The Dao Sovereign of Shennong

The leader of the Hana Tribe was named Lun Jing.

The customs of the Southern Barbarians were such that most of the tribes did not have surnames, only given names.

They still retained some primitive rituals, including blood sacrifices and live offerings.

This was why they were always regarded as barbarians by the Great Zhou.

The meaning of Lun Jing's name was that he was born and raised in a field of green thorns.

He was a Power Shaman, and his shamanistic techniques were equivalent to the martial techniques of warriors.

In the Hana Tribe, there was no hereditary system for selecting leaders; whoever was strongest became the chief. Lun Jing had defeated many powerful warriors in his tribe and had survived numerous challenges to secure his position as the leader of the Hana Tribe.

He was very pleased with his son, Zhao Ke, because Zhao Ke was a rare and honorable Insect Shaman, and he had even been praised by a Silver Moon-level lord.

The harsh environment of the Southern Wilderness meant that Lun Jing only had one son, born after he had found his twenty-seventh wife.

At the time, during the conception, there was a small pot nearby, cooking food. Lun Jing believed that heaven had blessed him with a son because of the food cooked in that pot, so he named his son "Zhao Ke."

In recent years, the Hana Tribe had developed well, with a population exceeding fifty thousand and five thousand warriors.

Lun Jing himself was at the Seventh Rank Earth Fiend Realm, and his son had also reached the Seventh Rank last year.

Everything seemed to be moving in the right direction.

"My son will become the greatest Insect Shaman among the 108 tribes of the Southern Wilderness!" Lun Jing thought as he surveyed his domain from a high vantage point, overlooking the mountains. "In this royal court summoning, I must secure a fertile piece of land for him!"

Immersed in his ambitious dreams, Lun Jing was filled with confidence and couldn't help but wave his massive axe in the air.

The gentle breeze brushed against his face, the sky was blue, and the clouds were white. The tribe was thriving, and everything before his eyes seemed perfect. Lun Jing had the sudden urge to break out into song.

But just as he opened his mouth, his smile froze.

Woooo~~

The war horn, blown by the tribe's sentries, echoed through the valley.

"Enemies! From which direction are they coming?!"

Lun Jing quickly grabbed his giant axe and rushed down the mountain toward the camp below.

The war horn signaling an enemy attack blared repeatedly from different directions.

Enemies—there were enemies everywhere!

"Form up! Prepare to meet the enemy! Don't panic!" Lun Jing roared, trying to make his voice heard over the noise.

But the camp below quickly descended into chaos.

Slash~

As soon as Lun Jing entered the camp, he saw a squad of Hana warriors suddenly being torn to pieces, their sturdy weapons shattered into several fragments.

Fifty warriors at the Essence Gathering Realm had died in such a bizarre manner.

Lun Jing looked up sharply but saw nothing in the sky. The sky was still as blue, and the clouds were as white as ever.

But in that moment, Lun Jing felt a trace of fear, because the clouds above were moving far too fast!

In the blink of an eye, the clouds had completely covered the Hana Tribe's camp.

Moments ago, there had only been a gentle breeze, but by the time Lun Jing reached the camp, tornadoes had formed just outside the perimeter.

"Lei! Where is Elder Lei?!"

Lun Jing shouted, "Hurry! Come out, quickly!"

Lei was the shaman in charge of controlling the weather for the Hana Tribe. He could summon the wind and rain and command the clouds.

But Lun Jing's voice could barely be heard, drowned out by the thunder in the sky and the chaotic noise around him. The invisible force continued to cut through the camp, with no visible enemy, throwing the entire tribe into panic.

"Ah—!"

"Run!"

"No, don't run outside!"

"Help me…"

"Get into the stone huts! Don't run outside!" Lun Jing roared at the ordinary tribesmen while shouting at the warriors, "Spread out! Everyone, spread out!"

But the thunder drowned out his commands. He tried to stop the tribesmen from fleeing the camp because the outside was far more dangerous.

He finally recognized the strange killing method. It was the Heavenly Trap Web, a weapon of the Great Zhou's mechanized forces. These mechanisms were large-scale traps that descended from the sky at extreme speeds. Each web weighed over ten thousand pounds and was launched at an incredible rate, nearly invisible once deployed.

The Heavenly Trap Webs were targeting his elite warriors, rapidly surrounding the camp.

Outside the camp, the tornadoes swirled and moved quickly. The intense pressure not only limited their ability to jump into the air but also sucked anyone nearby into the vortex.

"Lei! Lei!"

Taking cover behind buildings, Lun Jing finally found the most powerful shaman in the tribe—Lei.

"Chief!" Lei stood beside a large circular stone tunnel, his face filled with anxiety. "Chief, you're finally back. We need to escape now! This tunnel leads thirty miles away!"

"We need to escape before the soldiers of the Great Zhou land!"

"Escape?!" Lun Jing's eyes blazed with fury. "You expect me to flee? To abandon the people of the Hana Tribe?! Why aren't you fighting?!"

"Chief, you don't understand!" Lei pointed to the sky, shouting, "I can't borrow even a sliver of wind, nor can I summon any clouds. My lightning techniques have also been weakened!"

"We've encountered one of the Great Zhou's powerful Military Shennong! He is likely of the Sixth Rank. His techniques completely overpower mine, do you understand?!"

"We need to flee while there's still chaos. As long as we escape, we can always find the tribesmen later!"

Lun Jing fell silent, staring at Lei and the group of shamans behind him. They had already lost their will to fight.

"Lei, we grew up together. You can flee if you want."

"But Zhao Ke is still on his way back. I must stay here and wait for him!"

With that, Lun Jing raised his shield and charged out once again.

Pitter-patter~

Outside, the rain began to fall.

"Lun Jing!" Lei watched as Lun Jing rushed out, gritting his teeth and gripping his staff tightly. He stood under the stone tunnel and fired a series of blue beams into the sky.

The rain was repelled at a height of fifty meters, leaving a thirty-meter radius around Lun Jing free from the downpour. But this was all Lei could manage.

Any attempt to expand the shield further was met with an invisible force of suppression, as if the heavens themselves had grown smaller.

Zhao Xing stood on the Swordfish Airship, calmly watching the chaos below.

Fifteen floating airships hovered invisibly above the camp, each operated by only a dozen individuals controlling the mechanisms.

The Heavenly Trap Webs paved the way, followed by a barrage of Spirit-Breaking Crossbows, bombarding the camp below.

"Are the Mirage Pearls active?" Zhao Xing asked Che Shi Hai beside him.

"They're all active," Che Shi Hai replied. "Don't worry, nothing will be missed. This is all merit."

After penetrating three thousand miles deep into the Fengming Mountains, the soldiers now had to rely on themselves to record their progress. The Military Realm could no longer monitor them so far out, and even if it could, it wouldn't catch every detail.

"Alright, you don't have to just stand there watching. Go down and cast some spells. Don't miss out on your kill count." Zhao Xing smiled. "We need to make sure everyone gets their share."

As the one who dominated the Cloud Summoning technique, only Zhao Xing could command the clouds. However, other techniques were not restricted, and his Cloud Summoning technique could even enhance the weather-based techniques of others.

He wasn't worried about stealing anyone's credit because there were plenty of Hana Tribe members to go around. Even with the Pacification Merit Rankings not yet opened, monopolizing the kill count wouldn't help him much.

"Over there, there's a group of shamans, Ninth and Eighth Rank, and one early-stage Seventh Rank. You should gauge your abilities carefully and not get too close."

"That shaman can still cast spells despite my Cloud Summoning. He has some skills."

Zhao Xing pointed to a circular stone tunnel, where Lei was standing.

"..." Che Shi Hai was speechless. A Seventh Rank shaman casting a spell under Zhao Xing's suppression wasn't exactly an easy feat.

Why did Zhao Xing make it sound so trivial?

Was the enemy really that weak?

Che Shi Hai stepped onto a cloud and headed toward Lei's location.

Descending to a hundred-meter altitude, he began casting Heavenly Thunder at the enemies below.

Boom!

Che Shi Hai, though an A-Rank talent, was currently at the Eighth Rank. His Nine Turn Heavenly Thunder sent a thick bolt of lightning crashing into the tunnel entrance.

Boom!

Rubble flew as part of the tunnel was blown apart.

Thud!

Several shamans were instantly knocked to the ground by the flashing lightning.

"We fight!" Lei, who had been covering for Lun Jing, gritted his teeth as he saw the mysterious expert appear. Waving his staff, he unleashed a massive thunder dragon from within himself.

Boom!

Che Shi Hai met the attack head-on.

Unexpectedly, Lei's thunder dragon swallowed his lightning bolt and surged back toward him.

"What?!"

Shocked, Che Shi Hai swiftly dodged to the side, trying to evade the thunder dragon.

However, the thunder dragon suddenly doubled back, chasing after him relentlessly.

"Hmm?"

Lei noticed the peculiar situation with his opponent and immediately controlled the thunder dragon to give chase.

Swish~

At that moment, Zhao Xing appeared in front of Che Shi Hai.

Crackle~

Lightning surged from Zhao Xing's fingertips, quickly forming a three-meter-long purple lightning finger, which jabbed directly at the thunder dragon's forehead.

A high-level technique—Thunder Palm of Reality Breaking!

Boom~

A shockwave erupted, clearing away the falling rain and creating a brief vacuum in the sky.

The thunder dragon disappeared without a trace, while Zhao Xing's Thunder Palm of Reality Breaking continued its descent.

Though both were spellcasting, Zhao Xing controlled the entire momentum of the heavens and earth, borrowing its strength. His opponent, however, could not. That was the difference in their power.

"So, this is the real expert!"

Lei's last thought flickered in his mind before he collapsed.

A gaping hole had appeared in his chest, pierced through by the Thunder Palm of Reality Breaking. The wound didn't bleed at all, as it had been completely cauterized.

After unleashing his lightning technique, Zhao Xing didn't bother checking to see if Lei was dead. Instead, he looked at Che Shi Hai.

"Didn't I tell you to be careful? Why did you go after the strongest one right away?"

"Uh..." Che Shi Hai's hair was standing on end from the earlier exchange, and he had suffered a significant loss in the clash.

Facing Zhao Xing's reprimand, he had no response.

"Boss, you made him sound like he was weak, so I thought..."

Che Shi Hai trailed off, unable to continue.

Back in the Ten Sun Cave-Heaven, Che Shi Hai might not have been the top A-Rank talent, but he was still among the A-Ranks.

With Zhao Xing's Cloud Summoning controlling the skies, Che Shi Hai thought that with the cloud enhancement, an Eighth Rank could easily take on a Seventh Rank.

But it turned out to be much tougher than expected.

Was his opponent really weak, or was he just that bad at fighting?

Che Shi Hai couldn't help but question himself. Just how much of a gap was there between him and Zhao Xing?

"Don't overthink it," Zhao Xing said. "A Seventh Rank Earth Fiend shaman's techniques carry fiendish energy, which amplifies their power. Without mastering high-level techniques or reaching the third transformation in knowledge, it's hard to challenge them across ranks. It's not your fault—don't doubt yourself."

"When you reach the Seventh Rank, you'll be able to take on ten of them at once."

Zhao Xing's words lifted Che Shi Hai's spirits.

"Boss, how many could you take on?"

Zhao Xing waved his hand, a gust of wind carrying Che Shi Hai away. "Stop chattering and go kill some more enemies. If you don't hurry, Xia Jing and the others will finish them all."

He didn't answer Che Shi Hai's question, avoiding the topic to spare him from further discouragement.

The shamans of the Hana Tribe were just ordinary Seventh Rankers, and by the standards of the Great Zhou, their equipment and individual techniques were barely adequate.

No matter how many shamans there were like Lei, Zhao Xing could defeat them all with ease. It was a qualitative difference that couldn't be overcome by sheer numbers.

Even if a hundred, or even a thousand "Leis" came, it wouldn't matter. Without a way to force Zhao Xing into a vulnerable position, their spells would be useless in the face of his overwhelming power.

If they were Power Shamans or other types of shamanic practitioners, Seventh Rank warriors might put up more of a fight. However, as shamans akin to the Great Zhou's Military Shennong, they stood no chance against Zhao Xing.

"Come on, you cowards! Fight me! Fight me!" Lun Jing roared in despair at the sky.

He couldn't even touch his enemies, only watching helplessly as his warriors fell one by one. After Lei's death, the rain began to fall again, soaking Lun Jing's disheveled figure.

Looking like a desperate, cornered beast, Lun Jing repeatedly leaped into the air, only to be forced back down, empty-handed.

Under the suppression of Cloud Summoning, he couldn't even gather enough energy for brief flight.

There was no Essence Energy left for him to use—it was all under Zhao Xing's control!

Lun Jing was already on the brink of despair, but when Xia Jing descended, he finally experienced true hopelessness.

"Zhao, stop the wind and rain."

"And lift the suppression."

Xia Jing stepped down through the air, descending step by step until he stood face to face with Lun Jing, fifty meters apart on top of a stone roof.

Hearing Xia Jing's request, Zhao Xing cleared a patch of space for them.

He knew what Xia Jing intended to do.

In front of all the surviving members of the Hana Tribe, Xia Jing would defeat their strongest warrior in single combat, crushing their will to resist.

With fewer than two thousand men, it would take too long to completely wipe out the fifty thousand members of the Hana Tribe.

But if Lun Jing were defeated, the rest would surrender much more easily.

"Chief of the Barbarians, I give you the opportunity for a fair fight!" (Common Language) "I am only an Eighth Rank, while you are a Seventh Rank."

"If you can withstand three of my strikes, you will live, and all the members of the Hana Tribe will live!" (Common Language) "If you lose, you must order the Hana Tribe to surrender." (Common Language)

Xia Jing used a soundwave technique to amplify his voice, and Zhao Xing, in coordination, used his wind technique to carry Xia Jing's words to every corner of the Hana Tribe's territory.

"I am Lun Jing, and I accept your terms! Please, tell me your name!" Lun Jing, at this moment, had calmed down.

"You will know my name when you are defeated," Xia Jing replied with a slight smile, motioning for Lun Jing to come at him. "Come."

"Die!" Lun Jing roared as he hefted his massive axe and charged at Xia Jing.

Zhao Xing quietly observed the battle below.

Xia Jing hadn't completed his third ring task yet, so he was still bound by restrictions and remained at the peak of the Eighth Rank Essence Bridge Realm.

But realm was just a realm—Xia Jing was the top talent of the Azure Dragon Martial Division in the Ten Sun Cave-Heaven, even slightly superior to Fu Ying.

Three moves?

One move would be enough!

Boom~

Essence energy surged around Xia Jing's body, solidifying into the form of a coiling azure dragon. As Lun Jing, full of power, approached, Xia Jing didn't even unsheathe the battle blade on his back. He simply stood his ground.

"Slash!" Lun Jing's entire body glowed silver, and as he swung his massive axe, several zhang-long streaks of fiendish energy followed in its wake.

Behind him, numerous totemic shadows of strange beasts appeared, symbols of his mastery of their essence and fiendish energy.

This was his most powerful move—fast and overwhelmingly strong!

Swish~

Xia Jing lightly tapped the ground with his right foot, his figure flickering. Before Lun Jing could land his attack, Xia Jing appeared directly in front of him, grabbing the handle of Lun Jing's massive axe with one hand.

In the next moment, there was an explosion of force.

"What?!" Lun Jing was stunned. He stared at his own silver-glowing hands, then at Xia Jing's golden-glowing finger bones, and understood.

Golden bones had fully formed, and high-level body techniques had been mastered—this was a speed beyond sound!

Zhao Xing was slightly surprised. "Usually only Sixth Rank warriors can reach this speed. Xia Jing managed it? Even though it was just a brief burst, he broke the sound barrier!"

"Roar!"

Xia Jing's left hand extended, and a dragon's roar echoed in the air as azure energy surged from his back to his fingertips.

This was another high-level martial technique—Azure Dragon Essence Breaking Finger!

Zhao Xing had been sent flying multiple times by this move during training.

Boom!

Xia Jing's finger pierced Lun Jing's chest armor, sending him flying backward at incredible speed.

Bang, bang, bang!

Lun Jing crashed through over a dozen buildings before being buried under the rubble.

The entire Hana Tribe was dumbstruck. They stared in disbelief at their once-invincible leader, lying defeated.

One strike! Only one strike had felled their strongest leader!

If this was the caliber of the Great Zhou's talents, how could they ever hope to resist?

"Surrender, or die!"

Xia Jing roared at the surrounding tribesmen.

"Surrender, or die!"

The warriors of the Martial Division pounded their shields and weapons, echoing the cry in unison.

The sky cleared, and the rain stopped.

Lun Jing didn't rise from the ruins. Zhao Xing could sense that his life force had completely faded.

The Hana tribesmen dropped their weapons and knelt on the ground, while the surviving warriors gathered together, awaiting their fate.

"This kid," Zhao Xing muttered, using Five Elements Observation to glance at Xia Jing, shaking his head.

In order to pull off this performance, Xia Jing had used up seventy percent of his essence energy.

What seemed effortless had actually required his full power.

But the effect was remarkable.

Aside from a few scattered pockets of resistance, the Hana Tribe offered no further defiance.

Whoosh~

Zhao Xing descended on his cloud and landed beside Xia Jing.

"You don't seriously plan to take these tens of thousands of people back with us, do you? We don't have the time or manpower to transport so many."

"Of course not," Xia Jing chuckled. "According to barbarian surrender customs, all warriors are to be executed. I'm just making it easier for the brothers."

"I'll have Zhang Yi recruit a small group of about eight hundred barbarian soldiers. After that, we'll have them kill the remaining warriors themselves."

"And what about the non-warriors?" Zhao Xing asked. "The Hana Tribe doesn't revere the Great Zhou."

"We'll release the elderly, sick, and weak," Xia Jing replied. "The rest will be executed."

"Good," Zhao Xing sighed in relief. He had worried Xia Jing might show mercy, so he came to confirm.

After all, from the fourth to the sixth ring of their tasks, the primary objective was to kill the enemy.

In this war between nations, there was no room for mercy. Unless Xia Jing wanted to recruit barbarian soldiers, but these tribesmen were not worthy of being assimilated, and they had no allegiance to the Great Zhou—they only worshiped the Golden Feather Court.

There was no need to keep these people to boost the Great Zhou's fortunes through sheer numbers.

After a thousand years of peace and prosperity under Emperor Wen, the Great Zhou had experienced explosive population growth. The empire didn't lack people—it lacked land.

As long as land was conquered, filling it with Great Zhou citizens was far more cost-effective than converting these barbarians.

As for the harsh environment, given time, the Military Shennong could transform it—unless the conditions were so extreme that the time investment would be unfeasible.

Once weapons were put down, it was difficult to pick them up again. Once knees were bent in submission, they rarely straightened.

With the entire Hana Tribe surrendering, the 1,800 soldiers from Yun City suddenly found their work much easier.

Groups of eight soldiers could drive over a thousand barbarians to dig their own graves, then bury themselves.

There was no point in crying or begging for mercy.

Zhao Xing and his companions had already undergone extensive mental fortitude training back in the Ten Sun Cave-Heaven.

In war, there was no question of morality—only sides.

The Southern Barbarians had invaded the lands of the Great Zhou, and they had done the same to them.

While others dealt with the Hana Tribe, Zhao Xing checked the progress of his tasks in the Military Realm.

The fourth ring required killing 1,000 non-ranked barbarians, 100 Ninth Rank barbarians, 10 Eighth Rank barbarians, and 1 Seventh Rank barbarian.

The fifth ring required killing 2,000 non-ranked barbarians, 200 Ninth Rank barbarians, 20 Eighth Rank barbarians, and 2 Seventh Rank barbarians.

The sixth ring required killing 3,000 non-ranked barbarians, 300 Ninth Rank barbarians, 30 Eighth Rank barbarians, and 3 Seventh Rank barbarians.

The seventh ring required killing 6,000 non-ranked barbarians, 600 Ninth Rank barbarians, 60 Eighth Rank barbarians, and 6 Seventh Rank barbarians.

The eighth ring had a total kill count of 8,888.

The ninth ring had a total kill count of 9,999.

To achieve the highest evaluation, all of these requirements had to be doubled, and not a single condition could be missed.

Why did the task require killing enemies lower than your rank?

Because the purpose of this war was to cripple the barbarians, leaving them with no future generation to replenish their ranks. There could be no mercy.

For Zhao Xing, the three-ring tasks were not difficult. His strength far exceeded the requirements of the Military Realm tasks.

In truth, the tasks weren't designed to be impossible for top-tier talents but to temper them rather than drive them to seek life-threatening accomplishments.

A Seventh Rank officer's position wasn't one that an A-Rank talent would need to risk their life for in battle. It would be unreasonable otherwise.

Moreover, they were on the front lines of the Pacification War, and no one could predict the type of enemies they would encounter. The situation was inherently dangerous.

"Reaching the position of a legitimate Seventh Rank officer is certain. But seeking higher ranks will require real risks. Achieving a mid-tier Third Rank position will grant titles, longevity, and fortune… From the Sixth Rank onward, the real thresholds begin."

As for the nine-ring tasks, they were just the beginning.

On the twelfth day of the fourth month, the Hana Tribe was annihilated, and Zhao Xing completed his fourth ring task, while Xia Jing finished his third ring task.

Most of the others had lower requirements, and one Hana Tribe was enough for many of them to complete their third ring tasks.

On the thirteenth day of the fourth month, a Straw Puppet disguised as Zhao Ke appeared after the Hana Tribe's destruction, leading the old, sick, and weak in an escape. They were soon discovered by another tribe, the Waluo Tribe.

The Waluo Tribe was slightly larger than the Hana Tribe, with a population of sixty thousand. Their chief, Waluo, intended to shelter this Insect Shaman.

But soon after, an army descended upon them.

Thus, on the thirteenth day of the fourth month, the Waluo Tribe met the same fate as the Hana Tribe.

Zhao Xing completed his fifth ring task.

On the fifteenth day of the fourth month, aside from the Zhao Ke Straw Puppet, the Waluo Straw Puppet came online.

Using the same trick, with one Insect Shaman and one Power Shaman, they wandered through the Fengming Mountains.

Soon, they encountered scouts from the Golden Horn Tribe.

On the fifteenth day of the fourth month, the Golden Horn Tribe was wiped out.

Zhao Xing completed his sixth ring task.

That same day, Zhao Xing returned to Yun City. The divisions rested for half a day, and Zhao Xing entered the temple to receive his promotion.

He advanced from the Lower Seventh Rank to the Upper Seventh Rank.

His additional lifespan increased by ten years, with no significant changes in other aspects.

After sorting through the records of the Golden Horn and Waluo Tribes, Zhao Xing set out again at dawn on the sixteenth day of the fourth month.

Penetrating four thousand miles deep into the Fengming Mountains, they annihilated two more tribes.

The Yun City Five Divisions stayed within the five-thousand-mile mark, never venturing deeper, as beyond that lay the 108 major tribes.

They began moving laterally at the five-thousand-mile mark, swiftly eliminating barbarian tribes.

Their speed was such that by the time the news of one tribe's destruction spread, they had already reached the next.

Zhao Xing completed his nine-ring tasks without encountering any notable opponents or resistance.

"Xia Jing, it's time to go back," Zhao Xing said. "The Pacification Merit Rankings will be opening soon, and the Southern Barbarians will be launching their Divine Court War Decrees. We should head back and rest."

"Yes, we should return," Xia Jing agreed. "We've gone this long without encountering a real opponent. Our luck has been too good. I've been meaning to say something."

By the end of the fourth month, the brothers had become battle-hardened, even those without ring tasks had gained considerable merit and spoils of war.

Though the barbarians were poor, they couldn't withstand being plundered tribe by tribe. By now, everyone was overflowing with riches.

Fighting an easy war for too long wasn't necessarily a good thing. Both Zhao Xing and Xia Jing had sensed that many of their comrades had lost their edge.

"Besides, I feel like we're being tracked by a team," Zhao Xing said, glancing at the sky. "It seems like they're trying to lure us into a trap, encouraging us to go deeper."

"I've had that same feeling," Xia Jing said gravely. "It's a Seventh Rank warrior's intuition."

"We should leave."

The two quickly reached an agreement and retreated swiftly, abandoning any thought of looting and forcing everyone to board the airships for a rapid departure.

Half an hour after they evacuated the gathering place of a tribe called the Yanglin Tribe, a white bone ship appeared on the horizon. After searching the area to no avail, the ship turned and left.

In the Military Realm, within a high tower…

In front of a series of Earth Mirrors.

"It's over," King Ling De said as he watched the image of Zhao Xing walking out of the temple. "This kid has already reached the Lower Seventh Rank. He and Xia Jing completed the nine-ring tasks in less than two months."

"Shi Yong, Zhuang Zhiqing, Fu Ying, and the other talents are still on the seventh ring."

"Across the other four Cave-Heavens, only fifteen officers have completed the nine-ring tasks."

"With the Pacification Merit Rankings about to open, the rest won't have much of a chance to finish."

"They only have themselves to blame for missing the opportunity. The nine-ring tasks were the easiest path to promotion," King Luo Hou said coldly. "When the Pacification Merit Rankings open, the standards for promotion will change."

"The nine-ring tasks are an extension of Cave-Heaven training. They're a relatively easy path to promotion."

"Zhao Xing completed three tasks and jumped from the Lower Ninth Rank directly to the Lower Seventh Rank!"

"What did he really do? He simply cut down a few enemies, overthrew a few temples, and fended off an Insect Shaman's attack. He was originally just a Ninth-Rank Selection Officer, but after completing the three-ring task, he was immediately promoted to the Lower Seventh Rank!"

"After completing the nine-ring tasks, he crossed the threshold from subordinate to a full-fledged official and became an Upper Seventh Rank officer."

King Luo Hou continued, "There's no easier way to rise through the ranks. Zhao Xing seized the opportunity. But there's only one chance for such a promotion through training."

"If you miss it, it's gone."

King Ling De nodded. "Indeed, the Cave-Heaven training is the easiest path. Once the Pacification Merit Rankings open, earning merit will be much more difficult, as it will involve hundreds of thousands of people. The standards for promotion will naturally become stricter."

"Merits earned in battle will mainly reward those in lower ranks, granting loose titles, scattered nobility, monetary rewards, land, rare resources, and improved benefits. But advancing in official rank will require surpassing your peers, and that won't be easy."

King Tian Yan commented, "Based on the kill records submitted by Yun City, both Xia Jing and Zhao Xing have shown great leadership potential."

"If they survive this war, they have a good chance of being titled Marquis."

King Ling De nodded. "The Fortune Disk has predicted the future of the talents who completed the nine-ring tasks. Most of them have a chance of earning a marquis title."

"With only one month left until the Pacification Merit Rankings open," King Tian Yan added, "our job is to ensure that these young talents continue to grow, protect them from demonic corruption, and ensure they are treated fairly."

"If one-third of them survive and earn a marquis title over the next few years, this entire training program will be considered a success for the Military Realm."

"As for Ten Sun Cave-Heaven, there are only twenty or thirty truly promising talents. Xia Jing and Zhao Xing, who were the first to complete the nine-ring tasks, stand out with both exceptional strength and leadership potential. The others, while likely to complete the nine-ring tasks within the next month, have not performed as impressively."

King Luo Hou shook his head. "Ten Sun Cave-Heaven is still weaker compared to the other four Cave-Heavens. These two are their standouts, but whether they can truly thrive on the real battlefield remains to be seen."

King Tian Yan smiled. "Luo Hou, care to make a bet?"

"Oh? What kind of bet?" Luo Hou asked.

"I bet that Xia Jing and Zhao Xing will not only survive but will be among the first batch to be titled marquis—second-class Martial Marquis, to be specific."

"I'm not betting on that," Luo Hou responded, shaking his head. "They have a good chance at that title."

"Then let's bet that they'll be the very first to be titled marquis," King Tian Yan said.

"Now that's a bet I'll take," Luo Hou said decisively. "To be the first means they must surpass the top talents from the other four Cave-Heavens, as well as compete with seasoned generals. That will be difficult."

"Very well. It's settled," King Tian Yan smiled. "Shall we wager a seventh-rank divine weapon?"

"Deal!" Luo Hou agreed without hesitation.