637: List of best officials?

...Inside the Administrative Center Department of the Longlan Star Cluster.

Li Yang sat in his office chair, his fingertips sliding across the light screen. His gaze fell on the constantly refreshing data reports on the screen, and a faint smile slowly curved at the corners of his mouth.

"Not bad. In less than three months, the progress has been this fast."

His voice was low and steady, carrying a trace of subtle approval.

The light screen happened to freeze on the entry "Lingxiao Immortal Sect initially incorporated into Imperial jurisdiction," with the specific personnel joining the Empire attached next to it.

Li Yang nodded slowly, a satisfied glint flashing in his eyes. This move had gone more smoothly than expected.

"Calculating at this speed..."

"In a year at most, this mission should be completely settled."

However, Li Yang thought of something.

While the previous subconscious conditioning devices had worked wonders, allowing the Elders of the Lingxiao Immortal Sect to gradually accept the Empire, the entire Cultivation World was filled with countless Sects and hundreds of millions of Cultivators. Those few devices were just a drop in the bucket.

"Pal."

Li Yang's voice suddenly took on a bit more command authority.

"Find a way to get a few more subconscious conditioning devices and send them to He Dong as soon as possible."

"Yes!"

Pal immediately bowed and took the order.

After handling this matter, Li Yang leaned back in his chair and slightly relaxed his brow.

Currently, his life was indeed quite comfortable.

Since taking over the administrative work of the Longlan Star Cluster, he had drastically reformed the management system, clarified the boundaries of rights and responsibilities for each department, and established a cross-Star Domain rapid response mechanism.

In just a few years, this once chaotic and disorderly Star Cluster had taken on a completely new look and was increasingly getting on the right track.

Even the daily official business he needed to handle had decreased by more than half compared to when he first took office, and he no longer needed to do everything himself.

Through the specially made transparent window, one could see the slowly rotating planetary chains in the distant sea of stars and the Imperial patrol ships shuttling back and forth. Everything appeared to be in perfect order.

Just then, the Intellectual Brain sent a message.

"Comrade Li Yang, you have been selected for the Xili Empire Centenary Best Official List. Please travel to the core planet of the Xiyang Galaxy, Planet Xihe, in ten days to attend the commendation ceremony."

Watching this message, Li Yang paused his movements, his eyebrows arching slightly as he repeated the words on the light screen.

"Centenary Best Official? Commendation ceremony?"

His tone carried a hint of disbelief.

To be honest, upon first seeing these words, his first reaction was actually to think it was someone's prank.

After all, this was the first time he had ever heard of any Centenary Best Official List.

His fingertips slid, pulling up the full interface of the message. When his gaze fell on the signature, his pupils contracted slightly.

It wasn't a common administrative notice logo, but a gold-stamped seal engraved with the national emblem of the Xili Empire. Below it, the full name of the "Xili Empire Supreme Political Council" was clearly marked.

Seeing this, the playfulness on Li Yang's face instantly faded, replaced by a bit of gravity and seriousness.

"Centenary Best Official..."

He murmured in a low voice, a flash of irrepressible brightness crossing his eyes.

"Does it mean that I am one of the officials rated as the best in the Empire over the last century?"

Thinking this, an indescribable joy quietly surged into his heart.

He was not one to covet hollow fame, but this commendation was organized by the Imperial Supreme Political Council; it was by no means an ordinary honor.

Even if he was only on the candidate list for now, if he were finally selected, it would bring not only generous material rewards but also real merit points, which might even affect subsequent administrative promotions.

Amidst his thoughts, Li Yang's gaze drifted toward a certain coordinate on the star map: the Xiyang Galaxy.

From the data, although its scale was roughly the same as the Milky Way Galaxy and far less vast than the Longlan Star Cluster, its administrative level was a full tier higher, belonging to the core galaxies directly under the Empire's jurisdiction.

What was more worth mentioning was that the Speaker of the Xiyang Galaxy was a Grade-B Imperial official. Such a rank was already equivalent to the chief administrative officer of the Wali Long Domain Supercluster, showing how prestigious its status was.

More importantly, the Xiyang Galaxy was also located in the "Second Ring Zone" of the Imperial center. Even with the Empire's most advanced star-gate teleportation devices, it would take a considerable amount of time to transfer through.

Realizing that time was pressing, Li Yang no longer hesitated and summoned Pal again.

"Pal, come here for a moment."

In less than half a minute, Pal pushed the door and entered, still in a crisp uniform with a respectful expression.

"Captain Li Yang, what are your orders?"

"Prepare for my departure immediately."

Li Yang pointed at the light screen on the desk.

"In ten days, I'm going to Planet Xihe in the Xiyang Galaxy to attend the commendation ceremony of the Imperial Supreme Political Council."

He paused and added.

"The itinerary should be as compact as possible. Prioritize applying for military star-gate access permissions. Additionally, temporarily hand over the daily affairs of the Longlan Star Cluster to the Vice Speaker for management. Sync important documents to me in real-time via encrypted channels."

"Yes, sir!"

Pal immediately took the order.

"I will contact the Administration Bureau immediately to apply for transit permits and coordinate with the logistics department to prepare the warp ship and accompanying guards to ensure you arrive on time."

...Meanwhile, ten days was but a blink of an eye for a Cultivator, yet it was enough for the four words "Xili Empire" to thunder across the entire Cultivation World.

The battle of Demon Suppressing City had already spread to every corner through the word-of-mouth of surviving Cultivators.

Coupled with the intentional or unintentional promotion by the Disciples and Elders within the Lingxiao Immortal Sect, the label of "Ancient Hidden Power" was deeply branded onto the name of the Xili Empire.

"It's said that the Empire's Legacy comes from the era of Ancient Gods and Demons, and they hold the secret to immortality!"

"I saw the ruins of Demon Suppressing City with my own eyes. Even Mahayana Stage Cultivators were powerless. Such power is definitely not something a contemporary Sect could possess!"

"Have you heard? Even the Lingxiao Immortal Sect has been incorporated under the Empire's banner. If we Loose Cultivators can join, why worry that the Great Dao is out of reach?"

Rumors circulated in marketplaces, Secret Realm entrances, and even remote cultivation villages. The Loose Cultivators, who had previously fought alone, seemed to have found a new home. They flocked in groups to the Lingxiao Immortal Sect or the Forbidden Ground, wanting to apply to join the Xili Empire.

Even some small Sects with a territory of less than a hundred miles and weak strength proactively sent messengers with visiting cards, willing to fall under the Empire's map as vassals.

For a time, the Forbidden Ground—a place that used to be a death trap for Cultivators—became bustling with activity.

But this enthusiasm did not cause He Dong, who was responsible for coordinating this matter, to lose his composure.

The Empire's recruitment standards were already clear: the human race was the foundation, but by no means the only condition.

Just like screening Blue Star, even if they were all humans, those with despicable Heart-Nature would ultimately fail the Empire's audit.

Many powerful Cultivators were also screened out. Though they were dissatisfied, facing the Empire's weapons, they could only leave dejectedly.

The screening work was in full swing, and the reputation of the Xili Empire rose accordingly.

Compared to the strict entry thresholds and resource monopolies of the major top-tier Sects, the Empire's recruitment standards, while strict, appeared more fair.

Regardless of noble or lowly birth, and regardless of whether one had a Sect background, as long as one's conduct was upright, they could obtain equal resource support.

Under such a contrast, the Empire's prestige actually showed signs of surpassing old top-tier Sects like the Lingxiao Immortal Sect, becoming an existence that countless Cultivators in the Cultivation World yearned for...