Having dealt with the rogue cultivators, Wei Yuan was already compiling the roster of candidates for this cohort of Dao Foundation casting. Barely a month after the war, Qingming had already absorbed more than three hundred thousand refugees, bringing its population climbing back up to 1.7 million.
Much of the credit for this went to Cui Shutong. He now seemed insatiably hungry for weapons and armor, refusing silver in favor of taking armor in trade; in exchange, he was willing to supply fifty percent more refugees.
With Qingming's current iron and steel production, forging ten thousand sets of heavy armor a day was no trouble at all. Thus, within a single month, Cui Shutong sold Wei Yuan over three hundred thousand refugees. Over that same month, only thirty-odd thousand refugees had made their own way to Qingming. News traveled slowly among the displaced masses; many still believed Qingming was at war and did not dare come over.
As the population base ballooned, those who had survived the crucible of war saw their cultivation surge. Furthermore, with the great battle only just past, practically everyone possessed military merits they could hardly spend down. Consequently, this time, the number of commoner cultivators who had achieved great mastery of Body Casting surged to four thousand at once.
In addition, the Xu family youths of New City had finally completed their Body Casting; more than eight hundred had taken the lead in reaching Body Casting Perfection and were now ready to cast their foundations as well.
On top of that, an official letter arrived from the Palace of Grand Beginning, accompanied by a giant vessel carrying three thousand Dao soldiers for Wei Yuan to train on their behalf, with compensation to be settled separately.
Along with the rogue cultivators and the cultivators dispatched by the Cui family, all told, this cohort of trainees surpassed ten thousand people for the first time.
With so many people set to cast their Dao Foundations—the vast majority of whom would serve as the backbone of Qingming's workforce in the decades to come—Wei Yuan naturally attached the utmost importance to it, treating it as the primary affair of the immediate future.
Thus, he convened the cultivators of the Palace of Grand Beginning to offer plans and suggestions, while also mobilizing the Sleeping Dragons and Young Phoenixes within the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World.
In the end, it was Bao Yun's proposal that won unanimous approval. In essence, with so many people, there had to be a sense of ceremony—only then could they easily harvest karmic luck. The two words "karmic luck" immediately caught Wei Yuan's ear.
A sense of ceremony required, first and foremost, a deafeningly resounding name. Hence, the Qingming Dao Foundation Training Class was rechristened the "Qingming Six Realms Enlightenment Assembly." As for which six realms those were, the trainees were left to imagine for themselves.
Next came the venue and furnishings. It was no longer a bare parade ground. Instead, fabric-covered partitions divided the space into individual cubicles, each furnished with a meditation cushion so that trainees would not disturb one another, while instructors patrolled the entire area to offer help and guidance at any moment.
With partitions and furnishings came the opportunity to delineate ranks. Those cultivators who had paid enjoyed VIP treatment: the area where they cast their foundations was raised considerably higher than the rest, their partitions were made of redwood, their cushions woven from Heart-Clearing Grass, and each cubicle was scented with a burner of Spirit-Calming Incense.
Beyond that, there were Super VIPs—individuals of distinguished status or those who had paid enormous sums. Before each of them hung a small bell; if they felt the slightest discomfort, they could ring it at any time to summon an instructor for one-on-one service. Moreover, the cultivators assigned to serve this section were all handsome men and beautiful women.
With tiers established in such fashion, the sense of ceremony sprang forth immediately.
The final element of this ceremonial flair was to have a grand figure presiding over the proceedings, demonstrating Qingming's depth of foundation, deterring scoundrels from all quarters, and ensuring that entitled scions wouldn't dare stir up trouble over nothing.
The best choice for this would originally have been Wei Boyang. However, Wei Yuan hadn't anticipated that this cohort would be so vast, and had let him leave early. Thus, he could only settle for second best and seek out another candidate.
Everyone subconsciously overlooked Patriarch Xuanyue. If this old patriarch were to preside over the hall, he would surely want to deliver a few remarks, and at that point, the situation would become entirely uncontrollable.
The Scenery Command experts of the Cui and Bao families had already returned home; besides, it was improper to bind them so deeply to Qingming.
Wei Yuan suddenly thought of someone: Zhu Yuanjin. Just as the thought crossed his mind, he heard Zhu Yuanjin calling out to him.
Wei Yuan hurried over and found her seated by a table. She handed him a storybook and said, "I can appear and preside over it, but only if you bring me three more storybooks like this one."
Wei Yuan took it and looked. He found that the storybook was produced by the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World—the one given to Zhu Yuanjin last time, though he had no idea which young phoenix had penned it.
The storybook told of a woman murdered by others who was reborn ten years in the past. What followed was mostly the usual tearing apart of romantic rivals, except for an added plot point where the husband who had betrayed her wept bitter tears, clutching her feet and begging desperately to get back together.
She naturally refused, fiercely humiliating her ex-husband before driving him out. From then on, the ex-husband wandered the streets, begging to survive, while she went on to live a blissful life with the emperor, the imperial prince, and the regent king—occasionally having trysts with the young, handsome, dashing, and overbearing emperor of her homeland for the sake of national security.
In Wei Yuan's eyes, the storybook pushed the boundaries beyond all decency. Even scanning it cursorily filled his heart with countless "holy fucks"—a phrase he had picked up from Xu Wenwu, which he felt conveyed his feelings exceptionally well.
Yet Patriarch Yuanjin had this one singular hobby. Wei Yuan gritted his teeth and assigned the task at once. Amazingly, a young phoenix accepted the commission on the spot! Wei Yuan was quite astonished, wondering what sort of prodigy could concoct such bizarre plots.
Having settled Zhu Yuanjin and made all necessary preparations, Qingming's first ten-thousand-person Enlightenment Assembly officially convened.
On the day of the assembly, trainees queued up in over a dozen long lines, entering the parade ground one by one. The VIPs and Super VIPs had initially felt the accommodations were rather Spartan, but the moment they looked down at the ordinary trainees who could only sit in shanties, their moods brightened immediately. They decided that Wei Yuan was remarkably savvy, and their money had been well spent.
And so, young noble lords leaned against the balustrades, pointing and scoffing at the paupers below.
Seeing their expressions, Wei Yuan couldn't help but admire Bao Yun's ingenuity. The young lady had stated back then that observing the common trainees below was part of the paid content for VIPs and Super VIPs, effectively fortifying their Dao hearts.
Upon entering, for reasons unknown to them, everyone caught sight of a red-robed woman seated beneath an ancient tree atop a nearby hill. Though her features could not be clearly seen, her ethereal, natural grace and the serene focus with which she held and read her book struck a chord in countless hearts. Many privately thought that to take such a woman as one's wife would make one's life truly worth living.
Many with greater worldly wisdom suddenly realized: for a woman to possess such miraculous bearing, she had to be in the Scenery Command realm!
In the blink of an eye, word swept across the entire grounds. Everyone learned that Qingming had actually invited a Scenery Command patriarch to oversee and offer personal guidance!
At this, many Dao Foundation patriarchs observing from the sidelines were moved to tears, prostrating themselves in worship. The highest existence these patriarchs had ever seen in their lifetimes was a dharma idol; never before had they gazed upon a Scenery Command mighty figure with such clarity.
Soon, the Enlightenment Assembly began. Hundreds of instructors began flying patrol circuits across the venue, offering guidance and making final entreaties urging everyone to choose template Dao Foundations.
Moments later, the bell chimed nine times, and Fleeting Sentience was unleashed. In the blink of an eye, a beam of radiance soared into the sky from the Super VIP area. Someone had already succeeded in casting their foundation—and it was a Heaven Foundation! It immediately drew the gaze of the entire assembly!
Wei Yuan, however, knew the score. These few individuals had long been capable of forming their Dao Foundations; the reason they spent enormous sums to come cast their foundations in Qingming was partly that they prized the opportunity for advance comprehension granted by Fleeting Sentience.
The other reason was the sheer glory of achieving a Dao Foundation under the watchful eyes of ten thousand people. What magnificent prestige that was—grander even than an official advancement ceremony! Whose advancement to Dao Foundation could boast ten thousand spectators?
The young noble who had been the first to advance to a Heaven Foundation didn't even pause to stabilize his foundation. He rushed to the railing and threw his head back, laughing aloud three times, feeling his Dao heart turn extraordinarily lucid. He knew full well that such a shining moment would likely come only once in his life.
Moments later, two more pillars of radiance rose into the air: one Heaven Foundation, one Earth Foundation. Both laughed long and loud toward the sky as well, but hardly anyone paid them any mind.
Wei Yuan, standing on high ground alongside Xu Wenwu, said, "This is a rare opportunity to perceive the myriad aspects of sentient life. In a moment, observe carefully, and you should gain a deeper insight into this world. If you gain any enlightenment, the next step will be arranging for you to cast your Dao Foundation."
Xu Wenwu said solemnly, "I'm ready! Let the storm rage on even more fiercely!"
Wei Yuan was horrified and urgently barked, "Shut up!"
But it was already too late. Xu Wenwu's heart had been surging with passion, and the words were already out.
What was done was done, and Wei Yuan was helpless to change it. He could only glare ferociously at Xu Wenwu and snap, "From now until you finish casting your Dao Foundation, you are not allowed to say a single word!"
Xu Wenwu naturally had no idea that karmic luck became exceedingly erratic around Wei Yuan. That single boast he had just blustered had already raised his upcoming heavenly tribulation by an entire grade.
Chapter 575