The Dao Sovereign of Shennong

When Chen Shijie led in the young man, who was wearing a brown hat, carrying two iron rulers at his waist, and sporting cloud-walking boots, Zhao Xing immediately recognized him.

"Brother Zhao? Is that you?" Shen Zhui was also surprised when he saw Zhao Xing.

"So, you two know each other?" Chen Shijie asked with a smile.

"Of course, Shen Zhui is the most outstanding and youngest hunter in the Martial Pavilion." Zhao Xing cupped his hands in respect.

"I don't dare claim that title. The Martial Pavilion is full of experts; I just happen to have completed a few more missions than others." Shen Zhui remained humble in front of Chen Shijie. "I know Brother Zhao mainly because the tax region of Anping Town that he oversees also falls under my jurisdiction for maintaining public order."

Shennong Officers had responsibilities such as advising on agriculture and inspecting land taxes, while the hunters of the Martial Pavilion were in charge of maintaining law and order in the towns.

Zhao Xing had interacted with Shen Zhui several times during his visits to the town, and he had a favorable impression of him.

"Since you two know each other, I won't need to introduce you." Chen Shijie smiled. "Shen Zhui, Zhao Xing, you two can chat."

Chen Shijie left some space for the two young men. Shen Zhui glanced at Zhao Xing and spoke first, "I didn't expect the person I'm supposed to protect would be you, Brother Zhao. What a coincidence!"

"Protect me?" Zhao Xing was puzzled. "Brother Shen, were you ordered to protect me? Is it the Xuantian Sect causing trouble again?"

Shen Zhui adjusted the iron rulers at his waist and explained, "There are indeed connections to the Xuantian Sect. After officials were kidnapped across Nanyang Prefecture, it had a terrible impact. While the sect members have fled, many bandits have taken advantage of the chaos, committing several murders, making things quite uneasy."

"On top of that, with Donghu Mountain about to open, Gucheng is outwardly relaxed but internally tense. The level of vigilance has significantly increased."

After hearing Shen Zhui's explanation, Zhao Xing realized that Chen Shijie had not only found him a sparring partner but had also brought in a bodyguard from the Martial Pavilion.

Chen Shijie really knew how to handle things. Whenever there was a problem, he genuinely helped out.

"Then I'll be counting on you, Brother Shen, for the time being."

"Just doing my duty, no need for formalities."

Although Shen Zhui was tasked with guarding Zhao Xing, it wasn't around the clock. If Zhao Xing was going to the Shennong Bureau for work or study, Shen Zhui didn't need to be there. However, whenever Zhao Xing left the city, Shen Zhui would accompany him.

Additionally, at Zhao Xing's request, they scheduled two sparring sessions daily, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

The sparring sessions took place at Chen Shijie's residence, which was spacious enough to allow the use of spells.

Their first sparring session was more of a cat-and-mouse game.

One person would run, while the other would chase, with the game confined to Chen Shijie's estate.

Shen Zhui stood still, waiting for Zhao Xing to cast his spells.

Being a martial artist, and with the training ground being so small, if Shen Zhui acted first, Zhao Xing would have no room to maneuver.

So, the rule was that Zhao Xing would cast his spell, and on the tenth count, Shen Zhui could start the chase.

"Wind Summoning!"

Zhao Xing cast a spell, whipping up wind and sand, not to attack but to obscure Shen Zhui's vision.

Whoosh~

Shen Zhui squinted and pressed down his brown hat.

Although his eyes couldn't track Zhao Xing's movements, as a martial artist, he could still sense Zhao Xing's position through his aura.

But in the next moment, Shen Zhui's expression changed.

"He's gone?!"

Standing still, Shen Zhui was shocked as he looked at the dark clouds above him.

"Has his spell concealed his aura? But when did these clouds form? I didn't even notice!"

"A dual spell cast within one breath? Did he finish the cloud spell at the same time as the wind spell?"

Shen Zhui immediately realized that Zhao Xing was no ordinary Shennong Officer.

However, he was still mistaken. Zhao Xing hadn't cast two spells within one breath—he had cast three.

In an instant, Zhao Xing had cast Cloud Summoning, Wind Summoning, and Rainmaking.

Pitter-patter~

Raindrops began to fall on Shen Zhui's brown hat, and by the time the ten-count was over, the light rain had turned into a torrential downpour.

Whoosh~

The heavy rain blurred Shen Zhui's vision, reducing visibility to just five meters.

Swish, swish~

Shen Zhui's iron rulers vibrated, sending out two white beams of light that sliced through the rain, cutting through a distance of twenty to thirty meters. His field of vision briefly cleared, and he spotted a blurry figure.

With the ten-count over, Shen Zhui began the chase.

Zhao Xing, hiding behind a willow tree on the eastern side of the training ground, started casting his second spell—Straw Puppet Technique.

"I've already sacrificed a Swift Straw Puppet to divert his attention, but to fully evade him, I'll need more than one puppet."

Zhao Xing snapped off a willow branch, listening carefully to Shen Zhui's movements.

"Brother Zhao, the game is over." Shen Zhui leaped from a fake mountain, overtaking the blurry figure in an instant.

"Is it?" The blurry figure responded with Zhao Xing's voice. "Brother Shen, you might want to take a closer look."

"A straw puppet?" Shen Zhui paused in surprise.

"Brother Shen, it's far from over."

The straw puppet disintegrated upon contact with Shen Zhui. Its mission was complete—it couldn't fight Shen Zhui. Only something like twenty or thirty powerful constructs could give him trouble. This was merely a "Swift Straw Puppet," made from ordinary willow branches.

"I was fooled by a straw puppet? And it can even make sounds?" Shen Zhui's expression became more serious.

After all, he was at the seventh stage of Essence Gathering, while Zhao Xing, according to Chen Shijie, was only at the third stage!

Was he, the top genius of the Martial Pavilion, being toyed with by a third-stage Shennong Officer's spell?

Shen Zhui unsheathed both of his iron rulers.

It was time to get serious.

Tap, tap, tap~

The sound of Shen Zhui's cloud-walking boots on the rain-soaked ground was rhythmic.

Zhao Xing, however, sensed something was off. After the first straw puppet disintegrated, Shen Zhui's movements became almost imperceptible.

Within two breaths, Shen Zhui's footsteps disappeared.

Or rather, they didn't disappear but instead synchronized perfectly with the rhythm of the raindrops.

Zhao Xing manipulated the cloud spell, using his Essence to subtly alter the rain's rhythm.

But every time he changed it, Shen Zhui adjusted his movements within two breaths, blending back into the environment.

As a result, even while moving, Zhao Xing couldn't determine Shen Zhui's exact location.

To Zhao Xing, Shen Zhui had vanished too.

"His footwork has reached the level of 'Nine Transformations into Finesse.' Chen Shijie really found me an excellent sparring partner." Zhao Xing's eyes gleamed with excitement.

This was exactly the level of challenge he needed. In this intense sparring, the efficiency of purifying his Essence would increase.

"Summon the second straw puppet!"

Soon, a second straw puppet appeared under the willow tree, its size and build nearly identical to Zhao Xing's.

"Go!"

Zhao Xing commanded the straw puppet to run off to another part of the estate to further confuse Shen Zhui.

Another ten breaths passed, and the third straw puppet took form.

But as soon as the third straw puppet began to move, it stepped on two dry branches.

Crack~

The branches snapped with a crisp sound.

Though the noise was quickly drowned out by the rain, to Zhao Xing's ears, it was unbearably loud.

At the same time, Shen Zhui, hidden in the rain, detected the disturbance. No longer bothering to conceal his presence, he swiftly charged forward.

"Not good," Zhao Xing's expression changed slightly. He immediately abandoned his straw puppet technique and sprinted in the opposite direction.