Chapter 6: Divine Teaching at the Temple
The techniques of the Agricultural School are countless and can be divided into three main factions based on their philosophies:
- Heaven's Timing Faction
- Earth's Fortune Faction
- Self-Focused Faction
The main philosophy of the Heaven's Timing Faction is "Understand the timing of heaven, define it, and change it."
They believe that the most important condition for plant growth is the timing of heaven.
In ancient times, the Xuanhuang Continent experienced the "Era of Heavenly Disasters," where the celestial phenomena were extremely unstable.
A single day could go through four seasons, and in a year, oceans would turn into fields and back.
Even now, many places on the Xuanhuang Continent still experience chaotic weather patterns, such as mountain ranges constantly engulfed in flames or ice seas that never thaw.
In some places, mornings bring scorching suns hot enough to melt metal, while at night, water freezes into ice, turning creatures into frozen corpses.
Some places aren't as extreme but still experience "seasonal disorder" or "reversed climates."
Therefore, the Heaven's Timing Faction believes that the direction of technique research should focus on understanding, changing, and controlling the timing of heaven to provide a stable farming environment for the common people.
Their most famous spellbook is the Seasonal Command, which allows one to regulate celestial phenomena and stabilize local climates. All of its techniques revolve around this philosophy.
The Earth's Fortune Faction holds a different core belief, stating that the timing of heaven cannot be reversed and celestial phenomena cannot be changed. Instead of spending effort on altering the heavens, it's better to focus on transforming harsh lands into fertile ones.
By improving the land and planting crops, they believe one can gradually expand the area suitable for habitation. As long as the soil is made fertile enough, even in the harshest weather, plants can still bloom and bear fruit.
After all, even on icy mountains, delicate snow lotuses can bloom!
The classic texts of the Earth's Fortune Faction include the Reverting to the Source of Earth and the Earth's Hidden Gate Array. This faction is known for using tools and formations, closely associated with the Engineering School.
As for the Self-Focused Faction, they simply dismiss the others as worthless.
They claim that neither heaven's timing nor the earth’s fortune matters—only individual strength does!
They believe that plants are miracles of nature, possessing immense vitality and capable of adapting to any environment.
By collecting the world’s rarest flowers, divine trees, and immortal branches, and cultivating them over generations, one can eventually produce seeds strong enough to withstand all external factors.
The Self-Focused Faction advocates for techniques that focus on making plants stronger and more resilient.
Their most renowned text is the Diagram of All Things Growing.
"Currently, the Heaven's Timing Faction is the dominant force, holding the mainstream philosophy, while the Earth's Fortune and Self-Focused Factions take a back seat," Zhao Xing reflected as he made his way to the temple.
"Only in the recovery era will those two factions shine again, with the appearance of miraculous items like the Void Root, which takes root in the void, or the magical soil that can elevate plants through several ranks."
Zhao Xing had already decided on his cultivation path:
For now, he didn’t have the means to pursue the Earth's Fortune or Self-Focused factions.
"My current mobility is too weak. If I ever have the chance to travel far, I could seek treasures from this era, such as the Lava Fire Lotus, Bloodthirsty Vines, or parasitic and exotic seeds found in ancient tombs."
"For now… I’ll just take what I can get."
The Temple of Gu City was a county-level temple.
The statues inside weren’t of legendary gods but mostly historical figures. Many of them were former civil and military officials from the Great Zhou Dynasty who had been deified.
They were either brave warriors or governors who had benefited the people, and thus, they were enshrined in the temple after death.
Most of these figures were from the early Taizu period.
For instance, in the main hall, the statue Zhao Xing saw was that of the "Earl of Donghu," a figure from the Taizu era.
The Earl of Donghu was born in Donghu, a lake near Gu City. In his youth, he made a living fishing. During Taizu's campaigns to unify the warring states, he joined Minister Zhao’s forces as a charioteer and was eventually granted the title of Earl of Donghu.
After returning to his hometown, he spent his wealth on public works, building bridges and roads, and gave up most of his land for refugees to farm.
His efforts turned Gu City from a mere town into a county, and after his death, he was enshrined in the temple as a minor deity.
"The Earl of Donghu was skilled in martial arts, but I’m not here for that. This period is ideal for developing the Agricultural profession, not martial arts.
I’ve taken a Dao Embryo Pill; if he sees my potential and gives me some martial arts manual, it would be a waste of time."
Zhao Xing didn’t enter the main hall; he simply lit incense outside and prepared to leave.
Dong!
From within the hall, the temple’s bronze bell suddenly rang, sending a strong mental message directly into Zhao Xing’s mind. It seemed to be urging him not to leave.
Zhao Xing froze in place. Had the Earl of Donghu manifested and taken the initiative to keep him?
Was the Dao Embryo Pill really this powerful? Zhao Xing quickly bowed again and hurried away.
Sigh.
As Zhao Xing left, a soft, almost inaudible sigh came from the statue.
The temple attendant, who had been meditating, looked around in confusion but saw no one.
Glancing up at the statue, there were no signs either, so he scratched his head and continued meditating.
With that unsettling incident behind him, Zhao Xing became cautious, no longer daring to offer casual prayers.
He quickened his pace and arrived at a side hall—the Hall of True Lord Caoxi.
"Caoxi was an official during the early days of the Great Zhou, serving as the Nanyang County’s Agricultural Officer.
He implemented the Engineering School’s Waterwheel of Reversion on a large scale and built the Thirteen Canals of Pinghu.
He combined the techniques of the Engineering School with formations to control floods, making him a prominent figure of the Earth's Fortune Faction within the Agricultural School."
"However, he was knowledgeable in many fields. He authored Caoxi's Treatise on Agriculture and was a practical figure. Praying to him shouldn’t pose any risk."
Zhao Xing handed the official document from the county office to the temple attendant.
The attendant, a young man, held the ceremonial position of Sacrificial Officer. His job was to oversee the rituals and offerings.
In the player community, this profession was known as the "Fuji" profession, a type of early "Divine Occupation" that allowed practitioners to summon deities for combat by letting gods possess their bodies.
At one time, Zhao Xing had considered switching to this profession for the thrill of it, but with the fall of the Great Zhou, its combat power had significantly diminished. In the recovery era, this profession became too complex to master, so Zhao Xing gave up on the idea.
"Your document checks out. After entering, sit on the meditation cushion and pray with a calm mind." The young Sacrificial Officer had an old-fashioned air as he warned, "Remember, do not force divine favor. Be grateful for any gain, but if there is none, it means you’re not ready. Just return another time without harboring ill thoughts."
This was to remind Zhao Xing that if his prayer didn’t succeed, he should not develop any obsession or resentment, as deities are sensitive to such thoughts related to themselves.
"Understood, thank you, Officer."
Zhao Xing took a deep breath and stepped into the Hall of True Lord Caoxi.
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