If you die, I will be able to inherit your cultivation.

For a moment, no one spoke inside the tent, and a brief silence fell.

After a long while, Su Mingyue spoke again.

Her voice was calm, yet carried a strange strength:

"The cultivation method practiced by the Sect of All Beings is called the 'Scripture of Crossing the World,' and I have some of it here as well."

"All 50,000 people have started cultivating."

"However, the origin of this technique is still unknown, as is its potential dangers. All that is known is that it can increase strength extremely quickly. Even an ordinary person can reach the Skin Refining Realm within three days."

She beckoned, and Chunlan took a book from her bosom and handed it to Zhou Ming.

Zhou Ming took it and saw that it was his "Scripture for Crossing the World".

The three large characters on the cover were not written by him stroke by stroke in the study of the Marquis's mansion.

After flipping through two pages, Zhou Ming discovered that the handwriting inside was neat but had a somewhat unruly edge, indicating that the book was not copied by him.

Zhou Ming flipped through a few pages, closed the book, looked up, and was about to speak when he hesitated and glanced at the maids behind Su Mingyue.

Su Mingyue understood and said directly, "Just say what you need to say. These people are all trustworthy."

Zhou Ming then spoke slowly: "If Miss only wants to defend Youzhou, this technique can be practiced by these 50,000 people, and also by the remaining 200,000 soldiers in the Northern Territory."

"Two hundred thousand Skin Refining Realm cultivators are enough to defend Youzhou like an iron barrel."

He paused, then changed the subject: "If Miss has even bigger plans..."

Zhou Ming looked up at Su Mingyue again, only to see Su Mingyue staring intently at him, waiting for him to continue.

"The Sect of All Beings has already spread this practice throughout the entire state."

"It's likely that within a few days, the entire Great Xia will know about the existence of something called the 'Scripture of Salvation'."

"The technique will definitely not be kept secret any longer; it will spread throughout the world sooner or later."

"Why doesn't Miss seize the opportunity to pass on the cultivation technique to her faction and firmly control the entire Youzhou region?"

"With 200,000 elite troops who cultivate the 'Scripture of Crossing the World', plus their respective forces, we can not only defend Youzhou, but also gain the upper hand in the chaos."

"At that time, we will be able to defend against the Yuan Dynasty in the north, and within the territory of Nanping, we can advance or retreat as needed, and even..."

He deliberately didn't say the second half of his sentence, but just looked up at Su Mingyue.

Zhou Ming knew in his heart that Su Mingyue fully understood his unspoken words.

They even vied for supremacy.

This wasn't the first time he had said something "outrageous" in front of Su Mingyue.

When he last told the story of the empress's ascension to the throne, the young lady warned him to watch his head.

This time, however, he brought it up in person in a military tent filled with maps and armor.

The tent was so quiet that you could hear the crackling of the torches burning.

Su Mingyue sat upright in the main seat, her right hand resting on the shaft of the silver spear, her thumb idly stroking the patterns on the shaft.

She remained silent for a long time, so long that Zhou Ming thought he had lost his bet.

Then she looked up and her gaze fell on the book "The Book of Crossing the World" in Zhou Ming's hand.

"The origin of this technique and whether it has any hidden dangers are still unknown. Spreading it out rashly may not be a good thing."

She didn't respond directly, as if she were avoiding the topic, and spoke calmly.

Zhou Ming lowered his eyes: "The hidden danger of this technique lies in its unknown origin and the unknown consequences of practicing it."

Zhou Ming followed Su Mingyue's lead and started rambling.

Would he not know if his own training method had any hidden dangers?

The "Scripture of Crossing the World" does indeed have traps; for every additional cultivator, the karmic chain between their brows will increase.

With each death of a cultivator, his cultivation level will advance further.

But he himself was the one who planted the trap, so naturally he couldn't say it outright.

"However," he changed the subject, raising his eyes to look seriously at Su Mingyue.

"Who in this world isn't gambling?"

Some gamble on those in power, some on their future prospects, some on the goodness or evil of people's hearts, and some on life and death and destiny.

"A poor scholar gambles on passing the imperial examination, hoping that ten years of hard study will lead to a position in the imperial court."

"Martial arts heroes risk their lives for fame and glory, gamble with their swords and spears."

Merchants gamble on the rise and fall of the political situation, squandering their entire fortunes to win immense wealth and status.

"Kings and nobles gamble on court intrigues, setting up chessboards to vie for control of the world."

"Some people gamble on the depth of their love, willing to spend the rest of their lives on a promise to grow old together, not asking about the destination, but only keeping their original intentions."

"Some people gamble with their ambition, trampling on kinship to reach the highest position, abandoning warmth and pursuing only hegemony."

"All people are gamblers, born into the game of life, and walking the perilous path of the world."

"Use your youth as stakes, your sincerity as chips, and your life as the chessboard."

"Some people win fame and fortune in the gamble, but lose their original intentions and true nature."

"Some people gamble away wealth and glory, but gain a peaceful and stable life."

"No one can escape this gamble of life. The road ahead is uncertain, fate is unpredictable, and a lifetime of ups and downs is nothing more than winning or losing a game, half a lifetime of ups and downs."

"What the young lady wants to gamble on right now is not this cultivation technique."

"It's time."

"Will we be devoured by the hidden dangers of the technique first, or will we use this power to stand in a high enough position before being devoured?"

"Once you get on that platform, countless others will find a solution to this hidden danger for you."

"Even if the technique has no hidden dangers, if you can't stand on it..."

Zhou Ming did not continue speaking, but instead stepped aside with his hands at his sides, saying no more.

Inside the tent, torches crackled softly, their orange-red flames flickering on the map and reflected in Su Mingyue's serene eyes.

The tent was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. All the maids bowed their heads and held their breath, none daring to break the silence.

Su Mingyue stared intently at Zhou Ming.

After a long silence, she finally spoke, her voice clear and cool with a hint of ambiguity: "You see things very clearly."

Zhou Ming bowed slightly, but did not speak again.

"Gambling on time...gambling on people's hearts...gambling on the general trend of the world." Su Mingyue repeated softly, as if savoring the weight of these words.

"My Su family has guarded the northern border for generations. My fathers have been sent to defend the frontier, and my sons have shed blood. We have never been destined to live a peaceful life."

She straightened up, her gaze sweeping across the deep night outside the tent. The wind howled over Duanyun Ridge, carrying a faint air of impending doom.

"The Sentient Beings Sect uses the 'Scripture of Salvation' to win over people's hearts and bewitch the world, revealing its blatant ambitions."

"The Great Yuan Dynasty, with its tiger-like presence in the northern border, has long harbored the ambition to invade and conquer our Great Xia."

"Now that the dynasty is about to collapse, if Youzhou insists on holding on, it will only be waiting for its demise."

Having said that, she looked at the "Scripture of Salvation" in Zhou Ming's hand, her gaze becoming more solemn:

"The hidden dangers are unknown. If we rashly expand, and there is a backlash in the future, 50,000 or 250,000 soldiers will become pawns or even be abandoned."

"If we don't expand this territory, I fear it won't be long before this land of Youzhou becomes a living hell. My Su family will also perish..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but everyone in the tent understood her meaning perfectly.

It was nothing but destruction.

The great edifice is about to collapse, the world is in chaos, the sect of the All Beings is sweeping across the states, and the iron cavalry of the Great Yuan is eyeing the northern frontier.

Caught in the midst of chaos, Youzhou had no strong army or backup plan, relying solely on its old border troops to hold out. Sooner or later, it would be devoured and torn apart by various forces.

The Su family has guarded the northern border for generations. Once Youzhou falls, all the loyal and brave members of the family will end up with nothing but ruin and death.

A deep chill settled between Su Mingyue's brows, and her voice held a hint of resolute helplessness:

"On one side lies the unpredictable backlash of my cultivation technique, and on the other, the imminent annihilation of my entire clan. Both paths are fraught with danger, and I have no other choice."