Grandpa Jiu hurriedly kneeled on the ground, loudly declaring, "We humbly greet the Sovereign!"
The clan leaders also quickly knelt, as did the countless citizens of Taicang and Jiangu, who were all on their knees.
Ji Xia's voice rang clearly in everyone's ears as he formed a line of sound: "Rise."
The people immediately stood up, and the citizens in the distance gathered, eager to see the Sovereign.
Ji Xia thought for a moment before suddenly extending his palm. Spiritual energy from the Great Snow Mountain surged wildly and began to gather in his hand.
His spiritual energy, unlike others' blue spiritual energy, was a brilliant gold.
From the moment the golden light spilled forth, it shone brighter than the torches nearby, illuminating a vast area.
At this moment, the overwhelming spiritual energy collected in his hand, slowly rotating, and gradually transformed into a golden sphere the size of a head.
Ji Xia gently threw it, and the golden sphere slowly ascended, floating in the sky.
Instantly, a vast area was illuminated by the golden spiritual sphere!
The Jiangu people, looking at the slowly rising golden sphere, which resembled a small sun, all opened their mouths in shock.
Among them were some cultivators who had just begun to understand the way of cultivation, and they clearly felt the spiritual energy fluctuations that had once made the Great Snow Mountain tremble!
Even though the force from the golden sphere bore no malice, it still caused the mountain to shake!
"This... Sovereign is still a cultivator?" one of the Jiangu citizens murmured.
"Of course, the Sovereign is a genius, his cultivation strength is no less than General Ji's," one of the Taicang citizens replied with admiration. "Do you know what happened yesterday? The Lord of the Zhouqing Kingdom, who has been our enemy for two hundred years, yesterday made a desperate attempt to assassinate the Sovereign, but the Sovereign beheaded him! His head is hanging in the palace now. You must have been busy with the construction and haven't seen it yet! That Zhouqing King was a true practitioner with great powers!"
"A practitioner with great powers?" another Jiangu citizen asked.
With the topic started, many Taicang citizens joined in: "You Jiangu people may not know the power of a practitioner, but I heard from my elder brother in the military that a practitioner can fight against hundreds of strong soldiers! Even a thousand or two thousand young warriors wouldn't be enough to defeat him!"
"The Sovereign has killed countless important figures! Do you remember the Zhouqing State Master before? He was also beheaded by the Sovereign! And the King of the Dog Nation, whose corpse was brought back, was said to have been shot dead by the Sovereign with an arrow, killing hundreds of evil dog soldiers along with him!"
Hearing these remarkable stories about the Sovereign, the Jiangu citizens gathered closer, eager to learn more about the young Sovereign.
Since the moment they knelt before him, this young Sovereign had become their king. They were citizens of Taicang and subjects of the Taicang Sovereign!
In just a few days, he had beheaded the Zhouqing State Master!
He had killed the royal family of the Dog Nation, emptied their treasury, and shot their King with an arrow!
Just yesterday, this young Sovereign had quietly killed the Lord of the Zhouqing Kingdom, who had come to destroy him!
Such astonishing military feats were achieved by this handsome young man standing before them!
As they listened to these impressive stories, the Jiangu citizens' respect for Ji Xia grew even stronger.
The Sovereign of Taicang truly lived up to the praise of the Taicang citizens, a wise ruler!
He was a virtuous king!
And a powerful cultivator far beyond their reach!
Among the crowd, a young man stared intently at Ji Xia, surrounded by the people.
This young man was Gu Xuan, who had been healed by Ji Xia's medicinal pill after being injured.
When Gu Xuan was carried into the palace, his limbs had suddenly hurt, causing him to lose consciousness.
He only vaguely remembered seeing the excessively young Sovereign speaking with others, then taking out a pill and forcibly putting it into his mouth.
Then, he was carried out of the palace and sent to the Jiangu people.
At first, he thought he might be beyond help, and that even the trusted Sovereign of Taicang couldn't heal his injuries.
Later, he realized that the Sovereign was not as omnipotent as General Shatu had said, but at least couldn't heal his injuries.
However, he was still deeply grateful to the Sovereign, who was only a few years older than him. After all, the Sovereign had saved his life—this was a great favor!
Gu Xuan, lost in thought, drifted back to sleep, only to be woken up by the pressing need to urinate in the morning.
Groggily, he got up, went outside the tent, and felt a chill in the cold morning air, which made him snap out of it.
He realized that he had "walked" out of the tent and "unbuckled" his own belt!
His injuries were completely healed!
In fact, his limbs were stronger than before, more robust, and the flow of spiritual energy was smoother!
At that moment, Gu Xuan truly understood the power of Sovereign Ji Xia, which Shatu had mentioned.
He was more grateful to the Sovereign than ever.
Of course, if it hadn't been for the nine kowtows in front of the palace, followed by another nine forced by Grandpa Jiu, leaving visible bruises on his forehead, he might have been even more grateful.
Today, on the first day of the Sun's Silence, Gu Xuan once again experienced the Sovereign's immense power.
This time, unlike hearing about it from others, the shock was more direct.
In the Boundless Wilderness, strength is everything, and such a powerful young cultivator inspired deep respect from him!
At this moment, Ji Xia noticed Grandpa Jiu, who had always led his clan, and seeing the sincere gratitude in his eyes, he approached him and asked, "Old man, how old are you?"
Grandpa Jiu looked at this legendary young Sovereign with a smile on his face, his voice gentle, and couldn't help but feel deeply moved.
He trembled, replying, "Sovereign, after surviving this Sun's Silence, I will be 102 years old. I am the oldest among the Jiangu people in this region."
Ji Xia bowed his head in respect. Despite Grandpa Jiu's lack of spiritual energy, to have lived over a hundred years in the Boundless Wilderness was a remarkable feat, a sign of exceptional fortune, worthy of being called a human sage!
He turned to the Duke of Taicang, then casually spoke to the old man. The Duke of Taicang understood and soon brought a simple wooden box.
Ji Xia took the box and gently opened it. Inside lay a wooden badge engraved with a phoenix tree design, about the size of a thumb, looking very dignified.
He took out the badge and personally walked over to pin it to Grandpa Jiu's chest.
The Taicang citizens around them suddenly looked at Grandpa Jiu with more respect, realizing he was over a hundred years old.
The Jiangu people, however, looked at each other, unsure of the badge's significance.
"This badge is called the Bìwú Badge," Ji Xia explained patiently, seeing the confusion in the old man's eyes. "As you all know, humans in the Boundless Wilderness have short lifespans, and their bodies are considered inferior. Few live beyond a hundred years."
"Therefore, Taicang holds those over a hundred years old in great respect, honoring them as elders, as human sages. Those who bear this Bìwú Badge can see me without kneeling, may enter the palace to offer counsel, and if I stray from the people's will, they can directly challenge me!"
The Jiangu citizens were in an uproar.
They never expected such a small badge to have such power.
What was even more surprising was that the Sovereign of Taicang had given this esteemed badge to Grandpa Jiu.
This meant that in the Sovereign's eyes, they were Taicang's people!
It also meant that Taicang had truly accepted them, from the Sovereign to the officials to the citizens.
Their gratitude surged even more.
Grandpa Jiu, hearing the significance of the badge, trembled uncontrollably. His aged face also quivered.
"Old man thanks the Sovereign," he said, slowly bowing, but Ji Xia lifted him up.
"The Bìwú elder need not bow to me!" The young Sovereign, his eyes like stars, smiled and said, "But one day, the Bìwú Badge, which grants you a hundred years, will no longer be so esteemed!"
He gazed around at the people. "Because under my reign, Taicang will flourish! Humanity will rise! And then, everyone will live a hundred years, and everyone can be called Bìwú!"
These bold words, spoken by the young man in silver robes, were strangely not seen as arrogant.
Their hearts trembled because they could already envision the glorious future the Sovereign described!