Chen Shijie looked on with an air of watching a play, and the other officials, helpless, could only accept the invitation to be seated.
There was nothing they could do; he was the senior official, after all.
His official rank was higher than theirs, and his cultivation was stronger, not to mention Chen Shijie was the youngest official in the Ministry of Agriculture—not just in Gucheng, but even in the entire Nanyang Commandery, he was considered young.
It was clear that this Lord Chen's future would certainly not stop at Rank Nine.
"Lord Chen's changes are truly brilliant. The Ministry of Agriculture serves the people and must contend with heaven and earth. If there is no will to win, how can anything be accomplished?"
After sitting down, it was Gao Linong who spoke first. He had said the wrong thing during the last Minor Heat assessment and had been looking for an opportunity to make amends. Now he finally seized the chance to express that his views aligned with his superior's.
Chen Shijie smiled faintly and nodded in response.
This flattery was too stiff, almost a verbatim repetition of what Chen Shijie had said last time.
Tang Wanchun was much more sophisticated. Instead of directly praising, he brought up the clerk whom Chen Shijie had previously commended: "I think that the first clerk to conjure the clouds truly grasped Lord Chen's painstaking efforts, thus gaining the upper hand. I just don't know if he can persevere."
"Lord Xue's examination is comprehensive. It tests not only the abilities of the clerks below but also their endurance. It's not so simple to persist for four days and three nights without food or drink in this scorching weather."
Chen Shijie indeed became interested: "I remember during the last small examination, this person also performed quite outstandingly. Elder Xue, was he taught by you?"
Xue Wenjong initially didn't want to speak and had closed his eyes to rest after sitting down, but since Zhao Xing was mentioned, he changed his mind: "That's right, his name is Zhao Xing. I only did my humble best in teaching; it's mainly his excellent Comprehension Ability. Lord Chen, please give him more attention. This child is a rare talent."
Chen Shijie nodded: "If Elder Xue says so, then I really must pay close attention to his performance."
Xue Wenjong rarely praised anyone in public, let alone recommending a clerk under his command to Chen Shijie. Could it be that he had taken him as a disciple? This made the other officials somewhat wary.
Becoming an official and being regularized was not only something junior clerks longed for, but even these official officials valued it highly. Recommendation and education were great merits!
Someone was about to say something when they heard Chen Shijie's gaze fix on a certain spot: "Look, someone is heading towards Zhao Xing."
Zhao Xing was the first to conjure clouds, occupying two spring wells and three piles of ash in the northeast.
To his north was Wen Nanxing, and to his south was Xiao Ze. The challengers defeated by these two immediately set their sights on Zhao Xing.
However, looking at Zhao Xing's cloud conjuring, he wasn't someone to be trifled with. His seven-turn Spell level was considered among the top in the Ministry of Agriculture.
Many people were watching, but only three approached.
One of them, a fair-faced young man, cupped his hands towards Zhao Xing: "Huang Tao of Hundred Flowers Garden. Brother Zhao, could I ask you to move aside?"
Huang Tao intended to be polite before resorting to force. The seven-turn clouds above the opponent's head and his previous 'A-grade' score still commanded some respect.
Zhao Xing sneered: "Brother Huang, may I ask you all to get lost?"
Huang Tao's expression stiffened, then his eyes turned unfriendly: "You alone occupy two spring wells and three piles of ash, yet you refuse to yield. In that case, please forgive my offense!"
The people next to him, who hadn't reached an agreement, were already impatient: "Why bother talking to him? He got lucky with an A-grade once and is now ridiculously arrogant… Conjure Clouds!"
All three simultaneously cast their Cloud Conjuring Spells. Clouds rolled and unfurled, and including Huang Tao, all were seven-turn!
Dark clouds spread out, rapidly crashing towards Zhao Xing's position.
"It's been a while since I've fought," Zhao Xing licked his lips, staring at the clouds above, feeling a strange excitement.
In fact, he had been waiting for challengers. This was bound to happen sooner or later, otherwise, it would be difficult to establish a firm footing.
"Raise Wind!"
Zhao Xing pointed a finger, and a strong wind came from the east.
Then the wind force split into two, blowing towards two places.
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"
Two gusts of wind blew separately towards the two challengers next to Huang Tao. Their conjured clouds actually piled up and rolled back in mid-air, as if there was a wall of wind there!
"Hmm? My conjured clouds can't move!"
"Mine too, they can't get through."
The two challengers looked surprised. They hadn't expected that Zhao Xing's Wind Raising Spell could actually block them.
"Hmph!" The two, disbelieving, increased their Origin Qi.
However, each time their clouds rolled, the wind blew again.
The more they tried to move forward, the greater the resistance. They exerted great effort but only advanced a tiny bit!
"How is his Wind Raising so strange!"
"This wind is evil. It seems to know my weaknesses and drills in, scurrying everywhere… Not good!"
One of them, with slightly weaker Origin Qi control, had a small part of his conjured clouds dissipate.
Once it dissipated, it could no longer be stopped, and he lost in the struggle.
Before the three could even threaten Zhao Xing, one of them had his clouds scattered by the wind!
"Cough cough cough cough…" The junior official whose clouds were scattered by the wind, suffering from Origin Qi backlash, coughed incessantly.
Huang Tao's face changed upon seeing this, and an ominous feeling rose in his heart. This was because his direction hadn't encountered any obstruction.
It had just started, how could his companion have fallen already?
But at this point, he couldn't think too much. Taking advantage of Zhao Xing being distracted by his companions, he manipulated his conjured clouds and slammed them over forcefully.
"Buzz~"
The expected huge collision did not occur. There was no thunder, no rain, and no wind.
Instead, the cloud layer controlled by Zhao Xing suddenly sharply caved in, revealing flashing lightning inside, like a giant purple-black mouth.
"This?" In Huang Tao's perception, a part of his cloud layer directly lost all sensation, as if it had been bitten off outright.
Immediately after, the dark clouds above Zhao Xing's head rapidly attacked it.
"Boom!" A deafening thunderclap!
The conjured clouds above Huang Tao's head shrank at a visible speed.
"What? This, such exquisite technique… I surrender!" Huang Tao felt he had completely lost control of his clouds and immediately shouted.
But Zhao Xing completely ignored him. The lightning, like knives, precisely cut and thoroughly shattered Huang Tao's control, devouring this mass of cloud Qi.
"Pfft~" Huang Tao felt knives cutting in his mind. His Spell backlash was much more severe than the others', and he instantly fell straight to the ground.
"Brother Huang, Brother Huang…" His companion immediately ran over to support him.
"I, I'm fine…" Huang Tao panted, "Don't try anymore, find another spot."
"This Zhao Xing is too ruthless," his companion complained. "It's just a spar, how can we let him off?"
"No, we're not as skilled, there's nothing to say." Huang Tao looked in Zhao Xing's direction, a deep wariness flashing in his eyes. "His control over Spells gives me a feeling that he even surpasses Wen Nanxing and Xiao Ze. Forcing a fight would only be humiliating ourselves. Let's go!"
Zhao Xing watched the three scurry away, then used the wind to transmit his voice, spreading it in all directions: "Which other colleague wants to seize my territory, Zhao Xing's? Feel free to try!"