Chapter 25: Sever, Devour, and Crush the Opponent

Chen Shijie sat with the air of a spectator, while the other officials, left with no choice, took their seats as invited. There was no helping it; after all, he was their superior. He held a higher rank and possessed greater cultivation. Furthermore, Chen was the youngest official in the Ministry of Agriculture—not just in Gucheng, but across the entire Nanyang Prefecture. It was clear that the future of this Magistrate Chen would not stop at the ninth rank.

"Magistrate Chen’s modifications are truly masterful. The Ministry of Agriculture serves the people; we must contend with heaven and earth. Without a competitive spirit, how can anything be accomplished?"

Once seated, Gao Linong was the first to speak. He had misspoken during the minor summer assessment and had been looking for a way to make amends. He finally seized this opportunity to align his views with his superior. Chen Shijie offered a faint smile and a nod in response. The flattery was far too clumsy; it was practically a verbatim repetition of what Chen had said previously.

Tang Wanchun was much more sophisticated. Instead of offering direct praise, he mentioned the clerk whom Chen had recently commended: "I believe that first clerk who managed to support the cloud layer truly grasped Magistrate Chen’s painstaking efforts, which is why he gained the upper hand. I only wonder if he can hold on."

"Magistrate Xue’s examination is comprehensive. It tests not only the clerks’ abilities but also their endurance. It is no simple task to go four days and three nights without food or water in this scorching heat."

Chen Shijie’s interest was piqued: "I recall this man performed exceptionally well in the last minor exam. Old Xue, was he trained by you?"

Xue Wenzhong had not intended to speak, having kept his eyes closed since sitting down, but upon hearing Zhao Xing mentioned, he changed his mind: "Indeed. His name is Zhao Xing. I have only provided minor guidance; his excellence is primarily due to his own keen insight. Magistrate Chen should keep an eye on him. This boy is a rare talent."

Chen Shijie nodded: "Since you say so, Old Xue, I shall certainly observe his performance closely."

Xue Wenzhong rarely praised anyone in public, let alone recommended a clerk under his own command to Chen Shijie. Could it be he had taken the boy as a disciple? This stirred a sense of wariness among the other officials. Being promoted to a regular official was not only the aspiration of the minor clerks, but also something these established officials took very seriously—recommending and cultivating talent was a significant merit!

Just as someone was about to speak, Chen Shijie’s gaze fixed on a certain point: "Look, someone is heading toward Zhao Xing."

***

Zhao Xing was the first to perform the Cloud Movement, securing two spring wells and three piles of grass ash in the northeast. To his north was Wen Nanxing, and to his south was Xiao Ze. The challengers who had been defeated by those two immediately set their sights on Zhao Xing. However, judging by Zhao Xing’s Cloud Movement, he was not to be trifled with; a level-seven spellcasting proficiency ranked him among the best in the Ministry of Agriculture.

There were many onlookers, but only three approached him. A fair-skinned young man cupped his hands toward Zhao Xing: "Huang Tao from the Hundred Flowers Garden. Brother Zhao, could I ask you to vacate this spot?"

Huang Tao intended to be polite before resorting to force, respecting the level-seven cloud formation above Zhao Xing’s head and his previous "Grade A-Superior" result.

Zhao Xing sneered: "Brother Huang, might I ask you all to get lost?"

Huang Tao’s expression stiffened, and his eyes grew cold: "You occupy two wells and three piles of ash all by yourself, yet refuse to yield. Very well, don't blame me for what happens next!"

The others, having lost patience with the failed negotiation, barked: "Why waste breath on him? He got lucky with a grade A-Superior and now he’s acting arrogant... Cloud Movement!"

The three of them simultaneously cast their Cloud Movement spells. Clouds billowed and surged—including Huang Tao, all of them were at level seven! Dark, thick clouds unfurled and rushed rapidly toward Zhao Xing’s position.

"It’s been a while since I’ve had to contend," Zhao Xing muttered, licking his lips as he stared at the encroaching clouds, feeling a surge of excitement. In truth, he had been waiting for challengers; he knew this day would come, for without it, he could never secure his footing.

"Rise, Wind!"

Zhao Xing pointed a finger, and a great wind swept in from the east. The gust then split into two, blowing in separate directions.

*Whoosh!*
*Whirl!*

Two fierce gales blasted toward the two challengers beside Huang Tao. Their clouds actually piled up and rolled backward in mid-air, as if they had struck an invisible wall of wind!

"What? My clouds... they aren't moving!"
"Mine too, I can't push through."

The two challengers looked on in shock, never imagining that Zhao Xing’s "Rise, Wind" spell could hold them back.

"Hmph!" Refusing to believe it, the two increased their vital energy. Yet, no matter how many times their clouds swirled, the wind blew just as hard. The harder they tried to push forward, the greater the resistance became. After exerting all their strength, they had barely advanced an inch!

"Why is his wind spell so strange?"
"This wind is devilish! It’s as if it knows my weaknesses, and it keeps darting inside... oh no!"

One of them, whose control over his vital energy was slightly weaker, saw his cloud layer shatter. Once it began to dissipate, it could no longer be contained, and he was defeated in the trial of strength.

Before the three could even threaten Zhao Xing, one had already been blown away!

"Cough, cough, cough..." The clerk, suffering from a backlash of vital energy as his clouds were dispersed, coughed incessantly. Huang Tao’s expression shifted, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart. His side had faced no obstruction, yet his companion had fallen at the very start.

There was no time to think; seizing the moment while Zhao Xing was distracted by the other, he maneuvered his clouds to strike hard.

*Hum~*

The expected collision never occurred. There was no thunder, no rain, and no wind. Instead, the clouds controlled by Zhao Xing suddenly buckled inward, revealing flickering bolts of lightning within, like a giant, dark-purple maw.

"What is this?" In his perception, Huang Tao felt a portion of his own clouds lose all connection, as if they had been bitten clean off. Immediately after, the dark clouds above Zhao Xing’s head surged toward him.

*BOOM!* A deafening crack of thunder!

The clouds above Huang Tao’s head shrank at a visible rate.

"What? This... such exquisite technique... I concede!" Feeling as though he had completely lost control of his clouds, Huang Tao shouted immediately.

But Zhao Xing ignored him. The lightning acted like blades, cutting with precision, completely shattering Huang Tao’s control and devouring his cloud energy.

*Pfft!* Huang Tao felt as if knives were carving into his mind. His spell backlash was far more severe than the others’, and he collapsed to the ground instantly.

"Brother Huang! Brother Huang!" his companions rushed over to support him.

"I... I am fine," Huang Tao gasped. "Don't try again. Let's find somewhere else."

"This Zhao Xing is too ruthless," his companion complained. "It was just a spar; how can we just let this go?"

"No. Our skills are inferior, there is nothing to say." Huang Tao looked toward Zhao Xing, deep wariness in his eyes. "His control over his spells... it felt even greater than Wen Nanxing’s or Xiao Ze’s. To force a confrontation now would only be asking for humiliation. Let's go!"

Seeing the three slink away, Zhao Xing projected his voice with the wind, spreading it in all directions: "Any other colleagues wish to come and seize my territory? Feel free to try!"