The Dao Sovereign of Shennong

In the boundless fields, Zhao Xing strolled along a narrow path.

On both sides of the road, yuan rice was growing rapidly, visible to the naked eye, maturing, wilting, and then sprouting new seeds again.

This was the Original Dao Field, one of the treasured lands of Taicang Academy, not far from the Palace of Myriad Techniques.

The Straw Puppet Techniques belonged to the Self School, and to make great progress in these techniques within seven days, one naturally had to come here to study one of the three great secret scriptures: the Yin-Yang Self Technique.

Zhao Xing had two free entry opportunities, and this was his first time using one.

At this moment, he squatted by the roadside, watching the growth, maturity, and wilting of the yuan rice.

"The internal Five Elements of yuan rice have achieved a certain balance with the Earth Reversion Formation."

"The rapid growth and decay, the circulation of yuan qi between the inside and outside."

Zhao Xing activated his Five Elements Observation.

In an instant, the yuan rice and the fields disappeared.

Under the microscopic view of the spell, the sky appeared as a dynamic, brightly colored spectrum.

The earth, on the other hand, was a dull seven-colored mixture, with a dark yellow, representing the Earth Element, as the primary hue. Threads of blue, green, gold, red, and purple flowed like lines across the ground.

The growth of the yuan rice was represented by five intertwined colors rising from the earth, branching out like a tree as the rice matured.

When the yuan rice withered, the tree of the Five Elements gradually dissolved, returning to the world.

Zhao Xing felt a subtle enlightenment and extended his finger.

The surrounding yuan qi suddenly accelerated, gathering a faint blue force toward his fingertip.

Soon, a drop of water formed at his fingertip.

"Drip—"

The droplet fell onto a stalk of yuan rice.

The rice's leaves and stalk were completely destroyed.

The droplet soaked into the soil, even destroying the roots underground. Within moments, while the other rice plants continued their cycles of growth and decay, the half-meter patch of land before him remained barren.

A pure blue color spread across the area, and it wasn't until the formation automatically repaired itself after a while that it returned to normal.

"The Dripping Water Technique borrows the principles of heaven and earth to form power, while the growth and decay of yuan rice represent another evolution of those principles—a different kind of natural force."

"But the force of nature is far more complex than my Dripping Water Technique," Zhao Xing mused.

The Dripping Water Technique simply condensed the power of the Water Element, embodying a destructive natural force.

The yuan rice was only at the first stage, yet its internal structure contained all five elements. Although the natural force was weak, Zhao Xing could easily destroy it, but he couldn't simulate or even fully understand it, as it involved the "essence of life."

"The sages of the Self School believe that all things in the world are composed of the Five Elements. From the perspective of the Five Elements theory, the essence of life for both humans and yuan rice is the same."

"The only difference is that the Five Elemental Power manifests at a deeper level with significant variations."

"The Five Elements within the yuan rice are delicate and interwoven, while the Five Elements within the human body are like beams and pillars—the difference is obvious."

Zhao Xing turned his focus inward, observing the Five Elements flowing within himself.

Compared to the yuan rice, his five streams of qi were much stronger and more vibrant.

"The Self School teaches that the observation and regulation of one's Five Elements is just the first step in mastering their power."

"With continued cultivation, one can see the deeper level of Five Element Particles."

The Self School originally called this concept "force particles," but the term was deemed inappropriate, so it was changed to "particles."

While the Heaven School and Earth School explored the macroscopic, the Self School delved into the microscopic.

With a thought, Zhao Xing began adjusting the Five Elements within himself, trying to observe the Five Element Particles described by the Self School.

But no matter how hard he tried, the furthest his internal Five Elements could be observed was at the "pillar" level.

"The first layer of the Yin-Yang Self Technique sees the Five Elements as pillars. Observing and balancing the Five Elements within oneself only reaches this stage."

"The second layer views the Five Elements as threads, allowing for deeper observation and adjustment."

"The third layer reveals the Five Element Particles, which are almost infinite."

At his fingertip, a gust of wind formed, sweeping through the dried stalks of yuan rice, cutting them down.

"Rise!"

As the wind blew, the rice stalks and leaves automatically wove together, forming a Explosive Detonation Straw Puppet.

"My weaving technique hasn't changed, but this puppet has barely reached the first transformation."

Several other puppets stood behind Zhao Xing, one of which was made with fire bamboo as its base for the Explosive Detonation Puppet.

"The difference is so great because the Fire Element contained in the fire bamboo far surpasses that of the yuan rice."

"Trying to make a yuan rice-based puppet as strong as one based on fire bamboo is nearly impossible."

"Even a top-ranked Great Shennong couldn't alter the essence of life itself."

After some observation, Zhao Xing realized that cultivating the Yin-Yang Self Technique was far more difficult and obscure than other secret arts.

Moreover, it was easy to get lost, trapped in the endless microscopic world of the Five Elements.

"Dissecting the essence of life is something I'll leave for after I reach the fifth rank." Zhao Xing decided to abandon this form of cultivation for now, opting instead to mimic the process and learn by rote.

There was no need to fully understand everything at this stage. In the early phases of the Self School, it was all about technique. Comprehension would come after reaching the fifth rank.

"The Original Dao Field's life evolution process—just understanding the form is already highly beneficial to the practice of Straw Puppet Techniques."

Zhao Xing lifted into the air on a gust of wind, carrying the puppets as he flew over the fields.

Soon, he found a patch of rapidly growing and decaying fire bamboo.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The fire bamboo forest was like a minefield. Due to the rapid cycles of growth and decay, the bamboo naturally exploded. While a single explosion wasn't too powerful, the sheer volume made the effect terrifying.

The entire sky was painted red, though the forest was protected by a formation. Zhao Xing found a suitable place to observe how the Fire Element exploded under different conditions.

Four hours later, Zhao Xing moved to another area, heading toward a different section of the Original Dao Field.

This was a growth area for Firestone Vine. The ground was covered with interwoven vines, turning the earth into a mixture of green and red.

Zhao Xing gathered materials from the vines to craft more Explosive Detonation Puppets, constantly comparing the power of each puppet.

Two hours later, he flew off again.

[You have crafted an Explosive Detonation Puppet. Progress of Explosive Detonation Puppet +200.]

[You have crafted an Explosive Detonation Puppet. Progress of Explosive Detonation Puppet +300.]

[You have crafted...]

As time passed, Zhao Xing's progress in the Straw Puppet Techniques rapidly advanced.

The variety and abundance of plants in the Original Dao Field were beyond imagination. Zhao Xing could find every type of plant he had read about in books, with each element represented by several sixth-rank species!

The Original Dao Field underwent unique evolutionary processes, encompassing all plants below the seventh rank, covering every elemental attribute.

Of course, to ensure the perfect operation of the field's formations, nothing could be taken out of the field.

Any puppets Zhao Xing made would explode within half an hour, then a force would grind them into pure elemental energy and return it to the field. Similarly, any fruits eaten within the field would have their energy extracted and returned.

This place was meant for comprehension, not for taking.

Even so, the benefits brought by the Original Dao Field were immense!

In a way, this was a treasure trove of infinite materials, offering a wide variety for endless practice. Zhao Xing could freely hone his Straw Puppet Techniques.

And by continuously observing the rapid growth and decay of the plants, his understanding of the Five Elements deepened naturally, even without analyzing their essence.

Even someone with little talent could gain insights here. The evolution of each plant served as a "natural teacher," constantly demonstrating its principles right before your eyes. No matter how dull you were, you'd eventually learn something.

After twelve hours, Zhao Xing's Explosive Detonation Puppet technique reached the seventh transformation.

After twenty-four hours, it broke through to the ninth transformation.

"This place really is the treasure of Taicang Academy," Zhao Xing marveled as he sat cross-legged on a large boulder, gazing at the dark red puppet before him. On the surface, it appeared unremarkable, but internally it contained a terrifying amount of Fire Elemental Power, like a volcano ready to erupt.

"With this treasure trove to comprehend, an endless supply of materials for practice, and the panel to guide me in refining my cultivation direction, it only took twenty-four hours to go from the fourth to the ninth transformation!" Zhao Xing's excitement was palpable.

"I'll take a nap first—just one hour—then I'll start practicing the Divine Strength Puppet."

He lay down and quickly drifted off to sleep.

Time passed, and soon it was the morning of July 30th.

By now, it had been seven days since Zhao Xing began his study at the Original Dao Field.

"It's time to leave. Over these seven days, not only have I made great progress in the Straw Puppet Techniques, but my Condensing Essence Technique has also advanced from the seventh to the ninth transformation."

Zhao Xing flew to a blue vortex, the exit of the Original Dao Field.

"If I don't leave now, I might starve to death here."

One couldn't bring food into the Original Dao Field, nor could they eat anything from it. Zhao Xing hadn't had a drop of water or a grain of rice for seven days.

"Swish—"

Exiting the Original Dao Field, Zhao Xing found himself back in Taicang Academy.

He immediately rushed to a nearby eatery and gorged himself.

After eating his fill, he headed toward the Palace of Myriad Techniques.

People were flying toward the Palace of Myriad Techniques from all directions.

Because as soon as the hour passed, the fourth trial would begin.

The Shennong who had been studying in various parts of Taicang Academy all made their way back.

Of course, most of them had been studying directly in the Palace of Myriad Techniques. After all, only the top-tier talents had free access to the treasure grounds.

The rest? They needed to save up points. For a B-grade talent, for example, it would take about half a year of saving up points to afford one visit.

"Whoosh—"

With his Cloud-Stepping Boots, Zhao Xing landed, the surrounding mist dispersing as he touched down on the demonstration square.

"Zhao Xing, over here!" Cao Shuang waved. He was standing with a few others, mostly talents from Dili Academy. "I heard you went to the Original Dao Field. How did it go?"

"It went well," Zhao Xing smiled.

Indeed, it had gone well. His Divine Strength, Sacred Shield, and Explosive Detonation puppets had all reached the ninth transformation. His Illusory and Invisible puppets had also broken through to the seventh transformation. Though he had focused solely on Straw Puppet Techniques, even his Essence Gathering Technique had improved.

The benefits of the treasure grounds were evident. None of the other top-tier talents likely gained as much as Zhao Xing had.

"Which puppet technique did you push to the seventh transformation?" Zhuang Zhiqing asked.

"Only Illusory and Invisible puppets," Zhao Xing replied. The Explosive Detonation, Divine Strength, and Sacred Shield puppets had all reached the ninth transformation.

"Hearing that just makes me want to punch someone," Han Bing said coldly.

Mid-level Straw Puppet Techniques were rarely circulated even within the military. It was only here, under Liu Tianning, that the full range was available.

It was clear that Zhao Xing hadn't mastered these techniques before arriving; his recent breakthroughs were obvious.

"You must have an extraordinary talent for Straw Puppet Techniques," Zhuang Zhiqing couldn't help but say. "I hardly slept these past seven days and barely managed to push one technique to the seventh transformation."

"I didn't sleep much in the Original Dao Field either."

"Could you all stop working so hard?" A dark-skinned, lean young man nearby spoke up. "Especially you, Zhao Xing—you've really made my life miserable."

Zhao Xing looked curiously at the speaker. His name was Cai Jin, a student of Lu Bang's. They were barely acquaintances, so how had Zhao Xing made his life difficult?

"Why do you say that, Brother Cai?"

"Yeah, why is that, Brother Cai?" Cao Shuang and Zhuang Zhiqing also looked puzzled.

Cai Jin looked at Zhao Xing with a pained expression. "My teacher told me to follow your example and train for eleven hours a day."

"Uh..." Zhao Xing was at a loss for words.

Cao Shuang chimed in, "Why don't you just ignore him? It's not like Lu Bang can watch you for twelve hours straight."

Cai Jin pulled a lightning-shaped jade pendant from his neck. "Do you think I don't want to slack off? Look at this! My teacher had this custom Awakening Jade Pendant made for me!"

"I can only sleep for one hour at noon. If I try to sleep at any other time, this pendant will zap me with lightning across my whole body!"

At this point, Cai Jin was clearly upset. "And I can't take it off. If I even try, it'll zap me!"

"I used to be able to relax at Taicang Academy, getting a solid six hours of sleep a day."

"But ever since Zhao Xing took second place, my teacher gave me this pendant."

"Do you know what I've been through these past few days?"

"Yikes..." Hearing Cai Jin's story, everyone couldn't help but gasp.

Lu Bang was practically forcing him into the old "hanging a beam on your head" or "stabbing your thigh with a needle" method of hard work!

How brutal!

Zhuang Zhiqing had been bragging about only sleeping for one hour a day, but even he had rested more than that.

Whenever Zhuang Zhiqing felt tired, he could still take breaks. He thought he had it rough, but it turned out Cai Jin had it worse.

"My condolences," Zhuang Zhiqing patted Cai Jin's shoulder sympathetically.

"Brother Cai, you're truly enduring hardship. Hang in there." Zhao Xing gave him a respectful nod.

"No wonder you always look so numb, Brother Cai. I didn't realize you were going through something like this. Lu Bang really doesn't treat people like humans," Cao Shuang said. "Maybe we should send Zhao Xing to stay with him for a few days. Maybe then he'll let up on you."

"Is that your idea of comforting someone?" Cai Jin gritted his teeth. "And why are none of you managing to hide your smiles?"

"Hahaha!"

Zhao Xing, Cao Shuang, and Zhuang Zhiqing all burst into laughter.

As they chatted, a figure suddenly flew out from the main hall of the Palace of Myriad Techniques.

"The hour has arrived. The fourth trial begins now!"