assurance.
"The Temple's doors will soon open; hurry and restore your vital Qi."
Zhao Xing quickly took out three Gathered Essence Pills from the Wen Bamboo Box and swallowed them. Following that, he bit into a Heavenly Origin Pear, and his complexion immediately became rosy.
After recovering more than half of his vital Qi, he glanced at the sundial.
"It is already the sixth watch of the Hai hour; only two quarters remain before the Temple doors open."
Zhao Xing scanned the Tian Tan Square and noticed that Shen Zhui had still not arrived.
"I wonder what he has been through; he has delayed the incense competition on the second night."
"I hope it is for a good reason."
On the first night, he had not gone for the first incense but had instead hidden in a cave to consume the Zhu Fruit and break through.
After thinking for a moment, Zhao Xing walked towards the other side of the square.
"Young Master Zong."
Zong Shichang was discussing something with a nearby person, annoyed that someone interrupted him. Upon seeing Zhao Xing, his frown relaxed, and he smiled, "What happened to you? Just a short while apart, and you look a bit haggard?"
The myriad techniques of the Spirit Charm had directly elevated Zhao Xing's Yin Wind to nine transformations, but it also consumed a large amount of vital Qi, mainly his willpower and spirit. After such a frenzied cultivation, he appeared somewhat listless.
Zhao Xing ignored Zong Shichang's teasing and got straight to the point, "Shall we compete for the first incense together when we enter the Temple?"
Zong Shichang's expression became troubled as he whispered, "To be honest, I would like that, but the people I have gathered will only protect me; they may not be able to ensure your safety. Let me ask around."
Zhao Xing nodded. Zong Shichang was only at the Gathered Essence Fourth Level. If he were to lead during a battle, it would be absurd.
If Zong Shichang could directly make decisions, Zhao Xing would turn around and leave; that would be treating life as a joke.
Zong Shichang turned back and quietly discussed with the crowd.
Around him had gathered about seventeen or eighteen people.
The first tier consisted of three Gathered Essence Eighth Level experts, whom his father had hired.
Since they were hired, Zong Shichang could not command them; he had to listen to the opinions of these experts for most actions.
Zong Shichang was clear-headed; he would never guide professionals as an amateur.
The second tier had five members at the Gathered Essence Seventh Level. They were relatively young talents from Nanyang County, forming Zong Shichang's own network, and they had agreed to act together, but there was no master-servant relationship, only cooperation.
The third tier consisted of those at the Gathered Essence Fifth and Sixth Levels, whom Zong Shichang had recruited with silver notes. This group would listen to Zong Shichang.
Zong Shichang was a fun-loving person and had no objections to Zhao Xing joining. The more people, the better; he wished that everyone in Tian Tan Square would come to join the excitement!
However, he understood the stakes and felt that Zhao Xing's chances of joining were slim. After all, the Agricultural Affairs Bureau had little combat power, and Zhao Xing, in his impression, did not have a high rank; at least, Zong Shichang could not see it.
Yet, when he spoke, a tall, thin middle-aged man with four battle knives on his back chimed in, "Young Master Zong, I think we can let him join."
"Uh?" Zong Shichang was taken aback and looked at the expert hired by his father, "Uncle Cang."
"Indeed, Uncle Cang is right," another middle-aged swordsman with a mole on his cheek added, "Young Master, you can learn from this."
Zong Shichang was somewhat confused, "Uncle Cang, Uncle Hu, are you joking? Just a moment ago, when I borrowed money, you both were unwilling."
He couldn't gauge their intentions and thought they were teasing him, giving him money but wanting to bring someone along. Did Zong Shichang not have any self-awareness?
"This is a different time," Uncle Cang smiled, "Before he absorbs the third portion of Spirit Charm, he can barely be considered useful."
"But after absorbing the third portion..." Uncle Hu's eyes flashed with a hint of intrigue, "I sense a strong threat from this kid, a life-and-death kind of threat."
With two of the three experts agreeing, the remaining one did not voice any objections. Zong Shichang, surprised, quickly adjusted his thoughts and smiled, "Actually, I noticed it long ago; you see, my previous two hundred silver notes were indeed justified!"
The three experts smiled without speaking.
You noticed it?
What did you notice? That was purely wasteful, okay!
"Ahem, I'll go talk to him now." Seeing no one supporting him, Zong Shichang stopped boasting and turned to Zhao Xing.
"Brother Zhao, I've sorted everything out; you can join us in competing for the incense shortly."
Zhao Xing had actually heard everything but still gave a thumbs up, "Impressive, it’s all thanks to Young Master Zong."
"Ah, it's nothing much." Zong Shichang felt relaxed, and his smile grew even brighter.
"There’s still some time; shall I explain the situation to you?"
"Sure." Zhao Xing listened attentively; he was indeed not very familiar with these experts.
Zong Shichang stood beside Zhao Xing and pointed to a corner of Tian Tan Square, "Do you see that person with the feather fan and a flower-like face? That person is Wen Zhao, at the Gathered Essence Ninth Level, thirty-six years old, and is an official from the Rites Hall of Nanyang County."
"He specializes in rites, particularly adept at 'Harmony Rites' and 'Fire Rites.'"
"He secured the fifth incense stick last night."
Zhao Xing nodded slightly; he had noticed that this person was a rites expert, as this person had burned several straw men when entering Tian Tan Square.
"The swordsman next to him is Zhang Boran, at the Gathered Essence Eighth Level, and is his cousin. He wields a Third Tier Superior 'Tiger Ring Blade' and excels in a mid-tier secret technique called 'Tiger Slaughter Blade.'"
"These two complement each other well, one civil and one martial."
Zong Shichang's finger moved horizontally, pointing in another direction, "That man wearing a raincoat and a gray hat is called Cao Qiushui, at the Gathered Essence Ninth Level."
"He is also a minor official from the Agricultural Affairs Bureau, a direct descendant of the Cao family. He ranks third in strength, not as strong as his elder brother Cao Chunfang or his younger brother Cao Wangdong."
Zhao Xing raised an eyebrow, "The Cao family, are they descendants of True Lord Cao Xi?"
Zong Shichang curled his lip, "Indeed, they are descendants of True Lord Cao Xi, but this bloodline has been diluted for over a thousand years, so it’s nothing remarkable. As the saying goes, a weasel gives birth to a rat."
Zhao Xing, seeing that he wouldn’t elaborate further, helplessly prompted, "What does that mean?"
Zong Shichang laughed, "Each generation is weaker than the last. The Cao family has only produced one Fifth Rank in the last three hundred years, and that was a scattered rank."
Zhao Xing replied, "You can't blame them for not working hard; it's indeed difficult for aristocratic families in this era."
Zong Shichang nodded, "Indeed, that one was ruthless, continuously draining the blood of the aristocratic families..."
Zhao Xing waved his hand, "Let's not digress; it's taboo."
Zong Shichang fell silent, looking around, and then his eyes lit up as he pointed to the east side of the square, "She’s here."
"Who?"
"Duo Jiao Jiao. Do you see that person with the spear? Yes, she’s blocked by the girl with the Liuqin."
Zhao Xing looked over and saw Lu Qian chatting with the girl holding the Liuqin, while behind them stood a cute girl who was a head shorter.
However, her spear was quite tall, probably nearly four meters long.
"I see her; she lives up to her name, indeed quite petite... What are you laughing at?"
Before Zhao Xing could finish, he saw Zong Shichang clutching his stomach, laughing secretly.
"What's wrong?"
Zong Shichang slapped his thigh, "Her name is Duo Jiao Jiao, but she’s not petite; she’s just sitting!"
"Huh?" Zhao Xing was stunned.
"Don’t believe me? Let me show you." Zong Shichang picked up a stone from the ground and threw it over. "Hey! Brother Duo!"
The stone landed in front of the three girls, and Lu Qian frowned, seeing it was Zong Shichang, she immediately scolded, "Zong Shiba, you good-for-nothing, what are you doing?!"
Zong Shichang waved his hand, "Qian Qian, you really have a beautiful voice~ Come on, call me a few more times to hear~"
Lu Qian was furious and was about to rush over, "Do you want to die?!"
At this moment, Duo Jiao Jiao stood up and pulled her back, "Qian Qian, don’t bother with him."
"Hmph." Lu Qian glared fiercely and angrily sat back down.
Zong Shichang turned back, "Did you see that?"
Zhao Xing nodded, "I saw it; it’s indeed astonishing."
Duo Jiao Jiao stood up, and she was a staggering eight feet tall!
A rough estimate would put her at least two meters and forty-five centimeters!
Moreover, she was extremely robust; her face was cute and delicate, unexpectedly resembling a 'Barbie Doll.'
"No wonder she uses such a long spear."
Zong Shichang said, "The Duo family’s spears are quite famous in Nanyang County. Her father can be considered the best spear master in Nanyang County. This woman also knows at least three mid-tier secret techniques. She secured the second incense stick last night; if she hadn’t arrived a bit late, Yang Junxiong might not have been able to secure a steady victory over her."
Speaking of Yang Junxiong, Zong Shichang's tone turned cold, "Yang Junxiong is the one who rides the bamboo horse; he is the culprit behind Wang Ge's death."
"Originally, among the Gathered Essence Ninth Level, there were also Hong Sihai, Dong Chuan, and Xiang Chenglin, all quite outstanding, but these three were heavily injured by Yang Junxiong yesterday and had to descend the mountain early, ending their climbing journey."
Heavily injuring three Gathered Essence Ninth Level experts? Zhao Xing was slightly surprised, "Could it be that Yang Junxiong has already entered the ranks? What is his background?"
During these three days of climbing, only officials were allowed to ascend, and officials generally did not have ranks.
However, once on the mountain, if there were opportunities, breakthroughs were also possible.
"I don’t know." Zong Shichang shook his head, "I haven’t been able to find out this person's background; there are hundreds of counties in Nanyang County, and I don’t know where he came from."
"Damn it, he has defeated so many people; he must have gained a lot of Spirit Charm. His strength is too formidable; I can’t take revenge on the mountain."
Zong Shichang was very angry, and once they descended, everyone would forget everything.
Zhao Xing reminded, "Brother Zong, if he was originally at the Gathered Essence Ninth Level and gained Spirit Charm, then you should stop thinking about revenge for now; preserving your life is more important."
"You should also pray that he isn’t coming for you; Wang Ge's death was merely a side effect for him."
"Forget it, let’s not mention him."
Zong Shichang, feeling dejected, opened the Wen Bamboo Box. He didn’t know if it was because he was angered by Yang Junxiong or if he was parched from talking too much, but he took out some chilled plum soup and gulped down two mouthfuls.
Seeing that Zong Shichang had lost his interest in talking, Zhao Xing also stopped asking questions, silently gathering his strength, waiting for the Temple doors to open.
In the last quarter of an hour before the Temple doors opened, the number of people in Tian Tan Square dwindled.
As it had completely darkened, officials without the 'Bright Eyes Night Vision' ability had long since exited the square, keeping their distance.
Though the crowd had significantly decreased, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense, and the murmurs became subdued. By the time it approached the Zi hour, no one was speaking.
They merely stared silently at the sundial pointer in the square, as it was about to leave the 'Cease Hostilities' zone.
Some could not bear the heavy atmosphere and chose to withdraw at the last moment.
The number of people in the square decreased by another third.
Zhao Xing's eyes emitted a faint green glow in the darkness, also fixated on the pointer.
"Dang!"
Suddenly, a heavy bell tolled from the front of the Temple.
At the same time, the sundial's pointer pointed to the Zi hour!
The Zi hour area was inscribed with two characters: Only Martial!
The Temple doors opened, and ten golden light orbs floated out from within.
These were the 'incense offerings' needed for worship in the Temple!
The incense floated above Tian Tan Square, suspended and not falling, like bright lanterns.
"Move!" Uncle Cang beside Zong Shichang immediately shouted.
"Swish, swish, swish!"
Another Gathered Essence Eighth Level expert, Uncle Hu, also quickly jumped into the air, attempting to seize the incense.
Only those with sufficient confidence dared to compete for the first wave of incense.
Most others were tempted but held back, refraining from action.
Because during the Only Martial moment, life and death were self-responsible!
In the vast Tian Tan Square, only twenty-one dared to leap into the air to seize the first incense.
However, this did not mean that the people on the ground were inactive.
Just as these twenty-one martial artists leaped down, a voice came from the southeast of the square.
"In the use of rites, harmony is precious!"
The voice was mellow, directly resonating in people's ears, causing a brief moment of distraction for everyone.
It was as if an old sage with a crown was earnestly advising them in their ears.
At that moment, the twenty-one martial artists who had just leaped lost all fighting spirit; twenty of them landed, some even staggering and unable to stand steady after touching the ground.
"Wen Zhao!" Uncle Cang roared in anger, unable to help but descend as well.
Only a silver spear broke through the air, unaffected, soaring upward instead, seizing one of the incense sticks; it was Duo Jiao Jiao.
At the same time, the sound of hooves approached from outside the square, and a shadow, riding a bamboo horse, flew through the air, unaffected, arriving ahead of Duo Jiao Jiao to snatch an incense stick.
Then, with unrelenting momentum, he landed at the stone steps leading to the Temple.
"Yang Junxiong!" Duo Jiao Jiao's voice was soft but filled with fighting spirit; when she landed, she was nearly at the same position as Yang Junxiong.
The stone steps could not accommodate many people; whether one secured the first incense depended on who ascended first.
"Get lost!" Yang Junxiong shouted angrily. He also wielded a spear, but it was entirely fire-red, and his aura was astonishing, as if even the bamboo horse was draped in a layer of radiant light.
Even from a distance, his roar still made the ears of those in the square ache, yet Duo Jiao Jiao remained completely unfazed.
"Mid-tier secret technique, Lion's Roar?" Duo Jiao Jiao blocked Yang Junxiong with her spear, her eyes shining. "If you want me to get lost, let’s see if you have that strength!"
These two were the first to seize the incense, while the third was Zhang Boran, who was next to Wen Zhao, as he had jumped back and was unaffected.
However, after landing, he also did not dare to approach.
Because Yang Junxiong and Duo Jiao Jiao blocked the way, he was merely at the Gathered Essence Eighth Level and did not dare to get closer.
With three incense sticks snatched away, the fighting in the square erupted in an instant.
Wen Zhao's suppression was released in a moment because he had to let Zhang Boran seize it.
"Cloud Movement!"
Zhao Xing pointed, and at the very moment the Zi hour arrived, he immediately attempted to raise the clouds, enveloping the entire Tian Tan Square.
But before the cloud movement, he had actually first used the Yin Wind.
He allowed the Yin Wind to swirl around him, forming a barrier; outside the Yin Wind, he used the Wind Technique to create a second barrier.
After being tempered by the earth vein Yin Wind, the myriad techniques of the Spirit Charm made his soul resilient, making it difficult to be shaken. Thus, he was minimally affected by Wen Zhao, while Yang Junxiong's Lion's Roar penetrated the wind wall.
The reason for the slight delay was mainly due to the characteristics of the technique; the cloud movement required time to condense.
Almost as the first batch of martial artists landed, when Duo Jiao Jiao and Yang Junxiong seized the incense, Zhao Xing's cloud movement was raised in the square.
He had to take the initiative; otherwise, the subsequent Thunder Summoning and Ice Rain techniques would have no way to be executed, and he might not be able to seize the incense.
"Cloud Movement!"
Zhao Xing was not the only one with this intention; there were eight others in Tian Tan Square who successively cast their techniques, attempting to seize the advantage of the moment.
Those who dared to act in this first batch were all absolutely confident in their techniques.
The square was not large enough to accommodate that many clouds.
Thus, the first collision occurred.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
The clouds collided, and thunder roared, illuminating Tian Tan Square.
Even Wen Zhao looked on in astonishment, "The chaos of the heavenly rites is so severe; it seems this time, the Agricultural Affairs Bureau has more than just Cao Qiushui as a formidable character."
"Boom!"
On the western side of the square, Cao Qiushui, dressed in a raincoat and wearing a bamboo hat, had his clouds rolling like an unending river, forcefully pushing the surrounding clouds aside.
Soon, three people in his half of the square retreated.
"Brother Cao's Flowing Cloud Technique has reached the fifth transformation; I humbly bow to you."
"Thank you, Brother Cao, for your mercy."
"Hmph, skill is inferior; no words can be said."
"Thank you all for your courtesy!" Cao Qiushui smiled and cupped his hands toward the three.
Just as he was about to continue expanding the cloud movement to cover the entire square, he discovered that the other half of the square, for some unknown reason, was left with only one cloud.
It was Zhao Xing who had already dealt with the other competitors; he did not suppress the other four with his cloud movement.
He had purely stealthily driven a wisp of Yin Wind to ambush these four.
The soul fire was blown to the brink of collapse; how could they still control their cloud techniques?
Immediately, they were cut off and devoured by Zhao Xing's cloud, turning into nourishment.
Thus, Zhao Xing's initial cloud technique was not weaker than Cao Qiushui's mid-tier cloud technique.
"What’s going on? Why is my cloud movement out of control?"
"Who, who is scheming against me?!"
"Damn it!"
Voices of curses erupted from all around the square.
"Zhao Sanjia, how could you..." Zong Shichang looked incredulously at the cloud above.
He had no idea that Zhao Xing was so formidable, able to raise the clouds in front of so many experts and defeat the other four officials in the first instance.
"What incredible control! How can his cloud technique absorb the cloud energy of others?" Uncle Cang and Uncle Hu, after landing, did not jump again but waited for the right moment to act, and they were very surprised to see Zhao Xing's actions.
Because they had not expected Zhao Xing to play a significant role; at least, they had not hoped for him to achieve anything in the first wave of incense competition.
"Again with this move! Previously in the assessment, his cloud could absorb Huang Tao's cloud and turn it into his own..." Zong Shichang was somewhat excited.
Ignoring the astonishment of those around him, Zhao Xing quickly controlled the cloud to absorb the defeated competitors' cloud energy, ready to launch an attack, crashing into Cao Qiushui as he was showing off.
"Boom!"
Thunder roared again, and Zhao Xing's cloud above was dispersed by one-fifth.
But it was quickly absorbed back in, demonstrating astonishing control.
Cao Qiushui's cloud layer, although at an advantage during the collision, was hindered by the rolling flow of clouds.
Though it was a passive collision, it was entirely unexpected for everyone, as Cao Qiushui was using a mid-tier Flowing Cloud Technique, while Zhao Xing was merely at the initial stage of Cloud Movement.
"Hmm? Are there more experts?" Cao Qiushui looked in surprise toward a certain direction.
(End of Chapter)