Chapter 1: Junior Agricultural Officer

In the fifteenth year of the Jingxin era, at the end of May, in the eastern suburbs of Gu Cheng.

The scorching sun beat down, and sweat poured down Zhao Xing's face as he bent over, planting seedlings in the paddy field.

With each seedling he planted, a small number appeared beside him.

[Successfully planted one seedling, Basic Cultivation Skill proficiency +1]

[Successfully planted one seedling, Basic Cultivation Skill proficiency +1]

[Successfully planted one seedling, Basic Cultivation Skill proficiency +1]

...

[Basic Cultivation Skill reached maximum level, you have comprehended the初级法术‘茁壮成长’]

[茁壮成长: 初级法术]

[Progress: (1/9999)]

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

After another two hours of planting, Zhao Xing was drenched in sweat and went to the field ridge to replenish his water.

However, the sun was scorching, and the burning restlessness in his heart could not be quelled.

So he pointed his hand towards the sky.

"Hum~"

A beam of golden light emerged from his fingertip and dissipated about three to four meters above his head.

Then a grayish-white cloud appeared, swirling above his head.

[You have activated the spell 'Cloud Travel.' This spell has triggered a luck bonus, doubling its effect, traveling ten meters with the cloud.]

[Proficiency in the初级法术‘Cloud Travel’ +2]

"Phew, that's much better."

The cloud blocked the sunlight, like a parasol, casting Zhao Xing into the shade.

As Zhao Xing moved, the cloud layer above his head followed.

The eastern suburbs of Gu County were public fields managed by the Agricultural Supervision Office; the officials' food and clothing partly came from here.

As the Grain in Ear season approached, junior agricultural officers like Zhao Xing were everywhere in the eastern suburbs.

Because if you don't plant during the Grain in Ear season, planting later would be useless.

Moreover, the harvest from the public fields not only affected their meals but also determined whether they could be promoted from unranked clerks to formal agricultural officers, with a significant difference in待遇.

Since he had been transported to this place a year ago, he discovered that he seemed to be in an early version of that mysterious game—his previous life, it had suddenly appeared on Earth, unnamed, with just an entrance, and inside it was like a real world, with extremely high freedom and realism, causing a massive sensation.

This was the prosperous version of the Great Zhou Jingdi period, with a relatively stable environment. Compared to later versions, the safety factor was almost the highest.

The benefit was that the spiritual energy had not yet fully recovered, and the combat values were not ridiculously high, so there wouldn't be any situation where a powerful being could wave a hand and massacre a city.

After all, he was no longer a player, and there was no resurrection on the status panel.

The downside was the excessive stability and a mediocre initial identity, making it relatively difficult to find opportunities in the early stable social order as an NPC.

"In my previous life, it took just a couple of days to change professions. Now, I've spent half a year and still haven't seen any hope."

"My initial identity was also mediocre, starting as an orphan in a charity home, then being adopted by a wealthy family, with a rather average situation."

"I heard that in my previous life, some players had good luck and were born into the homes of nobles and generals..."

"Stop thinking about it. Rest for a moment and then work harder. Whether I can complete the promotion task this year largely depends on the performance of this field."

Zhao Xing found a hay stack, gathered some rice stalks, and was about to rest, waiting for his energy to recover.

However, he encountered a young man in a uniform, wearing a straw hat, waving at him from a hay stack: "Brother Zhao, come over here."

Zhao Xing turned and walked quickly towards him: "Zi Yu, are you also resting?"

Chen Zi Yu was also a junior officer in the Agricultural Supervision Office. In the year since the transportation, Zhao Xing had become closest to him.

Their relationship was both colleagues and classmates, as the focus at this stage was more on learning rather than working, striving to achieve their goals and avoid the drudgery of field work.

Beside him lay another young man named Qian Dong, also a familiar face.

Chen Zi Yu, holding a blade of grass in his mouth, greeted him warmly: "I just got here. Brother, you can use my cloud for shade, no need to waste energy."

"Alright."

Nodding, Zhao Xing dispersed the cloud above his head and lay down beside Chen Zi Yu.

As soon as he lay down, he heard Chen Zi Yu complain: "It's only early summer, and the weather in Gu Cheng is already so hot. All the big trees in the eastern suburbs have been cut down by the Agricultural Supervision Office, so if you want shade, you have to use your own magic."

Zhao Xing laughed: "It's also a form of training."

"Wanting to stay cool isn't hard, watch this." Qian Dong threw his straw hat, which he was using to fan himself, and pointed at the sky: "Wind, come!"

Chen Zi Yu was somewhat surprised: "Brother Qian, have you already learned the 'Wind Rise' spell?"

Qian Dong grinned, picked up his straw hat, and fanned Chen Zi Yu: "See, it's here, isn't it?"

He realized he had been tricked and grabbed a handful of dry grass to tickle Qian Dong's neck:

"You, Qian Dong, dare to trick me. I won't stop until I've fanned you for a quarter of an hour!"

"Ah, don't tickle, Zi Yu, calm down, I'll fan you."

"..."

As the two laughed and played, the cloud above their heads swayed, and Zhao Xing couldn't help but be speechless.

Can you two not be so ambiguous in such hot weather?

Just as he was about to speak, Qian Dong said first: "Alright, if you don't stop, Brother Zhao will scold us for being unlearned and undisciplined."

Zhao Xing lazily replied: "No, you continue. I hope you fight and both get hurt, reducing the competition for the agricultural officer position, increasing my chances of success this year."

"Brother, you're being sarcastic again..."

After resting for a quarter of an hour, Zhao Xing felt his energy gradually recover and planned to rest a bit more before continuing his promotion efforts.

However, the cloud above his head suddenly dispersed, and the bright light shone directly on his eyelids.

"What's going on, Zi Yu, you didn't even say you were dispersing the cloud..." Qian Dong was still complaining, but Zhao Xing propped himself up with his elbow, squinting his eyes, and looked ahead.

A massive cloud, nearly a kilometer wide, slowly rolled in from the front, and a tall figure stood on the grain pile below the cloud.

The 'Cloud Travel' spell has exclusivity, and this person had disrupted and absorbed Chen Zi Yu's 'Cloud Travel.'

Suddenly interrupted, Chen Zi Yu's body trembled slightly, as he suffered a minor backlash, damaging his energy.

"There's that hypocrite Li Chengfeng again! Damn it!" Chen Zi Yu angrily stared at the figure on the grain pile.

Why call him a hypocrite?

Because Li Chengfeng's voice, amplified by the 'Wind Rise' spell, spread around.

"Colleagues, you can rest under my cloud. A light rain will follow, to cleanse the dust from your bodies."

Not only Chen Zi Yu's spell was disrupted, but many others were also affected.

However, he united most people, saving them energy, and many applauded and praised him for his gentlemanly conduct.

"This guy, pulling some people up while stepping on others, is truly disgusting! He always likes to show off, completely disregarding others' feelings. I once confronted him, and others said I was petty, jealous of his gentlemanly reputation... Jealous of him? Ha!" Chen Zi Yu said with hatred.

Qian Dong also shook his head: "If he were a true gentleman, it would be fine, but he comes from a prominent family and only associates with wealthy young men, acting one way in public and another in private. Even before becoming a formal agricultural officer, he already acts like a superior, truly disgusting. If he becomes our superior next year, who knows how he will torment us below, sigh..."

Zhao Xing also agreed with their views and patted their shoulders to comfort them: "I also find him annoying, but complaining is useless. Strength is the key. Work hard, and there will be a day when we can make him eat his words."

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(End of Chapter)