Expansion is not something that can be accomplished with just a few words. It requires a continuous supply of talent, resources, and population. Without these, expansion becomes a burden rather than a blessing. If you only have Immortal Cities but lack enough citizens and capable officials to manage them, efficiency in all affairs will plummet.
"In the past, we've already held an imperial examination and selected many capable talents to serve as city lords," Xun Yu said decisively. "However, given the newly established expansion plan of the Great Yi, it's absolutely impossible for those talents to fill the enormous gap we face. The shortage is simply too great."
Indeed, a large group of outstanding individuals had been chosen in the last round of examinations. But this time, they were about to wage war against four great realms, each vast beyond measure—some even larger than the current Hanhai. Every realm differed in size, yet each required numerous Immortal Cities to govern it. For all four realms combined, the required number of cities would at least be four times the current amount.
The talent gap was colossal.
This war had erupted too suddenly. Great Yi's reserves of trained personnel were still insufficient. Originally, the plan had been to first ascend to the rank of Sacred Court, then settle and cultivate talent before initiating external conquest. Yet, as always, plans could not keep up with change—the events unfolded too swiftly, rendering all prior plans meaningless.
"Hm, the shortage isn't something to fear," Yi Tianxing said calmly. "This is a great opportunity. We'll first attack the Bohai Realm, then proceed to the other three realms. There's still time to resolve the issue of talent reserves."
Naturally, he understood the challenge—but it was one that could not be avoided.
"The Great Yi has its academic system—schools, academies, and the Grand Academy," said Huang Chengyan. "Anyone who can enter an academy already possesses notable talent. With some experience, they can be molded into capable individuals. In my opinion, we can establish a virtual world within the Star Network at the academy level, allowing students to personally experience the growth of a city lord, thus developing the necessary skills. Those who perform exceptionally can then be prioritized for selection."
It was indeed a sound proposal—focused training could produce a new wave of competent talents.
"In my humble view," He Shen interjected, eyes glinting, "instead of just opening the virtual world to academy students, why not create a specialized virtual game designed specifically to train future city lords? Similar to King's Battle Chess, we can use the game to observe all the billions of citizens of Great Yi. The game would closely simulate reality, allowing us to select talents from across the entire realm—with the Star Network's support, of course."
By expanding the range from academies to the entire populace, the probability of discovering extraordinary talent would increase dramatically. Even one or two additional geniuses would be an invaluable gain.
This was the philosophy of recruiting talents without restriction.Those with ability would naturally rise to the surface.
Within the Great Yi, virtual games were nothing new. Many citizens from modern worlds had tried to create and upload games to the Star Network. However, since the Star Network lacked coding languages and required specific permissions, no one had succeeded so far.
Of course, the Star Network itself was powered by the collective spiritual energy of all beings—will, thought, and belief. If one so wished, they could indeed manifest anything within it, even an entire virtual world for such a game.
"A game for all citizens to participate in—selecting talents from among the people."
"This is an excellent proposal! The common folk hide dragons and crouching tigers. This will prevent any true gem from being overlooked."
"I second this! A marvelous method indeed."
The ministers' eyes lit up; they could all see the potential. This plan was worth attempting.
"Very well," Yi Tianxing nodded. "We shall proceed as suggested. After this court session, notify the Star Sea Division to construct a specialized virtual game within the Star Network, used exclusively for selecting future city lords."
Games, to him, were not unfamiliar—in some ways, using them to find talent was entirely fitting.
"How goes the forging of Immortal Cities? How many do we have in reserve now?" Yi Tianxing asked next.
"Please rest assured, Sacred King," Pei Ju replied confidently. "The Heavenly Fire Furnace can now project multiple avatars simultaneously, vastly increasing production speed. Within our Great Yi territory, resources and materials are abundant. The forging of Immortal Cities has never truly ceased. As of now, 500,000 cities have been forged. At full capacity, we can produce a hundred cities per day, or even more if necessary. The creation of Immortal Cities will not become a bottleneck in our expansion."
The power of the Ministry of Works and the Tiangong Pavilion, once fully mobilized, was truly formidable.
"Excellent." Yi Tianxing nodded in satisfaction. One of their greatest problems—city production—was now resolved. He then turned to Jia Yucun. "Minister Jia, what is our current population?"
"Reporting to the Sacred King," Jia Yucun replied respectfully, "the Great Yi's registered population has reached thirty-nine trillion. We'll surpass forty trillion very soon. New births occur daily, and people from outside our borders continue to join us. If we expand by one more realm, we can redistribute citizens from existing cities, combined with the human population already within the new realms, to meet the demand. However, expanding into all four realms at once will strain our population severely—it will take time to replenish."
Even though he knew the figures by heart, the sheer scale made it clear: the numbers were still insufficient for simultaneous expansion into four realms.
"Hmm, population need not be a concern," Yi Tianxing said after some thought. "Soon, twenty trillion more human citizens will enter the Great Yi. The Celestial Registry Hall shall oversee their reception and household registration. Like before, these people lack common knowledge and must be carefully guided. The court must prepare accordingly."
This new population came from the Summoning Pool, where human bloodlines were artificially nurtured.
However, this would be the final batch.
The Summoning Pools were not infinite—they consumed stored essence blood. Once depleted, they became inert. The number of pools containing Han human bloodlines seized during the Eternal Night War was already limited, and over the years, they had nearly been exhausted. This last batch would consume what remained.
Moreover, these newly born humans had no cultivation and were physically ordinary. Their lifespans were limited to around forty years, though through cultivation they could still extend it—albeit less effectively than normal humans, with reduced spiritual potential.
It was a trade: sacrificing potential for numbers. Without such measures, creating twenty trillion lives would be impossible.
Still, these people had room to grow—if they embarked upon cultivation, they could extend their lives. Their ultimate fate would depend on their own fortune. They were born primarily to reproduce, and their descendants would be unaffected—normal humans, with full lifespan and potential.
Cruel though it seemed, this was the most practical and necessary choice under current circumstances—the best among all possible options.
"Yes, Sacred King," Jia Yucun said solemnly, feeling a chill in his heart. The origins of many within Great Yi's massive population were no secret, nor were they considered cruel.
For these people, it was a gift of new life, a divine blessing.
To become a citizen of Great Yi was the greatest fortune under heaven. What if life was short? Many would gladly trade half their lifespan for such a life of glory.
The ministers smiled with relief.
The greatest obstacle to expansion—the population issue—was now resolved.
With the addition of twenty trillion new citizens, every Immortal City would have sufficient inhabitants. Combined with the human populations already present within the four realms, the conditions for expansion were fully met.
After discussing a few final matters concerning the Sacred Court's internal affairs, the court session concluded.
——
Meanwhile, as the Iron-Blood Great Wall suddenly expanded outward by hundreds of miles toward the four realms, countless powers were shaken to their core. A tense, indescribable aura spread through heaven and earth.
Great Yi was expanding.
Immediately after ascending to Sacred Court status, it began pushing its borders outward.
Were they about to launch a full-scale invasion of the four great realms?
A wave of fear rippled across the foreign races. Their upper echelons began urgent councils.
In the Yinyue Dynasty of the Bohai Realm, the Seven-Night Demon Sovereign had already received the news. With a solemn expression, he struck the ceremonial bell, summoning all his ministers to the Dark Night Hall.
Seated upon his throne, the Sovereign surveyed the gathered demon elites—each a powerful figure who had taken human form, their auras barely restrained.
Among them stood Black Mountain Old Demon, Pudu Cihang, Tree Demon Matron, Thousand-Faced Fox Elder, and others—all present.
Though they hid their demonic energy, the atmosphere within the hall still brimmed with a chilling, oppressive force—enough to kill an ordinary man instantly.