To save time, the free consultation session was conducted in groups of three to five, seeking out friends with common questions to ask together.
Xue Wenzhong wove through the crowd, sometimes explaining, sometimes letting the young officials practice personally.
In the courtyard, the wind began to rise, clouds surged, and thunder rumbled, with a light rain suddenly making the atmosphere lively.
During the wait, Chen Ziyu and Qian Dong also grew restless and began to tease their colleagues who were casting spells and cultivating nearby.
“Brother Zhou, why does your [Call Winds] always blow into people's pants? You've probably used this trick on quite a few young ladies, haven’t you?”
“Brother Ye, your [Summon Thunder] is just mediocre; the sound is even quieter than your snoring. You need to practice harder.”
“Oh, Brother Cao is impressive; your [Summon Rain] looks like a woman urinating, and it even split… Hahaha!”
“…”
Laughter erupted around them, and those being teased were not angry; instead, they teased each other, bringing some fun to the monotonous cultivation.
However, as the boys chatted, the topic gradually veered towards matters of men and women, becoming increasingly animated.
“Speaking of this year's Spring Festival, I passed by the town's residences and suddenly heard a voice from inside. A man whispered hoarsely, ‘Baby, come out, put in a bit more effort~,’ followed by a woman's delicate complaint, ‘With you on top and me below, how can I exert myself? Why not switch positions?’”
“Out of curiosity, I went closer to take a look. Guess what I saw?” Qian Dong winked at the boys gathered around, suddenly pausing to build suspense.
“Eh~ A man and his daughter-in-law? Could it be a scandalous affair? Brother Qian, quickly stop, don’t pollute our ears.”
“Brother Cao, you were just listening the most attentively, and now you’re pretending? If you don’t want to hear, just step aside. I’m a common man; I love to listen.”
“You're killing me, Brother Qian, just hurry up and tell us.”
As they bantered back and forth, Zhao Xing couldn’t help but shake his head, not because of them, but because the old Agricultural Affairs Bureau official, Xue Wenzhong, had unknowingly walked up behind Qian Dong.
“What did you see?”
The old voice suddenly appeared, startling the boys. Qian Dong turned around, his face turning red and pale, stammering, “N-nothing.”
Xue Wenzhong's face was wrinkled, a smile that was neither a smile nor a frown appeared: “They can’t say it, so you should.”
Zhao Xing calmly replied, “Old Xue, what Qian Dong said is just an ordinary matter; it’s about a man and his daughter-in-law digging up an ancestral silver box in a dry well. It’s nothing unusual.”
“Clever boy.” Xue Wenzhong chuckled.
Upon hearing this, Qian Dong quickly added, “Ah, I was just going to say that.”
“Yes, yes, we also understood it that way.” The other boys chimed in.
Seeing that the old Agricultural Affairs Bureau official did not make things difficult for them, Qian Dong quickly changed the topic: “Old Xue, I’ve been practicing [Walk on Clouds] recently, but it feels a bit off, sometimes strong and sometimes weak, very unstable. I hope you can guide me.”
“Show me your spell.”
Qian Dong did not hesitate and immediately pointed his hand. Two meters above his head, a gray-white cloud appeared, swaying as if it were a drunken man holding an umbrella.
Xue Wenzhong observed for a moment and then waved his hand, signaling Qian Dong to stop: “Your vital Qi is not being properly gathered, causing the spell's effect to fluctuate.”
Qian Dong listened obediently.
“However, you need not worry; this is a normal phenomenon.” Xue Wenzhong took Qian Dong's hand and stroked his wrist twice before releasing it. “You are close to entering the Gathered Essence Second Level; you only need one last push to break through.”
“You few are the same; most of you are close or have already encountered this. But don’t panic; go back and properly gather your vital Qi, and soon it will be fine.”
“Thank you, Old Xue.”
“Hmm?” When his gaze fell on Zhao Xing, Xue Wenzhong let out a soft exclamation and then pulled Zhao Xing's hand.
The others were puzzled and looked over. After a moment, Xue Wenzhong's brow relaxed, revealing a smile.
“Not bad, you have indeed entered the Gathered Essence Second Level, surpassing them.”
The others cast envious glances, and Chen Ziyu showed a happy expression, feeling glad for his brother. Qian Dong secretly nudged his shoulder, revealing a look of ‘as expected.’
Zhao Xing remained indifferent; he had a panel and knew the moment he broke through, unlike the other young officials, who were still uncertain about their own situations.
Next, the others asked their questions in turn, and when it was Zhao Xing's turn, he spoke about how he had sought three new spells from the Temple of Divinity and requested guidance from Xue Wenzhong.
“The feeling of [Call Winds] and [Walk on Clouds] is the same; both gather vital Qi to manipulate the power of heaven and earth through established spell routes. However, [Call Winds] is slightly more difficult, as it requires directional control and a more meticulous casting process. You should try using one-third of the vital Qi from [Walk on Clouds] to control it, starting with the north wind.”
Upon hearing this, Zhao Xing immediately began to cast the spell.
Vital Qi shot towards the north, and before long, the wind began to blow.
At first, it was just a gentle breeze, but gradually the wind grew stronger, blowing his hair straight.
Xue Wenzhong's expression turned slightly astonished, as Zhao Xing's control over [Call Winds] was remarkably stable, and the wind was strong enough, completely unlike a beginner's spell.
If he were a novice, his hair would be flying wildly, not standing straight like that.
“Why didn’t I notice his talent before?”
Xue Wenzhong became attentive and said, “Try other directions.”
Zhao Xing nodded lightly, pointing his fingers towards the southeast, southwest, and northwest. There were few people to the north, but in the other directions, other young officials were casting spells, creating significant interference.
However, the modification of the Dao Embryo Pill had begun to show results; Zhao Xing's control over vital Qi had become stronger than others, forcefully excluding the disturbances.
At this moment in the courtyard, whenever he summoned the wind, it would come, while the others could only be caught in the chaos of the wind.
“Good, that’s enough.” Xue Wenzhong, seeing this, satisfiedly instructed Zhao Xing to stop.
The other young officials were still puzzled, but seeing the unusual occurrence from the old Agricultural Affairs Bureau official, they didn’t think much of it and continued their own cultivation.
Next, the old Agricultural Affairs Bureau official had Zhao Xing try casting [Summon Thunder].
“[Walk on Clouds] has the dual energies of yin and yang, using vital Qi to control the spell. When heavy, it becomes rain; when combined, it produces thunder. The key lies in…”
“Boom!”
Before he could finish, a loud thunderclap echoed through the courtyard.
The thunder was so loud it felt like it exploded right next to their ears.
At this, everyone in the courtyard turned to look.
They saw a gray-white cloud layer forming above Zhao Xing's head, the gray and white rapidly rolling and colliding from both sides, like war chariots crashing into each other.
In the next moment, a flash of purple appeared, and another thunderclap erupted!
“Ziyu, isn’t this thunder a bit too loud?” Qian Dong stared blankly at the sky.
“I think so too. Could it be that there’s such a huge difference between the Gathered Essence First and Second Levels?” Chen Ziyu was somewhat dazed, mostly shocked by the thunder's sound.
Xue Wenzhong opened his mouth, speechless.
He had already said too much.
If it weren’t for Zhao Xing’s application document being on him, he would have thought Zhao Xing had been practicing for a long time.
Just looking at these two spells, Zhao Xing hardly seemed like a beginner.
“Old Xue, please guide me.” Zhao Xing finished his spell and awaited Xue Wenzhong's instruction, but the latter smiled and said, “For [Call Winds] and [Summon Thunder], you have considerable talent and have already entered the door. What I was going to say is nothing more than what I’ve mentioned before; with a bit of practice, you can enter the next level.”
“As for the method of turning all things into soldiers… follow me.”
(End of Chapter)