What do people rely on to survive? Food!!
As the old saying goes: "With grain in hand, one need not panic." That's exactly the truth.
If you can't even fill your stomach, then naturally, there's no room for other ambitions. It's just like in primitive society. Back then, people in tribes were constantly hungry, needing to go out and hunt daily. Everyone had to work together just to gather enough food to stave off hunger. That's why primitive societies were communal. Even children born during that time were raised collectively—many only knew their mothers, not their fathers.
So while primitive societies were ignorant in some respects, one cannot deny the ancient people's survival wisdom.It was instinctual.
Only with a sufficient food supply can civilization flourish. Only then can diverse and vibrant cultures emerge.
Now, with the large quantities of grain planted and harvested, Yi Tianxing finally has the confidence to end the old communal meal system. Those willing to farm can continue to do so. Those who aren't can pursue other trades—learn skills, engage in business, or do whatever suits them.
Xuanhuang Town isn't just any ordinary town—it's a Cultivation Town. Every resident is a cultivator. With their elevated life essence, farming no longer requires mass labor.
Food is for nourishment, but its ultimate purpose is to support cultivation—to advance one's realm and strengthen combat power.
Hence, in the future, Xuanhuang Town will not be a place where everyone toils in the fields or fights over land. This is a realm of cultivators, not a mundane kingdom. The difference in life levels gives rise to a completely different civilization, social structure, and path of development. It will never revert to a purely agrarian society.
Eventually, even regular grain will be phased out. In its place, they will plant spiritual crops and spirit grains.
With sufficient food reserves, Xuanhuang Town has earned the right to take a critical step forward.
Still, it needs to accumulate deeper foundations—to fill the granaries to the brim. At the very least, they must ensure that everyone has enough to eat and drink for the next one or two years. Only then can they begin the final transformation.
"I must strengthen my cultivation as soon as possible. Time waits for no one. I must seize every opportunity to grow stronger."
After checking on the Money Tree, Yi Tianxing once again turned his focus inward—on his cultivation.
He had already reached the fourth level of the Divine Sea Realm, having condensed the Divine Spring.The first step was forming a phantom spring eye.To reach the fifth level, he needed to transform the phantom spring into a real one.This required an immense amount of True Dragon Qi.
Originally, this transformation would occur subtly over time. But now, he could accelerate the process by consuming true energy.
With a thought, he activated the "Dragon Sovereign Heavenly Canon", and began visualizing the Ancestral Dragon of the Four Seas.
A majestic ancestral dragon appeared once again within the Divine Sea.
Whoosh!!
This time, the ancestral dragon did not absorb spiritual energy from the world to refine into true essence. Instead, it opened its mouth and directly sucked in massive amounts of true energy from within the Divine Sea, then sprayed it at the phantom Divine Spring.
What it inhaled was strands of True Dragon Qi, and what it exhaled was rays of chaotic divine light, which pierced into the spring. Inside that divine light, one could even see flickering mysterious runes.
Each infusion of divine light caused the spring to glow and grow more solid—transforming bit by bit into reality. A heavy, dense aura began to emanate from it, signaling its evolution.
It was a wondrous sensation.This was pure, unreserved nourishment of the spring.
And it was clearly effective.
As more True Dragon Qi turned into divine light and merged with the spring, it visibly transformed—becoming more real, more solid, with each passing moment.
Some sections of the spring even fully solidified, and the real portion continued to expand outward.
Naturally, this rapid transformation came at a cost: the True Dragon Qi within the Divine Sea began to deplete rapidly. A full layer of true energy had silently disappeared.
This level of consumption was enormous.
Most cultivators would never attempt such a thing.
After all, the volume of true energy in one's Divine Sea represents one's true foundation and power. Such a drain would be self-destructive under normal circumstances.
But to Yi Tianxing, this trade-off was worth it.He was exchanging true energy for time—not a loss at all.Besides, all this excess true energy had been acquired by chance, not painstakingly cultivated. Even if it was consumed, it directly fueled his advancement.
By nourishing the Divine Spring with true energy, the spring would then be able to absorb the world's spiritual energy faster and allow him to generate true energy even more efficiently. It was a positive feedback loop—an investment with guaranteed returns.
Time flowed quietly.
Dong! Dong! Dong!
Suddenly, early in the morning, the sound of urgent bells rang out.
"That's the alarm bell from the city wall—something must have happened!"
Yi Tianxing awoke from his meditation.Only a third of the Divine Spring had become real.To complete the transformation, he still needed two more days, but he wasn't in a rush. Compared to years or decades of waiting, what's a few days?
He stood up, opened the door, and saw Cai Yan had already stepped outside.
"Brother Yi, the alarm bell is ringing—something serious must be going on," said Cai Yan, her eyes flashing.
"Let's go see for ourselves," Yi Tianxing nodded.
Without further words, they quickly made their way toward the city wall.Before long, they arrived.
On the wall, Huang Chengyan and Master Lu were already there.
"My lord!!" they greeted upon seeing him.
Yi Tianxing stepped forward and looked out, his eyes showing a hint of surprise.
"Refugees… why are there so many of them? Could there be another faction nearby that suffered a disaster?"
Indeed, a massive crowd of tattered, panicked people were streaming into the valley.
Some looked terrified, others overjoyed, and many were clearly exhausted.
There were men and women, but no elders—older folks likely hadn't survived the journey.
More than a thousand refugees were already visible, with more emerging from the valley entrance every moment.
These people clearly weren't locals—their clothing and appearance screamed refugee.
It confirmed what Yi Tianxing had always suspected: this world was vast. There were certainly other settlements or factions nearby. Now, it was clear that one had been struck by disaster, and these people were fleeing into the valley.
"This… this is truly a heaven-sent opportunity for Xuanhuang Town to expand! We just upgraded from village to town, and now we're getting a huge influx of people. It's like rain falling from the sky in a drought!" Yi Tianxing's heart surged with joy.
"Da Hu! Take some troops and go receive them. From now on, these refugees are part of us. They are members of Xuanhuang Town!"
The implications were clear: these people would be absorbed into the town.
Wang Dahu grinned and quickly obeyed, leading a team to escort the refugees.
"Congratulations, my lord! Truly, Heaven favors Xuanhuang Town. Just as we ascend to town status, a massive group of people comes to join us. This is a divine blessing!" Huang Chengyan laughed with joy.
"Even Heaven lends us its power. This is a fateful opportunity, no doubt," Master Lu nodded firmly.
In their minds, these refugees were already citizens of Xuanhuang Town. No hesitation, no debate.
In a world this chaotic, population is the most valuable resource.
Isolated and disconnected as the territories were, every individual was precious. Gaining so many people in one sweep was cause for celebration. And who knew—some of these refugees might even be rare talents.
Letting them go would be a fool's move.
"Still, we need to find out where they came from and what happened. There might be more refugees out there," Yi Tianxing said with a sharp gleam in his eyes.
"I suggest we build a lighthouse in the town. At night, we can hang an Illuminating Lantern from it to guide lost souls in the dark. If there are other humans nearby, they'll definitely head toward the light," suggested Huang Chengyan.
"Excellent idea! Let's get that lighthouse built by tonight and hang the lantern. It could save many lives," Yi Tianxing nodded approvingly.
Meanwhile, down in the valley, many refugees looked up at the towering silhouette of Xuanhuang Town—like a city fortress—and their eyes lit up with hope.
Some fell to their knees, shouting with tears of joy:
"We made it! A human town! It's our people—there are humans here! We're saved!"
"We finally escaped that hellish place… That giant serpent… We'd all have died if we stayed. So many people were devoured by those monsters—it was awful…"
"We're alive! We saw lights in the night and followed them. We actually found a real settlement!"