The first batch of mindscape worlds opened to the outside consisted of twelve independent islets.
Wei Yuan had also established six different environments across the twelve islands, complete with the embryonic forms of corresponding Great Dao authorities. In any case, Wei Yuan's true spirits were both numerous and potent; the newly joined Dharma God alone had yielded three derivative lesser authorities: Illusory Form, Spirit Strike, and High Speed.
Wei Yuan then sought out Xihe and obtained four distinct sword intents from her, before extracting several true intents from the Pure Land—all lesser authorities such as purification, karma dispelling, and lifespan extension—finally assembling twelve true intents of authority.
To attract customers for this first batch of mindscape worlds, Wei Yuan had endowed each with a sliver of Great Dao authority. Moreover, these authorities were either formidable, immensely practical, or bizarrely esoteric—in short, not a single one was ordinary.
Of the initial twelve mindscape worlds, Wei Yuan allocated six internally first.
Among the internal quotas, Baoyun took two, while Xiaoyu, Xu Henshui, and Cui Yu each requested one, all intending to give them to their clans. Wei Yuan had no objection to this; after all, given the nature of the Dao Court Scenery Command, whoever accepted one was bound to stand on Qingming's side. It was just like the Ji, Zhao, and Cui families—with so many Golden Pellet templates occupying positions of real power throughout their ranks, it was hard for them not to draw close to Qingming even if they wanted to.
With the internal allocations completed, Wei Yuan listed the remaining six mindscape worlds publicly as bait.
During the first few days after the listing went live, a dead silence settled both within and without Qingming. Not a ripple stirred, and there was not even any discussion in the Splendor of the Many Realms. Such a tepid response was somewhat unexpected for Wei Yuan.
However, he did not pay it much mind. After all, this was a pseudo-held Scenery Command, and currently, there were only about a dozen cultivators at the perfection of the dharma idol realm in all of Qingming. Aside from those belonging to the Palace of Grand Beginning, every single one had come from the outside.
Qingming had simply been established for too short a time and lacked accumulated foundation. Even among the youths of the Xu family whose talents were markedly superior—not counting Xu Shiba and Wei Ying, who possessed innate past-life wisdom—regular dharma idols were only just beginning to appear.
The perfection-stage dharma idol cultivators from the Palace of Grand Beginning were currently holding their breaths and straining to break through to Scenery Command on their own, while the remaining ones did not even number six.
Besides, Wei Yuan estimated that the annual rent of five million Qingyuan had likely frightened off many prospective clients. But this price had been calculated by Feng Chutang after pulling several all-nighters, and out of respect for professionalism, Wei Yuan had made no changes to it.
To determine the rental standard, Feng Chutang had first established the concept of a "Standard Dharma Idol Perfection." He hypothesized a perfection-stage dharma idol cultivator whose attributes were average in every respect, and then calculated how much Qingyuan such a cultivator could earn in a year of conscientious, diligent, and completely uncompromised labor. The final result came out to three million Qingyuan—and that was under the luxurious premise of being allowed fifteen days of rest each year.
Consequently, the standard rent was set near double the annual income of a standard dharma idol, ensuring that cultivators would have a need to take out loans.
Once they reached Scenery Command, their annual income could roughly reach six to ten million, leaving a modest surplus even after paying the rent.
Wei Yuan had initially felt the rent was a bit too steep, but Feng Chutang argued that collecting this money was essentially a Dao tax. Whether it was used to subsidize mortals and low-level cultivators, build bridges and pave roads, or even wage war, all were valid. This was an opportunity for Scenery Command; how could it possibly come cheap?
If nothing else, the mere fact that one did not need to undergo a heavenly tribulation meant no price was too high. With the caliber of individuals reduced to renting a mindscape world, wouldn't any random heavenly tribulation wipe them out completely?
Qingming was currently fighting on three fronts—campaigning in Liao, striking the Shan tribes, and keeping guard against Yizhou—meaning money was flowing out like water. Wei Yuan indeed needed funds, so he had settled on this rent.
Thus, when the initial rollout was met with cold silence, Wei Yuan considered it quite normal. In any case, this was a long-term endeavor, and there was no rush.
Over half a month passed in this manner when Wei Yuan suddenly discovered via the Great Array of the Heavenly Constellations that unusually large numbers of flying vessels were arriving in Qingming over the past few days—dozens of times more than in the past. Perfection-stage dharma idol cultivators stepped down from the flying vessels in droves, and over a dozen Scenery Command masters arrived one after another as well.
Soon after, Bao Manshan of the Bao family, alongside Bao Shu—who had just advanced to Scenery Command—arrived leading more than ten Bao family elders to request an audience with Wei Yuan.
They were all old acquaintances, so Wei Yuan naturally received them immediately.
Upon meeting, Bao Manshan got straight to the point and made a single demand: Wei Yuan had to take out at least three of the publicly listed mindscape worlds—and one of them had to be the one containing the Pure Land's lifespan-increasing true intent—to hold an open auction!
"Such treasures should naturally belong to those of virtue!"
Wei Yuan was taken aback for a moment. Looking at the green flames blazing in the eyes of the Bao family elders, it finally dawned on him: had this first batch of mindscape worlds... kicked off a bit too wildly?
After agreeing to put three quotas up for open auction, Wei Yuan pulled Bao Manshan aside and humbly asked why they did not consider the rent expensive.
Bao Manshan replied immediately that while lost money could always be earned back, an opportunity to seek the Dao like this was something one could only dream of encountering. Every single one of this batch of mindscape worlds carried a true intent of Great Dao authority; obtaining one was virtually equivalent to starting straight from the mid-stage of Scenery Command. Even if one did not use it to battle, using it solely to contemplate the Great Dao made it a magnificent opportunity.
Therefore, Bao Manshan had led the group here with the intention of bidding for at least two more. Combined with the ones Baoyun had provided, they intended to secure a total of four quotas. Furthermore, these quotas were not intended for elderly dharma idol cultivators, but for the true cultivation seeds who genuinely held hope of reaching Scenery Command. By contemplating a mindscape world in advance, their chances of breaking through to Scenery Command on their own would naturally increase. Old Madame Bao estimated this would grant the Bao family at least one additional Scenery Command elder out of thin air, so they were determined to win at all costs.
"This is an opportunity to attain the Dao, so it naturally belongs to those of virtue!" As he said this, Bao Manshan thumped his own chest vigorously, the eight treasure rings adorning his stubby fingers gleaming so brightly that Wei Yuan was dazzled—a magnificent demonstration of what it meant to be a "person of virtue."
His vision awash in gemstone luster, Wei Yuan readily obliged.
After seeing Bao Manshan off, Wei Yuan sank into thought. The true intent most popular among cultivators was, without question, the immortal sword. As it happened, a sword immortal resided right inside his grotto-heaven. Xihe had once been a sword immortal who dominated an entire era; even without revealing a shred of her true capabilities, she could easily break down more than twenty derivative lesser sword intents.
Back then, Wei Yuan had boasted of being "the Origin of a Sword," and that had not been entirely without foundation. Relying on the foundation of the Sword of Ten Thousand Generations and Autumns accumulated over the years, he too could break down five or six sword intents.
Apart from that, that Yue Mututu living upon the round moon seemed to have stashed away quite a few rolls of laurel bark again, hadn't it? That was no ordinary bark; each roll contained a sword intent.
Moreover, these true intents of authority were merely for others to study and reference. Expecting that none of them could ascend to immortality anyway, they naturally would never be able to pry Wei Yuan's authorities away.
The auction was set for one month later. In Bao Manshan's words, this was to give every major noble clan enough time to rush over for a fair showdown. To triumph through a head-to-head contest of financial might was the mark of a true person of virtue, and a mindscape world won in such a fashion carried its own grand momentum, bringing immense benefits to the cultivator.
This layer of maneuvering demonstrated Bao Manshan's profound mastery over the Dao of karmic fortune. Even Wei Yuan could not help but admire it, and he ultimately put forward two mindscape worlds carrying sword intents and one carrying a lifespan-increasing true intent for the auction.
Before the auction even began, Wei Yuan first reaped a wave of dharma idol and Scenery Command karmic fortune. As this influx of high-tier fortune entered his body, his status subtly drifted upward once more.
During this period, whenever he obtained karmic fortune, Wei Yuan would head over to the World of Return to Silence. Ever since acquiring the *Taiyi God-Enfeoffment Method*, he had successively awakened four true spirits and molded physical bodies for them.
Wei Yuan then discovered that the four beings awakened through the *Taiyi God-Enfeoffment Method* naturally shared a profound karmic bond with the Leaf of the Great Dao, essentially functioning as innate sacred spirits of this realm.
Furthermore, with each one awakened, their innate elemental divine arts and Great Dao authorities were entirely distinct, effectively filling the Great Dao's blanks one by one.
Given time, they would become beings on par with the Liao Ancestor or the Sea God of this realm.
Only now did Wei Yuan realize the terrifying grandeur of the *Taiyi God-Enfeoffment Method*; it practically seized the creative powers of Heaven and Earth from primordial chaos. No wonder that when the Three-Eyed Bird condensed this Dao scripture, it had directly depleted all the primordial spirits accumulated over that entire stretch of time.
In a sense, it was only because Wei Yuan opened the shared mind-manifested worlds in this realm and acquired a wealth of high-tier karmic fortune that he was able to awaken the four sacred spirits. Thus, these four sacred spirits were inherently bound to this realm and to the human race by countless intricate ties.
Chapter 1397