In the True Martial Realm, the most powerful forces were sects, noble families, and individual experts. The issue, however, was that the imperial armies were not as formidable as one might imagine. Although some dynasties had established fate dynasties (yunchao), they still needed to rely on the influence of the sects. Even if a ruler with imperial ambition arose, their growth would inevitably be constrained by the various sects — shackled on all sides. Compared to other dynasties that could rapidly expand and fortify their foundations, the True Martial Realm was far inferior.
Sure, individuals who reached an extreme level of power could suppress an entire region on their own, but when facing a supreme fate dynasty like Da Yi, their impact would be negligible.
They simply couldn't influence the broader situation.
Should Da Yi's domain eventually border the True Martial Realm, there would be no doubt — once conflict erupted, the realm would collapse swiftly. Especially now that Da Yi had already extended its reach into the True Martial Realm, even controlling the domain gates (yumen). If they so desired, they could descend through the gates at any time and launch an invasion.
It all depended only on Da Yi's will.
If one could submit or even join Da Yi before a campaign began, not only could they become part of its grand wave of development, but they might also rise to prominence. For instance, joining the Tongtian Pavilion and becoming a Tongtian Pavilion enshrined one was not a bad path at all.
"We will follow Father's decision."
Dugu Tian and the others exchanged glances and answered decisively.
Clearly, in such matters, Dugu Qiubai alone could decide. In the Dugu family, his authority was absolute — none dared to oppose him. It would not be an exaggeration to say his word was law.
"Very well. I've decided to relocate half of our clan's power and population into Da Yi, to serve as enshrined followers of the Tongtian Pavilion. The other half will remain in the True Martial Realm and try to draw in any forces they can — if they can be brought into Da Yi, it will be a tremendous contribution."
Dugu Qiubai took a deep breath and said in a deep voice.
He was sure — Da Yi would never stop its conquests.
Others might see only Da Yi's unmatched military strength, but what he saw was its overwhelming war potential.
Conquering is easy. Governing is hard.
After taking new territory, it must still be managed effectively.
It would require a massive number of officials to administer, powerful forces to guard it, and a vast reserve of population. According to intelligence from Da Yi, every realm they conquer needs at least 15 trillion people to be migrated into it. An astronomical figure.
With eight new realms added recently, that meant 120 trillion people would be needed.
For other fate dynasties, meeting such a demand would take an enormous amount of time. They'd have to encourage rapid birth rates and population growth — it could take years or even decades just to stabilize a single new realm. Expansion was not something you could do on a whim.
The biggest question now was:
Where was Da Yi's population coming from?
One or two trillion might be feasible. But to pull out 100+ trillion at once?
Unbelievable.
Among the common folk of Da Yi, there were all kinds of rumors. Some said the people were brought from other realms. Others claimed they were extracted from the Nightmare World.
There were many speculations — but no one had real proof.
What mattered was: the population was real. Living, breathing people.
That was enough.
Population represented the foundation for expansion.
Dugu Qiubai had a strong hunch: these eight new realms would not be Da Yi's limit.
"Da Yi's expansion will likely not stop anytime soon."
The thought floated quietly through his mind.
…
Time passed silently.
Without a ruler to unite them, the other realms had no way of resisting. Da Yi's immortal cities spread rapidly across the new territories. The Iron-Blood Great Wall now fully encircled all eight realms. The original local races had all been driven out, forced to retreat into the wilds.
However, Da Yi did not pursue them to extinction.
As long as they withdrew peacefully into the wilderness, Da Yi let them be. They could struggle all they wanted in the wilds — just as long as they didn't intrude on Da Yi's immortal cities.
Within Da Yi, every day brought fresh scenes of prosperity.
Viewed through the lens of Qi-watching techniques, one would see endless waves of fortune energy (diyun) rising across every realm. The people flourished. Even at night, the immortal cities shone brightly like cities that never slept.
Prosperity was visible everywhere.
That day was Eternal Calendar, Year 51, Month 9, Day 15.
In the Sacred King's Palace, the chimes of a ceremonial bell echoed gently.
Another great court assembly was about to begin.
Ministers and officials wore joyous smiles as they ascended the heavenly stairs into the Hall of Heavenly Petition.
"Greetings to the Sacred King!!"
When Yi Tianxing appeared, all the ministers bowed in unison.
"You may rise."
Yi Tianxing nodded and gestured casually with his hand.
After the formalities, Xun Yu stepped forward and spoke:
"Sacred King, the eight newly conquered realms are now fully under our control. All pre-selected city lords and officials have been dispatched. However, our talent pool has been nearly emptied. We have a dire shortage of capable people to support further expansion. I humbly suggest that we hold the imperial examination (keju) as soon as possible to replenish our ranks."
The talent reservoir had gone dry.
With eight new realms added, the previously vast reserve of officials had been completely drained. No matter how rich the previous reserves were, they couldn't keep up with such rapid expansion.
In short: Da Yi now lacked people.
"Holding the exams is perfectly reasonable. Since it's already the ninth month, schedule the exam for mid-November. Then, hold another one in early spring, on March 15 next year. From then on, the imperial exams shall be held annually on March 15."
Yi Tianxing nodded after a brief pause and gave his decree.
Da Yi's expansion would not stop.
Inside the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Pagoda, there were still over a thousand trillion people in reserve. Only by migrating them out and fully integrating them into Da Yi could their value be realized — and Da Yi's fortune multiplied.
Right now, everyone in Da Yi wished they could instantly acquire millions or tens of millions of top-tier talents. Then the pace of Da Yi's expansion would be unstoppable.
"Sacred King, what is your will for Da Yi's next move?"
Huang Chengyan asked.
"What do all of you think?"
Yi Tianxing did not answer directly but threw the question back to the ministers.
"In my humble opinion," said Liu Bowen, stepping forward, "our current lack of talent makes it impossible to sustain more expansion. Even if we wish to proceed, we must wait until after the next imperial exam to secure a new crop of usable officials."
"Furthermore, although Da Yi now governs thirteen great realms, the eight new ones — with over 100 trillion new people — still need time to stabilize. While things are on the right track, it will take time for them to mature like our older cities."
"For now, we should focus on rest and recovery, building our foundations and waiting for the right time to act."
"I concur."
Zhuge Liang also voiced his agreement.
"We concur!"
Other officials echoed the sentiment.
No one wanted to ruin Da Yi's current success. Blind expansion would only destroy all they had built. Though many were thrilled by Da Yi's strength — conquering eight realms in one sweep — they still kept cool heads.
Rest, settle, and accumulate — this was the best path.
"Governing a great nation is like cooking a small fish — too much haste will ruin it."
"Very well," Yi Tianxing nodded. "Let Da Yi rest and recover for half a year. For the remainder of this year, there will be no more external wars or large-scale campaigns. The priority is to stabilize the people's livelihoods and fully digest the eight new realms."
Half a year wasn't long. It was just the baseline. If needed, even one or two years would be acceptable. Moreover, thanks to Da Yi's mature system, even during war, the nation could continue to develop internally without chaos.
Only talent shortages were limiting Da Yi's pace now.
The court session continued.
Various matters were raised, quickly handled within the hall. Only major issues affecting Da Yi as a whole were discussed during the assembly — other matters were resolved by ministers on their own and didn't require the Sacred King's attention.
Unknowingly, the court session came to a close amidst the officials' salutes.
Returning to the Heart of the Emperor Palace, suddenly, Cao Zhengchun approached quickly. A strange glint flickered in his eyes, but he quickly bowed and said:
"Sacred King, a female cultivator has come to the palace gates. She claims to be an old acquaintance of yours."
"Who is she?"
Yi Tianxing asked, raising his tea cup for a sip.
"She said her name is Yaochi."
Ding!
Even with Yi Tianxing's composure, his hand trembled slightly when he heard the name. The tea cup clinked gently, and a few drops spilled out. Deep waves of emotion surged within his heart.