Chapter 223

In Yu Village's winter, it was spent amidst the intense activities of a group of Five Elements warriors.

After spring arrived, the primary focus in the village remained on planting seeds. With new fertile land to cultivate in the west, the entire village of over five thousand people worked tirelessly.

Amidst the busyness, Iron Eagle brought a new batch of custom-made farming tools, preparing to purchase food and salt before returning.

Reliant on ironwork, Yu Village annually bought a considerable amount of food since they didn't heavily engage in cultivation. Yu Su had already prepared for their needs.

"Lord Yu Su, will the trade caravan head north this year?" Iron Eagle asked after exchanging food with Yu Village.

Last year, Yu Village's trade caravan primarily went east, and they were curious about the northern route this year.

Yu Su, knowing their anticipation, reassured, "Yes, this year Yu Village will organize another trade caravan specifically heading north."

Iron Eagle happily responded, "Great! I'll inform the other villages."

Two months later, both the east bank of the river and the fields to the west had completed planting. Yu Su ordered the opening of the salt field and organized a new trade caravan to the north.

Meanwhile, Lu Yan led a group to the mines to establish workshops. By the time Yu Su finished with the caravan, the workshops were well-built.

With preparations complete, they brought in the tunneling beasts to assist in mining. These creatures were natural experts in excavation, making the process efficient.

After a month of hard work, they finally produced the first batch of silver ore. Admiring the pile of silver coins on the table, everyone found them remarkably beautiful.

"This is silver, quite appealing."

Yu Su shaped the silver into common silver ingots of the future, stamped with the character "Yu." Neatly arranged on the table, they looked impressive.

Soon, villages engaging in trade with Yu Village discovered the new rule.

"Trade with Yu Village can only be conducted using silver, pearls, and coral, no longer using shell money."

"What are silver coins? I know pearls and coral."

"Here, it's this."

Silver became a novelty in the region, and Yu Su patiently explained its significance to every trader. While some villages were hesitant to accept it, larger ones like Iron Eagle Village, Barbarian Tribe Forest, Three Rivers Village, and Big Thistle Village actively sought to trade with Yu Village using silver.

With the leadership of prominent villages, gradually, other villages started accepting silver.

Things went much smoother than Yu Su had imagined.

--

One year later.

The circulation of Yu Silver became more widespread in this region, and people gradually got used to trading with it.

Simultaneously, the connections between various villages and Yu Village became tighter. Yu Village successfully became the focal point of the region.

Especially after inviting major villages from the eastern plains to witness the grand ceremony honoring the gods last autumn, Yu Village's presence could no longer be ignored.

This year, Yu Village made a significant move.

Yu Village was going to build a city.

Using the Yu Village river as the boundary, the inner city would be on the west bank, restricted to Yu Village residents. The outer city on the east bank would allow people from other villages to reside.

Outsiders could purchase land on the east bank to build houses or rent houses through leasing.

Those living in the Yu City from other villages could enjoy the city's protection and receive treatment like ordinary city residents. However, they had to pay taxes to Yu City, contributing a certain amount of wealth every quarter.

This news stirred many people.

Many rushed to Yu Village to inquire, only to find out that Lord Yu Su was not present.

"Lord Yu Su is not here. Please come back after some time."

"Where did Lord Yu Su go, and when will he be back?"

"We don't know. It might be in a few days or a few months before Lord Yu Su returns."

...

While people were curious about Yu Su, he was currently in the Beast Forest.

Except for the cultivators on guard duty in the village, everyone else had come here for training.

"Last time we came, those beasts were too busy with mating to pay attention to us."

"No worries, we are past their mating season this time."

After a year, Yu Meng and Yu Feng had both advanced from Qi Refinement Eight to Qi Refinement Nine. Others also made progress in their cultivation. Now, they were eager to test their skills against the beasts.

Yu Su instructed, "In this Beast Forest, there are third and fourth-tier beasts. If you encounter trouble, send a distress signal."

They nodded in agreement, and Yu Su continued, "Alright, disperse according to the assigned teams."

Thirty people formed three teams.

Yu Su and Lu Yan also entered the forest, planning to find some third and fourth-tier beasts to spar with.

The Little Darkbird perched on Yu Su's shoulder, expressing a hungry chirp, "I want to eat beast cores."

The Sand Leopard King followed Lu Yan, emitting a low roar.

Although it was a third-tier beast, with enough consumption of beast cores, it could also advance in tiers. Thus, Lu Yan intended to find some beast cores for it.

The Sand Leopard King was eager, as Lu Yan's cultivation was steadily improving, and it was concerned about falling behind.

As Yu Su walked, he suddenly stopped and sniffed, saying, "There's a scent of blood."

The smell was faint, carried by the wind from the east.

"Unusual for the scent of blood to travel this far."

"Let's go check it out."

Flying eastward on their swords, they heard the sounds of a struggle in a mountain hollow.

Without using their spiritual senses, Yu Su and Lu Yan concealed their figures and approached.

"Bang!"

A large tiger, thrown by a winged leopard, crashed into nearby trees, making a cracking sound.

"It's a fourth-tier." Yu Su whispered.

The tiger and the winged leopard were both fourth-tier beasts. For some unknown reason, they were currently engaged in a fierce battle, with the winged leopard having the upper hand.

Lu Yan's gaze focused on the winged leopard, "I want the beast core from that leopard."

Yu Su immediately understood that he wanted it for the Sand Leopard King, "Let's assist the tiger."

Despite being at a disadvantage, the tiger's strength was formidable. Depending solely on the winged leopard, the battle wouldn't end quickly, and they didn't have the luxury of time to wait.

The two battling beasts remained oblivious to being watched.

As the winged leopard was about to pounce and bite the tiger's neck, it was suddenly tripped, tumbling headfirst. Dazed, it took a while to recover.

Yu Su seized the opportunity, summoning vines to restrain it, while Lu Yan's attacks landed on the leopard.

Still disoriented from the fall, the leopard couldn't retaliate and was quickly subdued.

The tiger, though confused, noticed something attacking the leopard and seized the chance to bite deep into the leopard's neck.

After struggling for a while, the leopard eventually succumbed.

After the tiger killed the leopard, it intended to extract and consume the leopard's beast core.

Yu Su and Lu Yan couldn't let it succeed. They immediately turned and launched a joint attack on the tiger.

"Roar!" The tiger roared, noticing the vines and rockets that had previously attacked the leopard were now coming at it. It abandoned the leopard's beast core and attempted to flee.

Yu Su restrained it with vines, and Lu Yan, wielding a knife, swiftly beheaded it.

The tiger, unwilling, breathed its last.

Yu Su and Lu Yan revealed their figures and retrieved the beast cores from both the leopard and the tiger.

At this moment, the Desert Leopard King, running on the ground, caught up. Lu Yan fed the leopard's beast core to it.

Seeing this, the Little Darkbird clamored for another beast core.

Yu Su handed the tiger's beast core to it.

The Little Darkbird swallowing a fourth-tier beast's core was as casual as eating candy, showing no special reaction.

However, the Desert Leopard King had a significant response. It continuously howled in place as the power belonging to the leopard clashed within it.

Lu Yan, being its master, used the contract to help it alleviate the impact.

"Endure it, and you'll advance in tiers." Lu Yan encouraged the Desert Leopard King.

With a low roar, the Desert Leopard King gritted its teeth, withstanding the collision of the leopard's power within. The mark of royalty on its forehead gradually deepened. After enduring a half-day of painful transformation, it underwent a rebirth, evolving from a third-tier beast to a fourth-tier beast.

After a successful evolution, it was now thoroughly exhausted.

Yu Su said, "Let it rest for a while."

Lu Yan found a safe place nearby for the Desert Leopard King to rest, also casting a protective barrier around it.

The Desert Leopard King lowered its head and made a low whimpering sound toward its master, then obediently sat and closed its eyes to rest.

The Little Darkbird remarked, "The king's bloodline is quite ordinary. It can use higher-tier beast cores to enhance its rank now, but it won't be possible after reaching the fifth tier."

A fifth-tier beast is roughly equivalent to the initial stage of the Golden Core realm. If the Desert Leopard King's bloodline cannot be improved, that would be its highest achievable rank.

Yu Su said, "Let's leave it at that for now. After it reaches the fifth tier, we'll see if we can help improve its bloodline."

The Desert Leopard King's family had already integrated into Yu Village. The two young desert leopards were still contract beasts of Yu Zhou, having developed a bond during this time. Yu Su and Lu Yan were not keen on abandoning them.