In Xuanhuang Town, there was free access to steaming, glistening bowls of white rice—enough to eat one's fill without restriction. Moreover, the taste was unlike anything experienced before; even the finest rice from the old world couldn't compare to the rice here. It was as if the rice itself had transcended the limits of the mundane, on the verge of evolving into spiritual rice.
This was no exaggeration.
These rice seeds had been taken from Yi Tianxing's Life Orifice. Planted within the spirit fields of his Dantian Life Orifice, they absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth as they grew. Over time, the very genetics of the rice transformed. With a few more rounds of cultivation, these crops could fully evolve into true spirit rice—the most basic kind, at least. In the spirit fields, the rice was already nearing its transformation.
Of course, even after evolving, this rice would only become ordinary-grade spirit rice, without any special attributes. It simply contained a certain amount of pure spiritual energy. Eating it could help enhance cultivation, temper the body, and purge impurities. It would no longer be just mundane grains infused with worldly energy.
Yi Tianxing had also discovered that this transformation process only occurred within his Dantian Life Orifice.
Rice grown in the fields outside town, despite being from the same seeds, maintained the same quality as the originals. Though slightly enhanced with spiritual energy, they still carried impurities. However, they tasted sweeter and were more nourishing to the body, and refining their energy could still bolster one's cultivation.
Especially notable was another discovery:
Ordinary rice matured quickly. But after the seeds absorbed spiritual energy, their growth cycle lengthened. The more spiritual energy within the seed, the longer it took to mature. If they fully evolved into true spirit rice, Yi Tianxing estimated that the growth period would not be short—even in an environment saturated with spiritual energy, they would still require time to develop.
For a town that needed to feed tens of thousands, overly long growth cycles could destabilize daily life.
Only with food in hand could the people feel secure.
Right now, as various village groups arrived in Xuanhuang Town and ate their fill of the delicious white rice, they were overcome with envy toward the townsfolk. The contrast was simply overwhelming.
"This Xuanhuang Town truly is a paradise on earth,"someone from another village exclaimed in awe.
That night, wave after wave of village groups continued to arrive at the town.
After eating their fill, they were guided into the newly constructed market district, each group housed within massive buildings. These structures were large enough to accommodate entire villages. Cotton had already been cultivated, and cotton quilts and bedding produced. With the weather still mild, they had no fear of catching cold at night.
Each house was lit with Brightstar Lamps, making night seem like day.
Even lying comfortably in bed, many villagers tossed and turned, unable to sleep as they whispered excitedly about the unbelievable sights they had witnessed. Only much later did they finally drift off.
At dawn, as the first rays of sunlight lit up the market district, many villagers began to stir.
Suddenly, they saw a group of Six Doors constables, armed with waist sabers, carrying a massive object into the market at speed.
Clang!!
With a crisp sound, the object was placed firmly onto an open area.
Swish!!
Several constables swiftly pulled off the black cloth covering it, revealing a huge crystalline slab.
"What is that?"
"It looks like a giant sheet of glass... but it's not quite glass. It's clearer, almost like white paper. What's written on it?"
"Currency Valuation Board? Eternal Coins? What's that?"
A crowd of curious villagers gathered, chattering amongst themselves. On the crystalline surface, ancient-style characters suddenly appeared in snowy white:
At the very top, large bold characters read:
Currency Valuation Board
Underneath, various items and prices were listed:
Miscellaneous Spirit Rice: 1 Eternal Coin for 100 catties.
Talisman Arrows: 1 Eternal Coin for 1 arrow.
Standard Battle Arrows: 1 Eternal Coin for 100 arrows.
Standard Blades and Weapons: 1 Eternal Coin for 1 item.
Cotton Quilts: 1 Eternal Coin for 1 quilt.
Tian Gang Pills: 100 Eternal Coins per pill.
Moonwell Water: 1 Eternal Coin per portion.
Bone Battle Arrows: 2 Eternal Coins per arrow.
Skull Battle Bows: 100 Eternal Coins each.
Bone Battle Swords: 80 Eternal Coins each.
Bone Battle Sabers: 80 Eternal Coins each.
Tier-1 Beast Meat: 1 Eternal Coin for 10 catties.
Tier-2 Beast Meat: 1 Eternal Coin for 1 catty.
…
Everything available for sale in Xuanhuang Town was listed here, priced based on Eternal Coins. From grains to weapons, pills to beast meat, it was all detailed.
The key was: you needed Eternal Coins to buy anything.
"They have food for sale—real food! This is great news!"Bai Lang, a young leader of White Poplar Village, couldn't hide his excitement.
"Young Master, but we don't have any of these Eternal Coins,"Bai Ping reminded him worriedly.
Clearly, the Eternal Coin was a new currency being introduced by Xuanhuang Town.
"Don't worry. Since they posted this board, there must be ways to earn them. Let's ask the constables,"Bai Lang said calmly, steadying himself.
All around, village representatives listened in keenly.
A young man from Green Willow Village walked up to two constables nearby and respectfully asked:
"Sirs, could you please explain what Eternal Coins are, and how we can obtain them?"
The constables, well-briefed beforehand, answered smoothly:
"Eternal Coins are a special currency forged by our Xuanhuang Town using unique methods. They contain pure energy and can be absorbed to enhance cultivation. Refining them increases your training speed threefold compared to normal."
"Later, the Lord of our town will personally come to the market. You can set up your goods like a stall. If he finds something he wants, he will pay in Eternal Coins at fair prices. Even if he doesn't buy from you, you can still trade among yourselves using the Currency Valuation Board for price references."
"Additionally, we have set up a trading post called Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion right here. As long as you have Eternal Coins, you can buy anything—grain, weapons, clothing, pills, and more."
Hearing this, Bai Lang's eyes lit up.
"Uncle Ping, let's hurry back and bring out our treasures. Even if most things aren't valuable, our village's three prized goods should fetch a good price. With enough Eternal Coins, we can buy life-saving food!"
Other villagers also rushed off eagerly to prepare their goods.
No one was foolish. Upon seeing the lighthouse signal from afar, each village had already guessed that Xuanhuang Town was summoning the surrounding villages—and had brought along their own treasures just in case.
Now, the time had come to reap the rewards.
Very soon, streets and alleys of the market were lined with stalls. Each village proudly displayed their most prized items, standing watch with anticipation.
Some even began scouting other stalls, assessing the competition, checking if others had similar goods, preparing for potential bargaining.
For the first time, the market district buzzed with the lively, authentic atmosphere of a true trading bazaar.