The Dao Sovereign of Shennong

A military Shennong officer is much more versatile than a regular Shennong officer because their selection process is more rigorous. Not every farmer can fight, but every military Shennong officer who can fight must also know how to farm!

In the entire Shennong Office, the only person who could teach the Yin Wind and Ice Rain techniques was Chen Shijie. This was because he had previously been a military Shennong officer, technically considered a "military official," but later, for certain reasons, he was transferred to a civilian post.

"You're truly a promising candidate for becoming a military Shennong officer. You haven't even officially ranked yet, and you've already learned Yin Wind and Ice Rain during your time at the temple," Chen Shijie said the next day, clearly pleased with the news, feeling validated in his judgment.

"When basic techniques reach seven transformations, there's a chance to comprehend intermediate techniques. If your basic techniques reach nine transformations, the corresponding intermediate techniques will also increase in power."

"So if you want to master Yin Wind, Ice Rain, and Lightning Summoning, you can't neglect the basic techniques. They can reinforce each other."

"The stronger your foundation, the easier it will be for you to understand and grasp these techniques," Chen Shijie explained briefly before moving on to a live demonstration. "The regular Wind Summoning technique typically summons 'Yang Wind,' which comes from the heavens. Even if it's in the middle of winter, it's still considered 'Yang Wind.'"

Chen Shijie raised his hand, and a warm breeze enveloped Zhao Xing.

"Heaven brings Yang, the Earth brings Yin. Yin Wind, on the other hand, rises from the ground."

Before Chen Shijie finished speaking, a chilling wind rose from below, swirling around Zhao Xing's entire body as if it were about to blow his soul away.

No matter how much Zhao Xing's blood and energy surged, it was ineffective.

"Yang Wind can be blocked by the body, armor, or enchanted clothing, but Yin Wind can render most defensive treasures useless. You can only resist it with the strength of your soul."

"Of course, someone with a strong physical body and powerful Yang essence will have better resistance, but even a ranked warrior exposed to this Yin Wind will find it hard to maintain control over their body."

"In more extreme cases, the Yin Wind can blow a person's soul out of their body, turning them into a wandering ghost. This technique is so sinister that, except for military Shennong officers, most other Shennong officers aren't allowed to learn it, and even if they could, the court wouldn't teach it."

"To master the Yin Wind technique, you first need to learn how to capture the Yin energy from the Earth's veins."

Chen Shijie withdrew the Yin Wind and sent a wave of warmth into Zhao Xing's body, helping him recover.

"You've already learned techniques from the Earth School, so this should be straightforward for you. Now, try using the Earth Vein Consolidation method to explore and summon wind from the ground."

Zhao Xing nodded and directed a stream of energy from his fingertips into the ground.

According to the Five Elements theory, wind overcomes earth, and earth generates wood, which, in turn, generates wind. However, the power of the Earth's veins can reverse the Five Elements, meaning earth generates wind, wood generates earth, and wind generates wood.

To summon wind from the Earth's veins, Zhao Xing had two options: one was to reverse the power of the Earth's veins with his energy, easily creating wind. But he wasn't proficient enough to perform this as effortlessly as Chen Shijie.

The second option was to capture the naturally occurring Yin energy within the Earth's veins and simply guide it upward, rather than forcing the Five Elements to act in reverse. This approach was much easier.

His first attempt at channeling energy into the ground failed without detecting any Yin energy.

Chen Shijie, watching this, teased, "Don't be too anxious. A man's first time is always a bit disappointing."

"…" Zhao Xing was speechless. What was that supposed to mean?

However, having gotten used to Chen Shijie's personality, Zhao Xing decided to ignore the comment and continued his attempts.

On the second try, his energy was once again depleted without success.

It wasn't that Zhao Xing was lacking, but rather that the Earth veins within Gucheng were relatively stable, making it harder to detect the Yin energy.

Moreover, despite White Dew having passed, the heat remained intense, with Yang energy abundant and Yin energy scarce, making it even more difficult to summon Yin Wind from the ground.

The ideal seasons for practicing the Yin Wind technique were the periods of Major Cold and Minor Cold, with Clear and Bright being the next best option.

If one missed these seasons, practicing at night would be the next best alternative.

"Forget it. You won't succeed right now. Try again tonight," Chen Shijie smiled. "As long as you understand the principles, that's enough."

However, Zhao Xing wasn't one to give up. If Chen Shijie hadn't teased him, he might not have been so determined, but since Chen Shijie implied he wasn't capable, how could he just let it go?

Could a man admit he wasn't capable?

Seeing Zhao Xing's determination, Chen Shijie didn't push further and leisurely retreated to his study for a nap.

Zhao Xing, on the other hand, continued crouching on the ground, trying over and over again.

The sun blazed at midday, but Zhao Xing didn't feel tired. Whenever he was thirsty, he ate a slice of the Heavenly Origin pear, and whenever his energy was depleted, he ate another.

Now that he was at Essence Gathering Fourth Stage, he could quickly absorb the pear's energy.

"The Earth veins usually reveal their Yang energy, not their Yin. I need to focus more, be more patient, and attune myself to the Yin energy hidden within the Earth veins," Zhao Xing thought, lying flat on the ground with his fingers dug into the soil.

Before falling asleep, Chen Shijie glanced out the window and saw Zhao Xing lying there with little regard for appearances. He couldn't help but chuckle.

It's said that when you admire someone, even their flaws seem endearing. Rather than seeing Zhao Xing as stubborn, Chen Shijie thought the young man had a steadfast heart.

"The General would surely be pleased if he saw this," Chen Shijie murmured, closing the window as he lay down for a nap.

The dim light, the oppressive atmosphere.

"You damned wretch! You killed your parents, and now you want to harm us?" A twisted, hateful woman's face loomed in front of Chen Shijie.

"If you have any conscience, you'll leave tonight and never show yourself to us again."

"Our family will never raise you! Do you understand? Are you even listening, you wretch?"

"Auntie, it hurts…"

A chipped bowl, a cold steamed bun.

"Hey, where are you from? Do you know the rules? How dare you beg for food on our turf?!"

"My name is Chen Shijie, from Chenjia Village in Xishan County…"

"I don't care where you're from. Boys, give him a beating!"

"Crash—"

The bowl fell to the ground, and the steamed bun turned red.

"Lord Chen, Lord Chen! Old Chen, what's wrong?!"

Chen Shijie felt someone shaking him.

"Whoosh!"

He suddenly sat up, jolted awake from his nightmare.

A thick, murderous aura radiated from him as he raised a hand, forming his fingers into a sword and striking at Zhao Xing.

"Thud, thud, thud—" Zhao Xing quickly retreated a few steps, massaging his shoulder in confusion.

What the heck, Old Chen! Are you trying to kill me in your sleep?!

"Hm? It's you," Chen Shijie realized at the last moment, pulling back his energy. The force at his fingertips made a quick loop and returned to his body. "What are you doing in my room?"

"I summoned a gust of Yin Wind from the Earth and blew it toward you," Zhao Xing explained. "You said I could practice on you. I thought you were still awake. I didn't expect to disturb your dream…"

Only then did Chen Shijie fully understand. So it was this kid causing trouble!

Zhao Xing's Yin Wind couldn't blow his soul away, but it did make him have a nightmare.

"A nightmare? Who said I had a nightmare?" Chen Shijie scoffed. "With your meager abilities, you couldn't possibly affect me. And in the future, don't approach a sleeping military Shennong officer so carelessly. This time, I managed to hold back. Otherwise, you'd be nursing more than just a sore shoulder. That's enough for today. Go practice on your own."

"Yes, I'll remember that." Zhao Xing bowed and left.

Watching Zhao Xing's retreating figure, Chen Shijie couldn't help but smirk. This kid is making progress fast. It's not even the end of noon, and he's already succeeded in summoning Yin Wind?

Hmph, I'll have to praise him less in the future. The boy's getting cocky, even calling me Old Chen!