Chapter 492: Knowing the Impossible

Feng Chutang and Zhang Sheng chatted for a while longer, confirming that Zhang Sheng's "invincible heart" was indeed not centered on Little Wei Yuan, which seemed to put Feng Chutang at ease.

Zhang Sheng admitted that she was still cultivating an invincible heart, which piqued Feng Chutang's curiosity. After all, Zhang Sheng's original four immortal swords were already terrifying; what path could be even more formidable than that?

Zhang Sheng did not elaborate, only saying that once she attained the Dao Foundation, he would naturally understand. Feng Chutang did not press the matter.

Zhang Sheng then said to Little Wei Yuan, "Your Uncle Feng is well-versed in various schools of thought and deeply read in history; he has no bottom line when it comes to conduct, which is very suitable for the current situation in Qingming. You should seek his counsel often."

"This disciple understands." Seeing Zhang Sheng's dismissive attitude, Little Wei Yuan took his leave.

The residence Little Wei Yuan arranged for Feng Chutang was a secluded courtyard on the main peak, small but tranquil, with a view of the entire eastern boundary of the realm, offering an excellent vantage point.

Upon entering the courtyard, Feng Chutang suddenly said, "Your teacher is on the verge of being entangled by karmic debt. You must pay close attention to her."

Little Wei Yuan was startled. Karmic debt was one of the things cultivators feared most; it was formless and intangible, often arising from unknown causes and extremely difficult to resolve. This was one of the reasons Little Wei Yuan had accepted the Red Lotus Honglian Puti despite knowing the karma of the Arhat True Blood was extraordinary.

The Red Lotus Honglian Puti could dissolve karmic debt; with it, Little Wei Yuan could act with fewer restraints. Otherwise, the karma generated by the many people he had killed would have been enough to overwhelm him.

Yet, since arriving in Qingming, Zhang Sheng had done nothing but read and cultivate, rarely stepping out. Where would this karmic debt come from?

Seeing Little Wei Yuan's confusion, Feng Chutang explained, "She is about to be entangled by a massive karmic debt. While it hasn't manifested yet, the signs are already very clear. Such a debt is extremely troublesome; it could potentially sever her path to the Dao again, so you must find out what she is doing."

"Given your relationship with her, from your position, you cannot see her karmic causality clearly. I came here and saw that Qingming's fortune is precarious, the situation dire and extremely dangerous. Without extraordinary means, it will be hard to break this deadlock. Therefore, whatever heinous deeds you intend to commit, proceed without hesitation, and preferably do them yourself. If you truly cannot bring yourself to do it, you can leave it to me. Your uncle is well-read in history and has his own ways of resolving karmic sin."

Little Wei Yuan immediately asked for the method. The Red Lotus Honglian Puti had its limits; the more ways he had to resolve karmic debt, the better.

Feng Chutang pondered for a moment before saying, "This method is not easily used by others, but since you clearly have your own techniques for resolving karma, perhaps you can draw inspiration from it. This is my Dharma Form: Chenxu."

Above Feng Chutang's head appeared a vast ruin, where a giant shadow dragon lay dormant amidst the broken walls and crumbling pillars. The ruins were permeated with faint black mist, which the shadow dragon inhaled and exhaled unconsciously.

Feng Chutang said, "That shadow dragon in the center is my Dharma Form. I use it to inhale and exhale karmic debt, allowing me to store it temporarily so it does not manifest. When I encounter an enemy, I mix the karmic debt into my Dao techniques and strike them with it, or, after obtaining an important object connected to the opponent by causality, I use a fortune array to transfer the karmic debt onto their fortune."

"This type of array is something I only recently researched, evolved from the Great Transfer Array of True Person Yanshi. I will pass it on to you now."

Little Wei Yuan was shocked; he had never imagined one could use their own karmic debt as a weapon. Even if he could only transfer a small portion, it was terrifyingly effective. The sheer malice of this move was on par with his own "Twilight of the Immortal Path."

In comparison, Zhang Sheng's "Azure Silk Rain" which shaved away Dao foundations, and the "Burning Sea Heavenly Fire" which destroyed Dharma Forms, seemed quite benevolent and gentle, truly deserving the title of "benevolent."

Finally, Feng Chutang said, "We are, after all, teacher and student in a sense. Proceed without hesitation; I will stand on your side."

Little Wei Yuan took his leave of Feng Chutang and returned to his residence, where he was informed that Cai Shizhi had come to see him.

Little Wei Yuan held this gentleman in high regard and hurriedly invited him into the main hall, serving tea and refreshments.

Cai Shizhi said, "Although the Qingming Academy was only recently established, we have already discovered many promising scholars. There are now two hundred students in the academy."

This was excellent news, and Little Wei Yuan thanked him profusely. The Qingming Academy taught everything from the classics and history to governance and military strategy, naturally producing pillars of the state.

Cai Shizhi continued, "Five schools have been opened, with over three thousand people receiving basic education. My disciples are limited, and I truly cannot take on any more. However, after the academy students study for another year, they will be qualified to open schools themselves. By then, we won't have to worry about a lack of teachers for basic education."

"A great merit, sir!"

Cai Shizhi stroked his beard and said, "Qingming was established not long ago, and with foreign enemies at the gates, your policy of 'every blade of grass a soldier' is a necessity. However, it is clear that you have many soldiers but few commanders. Since I am in Qingming, this is my duty. Among my students, over a dozen are well-versed in military strategy. While they may lack actual combat experience and risk being accused of 'talking strategy on paper,' they are capable of leading a detached force." Little Wei Yuan was overjoyed; this was exactly the help he needed.

Qingming was expanding too quickly, and there was a severe shortage of mid-level officers. Of the sixteen young masters and misses Cui Yu had brought, only ten remained, each now a general commanding at least ten thousand men. Naturally, not all of them were skilled in leading troops, but Little Wei Yuan had no one else to use.

Leading troops involved too many trivial matters; most promising cultivators from the Profound Heaven Sect were unwilling to do such work, except for someone like Cui Yu, who was an exception. If it weren't for Little Wei Yuan's Qingming, Cui Yu would likely have turned and left long ago.

Others, like Yu Zhizhuo, Sun Yu, Xu Henshui, and even Feng Tingyu, would undoubtedly become famous generals after a few battles, but none of them were willing to lead troops.

Now that Cai Shizhi was willing to recommend his students for military service, it was a timely gift.

Cai Shizhi handed Little Wei Yuan a list, with his own personal comments under each student's name, clearly detailing their strengths, potential, and character flaws.

Finally, Cai Shizhi said solemnly, "Expelling the foreign tribes is a ten-thousand-year plan for our human race; it is a matter of righteousness! In this critical moment, I will personally take action to hold back an ordinary Ghost Shaman until the heavenly monsters arrive; that should be within my power. If it weren't for this shattered land, I would not be a match for a Ghost Shaman."

Cai Shizhi took his leave, and Little Wei Yuan sighed, feeling deeply moved.

At this moment, he finally had some spare time. Little Wei Yuan sat by the window, watching the setting sun like blood. The evening glow in the west was blocked by the emerald-green energy of the world, the red and green lines clearly defined—a truly strange sight.

At this time, the Human Fireworks system alerted Little Wei Yuan to a new result. Little Wei Yuan looked at it; it was the organizational plan for the civilian army he had deployed some time ago.

These civilians were organized into armies of thirty thousand, with one Dao Foundation officer for every thousand men and one late-stage Body Forging officer for every hundred. They were equipped with breastplates, simple arm and leg guards, and muskets with five rounds of ammunition. Their close-combat weapon was the bayonet on the musket.

This plan was basically what Little Wei Yuan had envisioned. However, as he read, he realized one link was still missing, so he stood up and flew to Xu Henshui's alchemy hall.

Yu Zhizhuo was also in the alchemy hall. On the table between them lay several strange medicinal herbs, including the Soul Yingluo. A small bird with long golden tail feathers was hopping on the table, occasionally pecking at the herbs.

Yu Zhizhuo was writing furiously, recording the properties of the materials the bird discovered. Once the properties were understood, the medicinal effects could be determined. It was unexpected that the two could cooperate in such a way, but the efficiency was clearly quite high.

Seeing Little Wei Yuan arrive, Xu Henshui came to greet him, while Yu Zhizhuo continued to struggle with the rare herbs. He had always been like this, obsessively devoted to materials, metallurgy, and the properties of things, often saying that deep study of these properties could reveal the Great Dao.

Little Wei Yuan said, "I would like to ask Senior Sister Xu to refine a type of pill."

"What are the requirements?"

"After taking this pill, a mortal must be able to unleash their potential, possess immense strength, forget pain, and know no fear. Furthermore, they must be tireless, able to go days without sleep, and remain full of energy. Finally, it must be mass-producible like soldier-grain pills, affordable even for commoners."

Xu Henshui looked at Little Wei Yuan meaningfully and said, "There is an ancient formula called the 'Fierce Might Pill' that happens to meet the requirements you just mentioned. It was originally used for soldiers leading the charge, and often distributed to the whole army during desperate battles. However, its medicinal properties are fierce; a mortal who takes it once will suffer severe damage to their vitality, and anyone who takes it three times in a bloody battle will surely die. Do you still want it?"

Little Wei Yuan gritted his teeth and said, "I do!"

Yu Zhizhuo looked up at Little Wei Yuan but said nothing, continuing his research into the material properties.

Xu Henshui immediately listed the ingredients and handed the list to Little Wei Yuan, saying, "Prepare these herbs, and my fellow disciples and I will refine them with all our might. We can produce ten thousand pills a day."

Little Wei Yuan glanced at the list and said, "I will have them delivered in an hour."

On the Red Lotus Honglian Puti, the black mist coiled even more densely.

(End of Chapter)