At the same time, the changes in the entire world seemed to have reached their end, and countless merits and virtues descended instantly.
Of these, 30% went to Zhang Lu, which is normal, after all, he was the emperor and the one who single-handedly propelled the world's upgrade.
One-tenth of the prize money went to Lin Yang, which is understandable; just those three stars saved him a lot of trouble.
It's quite normal that 30% of the credit went to civil and military officials; it's because of them that the world has advanced so rapidly. After all, the people live in peace and prosperity, and everyone has access to education—that's all thanks to them.
As for the remaining 30%, it fell directly onto the earth, combining with the power of the earth's veins to transform into dragon veins, increasing the earth's foundation.
"Merit is truly a wonderful thing; it can do almost anything. It's just a pity that there's so little of it," Lin Yang said somewhat unsatisfiedly, enveloped in Xuanhuang Merit.
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Chapter Seven: From the Tang Dynasty to the Wu Kingdom, a Thousand People Time Travel
The Great Han Dynasty, Jiangdong, Wu Kingdom, the Dark Gate!
At this moment, outside the Dark Gate were Guo Jia and Taishi Ci, and behind them were the officials of the Six Ministries of Wu.
As for those in charge of the actual work, some came and some didn't. The basic principle was that if you hadn't finished your work, you should continue working. If you had already finished and had nothing to do, then you could come and watch the fun.
After all, this was the first time the Dark Gate had ever opened in the Wu Kingdom. In the Han Dynasty, everything had to be done for the first time, and this was no exception.
Behind the numerous officials were rows of neatly arranged troops. These were mainly state soldiers, along with some village representatives and lower-ranking officials such as village chiefs and township heads.
In addition, there were some people with special identities, such as Pang Tong, Huang Yueying, Ma Liang, Cai Mao, Huang Zu and other second-generation members of the younger generation, almost all of whom came.
Some were genuinely interested, some were ordered by the clan leader, and some were simply bored and enjoyed watching the excitement. Basically, all the second-generation members from Jiangdong and Jingzhou came.
"This is the Dark Gate. Soon, the Duke will emerge from the Dark Gate with thousands of people..."
The speaker was Guo Jia, who was standing directly in front of the crowd on a small earthen platform. He was extolling the values of the Wu Kingdom, spouting all sorts of praise, trying to fool as many people as possible!
"Is this the Dark Gate that's been making headlines lately? Wu Kingdom's ultimate trump card?" Huang Zu said subconsciously, looking at the gate filled with Daoist energy in the distance.
“That’s right. It’s said that over a thousand people will be teleported today. That’s over a thousand people! If it’s a thousand-strong army, composed entirely of innate martial artists, they might even be able to conquer a world, even a Xuan-level world. They could even establish an advance base, right?” Cai Mao said with some envy.
Upon hearing this, the remaining second-generation members fell silent, all settling down to await the changes at the Dark Gate. If there truly were thousands of people today, wouldn't the family be willing to sell everything they owned to purchase a sub-gate?
After all, having a sub-gate, then finding a way to conquer a lowest-level Yellow-rank world, carefully governing it, and finally upgrading it to a Profound-rank world is not difficult for a second-rate family!
With the existence of a Xuan-level world, and through continuous development, it will eventually reach the peak of the Xuan level in a thousand or ten thousand years at most. At that time, wouldn't a first-rate family with an everlasting legacy emerge?
With a deafening roar, the massive gate of darkness opened before everyone's eyes. Accompanied by an incredibly spectacular display of phenomena—such as rain falling from the sky, golden lotuses blooming from the earth, celestial music playing, and fairy maidens dancing—Lin Yang finally appeared with the group.
“The one leading the group is the Duke of Wu. He’s so strong, I feel like he’s even stronger than the clan leader! But how is that possible? The clan leader is a peak fourth-tier expert…” Cai Mao said, somewhat unable to accept it.
“Nothing is impossible. This is the age of great strife, and these are the chosen ones. In times like these, only they are the protagonists! But thankfully, it is said that someone will soon become the new chosen one, and maybe it will be our turn!” Pang Tong said coolly with a cold face.
Then, five people appeared behind Lin Yang, walking forward side by side. They were Evil King Shi Zhixuan, Heavenly Blade Song Que, Yin Empress Zhu Yuyan, Lu Miaozi, and Shi Long.
At this moment, after being baptized by the golden light during the world's upgrade, the five of them had a much more solid foundation, at least on par with peak third-tier martial artists in the main world. (Their foundation is equivalent to that of the direct descendants of first-rate families.)
More importantly, each of the five individuals possessed a distinct temperament, yet all exuded a confident and convincing aura. In other words, they radiated the presence of extraordinary, important figures.
Behind the five men were five more. They were Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Li Jing, and Shuanglong.
The cultivation levels of the five individuals varied considerably. The strongest, Shuanglong, had already reached the limit of the third rank. The weakest, Fang Mou and Du Duan, had only just entered the third rank.
However, from the perspective of governing a country and fighting wars, these five are either top-notch strategists or top-notch generals. We can give them a proper refresher course on the various common sense aspects of the main world, and they'll be qualified to be prefects or generals commanding troops in their respective regions.
With some training and experience, it's not impossible for them to become top talents in the future! After all, opportunities are plentiful in the main world. Stories of "never underestimate a young person's potential" and "fortune changes every thirty years" happen frequently.
After five people, there were five more, and then five more. Following the arrangement of five people per row, a total of one thousand people appeared in no time!
"That's a thousand people! Even the weakest among them is a master of the Innate Realm. The strongest are at the peak of the third rank and will break through soon! Most second-rate families don't even have this many talents! The profits from conquering the world are truly enormous!"
"Yes, I heard that in that world, the Zhang family of Longhu Mountain is now in power. It was because Duke Wu helped Zhang Shijun that he was allowed to bring so many talented people. Even Duke Wu has gained so much, so what about the Zhang family?"
"Go back and report the truth to the clan leader. This is no longer something we can decide! I just hope the clan elders won't be confused!"
"Yes, it's time to learn more about the State of Wu. Why don't we find an opportunity to seek refuge with the Duke of Wu?"
"Well, that's not entirely impossible..."
Listening to the discussions among the many second-generation elites, Lin Yang was quite satisfied. Indeed, these thousand people were all talented individuals. In the Tang Dynasty world, even the lowest-ranking among them were leaders or elders of local gangs.
After arriving in the territory of Wu, one could easily become a village head, and after adapting to the rules, even a township head. A thousand township heads would represent at least ten million people.
Therefore, in Lin Yang's eyes, these talents are a treasure, a guarantee for the continued expansion of the entire Wu Kingdom.
Most importantly, with these thousand people, Lin Yang can recruit another thousand talents from the aristocratic families, and then the effective population under Wu's rule can increase by another twenty million!
More importantly, this way, a balance can still be maintained. Maintaining a balance between powerful families and officials from humble backgrounds, while keeping them in opposition, is truly a delicate art!
"Next, you will go to the Gathering Immortal Pool, where you will strengthen your foundation. If you have enough opportunity and a strong enough will, there is even a chance to shed your mortal body and forge an immortal body..."
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Chapter 8: The Changes in the Kingdom of Wu, and the Country Tycoon Who Loved Refrigerators and Air Conditioners
"You broke through?"
"Tsk tsk, how many times has someone broken through now?"
"Let me count. There was a man surnamed Shi before him, then a man surnamed Song, followed by a beautiful young woman, and then a Taoist priest. These four were the first to break through. These two young men should be the fifth and sixth."
"These people from the lower realm are incredibly strong. Their aptitudes seem quite impressive. Just the phenomena they exhibited during their breakthroughs alone numbered at least four: celestial music swirling around them, heavenly rain falling, golden lotuses blooming from the earth, and celestial maidens performing a dance. Generally speaking, even top-tier aristocratic scions would only achieve this!"
"What a pity. If they could achieve this in those low-level worlds where the laws are incomplete and spiritual energy is scarce, how strong would they be if they had been in our world from the beginning?"