Road to Empire!

"Mm!" Yaoye first nodded at Yaoyue, then looked at Jia He.

Jia He rose and bowed. "Sister Yaoye!"

Yaoye still thought highly of Jia He. Looking at him, she asked, "Why didn't you go to the Book Collection Pavilion today?"

Jia He said, "I've already finished reading the ancient texts, cultivation methods, and Dou Techniques in the Book Collection Pavilion, so I came here to see if I could gain any insights!"

"I see. Yue'er, look at Jia He. You're only at the second stage of Dou Qi even now. You should learn from Jia He properly, understand?" Yaoye nodded approvingly, then turned to reprimand Yaoyue.

Yaoyue stood to one side with her head lowered dejectedly. "I understand, Sister!"

Yaoye shook her head helplessly, then came over and pulled Jia He and Yaoyue down to sit on the stone chairs.

Jia He noticed a trace of worry in the depths of Yaoye's beautiful eyes and asked, "Sister Yaoye, is something troubling you?"

Yaoye tilted her head toward Jia He and smiled. "No. Why?"

Jia He said, "I only saw sorrow in your eyes and thought I would ask. Since Sister Yaoye doesn't wish to say it, then forget it!"

At those words, a strange glint flashed through Yaoye's eyes. Only then did she remember that this little fellow before her was no ordinary person.

"It's nothing. There's no harm in telling you."

Then Yaoye slowly said, "Over the years, as the Imperial Family's talented members have gradually dwindled, quite a few disloyal elements have emerged within the empire."

"Today's Jia Ma is surrounded by three great empires from without, while the Misty Cloud Sect sleeps like a fierce tiger within. The Imperial Family alone cannot hold everything up!"

Yaoyue had originally still harbored some resentment toward her sister, but upon hearing those words, her eyes were filled only with heartache.

Jia He looked at Yaoye and said, "With the empire's current military strength, it should still have more than enough power to fend off the encroachment of the other three great empires, shouldn't it?"

Yaoye nodded slightly. "That's right. The empire has never been lax in training its troops, and none of the border strongholds have suffered any incidents."

"Then that's good." Jia He spoke calmly.

Yaoye furrowed her delicate brows. "That's good? What do you mean?"

"To repel external threats, one must first settle internal troubles. Since the outside can be held off, begin by purging the inside. There are still three great families within the Imperial Capital."

"The Nalan Clan and Mu Clan still possess strength within the military, so win them over as much as possible. During this period, the Imperial Family must also train troops loyal only to itself," Jia He said slowly.

Yaoye said, "The Imperial Capital's Imperial Guards number fifty thousand men in total, and they are all troops loyal only to the Imperial Family."

"That is far from enough. The empire's territory is vast; it needs at least five hundred thousand troops to fully control it. Beyond that, if Jia Ma wishes to march against the other three great empires, it must have more than eight hundred thousand troops!" Jia He said.

Yaoye was thoroughly stunned. "Eight hundred thousand troops? Jia Ma simply can't support that many soldiers!"

"That is because the Jia Ma Imperial Family's influence currently extends only to the regions west of the Imperial Capital. In the northeast and south of the empire, the Imperial Family's control is far inferior to that of the Mu Clan and Nalan Clan!" Jia He said.

Then Jia He looked at Yaoye and said, "Besides that, the army's combat strength is also crucial. I have a cultivation method that I comprehended myself. It is enough to allow everyone to embark on the path of cultivation and break through to the Dou Shi realm!"

"If someone has decent talent, breaking through to Da Dou Shi or even the Dou Ling realm is not impossible!"

As Jia He spoke, he lightly brushed the storage ring on his hand. A flash of light passed, and a book appeared in his palm.

Yaoye accepted it somewhat blankly. Five large characters were written on the cover: "Basic Cultivation Method."

"Did you truly comprehend this cultivation method yourself?" Yaoye asked Jia He.

Jia He nodded. "Yes. It should greatly increase the army's combat strength. In the future, the empire can use it as a foundation to train even stronger troops."

"There is one more thing. Of the three great families in the Imperial Capital, the one we should value first is not the Mu Clan or the Nalan Clan, but the Mite'er Family!" Jia He reminded her.

Yaoye said, "The Mite'er Family? I heard that the Mite'er Family's patriarch is only a three-star Dou Wang. He isn't stronger than Mu Chen, the Mu Clan's patriarch, or Nalan Jie, the Nalan Clan's patriarch, is he?"

"This isn't a matter of whether they are strong or not. The Mite'er Family's commercial network spans the entire Jia Ma Empire. They can offer us far more help!"

"Moreover, as far as I know, the Mite'er Family also has a Grand Elder, a Dou Emperor expert comparable even to Great-Grandfather, known as the Ice Emperor!" Jia He said calmly.

Yaoye said in astonishment, "How is that possible?"

At that moment, a figure suddenly appeared within the small pavilion. It was Jia Xing Tian.

Jia Xing Tian looked at Yaoye and chuckled. "Yaoye, He'er is right. The Mite'er Family does indeed have a Grand Elder, but he disappeared long ago. I heard he went to the Tagor Desert, where the Snake-People Tribe has taken root. I'm afraid his chances are grim!"

Then Jia Xing Tian looked at Jia He and asked, "This matter is quite secretive. How did you know about it?"

"The ancient texts in the Book Collection Pavilion recorded it, but they did not mention the Ice Emperor's final whereabouts," Jia He said.

Jia Xing Tian knew that Jia He had read many ancient texts and cultivation methods in the Book Collection Pavilion, so he did not question him further.

Then Jia Xing Tian took the Basic Cultivation Method from Yaoye's hand and read through it. He immediately exclaimed, "This cultivation method is indeed rather unique. It focuses on tempering the body, supplemented by medicinal pills. It is highly suitable for those in the army to cultivate. Yaoye, make preparations and pass this cultivation method down."

Yaoye nodded. "All right, I'll arrange it immediately!"

With that, Yaoye hurried out of the pavilion.

After Yaoye left, Jia Xing Tian looked at Yaoyue and said, "You little girl, after some time, I'll take you to the Alchemist Association and find you a master!"

"Ah~?" Yaoyue's little face immediately fell.

Jia Xing Tian said helplessly, "You've begun cultivating now, and your Dou Qi is fire-attributed. Previously, Master Chimeil of the Alchemist Association thought you had the talent to become an alchemist and intended to take you as his disciple!"

"An alchemist?" The moment she heard of this profession, Yaoyue's eyes burst with light.

Jia He, standing to the side, was not surprised by this news. After all, in the original story, Yaoyue had been Vice President Mitchell's disciple.

"Right, He'er, your Dou Qi seems to be fire-attributed as well, doesn't it? Would you like to visit the Alchemist Association? If you can become an alchemist, that would be quite good too!" Jia Xing Tian said as he looked at Jia He.

Hearing this, Yaoyue also looked at Jia He with anticipation, clearly hoping that he could go with her.

The Qi Scripture cultivated by Jia He allowed him to choose the attribute of Dou Qi he wished to cultivate.

The first attribute Jia He chose was fire. Of course, he had also incorporated a trace of wood attribute into his cultivation, all so that he could enter the ranks of alchemists in the future!

Jia He smiled. "Sure. There aren't any books left for me to read in the palace anyway. Going to the Alchemist Association to learn would be nice!"

New book, please support!