The Dao Sovereign of Shennong

"So it really is 'Martial Arts Training,' huh?" Zhao Xing murmured as he walked out of Fuchun Garden, recalling the words from Lord Tian earlier.

When accompanying an army in battle, there were particularly extreme conditions, such as the Ten Suns Overhead environment, where everything was completely obliterated.

There were also very specific conditions, like a Forbidden Spell Zone.

Not only would a Shennong be unable to cast spells, but any other spellcasting profession would also find themselves unable to use magic, leaving only their physical combat skills to rely on.

In such situations, the advantage of martial artists became apparent.

It was precisely because of these circumstances that the profession of martial artists has always remained large and relevant. Otherwise, in an era dominated by the Fortune Dynasty, more resources would have gone toward cultivating spellcasters, as magic is often far more versatile than martial arts in many situations.

Having participated in similar training in his previous life, Zhao Xing had a sense of what Lord Tian's gift of those two pills implied: it hinted at the upcoming mandatory training curriculum.

He just hadn't expected it to come so soon.

"But when I think about it, it makes sense. As a Shennong in the Ten Sun Cave-Heaven Realm, everyone already has a solid foundation in magic. In a short period, there's not much room for improvement in spellcasting. However, focusing on physical training will yield better results and can even help enhance their essence gathering level."

Now that Zhao Xing knew the content of the training, he understood why Lord Tian's gifts were not random.

The Earth Essence Vermilion Fruit could enhance his essence gathering level.

The Hundred Beast Throat Pill and Earthly Fiend Lung Refinement Pill were clearly meant to help him prepare for martial training.

Since the training was to focus on physical combat and sparring, it was essential to prepare some martial techniques.

"Shennong practicing martial arts? Unless they already have a solid foundation, there's no way to make much progress in such a short time."

Mastering weapons? Impossible.

Fist and footwork? Also not something that can be done overnight.

"The fastest to learn would be sound techniques, which is likely what my teacher meant. Most Shennong will probably choose this type of martial skill as well."

"Hmm, the prices of second and third-grade treasures are starting to rise."

As Zhao Xing browsed through the Armory, he quickly noticed that more than a dozen kinds of pills, such as Tiger Throat Pill and Strengthening Lung Pill, were increasing in price.

The four major academies combined had only 200 people.

Those with Top-Tier resources amounted to just 21.

Based on the situation at each academy, Zhao Xing estimated that only those with monthly training credits around 1,000 would number less than a thousand.

Most would have less than 500 credits after the division into the various academies.

Thus, the price hike mostly affected second-grade pills, with third-grade pills only seeing a small rise.

As for the Hundred Beast Throat Pill and Earthly Fiend Lung Refinement Pill that Zhao Xing possessed, their prices hadn't budged at all.

Why? Because 90% of the Shennong recruits couldn't afford even one pill.

Zhao Xing still had over 6,000 credits, along with the Thunderstone gifted by Long Xiao and Chen Shijie, which had a resale value of 8,000 credits.

Seeing the prices rise, he briefly considered hoarding some items, but knowing the resale value was only 80% of the purchase price, he quickly dropped the idea.

"Shennong recruits are in the tens of thousands; even if all of them bought second-grade treasures, the prices would only increase by a few points. Forget it—no need to dabble in shady dealings."

Closing the treasure list, Zhao Xing turned his attention to the martial skills catalog.

"Let's see if I can find the sound technique I want."

A quick search yielded a large number of martial skills. Even limiting the search to sound-based techniques still resulted in over a thousand choices, once again making Zhao Xing marvel at how resource-rich this era was.

In the chaos following the collapse of the Fortune Dynasty, acquiring any such skill would have been ten times harder due to the turmoil, with fewer people researching new martial and magical techniques.

[Tiger Roar: Basic Martial Skill]

Type: Sound-based Secret Art

Price: 80 credits

Effect: Emit the roar of a tiger.

Note: Purchase includes a set of cultivation materials such as Tiger Throat Pill and Bonefish Lung Fillet.

[Dragon's Cry: Basic Martial Skill]

Type: Sound-based Secret Art

Price: 110 credits

Effect: Emit the pure sound of a dragon's cry.

Note: Purchase includes a set of cultivation materials such as Dragon's Grass and Lung Essence Fluid.

Training methods were still free; the credits mainly paid for the materials needed for cultivation. These resources aided in training or sped up the process.

Now that Zhao Xing had more wealth, he no longer bothered with basic martial skills.

Instead, he filtered the list to show intermediate techniques.

His teacher had already provided him with some cultivation materials, so Zhao Xing only needed to look for techniques that required the missing components. If he had part of the materials already, the price would be reduced accordingly.

[Tiger Roar and Dragon's Cry: Intermediate Martial Skill]

Type: Sound-based Secret Art

Price: 1,200 credits

Effect: Emit the combined roar of a tiger and the cry of a dragon, a continuous sound capable of shattering rock and splitting metal.

Note: Purchase includes a set of cultivation materials such as Dragon Spirit Grass, Lung Gold Essence Fluid, Swordfish Lung Fillet, and Fierce Tiger Throat Pill.

"'Tiger Roar and Dragon's Cry' is decent, but its required materials don't overlap with what my teacher gave me, so it's a pass."

Zhao Xing continued browsing. Among intermediate skills, there were varying levels of complexity, and with his current wealth, he wasn't interested in the more mediocre ones.

[Call of the Deer Shu: Intermediate Martial Skill]

Type: Sound-based Secret Art

Price: 2,500 credits

Effect: A mesmerizing sound that induces weakness and lethargy in the listener.

Note: Purchase includes a set of cultivation materials such as Fourth-Grade Hundred Beast Throat Pill, Third-Grade Deer Antler, Third-Grade Lung Pill, and Sound-Storing Stone.

"Hmm, this one is interesting. If I were to purchase it, it would only cost an additional 500 credits... let's see if there's anything better."

[Raging Sound of the Sacred Chime: Intermediate Martial Skill]

Price: 1,500 credits

[Nine Explosions of the Yin Xun: Intermediate Martial Skill]

Price: 2,200 credits

[Folded Sound – Sound Blade]

Price: 1,000 credits

[Folded Sound – Sound Thorn]

Price: 1,000 credits

After browsing further, Zhao Xing found several familiar and unfamiliar sound-based techniques.

Some were powerful but difficult to master, requiring a variety of supplementary materials.

Others were affordable but had only moderate effects.

After carefully reviewing the options for half an hour, Zhao Xing narrowed his choices to three sound-based martial skills.

[Kui Niu Thunder Roar: Intermediate Martial Skill]

Type: Sound-based Secret Art

Price: 8,000 credits

Effect: The roar of the Kui Niu beast, strong enough to block out the sun and moon.

Note: Purchase includes a set of cultivation materials such as Hundred Beast Throat Pill, Earthly Fiend Lung Refinement Pill, Eighth-Grade Wild Bull Vocal Cord Meat, and Lung Gold Essence Fluid.

"The hide of the Kui Niu can be used to make drums, its bones as drumsticks, and its roar can be heard across a million li. This is a sound technique passed down from the ancient sect era." Zhao Xing recognized the name instantly and purchased it without hesitation.

He knew this was one of the top-tier sound-based martial skills. The current intermediate version was just one part of a larger, complete secret art.

"Since I already have three Hundred Beast Throat Pills and two Earthly Fiend Lung Refinement Pills, buying this technique only costs me 4,000 credits for the remaining materials."

As for the other two sound techniques, Folded Sound – Sound Blade and Folded Sound – Sound Thorn, both were relatively easy to master and came with affordable materials.

Zhao Xing bought a double set of materials for each, spending another 4,000 credits.

If the Kui Niu Thunder Roar proved too difficult to master within 20 days, the Folded Sound techniques would at least serve as backup.

"Place the order!"

When purchasing the Kui Niu Thunder Roar, Zhao Xing made a special note about the materials, deducting only 4,000 credits.

Purchasing the two Folded Sound techniques in double quantities cost another 4,000 credits.

After exchanging his Thunderstone for credits, plus receiving 5,000 credits from the Top-Tier resources and 1,000 credits upon registration, Zhao Xing initially had 14,000 credits.

Now, after spending 8,000 credits, he was left with just 6,000.

"Six thousand credits should be enough for now," Zhao Xing thought, not feeling the least bit regretful. Letting credits sit idle wasn't productive—they couldn't generate more credits on their own. Spending them was the best way to put them to use!

A quarter of an hour later, at the gate of the Eighteen Locust Willow Courtyard.

"Da-da-da~"

The familiar sound of a mechanical bamboo horse approaching could be heard. A delivery mechanist, carrying a large box, stopped at the gate of the courtyard.

"Zhao Xing, your delivery is here!"

The mechanist shouted at the top of his lungs.

The reason for his loud shout was simple—the courtyard was too large. If he didn't raise his voice, no one inside would hear him.

The sound waves rippled out in circles, and Zhao Xing, who was inside, flew over when he heard the familiar voice. Upon seeing the mechanist at the gate, he raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Old Gao, your voice has quite the punch! Have you been training soundwave techniques?"

The mechanist's name was Gao Ming. After delivering a few orders to Zhao Xing, they had become acquainted.

"Yeah, I've been practicing the Nine Explosions of the Yin Xun. We mechanists don't have the time to learn too many martial skills, so we just need something that'll get us through the tests." Gao Ming laughed, "And besides, I'm too lazy to dismount and mess with the warding formations on your gate, so a good shout is much easier!"

"Alright, throw the package over, and you can get back to work."

"Got it! Catch!" Gao Ming skillfully tossed the package, and it landed perfectly in Zhao Xing's hands.

"Da-da-da~" Gao Ming rode off again on his bamboo horse.

Inside the courtyard, Zhao Xing carried the package back to his training room.

"All the materials have arrived."

"These are heavy!"

The package came in three separate boxes, one large and two small.

The smaller boxes clearly contained the materials for the Folded Sound techniques.

"The Folded Sound is easier to learn, so I'll start with that to build my foundation."

Opening the box, Zhao Xing found a martial arts manual inside.

Whether it was martial or spell techniques, the pages of these manuals contained a trace of Dao energy.

When Zhao Xing opened the book, the method for circulating energy in the Folded Sound instantly surfaced in his mind, and the words on the pages seemed to come alive.

"Swish, swish, swish~" The words on one page transformed into human figures, performing the techniques right in front of him.

"These manuals must be pretty expensive now. They're certainly more advanced than the books I saw back in Gucheng," Zhao Xing thought as he quietly observed and absorbed the technique.

After finishing with the manual, he opened the two small boxes.

Inside, he found a third-grade pill and a bottle of special liquid meant to protect the throat and lungs. These were used to prevent injury during the initial stages of training.

Without such protection, practicing sound-based techniques for half an hour could easily damage the throat.

"Let's begin training!"

The next morning, at dawn.

"Haa!"

Zhao Xing opened his mouth, and from his abdomen, a wave of energy surged upward. It caused a brief but sharp pain as it traveled through his throat and mouth, being compressed and refined in the process.

"Swish!"

His lips parted slightly, and a spike of sound, roughly in the shape of a diamond, shot forward, hitting the wall of his training room with a resounding impact.

"Boom!"

The walls of the training room had been reinforced with spell formations, so the impact merely left a small, white indentation.

"After a night of hard training, I've reached the first level of the second technique."

Zhao Xing checked his progress.

[Folded Sound – Sound Blade]

[Intermediate Martial Skill: 1254/9999]

[Folded Sound – Sound Thorn]

[Intermediate Martial Skill: 1005/9999]

"The Folded Sound – Sound Blade and Sound Thorn are different techniques, but they share some similarities in their core mechanics. The main difference is the materials used for supplementary training."

"It's easy to grasp, and the power is decent." Zhao Xing rubbed his throat, which didn't feel strained, and continued his training.

[You practiced Folded Sound – Sound Blade ten times. You had a minor realization and adjusted the energy circulation path. Folded Sound – Sound Blade progress increased by 200 points.]

[You practiced Folded Sound – Sound Blade one hundred times. You gained some insight and corrected a flaw in your technique. Folded Sound – Sound Blade progress increased by 400 points.]

[You practiced Folded Sound – Sound Thorn one thousand times. You grasped the essence of the technique. Folded Sound – Sound Thorn progress increased by 500 points.]

[You practiced Folded Sound – Sound Blade five thousand times. You have fully mastered the technique and adjusted it to suit your own body. Folded Sound – Sound Blade progress increased by 2000 points!]

[Folded Sound – Sound Blade has reached the seventh Transformation!]

[You practiced Folded Sound – Sound Thorn five thousand times. You've comprehended the subtleties of the technique and your body has fully adapted to its use. Folded Sound – Sound Thorn progress increased by 2000 points!]

[Folded Sound – Sound Thorn has reached the seventh Transformation!]

For three days straight, Zhao Xing immersed himself in his training.

Whenever he felt tired or drowsy, he would use the Sleep Bug technique to refresh himself.

When he felt hungry, he ate essence fruits to restore his energy, always keeping himself at peak condition.

After three days and nights of relentless training, Zhao Xing had practiced both Folded Sound techniques five thousand times each.

"After five thousand repetitions, both techniques have reached the seventh Transformation." Zhao Xing smiled to himself.

The Armory's description of these two soundwave techniques had mentioned how many repetitions it took to reach various stages of mastery.

With sufficient supplementary materials, most people could reach the first level—one Transformation—after about a hundred practices.

Five thousand practices would typically bring a person to the fourth Transformation, considered quite proficient.

Anyone who couldn't reach the fourth Transformation with that much practice was likely not suited for the technique.

"The Armory's massive database allows people to gauge whether a technique suits them or not based on how long it takes to master the basics."

"From what I've seen, I seem to have a pretty decent affinity with soundwave techniques."

The gap between the fourth and seventh Transformations was significant.

The first to third Transformations were considered entry-level proficiency.

The fourth to sixth Transformations were labeled as having achieved some mastery.

From the seventh to ninth Transformations, one was considered to have reached an advanced, profound understanding of the technique.

The Armory only provided data on how long it took to reach the fourth Transformation, as the time and skill needed to reach higher levels varied greatly from person to person.

Some could achieve mastery in just five thousand repetitions, while others might practice tens of thousands of times and remain stuck at the fourth level.

After resting briefly, Zhao Xing left the training room and headed for Fuchun Garden.

Lord Tian was a very responsible teacher, checking in on Zhao Xing's training progress every three days.

However, today, Zhao Xing wasn't the only one present at the garden.

Zhuang Ziqing and Han Bing from the Di Li Academy were also there.

Although they had different teachers, Lord Tian was one of the chief Nongzheng of the Di Li Academy, and those with top rank treatment could still come to him for advice. Of course, this had to be done sparingly, as they couldn't disturb him too often.

"Zhao Xing," Zhuang Ziqing greeted him with a wave, though his voice was hoarse.

Han Bing, on the other hand, didn't speak and simply nodded.

"You two as well?"

"Yeah," Zhuang Ziqing replied with a wry smile. "The training requires us not to use any spells, so we had to pick up martial techniques. Most of us Shennong have chosen soundwave techniques."

Zhuang Ziqing's face had originally been somewhat gaunt, but now his cheeks were puffed up, giving him a more square-jawed appearance.

Han Bing didn't have puffed-up cheeks, but his throat was clearly swollen and red, and the irritation hadn't subsided yet.

It seemed the two of them had encountered some issues in their training and had come to ask Lord Tian for guidance.

"Everyone's here?" After a short wait, Lord Tian emerged from behind a screen. His steps were powerful, and his aura felt as solid as a mountain, a stark contrast to his usual gentle demeanor. It was clear he had just finished his own training.

"Greetings, Teacher."

"Greetings, Lord Tian."

"Gre…etings…Lord."

The three saluted in unison. Even Han Bing, struggling with his sore throat, forced himself to speak despite the obvious discomfort.

"What have you done to your voice?" Lord Tian frowned at Han Bing. "It's only been a few days, and your voice is completely hoarse, your throat is red and swollen. You've clearly been misapplying force. Come over here."

Han Bing obediently stepped forward.

Lord Tian placed his palm on Han Bing's throat, moving it back and forth. A soft breeze seemed to blow in, and the surrounding light brightened ever so slightly.

"This technique…" Zhao Xing sensed a change in the atmosphere. "Could it be that Teacher is using the Seasonal Qi Command? I can only vaguely tell it's the energy of spring, but I can't identify the exact spell."

"Alright, you're good now," Lord Tian said. "Speak and see."

"Thank you, Lord Tian," Han Bing quickly bowed, his throat now feeling much better.

"What technique was that, Teacher?" Zhao Xing asked.

"It's Seasonal Qi Command, the Beginning of Spring. Life regenerates, and its energy can heal all things." Lord Tian gestured to Han Bing's throat. "He just shed a layer of skin."

Looking closely, Zhao Xing noticed that some dead skin had indeed formed on Han Bing's throat.

It was as if Han Bing had molted, akin to how a snake sheds its skin or a crab molts its shell, regenerating new tissue in the process.

This kind of change was exceedingly rare for humans, and Zhao Xing deduced that Lord Tian's mastery of the Seasonal Qi Command had reached a level where he could induce seasonal transformations in life forms, at least in a localized manner.

"Zhuang Ziqing, your issue isn't as serious, but Zhao Xing…" Lord Tian furrowed his brow. "Your voice is as clear as ever. Have you been slacking off? Or did you not understand my instructions and skip practicing soundwave techniques altogether?"

The latter part of his question carried a hint of reproach. Lord Tian was clearly concerned that Zhao Xing might have become complacent after entering the Di Li Academy.

"Teacher, you've misunderstood," Zhao Xing quickly explained. "I haven't been slacking off."

"Prove it, then." Lord Tian pointed to a stone lion statue outside the hall.

"Understood." Zhao Xing turned, took a deep breath, and puffed out his chest. With a swift exhalation, an sound blade sliced through the air, striking the stone lion.

"Crack~" A chunk of the lion's ear was cleanly sliced off.

"Huh?!" Zhuang Ziqing, watching from the side, widened his eyes in disbelief.