"What a remarkable traveling merchant. Truly, wandering traders have keen eyes, and moreover, they excel at forging connections far and wide, accumulating great karma. With this item alone, I must owe this wandering merchant a favor. No wonder it's said that traveling merchants can journey through the world unhindered, even gaining safe passage through restricted zones that would block others."
Yi Tianxing muttered as he looked at the scroll in his hand, sighing inwardly.
This goodwill was not just for Zhen Youde, but for all wandering merchants who would come afterward. It was a case of "planting trees for the future generations to enjoy their shade." Being a traveling merchant meant contributing to a collective whole. The good karma they accumulated became a shared resource for all merchants of their kind.
"A teleportation array... I never expected such a huge surprise from him."
Unrolling the scroll, Yi Tianxing couldn't help the expression of joy that spread across his face.
A teleportation array diagram—it was a detailed schematic of a teleportation array.
And most importantly, the types of teleportation arrays within were extremely comprehensive. They were virtually identical to the ones seen during the World's First Martial Arts Tournament—no differences at all. They were likely the same in content.
A teleportation array represented the ability to ignore distance and directly connect two locations. No more traversing treacherous terrain—people could travel safely and efficiently. Once established, distance would cease to matter. All forces could become interconnected.
It was a way to open channels, fully uniting the scattered human powers into a cohesive whole.
In ancient kingdoms, roads connected cities and villages to maintain control over their territory. But in the Eternal Continent, ensuring clear and safe roads was nearly impossible. With teleportation arrays, one could bypass the wildlands, avoiding the most dangerous zones and shortening travel time dramatically. For any major force, such a tool was an invaluable treasure.
"These traveling merchants are truly something. Roaming far and wide, spreading goodwill—this is how they survive. The good karma they leave behind benefits those who come later. Naturally, the more there are, the greater the benefit. Commerce spreads in all directions."
Huang Chengyan's eyes gleamed with understanding.
"Congratulations, my lord. With this teleportation array in hand, you can now bring the entire surrounding region—thousands of miles in radius—under your control. If managed well, it could become a stronghold of human prosperity, a realm locked tight like an iron bucket."
Jia Xu smiled calmly as he looked at the diagram.
"That will depend on the results after Wu Yong and the others complete their goodwill mission. Ideally, I don't want human strength and potential wasted in internal conflicts. But the tide of events is surging forward—we can't stand aside just by doing nothing. The recent beast tide is proof of that. So rather than getting caught off guard, we might as well step up and become a leading force."
Yi Tianxing looked up at the sky and took a deep breath.
The human heart is complex. Even under the threat of countless beasts and alien races, desires will still grow. It's human nature—unchangeable.
If it can't be changed, then it must be controlled.
Sooner or later, this path would be taken. All they had done was move up the timetable.
"To establish this teleportation array will require no small amount of materials. We'll need to specially craft array disks, incorporating various runes and forging techniques. The key material will be Void Crystal. If not that, then at least Sumeru Stones or Space-Affinity Spirit Stones. The better the materials, the higher the array's grade, the farther it can reach, and the more stable it will be. Only the Void Divine Crystal can ignore distance and connect any arrays across vast lands."
Master Lu examined the scroll carefully and frowned.
Currently, Yi Tianxing only had Void Spirit Stones, not enough to support top-grade arrays. The only exception was a rare treasure he possessed—a Void Divine Crystal, a world-born treasure of the highest order, perfect not only for building the top-tier teleportation arrays but also for opening space-type life orifices.
"I have one Void Divine Crystal. The teleportation array for Xuanhuang Town must be built using this as its core. Only then can we ensure complete connectivity with all cities and towns and open all teleportation channels."
Though reluctant, Yi Tianxing didn't hesitate.
A treasure only has value when used. Keeping it unused would turn it into a useless trinket.
"Will the large amount of Eternal Coins taken away by the traveling merchant cause instability in Xuanhuang Town's monetary system?" Xue Jin asked.
He was most concerned with matters of currency.
Ever since the coin system was implemented, the market had improved. Neighboring villages had also adopted Eternal Coins for trade. A shortage could cause massive disruptions.
Currency relies on public trust. If that trust falters, the currency fails.
"Don't worry. Though nearly ten million Eternal Coins were spent, the gains far outweigh the cost. The remaining coins are enough to keep things running smoothly."
Yi Tianxing responded calmly.
Zhen Youde had purchased a massive amount of goods—primarily weapons. Runic Arrows, Bone Arrows, Runic Crossbow Bolts, Bone War Bows, Divine Crossbows, Bed Crossbows, Scorpion War Blades, and more. The total value was astonishing.
Had the payment been in Eternal Coins, Yi Tianxing would have recouped most of the coins he'd spent.
But Zhen Youde wasn't willing. He intended to test Eternal Coins as a standard currency. Using them for a single massive transaction would defeat the point.
Yi Tianxing, likewise, sought to spread the coin's reputation far and wide.
So instead, they agreed on barter—trading for treasure instead of coin.
"As expected—traveling merchants hide their best treasures. What they show publicly is only a fraction. If not for the Eternal Coins, we wouldn't have received such things."
Yi Tianxing's eyes sparkled with joy.
Opting for barter over coin was clearly the right choice.
"The Blueprint for the Bone Battleship—just this alone is priceless. A world-born treasure blueprint, with unparalleled potential. Sadly, such a warship can't yet be built. But holding the blueprint means future possibility."
He held a jade booklet engraved with four ancient characters: Bone Battleship. It recorded the methods for forging the warship, the required formations, and more.
Creating such a warship required a massive team—blacksmiths, rune-masters, formation experts. The ship could fly through the void, a true war machine.
"If we can forge such a ship, my life's work would be complete," said Master Lu, his eyes shining with obsession.
"Compared to the Bone Battleship, this is a benefit we can enjoy now," Yi Tianxing said with a smile.
With a wave of his hand, several items appeared before him.
One of them was a spiritual pool.
A real one. Called the Spirit Convergence Pool.
It functioned like a spirit-gathering formation—but better. It could condense the ambient world energy into spiritual liquid, which would fill the pool. Cultivating within would result in explosive growth—one could improve body and magical power alike, even directly ingest the liquid for training. It rivaled and even surpassed pills.
An invaluable cultivation resource.
With this, Xuanhuang Town could train a large number of powerful cultivators—and greatly boost the strength of its army.
"A true treasure. This will make our town much more appealing to wandering cultivators."
Huang Chengyan nodded solemnly, eyeing the pool with great interest.
Cultivation requires resources. Without them, even the greatest talent means little.
"The Spirit Convergence Pool is one thing. But this next one is even more impressive. A naturally-born Iron Ox."
It was a metallic black ox, glimmering with a bronze luster. It radiated a majestic aura, and the flow of Daoist laws could be faintly sensed within.
From afar, it looked alive.
There was clear spirituality within.
A sense of awe arose just by looking at it.
"Go!"
Without hesitation, Yi Tianxing pointed at the ox. It transformed into a beam of light and landed in Xuanhuang Town's central plaza. Instantly, its size grew to several meters tall, taking root where it landed—as if becoming part of the land itself.