This change was not a change in the environment. After all, Zhao Cheng had held the Southern Wasteland for only a short time, and was now concentrating all his efforts on developing heavy industry, with no surplus strength to transform the environment. Thus, along the fringes of the Southern Wasteland, little change could be seen with the naked eye. Only on the front lines of massive production could one perceive where the changes lay.
Yet as Human Immortals, when they observed heaven and earth, they had long since transcended the limits of mortal sight. Standing there and gazing upon the qi, they saw the destiny of the land, the shifting currents of human hearts, and the rolling mortal world as clear and turbid forces revolved in turn.
What the naked eye saw could still be staged, an illusion. But the changes in "destiny" perceived through the dharma eye were reflections of true human hearts—real beyond doubt.
As for changes in qi, at the founding of a nation, when official governance was upright and clear, the qi of the realm would likewise be limpid as water and bright as a mirror. Within it lay the austere laws of the court, pressing down upon all under heaven. Should any treacherous or wicked person appear, they would immediately suffer a thunderous blow. At such times, no ambitious schemer or evil man would dare so much as raise his head.
For the laws of the land were strict and human hearts united. The instant such people revealed the slightest trace of themselves, there would be no place for them to stand, neither in heaven nor on earth.
Naturally, this was also what Daoists least wished to see. If mountains and rivers were free of calamity, then whether they followed Heaven or defied it, Daoists