The Hua Xia Imperial Palace was located in what used to be the capital of the Qin Dynasty, but the towering city had since been renamed New Qin City.
This place, once the land of Qin, was now under the rule of the Hua Xia Empire after the corrupt Qin Dynasty was overthrown. Hence, it was named New Qin City.
In New Qin City, the sprawling estates near the Hua Xia Imperial Palace had been completely renovated into the residences of officials from various provinces, serving as their property in the city and providing a place to stay when they visited.
The entire Southern Region consisted of 1,972 provinces, including the Starting Province and the Ancient Spirit Province, totaling 1,974 provinces. Adding the mysterious Four Directions Province, the number reached 1,975 provinces!
The entire Southern Region now belonged to Lin Qian alone. The thought of such a scenario was deeply shocking.
The former leaders of various factions who had come to New Qin City marveled at the unprecedented layout of this city. The streets were clean and orderly, divided in ways they had never seen before.
All streets, whether large or small, were divided into two sections. One section, which occupied more space, was reserved for soul warriors riding soul beasts and for carriages drawn by these beasts.
On this broader section of the road, white lines were painted, and both soul warriors and carriages moved straight along these lines. In the middle of the road, two bright yellow lines marked the boundary, with soul warriors and carriages moving in opposite directions on either side.
At the edges of the street, narrower paths were reserved solely for pedestrians.
"The streets are organized into separate lanes—one for pedestrians and another specifically for soul warriors on mounts and beast-drawn carriages. These lanes are even divided by direction. This way, ordinary people don't have to worry about being run over by beasts or carriages, avoiding unnecessary accidents. Meanwhile, those on mounts or in carriages have an unobstructed path," remarked the former leader of the Narcissus Pavilion as he stood at the roadside, speaking to the former leader of the Sunset Sect.
"Not just in New Qin City, but many large cities within the original territory of the Hua Xia Empire are already laid out like this. Many other places are beginning to adopt this design as well," the former Sunset Sect leader observed, taking a deep breath as he looked at the scene before him. "All of this is the work of that young emperor."
"What is that up ahead?" As the two continued walking through New Qin City, they came upon an intersection and noticed something new.
A faint formation shrouded the intersection, so subtle that only a soul warrior paying close attention would notice it.
At the four corners of the intersection, floating crystals the size of a human head emitted red, yellow, and green lights.
They were astonished to see that whenever the crystal on one side of the intersection turned red, soul warriors on mounts and carriages drawn by soul beasts would stop at a white line before the intersection, where there were horizontal stripes painted on the ground.
During these moments, people would use the lines on the ground to cross to the other side.
"Amazing. Such an ingenious idea. How did this young emperor come up with it?" The leader of the Sunset Sect shook his head in wonder, scanning his surroundings. "And have you noticed? The ordinary people of the Hua Xia Empire seem to be much more vigorous, their physical bodies stronger than those from our territories. Even their overall strength is much greater."
"I've noticed that too, especially among the children of the Hua Xia Empire," the Narcissus Pavilion leader agreed, observing the children passing by. He had already spotted quite a few with promising potential.
Although most of the children did not possess extraordinary talent, there was no doubt that they could easily reach the Shaping Realm by their twenties or thirties. By their forties or fifties, they could achieve the Awakening Realm.
While such soul warriors might not have much of a future, the fact remained...
These children were everywhere!
In the three foundational realms—Entering Origin, Gathering Origin, and Shaping Origin—the common people under their rule might only reach the Gathering Origin Realm in their lifetime. Only a few would barely achieve the Shaping Origin Realm as they aged.
In truth, only those who reached the Nirvana Realm could truly be called soul warriors. Moreover, common folk who achieved the three foundational realms were often weak, insignificant, and easily overlooked.
But here, the citizens of the Hua Xia Empire were clearly more vigorous, their physiques noticeably stronger, almost on par with soul warriors of moderate talent.
And these children of the Hua Xia Empire—nearly all of them could reach the Nirvana Realm. What did that imply?
"When these children grow up, there will no longer be a distinction between soul warriors and ordinary citizens in the Hua Xia Empire," the Sunset Sect leader swallowed hard, his fear evident as he looked at the Narcissus Pavilion leader beside him. "It would mean that everyone in Hua Xia would be a soul warrior, differing only in the strength of their cultivation."
The Narcissus Pavilion leader stood on the bustling and unfamiliar street, observing the endless stream of people and vehicles.
He could not see any trace of hardship on the faces of the Hua Xia Empire's citizens; instead, they were filled with enthusiasm and energy.
"The entire Southern Region didn't lose unjustly," the Narcissus Pavilion leader suddenly remarked to the Sunset Sect leader beside him. "I can deeply feel the strength of this empire, and it's only going to get stronger."
"The strength of the Hua Xia Empire isn't just because of this young emperor's power, nor the might of the Hua Xia Army. It's strong in every possible way," he continued, gazing towards the Hua Xia Imperial Palace in the distance. "It's so powerful that it's suffocating. To oppose it means certain destruction."
"To think we survived is a great fortune. In the past, when a faction was destroyed in the Southern Region's disputes, have you ever seen the leader survive?" The Sunset Sect leader turned to the Narcissus Pavilion leader, his voice thoughtful. "Now, I don't regret swearing my oath to serve."
"Really?" The Narcissus Pavilion leader was surprised by the Sunset Sect leader's words.
The Sunset Sect leader had made that choice to avoid needless sacrifice and loss of life for his sect. He had considered swearing loyalty to Lin Qian an act of disgrace.
His original plan was to take his own life during the upcoming imperial ceremony to show his unyielding spirit and to plead with Lin Qian not to be too harsh on the Sunset Sect.
"Although Emperor Lin said he wouldn't accept surrenders, what he meant was that he wouldn't accept the surrender of factions—those had to be dissolved. But people could surrender and live if they swore loyalty. That shows he still has some sense of righteousness," the Sunset Sect leader continued, looking at the Narcissus Pavilion leader. "After arriving in New Qin City, I'm even more certain that this Emperor Lin is not a tyrant. In fact, I find myself growing more expectant."
"Expectant?"
"Don't forget, the 1,972 provinces of the Southern Region are now all part of the Hua Xia Empire. What if the entire Southern Region were to become like New Qin City?"
"What if, in the entire Southern Region, the weakest among the people were at the Nirvana Realm?"
The Sunset Sect leader's eyes lit up with fervor as he grasped the Narcissus Pavilion leader's shoulder. "I suddenly find myself eager to see just how strong this empire will become. Now that the Southern Region is unified, I wonder..."
"Will it one day unify the entire Soul Martial Continent?"