"Although the Grotesque Realm is bizarre and eerie, as long as we can resolve those grotesque threats and subdue the entire realm, it aligns with the general trend. They may be strange and mysterious, but mystery bows to greater mystery. The Disciples can handle them. This will be the perfect opportunity to condense a Grotesque Gate—one that devours and assimilates all abnormality. At that point, I will personally dispatch Disciples and notify the Tongtian Pavillion. Major sects within Great Yi, as well as bounty hunters, will be mobilized to hunt down and capture grotesques and send them into the Gate. That way, the source is severed and the consequences eradicated," Yi Tianxing said after a moment's thought.
The Grotesque Realm, despite its madness, weirdness, and secrecy, is still governed by logic: mystery submits to higher mystery.
And what is more mysterious than the Eternal Heaven Ark? Than the enigmatic Xuanhuang City? If the Disciples are transformed into a Grotesque Gate, and that gate is given the traits of grotesques—starting from devouring the weakest abnormalities—the more it consumes, the stronger it becomes. Eventually, even the unknown and unknowable grotesques will be swallowed and suppressed, becoming part of the gate. Using the grotesque to forge Disciples would ultimately create a powerful, controllable personal army.
Of course, creating something from nothing is a long process.
How to capture and temporarily suppress the grotesques is the real technical issue.
But Yi Tianxing didn't intend to concern himself with those details. He had already laid out the final solution—the process would be left to the Tongtian Pavillion and the major sects. If they couldn't handle that, what use were they?
"Holy King is wise. As long as the grotesques can be dealt with, Great Yi can easily seize an entire realm and bring it under control. Our territory will expand once again."
The officials in the grand hall echoed their congratulations.
"According to our investigations, the Grotesque Realm is filled with countless twisted beings. I suggest we begin deploying forces to the Grotesque Realm immediately, launching a campaign to sweep through the anomalies and subdue the realm step by step," Tong Huang proposed.
"Approved. After this council ends, issue the imperial edict. Order all major immortal sects, the Tongtian Pavillion, bounty hunters, and the Iron-Blooded Great Wall to advance into the Grotesque Realm. Set up a Great Yi Immortal City as a base of operations. I shall personally station a Disciple Gate within the city. During the campaign, prioritize stability. Prevent grotesque invasions. Only after fully purging the region may civilians be relocated. The Iron-Blooded Great Wall must advance in tandem to defend every newly secured area."
Yi Tianxing gave the order after a brief pause.
In the Grotesque Realm, there were virtually no powerful organized forces—each region governed independently and suffering under the twisted chaos. Purging those horrors would be viewed as divine justice and naturally win over the hearts of the people. Once an Immortal City was established, the people's loyalty would follow swiftly.
If the target had been a realm with fully developed powers and alliances, now would not be the time for war. In such cases, speed is everything. Either stay still, or strike with thunderous force—shatter resistance in one blow and leave no chance for resurgence.
But in the Grotesque Realm, the campaign could proceed slowly and steadily. There's no rush. Grotesques ran rampant inside, and no other race dared get involved. These beings were too weird and dangerous. Once contaminated, it was extremely hard to rid oneself of them. As long as Great Yi moved with caution, others wouldn't be alarmed—and even if they were, they wouldn't want to interfere.
This initiative also provided an opportunity for bounty hunters and mercenaries within Great Yi to act. It expanded the territory at a pace that didn't seem abrupt. With Great Yi's current foundation, it could digest the realm bit by bit—expanding and developing simultaneously.
"This is a benevolent move. Even though we don't yet have the strength to conquer multiple realms at once, after this imperial exam, another batch of talent will be added to our ranks. We're currently focused on internal development—but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy a nice bite while we rest," Zhuge Liang said with a grin.
Each realm was different, and the methods used to conquer them could vary. It didn't always require full-scale warfare.
In the case of the Grotesque Realm, individual strength might yield better results.
Afterward, the ministers discussed the Twelve Realms again. Conquest was inevitable, but it had to be done strategically—especially to avoid the kind of joint resistance the eight major realms attempted before.
At this time, the Imperial Examination (Keju) was still ongoing.
The system had long been perfected. The arrangements were tight and orderly, without any confusion. The written exam lasted one day—some wrote with divine inspiration, others struggled to find key points despite having strong ideas, unable to express them effectively. Of course, literacy was the basic requirement.
A poor showing in the written exam didn't disqualify a candidate from later tests. If one performed well in the StarNet simulation, practical abilities could easily make up for weak writing.
This exam spanned all thirteen realms under Great Yi. The Dead Sea Realm aside, twelve realms contributed massive talent pools. This round of testing was truly brilliant. The StarNet's examination world had time dilation: one year inside was only a day outside. The test would last ten years within the virtual realm—just ten days in the real world.
Each day, ministers would enter StarNet to observe the candidates' progress.
They watched as candidates built Immortal Cities from scratch, managing all aspects of governance. Every policy, every decision, directly impacted the city's development. Candidates could wage war on other cities or form alliances. Every action influenced final scores. All types of talent could be displayed.
The simulation was nearly indistinguishable from reality.
If a candidate lacked leadership potential, they could abandon their own city and join another—pursuing a different path: assisting others, crafting military or civil artifacts, and so on. Any of the ten subject paths of the Keju could be explored. Even if they couldn't become governors, unique talents would place them in appropriate roles with clear promotion routes.
"Our talent training system is bearing fruit. More and more gifted individuals are emerging. This time, the number of potential governors will easily surpass one million," said Huang Chengyan as he observed the test world.
"The Holy King was truly visionary. From the start, he built a comprehensive education system—starting from childhood and guiding them through to adulthood. In this age of world fusion, historical figures alone aren't enough to support a Destiny Dynasty. No matter how great they were in history, they must still adapt to this new era," Bao Zheng said, respectfully bowing toward the Holy King's palace.
Although reincarnated sages had prior lives to draw upon, if they grew arrogant and complacent, they would eventually be surpassed. Now, the ministers of Great Yi constantly studied and improved themselves, often spending time in the Scripture Pavilion, absorbing knowledge to expand their wisdom.
In truth, most historical figures rose by taking advantage of their era. Their talents weren't necessarily the greatest. Many prodigies existed but lacked the nourishment and soil to grow. A slight shift in fate, and a different person would have become the legend.
It wasn't a lack of talent in the world, but a lack of conditions for it to flourish.
A boy born to a poor farmer, with nothing to eat and no access to books, might have incredible talent—but how could he rise to fame without opportunity?
That's the importance of a training system.
Great Yi was different. From the bottom up, a complete education system had been established—starting with children. Decades of implementation were now bearing shocking results.
Among this year's candidates were over a million true city-governing talents, many born as commoners, yet refined through Great Yi's formal training. Their genius was finally given a path to shine.
Even many "gifted" scholars from the general population couldn't compare to the systematically trained students from Great Yi's academies. The academy students had broader, deeper knowledge across every field.
They were well-rounded and refined into individuals capable of ruling cities.
Talent, after all, was built on the accumulation of knowledge.
Even if not masters of everything, they had no major weaknesses and could grow in any needed direction. With strong fundamentals, they could then specialize.
"From this day forward, as the Keju continues, Great Yi will never again suffer a talent shortage. We must further invest in our educational system," Cai Yong added with a smile.
He had played a major role in developing the system and was naturally proud to see the results. It signified that Great Yi had taken the right path. Talent was no longer monopolized by noble families. Even commoners could now ascend the ladder.