"You must be aware that almost half of these millions of troops were gathered from the various provinces' paths and guard homes. It is manageable to gather them for a short time, but if they stay here for an extended period, what would happen to the safety of the paths and provinces throughout the world?" Gu Ji looked at Wang Bo'an with a furrowed brow.
This is no small matter. The troops from the world's guard homes are the key to maintaining stability in each province within the borders of the Great Ming Divine Dynasty. If these guard troops were absent for a long time, the provinces and paths would likely become unstable.
Furthermore, these millions of troops, even if we were to re-recruit and train them, would take time. Not to mention the resources that would be consumed, time in itself would be scarce.
Wang Bo'an seemed to have thought of this before, and he didn't mind Gu Ji's worries at all. He laughed and said, "Mr. Gu, you're overthinking. There's no need to keep all these millions of soldiers here. When the time comes, we would only need to keep a third of the soldiers."
"Is a third of the soldiers enough to hold on?" Gu Ji asked uncertainly.
The number of soldiers Wang Bo'an was talking about was far less than he thought. He wasn't heartless. Gu Ji didn't want to see an adverse outcome because there were too few soldiers on guard.
Wang Bo'an confidently said, "It is entirely sufficient. If it weren't for this time's training, I wouldn't have brought so many soldiers."
Indeed, the number of soldiers Wang Bo'an brought this time was already excessive. He brought all these soldiers to conduct training, letting more soldiers participate in these wars to create even stronger warriors.
According to his plan, once the situation completely calms down, all he needs to do is leave a third of the soldiers to maintain the current situation.
Moreover, this third of the soldiers doesn't need to consist entirely of battle-hardened veterans; half of them can be veterans, while the rest could continue to be newly recruited soldiers from the various provinces' paths and guard homes. They can use this place as a training field, sharpening more warriors.
"Oh Bo'an, why didn't you tell us your plan earlier? You made me worry for nothing. But if this is the case, then it is the best possible outcome." All of Gu Ji's concerns were gone.
However, when he realized that Wang Bo'an had been prepared all along, he couldn't help but sigh: "I originally thought that my military talent wasn't up to par with yours, but now I know it's incomparable."
Wang Bo'an laughed, staying silent.
Gu Ji only sighed. When the other party didn't respond, he didn't press further.
He changed the subject, asking about another matter: "It's been thirty years; I'm curious, what realm of cultivation has Brother Bo'an reached?"
Gu Ji was curious about Wang Bo'an's current level of cultivation, and he believed that many others were curious as well.
Everyone knew that Wang Bo'an, besides showing his talent in leading troops, also demonstrated an astonishing talent for cultivation. His exceptional talent impressed many people deeply.
In many people's views, Wang Bo'an's talent was top-tier, surpassing even Zhao Baiyang and Xue Wuheng. In this world, there were only a few, like Pei Xuanjing the National Preceptor, who could outperform him.
Therefore, not long ago when Zhao Baiyang and Xue Wuheng made their moves and shocked the world, many interested parties naturally turned their attention to Wang Bo'an, wanting to know what step he'd reached. Whether he was in the Spirit Realm Sixth Level, or even beyond.
Wang Bo'an laughingly asked in return, "Is it you who's curious, Mr. Gu, or the Elder?"
"Haha, just as the elder predicted, truly can't hide anything from you." Gu Ji smiled bitterly and shook his head, "The elder also wants to know how far your power has come?"
Wang Qiong, as the Ministry of War's Secretary, knowing the potential situation the Great Ming Divine Dynasty may face, naturally wants to understand the powers the Great Ming Divine Dynasty currently has.
As for Wang Bo'an, a standout with exceptional talent for cultivation, knowing how far he's come is critical. Only then can Wang Qiong better respond to any situations.
"Haha," Wang Bo'an chuckled. Gu Ji didn't rush him and simply waited silently for his answer while guessing Wang Bo'an's progress in his heart.
Based on his understanding and Wang Bo'an's shown talent, he should have at least reached the Spirit Realm Sixth Level…
...
"Brother Yu, where do you think our superior, Bo'an, has reached in his cultivation?" Qi Yuanjing asked with a smile.
Qi Yuanjing was appointed a Commanding Officer for this expeditionary force. He was a genuine military hero of Great Ming, with ancestors who were the personal bodyguards of the first emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty. Although they died in battle, they left a legacy, bestowing the hereditary military position of 'Mingwei General' on their descendants.
Despite the countless military homes with such legacies in the six hundred year old Great Ming Empire, many have declined. But the Qi family began to rise again in his father's era and was the Emperor's most trusted. His father is still serving in Tiandu as the Vice General of the Shenji Battalion.
Being able to serve as a Vice General in one of the three major battalions, the Shenji Battalion, indicates the significance of the Qi family. Qi Yuanjing also became a Commanding Officer at a young age and had control over several Thousands of Households units.
He and Yu Xunya, who had a similar background, were close in age and cultivation and were both admired by Wang Bo'an. They were quite close to one another.
Although drinking was forbidden in the military, the two of them were chatting while drinking tea.
The 'superior' Qi Yuanjing referred to was their superior, the commander Wang Bo'an.
They both greatly admired their superior and were also extremely curious about how far he'd come in his cultivation.
"He must've reached at least the Spirit Realm Sixth Level." Yu Xunya said slowly while putting a piece of meat into his mouth with a dagger.
He and Qi Yuanjing were at almost the same level, they had just reached the Fourth Level of the Spiritual Realm not long ago. They depended on the help of the Great Ming Divine Dynasty and found it would be hard to progress further in a short period.
Their understanding made them realize how difficult it was to advance within the Nine Realms of Spirits, it was genuinely hard.
Knowing that their combat with the Demon Race was coming up, these commanding officers, besides their commanding talent, also needed enough power to handle various dangers.
"Do you think there's a chance that our superior has already broken through to the Seventh Level of the Spiritual Realm?" Qi Yuanjing cut a piece of meat with his dagger and asked casually.
"Huh?" Yu Xunya paused, his gaze shifting to Qi Yuanjing.
He looked around and, not finding any anomaly, he lowered his voice and asked, "Did you discover something? Why do you say that?"
He knew his colleague very well. On the surface, the latter appeared frivolous, but in reality, he was composed and cautious. If he didn't have a high certainty, he would definitely not speak so casually.
"Indeed, it is you who knows me best, Brother Yu!" Qi Yuanjing sighed, putting down the dagger in his hand, his expression serious.
He said, "Do you remember the event a few days ago when Commander Boan took me to spy on our enemies?"
"Of course I remember," Yu Xunya nodded.
A commander must understand both himself and his enemy to win every battle. Although they have been confronting the Demon Race for a long time without engaging in a war, both sides are continuously spying on each other.
Commander Wang Boan sometimes personally leads a reconnaissance mission, and he and Qi Yuanjing often accompany him. However, a few days ago, he was stuck with something else and failed to accompany, only Qi Yuanjing went with the commander.
Could it be that there was an unknown incident that happened at that time?
He turned his eyes to Qi Yuanjing, waiting for him to continue.
Qi Yuanjing didn't hold back and said, "I accompanied Commander Boan on the reconnaissance mission, everything was normal at first. But when we were about to leave, we were discovered by the Demon Race."
"Discovered by the Demon Race? How come I wasn't aware of this?" Yu Xunya frowned, realizing this was not a trivial issue.
Qi Yuanjing continued, "Moreover, the Demon Race that we encountered was not an ordinary one. Leading them was a Demon King at the Seventh Level of the Spiritual Realm who seemed to have recently been drawn from the Sky Wasteland."
At that time, they happened to encounter a Demon King at the Seventh Level of the Spiritual Realm who was drawn back during a demon's sacrificial ceremony.
When encountering that Demon King, Qi Yuanjing was deeply frightened. Even though both the human race and the Demon Race who just returned from the Sky Wasteland would be rejected by Heaven and Earth, a Demon King of the Seventh Level of the Spiritual Realm was definitely beyond their resistance.
It could be said that, in that situation, Qi Yuanjing believed he would undoubtedly die.
While he had made peace with his own death because he was prepared to die on the battlefield from the day he joined the army, the situation then was completely different. He was not alone but accompanied by Boan, who is the commander of the human army. If Boan were to die there, the morale of the human army would suffer a devastating blow.
At the moment, Qi Yuanjing was ready to sacrifice himself to stall the enemy, to give Commander Boan a chance to escape.
However, what happened next completely shattered Qi Yuanjing's understanding of their reality.
A Demon King at the Seventh Level of the Spiritual Realm, a seemingly terrifying entity, was instantly killed by Commander Boan when he attacked them, without the Demon King being able to resist at all.
This revelation deeply shocked Qi Yuanjing, he couldn't have imagined that Commander Boan was so powerful. Even though he knew that Boan was strong, killing a Demon King of the Seventh Level of Spiritual Realm with a single move was beyond Qi Yuanjing's comprehension.
Thud!
The dagger fell from his hand and landed on the table, but Yu Xunya did not care about the fallen dagger, his eyes were fixed on Qi Yuanjing, trying to ascertain if Qi Yuanjing was bluffing or telling the truth.
"So does this mean Commander Boan has ascended to the Seventh Level of the Spiritual Realm?" He cautiously asked, finding it hard to believe.
At the Seventh Level of the Spiritual Realm, a cultivator would not be considered weak even in the Sky Wasteland. For the current Great Ming Divine Dynasty, having a powerhouse of the Seventh Level of the Spiritual Realm was indeed great news.
"I don't know. But with a powerhouse of this caliber, even if he hasn't broken through, what really is the difference from reaching the Seventh Level of the Spiritual Realm?" said Qi Yuanjing.
…
"I can't believe you've reached the Seventh Level of the Spiritual Realm." Gu Ji said with a sigh as he glanced at Wang Boan, who looked as calm as ever.
The Seventh Level of the Spiritual Realm. This is probably the second now who has ascended to this Realm after Pei Xuanjing, excluding the ones who have returned from the Sky Wasteland!
"Huh?" Gu Ji thought about something and asked, "Isn't there supposed to be a significant celestial phoneme when one ascends to the Seventh Level of the Spiritual Realm? So how did you achieve this smoothly, with no abnormality?"
Over the years, although Gu Ji has been focusing on the elevation of his Divine Position, he is not completely ignorant about many things in Cultivation.
According to his understanding, entering the Seventh Spiritual Realm and forming a Taoist Foundation could cause a great phenomenon, as when Pei Xuanjing had previously demonstrated with the immense celestial changes when he broke through.
However, why was Wang Boan's ascendance so unremarkable and unbeknownst to anyone?
"Perhaps I don't need to form a Taoist Foundation!" Wang Boan laughed.
Indeed, the Seventh Spiritual Realm is about forming a Taoist Foundation, a pathway with no regret. For many powerhouses, they need to solidify their Taoist Foundation at this stage, they need to harmonize with Heaven and Earth.
But to Wang Boan, he doesn't need to go through this. Or he had already experienced it long before when he was first exiled.
The process of a cultivator's cultivation involves comprehension and understanding of one's mind throughout. They need to comprehend the ultimate principles of Heaven and Earth, understand the changes in Heaven and Earth to complete their Great Tao.
But long ago, when Wang Boan was still an ordinary martial artist, he had fully understood his nature and discovered the path that he was destined to walk. His foundation had already been established in his early twenties, and he needed no change at all.
So, while others were discovering their true heart, understanding and confirming their path, Wang Boan had no such concerns. All he had to do was cultivate single-mindedly and everything would happen naturally.
To put it simply, cultivating is like filling water. The cultivation of others is like constantly repairing the bucket and then pouring water.
But for Wang Boan, his bucket had been repaired long ago, all he needed to do was fill the bucket with water.
"Regardless, your increasing strength is great news for us. In the upcoming situation, we will be able to respond more calmly." Gu Ji listened, not fully understanding, but he did not probe further, instead smiling contentedly.
He did not need to think too much, he just needed to know that Wang Boan had become stronger, and that was enough.
Tiandu, within the Taoist Academy.
Pei Xuanjing was toying with the Sanbao Jade Ruyi in his hand, his expression serene, pondering something unknown.
At this moment, he was the only one in the small courtyard of the Taoist Academy. Deer Elder had been arranged to do some things outside, and Pang Hong also had other matters to tend to, so naturally, he wouldn't come to greet Pei Xuanjing every day.
Thus, Pei Xuanjing returned to his favored days of solitude, practicing Taoist Skills and reading skill books every day, accumulating Taoist charm. His life was quite pleasant.
This state of his was entirely different from what many people expected. After all, in the eyes of many, with the approach of the strong from Tianhuang, Pei Xuanjing, being the world's number one, should be under great pressure and constantly on the move.
But judging from Pei Xuanjing's current condition, it seemed that these things had no effect on him at all, as if there was no need for him to worry about them.
Indeed, there was no pressure in Pei Xuanjing's heart toward the imminent return of the forces from the Sky Wasteland, nor was there any need for pressure.
With Pei Xuanjing's current Spirit Realm Eightfold, coupled with the amplifying power of the Divine Position, and the Power of Incense Fire that has been stored up, Pei Xuanjing's combat strength could even challenge the strongest of the Nine Realms of Spirit, and he would no longer have the kind of urgent worry as before.
Of course, having real power to protect oneself and the right to speak doesn't mean Pei Xuanjing can now lie back completely and stop striving at all. Instead, Pei Xuanjing now has more considerations and more things to plan.
Upon reaching Pei Xuanjing's state, what he needs to consider is no longer the situation of the world. What he needs to think about next is: Becoming Immortal!
Becoming Immortal!
Yes, Pei Xuanjing now has the qualifications to consider becoming immortal and seek the possible path to the Immortal Dao.
If the clues about the method of becoming an immortal and the theory of immortality that Pei Xuanjing had previously obtained were only gleaned from small pieces of information, then Pei Xuanjing now has the real qualifications to explore the Immortal Dao.
In this period, Pei Xuanjing is organizing his understanding and cognition of the Immortal Dao he has obtained. The first thing he wants to do is to form a definite cognition of the Immortal Dao Realm in his mind.
Sometimes, some things are not so mysterious and mystical, but just because they have not been in contact, never understood them, makes them seem unreachable and difficult to comprehend.
First, what is the so-called Fairy God.
The term Fairy God is vague. Immortal is immortal, and God is God. Immortals and Gods are not the same realm, and what they mean are entirely different manifestations.
According to Pei Xuanjing's understanding, immortals and gods, though both are eternally living in the world, indestructible. The immortal seeks freedom and transcendence; the god seeks to guard and exist, seeking authority.
Of course, the difference between immortals and gods does not mean that immortals and gods confront and exclude each other. Since they are called Fairy Gods, it means that immortals and gods have similar commonalities.
Immortals and Gods are opposing yet unified; their identities can be mutually converted. An immortal who has authority and chooses to guard can become a God. And a God who steps towards loneliness and chooses a carefree life can become an immortal.
…
These are Pei Xuanjing's perceptions of Fairy Gods, and they do not represent everyone's perception.
After all, in the cognition of many people or powerful beings, Fairy God represents status, immortality, and one's own eternal detachment.
The difference of Fairy God, the commonality of Fairy God, all of this is filled with much mystery, and there is much to explore and find out.
As Pei Xuanjing has got to this stage, he gradually has an outline of his understanding of Fairy God. He needs to continually try and explore how to transform himself and step into the legendary Immortal Dao Realm.
"The Divine Kingdom project, perhaps it can be tried out," Pei Xuanjing thought to himself.
Initially, he proposed to continuously open branches of the Taoist Academy throughout the world, then establish his own statues to differentiate spiritual consciousness, then try to perfect the method of the Divine Kingdom that he had tested.
Even after experiencing the life simulation and enhancing his strength again, he did not choose to immediately carry out this plan, opting instead to settle down and reorganize his state and thoughts.
It is worth noting that when Pei Xuanjing was projected into the Great Wilderness World as the emperor during the life simulation, he also made such an attempt. But perhaps due to some reasons and deficiencies, the Divine Kingdom that Pei Xuanjing promoted in the Wasteland World was not exactly a success. The final result was only countless divine temples left in the territory of the Great Wilderness human race, which brought him countless Power of Incense Fire. But compared to what he had envisioned for his Divine Kingdom, it was not a success.
In recent days, Pei Xuanjing has been reflecting on and thinking about the oversights in the original plan, trying to find and fill in the gaps, and see exactly where he fell short.
Given the current situation, he has only one chance to try. If he fails, he may not have the opportunity to try again, as many things cannot be repeated.
If he fails this time, not only will it lead to the loss of many years of accumulation, but the return of the strong from the Tianhuang Borderland will not give him another chance to try.
"Everything is just waiting for the right time," thought Pei Xuanjing to himself.
At this moment, he seemed to think of something, a faint smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.
…
The Imperial City, in the great hall where Zhu Houji was cultivating.
Zhu Houji, who was in the middle of cultivation, suddenly stopped what he was doing, as if sensing something, and looked outwards. He got up and walked towards the outer hall.
When Zhu Houji entered the outer hall, he saw that Wu Shijiu also seemed to have sensed something and had appeared there as well. They looked at each other, neither of them saying anything, and then headed towards a certain place.
The Star-Viewing Platform, a tower in the Imperial City for observing celestial phenomena. Most of the time, it was used by Bai Xiaosheng, the Superintendent of the Imperial Astronomical Observatory. But after Bai Xiaosheng had gone into retreat, this place had become vacant and was temporarily unused.
But tonight, Emperor Zhu Houji and Wu Shijiu came here together. They were quiet and undisturbed, and even many of their guards were stopped from following.
By the time the two came here, they saw a Taoist in a dark brown robe with his back to them. The Taoist was holding a three-foot-long, glowing Sanbao Jade Ruyi in his hand, looking up at the sky, watching the infinite vast expanse of stars in the heavens.
"Disciple pays respects to Master Pei!"
"I pay my respects to the National Teacher!"