Through the "Chronicles of the Nine Continents," Hua Shirong finally came to understand that the relative strength among the continents of the Nine Continents is determined by the size of the continent, the geographical environment, the thinness of the earth's qi, and the cultivation realms of the cultivators.
It is significantly different from the power dynamics between countries on Earth.
On Earth, the strength of a country is determined by its comprehensive development in various aspects such as politics, economy, military, diplomacy, and culture, as well as its influence.
Hua Shirong couldn't believe that the Nine Continents was such a vast continent!
Even after closing the book for a long time, Hua Shirong couldn't help but sigh and was unwilling to believe everything he had learned.
According to the "Chronicles of the Nine Continents," not only are there powerful demon beasts on the land of the Nine Continents, but also in the sea, which makes communication between continents quite difficult.
If one wants to travel across continents, they must have strong power to control a flying vessel capable of crossing the sea. Otherwise, it requires substantial financial resources to use the teleportation arrays established between continents.
Teleportation arrays?
Do they really exist?
Hua Shirong knew about this magical device from numerous cultivation novels, but he didn't expect it to actually exist in the Nine Continents.
This must be the unknown special means of transportation, he thought.
This explains why a thick book like the "Chronicles of the Nine Continents" can be successfully compiled and distributed as a preliminary reference tool for understanding this continent. It has been widely printed by official authorities and distributed to schools for students to read.
As a member of the Fengming Continent, Hua Shirong naturally paid more attention to it.
The "Chronicles of the Nine Continents" mentions that Fengming Continent has the smallest land area among the Lower Four Continents, and even so, the distance between the east and west is millions of miles apart.
Within Fengming Continent, there exist three powerful empires: Da Qin, Da Yan, and the Murong Empire.
After completing the unification of their respective territories thousands of years ago, the three empires formed a situation of dividing the world among themselves. Since then, Fengming Continent has entered a peaceful period that has lasted for thousands of years, and there has been no war between countries.
The distance between the three kingdoms is extremely vast, with countless towering mountains, steep peaks, and deep valleys separating them. Within these deep forests and mountains, there are various powerful demon beasts.
It is evident that a military expedition would not be welcomed by the people. No ruler would undertake such an action. The three kingdoms took full advantage of this long period of peace to steadily develop their own countries.
The content of the "Chronicles of Phoenix City" mainly introduces the situation of the three towns under the jurisdiction of Phoenix City and provides an overview of the Da Qin Empire.
From this, Hua Shirong learned that the Da Qin Empire governed eight prefectures in its capital, totaling thirty-six districts. In the map of the Da Qin Empire, one prefecture governed three districts, one district governed three cities, and one city governed three towns.
However, the imperial capital was an exception, as it directly governed four districts and twelve cities, all under the control of the imperial family.
In Hua Shirong's understanding, in the history of Huaxia, a prefecture and a county were almost equivalent in size or administrative units. However, on the Nine Continents, a prefecture is the most powerful institution under the central authority, second only to the imperial capital.
In the administrative system of Da Qin, officials at the prefecture, district, and city levels were appointed by higher-level authorities, while the management of towns relied on powerful forces such as sects and clans. They would contribute considerable wealth and treasures to the higher authorities on a regular basis in exchange for long-term jurisdiction.
In order to maintain their rule or empathize with the people, the Da Qin Empire not only dispatched permanent troops but also periodically sent important personnel to inspect and secretly assess the loyalty of these powerful forces to the empire.
Hua Shirong learned that in the thousands of years since the establishment of the Da Qin Empire, there had been no cases of prefects, district lords, or city lords conspiring against the imperial family, attempting rebellion, or seizing power.
The "Chronicles of Phoenix City" mentioned that Yishui Town is located in the remote southwest corner of the Da Qin Empire, which would be synonymous with a border, old, poor, and desolate area on Earth.
Yishui Town is under the jurisdiction of Phoenix City.
From a high altitude, Yishui Town looks like a lost child wandering in a dense forest, helpless and situated on a narrow and vast plain stretching thousands of miles from north to south and three hundred miles wide. It hesitates, wanders, and dares not move, surrounded by lush green mountains that extend as far as the eye can see.
Phoenix City, which governs it, is thousands of miles away, separated by these dense and towering mountains.
The surrounding mountains that encircle Yishui Town are the branches of the Qinling Mountains within the Da Qin Empire—the Yifeng Mountain Range. Two towering peaks on the east and west stand thousands of zhang high, facing each other from a distance, forming a barrier that blocks the way out of Yishui Town.
Truly vast and sparsely populated! Hua Shirong couldn't help but sigh.
On this narrow plain, people cultivate various crops such as grains, fruits, and medicinal herbs necessary for human life. And these agricultural activities are carried out in the form of family-based cultivation.
In the present Nine Continents, humans must live in communities in order to protect themselves. The existence of powerful demon beasts forces people to build tall and sturdy walls around their living areas.
While humans on Earth consider themselves the pinnacle of all creatures, on the Nine Continents, they have to compete with fierce and formidable demon beasts for living space.
Through the "Chronicles of Phoenix City," Hua Shirong learned that Yishui Town has been built for over ten thousand years, making it an ancient city. However, the identity of its original builder is unknown and cannot be determined.
But Hua Shirong knows that the builder must have been a great being.
Only someone with profound knowledge and abilities could plan such a grand layout as Yishui Town.
Yishui Town is built by the water, with the Yishui River, about three li wide, flowing to its west.
The surging river water rushes out from the distant peaks of the Wanhua Ridge to the west, flowing eastward. However, when it reaches Yishui Town, it makes a 180-degree turn, curves toward the north gate, makes another big turn, flows past the east gate, and rushes toward the mountains, hugging the foothills of the eastern peak, Bolang Peak.
The vast plain is thus divided into two halves by the Yishui River.
Fifteen li from the east gate of Yishui Town, people have built a stone arch bridge taking advantage of the terrain, facilitating travel and farming on the opposite bank.
The city walls of Yishui Town are thirty zhang high and five zhang thick, all constructed with huge stones, exceptionally strong and difficult to breach. Two straight green stone roads, each ten zhang wide, traverse the city, connecting the four city gates in the east, west, south, and north, intersecting at the town center.
These two intersecting roads divide Yishui Town into four organized districts: southeast, northeast, southwest, and northwest.
Yishui Town stretches forty li from north to south and twenty li from east to west, with a population of nearly a million. There are hundreds or thousands of families, making governance quite challenging.
Within the Da Qin Empire, the governance of remote towns is completely decentralized. Local powerful families and sects have full authority over them.
As for how to govern, city-level officials never interfere; they only stipulate a fixed amount of annual tribute. If the tribute is not met, the control over the town will change hands.
Yishui Town is no exception.
It is unified and governed by the Ling family, the most powerful force.
However, due to their limited strength, the Ling family only has complete control over the wealthiest northwest and northeast regions. The southeast and southwest regions are allocated and managed by multiple influential families who have a good relationship with the Ling family.
Of course, these families will allocate a portion of the benefits to accommodate the Ling family.
This reasonable balance of interests not only maximizes the benefits of the strongest family but also binds other powerful families together with the Ling family, ensuring their profitability.
Such an alliance based on mutual interests is the most secure and enduring.
The greatest advantage of this approach is that no other family dares to challenge their authority, and it achieves the goal of jointly managing the town!
According to Hua Shirong's knowledge, in the past century, there have been no instances of other families challenging the Ling family in Yishui Town. On the surface, it appears quite harmonious.
Small families like the Hua family have no qualifications to meddle in the affairs of managing Yishui Town.
In this martial-dominant continent, the strength of one's power determines their wealth and honor.
The division of wealth in Yishui Town among the major families only serves to make these families more powerful and wealthy, while other families can only watch from the sidelines.
What can change everything is martial cultivation, which is one of the reasons why martial cultivation has deeply penetrated people's marrow.
"Yishui Academy" is located in the northwest region, the most concentrated area of affluent households and the most vibrant commercial hub. The academy is not far from the town center square on Yanyun Street.
Although it is called an academy, its grounds are extensive.
Yishui Academy was established under the strict order of the imperial court and can be considered independent of the influence of local families. Even though the Ling family governs the northwest region, they have no control over the academy.
Of course, apart from education, the academy has no authority over local affairs.
Hua Shirong sighed while closing the book.
It seems that his previous self was not a diligent student. Not only was his cultivation level low, but his understanding of this world was virtually nonexistent.
Being able to barely advance from a novice to an intermediate level was already quite good. Reaching the advanced level would be a considerable challenge.
Hua Shirong finally learned from "The Chronicles of Phoenix City" why the skills of pharmaceuticals and artifact refining were not highly regarded.
Learning these two skills requires a significant amount of time and financial support. Ordinary prestigious families simply cannot afford to nurture the growth of a pharmacist or artisan.
It is no wonder that in the academy, the majority of students have little interest in pharmaceuticals and artifact refining. Only a few individuals diligently study these subjects due to their natural talents.
Hua Shirong belongs to the majority of students who lack such interest.
The instructors at the academy are likely aware that it is unrealistic to expect these impoverished students in a remote town like Yishui to invest more time into pharmaceuticals and artifact refining. Therefore, they do not enforce it during practical training.
As Hua Shirong walked out of the library, he couldn't help but sigh. Two different worlds with one commonality: wealth determines one's starting point!
It was already late at night, and the library appeared serene and peaceful in the darkness. The bright moon hung high in the starry sky, casting a gentle radiance that draped the academy in a hazy veil, both clear and enchanting.
Even after leaving the library, Hua Shirong's thoughts remained immersed in the information he had acquired.
As his understanding of this continent became more detailed, the impact on Hua Shirong's inner self grew larger and more astonishing!
Through reading "The Chronicles of the Nine Continents" and "The Chronicles of Phoenix City," he gained a preliminary understanding of the overall landscape of this continent and further insight into his own environment. Besides igniting the deeply hidden dreams of the martial world within his heart, it also intensified his fear as someone small and vulnerable.
He must strengthen himself!