In the fifteenth year of Jingxin, at the end of May, in the eastern suburbs of Gucheng.
The scorching sun beat down, and sweat poured like rain as Zhao Xing bent his back, planting rice seedlings into the paddy field.
With each seedling he planted, lines of small numbers appeared beside him.
Successfully planted one seedling, Basic Cultivation Skill Proficiency +1
Successfully planted one seedling, Basic Cultivation Skill Proficiency +1
Successfully planted one seedling, Basic Cultivation Skill Proficiency +1
...
Basic Cultivation Skill reached Max Level, you have comprehended the Low-Tier Spell 'Vigorous Growth'
Vigorous Growth: Low-Tier Spell
Progress: (1/9999)
Effect: Accelerates nutrient absorption and shortens the plant's life maturity time.
After another two quarters of an hour of planting, Zhao Xing was drenched in sweat, so he went to the field ridge to rehydrate.
However, the sun was scorching, and the burning agitation in his heart refused to subside.
So he reached out and pointed a finger at the sky.
"Buzz~"
A golden light emerged from his fingertip, dissipating about three to four meters above his head.
Immediately after, a cluster of greyish-white clouds appeared, circling above his head.
You activated the Spell 'Moving Cloud', this Spell trigger received Luck blessing, its effectiveness doubled, Moving Cloud ten meters.
Low-Tier Spell 'Moving Cloud' Proficiency +2
"Phew, this is much more comfortable."
The clouds blocked the sunlight, like a parasol, enveloping Zhao Xing in shadow.
As Zhao Xing moved, the clouds above him also moved.
The eastern suburbs of Guxian were public land managed by the Agricultural Supervision Department; a portion of the officials' food, clothing, and daily expenses came from here.
As Mangzhong (Grain in Ear) approached, the eastern suburbs were filled with agricultural clerks like Zhao Xing.
Because if crops weren't planted by Mangzhong, planting later would be useless.
Furthermore, the harvest of the public land not only concerned their food but also determined whether they could become full-fledged officials this year, transitioning from unranked clerks to official agricultural officers, a difference in treatment that was like heaven and earth.
Since his Transmigration here a year ago, he had discovered that he seemed to be in an early version of that mysterious game—it had appeared so abruptly on Earth in his previous life, with no name, only an entrance, and inside it was like a real world, with ultra-high freedom and realism, causing a massive sensation.
This was during the Jing Emperor era of the Great Zhou Dynasty, a version where the Dynasty was at its peak. The overall environment was relatively stable, and compared to later versions, the safety factor could almost be said to be the highest.
The advantage was that Spiritual Qi had not yet fully recovered, and combat power values were not ridiculously high; there wouldn't be situations where a powerful being could slaughter a city with a wave of a hand.
After all, he was no longer a player; there was no 'resurrection' written on his character panel.
The disadvantage was that it was too stable, and his initial identity was ordinary. As an NPC, finding opportunities in the early stable social order was relatively difficult.
"In my previous life, it only took two or three days to change professions. Now I've spent half a year and still haven't seen any hope."
"My initial identity was also ordinary, starting as an orphan from a nurturing home, then adopted by a wealthy family, but my situation was still mediocre."
"I heard that some players in my previous life were lucky and were born into the families of princes, marquises, and generals..."
"Never mind, I'll rest for a bit and then work harder. Whether I can complete the professional transfer mission this year largely depends on the performance of this field."
Zhao Xing found a haystack, gathered some rice stalks, and was about to rest, waiting for his Origin Qi to recover.
However, he saw a young man in a standard single tunic and a straw hat on a haystack in front, waving at him: "Brother Zhao, come over here."
Zhao Xing turned and walked quickly towards the other person: "Ziyu, are you also here to rest?"
Chen Ziyu was also one of the agricultural clerks. In the year since his Transmigration, Zhao Xing was most familiar with him.
Their relationship was both colleagues and classmates, because at this stage, the focus wasn't on working, but more on studying, striving to 'go ashore' early and no longer do this dirty work.
Next to him lay another young man named Qian Dong, also an acquaintance.
Chen Ziyu, with a blade of grass in his mouth, greeted him warmly: "I just arrived a moment ago. Brother, you can rest under my cloud; there's no need to waste another portion of Origin Qi."
"Alright."
Nodding, Zhao Xing dispersed the clouds above his head and lay down beside Chen Ziyu.
As soon as he lay down, he heard the other person complain: "It's only early summer, yet the weather in Gucheng is already so hot, and all the larger trees in the eastern suburbs have been cut down by the adults of the Agricultural Supervision Department. To get some shade, we still have to rely on our own Spells."
Zhao Xing smiled: "This is also a form of training, isn't it?"
"It's not hard to get cool, watch me." Qian Dong threw away the straw hat he was using to fan himself, and dramatically pointed diagonally at the sky: "Wind, come!"
Chen Ziyu was a little surprised: "Brother Qian, you've already learned 'Rising Wind'?"
Qian Dong smirked, then picked up his straw hat and fanned Chen Ziyu: "See? It's here, isn't it?"
Only then did Chen Ziyu realize he had been tricked by this guy, so he grabbed a handful of dry grass and tickled Qian Dong's neck:
"You scoundrel, Qian Dong, how dare you trick me! If you don't fan me for a quarter of an hour, I'm not done with you!"
"Oh, stop tickling! Ziyu, calm down, I'll fan you."
...
As the two giggled, the clouds above them also swayed. Watching this scene, Zhao Xing couldn't help but feel a little speechless.
It's so hot, can't you two be less ambiguous?
Just as he was about to speak, Qian Dong spoke first: "Alright, if you don't stop, Brother Zhao will scold us for being uneducated and not having any proper demeanor."
Zhao Xing said lazily: "No, no, you two continue. It's best if you fight and both get injured; with fewer people competing with me for the position of agricultural officer, my chances of 'going ashore' this year will be greater."
"Brother is being Yin and Yang again..."
After resting for a quarter of an hour, Zhao Xing felt his Origin Qi gradually recover and planned to doze off for a bit longer to continue his professional transfer plan.
However, at this moment, the clouds above suddenly dispersed, and a dazzling light sharply shone on his eyelids.
"What's wrong, Ziyu? You dispersed the clouds without saying anything..." Qian Dong was still complaining. Zhao Xing, however, pushed himself up with his elbow, his eyes slightly narrowed, looking forward.
A dark cloud, nearly a thousand meters long, slowly rolled in from the front. On the grain pile beneath the cloud, a tall figure stood.
The 'Moving Cloud' Spell has an exclusive nature; it was this person who disrupted and absorbed Chen Ziyu's 'Moving Cloud'.
Suddenly interrupted in his Spell casting, Chen Ziyu's body trembled slightly, as his Origin Qi suffered minor damage due to the backlash.
"It's that hypocrite Li Chengfeng again! Damn you!" Chen Ziyu stared angrily at the figure on the grain pile in front.
Why call him a hypocrite?
Because Li Chengfeng's voice spread in all directions with the help of the 'Rising Wind' Spell.
"Fellow colleagues, you may rest under my, Li's, cloud. In a moment, there will also be a light rain to cleanse you."
It wasn't just Chen Ziyu's Spell that was disrupted; many others were also affected.
But he united most people, saving them Origin Qi, and many applauded him for it, praising Li Chengfeng for his gentlemanly demeanor.
"This person's tactic of lifting himself up by stepping on others is truly disgusting! He always likes to show off, completely disregarding others' feelings. Once, when I confronted him, others even said I was narrow-minded and jealous of his reputation as a gentleman... Me, jealous of him? Bah!" Chen Ziyu said hatefully.
Qian Dong also shook his head: "If he were truly a gentleman, that would be fine, but he comes from a prominent family yet only associates with rich young masters, acting one way in front of people and another behind their backs. He hasn't even become an official agricultural officer yet, but his demeanor is already like that of a superior, which is truly nauseating. If he becomes our superior next year, who knows how he'll torment those below, alas..."
Zhao Xing agreed with their views and could only pat their shoulders to comfort them: "I also dislike him, but complaining is useless; strength is the foundation. Let's work hard, and there will be a day when we can make him eat his words."
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