Common knowledge in the cultivation world held that the more bizarre and eccentric a tribulation lightning bolt appeared, the more terrifying it was; conversely, the plainer and more ordinary it looked, the easier it was to overcome and transcend.
As the ashen-gray tribulation lightning struck, Shengxin stood frozen for a moment. Then, countless hairline cracks suddenly fractured across his face.
Immediately after, his entire body began to crumble apart. At the brink of death, Shengxin tore off his own pinky finger and flung it to Huixin before his physical form disintegrated into ash.
It all happened so abruptly that Huixin was left completely stunned. Not until the severed pinky resting in her palm spoke did she snap back: "Hurry and take me away from this godforsaken place! We're not looking for the child of karmic destiny anymore."
Just then, a voice rang out nearby: "You're looking for the child of karmic destiny?"
Huixin turned around and saw Lei Dong.
The moment Lei Dong caught sight of Huixin's face, his anticipation instantly soured into disgust. He looked her up and down, thinking to himself that while this shamaness was hideously, atrociously ugly—an affront to all shamanic sensibilities and a tragedy beyond all shamanic decency—her cultivation was by no means low, so she might well hail from some major power. At this moment, the beauty of Huixin's figure was completely overlooked.
Putting on a courteous demeanor, Lei Dong said, "I am the chieftain of the Leize Tribe, Lei Dong. If you seek the child of karmic destiny, then you've found the right shaman."
Huixin paused in surprise. The child of karmic destiny they had sought for months was just delivering himself right to their doorstep?
Yet the finger in her palm piped up, "He isn't!"
"Who says I'm not?" Lei Dong's expression darkened slightly.
Shengxin's face materialized on the little finger. Examining Lei Dong closely, he said, "He might have been once, but he isn't anymore. Without your secret technique, his karmic luck will only disperse faster and faster. Let's go!"
Lei Dong was thoroughly shaken, and his attitude immediately grew far more deferential. "High Shamans, since you have come all the way here, why not stop by my Leize Tribe for a seat? Allow me to play host, and then we can discuss this in detail."
Unable to decline his persistent urging, Shengxin in the pinky reluctantly agreed.
Huixin, however, was rather bewildered. What secret technique did she possess that could help anyone consolidate karmic luck?
***
"Primeval profound plant... primeval profound plant..." Wei Yuan muttered through gritted teeth, dual primal chaos blades in hand, hacking down once with every word he uttered.
Another month had passed since the primeval profound plant sprouted, and Wei Yuan's cultivation progress in extracting the four strands of qi was practically negligible.
Suddenly, a stir went through his heart. Sensing that the primeval profound plant's life force had reached a critical threshold and was about to sprout, he returned to the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World and watched the stone sphere, which was already webbed with countless fissures.
The stone sphere cracked open, releasing a streak of intertwined black and red qi. It circled once in the air before plunging into the Jade Mountain, sinking into the black pool beside the Gate of the Many Realms, where it blossomed into a vivid crimson flower drifting in and out of sight beneath the water.
The sight of the flower struck Wei Yuan's mind like a clap of thunder. He flew over to examine it closely. Moments later, he flew out from the Jade Mountain looking somewhat dazed and despondent.
The flower bore characteristics of the Nether Shore and clearly did not belong to this realm. If Wei Yuan was not mistaken, it was nine out of ten the legendary Flower of the Other Shore, which grew only in the foul soils of the Yellow Springs—known in Buddhist scriptures as Manjusaka.
Like the Red Lotus Bodhi, such flowers typically entailed tremendous karmic bonds. In the texts of the Daoist Canon, it was an immortal species already extinct in the mortal realm, capable of surviving only in a handful of immortal paradise grottos with unique environments.
Back when Wei Yuan had nurtured it with the strand of Mystic Heaven Purple Qi bestowed by True Monarch Yanshi, he had clearly felt subtle transformations taking place within the profound seed. Recalling the purple qi's ability to enlighten and catalyze immortal flora, he felt rather strange.
With the landing of the Flower of the Other Shore, Wei Yuan's path of cultivation had stretched from four thousand years to four thousand two hundred years. Confronted by this extra two centuries, Wei Yuan's heart did not even ripple with emotion.
An ordinary Dharma Idol's lifespan was usually three to five hundred years, while an Immortal Idol might approach a thousand. Wei Yuan estimated that his natural lifespan should also have reached a millennium, with eight hundred years remaining now. But with the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World tormenting him like this, he suspected he likely wouldn't live anywhere near eight hundred years.
Wei Yuan returned to Qingming to deal with the backlog of affairs accumulated over the past two months.
Over the past two months, Qingming had remained peaceful. The pill workshops were already yielding a steady output, and the number of people who had redeemed Lesser Origin-Nourishing Pills exceeded fifty thousand. According to records, more than ten thousand new Body Casting cultivators had emerged, the gateway to the immortal path swung open for them.
These ten thousand-plus new cultivators had contributed over five thousand strands of azure qi to Wei Yuan—a proportion noticeably higher than that from ordinary displaced refugees. It seemed the greater one's capability, the more abundant one's karmic luck.
Judging by current trends, the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World projected that within a year, Body Casting cultivators who reached the Sinew and Muscle Realm would increase by a hundred thousand. In terms of labor efficiency, this was equivalent to a million ordinary refugees and could replace five hundred thousand large draft beasts.
Wei Yuan was thoroughly satisfied.
Another development was that the leaders of over a dozen major merchant guilds jointly requested an audience, seeking to open trade in Lesser Origin-Nourishing Pills and Great Sun Morning Splendor Pills.
Wei Yuan ordered the merchant guild leaders summoned to discuss the matter together.
The leaders wanted to purchase Lesser Origin-Nourishing Pills at a price higher than the redemption rate, offering double the price. Wei Yuan ran a quick calculation: at that rate, the merchants could still make an eighty percent profit. Given the exceptional quality of Qingming's Lesser Origin-Nourishing Pills, they could sell them even higher, perhaps doubling their money.
Wei Yuan said, "This is good for everyone, and I am quite willing. However, our current stockpiles of medicinal herbs are limited, and Lesser Origin-Nourishing Pills aren't even enough for internal use. If you all could transport some medicinal herbs in, that would be ideal."
While the herbs for the Lesser Origin-Nourishing Pill were spiritual herbs, they were by no means rare. Right then, seven or eight merchant guilds thumped their chests and guaranteed they could supply them—as much as was needed.
After further discussion, the two sides settled on an exchange ratio of three portions of medicinal ingredients for one Lesser Origin-Nourishing Pill, with the stipulation that half of all purchased Lesser Origin-Nourishing Pills had to be paid for in herbs.
With the terms finalized, Wei Yuan brought out a stockpile of a hundred thousand pills to distribute among the merchant guilds, and put two two-stripe Great Sun Morning Splendor Pills up for auction, which were snatched up by two large guilds for one hundred and fifty thousand taels apiece. Both sides parted in high spirits.
Qingming's pill workshops had already optimized herb processing multiple times, developing several never-before-seen methods for treating and compounding medicinal materials. Thus, where three portions of ingredients yielded three pills or fewer in the hands of ordinary alchemists, Qingming's pill workshops could produce more than five. On this alone, their efficiency doubled that of normal alchemists.
The shortage of herb supplies for the Lesser Origin-Nourishing Pills was solved, though the workshop's production capacity could not be raised any further for the time being. Wei Yuan had only so many Dao Foundation warriors; without a major clash against the shamans, their numbers could not increase.
A few more tranquil months passed in this manner, and in the blink of an eye, the crisp autumn season arrived once again in the State of Jin.
Over these months, Qingming added more than a thousand Dao Foundation cultivators, the vast majority being template Dao Foundations. As soon as they completed their cultivation, they were dispatched across various regions to consolidate their realms.
More than two hundred thousand refugees migrated in from various regions. By now, many people had heard rumors of an earthly paradise named Qingming beyond the pass, and traveled thousands of li to get there.
Combined with the five hundred thousand refugees Wei Yuan bought from various places, Qingming's population now neared three million. The amount of azure qi stored within Wei Yuan's Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World continued to swell; despite his best efforts to spend it, it still exceeded five hundred thousand strands.
The first graduating class of officers from the military academy had finished their training and been dispatched to various units. Their new-style military uniforms caused quite a stir among the common soldiers, and many households considered it an honor to marry their daughters to an officer.
The first heavy infantry unit, established strictly in accordance with the second edition of the armament plan, was fully assembled. Built upon a core of two thousand veterans from the original Longxiang Army and outfitted with five hundred academy officers, this force totaled twenty thousand troops. Commanded by Bao Yun, they dubbed themselves the Qingming First Army.
Another special unit reorganized under the second armament plan numbered three thousand men, with an average capability surpassing even that of the First Army. This force was titled: the Heaven-Extinguishing Gang First Battle Regiment.
At this point, word arrived from the Northern Mountain Gate: after months of closed-door seclusion, Eldest Senior Sister had finally broken through to Dharma Idol. Having weathered the Ninefold Xuanji Celestial Astral Fire-Lightning Idol heavenly tribulation, she attained the Dharma Idol: Ninefold Exquisite Xuanhuang Pagoda.
It was said that Heavenly Monarch Yanshi was so delighted he handed out red packets filled with immortal silver to everyone he met, giving away hundreds of thousands of taels of immortal silver in a matter of a dozen days. He even proclaimed that such a Dharma Idol deserved grand celebration to share joy with the people.
This stood in stark contrast to True Monarch Xuanyue, who, upon Wei Yuan achieving Dharma Idol, had dragged him around borrowing tens of millions of taels of immortal silver. The relationship between the two True Monarchs sank to rock bottom once again.
Another piece of news was that Zhang Sheng had consolidated his Dao Foundation, entered the Spirit-Nurturing Realm, and begun closed-door seclusion. There was no telling how long this seclusion would last, but to instill spirit into hundreds of immortal swords, one could be sure it wouldn't be brief.
Wei Yuan felt a touch of wistfulness.
Right then, news arrived that Imperial Consort Yuan was accompanying the Little King of Chu out of the capital on a spring excursion, planning to visit Qingming.
Chapter 661