"That's right. Brother Wenhe mentioned before that he shares a deep friendship with Chief Mu. Back then, when Chief Mu's daughter was gravely injured and he was too distracted to manage the affairs of the stockade, it was Brother Wenhe who stepped in and took charge. Within the Mu Stockade, Brother Wenhe commands high respect. With him acting as our envoy, coupled with our Lord's promise to cure his daughter, there's a ninety percent chance we can bring in that group of commoners."
Wu Yong spoke with confident certainty.
He was well aware of the matter, as their first meeting had taken place at Mu Stockade, and he had witnessed it firsthand. Naturally, he was confident.
"In that case, all we need to do is wait here for good news from Mister Wenhe."
Yi Tianxing nodded slightly, a faint joy arising in his heart.
"My Lord."
At that moment, Wu Yong straightened his expression and said, "Brother Wenhe has already presented a great gift, one that will significantly strengthen the foundation of Xuanhuang Town and greatly boost its population. Since people are the cornerstone of a realm, while I, Wu Yong, may not be able to offer such a gift, I cannot come forward empty-handed. Since I have recommended myself, I must show sincerity. I, too, have a grand gift to offer, both to my Lord and to Xuanhuang Town."
The Mu Stockade was Wenhe's token of allegiance, securing his position in Xuanhuang Town. With Jia Xu setting the precedent, Wu Yong naturally couldn't show up empty-handed. Though his offering wasn't as direct as bringing in a large population, it was still of immense value.
"Mister Wu, that's not necessary. In Xuanhuang Town, those with talent rise to the top. We promote by merit, not by offerings. There is no need to present a gift to secure your position. What Mister Wenhe did was simply seizing an opportunity."
Yi Tianxing smiled and tried to dissuade him.
He didn't want such a trend of gift-giving and competition to take root in Xuanhuang Town. If word got out that one needed to offer grand tributes to join the town, what would that make Xuanhuang Town, and what would that make him? That would be no different from selling official positions.
Such a precedent must be avoided.
Otherwise, it could bring endless trouble.
Even in the long run, it would pose a serious hidden threat.
"My Lord worries too much. This is neither a comparison nor a bribe. It's simply that this item is of no use to me personally. However, for you and for Xuanhuang Town, it holds extraordinary significance."
Wu Yong quickly explained.
"Oh? I wonder what treasure Mister Wu is referring to?"
Yi Tianxing couldn't help but grow curious.
"My Lord, please look!!"
Wu Yong took out a miniature object shaped like a military camp. It glowed with a strange light, and within the model camp stood a plaque on which two ancient, murderous-looking characters gleamed—Military Camp.
"Military Camp."Yi Tianxing's eyes narrowed as he softly uttered the name.
"Exactly, a Military Camp," Wu Yong said with a smile. "I discovered this treasure building when I merged into the Eternal Continent. It fell from the sky and landed nearby. I searched for it and found this object. It's an extraordinary treasure-class structure—a military camp. It's incredibly wondrous and houses its own internal space. It can accommodate a vast number of troops. Though it appears tiny, it can hold up to tens of thousands of soldiers. The higher the camp's grade, the more troops it can hold. Most importantly, the camp can condense and generate iron-blooded baleful aura."
"Soldiers training inside can cultivate with half the effort for twice the result. It also aids in formation drills, building unit cohesion, and practicing martial skills and techniques. It contains all kinds of training facilities, greatly accelerating the cultivation of soldiers. It's essentially a sacred place for training an army. This kind of treasure is only effective in the hands of a ruler. To anyone else, it's of little use—like a tasteless meal: not enjoyable, but too precious to discard."
A treasure building like this offered unimaginable benefits to any power. Whether to hide troops or to train them, its advantages were profound. And in some ways, even the most perceptive scouts would be unable to discern how many soldiers were actually inside.
Integrating such a structure into Xuanhuang Town spelled infinite potential.
"A fine treasure indeed. What a magnificent treasure-class Military Camp. I truly can't refuse such a gift. However, I cannot accept it without compensation. A Yellow-Grade treasure is a rare asset in Xuanhuang Town. Since you are contributing it, by our town's regulations, you are entitled to merit points. For this treasure, once your household registration is done at the Heaven Register Hall and you receive your Heaven Register Card, go to the Hall of Merits to claim 10,000 merit points."
Yi Tianxing smiled as he spoke, reaching out to accept the military camp. Some things must follow the rules. Since the system was already in place, it had to be upheld. Although a full monetary system wasn't implemented yet, merit points were already in use.
After the recent battle, all participants—soldiers and even civilians—would receive merit points, which could be collected at the Hall of Merits.
With the Star Network and Fate Pool merged, each person's killing aura would become visible upon entering the Hall of Merits. The more enemies someone had slain, the more potent the aura. This was a mystical law. Killing someone left behind a baleful aura—unseen to the naked eye but perceptible as a faint, invisible bloodlight.
It was like in the modern world: ordinary people felt intimidated when standing near a butcher. Why? Because of the killing aura they carried from slaughtering animals. Though unseen, it created invisible pressure.
Others might not perceive it, but the Star Network and Star Ocean could detect it through the Heaven Register Card, calculate how many enemies had been slain, and reward accordingly. It was mysterious and could only be achieved through the powers of the Star Network and fate. Perhaps better methods would come later, but for now, this was the best system.
It completely eliminated the possibility of false claims of merit, ensuring absolute fairness and justice.
Even civilians could earn merit points if they had killed enemy warriors during battle.
And merit points had countless uses.
At the very least, many treasures in the Myriad Treasures Hall required merit points to exchange. In the Scripture Pavilion, many martial techniques and cultivation methods also needed them. Normally, killing one enemy earned 10 merit points. Participating in a major battle awarded a base of 100 points, with more granted per additional enemy slain.
And now, this Military Camp was worth 10,000 points. That was an astonishing sum in Xuanhuang Town.
It could even be used to exchange for a top-tier Foundation-building technique in the Scripture Pavilion. As for martial skills, they were almost freely accessible with such a sum.
To put it in perspective, even basic Yellow-Grade skills started at 10 points, with higher tiers costing progressively more.
This was a tremendous resource.
With their experience, both Jia Xu and Wu Yong had immediately begun investigating town affairs. They had heard of the value of merit points and understood the significance of this reward.
"Thank you, my Lord!!"
Wu Yong knew Yi Tianxing wouldn't accept the Military Camp for free. By awarding merit points, the gesture became a formal contribution to the town. This made the difference in meaning profound—and it was the best possible outcome.
Merit points were indeed valuable. With them, he could rapidly become stronger.
This was an era of cultivation, where strength was a key component of one's status.
"You earned it," Yi Tianxing replied casually.
Looking at the Military Camp in his hand, he couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.
With this treasure in hand, Xuanhuang Town's army could receive better training and grow stronger. Their cultivation would soar. Most importantly, it automatically generated iron-blooded baleful aura, which greatly enhanced the soldiers' training.
It would be like progressing a thousand miles in one day.
And most impressively—it was baleful aura generated without killing.
It could be easily refined into one's own cultivation.
"Deploy it!!"
Yi Tianxing didn't hesitate. After marking it with his spiritual imprint, he hurled the Military Camp toward the old military barracks—which had been mostly destroyed during the last battle and now lay in ruins.
The Military Camp emitted divine light as it flew through the air, expanding rapidly to the size of a football field before slamming down onto the ruins.
Swish!
As it landed, divine light surged. The camp seamlessly integrated with the embryo of the supreme artifact beneath, forming a mysterious connection. Knowledge of the camp's features immediately surged into his mind.
Military Camp: Yellow-Grade, First-Class.Internal World: A mustard seed holding a vast realm, capable of housing 100,000 soldiers. Includes numerous training fields. Condenses iron-blooded baleful aura, which tempers the soldiers' bodies and enhances blood and energy flow. Greatly improves cultivation speed. Offers major benefits for military formation drills and inspires a martial heart in troops. Possesses concealment abilities—the true state of the camp cannot be discerned from the outside, as if shrouded in mist.
In an instant, all the camp's wonders had been registered in Yi Tianxing's mind—and recorded by the Star Network.
A Yellow-Grade, First-Class camp that could house 100,000 soldiers was already incredible.
But upgrading it wasn't simple.
Within the camp stood a Military Soul Stele, the central core for both baleful aura and the camp itself.
To upgrade it, slaughter was necessary. The stele was snow-white and had to be dyed blood-red—completely soaked in blood—before it could evolve.