Only after doing all that did Shen Yi slightly loosen his restraint on his own power.
He slowly closed his eyes. His vast, pure will was like an invisible curtain of sky, silently radiating outward in all directions with him at its center.
His will swept over mountains and rivers, skimmed across ruined cities and newly emerging settlements, sensing every trace of life, every flow of energy, and the Rule Veins across this land.
A moment later, Shen Yi opened his eyes again. A flicker of surprise crossed them, then turned into faint gratification.
"The recovery is faster than I expected."
Within his perception, the current Xia Country, and even all of Blue Star, was still devastated, still scarred by the erosion of the Black Fog and the disasters of the apocalypse, but vitality was returning at an astonishing speed.
Beside city ruins that had once been turned into dead zones by the Black Fog and monsters, orderly settlements were springing up like bamboo shoots after rain.
Though they were far smaller than before the apocalypse, their streets were neat, their defenses complete, and farmland and simple factories had begun operating.
There was less numbness and despair on people's faces now, and more of the busyness and hope that came with rebuilding their homes.
The population was still far below its peak, but the downward trend had been completely reversed, and there had even been considerable growth.
The birth rate had risen somewhat in the relatively stable environment, and trade and communication between settlements were also beginning to recover.
More importantly, the oppressive aura of despair and chaos that had once permeated the air had mostly dissipated.
In its place, a tenacious, upward-rising vitality was surging.
By rough estimate, the degree to which civilization across Blue Star had recovered had