Atop the Divine Tree of the Imperial Palace, the towering Emperor's Palace slowly revealed its form. Though still partially hidden in the clouds, even a passing glance at the immense structure could stir a profound tremor in one's soul—a formless awe that demanded reverence.
A Heavenly Staircase descended from the palace.
This was no ordinary court assembly—it was the first Grand Assembly in over twenty years, and every detail radiated the deep foundation and overwhelming authority of the Great Yi. This scene was not just ceremony—it was a declaration of strength.
In short: flexing muscles.
A clear and deliberate message to the world: Great Yi is powerful—immeasurably powerful.
In the past few days, City Lords from across the Immortal Cities had all arrived in Azure Cloud(Qingyun) Realm, a newly reorganized realm with breathtaking scenery, perfect for habitation. It now housed the families of meritorious officials and high-ranking court members. As the elite of the empire, every City Lord was entitled to a personal residence there—granted directly by the Imperial Palace.
There was no concern about not having enough space to house the court ministers. The floating cloud realms could easily accommodate billions.
So, when Emperor Yi Tianxing personally summoned this grand assembly, no one dared miss it.
As the Heavenly Staircase opened, ministers ascended in long procession, forming a majestic, dragon-like stream of figures.
Huang Chengyan, Zhuge Liang, Liu Bowen, Yue Fei—many had joined from the Divine-Demon Battlefield. In just three days, they had already begun forging relationships, exchanging knowledge and military insights. After all, many of them were legendary historical figures, now unified under one banner—as officials of Great Yi.
Whether naturally sociable or not, they knew it was wise to build camaraderie.
Some exchanged news from the battlefield, others discussed the empire's internal affairs. Those with shared temperaments grew closer, while others simply kept respectful distance. Overall, the atmosphere was harmonious and lighthearted.
By the time they reached the Heavenly Court Hall, laughter had faded, replaced by solemnity.
The great hall doors opened, flanked by imperial guards.
The ministers entered and arranged themselves into two columns: civil and military. With the arrival of the City Lords, the hall became lively—but not chaotic. In fact, as they stepped inside, all conversation ceased. The atmosphere became silent and reverent.
"All hail the Emperor! May His Majesty enjoy eternal fortune and long life equal to the heavens!"
"All hail the Empress! May Her Grace remain forever youthful and live as long as the stars!"
Without warning, Yi Tianxing and Cai Yan appeared silently at the front of the hall, seated upon their thrones.
A natural, overwhelming majesty filled the chamber.
Though Cai Yan, as Empress, rarely attended state affairs, a Grand Assembly was an exception. Even then, she would merely observe and never interfere in matters of governance—that was the imperial protocol.
"You may all rise," Yi Tianxing said with a nod.
Within the hall stood a dazzling assembly of talent.
Whether battle-hardened veterans from the Divine-Demon Battlefield, or administrators who had remained to govern and safeguard the nation, nearly all had advanced to the Nascent Soul Realm, and many of the exceptionally gifted had broken through to the Yang God Realm.
This was no coincidence.
The peaceful environment, Great Yi's abundant resources, and the shielding of the Iron-Blood Great Wall against the tribulations of the Calamity Era, created an ideal environment for cultivation. Without the Great Wall's protection from tribulation qi, even survival would have been difficult, let alone breakthroughs.
Only within Great Yi was such growth possible. Few realms could compare—unless they ventured into the battlefield between gods and demons.
Yi Tianxing was immensely satisfied, though his face remained composed.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, Your Grace," the ministers echoed, bowing once more.
Their expressions were filled with reverence and admiration.
"In the past twenty years, while I led our armies across the Divine-Demon Battlefield, the peace and stability of Great Yi has rested squarely on your shoulders.You have governed diligently, and for that, on behalf of our people—and on behalf of the Empire—I thank you all.After this assembly, there will be rewards."
Yi Tianxing's praise was unreserved.
"Your Majesty overstates it," said Huang Chengyan with a smile."We have only done our duty as ministers. Praise is not needed."
He added a cutting comparison:
"It's like those young actors who rely on popularity and body doubles, and get praised for merely memorizing lines—Isn't that the most basic skill of acting?Why glorify doing the bare minimum?"
That sentiment struck true for Great Yi.
Here, no one was chosen for show. Every official was the best of the best, selected from among millions. No empty titles. No paper tigers.
"Duty indeed," Yi Tianxing nodded.Then turned to the assembled ministers:"While I've been kept informed of our empire's progress, I'd like each of you to report on our present situation."
Gou Yu, Minister of Personnel, stepped forward first:
"Following your orders, we have held Imperial Examinations every three years, selecting the most outstanding talents for the court.So far, we've conducted six rounds, and the total number of qualified candidates exceeds one million."
The Imperial Examination was the cornerstone of the Empire—A ladder for commoners to ascend to power.
Each successful candidate represented the elite of the people—capable of governing cities and beyond.
This was the true foundation of Great Yi's strength and its capacity to expand rapidly.
"Since Your Majesty was away, these candidates were temporarily sent to the Immortal Academy, where they continued their studies and training.They now await imperial appointments."
Even though Cai Yan remained behind in the palace, she never overstepped her authority to appoint them. Such a thing would spark political dissent.
Yi Tianxing nodded in satisfaction:
"Excellent. These talents will not remain idle for long.Soon, they'll be put to work—each to their best use."
And this didn't even include the non-exam recruited talents, or those cultivated directly in the Immortal Academy. Combined, the numbers were staggering.
Clearly, the ministers had not failed his expectations.
Then, Yi Tianxing looked to another figure:
"Minister Jia, how stands the population?What is the total count of registered citizens?"
Back when he left, the Great Yi had already passed one hundred billion in population. Two decades later, that number must have grown considerably—but only the Celestial Registry Hall would know the true figure.
Jia Yucun stepped forward:
"Your Majesty, due to our strong encouragement of marriage and childbirth, the birthrate has remained extremely high.As of today, our registered population exceeds 1.1 trillion.Of these, over 600 billion are adults—the rest are children and infants.And every year, more children come of age.Growth has been steady, though it's now beginning to stabilize."
1.1 trillion citizens.
Just that number alone would terrify countless other factions.
Great Yi had become a supreme sanctuary for human prosperity.
Yi Tianxing nodded:
"The growth rate is indeed impressive.But such a population explosion means many Immortal Cities must be nearing capacity."
The issue now was not growth—but how to house and manage such an immense populace.
That would be the next major challenge—and one that must be resolved.