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Chapter 216: Fortune’s Spiritual Blessing, Favors of Kings
🕑 Added 2024-11-07 10:06:03 +0000 UTCOutside the Ten Sun Cave-Heaven, many powerful individuals and nobles were blocked, all of them anxious.
The cave-heaven's ascension into a Blessed Land—everyone understood how valuable this was. However, the decree had been issued by the three kings, and no one dared to force their way in.
Inside the Ten Sun Cave-Heaven, those who were already present were even more restless, as ninety-nine percent of them were confined to the area known as "Yang City."
Without the qualification of being an "Exploration Officer," no one was allowed to step outside Yang City unless they planned to leave the cave-heaven altogether.
But at a time like this, who would want to leave the cave-heaven? Anyone who left would be an absolute fool!
Yet even though they had made it in, being stuck in Yang City felt terrible.
"I got rejected again! I've applied three times for the 'Junior Exploration Officer' position, limiting my application to well-known areas like the Lava Plain and the Ten Thousand Li Thunder Pool, and still, my application was denied!"
In Yang City, inside a courtyard, Yi Yue slammed his hand on the table in frustration.
"Even though I’m a martial artist, not a Shennong, how can the Junior Exploration Officer application process be this strict?"
A handsome young man beside him cast a glance at Yi Yue, saying, "Why are you taking it out on the table? If you’ve got guts, go and fight Lord Luohou yourself."
"What did you say?!"
"Enough, Nangong, Yi Yue, both of you stop arguing," Qi Yuangjun interjected to mediate, "Instead of wasting time bickering, why don’t you try pulling some strings? Even getting into a Junior Exploration Group would make this trip worthwhile."
Qi Yuangjun was frustrated too. It was like having a delicious cake placed in front of him but being unable to eat it—only salivating over it. It was torturous.
Even just standing near Yang City’s boundary marker, you could feel the incredible yuan energy filling the air. One could only imagine how many fortuitous encounters lay beyond.
"I’ve got news!" Yi Yue suddenly stood up.
He frantically clicked on the Earth Mirror, and a projected image appeared in the room.
It was Wei Hong, son of General Wei Yuan of the Tiger Jiao Army.
"Brother, you finally responded! I was getting worried," Yi Yue said anxiously.
"Apologies, Brother Yi," Wei Hong replied with a somewhat awkward expression, "I don’t have any good news. Even my father could only secure a place in a mid-tier Exploration Group, and all eight spots have already been filled by members of the Tiger Jiao Army."
"What?" Yi Yue’s face fell with disappointment.
Seeing this, Qi Yuangjun quickly intervened, "Brother Wei, you’ve done your best. It’s us who were putting pressure on you."
Yi Yue also realized his mistake, quickly regaining composure. After all, a friend’s inability to succeed shouldn’t be held against them. Whether they could succeed or not, they had made the effort. That alone was a favor.
"Yes, this situation isn’t your fault, Brother Wei. I was out of line."
Wei Hong continued, "Brother Qi, Brother Yi, although I couldn’t get you into a team, I can share some insider information that might help."
Qi Yuangjun cupped his hands and said, "Please, Brother Wei, go ahead."
Wei Hong said, "Among the military units, divisions, and nobles inside Yang City, there are about a dozen people who either have the ability to apply for Exploration Group spots or already hold the rights to distribute them."
Qi Yuangjun, Yi Yue, and Nangong Ye all perked up at this.
This was indeed good news.
They had been searching for connections but didn’t even know where to start. Everything had been kept tightly under wraps.
"First, of course, are the three kings overseeing the military realm: Lord Luohou, Lord Lingde, and Lord Tianyan. All three of them have the authority to approve entry and distribute spots."
This bit of news was somewhat redundant—everyone already knew that the three kings were in charge of the Ten Sun Cave-Heaven. After all, they were the ones who had issued the decree.
But finding a way to appeal to these three kings? That was a joke in itself.
Wei Hong continued, "Next is King Liang. King Liang submitted a memorial to the emperor, reporting the auspicious signs from the Blessed Land, and was granted partial administrative authority."
Yi Yue laughed bitterly, "Brother Wei, please don’t mention any more kings. I’m too far below them to even dream of such connections."
The backdoors to these kings were far beyond the reach of someone like Yi Yue, a mere sixth-rank official. Even if they could establish such a connection, they would be no more than insignificant foot soldiers with no influence.
Yes, Qi Yuangjun, Yi Yue, and Nangong Ye were all geniuses.
But Great Zhou had no shortage of geniuses. In the past thousand years, how many of them had been born?
"Alright," Wei Hong said, "To what extent can you reach with your current connections?"
Qi Yuangjun, Nangong Ye, and Yi Yue exchanged glances and said, "Our generals have already spent significant resources getting us this far. At most, we could request a favor from a fifth-rank official."
The commanding officers overseeing the three cave-heavens were all Marquis-level figures, but Qi Yuangjun, Nangong Ye, and Yi Yue weren’t their sons—just soldiers under their command.
Getting this far had already been a huge favor, and expecting more would be too much to ask.
Wei Hong thought for a moment and said, "As of now, the only fifth-rank officials in Ten Sun Cave-Heaven who might have spare spots are the Shennong officers. The rest wouldn’t have much sway."
Shennong officers were, after all, responsible for overseeing the workings of heaven and earth. The cave-heaven’s ascension into a Blessed Land had been announced by Yang City’s Shennong overseer.
However, most fifth-rank Shennong officers didn’t have the authority to allocate spots.
Officials like Zuo Zizhi, Ge Jinsong, and Cheng Qingming were relatively weak in both power and influence.
"If you want a real chance, you’ll need to target high-ranking officials from the four major academies: the Tianshi, Dili, Taicang, and Pinghuai academies. Only officers at the level of Shennong Chiefs or Supervising Chiefs would have enough authority."
Wei Hong then provided some specific names: "Fan Zhaoli, Lu Bang, Mei Zhiru, Lord Tian, Liu Tianning, Zhang Song, and Gong Tian. These people are certain to have spots."
"Anyone else isn’t worth pursuing."
"Thank you, Brother Wei," Qi Yuangjun said, cupping his hands again. "I wish you great success in your explorations."
"It’s a small matter," Wei Hong nodded, then ended the call.
Qi Yuangjun, Yi Yue, and Nangong Ye quickly retreated to their rooms to contact their backers.
An hour later, they all returned to the courtyard.
"How did it go?" Qi Yuangjun asked.
"My general agreed to try and talk to Fan Zhaoli, but he made no guarantees," Nangong Ye said.
"Lord Yan plans to speak with Zhang Song and Lu Bang, but there’s no certainty," Yi Yue sighed.
It was difficult, extremely difficult, to get a piece of the action in such a massive opportunity.
Especially in the early stages, when everyone was fighting tooth and nail to get in.
Nangong Ye and Yi Yue exchanged helpless glances. Their backers' vague promises were not very encouraging.
"I have some news," Qi Yuangjun said, "but you’re not going to believe it."
"Oh? What is it?" Nangong Ye asked.
"My general told me there’s a Shennong officer in Ten Sun Cave-Heaven named Liu Tianning. He’s a member of the military's Inspectorate and also serves as a Shennong Chief at the Taicang Academy, responsible for training soldiers."
"My general said Liu Tianning seems to be connected to one of the three kings and might even have ties to the royal family. He has control over a significant number of Exploration Officer spots!"
"Wait, you mean the Liu Tianning from Taihe County?" Nangong Ye asked, surprised.
"Yes," Qi Yuangjun replied, "My general contacted Liu Tianning, and you won’t believe what happened—Liu Tianning told him to ask Zhao Xing for a spot."
"Zhao Xing?" Nangong Ye was puzzled. "You mean Zhao Xing from the Shenwei Army? What does he have to do with this?"
"Exactly, what’s the connection?" Yi Yue was equally confused.
"Zhao Xing is Liu Tianning’s disciple," Qi Yuangjun explained. "Liu Tianning created an Elite Exploration Group, with a maximum of thirty members, and he gave most of the spots to Zhao Xing."
"What?!" Nangong Ye and Yi Yue were both shocked. "An Elite Exploration Group, handed over just like that?"
"My general told me Liu Tianning holds Zhao Xing in high regard and is even willing to extend such a significant favor to his disciple," Qi Yuangjun remarked.
Nangong Ye and Yi Yue could only look on enviously, their eyes turning red with jealousy.
What kind of miraculous teacher was this?
"Convincing Liu Tianning would be too difficult. My general heard that we know Zhao Xing, so he suggested we contact him directly and see what it would cost to get a spot."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let’s contact him right away!" Nangong Ye quickly pulled out his Earth Mirror.
Yi Yue did the same, grateful that, despite having a falling out with Liao Rulong of the Shenwei Army, he hadn’t burned any bridges with Zhao Xing. Now he just hoped that connection would still be useful.
In the Inverted Peak Mountain Range, Zhao Xing sat inside a room aboard the Kirin Airship.
Before him was the virtual image of a man clad in a green dragon scale battle armor and a blood phoenix cloak.
"Zhao Xing greets Lord Xin," Zhao Xing cupped his hands in greeting.
This was one of the foreign-born kings and the third marquis to seek him out today.
Lord Xin, Liu Yong, was the king of Pinghai Prefecture. During the middle of the Reformation Era, he had made great contributions to the expansion of the Nine Heavens Yingyuan Prefecture, ascending from a marquis to a king. He had also married a cousin of Emperor Jing, making him a member of the imperial family.
However, Lord Xin was now quite old, over six hundred years, and his appearance showed it—his lifespan was nearing its end.
Lord Xin had reached the third-rank Primordial Soul stage, but his hair was white, and his face was wrinkled.
This was the inevitable decline of his Seven Souls. Although his powerful Primordial Soul had extended his life, it wouldn’t be enough to hold on much longer.
"Zhao Xing, I’ve heard that your teacher entrusted the management of the Elite Exploration Group to you," Lord Xin’s voice was calm, giving off a warm and approachable feeling, even through the Earth Mirror.
"That’s correct, it’s all thanks to my teacher’s trust," Zhao Xing responded humbly.
Lord Xin didn’t waste time with pleasantries and got straight to the point:
"I have thirteen sons. All of them have found their way in life, except for my youngest. He’s the only one I’m still concerned about."
"He’s not very talented, but as his father, I’d like to help him find a proper path."
"If you can open this door of opportunity and give him a spot as An Advanced Exploration Officer, the price is yours to name."
Zhao Xing didn’t immediately reply.
Lord Xin added, "I’ve spent my life in the military. Though my time is running out, I still have fifty years left. Among my twelve other sons, two serve in the Golden Guard, while seven hold fifth-rank positions, primarily in Pinghai Prefecture and Shenzhou."
Liu Yong was very straightforward. At his age, there was no need for pretense.
He might as well have said, “I still have fifty good years left. Don’t worry, I won’t immediately die after you do me this favor."
Even if I do pass away, several of my sons are capable enough to repay this favor.
Lord Xin didn’t mention money because at this level, money was never part of the equation.
After a brief consideration, Zhao Xing cupped his hands and said, "Since Lord Xin has spoken, how could I hesitate? Please let me know the young master’s residence, and I’ll personally fetch him."
"Very well," the white-haired Lord Xin smiled faintly. "I’ll have him wait for you at the Eighteen Locust Willow Courtyard."
With that, Lord Xin ended the call.
"Finally," Zhao Xing exhaled deeply and stepped out of the cabin.
"How many is that now?" Xia Jing asked.
"The third one today," Zhao Xing sighed.
"What’s with the sigh?"
"Dealing with kings and marquises is quite stressful."
"Brother, I’d be happy to help take that stress off your shoulders."
"Haha, I can still manage, thanks."
"Tsk." Xia Jing rolled his eyes at Zhao Xing.
"Another one?" Long Xiao approached, holding his Earth Mirror. "Someone just joined the Exploration Group, making it the fourth one today."
"Understood, I’ll handle it," Zhao Xing said.
His teacher had let in two people, and today Zhao Xing had given out two spots himself.
Including Lord Xin’s son, that would make five in total.
However, Zhao Xing didn’t need to go in person because he had his Self Straw Puppet stationed in Yang City. The puppet could handle meeting Liu Yong’s son.
"How’s Chen Shijie and Ji Ziyun’s search going?" Zhao Xing asked, looking towards a distant waterfall.
Below the waterfall was a cold pool.
As the cave-heaven ascended and natural phenomena evolved, they had followed the signs and discovered this cold pool.
When it came to underground or underwater exploration, mages were more suitable for the task.
So while Long Xiao and Xia Jing, both martial artists, stayed on the boat, Zhao Xing had been handling his affairs.
"They’ve been down there for two hours now," Xia Jing said. "Not sure what they’ve found."
"Stay here and don’t move," Zhao Xing instructed. "I’ll go take a look."
With a hum, Zhao Xing soared on a cloud, quickly flying to the base of the waterfall.
"Water with no source falling from the sky—this kind of waterfall doesn’t exist outside of here."
Zhao Xing sensed the overwhelming power of the water element.
"Rumble~~" The waterfall, over a hundred meters tall, crashed down into the deep pool below, from which waves of cold air emanated.
Splash
Zhao Xing plunged into the water, pressing against the pressure as he searched below.
His Divine Travel Guard allowed him to move underwater, though at a slower pace than when he tunneled underground.
Cold. The frigid energy constantly attacked the Eight-Angle Earth Palace Technique.
The deeper he went, the greater the pressure became, and the more energy his spells consumed.
"Hmm?"
As he descended to a certain depth, Zhao Xing suddenly noticed flickers of blue light appearing in the pitch-black depths of the cold pool.
"What’s that?" Zhao Xing swam toward the light.
Moments later, he arrived.
"Millennium Cold Crystals?"
"And so many of them?"
Zhao Xing gazed at the surrounding blue glow in astonishment.
"Old Chen, Old Chen."
Zhao Xing sent a message to Chen Shijie using water vein vibrations.
Moments later, water waves rippled, sending back a message that resonated against Zhao Xing’s Eight-Angle Earth Palace.
"You came down here too?"
"Come to my location; I’ve found Millennium Cold Crystals."
"On my way."
A quarter of an hour later, Chen Shijie and Ji Ziyun swam over to Zhao Xing.
Ji Ziyun was surrounded by a spherical water shield, while Chen Shijie had a faint blue membrane of light clinging to him.
"Millennium Cold Crystals! And so many of them?" Ji Ziyun was equally shocked. "How do you always get so lucky? We’ve been searching for hours and only found some hundred-year-old ones!"
"I’ve always had good luck," Zhao Xing said with a grin.
But it wasn’t entirely luck.
Zhao Xing could also perform divination and calculations.
Once underwater, he had activated the Five-Finger Fate Technique. This fate-based spell came with a fortune-enhancing effect. With Zhao Xing’s Fate Fortune of Derivation Four, combined with the Five-Finger Fate Technique, it would have been odd not to find anything after reaching this point.
"Hurry up and start collecting. Don’t waste time," Zhao Xing urged.
"Right."
The three quickly began gathering the Millennium Cold Crystals from the depths.
Half an hour later…
Splash!
The trio emerged from the cold pool, surrounded by blue starlight.
Cold energy surged and erupted before gradually subsiding.
The cold pool lost its mystical aura, becoming ordinary once again.
"They’ve surfaced!" Xia Jing and Long Xiao’s eyes lit up, rushing over.
"How did it go?"
"We finally scored big," Ji Ziyun replied.
"Not bad," Zhao Xing added.
"Not bad?" Ji Ziyun’s eyes widened. "These are sixth-tier Millennium Cold Crystals!"
Ji Ziyun felt like Zhao Xing was becoming too nonchalant. After following Zhao Xing for two days, he had started feeling like Zhao Xing was the true son of a marquis, while he himself was just some country bumpkin.
"Millennium Cold Crystals are crafting materials. We can’t absorb much of their energy," Zhao Xing explained.
Millennium Cold Crystals could enhance talent in ice-based spells and increase resistance to ice energy.
Among the five of them, Zhao Xing absorbed two and a half crystals, Ji Ziyun took two, and Chen Shijie absorbed one and a half.
Long Xiao and Xia Jing, being martial artists, only absorbed half a crystal each.
"My water-based spells have significantly improved!" Ji Ziyun exhaled a breath of cold air. "These are truly excellent."
Millennium Cold Crystals were rare and difficult to acquire, requiring a thousand years to form.
And now, they had found over three hundred of them!
"We can only absorb a limited amount, but these crystals will be useful for completing our Exploration Tasks," Zhao Xing said.
"Exploration Tasks?" Ji Ziyun was puzzled, having only recently entered the Ten Sun Cave-Heaven and unfamiliar with its workings.
"You may not know this, but the Exploration Officer spots don’t come for free," Zhao Xing explained. "I anticipate that the military realm will soon issue tasks for all the Exploration Officers and Exploration Groups."
"We hold this title, so we’ll have to perform certain duties. What does an Exploration Officer do? Search for treasures and turn them in."
"Every few days, we’ll be required to submit our findings. If we fail, we’ll be demoted. If a Junior Exploration Officer is demoted, they’ll be forced out."
Ji Ziyun nodded in understanding. "That makes sense."
"Being an Exploration Officer is a grueling job. Dean Fan once toiled in the Inverted Peak Mountain Range for three years, eventually transforming a part of the land into a source of primal fruit, for which he was rewarded with ten billion points."
"But aside from top-level teams like his, most Junior and Mid-tier Exploration Officers live rather ordinary lives."
Just think about it—even a sixth-rank mechanist like Gao Ming had to take on multiple side jobs, serving as a courier, an armory stock manager, and a ceremonial overseer.
In the military realm, earning points wasn’t easy.
For officials under Emperor Jing, the welfare and benefits weren’t high. Whether they wanted a comfortable life or aimed for promotion, they had to work hard and outcompete others.
When Zhao Xing had asked Liu Tianning for permission to form an Elite Exploration Group, why had Liu Tianning hesitated?
Because it wasn’t a cushy job. It added a heavy burden and distracted from cultivation.
"But precisely because being an Exploration Officer is difficult, the existing Exploration Officer spots were not revoked after the cave-heaven ascended. Instead, those with spots were free to bring in others."
Ji Ziyun sighed, "What was once a burdensome task has become a lucrative opportunity—a reward for those hardworking officials."
"Now, countless people are scrambling for a spot, but getting one is as hard as climbing to the heavens."
"Alright, Brother, let’s not dwell on it any longer," Xia Jing said with a laugh. "Let’s keep moving and continue searching for opportunities."
"Agreed, let’s head out!" Ji Ziyun smiled.
...
For the next three days, Zhao Xing didn’t receive any more requests from kings or marquises.
Liu Tianning had helped him filter out unfit candidates, so only suitable ones would be referred to Zhao Xing.
On the fifth day after the decree from the three kings, just as Zhao Xing had anticipated, the military realm began issuing tasks for all Exploration Officer levels.
"Junior Exploration Officers must turn in ten fifth-tier treasures every three days, with the total quantity not falling below one hundred pieces."
"Mid-tier Exploration Officers must turn in ten treasures of no less than fifth-tier every five days."
"Advanced Exploration Officers must submit sixth-tier treasures. Failure to complete the task three times in a row will result in demotion."
Long Xiao couldn’t help but grumble, "So there’s no such thing as a free lunch. This could be exhausting."
"If you don’t do it, plenty of people will be eager to take your place," Chen Shijie replied.
"All treasures must be turned in," Zhao Xing said, "That’s the rule."
"It may be tiring, but the rewards are substantial."
"For example, the spiritual mushrooms and fruits we found earlier, along with the Millennium Cold Crystals—we’re free to consume as much as we can handle. If you have the capacity to absorb it, it’s all yours."
"Exactly," Xia Jing nodded. "We’re all soldiers of Great Zhou, so it’s all staying in the family anyway."
Zhao Xing added, "With the Millennium Cold Crystals, our team doesn’t need to worry about the submission tasks for the next ten days. For now, let’s stop searching for treasures."
"Then what should we look for?" Long Xiao asked.
"Fortune Spiritual Blessings, like the Spiritual Blessings of All Laws, the Blessings of Fate, and the Blessings of Longevity... These are the best things we can find."
"Brother Ji, earlier you mentioned seeing fire flowing through water. Was it in that direction?"
"I believe so," Ji Ziyun replied after some thought.
Zhao Xing maneuvered the Airship, turning toward the direction Ji Ziyun had indicated. "Old Chen, Xia Jing, Long Xiao, keep an eye out."
"If you see winged beasts resembling monkeys, or fruit-bearing trees with infant-like fruit... If you spot any of these signs, we’ll pursue them immediately."
"Understood."
With that, Zhao Xing activated his Heavenly Eye, scanning the surroundings from atop the Airship.
The Fortune Observation Technique from the Great Derivation Canon didn’t just allow him to see people’s fortunes; it also revealed the presence of Fortune Spiritual Blessings.
These blessings, in essence, were a manifestation of fortune itself, formed from the gathered qi of mountains, rivers, and lakes.
Based on Ji Ziyun’s description, the "fire flowing in water" was likely a Fortune Spiritual Blessing.
"Hmm?" Suddenly, in Zhao Xing’s Heavenly Eye, a flash of red light appeared briefly.
"Long Xiao, lower our altitude. Head to the valley at the ninth latitude in the southeast."
"Got it!" Long Xiao replied energetically, steering the Airship downward.
Upon arrival, the five of them became excited.
In the valley below, there was a hot spring emitting steam, and within the water, fire was flowing. It was clearly extraordinary. At the same time, they all felt a sense of anticipation welling up within them.
"We found it. This is the place!" Zhao Xing’s eyes lit up with excitement.
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