95: Chapter 95 One Hundred and Eighty Years: First Farm, Then Train Soldiers

Three days later, all resources were finalized.

The concentration of Spiritual Qi in the Divine Kingdom had nearly doubled, the martial Dao blood and Qi environment had significantly strengthened, the scale of the spiritual fields had expanded several times, and the material inventory of the Hundred Arts Hall was abundant.

Wang Pingan's Divine Lord phantom stood in the firmament, his voice spreading across the eight thousand square kilometers of the Divine Kingdom.

"For the next one hundred and eighty years, the Divine Kingdom will focus on reproduction, education, cultivation, and the accumulation of the Hundred Arts Hall."

"Do not blindly expand the military, do not waste resources, and do not be overly eager for success."

"All towns shall establish basic schools. All youths must learn to read, practice breathing techniques, and engage in Body Refining. Those who excel will be selected to enter the Immortal Dao Ancestral Court, the Martial Dao Holy City, or the Hundred Arts Hall."

"The Spirit Planting Department shall expand spiritual rice and medicinal fields, the Formation Hall shall stabilize the Spiritual Veins, and the legions shall maintain their refinement."

Wang Mu, Wang Shan, and the heads of each department knelt and accepted the order simultaneously.

"We strictly obey the Divine Edict!"

Wang Pingan raised his hand and pressed it against the Divine Core.

The hidden talent began to operate.

The Law of Time spread out along the firmament of the Divine Kingdom.

"Master of Time, activate."

Two months in the outside world.

One hundred and eighty years in the Divine Kingdom.

In the first fifty years of the Divine Kingdom, the changes spread first through the fields.

The D-grade spiritual rice in the eastern spiritual field area spread out in swathes, with golden-green waves of rice pushing outward layer by layer along the river network.

After the first batch of spiritual rice was harvested, the Spirit Planting Department did not store it all; instead, they kept sufficient seeds and continued to reclaim land.

As the spiritual rice porridge was consumed, wisps of warmth wandered through the meridians, and the Physique of the ordinary citizens quietly improved.

In the past, many youths had to wait until they were twelve or thirteen to draw Qi into their bodies; now, children of eight or nine could sit cross-legged with closed eyes and capture the drifting Spiritual Qi.

Within the Martial Dao Academy, the half-grown youths who had grown up eating spiritual rice stood in horse stances as steady as boulders, their foundational sinews and bones far surpassing those of their fathers' generation.

This was not a feat achieved overnight.

However, under the washing of the long river of time, the transformation of every year was clearly visible.

In the tenth year, spiritual rice covered the main schools.

In the twentieth year, the replacement of the legion's rations was completed.

In the thirty-fifth year, ordinary towns began to receive a fixed supply of spiritual rice.

In the fiftieth year, the yield of the eastern spiritual field area stabilized, and for the first time, the Divine Kingdom's granary saw a long-term surplus of spiritual grain.

The head of the Spirit Planting Department grabbed a handful of golden-green rice grains, his rough fingers trembling slightly, and his eyes brimmed with warmth.

It was not out of weakness.

Rather, he knew in his heart that with this warehouse full of foundations, when the Divine Kingdom expanded its population in the future, its backbone would be able to stand straight.

During the same period, new cities rose one after another along the spiritual fields, mineral veins, water systems, and main roads.

Wang Mu suppressed the momentum of disorderly expansion.

For the foundation of a new city, the priorities were water channels, granaries, schools, medical halls, and patrol outposts; none could be missing.

The Formation Hall surveyed the direction of the earth veins, the Spirit Planting Department demarcated the boundaries of the spiritual fields, the Hundred Arts Hall dispatched skilled craftsmen, and the military was only responsible for perimeter security.

Wang Shan initially had many complaints about this tedious process.

He frowned: "To build a city, one must worry about so many regulations. Once a real war breaks out, the alien races will not just stand by and watch you dig trenches and repair canals."

Wang Mu's gaze swept over: "Once a city is in chaos, the grain supply lines will inevitably be cut, the population will flee, and the source of troops will naturally dry up. What you are aiming for is the foundation of a Divine Kingdom that can fight for a hundred years, not a crude camp that can only charge for three days."

Wang Shan was speechless for a moment and simply waved his hand: "Fine, internal affairs are yours; I will go drill the troops."

The Divine Kingdom thus stepped into a strange and stable rhythm.

Waves of rice rolled in the fields, the sound of reading echoed in the cities, pickaxes rose and fell in the deep mountains, and sparks flew in the furnace hearths.

The training shouts from the Northern Great Camp shook the heavens every day, yet the organization of the main battle army remained immovable.

Three thousand main forces repeatedly polished their combat skills.

Two thousand auxiliary troops specialized in functional roles.

The ten-thousand-strong militia reserve initiated a rotation system, with a shift change every three years and a major examination every ten years.

Those who met the standards were recorded in the reserve roster, while those who failed were returned to their original regions to serve as patrols, escorts, and workshop guards.

Wang Shan was still merciless when training people on the drill ground, but his patrolling gaze was no longer confined to the heavy-armored death squads in the front row.

The wear and tear inspection of traction ropes, the mortise and tenon assembly of the Floating Board Shield Vehicle, the stable transport of Formation Plates, and the rapid disassembly and assembly of the Artillery Battalion's high racks all became ironclad rules for new recruits.

There were those who relied on their exceptional Aptitude and felt resentful, disliking menial tasks like moving Formation Plates.

Wang Shan did not say a word, picked them up, and threw them into the Black Swamp training ground.

After half a day, when the Rescue Team fished them out, the new recruits had a stomach full of mud water, and with their heads lowered, they dared not utter a sound.

Wang Shan stood by the mud pool, his voice loud: "If you are picky on the battlefield, when you lose your life, no one will praise you for having a hard life!"

These words were subsequently solemnly carved into the military study classics.

Wang Mu, on the other hand, poured most of his heart and blood into education and the Legacy.

The basic schools expanded from the initial few to hundreds, like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.

Youths of the appropriate age, regardless of whether they came from farming families, mining households, craftsmen, or military families, were all required to study hard in the schools for three years.

Literacy, arithmetic, drawing Qi, breathing techniques, tempering sinews and bones, identifying medicinal properties, and copying formation patterns were all mandatory subjects.

After the three-year period, they were streamed according to their Aptitude.

Those with keen spiritual perception were promoted to the Immortal Dao Preparatory Institute.

Those with strong sinews and bones were selected for the Martial Dao Preparatory Camp.

Those who were meticulous and steady-handed were assigned to the Hundred Arts Hall.

Those with an affinity for plants were returned to the Agricultural Master Institute.

Even those with mediocre Aptitude could be qualified for roles as city managers, medical apprentices, warehouse accountants, and street patrol guards.

Wang Mu's heart was as clear as a mirror; the sky of the Divine Kingdom could not rely solely on a few Prodigies to hold it up.

If a civilization wishes to flourish, it must allow thousands of ordinary citizens to have a place to stand.

In the sixtieth year, the first batch of students from the schools reached adulthood.

They were well-read, could draw basic formation patterns, distinguish the toxicity of Spiritual Plants, and were also proficient in circulating the Small Heavenly Cycle and basic boxing stances.

Taking advantage of this favorable wind, the Hundred Arts Hall expanded rapidly.

In the Alchemy Pavilion, the number of apprentices fanning the fires and watching the furnaces increased tenfold.

In the Formation Hall, the predicament of a shortage of basic engraving masters was solved.

In front of the Casting Workshop, the teams sorting and hammering Ore were orderly.

In the Talisman Institute, stacks of cleansing, pulse-protecting, and low-level communication Talismans were produced.

Under the command of the Spirit Planting Department, a large number of agricultural masters graduated and were able to stand on their own, managing thousands of acres of spiritual fields and medicinal gardens.

In the eightieth year, the Legacy of the Divine Kingdom's hundred arts finally shed the greenness of being 'supported by old hands' and constructed a complete system of apprentice initiation, master instruction, standardized grading, and strict assessment.