The Growth of the Kingdom

This understanding was truly miraculous, as if Karl's previous comprehension of the Wind Element was like hearing a bell chime from miles away—crisp yet hazy, allowing him to perceive the direction of the sound, but unable to see the swinging of the bell itself.

Now, however, Karl's insights were as if the bell were right beside him; he could clearly see both the sound produced by the bell's movement and the swinging of the bell itself.

"The comprehension of Mysteries is like the sound of a bell, moving from merely hearing the chime to constructing the image of the bell within one's mind."

Karl could clearly see that the Wind Element, which had originally only been at one-fiftieth, had increased by several dozen points in just a few days; this was achieved through Karl's own personal insights.

"My talent can only be considered entry-level among Saint Realm experts. Even so, it can increase my speed of comprehension tenfold. What about those whose talent is already naturally high?"

"Tenfold is certainly an underestimate; I fear it could increase by dozens or even hundreds of times."

"If a highly talented Saint Realm expert can reach the threshold of a God in five thousand years, then here, it would only take fifty years, or perhaps even enough to cross that threshold directly."

Karl also understood in his heart that sometimes, when one cultivates for too long, even if one knows the finish line is the next step, one might not necessarily dare to actually take it.

But here, in just a few decades, Karl believed that those who could cultivate to the Saint Realm Limit would step into the God Level without the slightest hesitation if they could train in this place.

After a few more days, Karl paused his cultivation and left the area.

Cultivation was important, but the development of his territory was equally vital; that was the key to Karl's future growth.

The Magic Crystal vein had long since been mostly excavated by the army, and the difficulty of mining the remainder had increased significantly; the deeper they went underground, the harder the excavation became.

Returning to the Material Plane, Karl instantly felt the gap between the two planes.

If the Wind Element required taking a hundred steps in one direction, then with his own talent and level of comprehension, Karl could at most see the first dozen steps ahead, and anything beyond that remained blurred. In the Miniature Plane, however, Karl could not only see those hundred steps but also perceive the pattern formed by those hundred steps from a macro perspective.

This feeling was marvelous, but at the same time, Karl understood why there were so few God Level experts in the Yulan Continent.

The Yulan Continent was a Material Plane, and the Laws of a Material Plane were extremely obscure. This caused many Saint Realm experts to only be able to take one step at a time even after comprehending Mysteries; once they could no longer see the next step, they had reached their own limit. Without sufficient opportunity, their comprehension of the Mysteries might not change in the slightest for hundreds or even thousands of years.

And when it reached this point, these Saint Realm experts were left with only two paths to choose from.

"The Necropolis of the Gods" or "Heading to a Divine Plane."

Although Karl did not have this place, he could become a God in at most two thousand years, and Karl believed that his cultivation speed would definitely not be limited to 20% after two thousand years. However, being able to cultivate here would clearly make Karl's path to godhood much faster.

Returning to that mine shaft, Karl saw two warriors guarding the front of the passage and waved them over.

"From this day forward, this mine tunnel is sealed. No one is allowed to enter, and in the future, when mining, no one is permitted to approach this tunnel."

These soldiers only knew that this door was a good place, but because Karl had been inside, these soldiers had not dared to enter.

As for whether these people would go in after Karl left, Karl did not care.

After all, his orders had been issued; those who listened would naturally have a way to survive, but did they really think that just anyone could enter that door?

The Miniature Plane was a plane-level entity after all, and the two planes were connected by a door. Furthermore, the Miniature Plane could directly sense the various elemental energies within the spatial turbulence. The moment the door opened, the connection between different planes would draw in elemental forces from the outside, and the destructive power caused at that moment would be no weaker than the Saint Realm level.

Although Karl had not tried a second time, the first time had reached the Peak Saint Realm level, and even if the power were weaker in the future, it would not be by much.

Leaving the mine, Karl soon arrived at the kingdom's capital. The royal capital was naturally not the cramped Black Stone City, but the center of the Sky Wind Kingdom's power: Red Sun City.

The origin of the name Red Sun City could reportedly be traced back over a thousand years. At that time, Red Sun City was just an inconspicuous little town, but it was from this very town that a Saint Realm expert emerged, known as the Red Sun Sword Saint.

However, this Red Sun Sword Saint vanished without a trace a few hundred years after achieving the Saint Realm. Only after it was confirmed that this Saint Realm expert was gone did the city begin to be contested by others. Yet, the successive lords of this city never chose to change the name of Red Sun City, which could be considered a way of preserving a memory of the Red Sun Sword Saint.

As a city that had produced a Saint Realm expert, Red Sun City had long since reached the level of a major city after years of development, and it naturally became the capital of the Sky Wind Kingdom established by Karl.

On the city walls, which were over a hundred meters high, mottled black marks still remained—the color that only appeared after blood had dried—which meant that this city had also seen extremely cruel battles in the past.

Flying into the capital, Karl landed atop the Royal Palace. Usually, Karl did not concern himself with the development of the kingdom; most matters were handled primarily by several Level 9 Warriors, with the head steward, Luo, optimizing policies from time to time.

Luo's strength was average; his weight had increased over these years of wealthy living, and his strength hadn't changed much, but he possessed a sharp mind. He had been appointed by Karl as the Prime Minister of the kingdom, responsible for all matters, large and small. This was the reason why Level 9 Warriors like Kevin would consult with Luo.

"Your Majesty."

Luo knelt respectfully on the ground, his head pressed against the cold floor tiles. The large, purple-red robe he wore enveloped him, making him look like a single bundle.

"Rise." Karl's voice remained unchanged, making it impossible for others to discern his inner thoughts.

Upon hearing this, Luo slowly stood up, his gaze lowered. Even as the Prime Minister of the kingdom, whose status could be said to be at the pinnacle of the kingdom, Luo did not dare to show the slightest disrespect. In fact, because he had enjoyed the fruits of power, he became even more respectful. Even while standing, he only dared to look at Karl's boots; he didn't even dare to look any higher.

"According to the imperial strategy, what is the current population of the country, and how many elite legions are there? Furthermore, which experts have been recruited, and what is the current situation regarding the treatment of the kingdom's citizens?" Karl asked calmly.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the current population of the kingdom is over three hundred and seventy-six million, with over one million three hundred thousand kingdom elites. In these few years, we have recruited thirteen Level 9 experts, over sixty Level 8 experts, and more than three hundred Level 7 experts. Currently, under Your Majesty's will, the citizens of the entire nation are living and working in peace; farmers have fields and grain, and workers have stable jobs. As per Your Majesty's decree, the tax rate is generally 2%, and the tax for merchants is slightly higher, which comes to about 4% after deductions," Luo replied hurriedly.