Despite knowing that Ye Chu Xiao was a talented individual.

But... this was too much!

How old was he, yet he was already proficient in painting, formations, and artifact crafting?

Not to mention, there were also elements of talisman and术 (shu, incantations) techniques used in some parts of the blueprints, though they didn't make up a large portion.

But without a doubt, this was a set of blueprints with extremely high technical content, involving many advanced pieces of information that even Shi Huang couldn't fully understand. However, he could understand some of the structures and the summarized effects.

If the effects were really as good as described... even if it was only a third as effective, the predicament of the eight prefectures of Yunmeng Lake could be resolved.

At the very least, if the eight prefectures of Yunmeng Lake didn't deteriorate to an irreparable state in a short period of time, they could stabilize the overall situation.

If the imperial court sent troops to Yunmeng Lake, subdued the aquatic tribes, beheaded the Dragon King Yuan Jia and the Dragon Queen Yuan Meng, and then supported other obedient dragon clans to take the Dragon King's seat, the chaos in these eight prefectures could be considered resolved.

However, conquering the aquatic tribes of Yunmeng Lake was by no means a matter that could be accomplished in a short time, taking anywhere from half a year to several years or even decades.

The imperial court needed time, and the solution offered by Ye Chu Xiao, in Shi Huang's view, might be able to buy them some time.

"Could it be... the Ministry of Justice's dungeon is really a good place, comparable to the Imperial Academy?" Shi Huang mused as he flipped through the blueprints.

He had heard before that Ye Chu Xiao often used his position to consult with prisoners in the dungeons and heavenly prisons for 'knowledge'.

At first, he just thought of it as an amusing anecdote.

Now it seemed, it wasn't entirely useless.

"Should I throw my own good-for-nothing sons into the dungeon to temper them?"

"What excuse should I use so the old lady at home doesn't get angry?" Shi Huang thought distractedly.

In fact, this was because Shi Huang himself was not proficient enough in the Dao of formations and artifacts. In the eyes of ordinary cultivators, he had deep insights, but that was based on his cultivation level, and not true technical ability.

It was like someone with more information being able to make more thorough business judgments, but that didn't mean their business talent had really reached an equivalent level.

Such specific, detailed errors weren't usually important.

But at critical moments, the difference would be revealed.

Ye Chu Xiao mixed formations, diagrams, and artifacts together, and each aspect seemed clear and logical, as if it was nothing more than that.

Only cultivators who were truly proficient in the inner workings could know that the seemingly clear and simple structure only existed in the simple, clear aspect of one item. Once mixed together, the difficulty and complexity would increase tenfold, a hundredfold.

If a cultivator who truly specialized in these three Daos were to look at these blueprints, they would definitely regard Ye Chu Xiao as a grandmaster, wishing they could be his dog.

"You've put your heart into this!"

"However, it's still just a plan on paper and needs to be verified to be truly effective," Shi Huang said after calming himself down with a dry cough.

He wasn't suppressing Ye Chu Xiao, but protecting him.

The eight prefectures of Yunmeng Lake were about to become the center of a storm. If Ye Chu Xiao's blueprints were put into use directly without professional 'testing', Ye Chu Xiao would be held responsible if problems arose.

Even if it wasn't his fault, politics rarely judged results based on true right or wrong.

Instead, it was determined by the interplay of power between the strong and the weak.

Conversely, if these blueprints were checked by the Ministry of Works' professional formation masters and artifact masters before being put into use, although the credit would be shared, the blame would also be passed on. If there were still problems, Ye Chu Xiao wouldn't be solely responsible.

Ye Chu Xiao wasn't impulsive and of course understood Shi Huang's subtle intention to protect him.

But he said indifferently, "Lord Duke! At this time of crisis, every day delayed increases the danger several times over. How can my personal honor or disgrace compare to the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people?"

"For the sake of hundreds of millions of people, Ye Chu Xiao... is willing to go through fire and water!"

"If the Duke is worried, you can first set up pilot sites in Zoukou, Tu County, Zhangjiatai, Yujiawan, Liu Village, and Baimashan. These six places are like fangs, directly connected to Yunmeng Lake, and the water vapor is the most turbulent. If the aquatic tribes of Yunmeng Lake withdraw, the signs of rising water levels in these places should appear within three to five days."

Shi Huang looked at Ye Chu Xiao seriously, and then finally nodded slowly, "That's right, speed is of the essence!"

"Little Ye! This matter will be overseen by you. The Six Doors will fully cooperate with you, giving you people when you need them, and things when you need them. And you... must handle things beautifully."

"As long as you handle things properly, you don't have to worry about other problems. This old man will take care of everything for you."

With Shi Huang saying this, the atmosphere in the entire hall eased up.

The murderous aura from before was greatly reduced.

For those Gold Badge Constables, although following Ye Chu Xiao's orders was a bit embarrassing, it was still better to listen to Ye Chu Xiao's orders than to go on a killing spree and make everyone their enemy.

Shi Huang and Yuan Shen were willing to take great risks for the people of the world.

But that didn't mean everyone present had that determination.

It wasn't difficult to get them to be dutiful to the public, but they didn't have the determination to risk their own lives, or even the lives of their entire families.

Now that Ye Chu Xiao had jumped out, whether he could really get things done or not, he had at least provided a solution to avoid the most intense conflict.

Many constables still felt somewhat grateful in their hearts.

Looking at Shi Huang and Yuan Shen, who were still passing around the blueprints, Ye Chu Xiao secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Of course, his move wasn't simply to solve the problem of water vapor in the eight prefectures.

If that was his only goal, he wouldn't have insisted on taking the Yunmeng Cauldron in front of Yuan Meng, completely intensifying the conflict.

As far as the present was concerned, Jin Buyi, Ying Shu, and Ye Chu Xiao all had the goal of winning the Heart Pill competition, but in the longer term, perhaps Jin Buyi, who was actually Xiao Chi, aimed to refine the world.

Ye Chu Xiao didn't know how he would accomplish this, but refining the world required at least complete control over all the laws of this world.

Once the mountains, rivers, water vapor, and earth qi of the eight prefectures of Yunmeng Lake were all coordinated by Ye Chu Xiao's integrated formation, diagram, and artifact system, it would be equivalent to having the earth and water qi of these eight prefectures completely in Ye Chu Xiao's grasp.

Before the game even started, Ye Chu Xiao would take the initiative, disrupting Jin Buyi's core strategy and throwing him into disarray.

As for whether this would attract more targeting and animosity from Jin Buyi, it didn't really matter.

Because their antagonistic positions wouldn't change.

At most, it was just the difference between facing greater pressure sooner or later.

With Ye Chu Xiao's current strength, he wasn't worried about overt struggles.

This move was still a preliminary probe, stirring up a hornet's nest.

Jin Buyi hid his fangs in the dark, presenting only a disguised appearance to people. Ye Chu Xiao wanted to peel off his disguise, forcing him to reveal more traces.

At least before he became a force to be reckoned with, once exposed, more people, whether actively or passively, would stand in opposition to Jin Buyi.

As Shi Huang said, speed was of the essence.

Immediately after finalizing the plan, Ye Chu Xiao led three Gold Badges, eleven Silver Badges, and hundreds of Bronze Badges, along with nearly a thousand ordinary constables, to the eight prefectures of Yunmeng Lake to set up the pilot sites on the ground.

The Ministry of Justice's treasury was also emptied by more than half.

When the flying ship took off outside the capital, all forces were alerted, and many people followed the Six Doors' flying ship to the eight prefectures of Yunmeng Lake.

Sitting on the flying ship, Ye Chu Xiao used the fine refining method, controlling fierce fire to refine materials, and had already begun to manufacture the key artifacts needed.

And many constables who also practiced artifact refining followed Ye Chu Xiao's side to help out... such as handing over materials, using talismans to generate fire and gather qi, or refining molten metal materials for forging and purification, etc., tasks that didn't require high skills but were time-consuming.

High-quality energy was being supplied regardless of cost.

They departed in the morning, and by the afternoon, Ye Chu Xiao and the others had already arrived at Yan Prefecture, the closest of the eight prefectures of Yunmeng Lake.

At this time, the two dragons had only just returned to Yunmeng Lake not long ago.

After the order was given, the aquatic tribes of Yunmeng Lake were still in the process of withdrawing.

Despite this, there were already signs of chaos.

Those aquatic tribes of Yunmeng Lake didn't just rely on their innate talents and spells to regulate the water vapor, they also used some special water-based magical treasures and set up corresponding formations, etc.

Now that they were withdrawing, they naturally wouldn't leave these things behind.

Thus, one could see some reservoirs that were originally storing water directly collapsing, and some dikes used to prevent floods starting to leak everywhere.

The protective formations that reinforced the riverbanks, the protective talismans that suppressed water ghosts, water demons, and water devils, etc., all became ineffective, causing these guys who didn't dare to come out and act recklessly on weekdays to all emerge and cause chaos.

"Everyone! They can leave, but they must leave their things behind. Leave behind all the formations and magical treasures."

"And all those demons causing trouble will be executed on the spot," Ye Chu Xiao ordered.

The remaining constables and police officers who weren't proficient in the three Daos of formations, diagrams, and artifacts immediately accepted the order loudly.

As for those who were proficient in these three Daos, they needed to stay behind to assist Ye Chu Xiao and quickly build the framework.

First, they would create a rough version and conduct fixed-point trials at six key locations.

Originally, the local garrison could also do these things, and even do them better.

However, the garrison needed a transfer order from the Ministry of War before they could leave their garrison, and privately transferring troops was a serious crime regardless of the reason.

At this time, the two factions in the imperial court were mutually attacking and bickering, so where would they have the time to make specific arrangements?

On the other hand, the Six Doors, although the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Badge Constables had good strength, had a streamlined staff and usually managed these aspects, so they could quickly rush to the front line first.

Ye Chu Xiao had long been confident. The most time-consuming and delicate parts had already been prepared in advance when he was still on the Ark of Fortune.

At that time, although he didn't know that Jin Buyi was Xiao Chi, it was only natural to make advance arrangements knowing that Jin Buyi would later attempt to refine the world.

For twenty-six consecutive hours, Ye Chu Xiao worked day and night, traveling between the eight prefectures and the six counties.

If he encountered obstacles, he would kill first and report later, showing no mercy or reservation.

After twenty-six hours, the integrated formation, diagram, and artifact framework anchored by the six counties of Zoukou, Tu County, Zhangjiatai, Yujiawan, Liu Village, and Baimashan was finally formed.

Several mirrored surfaces unfolded, and the changes in water vapor and earth qi in these six counties were clearly displayed.

Standing on the low mountain in Zhangjiatai closest to Yunmeng Lake, the originally calm Yunmeng Lake now resembled a giant beast devouring mountains and rivers, beginning to reveal its sharp and fierce fangs.

"The first wave of impact is coming!"

"Everyone, be prepared," Ye Chu Xiao said.

At the same time, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

Although he had deduced the entire plan hundreds of times, there was still a possibility of errors in the specific implementation.

If this rough version in the six counties couldn't achieve the expected goals, then the subsequent plan to spread it across the eight prefectures would be even more difficult to take shape.

Not to mention guiding the imperial court to value the management of water vapor and earth qi and promoting this system to the whole country.

Rumble!

Deep within the earth, it was as if something had been forcibly broken apart.

The originally small cliff suddenly protruded upward by a large amount.

It seemed to be able to more effectively resist the waves from Yunmeng Lake, but in reality, it had broken a certain earth meridian. Behind the low mountain, near a large area of farmland, a large amount of yellow mud slurry spurted out from the ground, with a blood-like color.

There were hundreds of these water columns, up to tens of meters high and nearly ten meters wide.

In less than half a day, Zhangjiatai would become Zhangjiatang (pond).

Ye Chu Xiao activated Jin Miang, and the magical treasures that had been buried long ago began to activate.

Those streams of water, soaring high into the sky, were evaporated into clouds, floating in the air and accumulating near Yunmeng Lake.

"Transfer the rain clouds towards Liu Village. According to the direction of the earth meridian's movement, Liu Village is located in a section where the water vapor is about to dry up. Transferring this water vapor there can relieve the immediate crisis," Ye Chu Xiao said.

Immediately, constables who were already able to execute orders followed his instructions.

Subsequently, several counties and towns also had accidents one after another, but they were all handled very properly by Ye Chu Xiao's system.

For three consecutive days, there wasn't even the slightest error. Everything was so perfect that it was as if the withdrawal of the aquatic tribes of Yunmeng Lake had never happened.

Only by looking at the changed terrain and mountains could one know that all of this had already happened, but it had been firmly locked within a controllable range by Ye Chu Xiao using his integrated framework.

The impact was more positive than negative.

For example, Zhangjiatai, where the changes first occurred, gained a hundred acres of fertile land for no reason, and the neighboring lake mountain, which had been transformed into a high mountain, blocked the cold wind from the lake, making the living environment more suitable.

Divine Constable Shi Huang, who had already reported Ye Chu Xiao's plan to the Emperor and obtained the Imperial Court's permission and assistance, also rushed to the front line.

Looking at the achievements of Ye Chu Xiao and the others, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"Gold Badge Ye! You really didn't disappoint this old man!"

"After this battle, this old man will request credit for you and must ask His Majesty to bestow a noble title upon you," Shi Huang said happily, patting Ye Chu Xiao's shoulder.

Just now, Shi Huang had directly and exceptionally promoted Ye Chu Xiao to Gold Badge Constable, breaking the Six Doors' tradition of not conferring the Gold Badge to those below the Transformation Realm.

After all, on the surface, Ye Chu Xiao was only a Mystic Realm cultivator.

Faced with Shi Huang's praise, Ye Chu Xiao just smiled modestly.

Looking at the constantly rising and spreading water line in the distance, Ye Chu Xiao was thinking, "Jin Buyi, facing this situation, what move will you make?"