Starting as a Grandmaster, all of my cultivation techniques are at max level.

Inside the Phoenix Palace, Jiang Rou watched as Jiang Qianjue gradually awoke and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Father!" She gripped Jiang Qianjue's hand tightly, tears welling up in her eyes.

Jiang Qianjue slowly opened his eyes, and when he saw his daughter by the bedside, he reached out and patted her cheek.

"Father, it was thanks to Prince Jin and Master that you were rescued from the clutches of the villains this time."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Qianjue turned his gaze to Xia Jin and Leng Yuexi in the room, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes. He then forced himself to sit up straight on the bed and solemnly bowed to the two of them.

"Many thanks to Prince Jin and Sect Leader Leng for saving my life! I... Jiang Qianjue am eternally grateful!"

As he spoke, he was overwhelmed with mixed feelings.

Just a few days ago, he was the supreme emperor of Fenglin Kingdom; in the blink of an eye, he was first forced to surrender to Daxia, then inexplicably kidnapped by the sixth prince of Daqian, and finally rescued by the Prince Jin of Daxia.

Jiang Qianjue gave Xia Jin a deep look. This Prince Jin was able to rescue him from the hands of the sixth prince of the Great Qian Dynasty. His strength was beyond question and was probably unmatched in the Eastern Region.

Perhaps, Feng Lin's surrender to the Great Xia might not be such a bad thing.

"Sigh..." Jiang Qianjue sighed deeply, seemingly feeling himself grow older. He gently patted Jiang Rou's hand and turned to Xia Jin, saying:

"Your Highness, I am advanced in years, and this ordeal has left me somewhat exhausted. From this day forward, all of Fenglin's decisions will be handled entirely by Rou'er. If Your Highness has any orders, please let Rou'er carry them out; I believe she will cooperate fully."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Rou was stunned. "Father!"

Xia Jin looked at the father and daughter in front of him and remained silent for a moment: "Princess, now that things are over, you should stay in Fenglin for the time being and take good care of your father. In ten days, take some time to come to the capital of Great Xia. I have important matters to entrust to you."

"Thank you, Prince Jin." Jiang Rou turned to look at Xia Jin and nodded.

Leng Yuexi walked to Jiang Rou's side and gently patted her shoulder: "Rou'er, the heavy responsibility of Fenglin is entrusted to you. If you encounter any difficulties, please let me know."

"Thank you, Master." A look of gratitude flashed in Jiang Rou's eyes.

"Let's go first, so as not to disturb the father and daughter." Xia Jin nodded to Leng Yuexi.

"Rou'er, then we'll meet again in the capital of Great Xia!"

After saying that, Leng Yuexi and Xia Jin transformed into two streaks of light and disappeared outside the Fenglin Imperial Palace.

Shortly after Xia Jin and the others left Fenglin, in the Imperial Study of the Great Xia Palace.

Emperor Xia Yu stared at the two jade seals placed before him, his face revealing his excitement.

One side is the jade dragon seal of Fenglin Kingdom, and the other side is the red gold tiger seal of Dayuan Kingdom, symbolizing another expansion of the territory of his Great Xia Dynasty.

Qin Hu, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, stood to one side and said with a smile, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! After annexing Fenglin and Dayuan, our Great Xia has expanded its territory by nearly half. With just a little time to reorganize the military and consolidate our rule, Great Xia will be able to rival the Yuehua Dynasty in this Eastern Region!"

"His Majesty's achievements are unparalleled, except perhaps by the founding ancestor of the Great Xia Dynasty!"

Xia Yu reached out and gently stroked the two jade seals, but simply shook his head:

"Qin Hu, you're wrong!! All of this is thanks to our eldest brother."

"With my elder brother here, not to mention the Moonflower Dynasty, the entire Eastern Region will eventually fall into the hands of my Great Xia. But without my elder brother in charge, even if we annex Fenglin and Dayuan, my Great Xia will still be nothing more than a soft persimmon that can be squeezed at will in the eyes of the Moonflower Dynasty."

Just then, a familiar laugh came from outside the imperial study: "Hahaha, you haven't let this victory go to your head!"

Upon hearing the sound, Xia Yu shuddered and abruptly stood up from the dragon throne: "Quick, it's my elder brother who's back!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Xia Yu hurriedly ran towards the door. Before he could even step out, he saw Xia Jin leading a woman in a purple dress directly into the imperial study.

The woman was clinging to Xia Jin's arm without any hesitation, and most importantly, her older brother didn't seem to mind at all. Their relationship was clearly extraordinary.

Xia Yu froze on the spot, staring wide-eyed at Leng Yuexi next to Xia Jin. After a moment, he stammered and asked Xia Jin, "B-Big Brother, could this be...Sister-in-law?"

"Hmm!?" Xia Jin raised an eyebrow: "You've got some sense, kid."

Upon hearing the words "sister-in-law," Leng Yuexi, who had initially been somewhat worried, couldn't help but smile and nodded slightly to Xia Yu: "Greetings, Your Majesty."

"No!!" Xia Yu was startled to see Leng Yuexi calling him "Your Majesty" in front of Xia Jin. He quickly waved his hands and said, "No, no, no! Sister-in-law, just call me by my name! If you call me 'Your Majesty,' my brother will definitely beat me up later!"

"Really?" Leng Yuexi chuckled upon hearing this, then looked at Xia Jin with a half-smile. "It seems my husband has been bullying his younger brother quite a bit lately!"

"Uh..." Xia Jin touched her nose, momentarily at a loss for words. She could only target Xia Yu and kick him, "Hmph! You talk too much!!"

After the group exchanged a few pleasantries, Qin Hu, standing behind Xia Yu, quickly bowed and greeted them: "Greetings, Prince Jin! Greetings, Princess Consort!"

Xia Jin waved her hand, then pulled Leng Yuexi to sit down next to her.

After pouring tea for the three of them, Qin Hu immediately stood respectfully to the side.

Xia Jin's expression gradually turned serious. He looked directly at Xia Yu and said, "Listen to what I'm about to say."

Xia Yu's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately sat up straight: "Brother, you speak."

"I'm only giving you one year. Within that year, you must be prepared to take full control of the entire Eastern Region."

"A year?" Xia Yu frowned, a hint of difficulty on his face. "Brother, isn't this... too rushed?"

"Dayuan and Fenglin have only recently surrendered to our Great Xia. Their military systems are chaotic, local officials are not yet loyal, and the entire military, tax, and official system lacks a unified structure and legal framework. To not only consolidate our existing territory but also annex the remaining four kingdoms in the Eastern Region within a year... is difficult! Almost impossible!"

Although Xia Yu, as Xia Jin's younger brother, was far inferior to Xia Jin in terms of cultivation talent, he was an absolute genius in governing the country and handling state affairs.

Therefore, he was very clear that expanding territory was easy, but maintaining it and bringing in its people was difficult!

"Nothing is impossible!!" A hint of domineering glint flashed in Xia Jin's eyes: "If it weren't for the two forces of the Great Qian and the Lieyang Dynasty in the Central Region, I would give you a maximum of six months."

Upon hearing this, Xia Yu gave a bitter smile.

The elder brother makes it sound so easy, but where are the people? He doesn't have any capable people under his command who can help him.

"I know what you're worried about," Xia Jin said, as if she could read Xia Yu's mind. "You don't need to worry about the remaining four kingdoms in the Eastern Region. I will personally take action to clear away any obstacles. As for the military organization and the initial governance of the newly conquered territories, someone will help you with that."

"Who?" Xia Yu frowned involuntarily.

"One of your sister-in-law's apprentices!" Xia Jin glanced at Leng Yuexi beside her.