Chapter 1: The Young Farmer

Year 15 of Jingxin, late May, Eastern Suburb of Valley City.

The fierce sun blazed down, sweat pouring like rain. Zhao Xing bent over, planting rice seedlings into the paddy field. With each seedling he planted, a line of small numbers appeared beside him.

[Successfully planted a rice seedling, Basic Cultivation Skill Proficiency +1]

[Successfully planted a rice seedling, Basic Cultivation Skill Proficiency +1]

[Successfully planted a rice seedling, Basic Cultivation Skill Proficiency +1]

...

[Basic Cultivation Skill has reached max level, you have comprehended the Beginner Magic Art 'Lush Growth']

[Lush Growth: Beginner Magic Art]

[Progress: (1/9999)]

[Effect: Accelerates nutrient absorption, shortens plant maturation time.]

After planting for another two hours, Zhao Xing was drenched in sweat and went to the edge of the field to replenish his water. However, the sunlight was harsh, and the heat in his heart was unrelenting. So he pointed a finger towards the sky.

"Whoosh~" A golden light shot from his fingertip, dispersing three or four meters above his head. Immediately, a mass of grayish-white cloud and mist appeared, swirling above him.

[You have activated the Magic Art 'Cloud Walking', this time the Magic Art was triggered with Qi support, doubling its effectiveness, Cloud Walking ten meters.]

[Beginner Magic Art 'Cloud Walking' Proficiency +2]

"Ah, that's much more comfortable." The cloud and mist blocked the sunlight, like a parasol, shading Zhao Xing in its shadow. As Zhao Xing moved, the cloud layer above him moved along.

In the Eastern Suburb of Gu County, the public fields were managed by the Department of Agriculture; a portion of the officials' food and clothing came from here. Near the rice seedlings, young farmers like Zhao Xing were everywhere in the Eastern Suburb.

Because if the rice seedlings weren't planted, planting them again would be useless. Moreover, the harvest from the public fields not only determined their food but also whether they could be promoted this year, from unranked young farmers to official agricultural officers, a difference as vast as heaven and earth.

Since he transmigrated here a year ago, he found himself seemingly in the early version of that mysterious game—where it suddenly appeared on Earth without a name, only an entrance, resembling a real world inside, with extremely high freedom and realism, causing a great sensation.

This was during the Great Zhou Emperor Jing's reign, a prosperous version of the dynasty, with a relatively stable environment, and compared to later versions, the safety factor was almost the highest.

The good part was that spiritual energy hadn't fully recovered, and combat power values weren't absurdly high, so there wouldn't be situations where someone could destroy a city with a wave of their hand.

After all, he was no longer a player, and there was no respawn option written on the interface.

The bad part was that it was too stable, and the initial identity was ordinary, requiring him to find opportunities within the stable social order of the early stages as an NPC, which was relatively difficult.

"In the previous version, players could change professions in two or three days. Now I've spent half a year and still haven't seen hope."

"The initial identity given was also ordinary, starting as an orphan from the Charity Hospital, later adopted by a wealthy family, but the situation was still mediocre."

"I heard some players in the previous version were lucky, starting in the homes of princes and generals..."

"Forget it, rest for a moment and then push harder. Whether I can complete the profession change task this year largely depends on the performance of this piece of land."

Zhao Xing found a grassy mound, plucked some straw, and was about to rest, waiting for his energy to recover.

However, he bumped into a young man in a uniform, wearing a straw hat, waving at him from the front of the grassy mound: "Brother Zhao, come over here."

Zhao Xing walked over quickly, heading towards the other side: "Ziyu, are you here to rest too?"

Chen Ziyu, also a young farmer from the Department of Agriculture, was the person Zhao Xing was most familiar with since he transmigrated a year ago.

Their relationship was both colleagues and friends, as this stage focused not on working but more on learning, striving to rise early and not have to do this muddy leg work anymore.

Beside him lay a teenager named Qian Dong, also a familiar face.

Chen Ziyu, chewing on a blade of grass, enthusiastically called out: "I just got here, brother, lend me this cloud for some shade, so I don't have to waste any more energy."

"Alright." Nodding, Zhao Xing dispersed the cloud layer above his head and lay down beside Chen Ziyu.

Just as he lay down, he heard a complaint from the other side: "It's clearly just the Beginning of Summer, yet the weather in Valley City is so scorching. The Eastern Suburb's few big trees were all cut down by the Department of Agriculture's big shots, wanting shade still relies on one's own methods."

Zhao Xing laughed: "This is also a kind of training, isn't it?"

"Wanting to cool down isn't simple, watch me." Qian Dong tossed his straw hat aside, posed dramatically, and pointed to the sky: "Wind, come!"

Chen Ziyu was a bit surprised: "Brother Qian, have you already learned 'Rising Wind'?"

Qian Dong grinned mischievously, picked up his straw hat again, and fanned it towards Chen Ziyu: "See, isn't it coming?"

Only then did he realize he was being teased by this guy, so he grabbed a handful of dry grass and threw it at Qian Dong's neck: "You rascal Qian Dong, daring to trick me, if you don't fan me a breeze for a moment, I'm not done with you!"

"Oh, don't throw, Ziyu, calm down, I'll fan you, alright?"

"..."

With the two laughing, the cloud layer above them swayed along. Watching this scene, Zhao Xing couldn't help but feel a bit speechless.

In this scorching heat, can't you guys be a bit more subtle?

Just as he was about to speak, Qian Dong preemptively said: "Alright, if you don't stop, Brother Zhao will blame us for not learning anything again, and we'll lose our shape."

Zhao Xing lazily said: "Don't, you guys continue. Best if you start fighting, both getting hurt, fewer people competing with me for the agricultural officer position, and my chances of rising this year will be greater."

"Brother Zhao is being sarcastic again..."

After resting for a moment, Zhao Xing felt his energy gradually recovering and planned to nap for a while before continuing his grand plan of changing professions.

However, at this moment, the cloud layer above suddenly dispersed, and the glaring light fiercely shone on his eyelids.

"What happened, Ziyu, you dispersed the cloud layer without saying a word..." Qian Dong was still complaining.

Zhao Xing, however, sat up abruptly, squinting his eyes slightly, looking forward.

A mass of clouds, spanning nearly a kilometer, slowly rolled over from the front, and on the valley pile below that cloud layer stood a tall figure.

[Cloud Walking] Magic Art has a repelling nature, and it was this person who dispersed and absorbed Chen Ziyu's [Cloud Walking].

Suddenly interrupted in his method, Chen Ziyu's body trembled slightly, as he suffered a backlash, his energy slightly damaged.

"It's that fake gentleman Li Chengfeng again! Damn it!" Chen Ziyu glared angrily at the figure on the valley pile ahead.

Why call him a fake gentleman?

Because Li Chengfeng's voice, aided by the [Rising Wind] Magic Art, spread in all directions.

"Colleagues, you may rest under my Li's cloud and mist, and in a moment, there will be a light rain to wash away the dust for you all."

Not only did he disperse Chen Ziyu's Magic Art, but many others were also affected.

Yet he gathered a large number of people, helping them save energy, and many applauded him, praising Li Chengfeng for having the demeanor of a gentleman.

"This person is truly despicable, always showing off, completely disregarding others' feelings. I once confronted him, and others said I was petty, jealous of his gentlemanly reputation... Jealous of him? Damn it!" Chen Ziyu cursed.

Qian Dong also shook his head: "If he were truly a gentleman, that would be fine, but he comes from a great clan, yet always mingles with the rich kids, two-faced. He hasn't even become an official agricultural officer yet, but his demeanor is already like a superior, truly makes one sigh. Next year, if he becomes our superior, who knows how he'll oppress those below him, sigh..."

Zhao Xing agreed with the two's views and could only pat their shoulders in consolation: "I also dislike him, but complaining is useless, strength is the key. Moreover, work hard, and one day you'll have the chance to slap him in the face."

Following new books is very important, please feel free to collect and flip through the end every day. (End of this chapter)