This change—if it weren't for Yi Tianxing—would have gone completely unnoticed. It was simply too minuscule.
At the edge of the supreme artifact embryo, a threadlike strand, as fine as a hair, coalesced from illusion into substance. It glowed with a jade-like radiance, exuding an indestructible will.
Yi Tianxing's face darkened.
"What a scam. One Willpower Pearl, and it only forged a strand as thin as a hair? That's a Willpower Pearl, for crying out loud! Look at the size of this supreme artifact embryo—how many Willpower Pearls will it take to forge the entire Supreme Immortal City?"
He felt on the verge of collapse.
A white Willpower Pearl—once merged, it became a single, almost invisible strand of the city's form. If he wanted to forge the entire Xuanhuang Town or Xuanhuang City, how many of these pearls would it take? It was an astronomical task—enough to plunge anyone into despair. The number of Willpower Pearls required was beyond imagination.
It was a bottomless pit of despair.
"So forging a supreme artifact really isn't simple. Still, no matter how big the pit, it has to be filled. The embryo is here. As long as I keep feeding it Willpower Pearls, one day it will be complete. It just can't be done in the short term."
Yi Tianxing took a deep breath. As pitiful as the forging process was, it was at least more realistic than hunting down rare heavenly treasures and divine materials.
After all, Willpower Pearls were visible and tangible. With Xuanhuang Town's population nearing 200,000, and his influence spreading over thousands of miles, the pace of acquiring Willpower Pearls was increasing.
Each Willpower Pearl refined slightly more of the Immortal City, piece by piece. The progress was tangible. As slow as it might be, at least there was hope.
"This Money Tree should stay in the Core Space. That way, the Willpower Pearls it produces can be directly refined and fed into the artifact embryo. Out of sight, out of mind!"
Muttering to himself, he waved his hand, and a Money Tree—already one person tall—appeared before him.
Golden light shimmered on the tree. Thanks to the infusion of Eternal Coins, it had begun restoring itself. Many of the coins were white, streaked with hints of gold.
Ding ding ding!
Snow-white Eternal Coins emerged from the void, flying toward the tree like baby swallows returning to the nest. These were from cultivators absorbing Eternal Coins to cultivate. Along with the coins came streams of willpower.
Good and bad alike gathered within the tree. Strange lights flickered along its trunk.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!
The tree trembled slightly. A rain of Willpower Pearls and Demonic Thought Pearls fell. They numbered in the hundreds, perhaps even over a thousand.
As soon as the Willpower Pearls appeared, divine flames enveloped them, instantly refining them into white liquid, which vanished into the void.
Soon, a small portion at the edge of the artifact embryo solidified from illusion into reality. Just a small piece—barely the tip of the iceberg—yet it radiated an indestructible will, carved naturally with profound Dao Runes. Mysterious and unbreakable—even divine weapons couldn't damage it.
Such was the wondrous, mystical nature of Willpower Pearls. Once fused into the supreme artifact, they underwent a miraculous transformation.
"Demonic Thought Pearls are used to forge Eternal Coins. The more Eternal Coins, the more willpower we can gather. These six hundred-plus pearls can be turned into over sixty thousand Eternal Coins."
He waved his hand, collecting the Demonic Thought Pearls.
Though not an enormous sum, it was still astonishing. With each harvest, the yield grew: 600, then 900, then over 1,000. The Money Tree's ability to gather the willpower of all beings was increasing.
Yi Tianxing estimated that if a devout believer could condense one white Willpower Pearl a year, then from Xuanhuang Town's 200,000 people, all their emotions and thoughts could produce 500–600 Willpower Pearls daily.
Of course, the tree could only gather this power within Xuanhuang Town, through the circulation of Eternal Coins and the strength of destiny. Only people who knew of Eternal Coins, used them, or thought about them would generate usable thoughts.
There were losses. Half the thoughts were negative, and over 100,000 citizens had just arrived, lacking proper knowledge of the Eternal Coin system. Their thoughts couldn't yet be absorbed.
But over time, as Eternal Coins became familiar to them, more thoughts would feed into the tree.
That was when the rate of Willpower Pearl generation would skyrocket—daily yields, massive hauls of Demonic Thought Pearls, and countless Eternal Coins. Once Eternal Coins truly became currency, a tidal wave of desire and belief would crash forth.
"I must expedite the currency system. It may be a little forced now, but the past few days have built up enough Willpower and Demonic Pearls. Once stabilized, I'll harvest thousands of Willpower Pearls a day—millions of Eternal Coins in return. With our existing stock, Xuanhuang Town can keep running."
Yi Tianxing was now sure: currency reform must happen—and quickly.
But that meant privatization had to follow.
Everything was linked. One step would pull the rest.
Without lingering, he cast one last glance at the Pool of Destiny, where golden fish-dragons swam happily, and smiled.
…
After leaving the Core Space, Yi Tianxing returned to his residence and entered the quiet chamber.
Without hesitation, he resumed cultivation.
Chaos Dragon Runes condensed one after another. His cultivation advanced, his body transformed, and his spirit and will improved—allowing him to generate runes faster and in greater numbers.
Once his spirit tired, he didn't force it. Instead, he retrieved the Heaven-Earth Minting Furnace and began forging Eternal Coins from the Demonic Thought Pearls.
Golden. Radiant. Brilliant.
"Willpower Pearls, Demonic Pearls, the Minting Furnace—currency is the foundation of power. In Xuanhuang Town, it is the very lifeblood. It's not suitable to entrust this to anyone else. In that case, it must be merged with the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Tower. Coin forging is too vital to risk."
Even as he worked, Yi Tianxing's thoughts churned.
Throughout history, currency had always held power. Wars and chaos had erupted over it. It must remain in his own hands.
With the Hongmeng Tower, the furnace could be merged without disrupting the minting process. It would even become easier—just a thought would initiate forging. More importantly, it would protect the secrets of Eternal Coin production and the source materials—Willpower and Demonic Pearls.
Without hesitation, he fused the Heaven-Earth Minting Furnace into the Hongmeng Tower.
The originally thirteen-layered tower transformed into fourteen layers.
Once inside, materials and pearls could be delivered directly into the tower. Just a thought was enough to initiate minting—smooth and seamless.
Wealth is power.Financial power is the true lifeline of a nation.
"Master, Mister Fu has awakened. He wishes to see you," came Cao Zhengchun's voice from outside.
"Invite Fellow Daoist Fu to rest in the front pavilion. Have them prepare some wine and food," Yi Tianxing responded calmly.
"Yes!" Cao Zhengchun replied and went to arrange it.
Before long, the front pavilion was set.
Yi Tianxing was seated at the table. Outside, Fu Hongxue limped his way over.
"Please sit, Fellow Daoist Fu," Yi Tianxing said with a faint smile.
Fu Hongxue's face had returned to normal. The black aura had completely dissipated, and his spirit was in peak condition—clearly, he had fully recovered.
Without ceremony, Fu Hongxue sat across from him.
The meal, prepared by Lai He, featured the likes of:
Three-Spirit Steamed Fish
Mixed Five-Serpent Soup
Braised Rare Bird Wings
Blood Essence Congee
The aroma was intoxicating.
These were top-tier delicacies made from fierce beasts, rich in primal energy. Even cultivators without Yi Tianxing's gourmet cells would benefit greatly from such a feast.