The upheaval within the sect left Wei Yuan feeling an unprecedented sense of pressure. He had to boost the realm’s strength as quickly as possible.

Wei Yuan took stock of the resources currently at his disposal.

Qingming’s population had already reached 300,000, with more than half of them in their prime and fit for military service. Over the past few months, the youngsters of the Xu Clan had begun to display aptitudes befitting their status as descendants of an Immortal Lord as well. The vast majority of them had mastered the introductory stage of the six universal cultivation methods in less than three months, and several hundred of the fastest cultivators had already advanced to the next stage.

The cleanup of the Shaman city was still underway. The Shamans had left behind a vast amount of supplies, much of which was ready for immediate use. However, the city’s living environment was tailored to the Shamans, meaning that water was everywhere in the residential areas, and even the houses were filled with water. This meant they had no choice but to tear it all down and start over.

There were now over 1,500 Dao Foundation stage cultivators throughout the realm of Qingming, with another 100 joining their ranks each month. They represented Wei Yuan’s greatest source of confidence. That said, these people also possessed poor aptitude, and most would plateau at the middle-stage of the Dao Foundation stage for the rest of their...