The Dao Sovereign of Shennong

After waiting for a while, Zhao Xing entered the Hall of All Saints to receive new techniques. There were no statues here, only spirit tablets, making it a bit less prestigious compared to halls dedicated to specific deities. However, for learning mid to low-tier techniques, the place sufficed.

Finding a quiet corner, Zhao Xing sat cross-legged on a meditation mat.

"Disciple has no specific preferences, any school's technique is fine. Whichever True Lord is willing to teach, I will learn," Zhao Xing silently prayed.

The only message he conveyed: I'm not picky!

It seemed his prayer was heard, as a gentle breeze soon enveloped his body, a clear sign that the process of receiving the technique had begun.

At the same time, amidst the many densely packed spirit tablets in the hall, one inscribed with the name "True Lord Zheng Lun" glowed faintly.

"Attack!"

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

"Neigh—"

"Enemy attack!"

Dark clouds loomed overhead, and a sinister gorge appeared before him.

The sounds of metal clashing, war cries, and the galloping of horses echoed all around.

Zhao Xing found himself in the middle of a battlefield, pushing a cart full of grain along a narrow path in the gorge. From both sides, rolling stones, logs, and arrows rained down from above.

Instinctively, Zhao Xing tried to cast a spell, but he quickly realized that his body was intangible in this place, like a ghost.

Arrows passed through him without causing any harm.

"So this is a vision to help understand the technique. It seems that the True Lord teaching me was once a military Shennong officer."

Encountering a battlefield scene during a teaching session usually meant the True Lord had served as a military officer, or that their primary accomplishments had been earned on the battlefield.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—"

Arrows continued to rain down like a storm.

The grain convoy, however, wasn't without defenses.

The soldiers transporting the grain flipped the carts over, then quickly huddled beneath them. The carts, now shields, allowed them to move while protected.

"That's a Return-to-Origin Shield Cart!" Zhao Xing immediately recognized it.

"Form up with the Return-to-Origin Shield Carts! Cloud Marshal, block the enemy's sight!"

A commanding voice echoed through the gorge, carried by the wind. Hearing this order, the besieged convoy quickly formed a defensive line.

Zhao Xing turned toward the source of the voice and saw a middle-aged man wearing a golden raincoat and a wide-brimmed bamboo hat, issuing commands.

A whirlwind surrounded this man, deflecting any arrows that came within three feet of him.

Beside him were several other Shennong officers, dressed similarly, their faces obscured as they cast spells.

"Captain of Loyalty, Grain Officer Zheng Lun."

Without thinking, Zhao Xing instantly knew this man's name, rank, and title.

"It seems that this True Lord is the one transmitting techniques to me."

Focusing intently, Zhao Xing began observing Zheng Lun's spellcasting closely.

Mist soon covered the sides of the gorge, obscuring the sight of the hidden enemy archers, causing the rain of arrows to lessen.

Within ten breaths, the rain of arrows, rolling stones, and logs stopped completely.

Thunder began to rumble in the clouds above. If the attackers didn't flee soon or find cover, they'd be struck down by Zheng Lun's lightning.

But it was already too late for them.

"Boom—"

Lightning crackled down like threads, striking the enemies on the mountain peaks with unerring precision. Even those hiding behind rocks weren't safe, as the lightning bent to reach them.

"Charge!"

With the pressure from above lessening, two squads of soldiers charged from both ends of the gorge.

"Halberdiers?!"

Zhao Xing recognized this ancient class of soldier. Each warrior carried a three-meter-long halberd.

The halberdiers were fully armored, including faceplates, leaving only their eyes exposed. Their helmets were adorned with menacing horns, and as they charged, the ground trembled, and even fist-sized stones were crushed beneath their feet.

These halberdiers had immense vitality. A military banner flickered above them, and strands of energy from each soldier converged toward the flag before shooting up into the sky like a beam of light.

"Buzz—"

The cloud layer above was torn open, leaving a large gap.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—"

The soldiers hiding beneath the Return-to-Origin Shield Carts began shooting arrows in retaliation, but the arrows failed to penetrate the halberdiers' armor.

Seeing the halberdiers closing in, Zheng Lun acted again.

"Wind, come!"

Suddenly, a fierce wind surged through the gorge, and Zhao Xing, caught in its path, felt a shiver down his spine.

He glanced at Zheng Lun and noticed that his eyes were swirling with black storms.

At the same time, the same eerie phenomenon was reflected in the halberdiers' eyes.

"Thud!"

Without warning, the front line of halberdiers collapsed.

It was as if they were mere paper figures, blown over by the strange wind.

Row after row fell, as if a field of straw had been flattened by a gale. In the blink of an eye, nearly five hundred halberdiers were wiped out.

Seeing the bizarre sight, the remaining halberdiers panicked and began retreating along the path they had come.

"Hmph!" Zheng Lun sneered and, with a wave of his hand, summoned clouds to pursue them.

"Crash—"

Torrential rain poured down, and the retreating halberdiers slowed, as if they were trudging through mud.

"All units, pursue and kill the remaining enemies!"

At Zheng Lun's command, the grain convoy soldiers emerged from their shield carts and chased down the fleeing enemies.

Although the convoy had only 500 men, and the enemy had fielded over 1,500 troops in total from both sides, the attackers were routed.

"Such strength," Zhao Xing couldn't help but marvel at the sight.

In the pouring rain, the enemy soldiers fell one by one, their bodies stiffening, their faces pale.

Zhao Xing began to understand.

He realized the techniques this military Shennong officer was passing on to him.

At that very moment, everything around him froze.

The cold, composed Zheng Lun turned his head to look at Zhao Xing, as if offering him silent encouragement.

"Thank you, True Lord."

Zhao Xing bowed deeply, and the scene shattered.

[You have received the technique of 'Lightning Summoning' from the Hall of All Saints.]

[Lightning Summoning: Mid-tier technique]

[Effect: Summon lightning to strike down your enemies.]

[Proficiency: 0/9999]

[You have received the technique of 'Yin Wind' from the Hall of All Saints.]

[Yin Wind: Mid-tier technique]

[Effect: A chilling wind that scatters souls.]

[Proficiency: 0/9999]

[You have received the technique of 'Ice Rain' from the Hall of All Saints.]

[Ice Rain: Mid-tier technique]

[Effect: Raindrops turn to ice, freezing the enemy's vitality.]

Zhao Xing opened his eyes and glanced at the row of spirit tablets in the hall. Following the traditional procedure, he bowed once more before exiting the hall.

Unexpectedly, this visit to the Hall of All Saints had yielded surprising results—he had learned three mid-tier techniques.

And all of them were offensive techniques.

Normally, it wasn't difficult to learn Lightning Summoning, but Yin Wind and Ice Rain were techniques typically exclusive to military Shennong officers. It was rare to receive them before being formally appointed.

"Lightning Summoning, Yin Wind, Ice Rain—these are all advanced versions of the core weather techniques. It seems that my proficiency in combat drew the attention of this military Shennong officer, and he passed on these offensive techniques to me."

These techniques perfectly compensated for Zhao Xing's lack of offensive power. No longer would he be a Shennong officer who could only rely on straw puppets to flee—he now had considerable combat strength!

Back at the Shennong Office, Zhao Xing recounted his experience of receiving the techniques to Xue Wenzhong. The old Shennong officer was taken aback. "I could have taught you Lightning Summoning, but I don't know Yin Wind or Ice Rain myself. You'll have to go find Chen Shijie for those."