Great Xia: At the start, summon the Net of Heaven to suppress the martial arts world.

"Your Excellency need not be so modest. Great Xia now greatly welcomes talented individuals like yourself!"

Looking at the person in front of him, Xia Taige couldn't help but sigh. In his memory, this person was definitely the most humble terrestrial immortal realm expert.

"Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty!"

"I am honored by Your Majesty's high regard, and I am willing to offer my humble efforts to the Great Xia Dynasty!"

Having decided to join the Great Xia Dynasty in order to secure an opportunity for the future, Yu Xiu felt it was better to be more direct.

He realized that his whereabouts had been exposed, and even if he changed his mind, he probably wouldn't be able to escape the capital of Great Xia.

"Good!" Xia Taige exclaimed in praise upon hearing this, then pondered for a moment before turning to Cao Zhengchun beside him and instructing him:

"I hereby decree that the Office of Imperial Sacrifices shall be established immediately, independent of the Six Ministries, and under my personal leadership."

"I hereby appoint Yu Xiu as a court attendant, a position equivalent to a second-rank official in the imperial court. He shall assume office immediately, effective immediately."

"Let Canghe, Donghuang Taiyi, Yuan Tiangang, Mao Xiang, and Xun Fuzi concurrently serve as attendants in the Hall of Worship."

At this point, Xia Taige pondered for a moment, then continued to give instructions:

"In addition, a new office for guest ministers will be established, with a rank equivalent to a third-grade official in the imperial court. Only grandmasters and powerful individuals are allowed to enter."

"The emperor ordered all Grandmasters under his command to enter the Guest Minister Palace and concurrently serve as Guest Ministers."

"In the future, those who come because of the recruitment order, and whose abilities meet the requirements, will be allowed to enter a hall or palace!"

Xia Taige had long wanted to bring together these Grandmasters and experts at the Land Immortal Realm.

Things are fine on the Chinese mainland now, but once it is unified in the future, conflicts with outsiders are inevitable, and mobilization will be more troublesome if needed at that time.

Moreover, the Zhenwu Division is now adequately staffed.

Those who subsequently surrendered to the imperial court could not be placed into the Zhenwu Division.

Nowadays, the Hall of Offering and the Palace of Guest Ministers are the best choices.

"Yes!" Cao Zhengchun bowed and replied.

"Your subordinate thanks you!" Upon hearing this, Yu Xiu, who was standing to the side, also bowed and expressed his gratitude, not daring to be careless in the slightest.

Just from hearing Xia Taige issue the decree, Yu Xiu learned that there were as many as five people joining the Hall of Offerings with him.

Moreover, this doesn't even include the Great Xia Ancestor and Xia Taige. If you include the two of them, there are a total of seven terrestrial immortals in the entire Great Xia.

Including myself, there are eight of them, more than all the terrestrial immortals on the entire Chinese continent.

Yu Xiu couldn't even imagine how desperate he would feel as an enemy of the Great Xia in the future.

"Rise! It seems I have wronged you, my dear minister!" Xia Taige said slowly, looking at Yu Xiu before him.

Although the position of the Palace Attendant is of very high rank, it does not hold any real power.

However, it's likely that a powerful being at the terrestrial immortal realm wouldn't come to the Great Xia for power.

"I dare not accept such a thing. I have not accomplished anything, and to be given this position is already a great favor from Heaven!" Yu Xiu replied with a bow.

The more Yu Xiu learned about the dangers of the Great Xia, the more cautious he became.

"Minister Yu, there's no need for such modesty. To achieve the realm of a terrestrial immortal without revealing your name must require your own unique abilities!"

Every powerful being at the terrestrial immortal realm is an extraordinary individual, one in ten thousand.

"Your Majesty, I have been cultivating in the deep mountains with my father since I was a child, and I have not fought with anyone for decades. Therefore, I have never revealed my name to the outside world," Yu Xiu replied and explained.

He always followed his father's teachings and remained hidden deep in the mountains. It's just a pity that his father didn't have the same good fortune as Yu Xiu.

There was no place for him to achieve the realm of a terrestrial immortal; he could only grow old and die in the deep mountains.

Of course, this is also a true reflection of most Grandmaster-level experts.

In the case of the nine-person limit in mainland China, if there is no vacancy, no matter how talented a person is, they cannot break this ironclad rule.

Before Xia Taige appeared out of nowhere, the Chinese continent had been peaceful for hundreds of years. Since the establishment of the Great Xia Dynasty, no powerful cultivator at the Land Immortal Realm had ever fallen.

The fate of Grandmaster-level experts over these centuries is predictable.

There is no other way but to wait until the end of one's lifespan.

Considering the difference between the peak Grandmaster realm and the Land Immortal realm, even if one were to cultivate for another hundred years, one still wouldn't be able to withstand a casual strike from a Land Immortal realm expert.

This explains why Xia Taige's exposure of his Grandmaster peak realm and his evasion of the Buddha's attack from the Great Thunderclap Temple caused such a sensation.

The Buddha's later words that Xia Taige had a chance to ascend to immortality within ten years caused a sensation throughout the entire Chinese continent.

Although the Buddha's desire to retaliate against the Great Xia Dynasty played a part, it cannot be denied that when Xia Taige ascended to the top of the Grandmaster Ranking, no one dared to challenge him in the capital.

"Decades of hard work to perfect a single skill, impressive!" Xia Taige greatly admired the perseverance of someone who works behind closed doors.

A person who has lived in seclusion for decades, enduring decades of loneliness to gamble on a possibility that may not even succeed, is, by all accounts, a truly ruthless individual.

"I dare not accept such praise from Your Majesty!" Yu Xiu replied with a slight bow.

Perhaps in their hearts, they have already become completely accustomed to this pace of life.

Moreover, his son is now practicing asceticism deep in the mountains.

"Old Cao, send someone to arrange accommodations for Minister Yu. He should go and rest early!"

"After we go down, Canghe will help Yu Aiqing get to know and interact with the other elders!"

"Yes!" the three bowed in response.

Meanwhile, in the inner palace, inside the Yan family's Yong'an Palace.

"Mother, isn't it too hasty to head south tomorrow?" Xia Beixuan had just arrived at Yong'an Palace when he heard Yan Shi make this decision.

Even before Xia Taige's wedding, Yan had long harbored the idea of ​​going south to visit relatives.

If it weren't for the delay caused by Xia Taige's wedding, the Yan family would probably have arrived at the Yan family ancestral home by now.

"No need to rush, I've already spoken to Fifth Prince." Madam Yan shook her head and said gently to Xia Beixuan, who often came to keep her company.

"In that case, I will go and prepare the necessary supplies for the journey." Seeing that Madam Yan had made her decision, Xia Beixuan could not say anything more and immediately agreed.

"No need, Fifth Brother has already had it prepared." Looking at Xia Beixuan rushing in front of her, Madam Yan stopped him with a smile.

The Empress Dowager's visit to her relatives was a major event, and the manpower and resources required would certainly be enormous.

Moreover, to maintain the Empress Dowager's dignity, a large army and ceremonial guards were required to clear the way and accompany her along the route.

For the safety of the Yan family, Xia Taige specially dispatched a thousand imperial guards to accompany the Yan family on their southward journey to visit relatives.

They secretly arranged for experts to accompany them along the way, and wherever they went, the Tianji Pavilion, the Zhenwu Division, and the Jinyiwei kept a close watch.

Although the Great Thunder Temple and the Divine Cult have been destroyed, we still need to make the necessary preparations and cannot be careless in the slightest.

Otherwise, if something were to happen to the Empress Dowager, it would certainly cause serious damage to the prestige of the Great Xia Dynasty.