Wei Yuan and Zhang Sheng had both been attending to several immortals; only late into the night did the banquet finally conclude. Before the gathering dispersed, Immortal Zhao Li asked, seemingly offhandedly, "That Vajra Mighty Warrior's finger you severed today—how do you plan to deal with it?"
With this question, all the immortals fell silent, looking toward Wei Yuan.
This "Vajra" was not merely a generic name, but referred to a spiritual status rather than an honorific title. After eminent Buddhist monks ascended to the immortal heavens, most entered the Pure Land corresponding to their cultivation method and continued cultivating there. At this stage, most monks held no spiritual status. Only a small fraction of higher cultivation or those practicing special techniques would directly attain a spiritual status and possess the corresponding might of that status.
Spiritual statuses belonging to demon-quelling guardian lineages, such as Vajra Mighty Warrior or Wisdom King, inherently possessed formidable combat prowess; some special statuses were even stronger than most Arhats.
The Buddhist cultivator who had struck across the void to attack Zhang Sheng was someone who already held a Vajra spiritual status, and another immortal had acted to conceal cause and effect, preventing other immortals from intervening. Yet none had expected that in this head-on clash, Wei Yuan, drawing upon tens of millions of mortal fortune as his backing, would sever the opponent's golden body in a single stroke.
Though it appeared he had only sliced off a finger, it was in truth a piece of the golden body of that spiritual status. As long as Wei Yuan withheld it, that Vajra's corresponding spiritual status would remain damaged, its might drastically diminished.
Thus, whether by force or by trade, the other side would stop at nothing to take this finger back.
At this moment, each immortal had their own thoughts. Yanshi and Bai Kaishui naturally stood by Wei Yuan, leaving the decision to him.
Duke Yansheng of the academy and the Xiao family's immortal ancestor both intended to stay out of it. Baosheng Bodhisattva had departed early, clearly unwilling to wade into these muddy waters unless Wei Yuan agreed to go to Spirit Mountain.
Immortal Zhao Li's inquiry was an offer to take over the burden; the other side would eventually seek him out, and by then it would mostly be negotiating terms for an exchange. This was effectively Immortal Zhao Li taking Wei Yuan's side and shielding him from this layer of pressure.
Wei Yuan understood this well, and so he held nothing back. "Junior actually has a few thoughts on the matter. Although Qingming spans thousands of li of fertile wild, it lacks undulating terrain, and its immortal heaven foundation also appears thin—so far, only a single dog's head is buried there, which falls terribly short of the ancestral masters' grand style.
"Therefore, I plan to plant this treasure into Qingming, infuse it with the Sword Dao I recently comprehended, and refine it into a mountain peak. Junior feels his talent in the Sword Dao is passable enough that I might comprehend the origin of a sword. Thus, this peak shall receive a Heaven-bestowed name: Buddha Sword Peak!"
Immortal Zhao Li was taken aback for a moment before recovering his wits. He gave Wei Yuan a searching look and said, "Such a move is overly drastic. I fear it is not a wise plan."
Wei Yuan replied, "Senior may simply call it the worst plan. Though it is a poor plan, it especially clears my Dao heart and aids my cultivation's progress. Without refining this peak, my Dao heart will not be at peace."
With a wave of his hand, Wei Yuan projected an image, smiling. "I have even settled on the mountain's appearance. Allow me to show it to the seniors first."
In the projection stood a mountain, its base shaped like a clenched fist, with only the finger severed from the Buddhist hand towering high in the center, resembling a sword pointing straight toward the firmament!
The immortals were utterly speechless. After all, they all knew that what Wei Yuan had sliced off was a middle finger.
Yet the mountain peak formed from the Buddhist finger radiated an awe-inspiring sword intent. Even the immortals felt their brows twitch, their gazes turning toward Bai Kaishui. Bai Kaishui had never anticipated that Wei Yuan's scheming efforts to obtain supreme sword intent would actually be put to use here.
The immortals remained silent. By combining supreme sword intent with his own comprehended Sword Dao, Wei Yuan had refined the Buddhist finger into a sword and planted it between heaven and earth; in truth, he had forcibly seized a sliver of the Buddhist Sword Heavenly Dao.
Once the Buddha Sword descended into the world, if that sliver of Heavenly Dao was not reclaimed, it could never achieve perfection, much less inherit the Sword Dao. This was several steps more drastic than merely keeping a Vajra's damaged golden body hostage!
By refining this Buddha Sword Peak, Wei Yuan was declaring four words to heaven and earth, to the world, and to his enemy: Fight to the death!
Bai Kaishui felt his blood surge with excitement. His sword cultivator instincts flaring up, he slapped the table and barked, "Good! That is how sword cultivators should act—walking the Great Dao straight and true! What need is there for all those twists and turns? I thought you brat only knew underhanded tricks, never expecting you could show such sky-piercing sword qi! That wisp of sword intent of this old man was worth it!"
Immortal Zhao Li chuckled helplessly and sighed. "Pursuing profit for a lifetime, yet gradually losing the high-spirited drive from when I first stepped onto the immortal path. Alas, scurrying about in petty compromise truly cannot bring one to the utmost peak."
The Bao Family Old Ancestress looked on with distinct approval, slowly nodding, before glancing at Zhang Sheng and letting out a soft sigh.
With that, the immortal banquet came to an end, and the immortals dispersed.
Just as Wei Yuan saw off the immortals, he saw Bao Yun appear at his side, her expression dark as stagnant water. Startled, Wei Yuan hurriedly asked what had upset her, wondering if it was because Li Zhi had tied with her for first place.
Bao Yun glared at Wei Yuan. "I naturally know the Four Sages Academy paid three million taels of immortal silver to secure Li Zhi's joint first place. It's nothing more than an empty title—why would I be angry over that? Besides, in a real fight, I might not even beat Martial Aunts Liuli and Feng Tingyu, and I definitely couldn't beat your teacher."
Wei Yuan refused to touch such a deadly topic, immediately pivoting to ask, "Then what on earth made you unhappy?"
Fortunately, Bao Yun didn't reply with "Guess."
Bao Yun beckoned to Wei Yuan. "Martial Uncle Xu opened old wounds of mine. What do you plan to do about it? This isn't the place to talk; follow me."
The two went to a secluded spot in the courtyard, where Bao Yun recounted what Xu Henshui had said during the feast. Seeing her half-smiling, half-mocking expression, Wei Yuan cried out inwardly in alarm.
Sure enough, Bao Yun grabbed Wei Yuan's hand and pressed it against her heart, whispering, "You damned barbarian. Back then, you stabbed right in here, and then didn't forget to strike my right chest too, as if terrified I wouldn't die!"
Wei Yuan hurriedly explained, "I was young back then, I didn't know better..."
Bao Yun had already pressed Wei Yuan onto the ground, whispering into his ear, "...You were young then, but aren't you grown up now?"
"Ah... here? What if someone comes?"
"Have you forgotten what my dharma idol is?"
...
Bao Yun and Wei Yuan walked out of the courtyard together. Bao Yun was radiant, her gentle smile endowing her with peerless elegance.
Stepping past the courtyard gate, she said softly, "Only at times like this do I feel that you are still by my side, still willing to be with me, and won't suddenly vanish one day."
Wei Yuan said, "Don't worry, I won't vanish. Never."
Bao Yun sighed. "No, I need to hold onto you tighter. That Buddha Sword Peak you mentioned—put it in Ding'an City. Ding'an is no longer a frontline fortress. Erecting a mountain peak will grace the city and foster more children endowed with Sword Dao talent. Ding'an has plenty of people now; with the peak standing beside the city, those fellows won't dare unleash massive Dao techniques."
Wei Yuan praised her idea. "I had the same thought. I plan to relocate some mortals blessed with karmic luck to live around the peak, and then zone out several areas to establish surveillance formations, anti-air missile bases, sky cannon bases, karmic luck operation and maintenance facilities, and the like."
"Sounds like quite a lot of job openings—splendid! So we place it at Ding'an City?"
Wei Yuan hesitated for a moment, asking, "What does the Old Ancestress say?"
"She dotes on me too much; at most, she'll just be a little displeased."
Seeing Bao Yun's persistence, Wei Yuan finally nodded. The Buddha Sword Peak was now the most conspicuous target in all of Qingming; wherever it was erected would become a lightning rod for attacks. By putting it in Ding'an City, Bao Yun was willingly putting herself in harm's way.
Although Wei Yuan had already designed layered defenses—deploying troops around it effectively masked the sword peak with military qi, and blessing the mortals with karmic luck turned Buddha Sword Peak into a deadly trap waiting for enemies to dive in—it was still exceptionally dangerous. The Bao family naturally wouldn't want to see Bao Yun endanger herself. Yet Wei Yuan understood her mind: only this could give her a greater sense of security. Moreover, once the imminent calamity passed, the Buddha Sword Peak would bring nothing but benefits.
The World's Number One Dharma Idol Assembly drew to a close. The myriad cultivators were deeply astonished by Qingming's prosperity, feeling almost as if they had entered an immortal realm. However, over these past days, they had also fully experienced the arrogance of the people of Qingming.
Nowadays, the people of Qingming not only looked down on all outsiders, but internal tiers had also formed within Qingming itself. For instance, Ding'an and Yong'an were considered prime regions, while the rest of Qingming was treated as the countryside—only marginally better than the outside world.
Having experienced this so often, many visiting cultivators began referring to Qingming locals as the "Qing people," and some even called them "Lord Qing."
Yet the arrogance of these "Lords of Qing" was not without reason. If nothing else, the daily meals of ordinary mortals in Qingming were better than what many Dao Base old ancestors ate. The multi-story apartment buildings now common throughout Qingming were so bright and tidy that they left rustic cultivators who had only ever lived in earthen courtyards green with envy, and the flush toilets broadened their horizons even further, drawing endless cries of disbelief.
Just as the visiting cultivators were lingering reluctantly, public notices were suddenly posted across Qingming, instantly triggering an uproar among them!
The notice was titled:
"Dao Base Old Ancestor Qingming Settlement Plan"
The conditions for settling in Qingming were remarkably lenient. A Dao Base old ancestor could not only relocate themselves, but could also bring along a certain number of Body Casting disciples and mortal kin to settle together—a single Dao Base old ancestor could bring hundreds of people. Once settled, everyone could immediately enjoy all of Qingming's welfare benefits, and after three years, they would automatically transition into common citizens.
Once the announcement went up, not only did the Dao Base old ancestors' hearts leap with excitement, but many prominent clans and noble families also began calculating in secret.
After all, they still had plenty of poor relatives who held no status within the great clans and led strained lives; coming to Qingming would be far better. Many frustrated, concubine-born young masters and misses actually lived worse lives than ordinary mortals in Qingming.
This Dao Base Old Ancestor Settlement Plan was Wei Yuan's true final move—to extract every last drop of value and leave no corner untapped.
In the two months following the assembly's conclusion, Wei Yuan practically buried himself in Ding'an City: selecting sites, planning, relocating people, and supervising construction. Before his eyes, a new city facing the river and leaning against the mountains rose from the ground, with a vast open space reserved along the mountain range specifically for the Buddha Sword Peak.
During these days, however, Bao Yun would from time to time drag Wei Yuan off to reminisce about old matters—after all, Wei Yuan had been young back then, and had pierced the wrong places.
Wei Yuan's progress on the third tone of the Desolate Roar steadily regressed.
After two months, the colossal project was finally complete, and the Buddhist finger had been fully refined, only awaiting planting. Wei Yuan went to see Zhang Sheng, intending to settle on an auspicious date to officially erect the Buddha Sword Peak.
Zhang Sheng was currently nurturing her sword. Seeing Wei Yuan arrive, she smiled faintly and stood up. "You haven't come around much lately. It seems you've been terribly busy?"
Wei Yuan felt a pang of guilt and hurriedly replied, "I've been very busy, but fortunately the fruits are plentiful. We can erect the Buddha Sword Peak very soon; that is why I came."
"Oh, so you only think of your master when there is official business..."
This was yet another deadly question. Wei Yuan felt a throbbing headache, at a loss for how to answer. Lately he had been swamped with work and had read fewer storybooks, leaving his repertoire of witty replies sorely lacking.
Zhang Sheng gave a faint smile and picked up a brand-new storybook from the table. "You've been having such a delightful time lately, while my thoughts haven't felt quite so unburdened. It looks like I must make things a little difficult for you. There is a very interesting question in this storybook. If you answer it properly, I won't be angry—how about it?"
"Ask away!" Wei Yuan said, bracing himself.
Zhang Sheng turned a page and read aloud from it: "If I were to turn into a caterpillar, would you still love me?"
Chapter 1031