Whether it was the Enlightenment Lamp or the Talisman Arrows, both were things that could bring tremendous change to the village. Such items could cause a complete transformation—their usefulness was self-evident. Yi Tianxing wouldn't mind having one of these every day.
So when it came to Master Lu's request, he agreed without a moment's hesitation.
Master Lu's talents lay in the Heavenly Craft Pavilion, in invention and creation. Putting him anywhere else would be a waste, even a suppression, of those talents. With Yi Tianxing's insight, he would never allow that to happen.
That would be like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs—if not worse.
"Very well. Then I shall take up the position of Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Craft Pavilion. Master Lu greets the Lord." Rising to his feet, Master Lu nodded and offered a slight bow to Yi Tianxing—formally establishing their lord-vassal relationship.
"There's no need for such courtesy, Elder Lu. The village's future development will greatly depend on you," Yi Tianxing replied with a smile. He also knew clearly that Lu was likely not his real name, but he didn't care. The only thing that mattered was his ability. Who he was, or what his identity had been before—none of that concerned Yi Tianxing.
Everything else was secondary.
"That's something I will naturally take care of," Master Lu nodded.
"Elder Lu, the Enlightenment Lamp you created—I intend to turn it into a streetlamp and install them throughout the village. At night, it could light up the entire area. Take a look and see if any adjustments need to be made."
Yi Tianxing then began discussing the streetlight plan with Master Lu. This was no small matter for the current state of the village, and any modifications would need to be thoroughly studied with Master Lu.
"No rush. Now that I've become the Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Craft Pavilion, I am a man of Xuanhuang Village. Previously, while using my divination ability to observe fate and fortune, I saw that the village's destiny was rising like a fire consuming oil—vigorous and intense. A golden carp was leaping into the sky, ready to transform. This meant the village's fortune had reached a peak. However, above the village, I don't know when it began, but a layer of dark mist has appeared—within that mist, a crimson light flickers. It is an ominous sign. I fear a calamity is near."
Master Lu's expression grew solemn as he spoke.
His eyes shimmered with an unusual light—they weren't ordinary eyes. He had awakened the Divine Eye of Fate, which allowed him to observe fate and fortune, to see the flow of Qi in both people and the heavens.
Though his Divine Eyes weren't yet at full strength, he could clearly see the fortune surrounding Xuanhuang Village. That fortune was surging like a tide, already reaching its peak—brimming with future potential. Within that fate, he saw the image of a golden carp.
This carp wasn't ordinary. It was a mutated species with the blood of a dragon. The old legend went: A carp leaping over the dragon gate can transform into a dragon. Thus, the golden carp represented a potential for true transformation. And similarly, Yi Tianxing's own personal fortune was equally overwhelming. It was the most powerful Master Lu had ever seen. When he observed him too long, his eyes began to sting as if suffering backlash—a sign he was looking at someone who should not be casually spied upon.
And recently, he noticed something even more disturbing: a black mist looming over the village, within which flickered streaks of blood-red light. It was no auspicious omen—rather, it was a harbinger of great disaster. Something terrible was brewing, waiting to descend upon the village.
"You can divine fortune and even sense a coming calamity for Xuanhuang Village?"Yi Tianxing was genuinely surprised.
He hadn't expected Master Lu to possess such an ability. Fate-Seeing, or Qi-Watching, was a mystical skill that only true cultivators or high-level experts possessed. Throughout history, many used such talents to detect rising dragons and attach themselves to future rulers—earning unimaginable rewards.
To actually perceive fortune directly, and determine good or ill from it—that was no small thing.
Now that Master Lu had spoken, and taking into account his own lingering sense of unease, Yi Tianxing could no longer dismiss the danger. Something dark was indeed stirring in the air, surrounding the village. It had yet to be triggered, but all signs pointed toward a coming disaster.
And he could almost be certain: the trigger would be the moment Xuanhuang Village attempted to advance into a town.
"Could it be… this is a test from the heavens, given when a village attempts to advance? But if it's a test—what form will it take? A wave of beasts attacking the village?" Yi Tianxing murmured to himself.
Even though he'd never played these kinds of games before, he was aware of the common tropes: monster sieges, base upgrades triggering attacks, and so on. Given the situation, he couldn't help but suspect such an event was about to happen here too.
"This omen has actually appeared before, but it always coincides with attempts to advance the village. Now, with Xuanhuang Village having reached its peak and accumulated enough fortune, it's definitely ready to become a town. Yet every time I tried to initiate the upgrade, this ominous sign appeared. Clearly, something dangerous is lurking behind the transformation," said Yi Tianxing.
Still, his expression remained calm and confident."No need to rush the upgrade. If disaster is coming, then we'll focus on raising the village's strength first. Stockpile military supplies—talismans, weapons, arrows, and talisman arrows. Strengthen ourselves as much as possible. If fierce beasts do attack, we'll slaughter them to the last. Let the ground run red with their blood."
The existence of the talisman arrows had given him great confidence.
"In that case," Master Lu said after a moment's thought, "I'll speed things up and create one more trump card for the village."
...
Meanwhile, Xuanhuang Village was undergoing radical change—its strength increasing by the day. The Universal Printer ran at full capacity, producing talisman arrows in great numbers, which were then transported to military camps and storage sites.
The entire village was preparing for a coming war.
This heightened atmosphere even boosted the cultivation progress of many villagers—breakthroughs occurred constantly, with many people leveling up their strength.
But now, far from the valley—several hundred kilometers from the former Xiongnu encampment, deep in a forest—a group of refugees in tattered clothing stood in stunned silence.
What appeared before them was a city.
A city hidden deep in the forest, surrounded by towering trees on all sides. Even the city walls were covered with creeping vines. No roads could be seen leading to it.
The entire city gave off an aura of ruin—even the gate had a gaping hole in it.
"Chief, why is there a city out here?"
"No matter what, we should go inside. It's safer than staying out here. Too many of our brothers have already died. Brother Chen, this forest is crawling with fierce beasts. We can't keep moving or we won't survive. If there's a city, we can at least rest."
"Yeah, we've lost too many people. Everyone's tired and thirsty. We can't go on like this."
To these weary refugees, seeing a city was like seeing a safe haven. It had to be better than roaming the forest.
These people were none other than Chen Sheng and the group of civilians he led.
After escaping the Xiongnu camp, they had split into smaller groups to throw off the pursuers—Chen Sheng led one group, Wu Guang another. Each fled in a different direction.
Their escape was brutal. Starting with several thousand, only about a thousand remained now. The wilderness was filled with dangers—beasts and birds of prey they couldn't possibly fight off. People had died every day, both from attacks and exhaustion. Hunger was a constant.
It had been a miserable, bloody march.
Now, at least, they had shaken their pursuers. All that remained was to find a safe place to settle. But the forest was definitely not an option. The horrors they'd faced in the wild had taught them that much.
"We'll go in," Chen Sheng ordered. "But stay alert. A city appearing out here in the forest... it's definitely suspicious."
He took the lead and approached the gaping hole in the city gate.
Lushan City!!The city's name was engraved clearly above the gate.
There were people patrolling along the walls, but oddly enough, they weren't soldiers—most were ordinary civilians. Their faces were gaunt and full of despair. There weren't many of them either—just enough to keep watch.
When they saw Chen Sheng's group approaching, a flicker of hope lit up their eyes. But the moment they realized it was just more ragged refugees, that hope vanished, replaced by silent despair. They didn't even bother speaking—just slumped against the walls, faces lifeless.
Chen Sheng's group entered easily through the broken gate.
Inside the city, everything was in ruins. Houses had collapsed, the ground was cracked, shelves and furniture broken and burned as firewood.
In the center, a massive pot was boiling what could only be called gruel—the few visible rice grains could be counted by hand. It was barely even soup.
The city's civilians lined up in front of the pot, bowls in hand.
When they saw Chen Sheng's group enter, a flicker of hostility crossed their eyes.
It was as if they were thinking:Great. More mouths to feed.