Cultivation: Being Immortal-Chapter 518:

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In the summer of eighty years, the Xia Kingdom’s power was growing rapidly. After a recent census, the population of Xia Kingdom has exceeded one and a half million, with over a hundred thousand residing in the capital city. Just from the capital city alone, it was showing signs of prosperity.

At the same time, Lin Jiang supported warriors who had left Xia Kingdom to develop outside, and in return, it greatly benefited Xia Kingdom. These warriors established strong influences in other territories and sought to be integrated back into Xia Kingdom’s borders.

Lin Jiang granted them titles such as viscounts and dukes, making them semi-independent. He didn’t send officials to govern them, so their populations were not counted in Xia Kingdom’s census; otherwise, the population would exceed two million.

Lin Jiang set several conditions for them. Firstly, within their territories, they must speak and write in the Xia language. They were not allowed to mint their own currency and had to use Xia Kingdom’s currency for trade.

Additionally, their legitimate children had to live and study in Xia Kingdom for over ten years. Upon inheriting the family business and titles, they needed approval from Xia Kingdom’s monarch.

They were required to pay an annual tribute, which was not a tax but a fixed symbolic fee, which was minimal.

In reality, these territories became vassals of Xia Kingdom, expanding its influence according to Lin Jiang’s plan.

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Eighty years after Xia’s calendar, Lin Jiang carefully decided to divide the levels of martial arts. He named them from low to high as: Innate Martial Artist, Martial Arts Master, Grand Master of Martial Arts, and Martial Saint.

By practicing martial arts and successfully cultivating internal strength, one becomes an Innate Martial Artist. When internal strength reaches a certain level and can be spread throughout the body, it becomes external, known as Innate Martial Artist.

As internal strength continues to accumulate to fill the whole body and create protective qi, weapons like swords and arrows become ineffective, making one a Martial Arts Master.

When internal strength becomes powerful enough to be infused into inanimate objects for deadly attacks, such as killing with a flick of a leaf, one reaches the level of Grand Master of Martial Arts. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel-com

As for Martial Saint, there are no specific criteria. Lin Jiang describes a Martial Saint as someone who can overlook ordinary armies, defeating thousands single-handedly and taking the heads of generals in battles among thousands.

The system of martial arts levels created by Lin Jiang is rough and will be refined in the future. Lin Jiang doesn’t care much about naming rights. Any future martial artists who follow this system must know about Lin Jiang. Over time, people may no longer remember his name, only his title, Emperor Xia.

"Your Majesty, I have broken through."

Zhang Ran came to Lin Jiang that day, excitedly announcing that he had reached the level of Martial Arts Master.

"You have the foundation of a cultivator, breaking through to become a Martial Arts Master is simple for you. I want you to reach the strength of a Martial Saint within ten years, only then you can take over my position."

"Your Majesty, I don’t wish to be the ruler of this country."

"Why not?"

"It’s too tiring. Excluding the years of slumber, I have lived for over nine hundred years. In the first five hundred years, I was either gathering resources or cultivating. Now that the path is lost, I have served you for over a decade. I wish to rest."

Zhang Ran shook his head. As a former Nascent Soul cultivator who once tasted power and witnessed the prosperity of the cultivation world, the Xia Kingdom meant nothing to him. He had no interest in becoming the ruler.

"You are right, I also don’t wish to be the ruler. It brings little benefit and exhaustion. I have decided to retire after one hundred years in the Xia calendar. Please find and nurture some individuals for me over these years, so they can take over."

"Your Majesty, why not marry and have children to inherit the throne?"

"How dare you make such a suggestion! When Cao Ying, the ancient ancestor of the Zhonghang Sect awakens, he will dance on your grave."

"Uh, forget I mentioned it."

Zhang Ran immediately said, how could he have forgotten about this, Ancestor Cao had been very close to Lin Jiang in the cultivation world for the last one or two hundred years, everyone knew about their relationship.

"Train more people, after cultivators wake up, most of them have innate strength, becoming a Martial Arts Master or Grand Master is not very difficult, so in order to ensure the continuity of Xia Kingdom, at least three to five Grand Masters need to be maintained."

Lin Jiang explained, cultivators have strengthened their bodies through training, their bodies are strong, and cultivating immortality techniques is more advanced than martial arts, basically, just practicing a little bit qualifies as innate skill, becoming a Martial Arts Master or Grand Master is not difficult, only becoming a Martial Saint is more challenging.

"Your Majesty can rest assured, most of those who awakened mainly have golden cores, there are very few with Nascent Soul and Soul Changing, and they are our own people. I will not leave Xia Kingdom. If someone comes to usurp the throne, I will talk to them."

Zhang Ran thought Lin Jiang was worrying too much, just having some golden cores, what’s so great about that, he still had Nascent Soul, even if a battle breaks out, he is not weak.

"You make sense, then you help look after Xia Kingdom at that time. If someone dares to take my Xia Kingdom, I will personally deal with them."

"Yes, Your Majesty can also send people to invite a few cultivators back, many cultivators still miss Yun State, they just can’t find their way back home."

"I will go in person when the time comes."

Lin Jiang said, in about a hundred years of Xia calendar years, he would retire, but wouldn’t immediately go back to slumber. Lin Jiang will take a trip to the north, if there are acquaintances, just call them back.

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In the eighty-third year of the Xia calendar, Lin Jiang founded the Xia Kingdom Martial Arts Academy in the capital city. It was also known as the Martial Arts Academy.

The Martial Arts Academy accepted a certain number of disciples each year, mainly from noble families in the Xia Kingdom and some wealthy commoners. The academy taught advanced martial arts skills.

Lin Jiang himself served as the headmaster, responsible for teaching advanced martial artists. The requirement for enrollment was to be a Martial Arts Master.

Two years later, in the eighty-fifth year of the Xia calendar, Lin Jiang had five disciples. They were not candidates for the throne but were trained by Lin Jiang to protect the Xia Kingdom.

That same year, Lin Jiang selected twenty individuals from the Xia Kingdom as potential heirs to the throne. They would study under him for five years. After that time, Lin Jiang would send them to different tasks to test their abilities, ultimately choosing one as the second generation ruler of the Xia Kingdom.

"Hoo, hoo"

On one side of the Martial Arts Academy, several Martial Arts Masters were practicing their skills. Each move they made created loud sounds, showcasing their advanced martial techniques and leaving the ordinary disciples in awe.

The onlookers were filled with envy towards these individuals; to receive personal instruction from the ruler was considered a great privilege.

But these five people were not happy now, because Lin Jiang trained them very hard every day, exhausting all their energy, even deliberately blocking their meridians so they had to train with just their bodies. The intense training would have killed ordinary people long ago.

On the other side, there were twenty reserve country rulers, and Lin Jiang focused more of his energy on them, giving them strict training and assessment every day.

It was still the first year, and Lin Jiang was just making them more talented in various skills like poetry, music, calligraphy, painting, and more without requiring expertise but understanding of all.

And there were many more courses, such as analyzing human nature, strategic analysis, etc. Managing people was a big task, and it would take years to fully study.

Time passed day by day, and quickly came to the ninetieth year of the Xia calendar. The twenty reserve country rulers completed the courses with Lin Jiang and were now ready for practical work. Lin Jiang arranged them in various positions in Xia Kingdom – some in foreign trade, some in farming, some in flood control and water management, some in the Martial Arts Academy as teachers.

For ten years, Lin Jiang would not provide any more help to them, it was all up to their own abilities.

In the ninety-second year of the Xia calendar, as the influence of Xia Kingdom grew, some cultivators woke up and brought an angry message to Lin Jiang.

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