As Lin Qian spoke, his tone was filled with a fierce resolve.
Hearing his words, everyone present couldn't help but smile. They didn't need Lin Qian's reminder—they had already resolved to hold themselves to the highest standards.
After hearing Lin Qian's speech, a sense of anticipation filled their eyes. The members of the Temple of Fate began to imagine what the future of the Huaxia Empire would look like.
For each of them, the current situation was the realization of their long-held dreams.
After the discussion ended, Lin Qian was the first to rise, leading the group out of the room.
"Don't forget to register and obtain your Huaxia Empire credentials," Lin Qian reminded the members of the Temple of Fate as he exited the room. Then, he soared into the sky, followed by a majestic chariot pulled by nine flaming-hoofed warhorses, disappearing from their sight.
After Lin Qian left, the group stared in the direction he had departed, still in a daze, unable to fully process the series of events that had just unfolded. It felt like a dream.
Leng Wuyi looked around and sighed, "It seems the Temple of Fate no longer needs to exist. Its purpose has been fulfilled."
His words left everyone feeling a sense of melancholy, yet they couldn't help but nod in agreement. They recognized the truth in his statement.
The Temple of Fate had originally been established with the goal of one day overthrowing the Wei and Autumn Kingdoms and giving the people a better life. Now, with both the Wei and Autumn Kingdoms, along with the Qin Dynasty, under the rule of the Huaxia Empire, this vast empire was already doing what they had once hoped to achieve. They would now become a part of this empire, helping to make it even stronger.
"In that case, let's head to Xiaoling City to register and receive our Huaxia Empire credentials!" Qiu Ling suddenly spoke up with a mischievous grin. "Don't forget, I'm now the City Lord of Xiaoling City, and right now, none of you have official positions."
Hearing her words, Qiu Xian couldn't help but laugh. "If that's the case, we will have to rely on City Lord Qiu Ling to take care of us."
"Indeed, everyone should quickly come and pay your respects to the City Lord," Leng Wuyi chimed in with a broad smile, calling out to the others.
The rest of the group joined in the banter, cupping their fists and bowing to Qiu Ling in mock deference.
Qiu Ling quickly waved her hands, telling everyone not to act that way.
Afterward, the group began to disperse. Qiu Ling returned to Xiaoling City, where Huaxia Empire officials were waiting to brief her on her new responsibilities.
The other branch masters headed back to their respective branches, knowing that the Temple of Fate would soon become a part of history. From now on, they would be members of the Huaxia Empire.
Leng Wuyi and Qiu Xian were the last to leave. After dismantling the formations surrounding the area, they stood in front of the assembly hall, lost in thought.
"We won't tear this place down. We can come back and visit when we have time. After all, this was where we fought for our cause," Leng Wuyi said as he gazed at the headquarters of the Temple of Fate.
Qiu Xian nodded in agreement, looking at the temple with deep emotion. "Who could have imagined that Emperor Lin would be so benevolent?"
Leng Wuyi took Qiu Xian's hand, still gazing at the temple as he said, "From now on, we will follow this young emperor and see what the strongest empire in the world will look like."
Later, Leng Wuyi and Qiu Xian arrived in Xiaoling City. Upon entering the city, they found that everything their daughter had said was true. The scene before them was like something out of a dream.
When they reached the City Lord's mansion, they found it reduced to ruins, with only the central building intact.
In front of the mansion, a large number of citizens were lined up in an orderly fashion, receiving their share of wealth. Leng Wuyi watched as the people walked by, holding soul crystals in their hands and beaming with joy.
"What's going on here?" Leng Wuyi asked his daughter, who was busy going over ledgers, checking to ensure that no one was skimming off the top. Despite her diligent checks, she was frustrated to find that no one from the Huaxia Empire had done such a thing.
Qiu Ling closed the ledger and looked up at her father. "What?"
When Leng Wuyi pointed to the ruins behind him, Qiu Ling realized what he was asking about and explained, "Emperor Lin has a rule: the City Lord's mansion only needs to be functional. The extravagant buildings that corrupt officials used to occupy have all been demolished."
"According to Emperor Lin, it's a waste for the City Lord to live in such a large place. It's better to tear it down and use the space for something more useful."
Leng Wuyi nodded in silent approval, his respect for Lin Qian growing even deeper. But when he noticed the massive mirror floating above the City Lord's mansion, he was taken aback.
"Dear daughter, what is that?" Qiu Xian, standing beside him, had also noticed the giant mirror suspended in the sky. It was visible throughout the entire city.
The mirror had four sides, forming a square shape. It hovered quietly in midair, surrounded by formations that gave it an ethereal appearance. Sunlight passed through it without casting any shadows or blocking the light.
Qiu Ling glanced at the four-sided mirror, still in its semi-transparent state, and her eyes filled with curiosity. "That seems to be something Emperor Lin had the Huaxia Empire's Ministry of Engineering develop. The Ministry of Engineering is responsible for researching all sorts of things in the empire."
"I heard from the scholars that this device is called a 'Soul Vision Device.' Apparently, Emperor Lin plans to create something called 'Huaxia Channel One' and launch a program called 'The Endless Huaxia Broadcast.' It's all quite strange." Qiu Ling shrugged. "This young emperor has some really odd ideas. I can't figure out what he's thinking. We'll just have to wait and see what it actually does."
"Soul Vision Device?" Leng Wuyi and Qiu Xian exchanged a look. The name was new to them—they had never heard of anything like it before.
"I've heard that these Soul Vision Devices will be installed not only in the cities but also in the towns and villages, though they will be smaller in those places." After explaining, Qiu Ling took her parents by the hands and led them away. "Come on, let's go get your credentials. Only then can you start working for the provincial government."
Leng Wuyi and Qiu Xian exchanged a smile and allowed their daughter to lead them to the registration area, where the people were receiving their credentials.
At this moment, not only in the lands of the Wei and Autumn Kingdoms but also in the former territories of the Qin Dynasty, a new era was beginning to unfold.
The Soul Martial Continent was vast beyond measure. A single province was equivalent to the total land area of the blue planet Lin Qian had lived on in his previous life. The forty-nine provinces of the Qin Dynasty, Wei Kingdom, and Autumn Kingdom were home to more than a trillion people.
Of course, compared to the Huaxia Empire on the mystical planet within Lin Qian's body, this was nothing.
After all, the virtual game company that had created the Fantasy Empire in his previous life had designed the mystical planet to be unimaginably large. Since players could teleport instantly and control the game in god mode, the size of the world had no impact on their experience.
As a result, the mystical planet now seemed incomprehensibly vast to Lin Qian.
So, the sudden addition of a trillion citizens didn't faze him at all. His heart remained calm and steady.
Right now, he had only one thought in mind—how to properly manage this newly acquired territory.