Yi Tianxing knew full well just how precious Willing Power Beads were. These were top-tier treasures, not inferior to most of the other exotic artifacts he had come across so far. Even a single white Willing Power Bead could increase one's cultivation speed tenfold. In critical moments, it could break bottlenecks and barriers, acting like a divine pill or miracle elixir that also boosted one's cultivation base.
Each one was incredibly valuable.
Back during the beginning of the Cataclysm, Yi Tianxing had managed to acquire a large batch of them. That was during the transitional period between the collapse of the old world and the fusion of myriad realms, when Heaven's Will bestowed gifts upon the survivors. At that time, slaying monsters granted Willing Power Beads because those creatures were born of fantasy, manifesting directly into the world before Heaven's Will had fully evolved.
In that unique state, killing such monsters would cause their flesh and blood to convert into Willing Power Beads.
It had been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Although many seized it, the successive disasters that followed meant that even those who had killed monsters were unlikely to have amassed many beads.
Now that the Eternal Continent had fully evolved and Heaven's Will completed its transformation, the laws of the world had changed. Fantasy had become reality, and even killing monsters no longer yielded Willing Power Beads. All the monsters now were fully real. That path of acquiring them was completely blocked, with no hope of return.
No one knew where new Willing Power Beads might come from.
In other words, each one used was one less in the world.
Even now, Yi Tianxing didn't use them for his own cultivation. He stored them in his Spirit Pearl space, saving them for emergencies. In critical moments, they were no less than miracle elixirs.
Ten times the cultivation speed! Only now did Yi Tianxing truly realize how significant that was.
Even with the fortune blessing from Xuanhuang Village, he only received a threefold cultivation boost. That's a massive gap compared to tenfold.
A single Willing Power Bead might be consumed in just one cultivation session for him, but for most other cultivators, it could last ten days to half a month. That just showed how incredibly rare they were.
Especially now, with no way to produce more, their value was only rising. As the saying goes, scarcity breeds value—it's always been that way.
Unable to bring himself to part with other rare treasures, he decided to offer some of the still-considerable number of Willing Power Beads he possessed. Clearly, Jia Chengxin highly valued them. Even though he kept a calm expression, he couldn't hide it from the eyes of Yi Tianxing and Huang Chengyan.
Jia Chengxin desperately wanted those beads.
The two exchanged a look and nodded—this was a chance to extract a good haul from Jia Chengxin using these beads.
"Village Chief Yi, which treasures are you eyeing? Let's see if we can make a trade," Jia Chengxin said with a cheerful smile.
"The cultivation techniques and combat arts in your store caught my attention. Could we make a deal for those?" Yi Tianxing asked.
"One Willing Power Bead can be exchanged for one low-grade Yellow Rank combat art or a basic Divine Sea Realm foundation technique," Jia Chengxin quickly quoted.
Yi Tianxing chuckled. "Seems your goods are too expensive for me. I'd be better off keeping these beads for myself. Just one of them can increase my cultivation speed tenfold—comparable to a miracle pill, but with zero side effects. Strengthening myself is the top priority."
He smiled and put the bead away.
Jia Chengxin's eyes involuntarily twitched, but he quickly recovered and replied with a smile, "Village Chief Yi, you're too kind. Not expensive at all—I misspoke earlier. One bead can be traded for any Yellow Rank cultivation technique or combat art. For lower grades, one bead gets you three manuals. For mid-grade ones, two manuals per bead."
This time, the price dropped significantly.
"Very well then. I'll take one copy of every technique and art you have," Yi Tianxing said with a knowing smile. This price was fair—neither side losing out.
Besides, Yi Tianxing didn't believe for a second that Jia Chengxin was giving him originals. The merchant likely kept backups and could resell them elsewhere. After all, ethics and merchants rarely mixed well—morality was something they left behind in the womb.
"Excellent. I'll have everything packed up for you," Jia Chengxin said, smiling so hard his eyes nearly disappeared.
"How much for this Universal Printer and the Moonwell if I pay with Willing Power Beads?" Yi Tianxing asked, pointing at two exotic treasures.
"These are rare items. I don't even fully understand what they do yet, but they're undoubtedly priceless. Each one costs at least 200 Willing Power Beads," Jia Chengxin replied, smiling warmly.
He silently marveled—Yi Tianxing really was a big spender. And the beads he had were exceptionally pure, free of impurities. One such bead would take a devout follower a whole year to generate through prayer. These beads weren't just for cultivation—they could even be used to forge magic weapons.
He hadn't yet figured out the Universal Printer's function—it seemed to be from a non-cultivation civilization. But the Moonwell he knew: its water could heal wounds, relieve fatigue, and offer many miraculous effects—a true treasure. So naturally, the price started high.
"Too expensive. I don't have that many on hand," Yi Tianxing replied, shaking his head.
"180 per item, that's my bottom line," Jia Chengxin said, his brow furrowing with mock anguish, as if it physically hurt to give that discount.
It was quite the performance—enough to stir sympathy.
"We'll agree to that price—but only if you throw in a batch of weapons, daily tools, and medicinal herb seeds," Huang Chengyan said after receiving a subtle glance from Yi Tianxing.
What followed was a round of haggling.
Eventually, the deal was finalized. Yi Tianxing spent over 400 Willing Power Beads in total. In return, he acquired two exotic treasures, a vast collection of cultivation techniques and combat arts, a wide range of daily tools, standard swords and weapons, a stockpile of refined iron, and a selection of medicinal herb seeds.
In other words, he cleared out nearly half of Jia Chengxin's inventory.
As they walked out of the Wandering Pavilion, Jia Chengxin stood at the door, smiling. "One's fate is determined by destiny, luck, feng shui, virtue, and knowledge. Fortune is wondrous and mysterious, Village Chief Yi. I hope we trade again in the future. This transaction cleared out most of my goods—so here's a free tip: There's an army nearby."
With that cryptic statement, he smiled mysteriously and turned back inside.
Yi Tianxing and Huang Chengyan exchanged stunned and excited glances.
Back on the Wandering Bird, the crowd of villagers dispersed, no longer gathering around the massive creature.
With a beat of its wings, the giant bird rose into the sky and swiftly disappeared into the distance.
Back at Xuanhuang Village
In Yi Tianxing's residence.
"My lord, those Willing Power Beads are immensely valuable. I fear we may have gotten the short end of the deal," Huang Chengyan remarked, stroking his beard.
"Merchants never trade at a loss. There's definitely more to these beads than we know. But whether it was a loss or a gain, only we can judge that. For me, this was a win. I obtained two exotic treasures, a trove of essential weapons and tools, and a stockpile of raw iron. These things will improve the lives of our villagers and increase our soldiers' combat strength. That's real growth for Xuanhuang Village," Yi Tianxing said with a calm smile.
He didn't think he had lost out. Everything in the world was relative. If there's no benefit, merchants won't come. If something's useless, he wouldn't buy it. Trade is about mutual consent—talk of profit or loss was beside the point.
If he had lost out, it would only mean his judgment had failed.
No need to complain.
"You're right, my lord," Huang Chengyan nodded with a smile. He then changed the subject. "What do you make of the message from that wandering merchant?"
"That's very good news. The valley we're in is massive. It could easily hold a million people or more. We're only near the entrance—who knows what's deeper inside? It wouldn't be surprising if other settlements existed. But where they are, that's another matter," Yi Tianxing said, eyes flashing with intrigue.
Based on Jia Chengxin's words, their "neighbors" probably weren't doing well. That was easy to guess, given how many dangers Yi Tianxing had encountered. Others couldn't be having it any easier—just in different ways.
"My lord, are you thinking of absorbing their villagers into Xuanhuang?" Huang Chengyan asked with a smile.
"If their leader can't protect them, then let me protect them. It's better for the villagers, and it's better for us. Xuanhuang Village has finished its basic infrastructure—wooden walls for defense, brave soldiers ready to fight. What we lack is population. Only with more people can we grow stronger. People are the foundation!" Yi Tianxing said decisively, without a hint of guilt or shame.
If their neighbor could no longer shield their people, then instead of letting them be slaughtered by beasts, why not bring them into Xuanhuang?