In the tumultuous Whole Heaven Battlefield, gold and silver treasures were as insignificant as pebbles on the roadside, utterly useless. Chen Guo sensed that pills might soon become the currency of choice. Bartering with goods was cumbersome, whereas pills could be produced en masse, each one identical and inherently valuable, making them an ideal form of money.
Equipped with the Medicine King Treasure Bible, the Qing Shui Sect's pill recipes, a fifth-grade pill furnace, and the enhancement of the Yin Yang Fan, pill refining for Chen Guo was a walk in the park. His Cosmos Bag brimmed with spirit medicines, and to prevent it from overflowing, Chen Guo opted to transform these herbs into pills first. Since pills were compact, they would take up minimal space.
Known for his decisiveness, Chen Guo wasted no time and dove straight into the pill-making process. The fifth-grade pill furnace required no mundane fuel like charcoal; it harnessed the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth to ignite its vigorous flames. Despite the pervasive aura of death and stillness, the world was rich in Spiritual Qi, fueling the furnace's robust fire.
"He Shou Wu... Thousand-year ginseng..." Chen Guo methodically fed copious amounts of herbs into the furnace, crafting the fundamental thrombin pill. This pill was a swift remedy for wounds. With a thrombin pill, any external injury could be rapidly staunched, restoring a measure of vitality. In countless scenarios, such a pill could mean the difference between life and death.
As a novice in alchemy, Chen Guo's skills were unripe, so he started with the thrombin pill to hone his craft. With the Yin Yang Fan in hand, he fervently pursued the art of pill refining.
"You have obtained 50 Blood Coagulation Pills!" The creation of the Blood Coagulation Pill was remarkably straightforward, and Chen Guo's success rate was an astounding 100%. A single batch took just ten minutes to yield fifty pills. This efficiency was due to the high-grade spirit medicines sourced from lands of fortune, coupled with the use of a fifth-grade pill furnace and the Yin Yang Fan. A failure in concocting the thrombin pill under these conditions would indeed be a rarity.
For the average cultivator, a fifth-grade pill furnace was a divine artifact beyond reach, a coveted treasure. Most would consider themselves fortunate to possess even a seventh-grade pill furnace.
Chen Guo's remarkable haul was only possible because Hwa Yangzi, once an Earth Immortal, casually had a fifth-grade pill furnace at his disposal.
After processing the majority of the spirit medicines, Chen Guo amassed 5,000 thrombin pills—a staggering fortune by the standards of the current Beginner Village.
Yet, even more astonishing was Chen Guo's talent for Omnipresent Duplication, which allowed him to replicate thrombin pills!
When he first began crafting talismans, Chen Guo had duplicated money, leading him to muse that, if he ever returned to Blue Star, he'd be a walking ATM, with the ability to print as much cash as he desired.
Now, he could also replicate thrombin pills. Despite the constraints of the Creation Law, which prevented him from having an unlimited supply, a significant increase in wealth was still within reach.
Indeed, within the bounds of these cosmic regulations, Chen Guo managed to duplicate 20 thrombin pills—effectively multiplying his stash by twentyfold!
His wealth had skyrocketed by twenty times!
With 100,000 thrombin pills now in his possession, Chen Guo was confident he stood among the wealthiest individuals across the globe's ten billion inhabitants.
As Chen Guo was wrapping up his endeavors, an unexpected system notification arrived:
"The Whole Heaven Battlefield has been active for 48 hours, unlocking the trading interface!"
"Trading Interface: Players can exchange goods and trade freely on this page!"
"The Whole Heaven Battlefield has been active for 48 hours, unlocking the regional channel!"
"Regional Channel: A channel encompassing all information within the region, facilitating communication among trial challengers!"
Upon inspection, Chen Guo discovered a new trading interface within the data module. Through this interface, he could search for desired items at will and even pay to advertise, ensuring his messages reached the eyes of trial challengers perusing the platform.
The currency for these transactions? Any spoils of war—equipment, skills, or pills—could be appraised and used as tender.
Moreover, beyond the Beginner Village's chat channel, a vastly more expansive regional channel had emerged. At this moment, it was buzzing with activity.
Considering the East Asia region alone boasted two billion people, with all of them speaking simultaneously, it was like a cacophony of ducks—a noise potent enough to drive anyone mad!
Often, before one person even finishes speaking, someone else has already jumped in, drowning out the previous speaker.
Despite this, there are restrictions in place on the Sector Announcements channel, such as a limit of five free messages per person. After that, you have to pay to speak.
Additionally, trial challengers must wait a full minute between messages, preventing continuous conversation.
Yet these measures are futile. Against the overwhelming number of two billion, such limits hardly keep the Sector Announcements channel orderly.
"The Ten Thousand Arts Gang is recruiting. Join us for the best decision you'll ever make..."
This is a gang recruitment message. With the Sector Announcements now open, various gangs formed in different Beginner Villages are seizing the chance to broadcast their call for members.
Currently, these Beginner Villages are isolated in distinct regions, unable to interact, but everyone is aware that this separation is only temporary.
In the future, trial challengers within the Sector will inevitably meet, and eventually, trial challengers from around the globe will connect.
When that time comes, whether it leads to war or cooperation, unity or backstabbing, will all hinge on the relative strengths of each group.
Hence, the shrewd are already busy building up their forces.
"Looking for a partner. I'm a beauty and willing to share my pics. Seeking a strong partner, in urgent need of a tough guy. Pretty boys need not apply!"
This is a call for partners, predominantly from women.
Back on Blue Star, women were in high demand. They might not all have been fairies, but they were treated like princesses.
Regrettably, in the Whole Heaven Battlefield, the disparity in physical strength and combat will means less talented girls are at a disadvantage and more vulnerable.
In this lawless land, they must align with the powerful quickly. Thus, the traditional dynamic of men pursuing women has shifted to women seeking out men.
And since combat prowess is now the currency of choice, the pretty boys have lost their market appeal. Innocent looks can't compete with a strong fist, making tough guys the new darlings of the beauties.
Nowadays, it's a breeze for a somewhat impressive guy to snag a girlfriend, and for the more formidable ones, juggling multiple girlfriends is no sweat at all.
If Chen Guo chose to showcase his fighting prowess, starting his own harem would be a piece of cake.
"Looking to buy a Taoist magic arts book!"
"Interested in purchasing a Buddhist divine abilities book!"
"In the market for a puppet..."
"Got a stockpile of spiritual talismans for sale, reach out if you're interested!"
These were the folks leveraging the regional channel to hawk their wares. Even though a trading interface existed, the regional channel allowed for free advertising, and many were quick to seize this opportunity.
"I'm an idiot!"
"I'm a pig!"
"You all are my daddies!"
In a population of two billion, there was certainly no shortage of individuals eager to spout off bizarre statements just to make their presence known.