Chapter 169: Xuzhong Empire's Progress

Let's go back a few hours.

After Xu Qianghua's order, the room fell into a thoughtful silence as everyone processed what had just happened.

There was an air of discomfort, especially for the ladies who, except for Bai Lingyun, her daughter, Grandma Su, and Huang Xinyi, had never seen humanity sink so low as to sacrifice their own kind for power.

Cough, cough.

Xu Qianghua, whose expression had been cold and calculating moments before, softened back to his usual warm demeanor. He cleared his throat to regain everyone's attention.

"Alright, the last person who needs to give her report is Huang Xinyi, the Empress of the Xuzhong Empire," he said with a smile, gesturing toward her.

All eyes turned to Huang Xinyi, who sat confidently.

Her commanding presence was undeniable even in such a high-profile room.

She stood up slowly, taking a brief moment to collect her thoughts before speaking.

"Thank you, Dear," she began, her voice smooth and authoritative, carrying a regal undertone that immediately commanded attention.

Yes, Huang Xinyi and Xu Qianghua had made great progress in their relationship, and she was already calling him 'dear' without hesitation as if it were normal.

Getting back to the topic, Huang Xinyi glanced around the room, her amber eyes glowing confidently.

"The Xuzhong Empire has seen many major changes this year.

In the first six months, we focused entirely on expanding our territory and establishing control so that we could use the empire token and create our own empire."

She paused, letting the scale of her achievement sink in.

"We began by conquering five major cities, each a stronghold that posed unique challenges as we could not just use brute force to control the city.

The battles were fierce, but our forces were disciplined, and with substantial support behind us, they were successful."

She paused, taking out a map from her storage ring.

"In the rural areas, we focused on agriculture. We introduced new farming techniques and employed cultivators with earth-based spiritual qi to improve soil quality.

This resulted in increased food production, stabilizing the economy."

"People are no longer struggling with hunger. Instead, we have surplus supplies, allowing us to stockpile for future challenges."

At this point, she added, "And with the introduction of Spiritual Rice, the number of cultivators in our empire is at an all-time high."

Spiritual Rice was a rare resource Xu Qianghua had found in the game mall before the merge, sold under miscellaneous items.

Its cultivation benefits were immense, and its discovery had been fortunate, as securing it now would have been far more difficult.

And no, they did not have this in the last timeline as not many people went through the miscellaneous items section as they did not think there would be anything worth value.

And most of the people who played the game were players, so this is a common occurrence as they have played so many games where the devs usually never put anything good in the miscellaneous items.

Everyone nodded in agreement, impressed by the growth of the empire under her watch.

"But that's not all," she continued. "For the cultivators in my empire, we've introduced policies to support their growth and ensure unity."

"One major initiative was creating a structured cultivation system. We've built schools and academies across the empire, offering free education to all potential cultivators, regardless of background or financial status."

"These schools teach basic cultivation techniques, alchemy, formations, and combat strategies."

She paused and allowed the others to reflect on this achievement.

Some of the other leaders in the room shared a glance, each recognizing the value of such an organized approach to building the empire's strength.

"And for those who excel," Huang Xinyi added, "we've created special elite training camps where the most talented cultivators are groomed for leadership positions within the empire. These camps focus not only on cultivation but also on governance, strategy, and diplomacy."

Xu Qianghua, who had remained silent until now, nodded in approval. He admired Huang Xinyi's systematic approach to building the empire and could see how much care she had put into every aspect.