East Continent.
Across the vast lands of the central plains, golden waves of wheat rose and fell with the wind. Battlefields where blades had once clashed had now become boundless arable land. The war of unification here had begun with the dissolution of the First Sect. After three generations of warfare, River Country and the Western Alliance, once divided among feuding lords, had finally formed the Xia Kingdom of today.
The newborn Xia Kingdom displayed astonishing vitality. The bells of Southern Alliance caravans rang without cease along the northbound trade routes, their wagons laden with all manner of rare treasures. At the same time, the Xia Kingdom exchanged frequently with the Eastern Alliance along the East Sea coast, while fleets on the West Sea coast set sail on distant voyages, establishing stable trade routes with the cultivators of Linshui Prefecture.
The political structure of this rising nation was exquisitely designed. Those seated in the halls of power were descendants of the former Xia Dynasty of Central Province. Among them were branches of the imperial clan that had journeyed south from the northern grasslands, as well as surviving Xia Clan descendants who had multiplied in the south for a thousand years. Back then, the southern Xia Clan had nearly been destroyed by True Monarch Lieyang's Divine Fire. Now, these bloodlines that had survived the calamity had finally taken power once more.
Within the Imperial Court, two political forces maintained a delicate balance. The northern faction revered martial achievement and advocated expanding the realm, while the southern faction championed civil governance and focused on the people's livelihood and the economy.
This balance allowed the Xia Kingdom to retain its ambition while developing steadily. More exquisitely still, the entire nation lay beneath a rigorous religious system. The Imperial Court worshiped the True Lords,