Chapter 0617 – Big Business

In response, Jin Xiangyu could only roll her eyes at Yi Tianxing. She knew full well that he was worried she might hoard a large number of Eternal Coins and refuse to circulate them, thereby stalling the economy. In truth, she had indeed planned to hold onto them for a while, waiting for a critical moment to release them.

But now, that was no longer possible.

With such a vast amount of Eternal Coins already revealed, there was no way to keep the matter secret.If the currency wasn't circulated, the guests staying in the inn might cause serious trouble. After all, virtual numbers could never match the tangible, golden Eternal Coins they could hold in their hands.

That was what truly mattered.

"Money only has value when used, when it's in circulation. If it's just hoarded in a treasury, it's not money—it's just a precious item."— Yi Tianxing said with a smile.

"As if you're the only one who makes sense," Jin Xiangyu shot him another glare.

"Surely the proprietress has more than just those four Magic Crystal Cannons, right?" Yi Tianxing asked meaningfully.

"Of course. I have something even better. Remember the Spirit Gathering Array Diagram I sold you? It can gather the ambient spiritual energy, making the surrounding area more saturated—but no matter how dense it becomes, it can't compare to a real Spirit Vein. The treasure I have now is said to be capable of birthing a Spirit Vein."

Jin Xiangyu's tone grew serious.

"Capable of birthing a Spirit Vein?" Yi Tianxing's eyes lit up. Anything that could produce a Spirit Vein was immensely precious. Within Xuanhuang City, there was already the Iron Ox Statue, capable of condensing not just ambient spiritual energy, but Essence of Heaven and Earth, and eventually birthing a Spirit Vein.

[Spirit Vein (灵脉), Essence of Heaven and Earth (天地之精), Iron Ox Statue (铁牛雕像)]

Once a Spirit Vein formed, it could draw power from the world on its own—something no array could rival. A Spirit Vein was essentially a Dragon Vein.

Even a small one offered massive benefits.

Right now, the Iron Ox was close to completing the formation of a Spirit Vein—but only because vast amounts of spirit stones had been poured around it to speed the process.

But the Iron Ox could only create a single Spirit Vein. If another treasure capable of birthing a Spirit Vein could be found, it would be immeasurably valuable.

"Take a look at this. A guest once sold it to me."

With a wave of her hand, a vivid, lifelike Crimson Spirit Snake appeared before them. At first glance, one might think it a real snake—but upon closer inspection, it was a sculpture, so lifelike it could easily deceive the eye.

"It's a sculpture," Yi Tianxing said, visibly surprised.

Previously, he'd obtained the Iron Ox Statue—now here was a Spirit Snake Statue, likely with similar effects. The form was different, but the essence was likely the same.

"Yes, it's a statue—but this one can automatically absorb Heaven and Earth energy and condense Essence of Heaven and Earth, eventually birthing a Spirit Vein. Once the vein is formed, it becomes inseparable from the statue. The statue itself also acts as a stabilizing anchor for the vein," Jin Xiangyu explained with a smile.

To be honest, if it weren't for the extremely long time and uncertainty involved in birthing a Spirit Vein, she'd have kept the treasure for herself. The process could fail, and even if it succeeded, no one knew how long it would take.

Now, with Yi Tianxing—the ultimate big spender—in front of her, she had made up her mind to sell it.

"A remarkable treasure indeed. What's your asking price?" Yi Tianxing nodded approvingly, though his mind was already working: Iron Ox, Spirit Snake... could they be connected? Snake and ox—two of the Twelve Zodiac signs. If his guess was correct, then there might be statues representing the Pig, Rabbit, Horse, and others.

[Zodiac Statue Connection]

"Three million Eternal Coins. This Spirit Snake Statue can be yours," she said bluntly.

"Three million? That's impossible. Even if it might produce a Spirit Vein, it takes too long, and more importantly, it can't be moved during the process. That's too restrictive. I'll offer one million."

Yi Tianxing wasn't about to accept her price without bargaining.

"One million is far too low. If it actually produces a Spirit Vein, then even ten or twenty million wouldn't be enough to buy it. I'll go as low as two million—not a coin less. If you don't want it, I'll just keep it for myself. I might have use for it later."

Jin Xiangyu's tone was firm—she clearly wasn't budging on the price.

"Very well, two million it is." Yi Tianxing agreed, seeing her determination. He didn't argue further.

Some things are only worth what people believe they're worth. With treasures of Heaven and Earth, it's hard to fix a price. The only question is whether the buyer believes it's worth it.

This time, instead of putting the Eternal Coins directly on the table, he handed over a storage pouch, filled with the agreed amount. A quick scan with one's consciousness would confirm the exact number.

The deal was sealed without a hitch.

Seeing how Yi Tianxing casually threw around millions of Eternal Coins, Jin Xiangyu's gaze toward him grew much gentler.

The two continued trading. Various rare treasures, beast remains, spiritual herbs, and more changed hands.

One such item was a unique fruit tree from the Golden Sand Desert, called the Golden Breadfruit Tree. The entire tree was golden, and its trunk held massive amounts of golden liquid, cool and delicious, filled with spiritual energy. It could help cultivators train, resist the desert heat, and keep the body refreshed.

[Golden Breadfruit Tree (黄金面包果树)]

The tree's fruit contained abundant starch and could be processed into delicious spiritual foods. Its starch was spiritual in nature, much like spiritual grain, making it a remarkable survival food. In the desert, it was revered as a Sacred Tree, symbolizing life.

Each seed cost over 100 Eternal Coins, and Yi Tianxing bought at least 10,000 of them, planning to cultivate them as a new food source for Xuanhuang City. The tree thrived even in arid deserts, so it could easily survive elsewhere.

He also bought many Heavenly Treasures, cultivation manuals, battle techniques, divine arts, and arcane books—many of which weren't even found in the city's Scripture Pavilion. Some were mundane books, detailing civilizations, histories, and legends from various worlds—books that others discarded but Jin Xiangyu collected.

Yi Tianxing treasured them deeply.

To him, these books represented knowledge and legacy. Unlike money, knowledge never depreciated in value—it was the most precious form of wealth.

"Just these ten thousand-plus books are a massive harvest," Yi Tianxing thought happily.

Although many of the cultivation texts were low-grade, their sheer diversity greatly enriched the collection of the Scripture Pavilion. Among them were also many inspiring ideas.

In total, the transaction exceeded ten million Eternal Coins.

With that, Dragon Gate Inn had enough resources to remain operational for a long time.

"Proprietress, your inn is famous for its information. Do you have any intel on talent recruitment? If so, I'm willing to pay handsomely. I won't let you suffer a loss," Yi Tianxing asked after the deals concluded.

He had long known Dragon Gate Inn sold information. Since he had come to the Golden Sand Desert, understanding the local situation was crucial—and this was the best shortcut.

"You're recruiting talent for your Xuanhuang City, aren't you?" Jin Xiangyu gave him a meaningful look and nodded. "I do indeed have plenty of information on talented individuals."