Arrangements

As night fell, the members of the Cui family were polishing their fundamentals when they were suddenly summoned to the drill ground and instructed to begin casting their Dao Foundations. Though it came without warning, they had long prepared for this day, so there was no panic. After warming up twice with Ephemeral Multitude, they formally commenced the casting process. Of the three hundred-odd members, well over half chose the new Dao Foundation template provided by Wei Yuan: the Bright Light Sword. Having undergone several revisions, this sword had successfully lowered the difficulty of casting by another notch—naturally accompanied by a corresponding drop in power. It possessed two properties: first, it grew scalding hot, radiating heat around the wielder; second, it shed bright light, igniting a tiny flicker along the blade that shone with striking radiance. Manifested in the dead of night, it could illuminate a radius of ten zhang, presenting a remarkably imposing display. Ever since the advent of the Bright Light Sword, the baseline for a Mortal Tier Dao Foundation had been dragged down a fraction further. Most of the remaining disciples chose to contemplate the Immortal Sword · False Sun; that sword at least possessed some measure of wondrous mystery. While Wei Yuan had been away from the domain for a time, quite a few cultivators within it had successfully mastered the Immortal Sword · False Sun, so there was no shortage of examples for them to reference and comprehend. The night proceeded rather smoothly. By midnight, more than thirty people had cast their Dao Foundations. They had only just stabilized their realms, and before they even had time to celebrate, Cui Yu appeared before them flanked by several cultivators. The cultivators behind Cui Yu carried several massive chests packed to the brim with heavy armor. Cui Yu issued a set of heavy armor to each newly minted Dao Foundation disciple of the Cui family and said, "An opportunity has presented itself—a chance to earn heavenly merits from the Palace of Grand Beginning. Now that you've cast your Dao Foundations, you are qualified to take part. Do you want in?" These disciples had originally held virtually no hope of ever casting a Dao Foundation, so entering the Palace of Grand Beginning had been utterly out of the question. Yet even for someone outside the sect, merit recognized by the Palace of Grand Beginning could still be traded for cultivation supplies. Above all, it was honor and recognition—bragging rights to last a lifetime once they returned to the clan! How many Dao Foundation disciples in the Palace of Grand Beginning itself went without a single heavenly merit? If scoundrels and write-offs like them managed to get their hands on some, wouldn't that be the ultimate turnabout? The newly advanced Dao Foundation cultivators asked in unison, "How do we get this opportunity?" "Simple: two thousand liang of immortal silver for one point of heavenly merits. Anyone who wants in pays four thousand liang up front. If you're short on silver, magical implements and precious materials can be put up as collateral. Once the deed is done, the account will be settled based on how many heavenly merits you actually receive—excess refunded, deficits made up. If you don't get any heavenly merits, we won't take a single coin." Their hearts leaped. This was essentially buying merit and rank with silver! Was there really such an incredible bargain in the world? Had these words not come directly from Cui Yu, they would have assumed they were dealing with a fraud. One disciple sidled closer, trying to play up kinship: "Little Great-Uncle, will there be chances like this in the future?" Cui Yu gave him an impatient scowl. "It's only because of tomorrow's major battle that this opportunity exists at all! Who knows when the next one will come? Do you want it or not? If you don't, I'll find someone else." "Yes, yes, of course we do!" the Cui family disciples chimed in at once. Though parting with the immortal silver stung, they reminded themselves that they were Dao Foundation cultivators now. Their futures were completely transformed; surely they could earn back a bit of paltry immortal silver later? Gritting their teeth, each hurried to hand over money and valuables, none willing to fall behind the rest. Good-for-nothings though they might be in a fight, spending money was something Cui family scions could always do! Once the immortal silver was collected, Cui Yu's demeanor instantly shifted, and he patiently instructed them, "During tomorrow's battle, you must stay fully focused. The opportunity might last only a single breath; miss it, and it's gone. Once you step onto the battlefield, you must obey orders to the letter. Strike when told to strike, flee when told to flee. Do not entertain any ideas of your own, and above all, do not try to be clever. Understood?" The crowd nodded fervently. Cui Yu continued, "Good. First thing tomorrow morning, several senior brothers and sisters from the Palace of Grand Beginning will arrive. All you need to do is stay glued to their heels and follow their commands. They will guarantee your safety: every three of you will be assigned a disciple of the Palace of Grand Beginning as a personal bodyguard. Now, memorize this mental formula. When the time comes, it will automatically record your heavenly merits." This arrangement was exceedingly thoughtful. Having just had pie drop from the sky and cast their Dao Foundations, these Cui family disciples valued their lives above all else and were utterly unwilling to risk their necks right now. Meanwhile, Wei Yuan stood at the edge of the drill ground holding a roster that listed all the disciples from Sky Azure Hall and Water Moon Hall who had come along for this practical trial. Wei Yuan picked up a brush and, without a second thought, briskly crossed out several names until only ten remained. As he made the strokes, his mind was completely blank; the crossing-out was entirely random. Whoever was struck off was simply suffering from bad luck, completely unrelated to Wei Yuan's personal feelings. At least, that was what Wei Yuan told himself. Afterward, Wei Yuan had all the cultivators from Sky Azure Hall and Water Moon Hall whose names remained summoned before him. "In tomorrow's assault on Shaman City, there should be plenty of chances to claim heavenly merits. You are to stick with the Cui family disciples. They have only just cast their Dao Foundations, so their combat strength can be discounted entirely; you must make sure to protect them well." Two disciples from Sky Azure Hall exchanged hushed voice transmissions: "Why do we have to babysit those deadweights?" "Do you even need to ask? They paid good money!" "Understood!" Wei Yuan pretended not to catch the transmissions and continued, "Once the battle begins tomorrow, follow military orders. When the moment comes, I will naturally tell you to strike. You will move out alongside the Cui family members; as for how many heavenly merits you can claim, that will depend on your own abilities." At that, Wei Yuan smiled faintly. "Those of our Sky Azure and Water Moon Halls shouldn't end up scoring less than a bunch of Mortal Tier Dao Foundations, right?" The ten youths laughed. Just as Wei Yuan turned to leave, Fei Yutong caught up with him and asked, "Senior Brother Wei, why aren't the other brothers and sisters here?" Wei Yuan replied, "They are accompanying the main army in storming the city tomorrow. Although they can only earn merit points, that is genuine battlefield merit, bearing great responsibility." "Then how was it decided that some get to take heavenly merits while others march with the army?" the young woman pressed persistently. Wei Yuan said, "It was decided at random." "Is that so? I won't be short on heavenly merits in the future anyway, so why not give my spot to someone else?" Wei Yuan frowned slightly, his expression turning solemn. "I drew ten people at random this time, so no one can complain; it's simply a matter of luck. But if you make a swap, the nature of the whole affair changes. Once there is deliberate selection, accusations of favoritism become inevitable. You lack experience; don't make trouble for me. Just follow instructions." Seeing Wei Yuan suddenly turn stern, Fei Yutong shrank back, not daring to say another word. When the first trace of morning light cracked across the horizon, the army, having long completed its preparations, set out from the domain and surged toward Shaman City in a grand, sweeping formation. Atop the walls of Shaman City, four Great Shamans gazed upon the soaring military qi rolling toward them, yet their expressions remained quite relaxed. Behind them appeared another Great Shaman, shrouded head to toe in a silvery-white robe. Its aura fluctuated erratically, extraordinarily bizarre. "Hmph, does that Wei Yuan truly believe there are only four Great Shamans in this city?" "Even if he discovers Lord Shui's arrival, what of it? With Lord Shui here, this city is impregnable!" "Those strange exploding cylinders of the humans are formidable; we must guard against them." The Great Shaman in the silvery-white robe peered outside the city walls. After a moment, it said, "The humans have mobilized in full force. Activate the array now; I will preside over the altar. Leave those cylinders to me." It flew back toward the altar as the city-defending grand array surged to life, flecks of milky-white light joining its radiance, distinctly different from before. Countless elite Shaman warriors and champions took to the battlements, waiting in stern readiness. Within the city, numerous bed crossbows were wheeled into position. Shaman bed crossbows were entirely different from those of the humans: each carried its own sacrificial altar, capable of drawing upon the sacrificial power stored in the grand altar to loose an array of devastating curses. These bed crossbows were primarily meant to counter powerful human cultivators flying overhead to launch downward assaults. From dawn's first light until near midday, the various forces of the domain did nothing more than march forward to their assigned positions, loosely encircling Shaman City. The Great Shamans in the city had initially felt a lingering unease, but upon seeing that the human troops emerging from the domain totaled only sixty to seventy thousand, their worries vanished. Right now, Shaman City held a hundred and twenty thousand warriors alone, plus nearly two hundred thousand civilians. Once outside their domain, those human forces likely couldn't even defeat the two hundred thousand Shaman civilians. Consequently, none of the Great Shamans worried about the outcome of the battle, focusing instead on their personal safety. In their eyes, the humans of Qingming might seem ordinary in strength, but their methods were crueler and more terrifying than the last; a single slip could easily lead to death and the destruction of one's cultivation. In the previous battle, how haughty and ferocious had Great Shaman Yanxin been? Yet nearly several millennia of his lifespan had been wiped out by a single spear strike, leaving him with less than a hundred years. His path of cultivation was utterly severed, a fate worse than death. If even Yanxin had met such an end, how dared they be anything less than cautious? Once all his forces reached their designated positions, Wei Yuan stirred his mind. From Qingming, a beam of light shot out instantly, piercing straight through the firmament! No longer creeping forward at a steady crawl, the Qingming Domain expanded at full tilt like an oceanic tide! The Great Shamans in the city watched the rolling boundary rush toward them, completely flabbergasted! In a flash, the Qingming Domain washed over Shaman City. Under the suppressive weight of the clear domain, the city-defending grand array fluctuated violently. Immediately following, more than a dozen steel cylinders of various sizes came howling through the air, plunging down upon Shaman City.