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

But what?

Xia Zhaoyan and the women around him couldn't help but look at Guo Jing.

"However, if I were to break through, I could easily kill someone in the early stages of the Dragon Transformation Realm with the help of the army!"

When asked about breakthroughs in cultivation, Xia Zhaoyan suddenly inquired.

"Guo Jing, how long will it take you to break through to the peak of the Shattered Realm?"

Guo Jing shook his head, his face showing no sign of anxiety.

"Your Highness, I have not yet reached the shackles of the Perfection stage."

"It will probably take at least another six months to a year!"

Xia Zhaoyan simply nodded, showing no disappointment.

Although Shi Guanyin, who was born at the same time, has just broken through, she has only broken through from the middle stage to the late stage.

Unlike Ye Gucheng, Guo Jing broke through to perfection in the later stages.

The higher the realm, the slower the breakthrough becomes. Moreover, ask the beings of the Heavenly Desolate Continent: for each realm breakthrough in the Shattered Realm, which one doesn't need to accumulate thousands or tens of thousands of years of time!

Once Guo Jing breaks through to the Perfection of the Shattered Realm, he will possess the combat power of the early stage of the Dragon Transformation Realm.

With the help of 300,000 Heavenly Punishment Army soldiers, Guo Jing was able to easily kill a cultivator in the early stage of the Dragon Transformation Realm.

With such strength, they would be the strongest fighting force under their command.

That's right, it's the strongest fighting force.

Qiao Feng, Xiang Yutian, Tie Zhongtang, and Shangguan Jin Hong all possessed combat strength at the early stage of the Dragon Transformation Realm.

However, he cannot easily kill a powerhouse at the early stage of the Dragon Transformation Realm; he only possesses the combat strength of that realm.

This is why, in the world of high-level martial arts, the army remains the core of ancient dynasties.

The existence of military formations gives an army the strength to fight against the strong!

"Even a year is terrifying enough!"

However, Xia Zhaoyan also understood that it wouldn't be long before powerful figures like Guo Jing, Ye Gucheng, and Shi Guanyin, who were at the Shattered Realm, broke through to the next level for the first time.

However, it won't be just a year or two to achieve another breakthrough; it will take at least twice as long.

...

It took the Heavenly Punishment Army three days to select 200,000 of its own people.

The news of the military expansion that day immediately caused a stir among various factions.

King Qiong slapped a beautiful wine pot to pieces, his face clearly showing anger.

"Why did you manage to recruit an army of 100,000 innate beings so easily on your first try?"

"This time, they actually managed to recruit 200,000 innate-level soldiers!"

"Didn't the military say that cultivators in the civilian population were unwilling to serve in the army? How come the Heavenly Punishment Army is recruiting so easily?!"

The military leaders he mentioned were incredibly frustrated at that moment.

The Grand Commandant spoke first, "Gentlemen, perhaps the social atmosphere has changed!"

"Otherwise, how could recruiting the Heavenly Punishment Army be so easy!"

"In just three days, tens of millions of people have poured into the Heavenly Punishment Army's camp."

"Perhaps, we could also recruit some cultivators to form the empire's elite legion!"

Everyone was very tempted. As high-ranking military officials, they themselves wanted the army to be as strong as possible.

An army trained by oneself is loyal, but too slow.

The resources required are far too numerous to compare with the hundreds of billions of people in the population.

"That's right, I've also felt the change in the atmosphere."

"If it weren't for the two recruitments by the Heavenly Punishment Army, we would still be living in the past."

"Why don't we give it a try? With improved resources and benefits, we can also build an elite legion!"

...

"That's right, it's a waste to have the Heavenly Punishment Division recruit these people."

"These days, when people talk about elite legions, the first thing that comes to mind isn't the military, but the Heavenly Punishment Army!"

"This viewpoint must be changed!"

...

No one expected that the expansion of the Heavenly Punishment Army would arouse envy and interest from the military.

They also prepared to take inspiration from the Heavenly Punishment Army and try to recruit Innate Realm experts from the common people to form an army.

At this time, all parties also investigated the recruitment situation of the Heavenly Punishment Army.

"Hiss... Two Dharma Aspect Realms..." The Eastern King's eyes were red with envy.

After all these years of hard work, how many Dharma Aspect Realm experts do I have under my command?

We even lost one of them in the North last time!

"If I had known Father would grant the Heavenly Punishment Division military power, I would have insisted on fighting for control of it!"

Just as all the forces were drawn to the Heavenly Punishment Army, suddenly, a piece of news that shook the court and the public came out.

The officials of Lingwu Prefecture jointly petitioned the imperial court to overturn the verdict against the Zhang family and the Lu family branch!

Countless people gasped in shock; this was clearly aimed at the Heavenly Punishment Division, but ultimately the finger was pointed at the King of Benevolence behind the scenes!

"What a bunch of officials from Lingwu Prefecture! Are they trying to force the emperor to abdicate?" someone whispered in shock.

...

"Who doesn't know that 20% of the officials in Lingwu Prefecture are connected to the Sima family..."

...

"If Niou doesn't handle this well, he might mess things up... The other person's memorial is very clear..."

...

"It's said that the memorial has been suppressed by the Prime Minister, but he can't delay much longer; the court assembly is about to begin..."

At this moment, not only Mu Wenhan, but also Prime Minister Meng Zhou were present in the Prince Ren's residence.

However, at this moment, Meng Zhou was extremely shocked.

It hasn't been long since we last saw His Highness, and now there are already two more female cultivators on the Beauty Ranking here.

The shock he felt was no less than when he saw the memorials submitted by the officials of Lingwu Prefecture.

Xia Zhaoyan's expression was slightly gloomy at this moment. He hadn't expected the Sima family to pull such a trick on him!

"Tell me, what exactly happened?"

Meng Zhou stepped forward, his expression serious.

"Your Highness, this situation is not to be taken lightly!"

"Strictly speaking, the Sima family hasn't deviated from the rules; this time, they've chosen to attack you within those rules!"

"My intelligence indicates that the Sima family is backed by a coalition of all the powerful clans."

"This is only Lingwu Prefecture for now; other prefectures with powerful families will follow suit!"

...

"Playing with me within the rules? Hah..."

Xia Zhaoyan's sudden burst of laughter left Meng Zhou and Mu Wenhan bewildered.

The laughter suddenly stopped, and Xia Zhaoyan waved his hand, instantly exuding a domineering aura.

"If it were before, I might have been in the mood to play along with them within the rules!"

Instead of explaining why, he asked.

"Prime Minister, what reasons did they give in their memorials?"

...

"Your Highness, the message from the officials of Lingwu Prefecture is quite simple!"

"The main branch and the branch of the family have long been separated. Strictly speaking, the branch was unaware of the main branch's actions, so it has no reason to bear the responsibility for the main branch's crimes."

"They accuse the Heavenly Punishment Division of indiscriminate killing and suggest that Your Majesty restrain its power!"

"At the same time, His Majesty must investigate the responsibility of the Heavenly Punishment Bureau!"

...

"To restrict the authority of the Heavenly Punishment Bureau, and also to hold the Heavenly Punishment Bureau accountable?" Xia Zhaoyan had a strange smile on his face.

"I used to think that anyone who could become an official was intelligent, but now it seems there are quite a few fools among them!"

"Since they like to play within the rules... Mu Wenhan!"

"Your subject is here!" Mu Wenhan stepped forward and bowed to receive the order.

A cold smile appeared on Xia Zhaoyan's lips. "I'll give you five days to investigate all the officials who jointly submitted the memorial."

"Even if there's no problem, you have to find a way to frame me and create some problems."

"On the fifth night, they'll begin confiscating property and exterminating the entire clan. Is that even possible?"

Mu Wenhan nodded to indicate that he understood. If they really wanted to compete, how many officials in the Great Xia Dynasty could be clean?

Your Highness's suggestion of framing and slander is superfluous and completely unnecessary.

Meanwhile, Meng Zhou, who was standing to the side, remembered that the court assembly was on the sixth day!