Longzang

Chapter 801 The Bygone Days of Tranquility

The elders of both the Bao and Cui families were greatly surprised, wondering where the Xu family got so many young descendants who needed to form a foundation.
But everyone was shrewd and immediately guessed the reason: the Xu family wanted to do a favor by bringing over affiliated forces, vassal families, and even key members of their private army. If they still couldn't gather enough people, they could resell the spots.

In short, these spots are easy to sell, and they can be sold at double the price. They can also befriend Qingming. Why not?
For aristocratic families, this back-and-forth exchange was routine business. Not wanting to be left behind, the Bao and Cui families each requested two thousand slots. Thus, the two million Qingyuan that the three families had just borrowed were all returned.

The Bao family is one thing, but the Cui family and Wei Yuan have been cooperating for the longest time. Most of the young disciples in the family who are capable of establishing a Dao Foundation have already done so. Asking for another two thousand slots at this time seems a bit deliberate.

The Xu family elder immediately said, "Elder Cui, your noble family still has so many young juniors who haven't formed their foundation yet? That's truly a cause for celebration. However, the Dao Foundation Ceremony is a grand event in the cultivation world, and it wouldn't be good if it resulted in a mix of good and bad participants."

Wei Yuan genuinely didn't mind; as long as the spots were sold, he didn't care who came. He'd even taken in rogue cultivators in the past two years, so what couldn't he take in?
The elder of the Cui family, however, was unwilling to lose in a verbal battle, saying, "The three Cui families are all of the same blood. It is only right that I reserve some places for the young people of the other two families in advance. Besides, our Ji Zhao Cui family has been developing rapidly recently, and many talents have emerged in our private army. These are all people who need to be cultivated."

These words were perfectly worded, and Baoshu laughed and said, "Everyone should rely on their own abilities and get what they need, there's no need to hurt our feelings. It seems that our three families are destined to be together, and the younger generation will all be classmates from now on. We old folks will naturally have to get closer to each other."

All the elders agreed.

However, the Cui and Xu families privately disapproved of Baoshu's attitude of being half a master, thinking to themselves, "Your Bao family only rose to power because of Baoyun. Don't we have any good daughters?" At that moment, all the elders were secretly calculating in their hearts what outstanding descendants or beauties they could send to Qingming.

Wei Yuan coughed once, and after the elders quieted down a bit, he said, "I have a few important matters that I need your help with."

"Lord of the Realm, please speak!"

Wei Yuan then said, "Right now, Qingming is in dire need of rebuilding and requires many supplies, mainly medicinal herbs, spirit wood, spirit ore, high-level magic weapons, and so on. The details are all on the list, which will be distributed to the elders shortly. These supplies are all urgently needed, and I will purchase them with Qingyuan."

The elders all nodded slightly; this was Wei Yuan's method of exporting Azure Essence. With this inflow and outflow, Azure Essence could gradually circulate.

The meeting concluded, and the elders, upon receiving the list, immediately began to study it carefully. They quickly discovered that to obtain large quantities of Azure Essence, they needed either powerful spiritual treasures or large quantities of resources, such as raw silk and spirit wood.

All three factions possess abundant spiritual treasures, but for a long-term strategy, they must prioritize large-scale resource acquisition.

What can you buy after exchanging for Qingyuan?
The elders had long studied Qingming's resources; firearms, ammunition, and armor were all necessities, and cultivation pills were readily available in unlimited quantities. These few items alone were enough to completely deplete Qingyuan's resources, not to mention the Instantaneous Beings and Dao Foundation Training unique to Qingming. The three families had already spent millions in the blink of an eye just on annual training fees.

Therefore, no matter how much Qingyuan they had, they could use it all, and many of the items were truly unavailable elsewhere. The elders all nodded slightly, gradually accepting the existence of Qingyuan in their hearts.

After the elders left, Baoshu stayed behind and said to Wei Yuan, "Nephew, these systems of yours are simply incredible and truly eye-opening. But I don't quite understand why you initially developed these systems."
"Tell me the truth, if you're short of immortal silver, just ask! My Bao family is somewhat skilled in this area; lending out tens of millions over two weeks isn't a problem. If you're really in a bind, then I'll inform my great-uncle, and lending you one hundred million is also possible."

Wei Yuan said, "Thank you, senior. There's no need for the immortal silver. Actually, the original intention of developing these systems was that I discovered that laziness is human nature. No matter how much you talk to ordinary cultivators about the meaning of cultivation and the principles of life, they will still be lazy when they want to be, and they will still be distracted when they want to meditate."

Only a very small number of people truly possess an iron will and can put their knowledge into practice. The rest of the cultivators cannot even fully tap into their own limited potential, so how can they talk about defying fate? If such people want to go further on the path of cultivation, they must rely on external forces.

Therefore, the attendance system forces them to start cultivating at fixed times and locations, while the performance evaluation provides real-time monitoring, ensuring they put in their best effort during cultivation and reap the rewards of every hour of practice. Finally, the auxiliary cultivation system helps them improve their cultivation efficiency, exploring whether they can break through their existing potential limits and reach new heights.

The path to immortality is arduous; only a very few can traverse it on their own. Most need someone to lend a helping hand at crucial moments. I, your humble nephew, only wish to help them go further on their path. Of course, there's nothing I can do about those who can't be dragged along.

Baoshu was moved: "Excellent! Excellent! My nephew has made such a great vow; he will surely achieve enlightenment in the future..."

As soon as he said this, Baoshu realized his mistake and quickly chuckled, saying, "A few days ago, I had a long talk with a high monk about Zen, especially about the great vow to attain enlightenment, which was very inspiring. What you just said is very similar to the great vow of Buddhism, so I was momentarily confused and misspoke. Please don't be offended! Nephew, nephew?? What's wrong?"

Wei Yuan's face was extremely pale at this moment. He forced a smile and said, "I'm fine. I just broke through and suddenly my Dao heart is a little unstable."

Baoshu hurriedly said, "Your progress is courageous and diligent, and your cultivation speed is rare in the world. You really need to pay attention to consolidating your foundation. I won't bother you any longer. You should quickly go into seclusion to consolidate your cultivation."

Wei Yuan didn't linger. He saw Bao Shu off, then stood there blankly for a long time, seemingly lost in thought.

But whatever the grand ambition or whatever else, Wei Yuan will still push this plan forward.

Wei Yuan had done calculations; if the system were fully rolled out, the number of Qingming Dao Foundation cultivators could at least double. For those already at the Dao Foundation stage, the time required to solidify their foundation could be shortened by an average of one-third, and the number of cultivators reaching the mid-to-late stages would also increase significantly.

According to the predictions of the Human World, among cultivators who are stuck in the early stage of the Dao Foundation stage, if they can squeeze out all their potential, at least 30% to 40% can break through to the middle stage.

This was a huge number, and Wei Yuan couldn't back down. He sighed, shaking off his melancholy, and went to find Yu Zhizhuo.

Yu Zhizhuo was checking the workshop's output over the past month, and the nearly 80% surge made him a little dizzy.

Upon seeing Wei Yuan enter, Yu Zhizhuo was immediately startled and subconsciously asked, "Nephew, what inhuman methods have you come up with this time?"

Wei Yuan laughed and said, "Uncle-Master, don't panic. This is a good thing. The cultivation assistance system is running smoothly now, and everyone has a good understanding of their own progress. Moreover, the data is universal across different regions. I think we can create a cultivation progress ranking list."

Each major workshop area, mining area, and factory will have its own leaderboard, divided into daily, monthly, and quarterly lists. The top 100 performers will be publicly listed, and those who make the list will receive corresponding rewards. If the system is implemented successfully, a nationwide leaderboard and an annual overall leaderboard for the entire Azure Netherworld will also be introduced in the future…”

The data is readily available, and there are no technical obstacles to launching these rankings. Wei Yuan and Yu Zhizhuo discussed it for half a day and finalized the basic framework. After Renjian Yanhuo refined the details, it could be launched. The daily and monthly rankings would be online in seven days at the latest.

After the two finished their discussion, as they were seeing Wei Yuan off, Yu Zhizhuo couldn't help but say, "Nephew, have some decency!"

Wei Yuan simply smiled. He knew, of course, that once these rankings were released, ordinary cultivators who had hoped to enjoy a peaceful life would be thrown into chaos and turmoil.

In the future, when matchmakers arrange marriages, the girls might all say something like this: "I only want someone under thirty, someone who ranks in the top 100 of the annual cultivation rankings..."

Wei Yuan felt that he had inadvertently boarded the pirate ship of making grand vows, and the template cultivators should not expect to enjoy any peaceful life. It would be better for everyone to rush together on the road to immortality.

After leaving Yu Zhizhuo's place, Wei Yuan went to the military city.

Cui Yu was having his daily meeting with his generals when Wei Yuan arrived, so he dismissed them.

Once the hall was empty, Wei Yuan asked, "How is the military preparation going? Just tell me about the core forces."

"The military system has now been reorganized, with 100,000 elite troops. If we don't consider firearms, their average level is already equivalent to the former Dragon Guard. If we consider the replacement of firearms, their combat power will be much stronger."

The second-class elite force numbered 400,000, all fully heavily armored, comprising both infantry and cavalry. Their individual combat strength was comparable to the nine armies of the Great Tang, but our equipment was far superior; even our swords and spears were better. Therefore, our overall combat strength was firmly above that of the nine armies.

Wei Yuan's spirits lifted.

Heavy armored warriors are extremely expensive, practically made with celestial silver, so no country can afford to maintain many of them.

Qingming now boasts a full 500,000 heavily armed warriors, entirely built upon the enormous wealth accumulated over the past few years. Wei Yuan painstakingly pursued both conquest and trade, leveraging the power of Qingming Immortal Stones and the ability to manage worldly affairs, accumulating this fortune over the years.

With such military strength, it wouldn't be difficult to sweep through the nine kingdoms, but it would certainly be able to sweep through the Western Jin Dynasty.

Even if you include all the personal guards and attendants of the princes and ministers, the entire Western Jin Dynasty probably couldn't muster 100,000 elite troops with equivalent equipment.

With this army, Wei Yuan felt confident in launching the Qingyuan campaign. It could be said that the Qingyuan could move freely wherever their spears reached.

Wei Yuan was about to discuss the next steps in the army's development with Cui Yu when suddenly a thought struck him. The scenery before his eyes changed, and he found himself at the northern mountain gate, in the courtyard where the Immortal Lord Yan Shi resided.

After many days apart, Immortal Lord Yan Shi had not changed, except that there was a hint of weariness in his eyes.

Upon seeing Wei Yuan, Yan Shi said, "Now that you have made another breakthrough, the time is ripe to settle things with the Left Wise King and the Little National Preceptor. I have recently been looking through the notes left by the former Palace Master and have gained some insights. I have discovered a celestial technique that is very suitable for you."

That was originally a celestial technique, but I've made some modifications and downgraded it to the Imperial Landscape Dao Technique. You should be able to use it. Go back and study it; you should be able to achieve minor mastery in three months. After three months, I will have another great battle with the Left Wise King. At that time, you will need to withstand the attack of a golden heart-image world for me. It won't take too long; just enough to hold out for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.”

"They've finally arrived..." Wei Yuan said solemnly, "I will do my best!"

Immortal Lord Yan Shi nodded and flicked a beam of light into Wei Yuan's brow. Then, Wei Yuan's vision blurred, and he was back in the main hall of the military city.

(End of this chapter)