Chapter 1013: The First Sequence of Empires

"This is the world, the complete world, not the Zhongyuan you’ve been imagining. Only this vast, boundless land can be called the world, while Zhongyuan is nothing more than..." Chen Xi traced his hand across the map, a hint of mockery on his face, "merely the fantasy of our forefathers."

"I’m probably the only one who can mock the ancestors like this, but it’s no big deal. While they laid the foundation of Zhongyuan’s culture, they also left behind this limitation," Chen Xi spoke calmly, though there was a trace of helplessness in his tone. Everything has its pros and cons.

As for Zhong Lin’s sudden appearance, Chen Xi showed no particular reaction. After all, Li You’s past identity still carried some weight, and even though that status had faded, the presence of someone guarding him depended on whether they still recognized Li You’s worth. Clearly, Zhong Lin still did.

Chen Xi’s understanding of the situation was somewhat flawed. In truth, only leaders of significant powers would have immortals guarding them, and even then, Chen Xi’s guardian wasn’t an immortal but a top-level general who had come to protect him halfway through his journey.

As for Purple Void, Nan Hua, and Zuo Ci, these immortals had said they would protect Chen Xi, but they weren’t officially his guardians. They had their own duties, and their protection of Chen Xi was simply because they understood his importance.

If Han Qiong hadn’t shown up, one of Purple Void, Nan Hua, or Zuo Ci would have eventually become Chen Xi’s protector due to his significance, but with Han Qiong’s arrival, they continued to focus on their original responsibilities.

Similarly, the immortal protecting Li You wasn’t technically his. He had originally been tasked with guarding Dong Zhuo, but after Dong Zhuo's actions provoked the heavens' wrath, Zhong Lin turned his allegiance to Li You. Though the transition had its ups and downs, it had now come full circle.

"Today, I finally feel that if I don’t speak out now, the power I’ve poured my heart and soul into might fracture, and one day it could fall apart, all without ever having even reached the starting point. How laughable that would be!" Chen Xi’s tone shifted as his gaze swept toward Liu Ye.

Chen Xi never believed that ignorance was bliss, nor did he think that avoiding certain topics would make problems disappear. To him, speaking out signaled resolution. If discussing something marked an end, it simply meant you’d chosen the wrong people to trust. Even if you avoided it now, future betrayals would hurt all the more.

Jia Xu’s forehead creased as he smiled wryly, and Li You and the others wore similar expressions. If they viewed their situation from the perspective of the whole world, they truly hadn’t even reached the starting line, yet they were already contemplating internal strife.

In a sense, it made sense that such a short-sighted group would collapse quickly. But in the context of Zhongyuan, they were unquestionably the strongest power. It was an odd paradox: too small on the global stage, but dominant in their own region.

"This was my mistake," Liu Ye admitted without hesitation, his gaze meeting Chen Xi’s directly. "In the future, and for as long as I live, I won’t act this way again. The world is so vast, and we are so small. Indeed, I was too anxious. With such a broad world, how could we ever be content to remain in one corner?"

Chen Xi didn’t press further. Liu Ye, who understood right from wrong, had only acted the way he had because he believed they were nearing their final goal and wanted to eliminate any instability beforehand. Now that he realized they hadn’t even reached the starting point, Liu Ye had completely abandoned that mindset.

From this moment on, Liu Ye would wholeheartedly follow Chen Xi. The gap between their visions was too great, the future too distant. Now that he knew the full truth, Liu Ye understood that only by following Chen Xi’s path could he glimpse the wider world. Their previous ambitions had been far too small.

"The world is so vast..." Li You didn’t know what else to say. At that moment, Zhong Lin finally reacted, bowing to Li You before vanishing. Li You, however, paid it little mind. His spirit was the most refined among all the civil officials, and he had long known that someone was following him.

"I think we should unify the land within two years, then begin to step beyond Zhongyuan," Guo Jia said while rubbing his temples, looking as if he had a headache. "After seeing this map, I no longer believe that we are the only strong ones."

Guo Jia finally understood why Chen Xi had always emphasized preserving the foundations of the world. Anyone who realized that Zhongyuan was merely a small, weak piece of the greater world would want to witness the heights of the heavens and the vastness of the earth.

"This world likely contains more than just Zhongyuan," Fa Zheng said eagerly. He was the youngest among them and had recently been promoted to marquis after his contributions in pacifying Yu Province and conquering Xu Province. He was itching for a stronger opponent.

"Heh, let me tell you some good news. In this vast world, we are considered one of the first-sequence empires," Chen Xi said with a smile, but his words made everyone frown.

First-sequence empire sounded great, but thinking of it in terms of the aristocratic families, there were dozens of first-sequence families. Even at the highest level, there were more than ten first-sequence families. To think that even the powerful Han dynasty was merely one among the first sequence...

"Is this first sequence referring to our state after we’ve unified the land, or to us right now?" Jia Xu tapped the table with a serious expression, a rare look of gravity on his face.

"It doesn’t make much of a difference. Whether we’ve unified the land or not, we’re still considered first-sequence. By the way, Yuan Shao barely qualified as first-sequence, but he probably couldn’t have defeated any other members of the first sequence," Chen Xi estimated.

His words made everyone’s hearts sink. Yuan Shao, who had once wielded such immense power, wouldn’t have been able to defeat any of the other first-sequence empires. This meant that even the weakest of these empires was a match for them, the kind of power that existed only on the global stage.

"The requirements to be first-sequence aren’t that difficult," Chen Xi added, seeing that Jia Xu and the others were growing even more serious. He thought he might have been too heavy-handed, but he refrained from telling them that there were only four such empires.

Everyone looked at Chen Xi expectantly. After a moment of thought, he explained, "To qualify as a first-sequence empire, a nation must have a complete political system, strong organizational capabilities, the ability to mobilize a sufficient military force, a self-sufficient economy, a well-established cultural tradition, and a population of over ten million, ensuring vast war potential."

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