At the moment, none of the villages had any money—no Eternal Coins in hand. All they could do was quietly probe and observe what goods other villages had brought, all while waiting for Yi Tianxing, the Lord of Xuanhuang Town, to arrive.
Whether they could earn Eternal Coins and how valuable their goods would be, would soon be decided.
They had already learned that the prices listed on the currency valuation chart were personally determined by Yi Tianxing and a group of core officials in town. Once Yi Tianxing arrived, he would personally appraise the goods they had brought and assign a final price. This price would then appear on the official valuation chart, setting a precedent. Future fluctuations would only be minor, within a small range.
...
Not long after, a group of people could be seen walking into the market square—it was none other than Yi Tianxing and his entourage.
Yi Tianxing walked at the front, side by side with Cai Yan.
Beside them were Huang Chengyan, Master Lu, Xue Jin, and others, all paying close attention to this visit to the marketplace. This was a critical moment—the issuance of currency—and they naturally wanted to witness this historic event firsthand.
"So these are people from other villages,"Cai Yan said with curiosity as she looked around. On either side of the main street, large relay stations had been built to house the villagers. In front of each station was a large stall, displaying all sorts of goods.
When the villagers saw Yi Tianxing approaching, their eyes immediately lit up with excitement.
"White Poplar Village, these are the goods you've brought. Can you introduce them?"Yi Tianxing approached the first stall. Behind it stood a tall banner inscribed with the characters for "White Poplar Village." Knowing other villages would come, each had specially made their own banners to easily identify themselves. It was a bright, conspicuous system.
Clear and orderly.
"I am Bai Lang from White Poplar Village. Greetings, Mayor Yi,"Bai Lang respectfully said.
"This time, we have brought three types of treasures. The first is the Calming Incense, a longstanding heirloom of the Bai family. When burned during cultivation, it helps to calm the mind, focus the spirit, enter meditation faster, and draw in the vital energy of the world more efficiently. It also quickens comprehension of cultivation techniques and boosts one's cultivation speed. This incense was once one of our Bai Family's foundational treasures."
Following his words, they could see several disks of coiled incense neatly stored in fine wooden boxes. The incense was snow-white and could be lit in a censer. Its fragrance would flow gently out of the burner, adding an elegant ambiance.
This had once been a specialty of the Bai Family, sold exclusively to martial artists.
After arriving on the Eternal Continent, the Bai Family found that the Calming Incense had become even more miraculous—it allowed practitioners to swiftly enter a state of visualization and truly step onto the path of cultivation. Moreover, it enhanced the absorption of vital energy and helped refine one's true qi.
For cultivators at the Divine Sea Realm, this incense was an invaluable aid.
It was essentially an alternative to certain alchemical pills.
Except it didn't have to be ingested—only inhaled. While its fragrance contained unique energies, there was always a slight risk of impurities unless the incense was crafted to the highest standards. However, these impurities were minimal and rarely caused problems.
"Excellent. For cultivators, this is a rare and precious aid for cultivation.I will offer three Eternal Coins per plate of Calming Incense. Each plate burns for twelve hours, providing consistent benefits. This price is fair.How much of this Calming Incense have you brought? I will buy it all," Yi Tianxing said.
This was a treasure on par with elixirs.
In the past, crafting aromatic aids had been a major art in many sects—such as the Buddhist sect's sandalwood incense or the Daoist sect's purified fragrances. These weren't just for show; they truly enhanced cultivation. The art of incense-making was as profound as alchemy itself.
Moreover, incense contained fewer impurities compared to pills, since pills were ingested while incense was inhaled.
"Of course we will sell! We have brought a hundred plates of Calming Incense.It wasn't easy to make—these are all stored stock from our old family days," Bai Lang said joyfully.
He quickly did the math: one Eternal Coin could buy a hundred catties of mixed spiritual rice. Selling a hundred plates would bring three hundred Eternal Coins—enough to buy thirty thousand catties of food! That amount could save countless lives.
Clink! Clink!
Xue Jin pulled out the Eternal Coins from his waist pouch—a dimensional bag that he managed on behalf of the Ten Thousand Treasures Hall.Yi Tianxing had more such dimensional bags, but they weren't handed out lightly.
With a casual gesture, Xue Jin poured out a glittering pile of Eternal Coins onto the ground.
Golden, dazzling, they clinked crisply against each other as they fell.
Exactly three hundred coins.
Bai Lang picked up one Eternal Coin and examined it carefully. On the front, intricate patterns formed a dragon and phoenix encircling two ancient characters: "Eternal!!"
On the back, there was a beautiful landscape scene, akin to the famous "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" painting—depicting officials, workers, farmers, doctors, and more. Though tiny, each figure was vividly lifelike. Two more ancient characters were engraved: "Xuanhuang!!"
One side Eternal, the other Xuanhuang.
The coin felt heavy and substantial, radiating a pure energy that could be absorbed.
"This is... amazing! I've never seen such a beautiful coin. It even contains pure energy one can absorb! It's absolutely perfect,"Bai Lang exclaimed, completely enchanted.
No dynasty's coins, not even in his wildest dreams, could match the craftsmanship of Eternal Coins. Most coins were crudely made; none carried the beauty and power of these.
"The quantity of Calming Incense checks out. Transaction complete,"Xue Jin nodded after counting.
The goods and payment were exchanged.
"What about the other two treasures?" Cai Yan asked curiously.
"The second treasure is the Blood Essence Stone. It enhances physical strength when absorbed and refined. It helped White Poplar Village survive among the fierce beasts.Moreover, when imbued with true qi, it can explode with considerable force.However, we don't have many—only about a hundred pieces," Bai Lang explained.
The villagers used these stones as powerful weapons to fend off monsters. They had brought some along just in case they faced powerful beasts on the road—and now they had over a hundred to sell.
"Good stuff! Strengthening the body and usable as a weapon too,"Yi Tianxing thought to himself.He mused that the Blood Essence Stones likely came from a bloodstone vein.Their real value was in physical enhancement—using them as grenades was a waste.
"I'll buy them too. Same price: three Eternal Coins per stone. Deal?" Yi Tianxing offered.
"Deal! Of course deal!"Bai Lang eagerly agreed.
Another three hundred plus Eternal Coins poured onto the stall.
"And the last treasure?"Cai Yan asked.
"The third is called Sheep Fat Jade Dew.This dew accelerates the growth of flowers and plants, even reviving withered wood.A single drop can make a seedling grow as if it had aged a full year.We brought only thirty drops,"Bai Lang said as he took out the final treasure.
The moment the Sheep Fat Jade Dew appeared, Yi Tianxing's heart skipped a beat.
This was no ordinary treasure.
It could accelerate the growth of flora by years in an instant. For spiritual herbs, it could catalyze maturation incredibly fast. For cultivating medicinal plants, it was practically a divine artifact.
"This is incredible.One drop—one hundred Eternal Coins.I will take every drop you have,"Yi Tianxing decided after a brief pause.
He suspected that White Poplar Village might possess a method—or even a heaven-bestowed treasure—that produced Sheep Fat Jade Dew. But even if he knew, he would not try to seize it by force.
Trust and credibility were far more important than snatching treasures. Without credibility, even the greatest treasures would mean nothing. That was short-sighted and destructive to any long-term power.
"Of course we'll sell!All thirty drops!"Bai Lang almost couldn't close his mouth from smiling.
Thirty drops at a hundred coins each—three thousand Eternal Coins!
It was a fortune—an enormous windfall.
When the deal concluded, Bai Lang's hands trembled slightly from excitement as he handed over the jade dew. Never had he dreamed their village's treasures could be so valuable. It was utterly staggering.
"We're rich! We can buy food!From now on, White Poplar Village will never go hungry again!"The villagers cheered joyously.
They surrounded the pile of Eternal Coins protectively, as if afraid someone might steal them, and touched each coin lovingly.The beauty of the coins utterly conquered their hearts.