"And even if you can solve the required resources," Tang Muxuan said in a deep voice, "then how can you guarantee the issue of human hearts?"
Even if Ji Yuan could solve the resources to support a large number of people, the ones he could recruit would primarily be mountain dwellers, rogue cultivators, and unaffiliated individuals.
The human heart is a complex thing. It's not as simple as offering a favor and expecting unwavering gratitude. Otherwise, there wouldn't be cases of betraying one's master, abandoning family, or disregarding parents and children.
Most mountain dwellers and rogue cultivators have no moral standards and are driven purely by profit.
As long as there are sufficient benefits, these people can easily defect at critical moments or even stab you in the back.
"I don't need their loyalty; I just need them to complete the tasks," Ji Yuan said calmly.
As for ensuring that the recruited individuals wouldn't harbor thoughts of betrayal, he did have a good method.
He would simply have them offer daily sacrifices to the Water God's statue and present their incense offerings. This would allow him to sense any hidden intentions or ulterior motives within their hearts. If they had no such thoughts, he would sense nothing.
Furthermore, this act would also yield a considerable amount of incense merit. After all, cultivators and mortals are different; the former's worship would generate far more merit than the latter's.
"You want to establish a religion?" Tang Muxuan's eyes flashed with sudden brilliance upon understanding.
This was not about founding a sect in the traditional sense, but about establishing a well-structured religious organization within the mortal realm. It would be somewhat similar to powers like Mingxin Xuan, not falling under the category of martial sects.
Upon hearing this, Ji Yuan nodded slightly, not intending to hide his thoughts. He had considered this idea long ago but had never had the opportunity to implement it. The current turmoil and chaos in Feiyun Commandery had, however, provided him with this chance.
"Master, what kind of religion do you want to establish?" Zhao Yuebai's eyes widened. He and Lu Yuzhe behind him already had a premonition.
"If all goes well, you'll know in a while," Ji Yuan said with a smile to the three in front of him. "Then, you and everyone else will be inseparable. You'll join the religion first and become an elder or something."
The Nine Profound Sect did not prohibit its disciples from establishing their own powers outside, so the disciples of Xuantian Peak could all join and hold positions like elders or deacons. He even knew that many powers in Feiyun Commandery were developed by disciples of the Nine Profound Sect. Smaller powers might only influence a single county, but larger ones could have a significant impact.
"Elder Tang, would you like to be an elder or something as well?" He turned to Tang Muxuan, his tone joking but his gaze serious. Although Tang Muxuan was a first-class retainer of Mingxin Xuan, this would not be prohibited. In fact, Mingxin Xuan would be happy for its people to develop influential powers. After all, Mingxin Xuan was essentially a business guild focused on commerce. Only by increasing connections and influence could they earn more profit.
"We'll talk about it when you've actually built it," Tang Muxuan replied with a wry smile, surprised that Ji Yuan was trying to pull him into it before anything was even established.
Ji Yuan didn't press further. After discussing with them for a while, he returned to his room. The others who had gathered there also dispersed to attend to their own matters.
The next morning, Li Buwei, who had been summoned, rushed back to the mansion with two companions.
"I have a mission for you," Ji Yuan said directly, opening the door and window. "Select suitable people and recruit as many cultivators and martial artists as possible. I'll take as many as you can recruit. I'm not afraid of you finding too few people, but I am afraid of not finding enough!"
"As long as they are not wicked evildoers or morally corrupt individuals, and have not committed heinous acts or opposed the imperial court, recruit them under your wing!"
Li Buwei's eyes lit up. Although he didn't yet understand the purpose of this action, he already had some suspicions. Ji Yuan's subsequent words confirmed his thoughts, immediately filling him with a sense of ambition.
About half an hour later, Li Buwei, who had selected four cultivators from Xiao Yuan Mountain, took a large sum of money from Ji Yuan and galloped away from Hengshan County. His identity was that of an external elder of the Xuantian Temple, and his mission was to recruit all mountain dwellers, rogue cultivators, and martial artists who met the requirements.
Concurrently, Ji Yuan made a series of arrangements. Firstly, the people from Xiao Yuan Mountain would be separated from the future Xuantian Temple and belong to the Water God Temple lineage. Led by Zhu Tao, with Mo Yiyan and Liu Qi as his deputies, all the cultivators from Xiao Yuan Mountain would follow their instructions. Ji Yuan had also instructed his divine avatar to temporarily halt the sculpting of his golden body and open the divine realm to convey a series of directives to Zhu Tao. In the coming period, Zhu Tao would undertake a task similar to Li Buwei's: to recruit as many people as possible.
Additionally, Ji Yuan went out and visited the county office in Linfu County. After discussing with the county magistrate Zhang Qingyang, he purchased a mountain outside Qian'an County at a very low price. His military achievements in helping the imperial court pacify four counties were sufficient to secure a land deed, making this small mountain his private property, much like Xiao Yuan Mountain.
Following this, the five counties worked together to gather a large amount of resources. Under the guidance of specialists from Mingxin Xuan, they began a massive construction project on the mountain. The cultivators all lent a hand, meticulously setting up several formations that Ji Yuan had prepared, covering the entire mountain.
After all these arrangements were made, he returned to his mansion in Hengshan County and entered a state of secluded cultivation once again. However, this time, Ji Yuan was not cultivating but intended to refine pills. If he wanted to establish a religion, he needed something impressive to stabilize the hearts of the people and attract more followers.
Compared to superficial offerings, Ji Yuan had better options. After obtaining the experience and insights of a pill-making grandmaster, along with his extensive collection of pill formulas, the water-refining method for pills, and more than ten secret pill-refining techniques, coupled with his enlightenment in the realm of Dao through the Creation Spring and his occasional insights over the years, as well as the Great Dao scrolls in his possession, Ji Yuan's mastery of pill arts had naturally ascended to the level of a pill-making master. In fact, he was now on par with masters who had dedicated decades to this art. Therefore, he planned to refine a batch of pills to serve as a unique symbol of the Xuantian Temple, which was about to be established.