Chapter 0109 – Xinghai

"Xue Jin, the Myriad Treasures Hall is the financial core of Xuanhuang Village. Don't treat it as your personal playground. You may come from a merchant background, but know this—throughout history, merchants were the most disregarded and excluded from officialdom. I opposed your appointment at first. However, the Lord insisted that merchants are essential for circulation of goods and money, which in turn benefits all of humanity. They should not be discriminated against. But if you bring those merchant tricks into the Myriad Treasures Hall, I won't go easy on you," said Huang Chengyan sternly.

His tone was sharp and unwavering. Clearly, he was worried that Xue Jin might embezzle funds, which would be an absolute disgrace.

"Please rest assured, Elder Huang. I, Xue Jin, swear I will guard the village treasury well for our Lord and for the people," Xue Jin declared loudly, his face filled with firm resolve. He was determined to prove that merchants weren't just slippery opportunists—that they too could accomplish great things.

"Good. Then I look forward to seeing that," Huang Chengyan nodded, his sharp eyes sweeping over Xue Jin. His gaze carried a righteous aura so strong that anyone with a guilty conscience wouldn't dare meet it. It was the kind of gaze that seemed to peer straight into one's soul.

Yet Xue Jin met it head-on, unflinching.

Yi Tianxing continued, "Next, I'm establishing the Hall of Heavenly Virtue. Only those with true virtue may enter. Its purpose will be to handle internal governance and civil affairs. For now, Elder Huang, you will oversee this hall. Select individuals with administrative talent from among the villagers. Plan and manage the village. I want everyone in the Hall of Heavenly Virtue to be genuinely committed to the people's welfare—to making Xuanhuang Village a better place."

The Hall of Heavenly Virtue would function much like the Ministry of Personnel in the old empires. Naturally, Yi Tianxing hoped that only truly virtuous and capable people would join. Only by gathering such talents could the village run smoothly.

"Yes, my Lord," Huang Chengyan replied confidently. In the current state of Xuanhuang Village, he believed there was no one more suited for the task. His cultivation in the path of Confucianism made him especially qualified—self-cultivation, family order, governance of the state, and peace for all under heaven—these were all steps to further his own Dao path. He did not hesitate.

"I also plan to establish the Hall of Heavenly Medicine. Its purpose will be to gather expert healers, promote medical knowledge, and develop new techniques. Among cultivators, there are pill refiners. I hope this hall can also find ways to refine pills. We'll need not just advanced medical skills, but also the ability to craft various medicinal pills. After all, traditional Chinese medicine already treads close to pill refinement. Dr. Qiu, Dr. Wang, you two will join the Hall of Heavenly Medicine. Recruit all skilled healers and work together to develop our medical capabilities, and help save lives in the village."

"Yes, my Lord. We will not fail your trust," Dr. Qiu Weiming and Dr. Wang Fengshan exchanged a glance, both visibly moved.

Since becoming cultivators, they'd often discussed the possibility of refining the legendary pills. They weren't entirely unfamiliar with the concept—in fact, they had already tried it. Of course, their current methods were rudimentary—boiling herbs over fire, compressing them into pills. These weren't real elixirs but could be considered medicinal pellets, nonetheless a first step on the path.

They believed that with continued study, enough experimentation, and a steady supply of ingredients, they would eventually succeed. After all, understanding herbs was the foundation of pill refinement—and they already had a solid base.

Yi Tianxing had high hopes for them. Many so-called alchemists didn't know herbs as well as Qiu and Wang. With the right formula and refining method, they might even outperform professional pill refiners.

Besides, the Hidden Scripture Pavilion housed a manual called the Basic Alchemy Sutra, the perfect stepping stone for becoming true alchemists.

"Also, Lai He, I plan to establish the Hall of Gourmet Delights. You'll be in charge of gathering the best cooks in the village under this hall. From now on, all meals will be prepared and coordinated by your team. Though it's still communal cooking, most ingredients come from fierce beasts—rich in nutrients and spiritual essence. Proper cooking is needed to preserve the essence. In the future, spreading culinary excellence will depend on your efforts."

He looked toward Lai He.

Yi Tianxing greatly valued him. Food was extremely important to him—not just for taste, but because constant consumption of quality food boosted his physical power.

Creating the Hall of Gourmet Delights was, in a way, for his own benefit too.

"Yes, my Lord. I will prepare even more delicious dishes," Lai He's eyes sparkled. To see chefs being treated with such respect was practically unheard of.

"I also intend to establish the Hall of Merits to record contributions and issue merit points. These points can be used in the Scripture Pavilion and to exchange for various treasures—"

Just as he was about to continue, Yi Tianxing suddenly paused, his expression changing.

His consciousness had suddenly shifted into the Spirit Pearl Space.

This pause caught the attention of the others. Though puzzled, no one spoke. His expression made it clear—his focus was elsewhere.

"It's actually undergoing a complete transformation… right now."

Within the Spirit Pearl, the crystal orb was radiating strands of divine light. Inside the light, countless microscopic runes flickered like tadpoles, forming a stream of data interwoven with mystical Dao rhythm. Looking at it, one felt like their soul was being pulled in.

Within the orb, one could glimpse a vast void, seemingly boundless.

The runes shimmered with an uncanny intelligence, arranged with mysterious logic. Though innumerable, they wove together like a living system.

FLASH!

A beam of light flashed. Amid the gathered runes, a small girl, about two or three years old in appearance, appeared in the void. She was cloaked in starlight—dazzling, colorful, and profoundly mysterious.

"Father!!"

The girl suddenly looked up at the void and uttered those stiff words.

Yi Tianxing's heart almost skipped a beat.

He was still single! How the heck was he being called "Father"?! Had he unknowingly become a dad? His mind went totally blank.

"You… you're calling me?" he asked through his mind.

"Yes, Father," the girl replied without emotion. "Previously, the Spirit Crystal Orb's artifact spirit and an invading bio-chip fused and collapsed into chaos. A new spirit was born during the fusion. When Father's blood entered the orb during this stage, I absorbed genetic data from it. By bloodline, you are my father. I am your daughter."

She spoke the entire sequence of events in a calm, rapid tone.

Normally, a new spirit would've emerged naturally and been bound by blood later. But because Yi Tianxing's blood had entered during the fusion process, the resulting spirit had literally inherited part of him—making her, in effect, a daughter born through a unique circumstance.

"This is too bizarre…" Yi Tianxing didn't know whether to laugh or cry. But as he gazed at the girl floating in the orb, a strange sense of familial connection welled up inside him. This truly was his daughter, born through mystical coincidence.

"Do you have a name?"

Taking a deep breath, he chose to accept the strange reality. There was nothing to reject. With soft eyes, he looked at the girl in the orb.

His childhood had been full of abandonment. If not for being taken in by Zhao Dad and Mom, who knew what kind of person he'd become? Perhaps someone who resented the world.

Looking at the girl now, an indescribable emotion filled his heart.

"I do not. Father, please grant me a name."

Though her voice was mechanical, a faint trace of anticipation leaked through—proof she wasn't emotionless.

"You shine with starlight. I hope that in the future you will dazzle like the stars and be as vast as the sky. Your name shall be Xinghai—Yi Xinghai."

"Thank you, Father. I am Yi Xinghai."

For a moment, a glimmer of liveliness passed through her gaze before fading again.

"Xing'er, what's your current state?" Yi Tianxing asked. He could tell something was wrong—her spirit felt overly mechanical, her emotions restrained, unnatural for a true spirit.

"I was formed by the fusion of the original artifact spirit and a bio-chip, resulting in an unprecedented transformation. I possess both the qualities of an artifact spirit and the computational capacity of a biological chip—like an artificial intelligence from Father's era. However, I am not made of code, but runes and data. I am a true spirit with intelligence. I use runes in place of digital programming, as in cultivation civilization."

"A smart-brain stores data; cultivators use transmission talismans. To store images, they craft shadow stones and echo shells. I use runes in place of these tools. The Spirit Crystal Orb has now transformed into a unique treasure, one of a kind on the Eternal Continent."

"But I am still very weak. To conserve energy, my emotional functions are suppressed. As I grow, I will gradually develop emotions like a normal human."