Dragon Canon

The upheaval within the sect left Wei Yuan feeling an unprecedented sense of pressure. He had to boost the realm’s strength as quickly as possible.

Wei Yuan took stock of the resources currently at his disposal.

Qingming’s population had already reached 300,000, with more than half of them in their prime and fit for military service. Over the past few months, the youngsters of the Xu Clan had begun to display aptitudes befitting their status as descendants of an Immortal Lord as well. The vast majority of them had mastered the introductory stage of the six universal cultivation methods in less than three months, and several hundred of the fastest cultivators had already advanced to the next stage.

The cleanup of the Shaman city was still underway. The Shamans had left behind a vast amount of supplies, much of which was ready for immediate use. However, the city’s living environment was tailored to the Shamans, meaning that water was everywhere in the residential areas, and even the houses were filled with water. This meant they had no choice but to tear it all down and start over.

There were now over 1,500 Dao Foundation stage cultivators throughout the realm of Qingming, with another 100 joining their ranks each month. They represented Wei Yuan’s greatest source of confidence. That said, these people also possessed poor aptitude, and most would plateau at the middle-stage of the Dao Foundation stage for the rest of their lives.

Over the past few months, Wei Yuan had given his full support to the armament workshop, which ultimately resulted in a 20,000-strong, fully equipped fighting force. However, if the goal was simply to ensure every soldier had a gun, then that number would go up to 60,000. And if each gun was only issued one bullet, then that number would further skyrocket to 100,000.

This was a critical juncture, yet Wei Yuan had chosen to prioritize the Dao Foundation training of the Cui Clan’s third batch above everything else.

He spared no fortune, bestowing two wisps of fortune upon each elder and one wisp upon the ordinary clansmen. He also had Xu Wenwu come over to train, live, and eat alongside the elders.

Although the elders had some complaints about the living conditions within the realm—one room per person rather than one courtyard per person—they calmed down when they saw that other members of the Cui Clan were sharing eight-person rooms.

Trueman Chu He, Sun Yu, Yu Zhizhuo and more took turns explaining the principles of the Dao Foundation they were going to cultivate in detail. Surprisingly, although Zhang Sheng had only taught one class, he had left a profound impression on the younger generation of the Cui Clan. If anyone dared to cause trouble, the teacher would let his sword qi do the talking, not to mention that his manner of speaking struck a chord with the young people in a way they could never imitate.

For a time, a trend of imitating Zhang Sheng’s speech swept through the younger generation. Alas, they lacked his natural “charisma”, so their attempts came across as somewhat awkward and out of place.

Take this line for example: “Go home and bring your elders to debate me, but make sure you only bring those who are mid-stage Avatars or higher. Victory under any other circumstances would be dishonorable.” It just sounded like a joke no matter how they tried to say it.

Under such dedicated guidance, the third batch began forging their Dao Foundations just half a month into their training. The results were exceptionally good as well. Among the 50 elders, 11 were successful in forging their Dao Foundations—all of them Radiant Devil-Subjugating Swords—and extending their lifespans. As for the younger generation, over 50 of them successfully forged their Dao Foundations as well. This was a dramatic turnaround compared to the second term, where only 13 out of 80 people managed to forge a Dao Foundation, not to mention that 10 of them also signed a blood contract and sold their bodies to Wei Yuan.

All in all, the overall success rate had reached nearly 20%—a ratio that approached that of a fourth-tier sect like the Scarlet Tide Sect[1]! This was remarkable considering that these individuals had originally been unable to establish their Dao Foundations and so could not have passed the Immortal Sect Unified Examination at all.

As expected, just one day after the third batch had departed, the Cui Clan sent a message saying that the matriarch would like to meet with Wei Yuan personally.

Upon hearing the message, Wei Yuan immediately boarded a flying vessel and set off for the Cui Clan with Cui Yu. The specialized flying vessel moved extremely fast and covered 200,000 li southward in a single day. They eventually arrived at the Cui Clan estate in Anxi Commandery, located on the southern border of the State of Zhao.

Anxi Commandery was the ancestral home of this branch of the Cui Clan. As was customary, they and by extension the commandery were not required to pay tribute to the State of Zhao. As a result, the region was so prosperous that even ordinary people could afford to dress in bright, colorful clothes.

The commandery city bustled with people. The main streets were paved entirely with limestone bricks and lined with drainage ditches. Three or four-story buildings stood in abundance on both sides of the roads. Unlike the destitute shopkeepers in Jingdu the capital of Jin, these ones sported rosy complexions and plump, robust bodies. It was obvious that they were well-fed/

The Cui Clan was currently divided into three main branches. They were collectively known as the Three Cuis, and they were all aristocratic families. Unlike the Three Lees, the Three Cuis traced their ancestry to a single lineage and origin. Later, due to the various upheavals of the world, they gradually dispersed to various regions and established their own foundations. In a sense, they were similar to the three great mountain gates of the Palace of Absolute Beginning.

The most prominent of the Three Cuis was Song Cui of Qinghe. The ruler of the Song State himself was a patriarch[2] of the Cui Clan. However, as the Song State was the only one of the Nine States that did not share a border with a foreign race, it had long sought to acquire an exclave. Of course, the other states were utterly united in their stance on this matter: a firm refusal. Consequently, countless wars had been waged over this issue over the past thousand years.

The branch to which Cui Yu belonged was located in the southern part of the Zhao State. Its influence spanned both the Ji State and the Zhao State. The Immortal Lord of this branch had passed away over a century ago, and at the moment, none from the younger generation was capable of succeeding him. However, since the Cui Clan shared the same roots and lineages, and the other two branches still had Immortal Lords who would intervene to protect them if necessary, the Cui Clan of Ji and Zhao had continued to develop as usual over the past century, methodically nurturing their descendants without experiencing the slightest disruption.

Upon entering the city, Wei Yuan and Cui Yu were immediately led to the Cui Clan’s grand estate. Though referred to as the ancestral home, its interior was vast enough to race horses through, actually spanning half the commandery city.

After passing through the main gate, they walked a full four li before finally reaching the Phoenix’s Rest Hall, where the matriarch was set to receive them.

Stepping down from the carriage, Cui Yu remarked, “It seems that the matriarch holds you in very high regard. The Phoenix’s Rest Hall is only used to receive important guests.”

Wei Yuan looked up at the grand hall, which stood a full ten zhang tall, and walked in slowly alongside Cui Yu. A maidservant led the two of them through the main hall to a quiet and elegant courtyard at the rear, where they took their seats. A moment later, a lady with snow-white hair and a youthful face walked in and sat down in the seat of honor.

Were it not for her head of white hair, she would have appeared to be middle-aged. After taking her seat, she cast a glance at Wei Yuan, who instantly felt as though he had been seen through from the inside out, startling him.

The Old Lady, matriarch of the Cui Clan, was likely on par with Founder Xuan Yue in terms of cultivation level!

After the assessment, the Old Lady withdrew her piercing gaze and said, “You are a dragon phoenix among men alright. Very good. Over the past period, you’ve cultivated over a hundred Dao Foundation stage cultivators for the Cui Clan, with the results of this latest batch being particularly remarkable. It’s just that that Radiant Devil-Subjugating Sword is, how should I put it....”

Wei Yuan hastened to reply, “In my humble opinion, having a Dao Foundation is better than not having one at all. That is why I devoted myself to developing the Radiant Devil-Subjugating Sword. Forgive my frankness, but if it weren’t for this sword, I fear that many would have been unable to forge their Dao Foundations.”

The Old Lady smiled faintly and said, “In the past, we were only focused on how to improve the quality of our Dao Foundations. This sword of yours has actually blazed a new Dao path.”

Wei Yuan’s battle-hardened face blushed slightly, but embarrassment aside, he was determined to continue down this path—especially now that he had new ideas. Theoretically, this new idea should have a decent chance of success, and he could put it to test as soon as the next batch showed up.

In Wei Yuan’s opinion, there was still plenty room for improvement in terms of lowering the standards of a Human-tier Dao Foundation. After all, without a Dao Foundation, one would not have sufficient Dao energy. Without sufficient Dao energy, one would not be able to use many established Dao techniques. And without being able to use these techniques, one would not be able to perform many tasks save for a few, such as shoveling furnace slag.

The Old Lady remarked, “The essence of the Human Dao lies in uniting the masses. With so many new Dao Foundations suddenly appearing in the household, many difficult matters have suddenly become manageable. Although there are certainly some idlers among them, the majority are willing to do their part. With them here, some of our long-serving stewards could no longer rely on their seniority to protect themselves and are forced to work harder. This is also an unexpected but pleasant surprise.”

Wei Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that the Old Lady had no intention of blaming him for fulfilling his promise with, frankly put, watered-down Dao Foundations. Her answer also strengthened his resolve to continue down this path.

“I summoned you here today for two reasons. One, it was to take a good look at you. Two, it’s to talk to you about the Xu Clan.”

Wei Yuan’s heart skipped a beat. He knew that this was the main event of this meeting.

The Old Lady spoke slowly: “The Xu Clan is certainly going to cause you trouble, but there’s only so much help the Cui Clan can provide you: at most, we can only ensure that they don’t abuse their advantageous position too much. As for the rest, it’s entirely up to you. Of course, it would be best if you can make them back down of their own accord.”

The Old Lady gave a light cough, and two elderly servants entered the room, working together to carry in a small tree about a chi tall. The tree’s leaves were bright red and shaped like five talons. They were also moving of their own accord even though there was no wind.

The two elderly servants, both Avatars, had to exert all their strength to seal it and prevent its aura from escaping.

“I know you love spirit plants. This Five-Clawed Dragon blood Wood is also an immortal plant. It was born from dragon’s blood and is considered an object of fortune.”

Wei Yuan remained silent. An immortal plant was unbelievably precious. He did not think that his contributions to the Cui Clan were great enough to warrant such a reward.

The Old Lady continued, “This Dragon Blood Wood isn’t a gift, but a loan for three months. When you return, plant it within your realm, and it will boost your fortune whilst turning misfortune into good luck. Furthermore, if the Dragon Blood Wood bears fruit during these three months, and the seeds fall to the ground, a new Dragon Blood Wood will grow, and the improved fortune will become permanent. Of course, if it fails to bear fruit, then the boosted fortune will vanish once the Dragon Blood Wood is returned.”

Wei Yuan was overjoyed and quickly rose to express his gratitude.

Leaving Phoenix’s Rest Hall, Wei Yuan did not linger for a moment. He declined the invitation to stay and enjoy the scenery for a few days and boarded the flying vessel directly with Cui Yu to return that very night.

On the flying vessel, Wei Yuan mulled over the Old Lady’s words repeatedly. He knew the Xu Clan would definitely launch an assault some time in the near future. It was unlikely that a True Lord would intervene personally, but he had to guard against the possibility of them lurking in the shadows and striking secretly. They could even launch an attack via channeling their mystic energy through another person.

In conclusion, unless the Xu Clan was dealt a painful blow, they would not back down of their own accord. That was his understanding of the phrase anyway.

Inside the flying vessel, Wei Yuan had been holding the Five-Clawed Dragon Blood Wood with both hands. With only Cui Yu present, he made a subtle gesture and instantly transferred the immortal plant into the Great Realm.

True to its nature as an immortal object, the moment it entered the Great Realm, the Dragon Blood Wood’s originally piercing aura instantly vanished into thin air. It sought out a spot on its own to take root and kept a safe distance from both the three great immortal plants and the girl, Yin Yang.

Wei Yuan then sent a thought to each of the three immortal plants. He was certain that, with their patient persuasion, the Dragon Blood Wood would dutifully bear fruit. Any other outcome would be a failure to appreciate favors on its part, right?

1. Man, it’s been a long time STS. ☜

2. I’m only sure he’s the patriarch of his branch of the Three Cuis, just like the Old Lady is the matriarch of her branch of the Three Cuis. There might be a supreme master of the Three Cuis, and it could be Song Cui. If I’m wrong I’ll correct this in the future. ☜