96: Chapter 96 Ten Thousand Foundation Establishment Experts, One Thousand Half-Step Experts

Wang Pingan's Divine Thought hung high in the firmament, quietly observing the vicissitudes of the world.

He did not frequently manifest his divinity to issue decrees.

During this seclusion, his intention was not to handle every trivial matter personally, but to allow the fertile soil of the Divine Kingdom to spontaneously nurture a rigorous order.

Wang Mu coordinated domestic affairs, Wang Shan held command over the military, and the heads of each department performed their duties.

If the Divine Lord had to decide on every little detail, this civilization would remain a toddler learning to walk.

In the ninetieth year, the heavy pressure of a population explosion quietly emerged.

Although the spiritual fields were vast, the number of newborns increased year by year, making the turnover of town granaries increasingly tight.

In several new cities attached to mineral veins, most of the young adults were drafted by the mines, causing a shortage of labor for cultivating the spiritual fields.

Furthermore, the academies in remote areas suffered from a lack of teachers, causing the students' coursework to lag severely.

Wang Mu did not sugarcoat the situation and immediately summoned the heads of all departments to initiate a major administrative meeting.

His expression was grave: "A thriving population is a blessing, but if food supplies, education, medical arts, and Laws are disconnected, this blessing will turn into a disaster."

The Spirit Planting Department immediately decided to send more agricultural experts to the new cities.

Hundred Arts Hall promised to distribute standardized Formation Plates to remote areas, using Formations to replace human labor.

The head of the academy submitted a petition, requesting to select young Cultivators from the Immortal Dao Ancestral Court to go to the grassroots level and teach for ten years.

Wang Shan spoke up for the first time in an age: "After each round of training for the militia reserves, send a batch back home to fill the vacancies in patrols and transport. Do not let them circle around the camp all day; returning to their hometowns can also stabilize the rear."

Wang Mu nodded slightly: "This plan is very appropriate."

Through this series of adjustments, the gears of the Divine Kingdom's operations meshed tightly once again.

Wang Pingan watched this internal problem-solving, his inner approval growing stronger.

This was precisely the foundation of civilization he craved.

When encountering setbacks, they did not wait for divine grace, but rather unraveled the problems, pooled their wisdom, and implemented solid countermeasures.

In the one-hundredth year, the Divine Kingdom finally welcomed a true grand harvest festival.

The spiritual rice granaries were full.

The four major veins of the medicinal fields took shape.

Inside the Alchemy Pavilion, military-grade Clear Pulse Anti-Miasma Pills, Qi Recovery Pills, and Body Tempering Powders were produced continuously.

In the Formation Hall, low-level Spirit Gathering, Pulse Stabilizing, and Miasma Clearing Formation Plates piled up like mountains.

The Casting Workshop not only compensated for the battle losses of the Black Swamp campaign but also stockpiled a massive amount of new-style armor plates.

The basic Talismans produced by the Talisman Institute were sent to various legions and prefectures like snowflakes.

War logistics had completely broken free from the reliance on externally purchased resources.

Within the territory of the Divine Kingdom, a closed loop of self-production, self-cultivation, self-education, and self-replenishment had been forged.

Wang Shan stood in front of the mountain of military supplies and grinned, cursing with a smile: "In the past, I would have been heartbroken for half the night over a broken piece of armor. Now, if it breaks, we fix it. If it can't be fixed, we dismantle it, smelt it down, and it becomes a fine piece of equipment again."

Wang Mu poured cold water at the right time: "Don't go fighting reckless battles just because our foundation is solid."

Wang Shan glared: "I am now as steady as Mount Tai in my command of troops."

The few veteran soldiers on duty nearby heard this and shook with suppressed laughter.

Wang Shan swept his gaze over them: "What are you laughing at! I am a steady commander now."

The old soldiers hurriedly lowered their heads, forcing themselves not to make a sound.

This scene was recorded in the miscellaneous notes by the army scribe and later spread through the academies, becoming a subject of lively discussion for the youths during tea time.

Jokes aside, the legions' training never slacked off in the slightest.

The Black Swamp battle case was analyzed in minute detail.

The old accounts of the Blood Moon Wreckage were also brought out and revisited.

Every advance into a Formation, every retreat, every risky rescue, and every time a Formation pattern broke was compiled into a book, studied, and recited until memorized.

The main combat legions refined extreme lethality, the auxiliary legions polished specialized skills, and the militia reserves honed Formation maneuvering.

In the one hundred and tenth year, the appearance of the Divine Kingdom had been turned upside down.

The spiritual fields were crisscrossed with paths, the city walls were orderly, the sound of reading in the academies was incessant, and the hundred arts flourished.

The northern camp's aura of slaughter soared into the sky, the Immortal Dao Ancestral Court's spiritual light was dazzling, and the Martial Dao Holy City's Qi and blood surged like a furnace.

Wang Pingan saw everything clearly; the early stages of lying low and deep cultivation had reached a Transcendent level.

Next was the moment for the explosive growth of their foundation and the revealing of their sharp edge.

In the one hundred and twentieth year, the long-term accumulation of Spiritual Qi and Qi and blood began to erupt.

The first to break through were the younger generation from the academies.

They had eaten spiritual rice since childhood, learned breathing techniques, practiced basic boxing stances, understood pharmacology, and knew Formation patterns.

Many had completed their Body Refining and Body Forging foundations before the age of sixteen, and after coming of age, they entered their respective fields, with their cultivation levels rising far beyond their parents' generation.

The number of Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the Immortal Dao Ancestral Court began to climb rapidly.

The number of Blood Condensation Martial Artists in the Martial Dao Holy City also continued to increase.

Wang Mu established a Cultivator roster, registering all citizens at the Foundation Establishment and Blood Condensation Realms and above.

The roster did not only record their Realm but also their specialty.

Combat, Alchemy, Formation, Talisman, Spirit Planting, Medical Cultivator, Artifact Refining, Military Supplies, and Academy Teaching were each categorized separately.

Wang Mu stood above the great hall of the Immortal Dao Ancestral Court, his voice like a great bell.

"Realm is not the only standard. The Divine Kingdom needs battle Cultivators, but it also needs Alchemists, Formation masters, agricultural experts, and instructors."

"Everyone on the roster will be trained according to their strengths; do not focus solely on military merit."

Some young Foundation Establishment Cultivators were not convinced.

They felt that because their cultivation level was high, they should join the main combat legions and follow Wang Shan to the front lines to kill the enemy.

Wang Mu did not reprimand them, only letting them go to the military camp to participate in a Black Swamp drill.

Three days later, this group of young Cultivators was all humbled.

They could use Flying Swords to kill enemies, but they could not maintain Formation in the toxic swamp.

They had plenty of Spiritual Qi, but they did not know how to protect the Artillery Battalion's high platforms.

They could fight individually, but they did not understand the rhythm of the command flags in a military Formation.

Wang Shan stood by the training ground with his arms crossed, watching this group of young Cultivators rolling in the mud, and roared at the top of his lungs.

"You want to join the main combat legions? Fine, first learn to obey orders."

"The battlefield doesn't lack people who want to earn merit; it lacks people who can survive while completing military orders."

These words were as hard as cast iron; no one dared to speak up to refute them.

After the military meeting, a portion of the Cultivators were transferred to the Formation Hall and the Talisman Institute.

Another portion entered the Medical Cultivator camp and the Spirit Planting Department.

Only those truly suitable for combat entered the military reserve system.

Wang Shan also began to screen new talent from the Blood Condensation Martial Artists.

He did not expand the three-thousand-strong main combat legion establishment, but only continuously replaced veteran soldiers who were too old, had accumulated too many injuries, or were no longer suitable for frontline combat.

The retired veteran soldiers were not cast aside.

They entered the training camp, responsible for training the militia reserves and new recruits.

These veterans had fought in the Blood Moon Wreckage and endured the Black Swamp backflow; they knew which areas on the battlefield were the easiest to die in.

The new recruits they trained had much less 'flashy' technique.

In the one hundred and thirtieth year, the number of Foundation Establishment and Blood Condensation individuals exceeded thirty thousand.

In the one hundred and fortieth year, it exceeded fifty thousand.

In the one hundred and fiftieth year, it exceeded seventy thousand.

The benefits brought by the spiritual rice, Medicinal Pills, Qi and blood pools, and the academy system were fully manifested over these decades.

Wang Pingan's Divine Kingdom no longer had only five thousand combat-ready troops capable of fighting.

A massive reserve was growing.

These people were usually distributed in towns, workshops, academies, spiritual fields, and mines, but during wartime, they could quickly transfer into auxiliary legions, militia camps, and reserve battle Cultivator squads.

Wang Shan's rough fingers traced over the roster, and a fire ignited in his eyes.

"If the Divine Lord gives the order, one hundred thousand reserves can be mobilized."

Wang Mu turned a page of the account book and, without raising his head, poured a bucket of cold water.

"Mobilizing them is easy, but supporting them is hard."

"Armor, Medicinal Pills, Formation Plates, food supplies, military pay, instructors—everything must be accounted for."

Wang Shan's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed his words back.

He knew that every word Wang Mu said was reasonable.

In the past, he wanted to incorporate every strong person he saw into the legions, but now he understood that a legion wasn't just about having as many people as possible.

Only those that could be supported by logistics, controlled by military discipline, and driven by tactics could be called a legion.

Otherwise, it was just a group of people who knew how to Cultivate rushing forward to their deaths.

In the one hundred and fifty-fifth year, Wang Mu, Wang Shan, and several veteran core citizens successively touched upon a higher threshold.

The Spiritual Qi within Wang Mu's body had been compressed to the extreme, and his Divine Soul faintly held the prototype of a Purple Mansion.

Wang Shan's Qi and blood were also heavy to the extreme, and his physical strength had repeatedly impacted the Martial Master bottleneck.

But at every critical moment, the firmament of the Divine Kingdom would descend with an invisible restriction.

That was the carrying limit of a demigod's Divine Kingdom.

Since the Divine Lord had not yet entered the First Rank, the Law of the Divine Kingdom could not yet stably support the Purple Mansion and Martial Master Realms.

After failing his first attempt to break through, Wang Shan punched the ground of the martial arts field, creating a large crater.

He was not seriously injured, but his chest felt stifled and uncomfortable.

"Almost, just that little bit."

Wang Mu's breath hitched, the Spiritual Qi in his Meridians surged backward, and the Jade Slip in his hand was shaken with several fine cracks.

"It is not that our foundation is insufficient, it is that the firmament does not allow it."

Both of them simultaneously looked up at the firmament.

"I implore my foster fathers and mothers to leave a five-star review; there have been too many negative reviews lately."

"This foster son kowtows in gratitude. Also, 'powering with love' is free, you know."