"Reporting to the King, your subordinate is willing. Even if it means exhausting everything I have, I will build a top-tier naval force for Great Yi!"Zhang Shun immediately dropped to one knee and answered solemnly, without the slightest hesitation.
Looking at the army of tens of millions before him, his heart burned with excitement. No commander could refuse such soldiers; no one would turn down the chance to lead them. With these soldiers, it would be entirely possible to rapidly form a fully qualified navy in the shortest time.
"Very well. I intend to establish a new legion—the Five Elements Legion, corresponding to the five elements. It will consist of the Sharp Gold Legion, Floodwater Legion, Great Wood Legion, Blazing Fire Legion, and Thick Earth Legion. Zhang Shun, are you willing to form the Floodwater Legion and serve as its commander? Build a first-class navy for Great Yi."
Yi Tianxing spoke after a moment of thought.
"Your subordinate is willing!!"Zhang Shun replied without hesitation, his heart surging with emotion.
This was a tremendous opportunity. How could he possibly refuse? The navy was unlike other branches—it was perfectly suited for him. Unlike Zhuge Liang or Gongshu Lin, he had not taken the imperial examination path because he knew he was not adept at the Four Books and Five Classics. The military, however, was a different matter. With his abilities, he deserved this post by right.
No one could argue with such an appointment.
"Zhang Shun, receive your command!"
"I am here."
Zhang Shun answered respectfully.
"I hereby appoint Zhang Shun as Commander of the Floodwater Legion, with a legion size of five hundred thousand soldiers, composed of various troop types. I bestow upon you the Floodwater Elemental Command Token."
Without hesitation, Yi Tianxing issued the decree.
A command token, bearing the image of a torrential flood, floated into the air and split into two halves. One half remained with Yi Tianxing; the other half flew toward Zhang Shun.
"Zhang Shun thanks the King. I vow to serve the King and Great Yi to the death."
Zhang Shun bowed and accepted the token. Holding it, he felt the weight of immense responsibility. A 500,000-strong army—this was power he had never wielded before. As a legion commander, he now carried the hopes of every soldier under him. He also bore the responsibility of building Great Yi's naval force. Whether he could live up to that trust was something only his future efforts could prove.
With the decree, a Divine List of Appointments appeared before Yi Tianxing. Naturally, Zhang Shun's name emerged on it, and a wisp of his true spirit entered the Hall of Ten Thousand Immortals. In that moment, he was granted a surge of national destiny energy, and Zhang Shun's aura began to grow rapidly. Inside him, one could hear the roaring of rivers and waves—an overwhelming surge of water.
His aura seemed ready to break into the Life Map Realm at any moment. Behind him, rolling waves appeared as if a Life Map would form at any second. The Blackwater True Scripture he practiced appeared poised for transformation.
He was about to condense his core Life Map: Blackwater True Dragon Diagram.
During the Divine Demon Battlefield, his Life Apertures had been continuously opened under the influence of heaven and earth's power. With his apertures complete, the breakthrough to the Life Map Realm was already within reach. Now, with the national destiny flooding into him—boundless vital energy and martial qi pouring in—he seemed on the verge of ascending.
Streams of water began to form into the shape of a black dragon.
Just as Zhang Shun was about to condense his Life Map, Yi Tianxing suddenly raised his hand. A water dragon appeared and swiftly flew in front of Zhang Shun. Forming a ring by connecting head and tail, the dragon encircled him and merged into his body. The moment it entered, the ascending aura abruptly settled down, as if an invisible force suppressed it.
The energy granted by the destiny surge was not lost, but sealed within him—waiting for release. If desired, he could still break through at any time and receive great aid to his cultivation.
Yi Tianxing had personally suppressed Zhang Shun's breakthrough.
"Your Majesty?"Zhang Shun opened his eyes and looked at Yi Tianxing, puzzled. He didn't understand why his breakthrough had been stopped at the final moment. Though the destiny power remained within him, it still left him confused.
"You have joined Great Yi and become Commander of the Floodwater Legion. As the head of an entire legion, I now permit you to choose one of the two high-grade military cultivation techniques in our army. These two will not conflict with your current practice but rather complement it, helping you forge a more powerful foundation. It will make your cultivation far more effective within the army."
Yi Tianxing replied calmly.
🟦 [Heavenly Soldier War Codex] and 🟦 [Heavenly General War Codex]These are the two principal military cultivation methods within Great Yi. They are top-tier techniques that, uniquely, can fuse seamlessly with any other cultivation methods, enhancing their effects rather than hindering them.
When cultivated, these codices allow soldiers and generals to harness battlefield qi without interference—sometimes even amplifying it. These codices are especially beneficial before reaching the Life Map Realm, refining one's foundational strength.
"So that's how it is. Thank you, Your Majesty."Zhang Shun's confusion vanished, replaced with eager anticipation.
Soldiers cultivated the Heavenly Soldier Codex, while generals trained in the Heavenly General Codex. It was a military rule within Great Yi. Each soldier trained in the codex while also practicing another technique, combining both. Zhang Shun, new to Great Yi, would never have known this on his own. If not for Yi Tianxing's intervention, breaking through first would have weakened the benefits of the codex when added later.
"After leaving the barracks, you may visit the Scripture Repository to select the Heavenly General Codex. However, in our system, all techniques and skills require merit points. Each individual may receive one basic cultivation method and one combat technique for free, but these are only foundational."
Yi Tianxing continued with a nod.
Rules around merit points applied to all within Great Yi without exception.
Merit points were not difficult to earn. One could gain them either by going to war or by donating techniques or scriptures to the repository—assuming they weren't already catalogued. Only original or unique contributions would yield merit.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
A beam of light flashed, and information about the merit system naturally appeared in Zhang Shun's mind. He quickly made up his mind:
"If I can avoid owing merit, I will. My Blackwater True Scripture is already a high-grade water-element technique with a complete Life Map structure and detailed Life Aperture guidance. I also possess several other techniques and secret arts. If these aren't in the repository, I could trade them for a large sum of merit. That way, I won't need to owe anything—and I might even come out ahead."
Scriptures were abundant in the repository, but only those not already in the collection could earn merit. Moreover, each scripture could only be traded once—so whoever submitted it first reaped the rewards.
"But a navy must have ships. I wonder if Great Yi has any skilled shipbuilders."
Zhang Shun asked.
Great Yi had the Eternal Evergreen River, vast and flowing—but navies couldn't exist without water, and without training in water, they were useless. Ships were essential. But building ships was no simple task—especially not in a world of cultivators. A mundane ship wouldn't last a moment against the river beasts. The man-eating fish of Evergreen River alone could reduce a basic ship to fragments in seconds.
They needed warships capable of withstanding magic, divine abilities, and monsters alike.
"Master Lu, can you build ships?"Yi Tianxing turned to Lu Shi.
"I have studied shipbuilding," Lu Shi said after a moment's thought, "but my designs are all for ordinary warships. To build ships suitable for the cultivation world, we must start from scratch, integrating formation patterns and refining techniques. That will take time."
"Yes, we of the Gongshu Clan have designs for mechanical warships. They're powerful in both defense and attack. But the required materials are extremely rare, and I don't currently possess the schematics."
Gongshu Lin frowned slightly.
Mechanical ships were not ordinary vessels. They used mechanisms and enchantments to gain formidable abilities. But without the blueprints, reproducing them would be nearly impossible.
"I do, however, have a set of warship schematics in my possession. Whether they can be built will depend on you, Master Lu, and Mister Gongshu. If they succeed, it will be a major achievement for Great Yi."
Yi Tianxing said calmly, unfazed by the setback.