The Dao Sovereign of Shennong

Zhao Xing walked to the front of the boat and took out his Cloud Rain Pearl. The bright blue bead immediately attracted the attention of everyone on the boat.

"The amount he collected in his Cloud Rain Pearl is enormous," Jiang He's eyes narrowed. "He probably collected the most on this boat."

"Such good luck," Jiang Hai said sourly. "He was the first to discover it."

Zhuo Li watched the blue pearl, and the smug expression on his face faded. Judging by the size of the pearl alone, unless Zhao Xing's rain technique was terrible, he was bound to score well in this round.

"The rain pearl isn't even a little blue; even gathering clouds would be futile. But if the rain pearl is seventy percent blue, the clouds and rain could crush mountains," Hua Zhilin recited softly, staring at the pearl in Zhao Xing's hand. "Brother Zhao's pearl is at least fifty percent blue."

Zhao Xing: "..."

He suspected that Hua Zhilin was deliberately trying to mess with everyone's mindset.

"My lord, is there a rule prohibiting others from interfering?" Zhao Xing asked.

The examiner, unable to take it anymore, sternly said, "Yes. Any more interruptions during another's assessment, and you will be disqualified."

With that, the group fell silent, watching Zhao Xing perform his technique.

"Gather clouds!"

Zhao Xing raised his hand and immediately activated his Cloud Swallowing Technique. Due to the oppressive environment of the five suns shining in the sky, the cloud he formed was only ten meters wide and two meters thick.

However, Zhao Xing's cloud technique was extremely stable. The Cloud Swallowing Technique, after all, relied on the stability of the cloud to absorb other cloud techniques and make them its own.

Moreover, clouds condensed by the Cloud Swallowing Technique could replicate the properties of other cloud techniques. Even though the Five Suns shone fiercely, it didn't affect Zhao Xing too much, only limiting the range from which he could draw water.

"Cloud Rain Pearl, go!"

Zhao Xing threw the blue Cloud Rain Pearl into the cloud.

"Gurgle~"

The bead immediately emitted clouds, rapidly expanding the cloud layer.

Before long, it grew to over ten meters thick and one hundred meters long.

As for how wide it was, the others couldn't tell because Zhao Xing's cloud had completely obscured their view.

"Just from the size alone, his base score will be several times higher than others," He Yu thought quietly. "Forget about what happened at Ten Thousand Li Thunder Pool."

Zhao Xing's cloud technique was exceptional, and he ranked ninth in the lightning hunt. Now, with such a strong showing in the rain technique test, He Yu was no longer bitter about being used by Zhao Xing back then. Maybe in the future, he could even use it to get closer to him.

"Drip drip drip~"

Rain started falling from the cloud layer.

At this point, Zhao Xing hadn't chosen a side between black and white, letting the rain fall naturally.

The rain couldn't reach the ground, as it would evaporate once it dropped below 500 meters.

But the base score was calculated based on the amount of rain that fell into the area below 500 meters.

The rule was that the rain had to last for at least fifteen minutes; if the duration fell short, the time score would be zero.

Time multiplied by rain volume determined the base score, so producing too much rain without maintaining it for enough time would be useless.

Zhao Xing proceeded cautiously.

He maintained the rain for a full seventy-five minutes before the Cloud Rain Pearl finally turned transparent, with only ten percent of its water left.

After seventy-five minutes, Zhao Xing grabbed a black stone from the chess basket on the prow of the boat, ready to go for the bonus points.

"Hum~"

Zhao Xing pressed his hands downward, and with that motion, the others' view suddenly cleared up.

He had brought the cloud layer down lower.

"Huh? He's lowering the cloud layer?"

"This guy's cloud manipulation is incredible."

"The five suns make it harder for clouds to stay stable as they descend."

"He's trying to bring the cloud closer to the ground so he can control the black and white puppets more accurately."

"Isn't he too confident? He already has such a high base score, why take the risk? I'd have stopped."

Thoughts raced through the minds of the others, even the examiner glanced at Zhao Xing with interest.

But the previous warning held everyone's tongues. They watched silently as Zhao Xing's cloud descended to the 500-meter height mark and stopped.

As the cloud lowered, its size shrank considerably, as Zhao Xing condensed it to counteract the rising heat of the sun.

There were pros and cons to this: the cloud covered a smaller area, so there was no guarantee it would hit the puppet zone, but it also freed up more visibility for precision.

Zhao Xing's cloud manipulation was impressive, showcasing his mastery.

What remained to be seen was whether his rain technique would follow suit—was it confidence or arrogance?

Everyone focused intently.

The cloud flickered with lightning, not in a flashy display, but with a cold, eerie intensity.

Soon, blue raindrops, the size of fists, began to fall, radiating cold energy.

It was the mid-level perfected technique, [Ice Rain]!

The moment the ice rain fell, it plummeted rapidly.

"Plop~"

A drop struck the head of a silver-white puppet.

"Hum~" A weak light flickered from the formation on the puppet's head, and its movements froze completely for two seconds.

"Bang!"

A black puppet slashed it down with a knife.

In the distance, another silver-white puppet jumped high, ready to slash at a black puppet, but just as it moved—

"Plop!"

A raindrop hit its wrist. The blue light spread across its arm, freezing it in place.

"Plop plop plop plop!"

The black and white puppets were intertwined in battle, but the rain gave the black puppets a huge advantage.

Initially, the black and white sides were equally matched, calculated precisely so that they could battle endlessly without a decisive victory.

But now, that balance had been broken.

The white puppets began to fall rapidly.

"Plop~"

A blue raindrop hit a black puppet.

At the same time, the black stone in Zhao Xing's hand trembled slightly.

He realized he had reached his limit.

Controlling the cloud technique, managing the water output from the Cloud Rain Pearl, directing the ice rain, and simultaneously using keen sight to monitor the battlefield—all of this took a heavy toll on his energy and focus.

Now that some of his own forces were being hit, Zhao Xing knew his performance had peaked.

He maintained it for another fifteen minutes, but when he saw that the damage to both sides was becoming equal, he stopped.

"Hum~" The clouds and rain dispersed.

Zhao Xing called back the Cloud Rain Pearl, which had now turned completely transparent.

"Phew~" He let out a long breath, feeling fatigued.

He stepped down from the prow, placing the black stone back in the basket, and waited for his score.

Most of the people on the boat didn't fully understand what Zhao Xing had done, but they were already impressed by the parts they did understand.

Hua Zhilin, in particular, was staring at Zhao Xing with an odd, admiring look.

Zhuo Li, Jiang He, and Jiang Hai had also seen some of what Zhao Xing had accomplished, and they had a feeling his score would be very high.

The examiner's expression was slightly strange as he looked at Zhao Xing. He hadn't expected such skill.

When he announced the score, his tone carried open praise: "Shenwei Army, Zhao Xing. Cloud Swallowing and Rainfall, duration one hour, rain volume 352 points. Held black side, enemy casualties 1,416, own casualties 213."

"Final score: 4,019!"

"Well done. Excellent job. Go rest now."

Zhao Xing cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you."

As soon as the examiner finished speaking, the boat erupted in shock.

"What? 4,019 points?!" He Yu's eyes were wide with disbelief. "I thought he'd score over a thousand, but over four thousand?!"

"My god, he's scored almost ten times as much as Zhuo Li!"

"Jiang He and Jiang Hai only scored a bit over two hundred."

"I didn't even understand his technique, how did he score four thousand?"

"If you understood it, you'd score over a thousand too. Not getting it is normal."

"Who dares claim supremacy in rain techniques now?"

"Shenwei Army's Zhao Xing is too powerful!"

Zhuo Li, Jiang He, and Jiang Hai didn't feel bitter about being compared to Zhao Xing. The difference was simply too large for them to even argue.

Even if Zhao Xing had good luck and gathered a lot of rainwater, he earned over a thousand points in the bonus category!

"1,416 enemies killed, 213 own casualties?" Zhuo Li muttered, "Is he even human with that kind of rain technique..."

A thousand meters up, in such harsh conditions, even getting rain to the ground was difficult, let alone figuring out where it would fall. And they couldn't even see the battlefield clearly from that distance—precision was out of the question.

Their strategy was just to cover the enemy's side with rain and hope for the best, without caring much about friendly fire.

But for Zhao Xing to achieve a nearly seven-to-one kill ratio was unheard of.

"That's just outrageous. It may be a simulation and not real combat, but how did he manage such control?" Jiang He and Jiang Hai were equally puzzled.

As for Hua Zhilin, he seemed like he wanted to strike up a conversation with Zhao Xing, but seeing Zhao Xing's clenched fists and the dark expression that suggested he'd punch someone if they said a word, Hua Zhilin wisely backed off.

At that moment, the examiner called his name, and he quickly gave up on talking, rushing to the prow of the boat instead.

While Hua Zhilin performed his technique, Zhao Xing quietly sat in a corner of the deck, recovering his energy.

Scoring 4,019 points didn't surprise him. He had done similar tests countless times in his past life.

His Ice Rain was the first mid-level technique he perfected, and since leaving Donghu Mountain, he had felt that his affinity with water had far surpassed that of other elements.

He had also gained insights from observing the Rainwater Diagram at the shrine in Gu City, though his understanding had been interrupted because he wasn't officially a military Shennong at the time.

Another key factor was his soul cultivation.

In the Great Zhou's system of luck and power, one couldn't actively cultivate their soul until reaching third rank; it could only passively improve until then.

Zhao Xing's soul was at the mid-level of the ninth rank, and he had practiced Great Dream Spring and Autumn, an advanced secret technique that greatly enhanced his control over techniques.

With high natural talent, past experience, and the added influence of his soul, it wasn't surprising that he excelled in this test.

"I've definitely passed the fourth round. Now it's just a matter of seeing where I rank, and whether Tian Shi Academy will give me the best training resources," Zhao Xing thought.

Passing the fourth test would allow him to enter Tian Shi Academy.

Of course, Heavenly Time wouldn't take all 200 remaining candidates.

The Heaven School was the dominant force today, but they had to leave room for other schools.

"Tian Shi Academy will likely be crowded. I wonder if they'll offer me the best resources," Zhao Xing pondered.

"Xuanjia Army, Hua Zhilin. Lotus Cloud Rainfall, duration four quarters, rain volume 108, enemy casualties 1,104, own casualties 532."

"Final score: 1,004."

The last person in Zhao Xing's group had finished their test.

Hua Zhilin barely broke 1,000 points, the second-highest in their group.

Though Zhao Xing found him a bit odd, Hua Zhilin was undeniably skilled.

Anyone scoring over 1,000 in the rain technique test was exceptional, ranking among the best of the reservists.

"All participants from this group have completed their test. We will now return to the main ship and await the final rankings," the examiner said as the boat turned back toward the main ship.

With the rain technique test concluded, it was already nearing the hour of Xu, but the sky remained bright, with the five suns still shining down, indicating that this region of the Ten Suns Heavenly Domain was the Polar Day zone.

Zuo Zizhi and Lu Bang stood on the second-floor deck, awaiting the return of the other groups.

When Zhao Xing's boat returned to the main ship, Zuo Zizhi and Lu Bang both looked at him with a smile.

Clearly, they already knew his score.

Now, it was just a matter of waiting for everyone to return so they could announce the rankings.

Before long, another boat docked.

As soon as the people disembarked, a wave of exclamations erupted.

"What? Such a high score?!"

"Unbelievable, that battle damage ratio is insane!"

"Shi Yong used the Seasonal Qi Command to weaken the power of the five suns! In such an extreme environment, he can even influence the weather?"

"Weakening the power of the five suns is incredibly difficult. Shi Yong truly deserves to be the top-ranked talent in the Tiger Flood Army's internal selection."

"Zhuang Ziqing also performed well, but he's still a bit behind Shi Yong in this round."

"Ah, the gap between people can be so vast."

"..."

Zhao Xing looked toward the source of the commotion and saw Shi Yong and Zhuang Ziqing stepping off the boat onto the main deck.

The exclamations were all about them.

"Shi Yong had a battle damage ratio of eight?"

"That high?"

Zhao Xing was a bit surprised. Shi Yong might be the strongest in this cohort.

On the upper deck, Lu Bang and Zuo Zizhi were also discussing the two.

"Shi Yong's battle damage ratio exceeded eight, and Zhuang Ziqing's reached seven."

"Both of them have several years of military experience and were selected from secondary corps. The bonus score in the rain technique test was based on real combat scenarios, so their performance is understandable," Zuo Zizhi said.

"Shi Yong is already 26, and Zhuang Ziqing is a bit younger at 24. Both of them have started practicing the Seasonal Qi Command and have made progress. Zhao Xing, on the other hand, is only 20 and hasn't even had time to practice the Seasonal Qi Command yet. His score is purely based on his talent in techniques."

Lu Bang added, "I see more potential in Zhao Xing. Let's see what the elders at Tian Shi Academy think."

After waiting for another hour, all the boats finally returned.

At the beginning of the hour of Hai, Zuo Zizhi cleared his throat.

"The fourth round of the test has concluded!"

"All participants' scores are now finalized, and we will announce the rankings!"

With a wave of Zuo Zizhi's hand, the large earth mirror on the deck shimmered like water.

Everyone stared at the mirror intently.

[First place: Shi Yong, total score: 5,845]

[Second place: Zhuang Ziqing, total score: 4,537]

[Third place: Zhao Xing, total score: 4,019]

[Fourth place: Cao Shuang, total score: 3,712]

...

[Eighth place: Han Bing, total score: 3,401]

[Thirteenth place: Feng Qiu, total score: 2,851]

[Twenty-ninth place: Hua Zhilin, total score: 1,004]

[Two hundredth place: Pan Shou, total score: 251]

As the rankings were revealed, some were elated, while others were crestfallen.

Zhao Xing studied the results.

"My gap with Zhuang Ziqing isn't that big, but I'm much further behind Shi Yong?"

"My base score might have been higher than his, but he pulled ahead in the bonus points."

"He must have comprehended the Seasonal Qi Diagram, maybe even multiple Seasonal Qi techniques."

The fourth test didn't explicitly limit participants to using only rain techniques.

If someone had practiced the Seasonal Qi Command, they could mitigate the effects of the five suns' oppressive heat.

Then, cloud and rain techniques would be easier to perform, and the water collected beforehand wouldn't matter as much.

Of course, Shi Yong was still only ninth rank, so he couldn't completely reverse the effects of the five suns.

"The gap between the top ten and the rest is huge, with scores dropping off steeply after that."

"Even though most of these participants have started practicing one of the three great schools' secret techniques, most are only at the initial stage of the Seasonal Qi Diagram, where their abilities are still weak and ineffective in extreme environments like this."

In Gu City, where the weather was more stable, it only took a year or two of practicing the Seasonal Qi Command to change or stabilize the weather.

In the Ten Suns Heavenly Domain, however, the difficulty was ten to a hundred times greater.

"Those ranked below two hundred, please board the cloud ships and disembark," Zuo Zizhi didn't give anyone time to wallow in their emotions.

As soon as the results were announced, he began arranging for those eliminated to leave.

Soon, half of the participants had left.

Out of the original five hundred, only two hundred remained.

"The remaining participants may now use their earth mirrors to register for Tian Shi Academy," Zuo Zizhi said. "Tian Shi Academy will also reach out to some of you, but no matter how many apply, the academy will only accept fifty of the best."

"Of course, you can also consider your future plans and decide whether to register. Even if Tian Shi Academy contacts you, you can refuse and proceed with the tests for Di Li Academy, Taicang Academy, or Pinghuai Academy."

"This is a two-way selection process; we won't force you."

After Zuo Zizhi finished speaking, many participants took out their earth mirrors to register, while others waited for Tian Shi Academy to contact them.

Zhao Xing was about to register when he noticed Lu Bang and Zuo Zizhi beckoning him over.

"They want me to come up?"

Confused, Zhao Xing walked up to the second-floor pavilion.