The greatest dream in Taicang's history—overcoming the threat of the "Sunfall"—was finally realized through relentless efforts from all sectors of the nation.
The stone giants were tasked with transporting vast amounts of rock. The Cang Guards cut these rocks into roughly uniform slabs. Over 800 rune masters, who specialized solely in the construction of "Ascension Furnaces" and "Illuminating Runes," created the necessary inscriptions, while more than 2,000 academy disciples installed the rune stones.
With the entire government operating at full capacity, within just twenty-five days, all 180,000 households of Taicang had access to "Illuminating Rune Stones" and "Ascension Furnace Rune Stones." Among the populace, these stones were more conveniently called "Brightstones" and "Warmstones."
Beyond individual homes, Brightstones were also installed along Taicang's streets by dedicated personnel, ensuring that citizens no longer feared darkness when stepping outside.
At this moment, Taicang's civil infrastructure had made a massive leap forward; at the very least, the Sunfall—an issue that had plagued Taicang for hundreds of years—was no longer life-threatening.
It's worth mentioning that on the thirtieth day of the Sunfall, three demon clan leaders from the Southern Forbidden Forest—Wen Ye, Fu Bi, and Wu Jing—came to meet Ji Xia. After a night of discussions, they left with an item Ji Xia provided, leaving behind generous gifts from the forest, including meat from wild beasts not yet fully evolved into sentient demons and a variety of edible, non-toxic plants.
Ji Xia, a true connoisseur of food, eagerly tasked Su Yao with recruiting over a dozen chefs to experiment daily with these plants, hoping to develop new dishes or extract flavorful spices.
Now regarded as a wise ruler by his subjects for his many contributions to Taicang, Ji Xia's occasional indulgence in culinary luxuries sparked no criticisms from his ministers.
Ji Xia's life gradually settled into a routine. Besides attending court and handling governmental affairs, he spent time meticulously studying ancient texts, delving into the art of prohibitions, and advancing his own cultivation.
Within a month, Ji Xia's perspective had grown immeasurably. Occasionally observing martial practitioners, he could effortlessly pinpoint flaws in their techniques, offering advice that often resolved stubborn challenges in mere sentences.
Both Ji Qianqing and Po Xian had also received Ji Xia's guidance, and their cultivation improved rapidly over the past month. Once they had firmly established their first spiritual imprint, Ji Xia presented them with dozens of extraordinary martial techniques and divine arts, allowing them to choose their preferred paths.
Furthermore, Ji Xia established the "Hidden Classics Pavilion" within the Taicang Academy, carefully selecting 500 high-quality martial techniques and placing them there. Instructors could now tailor their teachings to individual students' needs.
Ji Xia wasn't reluctant to share the thousands of secret manuals within the Void Ring; he merely understood that Taicang's martial foundations were still fragile. Exposing students to overly complex or advanced texts too soon might prove counterproductive.
These 500 manuals, focused on the transition from the ninth stage of Mortal Transformation to the Divine Arts, were of extraordinary quality, rivaling even the Starfall Scroll. For Taicang Academy's instructors and disciples—most of whom were concentrated at this stage—these texts were invaluable.
Later, the acting academy head, Su Xing, reported that many instructors had become so engrossed in studying these advanced techniques that they neglected their teaching duties.
Upon hearing this, Ji Xia did not rage but instead laughed heartily.
He declared, "How can the instructors teach these classics without first understanding them themselves? Taicang Academy has always valued freedom. While the instructors are busy learning, the disciples can focus on self-study. Even meditating and refining spiritual essence daily is a form of progress."
Su Xing seemed enlightened by Ji Xia's words and bowed before leaving. Back at the academy, he threw himself into studying the texts, while the students, unbound from rigid classes, began discussing, sparring, and verifying martial techniques among themselves. When they encountered particularly stubborn problems, they sought answers from the instructors at the Hidden Classics Pavilion.
The atmosphere in Taicang Academy grew fervent as never before. Both instructors and disciples advanced their cultivation at unprecedented speeds.
Seeing this flourishing scene, Ji Xia issued a new decree: from now on, every time a citizen advanced a level in cultivation, they would receive generous rewards ranging from spiritual elixirs to gourmet delicacies.
He had personally drafted the detailed reward system, which was implemented by the Taicheng and Cangcheng city lords.
The most enticing reward, however, was the opportunity for cultivators who reached the eighth stage and above to receive personal guidance from a Divine Arts expert. Such guidance was invaluable for those at the ninth stage of Mortal Transformation, often helping them break through significant bottlenecks.
When news spread of Taicang's generous rewards for cultivators, many flocked to the academy to test their cultivation potential. Even those who had previously given up on cultivation due to slow progress began picking up their swords and trying again.
At a Taicang court meeting—
"So you're saying that many Taicang citizens who previously couldn't sense spiritual essence now exhibit weak responses?"
Clad in silver robes, Ji Xia maintained a calm expression despite his inner confusion.
"Indeed, Your Majesty," Su Xing replied. "Furthermore, citizens once deemed to have poor cultivation aptitude have broken through stages after resuming their practice. It appears that everyone's cultivation talents have improved."
Ji Xia nodded thoughtfully. Before he could fully digest the information, Lu Yu Shangyin stepped forward, looking sheepish.
"Your Majesty, I can confirm this as well," Lu Yu said with a slightly flushed face. "My aptitude for cultivation has always been abysmal. Despite years of diligent effort and the aid of Tai Lai Spiritual Water, I could never break through the seventh stage. Yet in the past month, I've noticed an improvement in my ability to refine spiritual essence."
Several veteran ministers chimed in, echoing Lu Yu's testimony. Ji Xia listened intently, his confusion growing.
Logically, cultivation aptitude was innate. If someone lacked aptitude initially or possessed weak talent, it couldn't improve naturally without consuming heavenly treasures. Yet now, Taicang's citizens appeared to have collectively experienced a mysterious boost in their cultivation abilities.
Reflecting carefully, Ji Xia confirmed he had done nothing to cause this phenomenon, nor had he obtained anything from the Decayless Divine Tree capable of improving talent on such a massive scale.
"Regardless of the cause, this collective improvement in aptitude is an extraordinary boon for Taicang. If I accelerate my plan to consolidate cultivation techniques for the human race, Taicang's national strength could increase tenfold!"
Ji Xia's heart burned with anticipation. Ending the court session, he immediately headed to the Crown Prince's palace, now renamed the "Heavenly Rune Pavilion."
Over the past month, the benefits of the Heavenly Rune Pavilion had become widely known, and many citizens with promising talent—over sixty, including several Valley Humans—had been sent there.
Now, the number of pavilion members exceeded one hundred, all diligently researching rune theories and mastering rune techniques day and night.
At first, Ji Xia worried that their obsession with runes might hinder their cultivation. Apart from unique talents like Zhong Quan, most members possessed exceptional aptitude, and it would be a waste if their cultivation stagnated.
However, Ji Xia soon laughed off his concerns.
The more they immersed themselves in rune arts, the harder they would push themselves to cultivate, as the strength of rune techniques depended on spiritual essence. Many advanced runes were impossible to construct without sufficient cultivation.
Sure enough, many pavilion members began breaking through cultivation stages at astonishing speeds, rivaling even Taicang's elite Silver Guards.
After all, as a core department of Taicang, the Heavenly Rune Pavilion also received allocations of Tai Lai Spiritual Water.