Become a king right from the start, beginning with receiving rewards from all the heavens.

Xia Tian'ao, one of the second-generation ancestors of the royal family, and also the second emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty!

If Ancestor Xia Wenwu was the pillar of the Great Xia Dynasty, then Ancestor Xia Tianao was the founder of the Great Xia Dynasty's golden age.

Under his leadership, the Great Xia Dynasty waged wars in the south and north, expanding its territory.

Moreover, it wiped out a demon kingdom, laying a solid foundation for the great Xia dynasty's strength.

At that moment, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at Emperor Xia. The question that Ancestor Tian Ao asked was also what they wanted to know.

Even without deliberately radiating power, someone at the Dragon Transformation Realm level possesses such cultivation.

But just sitting there, he exudes an aura that can overwhelm all corners of the world.

Even the Xia Emperor, who was at the Celestial Realm, felt a sense of suffocation at this moment.

"Ancestor, I'm afraid the Heavenly Punishment Division will get out of control in the future!"

These words stunned everyone present.

They looked at Emperor Xia with incredulous expressions, as if to say, "Are you kidding me?"

The emperor of the mighty Great Xia Dynasty was actually worried that his institutions would get out of control!

Moreover, this organization is now controlled by his own son.

No one would believe it if I told them, because you are the emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty.

Pfft!

Suddenly someone burst out laughing, which brought everyone back to their senses.

"I say, kid, the Heavenly Punishment Division is an institution authorized by the Emperor."

"Without the special permission of the emperor, what power can the Heavenly Punishment Division have?"

"You can issue an imperial edict at any time to strip them of all power!"

"What are you worried about? I think you're just too timid."

Emperor Xia shook his head, his expression carrying a hint of inexplicable hesitation.

"My esteemed ancestors, I am not worried about the Heavenly Punishment Division, I am worried about Zhao'er, who controls the Heavenly Punishment Division!"

After he finished speaking, everyone fell silent again.

This time, however, they frowned as they looked at Emperor Xia.

Explain yourself clearly!

...

"Ancestors, I bestowed the title of King Ren upon Zhao'er only to protect his peace and security throughout his life."

"But his recent actions have given me a feeling of losing control."

"The Xun Gui are one of the cornerstones of our Great Xia, but Zhao'er gives me the feeling that she has an innate aversion to the Xun Gui class."

"You all know what kind of people those nobles really are!"

"Therefore, I must reduce some of the powers of the Heavenly Punishment Division."

The Xia Emperor expressed his concerns, and everyone nodded in understanding.

Indeed, on this continent, the stability of every ancient dynasty and kingdom depends on the support of nobles.

"If the Heavenly Punishment Division is not restrained, it will inevitably clash with Xun Gui in the future under Zhao'er's control."

"Back then, no one could guarantee just how powerful the Heavenly Punishment Division truly was!"

"One is a violent institution that patrols the world, and the other is a class that stabilizes the rule of the Great Xia."

"If they collide..."

The Emperor didn't finish his sentence, but everyone knew what he wanted to say.

Xia Tian'ao closed his eyes again, as if lost in thought.

The other elders were the same, all frowning and deep in thought.

In fact, the royal family now deeply despises the nobility.

Thirty percent of the resources of the entire Great Xia Dynasty are now monopolized and controlled by the noble class.

It had long become an inescapable burden for the Great Xia, but they couldn't really do anything to the noble class.

After all, the fact that the Great Xia became one of the two major races that dominated the Tianhuang Continent was partly due to the assistance of the noble class.

Most of them were ennobled during the founding of the dynasty, as ancient as the Great Xia Dynasty itself, and their strength was so great that even the royal family had to be wary of them.

Therefore, after the founding of the dynasty, the Great Xia rarely granted new titles of nobility.

"This was something we didn't consider carefully!"

"If Zhao Yan's personality is truly like this, then we certainly cannot relinquish the power of the Imperial Guards right now!"

Xia Tian'ao acknowledged Xia Huang's concerns.

"However, I am curious about that little guy."

"Maybe he'll bring us some unexpected surprises in the future..."

...

After returning to his palace, Emperor Xia took out a document from a hidden compartment.

The document contained everything about Xia Zhaoyan from childhood to adulthood, and he checked the contents of the document again.

A hint of doubt lingered between his brows as he muttered to himself.

"Could it be that this kid has been deliberately hiding his abilities since he was a child?"

...

Seeing that the King of Benevolence and the Heavenly Punishment Bureau were completely unconcerned about the rumors circulating among the people, finally a powerful figure personally intervened...

At this moment, Xia Zhaoyan paid no attention to the storms in the outside world. He was all smiles because he had broken through his cultivation level, advancing from the mid-stage of Blood Exchange to the late-stage.

Although his talent couldn't compare to that of the other princes, with the abundant resources he received, he advanced to a minor realm again in just over two months.

This clear feeling of becoming stronger is truly captivating.

"No wonder those powerful figures rarely appear in the outside world."

"Cultivation is truly not a boring thing!"

Just then, a servant from the mansion rushed outside and whispered a report.

"Your Highness, Marquis Lietian has come to request an audience!"

Whoosh!

The door to the cultivation room opened, and Xia Zhaoyan, dressed in white, walked out.

"The Marquis of Rift Sky?"

"If I remember correctly, the Marquis of Lietian's ancestral home is Liuzhou!"

...

"Yes, Your Highness, the first Marquis of Lietian was born in Liuzhou," the servant quickly confirmed.

"Since they've come to visit, let's meet them!" With that, Xia Zhaoyan walked outside.

In the reception room of the Prince's Mansion's front courtyard, Xia Zhaoyan sat in the main seat.

A steady set of footsteps approached, and a distinguished-looking middle-aged man walked in.

"Your subject Song Wuji pays respects to Your Highness, Prince Ren!"

He bowed deeply, and every movement he made was perfectly proper.

Even Xia Zhaoyan, who was inclined to nitpick, couldn't help but secretly admire how these ancient nobles had truly ingrained the rules into their very bones.

"My lord, there's no need for such formalities."

"Someone, bring a seat!"

After saying that, she looked at the man in the living room.

The title of Marquis of Lietian was one of the 108 marquises who were founded in the early days of the dynasty.

Of course, the person in front of him at this moment was not the first generation of Lord Lietian.

He is the current Marquis of the Rending Sky. If I remember correctly, he is the twentieth generation Marquis of the Rending Sky of the Song family.

There are no uniform rules regarding the succession of noble titles, or when each person must abdicate.

However, in most noble families, each successor to the title will abdicate at a certain age.

Unlike the royal family, most royal emperors lived for hundreds to a thousand years.

Of course, for those viscount and baron families, the time it takes for each generation to pass on their power may be even shorter.

After all, their overall power is not comparable to that of the families at the levels of Earl, Marquis, and Duke.

The Song family, the Marquis of Lietian, ranks among the top in the entire marquisate.

None of the 108 marquises who founded the dynasty were simple figures.

Now that their families have been passed down for 100,000 years, in terms of true overall strength, they are not necessarily weaker than the thirty-six ducal families.

The Song family, the Marquis of Lietian, which stands before us, also has a marriage alliance with the royal family.

Looking across all the dukes, marquises, and earls of the Great Xia Dynasty, those who were granted titles at the founding of the country basically all had marriage alliances with the royal family!