The Dao Sovereign of Shennong

"Who are the experts participating?" Zhao Xing asked.

"Cao Qiushui, Wen Zhao, Du Jiaojiao, Hong Sihai, Dong Chuan, Xiang Chenglin…" Zong Shichang rattled off over a dozen names in one breath. "All of these people are at the ninth stage of Essence Gathering, just one step away from entering the official ranks."

"If Brother Zhao wants to know more about their backgrounds, why not join me for a chat as we walk?" Zong Shichang suggested.

"Alright, let's go together," Zhao Xing agreed without further hesitation.

In truth, Zhao Xing didn't particularly care who the experts were. His plan for the first day was to remain at the base of the mountain and farm, rather than rush up the mountain to compete right away.

"Whoosh~"

A gentle breeze swirled beneath the base of Zhao Xing's bamboo box as he hoisted it onto his back and resumed walking.

"Others summon wind to carry their heavy loads, yet you use it to shield yourself from dust. That's quite a clever technique," Zong Shichang remarked.

"You've got impressive stamina as well, Zong," Zhao Xing observed, noticing that Zong Shichang wasn't using wind to support his bamboo box.

"Not really. My bamboo box has a built-in lightening function, so it doesn't require me to carry the weight," Zong Shichang said, lightly tapping the box. Immediately, gentle winds swirled around the bottom, sides, and back of the box.

As soft green light radiated from it, the box now essentially floated behind Zong Shichang, pushing him forward as if he were riding on it.

"…" Zhao Xing was at a loss for words.

Being rich must feel amazing.

Zong Shichang's gear was the very definition of luxury. Just a simple storage box, and it was a high-tier treasure.

Zhao Xing, although having a bit of savings, wouldn't indulge himself this way.

"Once we pass this mountain marker, we'll be officially inside the spiritual mountain. Any plans, Brother Zhao?" The two of them stopped in front of a stone marker as Zong Shichang posed the question.

"I plan to take you down, rob you, and grab that box. You're bound to have plenty of treasures on you," Zhao Xing said with a calm smile.

Zong Shichang blinked in confusion. "There's no need for that, right? I don't even have anything that valuable on me."

Zhao Xing chuckled. "Once we cross the Forget Worries Stone, no one will remember anything when we come back down. So why not? You're walking around so flashy, and that box of yours is a high-tier treasure. If it's going to benefit someone, it might as well be me."

Realizing that Zhao Xing was half-joking, but also cautioning him to be discreet, Zong Shichang scratched his head awkwardly. "You're right. Even if my father's connections could help, I wouldn't remember who caused me trouble, so how would I get revenge?"

Zong Shichang promptly deactivated his bamboo box's features. The soft green light disappeared, and the box looked plain and ordinary once again. However, this meant he now had to carry the weight on his own.

"Summon wind!"

"Whoosh~"

"Cough, cough… Stop it, Zong. Let me handle it," Zhao Xing coughed as he got a face full of dust and quickly waved him off.

"What kind of wind summoning is that?" he added.

"Sorry about that," Zong Shichang muttered, embarrassed. "I've never done anything that requires such finesse."

Zhao Xing shrugged it off and resumed walking.

Once they passed the stone marker, the atmosphere became noticeably denser with spiritual energy.

During the first three days after the mountain opens, the spiritual energy is at its peak. If the effectiveness of cultivating outside the mountain is like a 1, then inside, at the base of the mountain, it's a 10. And the higher you go, the more potent it becomes.

Donghu Mountain was steep and treacherous. After walking for half an hour along its base, Zhao Xing finally found a suitable place to start farming.

He chose a spot beneath a cliff, next to a small stream.

"Brother Zhao, you walked around the mountain's base for so long just to plant crops?" Zong Shichang asked, thinking Zhao Xing was merely stopping for a meal. He was surprised to see seedlings instead.

"You've been following me this whole time, and you're really here for a leisurely stroll?" Zhao Xing asked, baffled. "Besides food, didn't you bring anything else? Are you really not planning on collecting mountain blessings?"

"Not exactly," Zong Shichang replied as he set up a tent and folded his bamboo box into a lounge chair.

He lay down by the stream, sipping from a wine flask. "I hired four experts before entering the mountain. They're up there collecting blessings for me."

"When they make their finds, I'll take what they've gathered and present it for the assessment."

Zhao Xing kept working as he asked, "And they'll just agree to that? Mountain blessings are rare treasures. Some people are just one blessing away from becoming a true official."

Zong Shichang laughed. "They collect blessings to climb the ranks and make money. I can help them do both, directly and reliably."

Zhao Xing raised an eyebrow. "Zong, would you mind if I paid you thirty taels to punch you in the face?"

From the bamboo box, Zhao Xing took out young shoots of Diamond Bamboo and Evergreen Vine, planting three of each in the soil.

He then cast Earth Vein Consolidation, enveloping the surrounding land within a radius of about a mile.

"Summon clouds!"

"Rainmaking!"

With a flick of his hand, a small cloud appeared three meters above the seedlings, covering an area of about ten square meters.

Thanks to the stream nearby, Zhao Xing could easily draw enough water without consuming much of his own energy.

"Drip, drip, drip~"

Rain soaked into the soil, and Zhao Xing cast another spell—Vigorous Growth.

"Impressive!" Zong Shichang clapped from the side. "You've managed to shrink your cloud summoning to that size. No wonder you're called Zhao the Third Rank. Are you planning to grow more straw puppets like last time?"

While Zhao Xing was busy farming, Zong Shichang was treating the situation as entertainment, cheering him on.

"I'm here working the land, and you're just watching a show?" Zhao Xing shot back. "Yes, the same kind of straw puppet I used to beat you last time."

"…" Zong Shichang's expression froze, recalling an unpleasant memory. The smile shifted from his face to Zhao Xing's.

Feeling somewhat out of place, Zong Shichang turned his gaze to the distance and continued drinking.

After a while, Zhao Xing noticed that Zong Shichang had fallen asleep.

You're really treating this like a picnic, huh?

Shaking his head, Zhao Xing got back to work.

Due to the mountain's abundant spiritual energy and the half-year period when the mountain was sealed off, the soil was exceptionally fertile. The Diamond Bamboo and Evergreen Vine soon entered their growth phase.

"Once they reach their growth phase, things will be easier. Their roots will take firm hold, and they can withstand mid-level spells for accelerated growth."

"Wild Growth!"

Zhao Xing sent six beams of golden light from his fingertips into the bamboo and vines.

This drained half of his energy, but the effect was immediate.

"Sizzle, sizzle~" The vines began to grow rapidly, climbing up the cliffside and sprouting flowers within moments.

The bamboo wasn't far behind, its growth surpassing the vines after just a quarter of an hour.

"Swoosh, swoosh~" In contrast, the surrounding grass withered, and smaller trees began to shed their leaves.

Even the fish in the nearby stream started to float belly-up.

The area had taken on the appearance of late autumn.

"Am I still dreaming, or did something just happen?" Zong Shichang woke up, stunned. He had set up his tent on lush grass, only to wake up lying on dry, withered plants.

The trees around him were shedding yellow leaves, which spun in the breeze before landing on Zong Shichang's head.

"Zong, you overslept. It's late autumn now," Zhao Xing quipped.

"Do you think I'm a child?" Zong Shichang scoffed. "I only slept for an hour at most."

"You sure can... Hmm?" Zhao Xing suddenly stopped talking, his expression shifting as he sensed something. He looked up sharply.

In the sky above, a dark figure appeared, falling down along the cliffside.

"Splash!" The figure hit the rocky ground in front of them, sending a spray of crimson into the air.

Zhao Xing's face darkened—someone had just fallen to their death in front of them!