Chapter 242 : Upgrading the Tier 3 Territory Hall

Chapter 242: Upgrading the Tier 3 Territory Hall! Zhang Zhongjing Creates the Medicine King Alchemy Canon!

Launching ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍a counterattack against the Corpse Lich Territory was naturally imperative.

However, ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍there was no need to rush.

The ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍territory needed time to digest the fruits of victory.

Hang ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍Yu decided to give the territory two days to recuperate.

The ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍Calamity Army's main force had suffered considerable losses during the Battle of Huangmei Hamlet. The biggest issue was the excessive accumulation of Fatigue in the game. On average, they would require ten hours of rest before returning to normal.

Furthermore, ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍after such an intense battle, the Players deserved a chance to catch their breath while also reinforcing Huangmei Hamlet's defenses to prepare for the coming counteroffensive.

Hang Yu would not remain idle either.

Over these two days, he would continuously dispatch scouts to gather intelligence on the towns and defensive deployments throughout the Xianshan Region.

Afterward, he would have Jia Xu, Wen Ping, and the others formulate a detailed assault plan.

After all, sharpening the axe does not delay cutting firewood.

“Xiao Ba, does the territory currently have enough materials to upgrade the Territory Hall?”

“Reporting to Master, our stockpile of Tier 3 materials has already exceeded forty thousand units. We now meet all the requirements for upgrading the Territory Hall!”

“So we've finally gathered everything!”

Hang Yu nodded in satisfaction.

Xiao Ba explained,

“After the Battle of Huangmei Hamlet concluded, the territory's inventory of Magic Crystals and equipment has continued to rise. Players have already begun turning in their spoils in exchange for Contribution Points.”

“Master has also used part of those Magic Crystals and equipment to purchase Tier 3 materials through the Trading Hall. As a result, the territory's stockpile of Tier 3 materials has increased rapidly over the past few days.”

“Would Master like to upgrade immediately?”

“Upgrade it!”

Hang Yu felt the timing was ripe.

Without any hesitation, he made his decision.

【Abyssal Magic Crystals -80,000!】

【Tier 3 Material Essence -40,000!】

【Your Territory Hall has successfully advanced to Tier 3!】

Hang Yu received a notification from the Will of the Stars.

From the outside, the Territory Hall appeared completely unchanged.

However, upon closer perception, its formations and aura had become entirely different.

The Hall had finally advanced to Tier 3!

Besides the Core Hall, the Territory Hall mainly consisted of three sub-functions: the Administrative Hall, the Hero Hall, and the Trading Hall.

Once the Hall reached Tier 3, every one of its functions was enhanced.

The Core became sturdier and significantly harder to capture.

A Tier 3 Core could project four Blessing Points to any designated locations within the Main City, allowing additional teleportation plazas to be built and effectively dispersing the ever-growing population.

The Administrative Hall gained more management functions for the territory, such as freely repositioning most ordinary Stars facilities or consuming materials to redesign their appearance.

The Hero Hall increased the maximum number of Heroes that could be employed or contracted to twenty.

For Hang Yu, that number was somewhat excessive, since he had never recruited Hero Units directly from the Stars.

All of these improvements would substantially strengthen the territory.

“Furthermore, the Tier 3 Hall serves as the prerequisite for a large number of Stars facilities. Once Master possesses a Tier 3 Hall, you may construct Tier 3 Abyss Barracks capable of housing a much larger population!”

Xiao Ba suggested, “Master should perhaps recruit more members of the Calamity Army so they can generate even more Essence for the territory!”

To the black-hearted capitalist Xiao Ba, the Calamity Army Players were nothing more than Essence-producing livestock.

It never pitied them.

As long as they continued generating Essence, that was enough.

Hang Yu shook his head.

“There's no rush to expand the population.”

It wasn't that he didn't want to.

Who would ever complain about having too many leeks?

Naturally, the larger the Calamity Army, the better.

However, Hang Yu had to consider two major issues.

First, whether expanding the population, recruiting new troops, or training additional soldiers, every one of those actions required enormous resources.

The territory had not even finished recruiting its latest batch of soldiers.

The resources currently available were nowhere near enough to support another comprehensive round of upgrades, let alone the huge expense of recruiting additional troops.

Second, Hang Yu also had to consider the city's capacity.

Luoshui City was no longer large enough.

Once another batch of soldiers and civilians migrated from New Wan, combined with the existing Players, the city's population would rapidly swell to fifty thousand.

Without another major round of city planning and expansion, the concentration of Players inside Luoshui City would inevitably cause traffic congestion and insufficient public facilities.

Fortunately, construction had never stopped.

Now that the Lord's Fortress housing the Territory Hall had advanced, it could undergo another round of renovations.

Likewise, once the city walls reached Tier 3, their perimeter and enclosed area could also be significantly expanded.

Simply put, the territory required another comprehensive redevelopment.

This time, its total land area would be expanded by more than fivefold.

However, expanding only the Main City would not be enough.

If the Player population continued growing, Hang Yu also needed to address the issue of monster resources.

If there were too many Players and too few monsters, the Player experience would suffer.

The Calamity Army's growth would be hindered.

Hang Yu's efficiency at harvesting leeks would also decline.

Fortunately, this issue could be solved.

Although Hang Yu currently exercised complete control over Luoshui, White Tiger Mountain, and Wolong Mountain, his development and exploration of those three regions were still incomplete.

If every monster resource across all three maps were fully utilized, supporting tens of thousands of new Calamity Army recruits would not present the slightest difficulty.

Therefore, the next objectives were obvious.

First, fully explore every unknown area.

Second, complete the infrastructure of White Tiger City and Shansang City, while rebuilding villages and towns around dozens of Blessing Points.

Once those settlements were rebuilt, equipped with basic facilities and one or two Abyss Barracks, Players could conveniently log in and out there without constantly returning to the Main City.

This would not only save them Contribution Points, but also distribute the Player population and improve resource development efficiency.

Of course, the three currently controlled maps were still relatively small.

Supporting several tens of thousands of recruits would be no problem.

However, once the Player population exceeded one hundred thousand, they would inevitably become crowded.

Therefore, if Hang Yu truly wished to expand the territory's capacity, he could not rely solely on further map development.

The better solution was to conquer more territory.

The potential there was far greater.

The Wan City Region alone covered a larger area than all three currently controlled territories combined, and it was filled with abundant monster resources.

Meanwhile, the Corpse Lich Territory to the north controlled three entire maps.

Among them, the Xianshan Region alone was nearly as large as the Wan City Region.

If all of those territories could be annexed, there would be no need to worry about capacity.

As long as Wan City and the Corpse Lich Territory were completely conquered, the territory's capacity would not become an issue for quite some time.

Moreover, Hang Yu had thought of another method to increase Player capacity without expanding either territory or resources.

The answer was simple.

Add more gameplay.

At present, the game's primary gameplay revolved around adventuring and monster farming.

But if Players were given more options beyond adventuring and grinding monsters, wouldn't that naturally increase the game's content and thus its overall capacity?

There were many ways to achieve this.

Develop various secondary professions, or establish a competitive PvP system.

As for building an Arena, Hang Yu had been preparing for it for quite some time.

Unfortunately, he had never obtained any recovery-type facilities, and resources had remained scarce, so construction had been delayed.

“I need to accelerate the recovery of Magic Crystals from the Players.”

After thinking for a moment, Hang Yu said, “The territory's real estate development is almost complete. Let's release part of it for auction.”

Throughout the Main City's development, a tremendous amount of land and real estate had become incredibly valuable.

The various Player factions had long coveted them.

Hang Yu planned to release a portion for bidding.

To accumulate enough Contribution Points, the Players would undoubtedly sell everything they could, turning in every available resource.

Naturally, Hang Yu would remain cautious regarding the commercialization of territorial real estate.

He had no intention of exhausting this resource.

According to his preliminary plans, commercial properties, such as shops, would never have their ownership sold outright.

Instead, only usage rights lasting three or five years would be auctioned.

When each lease expired, the property would simply be auctioned again.

Residential properties, such as apartment buildings, could be purchased with permanent ownership by either Players or NPCs.

However, annual fees and taxes would still apply.

In this way, sustainable development could be ensured.

Following Hang Yu's instructions, Xiao Ba immediately issued the corresponding announcement.

Hang Yu believed that Players and major factions alike would rush to participate.

At the same time, every Magic Crystal, Magic Stone, and valuable resource in their possession would be recovered in one massive wave.

“Oh, right!”

Hang Yu suddenly remembered something important.

“A Tier 3 Trading Hall can open ten markets simultaneously. That means I can now trade with one hundred thousand Human Lords!”

Xiao Ba replied,

“Correct. The territory's export market has expanded tenfold, and its import market has likewise increased tenfold. Selling the territory's products will become much easier, while the chances of purchasing blueprints and rare resources will also increase significantly.”

Hang Yu immediately opened the Trading Hall interface.

The information panel had already changed.

Market No. 1 remained the original marketplace.

The other nine markets were all newly opened.

Each one contained exactly ten thousand Lords.

The Lords in Market No. 1 all came from Sacred Azure City.

The other nine markets were not necessarily all from Sacred Azure City, but every one of them consisted of Human Lords.

Hang Yu's identification number remained unchanged in Market No. 1.

However, his identification numbers in the other markets were assigned randomly.

This also meant that Hang Yu's trades would become much safer, and it would be much harder for others to investigate his background.

More importantly, Hang Yu could even engage in arbitrage!

After all, there were always slight differences in pricing across the ten markets.

He could purchase highly liquid resources cheaply in one market, then quickly resell them in another suitable market at a relatively higher price.

Quite a few Tier 3 Lords were already making money this way.

Although Hang Yu did not care much for such meager price differences and profits, he could simply let Xiao Ba automate the entire process in the background.

Making eight hundred to a thousand Magic Crystals every day with virtually no effort was essentially free money.

Accumulated over time, it would become quite a substantial amount.

“Excellent! Business will be much easier from now on!”

After speaking, Hang Yu paused before continuing, “However, markets limited to Human Lords are still too low-end. I need to find a way to unlock some higher-tier markets.”

There were several methods for unlocking new markets.

Stars Lords were not incapable of opening markets with other races.

If Hang Yu could gain access to a marketplace shared by Lords of multiple races, he would have a much greater chance of acquiring advanced resources as well as universal blueprints unavailable to Human Lords.

This would greatly enhance the territory's strength.

“There's no need to rush that for now. Let's publish our purchase requests first.”

Hang Yu instructed Xiao Ba to announce the territory's current procurement demands.

These included various common facilities, such as Spirit Fields, Spell Towers, Barrier Towers, Scout Towers, and many others, to facilitate construction throughout the various strongholds.

In addition, Hang Yu continued purchasing rare facilities, including Skill facilities, Recovery facilities, Preaching facilities, Cultivation facilities, Special Residences, and more.

Now that he had access to ten markets, it should be much easier than before.

Xiao Ba swiftly completed the announcements according to Hang Yu's instructions.

All Hang Yu had to do now was wait for good news.

………………

At this moment, inside the Enlightenment Tower, Zhang Zhongjing was cultivating.

Although he had joined the territory less than half a month ago, his contributions had already been tremendous.

For example, thanks to Zhang Zhongjing's Talent, he had successively deciphered the refining methods for numerous medicinal pills.

He had also reduced alchemy failure rates, improved the quality of ordinary pills, accelerated the growth of spiritual herbs, and much more.

These accomplishments greatly increased the production efficiency of the territory's Alchemists, reduced manufacturing costs, strengthened the territory's industrial competitiveness, and enhanced the army's overall strength.

Not only that, during the recently concluded Battle of Huangmei Hamlet, Zhang Zhongjing had made extraordinary contributions.

Without the tremendous healing and support capabilities of this divine physician accompanying the army, the military's casualties would have increased by at least three to four times.

Precisely because of these outstanding achievements, Hang Yu did not hesitate in rewarding him.

He decided to assist Zhang Zhongjing in comprehending and creating a cultivation method.

Every bit of Essence consumed during both its creation and subsequent cultivation would be paid entirely by the territory.

The old divine physician possessed numerous self-created techniques.

They mainly consisted of Alchemy Dao Secret Arts and Golden Needle Secret Arts.

His research into the Golden Needle Secret Arts had primarily been for medical treatment, although they also possessed respectable combat and crowd-control capabilities.

Despite his profound attainments, this was not Zhang Zhongjing's primary field.

His true specialty lay in the Alchemy Dao Secret Arts.

These secret arts could further be divided into two branches:

Alchemy Healing Arts, which condensed refined Essence Qi to heal illnesses and save lives, and Alchemy Devouring Arts, which condensed poisonous Qi to kill without leaving a trace.

Given Zhang Zhongjing's personality, although he had already developed Alchemy Devouring techniques, he had merely dabbled in them.

So far, he had created only a single technique—

Hundred Devouring Qi Poison Pill.

Afterward, he had never pursued that field any further.

By comparison, Zhang Zhongjing possessed six major healing and enhancement Alchemy Arts.

They were:

Myriad Qi Origin Returning Pill, Divine Strength Empowerment Pill, Body Cleansing Detoxification Pill, Unending Vitality Pill, Heart Protection Spirit-Calming Pill, and Four Spirits Body Tempering Pill.

Every one of them was an exceptionally high-quality Green-grade skill.

Some of them could even branch into subsidiary techniques.

These six Alchemy Arts had already formed a complete school of their own.

However, integrating them into a unified cultivation system would require an enormous amount of effort.

Zhang Zhongjing estimated that with his current attainments, if he wished to create his own cultivation method, just as Yin Master Jia Xu had founded the Extreme Yin Secret Arts, and become the founder of an Alchemy Dao lineage, he would likely need another twenty to thirty years.

However, with the Enlightenment Tower, everything became much easier.

After returning from the front lines, he immediately entered the Enlightenment Tower to undergo enlightenment and cultivation.

Although Alchemy Arts were much more complex than ordinary skills, Zhang Zhongjing possessed an exceptionally solid foundation.

As a result, his cultivation proceeded quite smoothly.

On average, every two or three attempts resulted in one successful breakthrough.

Eventually, the six Green-grade Alchemy Arts were first consolidated into three Blue-grade Alchemy Arts.

Myriad Qi Origin Returning Pill + Unending Vitality Pill = Medicine King Heaven-Restoring Pill!

Divine Strength Empowerment Pill + Four Spirits Body Tempering Pill = Medicine King Four Symbols Pill!

Body Cleansing Detoxification Pill + Heart Protection Spirit-Calming Pill = Medicine King Clarity Pill!

Among them, the Medicine King Heaven-Restoring Pill could heal and restore, simultaneously recovering both Health and Mana.

The Medicine King Four Symbols Pill enhanced the four primary attributes, Attack, Resistance, and more.

The Medicine King Clarity Pill removed poisons, curses, abnormal conditions, and similar afflictions.

By simplifying complexity, their effectiveness increased dramatically.

These three Blue-grade Alchemy Arts could be cast across an entire group, or concentrated upon a single individual, greatly amplifying the enhancement effect on that specific target.

Their applications became more versatile, and their power grew even greater.

Once all three newly created Alchemy Arts had reached maximum level, the three puzzle pieces were finally complete.

Zhang Zhongjing immediately entered another state of profound enlightenment.

Under the support of the Enlightenment Tower, the three Blue-grade Alchemy Arts finally shattered their bottlenecks and ultimate shackles, merging completely into a single system.

Thus, an entirely new cultivation method appeared within the territory.

【Medicine King Alchemy Canon】, Blue-grade Cultivation Method, Current Skill Level 1. Permanent Will +250, Permanent Spirit +80, Maximum Health +500, Maximum Mana +500, Cooldown of all subordinate skills -20%, Mana cost of all skills -20%, Effectiveness of all subordinate skills +15%!

“It succeeded!”

Zhang Zhongjing felt wave after wave of entirely new insights flood into his mind.

He could scarcely suppress his joy.

Not only had the Medicine King Alchemy Canon successfully integrated every one of his Alchemy Secret Arts, it had also greatly strengthened all of them.

Without hesitation, Zhang Zhongjing continued cultivating it.

【Essence -1,950,000!】

【Your "Medicine King Alchemy Canon" has reached Maximum Level!】

Upon reaching maximum level, this Blue-grade cultivation method immediately became several times stronger.

【Medicine King Alchemy Canon】, Blue-grade Cultivation Method, Current Skill Level 10. Permanent Will +450, Permanent Spirit +150, Maximum Health +2,000, Maximum Mana +2,000, Cooldown of all subordinate skills -40%, Mana cost of all skills -40%, Effectiveness of all subordinate skills +25%!

There was no doubt.

This was the strongest support-oriented cultivation method currently available.

Its enhancement effects were even more outrageous than Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix Spear.

That was because the Medicine King Alchemy Canon not only increased Will and Spirit, it also permanently increased maximum Health and maximum Mana effects that no previous cultivation method had ever possessed.

After Zhang Zhongjing mastered the Medicine King Alchemy Canon, every Alchemy Art contained within it received an astonishing twenty-five percent increase in effectiveness.

That alone was already an enormous enhancement.

Combined with his own Talent, which further amplified healing and support skills, its effects became even more extraordinary.

It could be said that Zhang Zhongjing's Alchemy Arts, even when compared against an ordinary Player with identical attributes, would still be twice as effective.

After successfully comprehending and mastering the 《Medicine King Alchemy Canon》, Zhang Zhongjing did not conclude this cultivation session.

Instead, he took out a Blue-grade Blank Secret Manual to complete another task assigned by the Lord.

【You are creating the "Medicine King Alchemy Canon Manual." This skill inscription is estimated to consume 4,000,000 Essence. Continue? Yes/No!】

“Yes!”

Without the slightest hesitation, the moment Zhang Zhongjing made his choice, the Blue-grade Blank Secret Manual resonated with the Enlightenment Tower.

Every cultivation method, insight, comprehension, and artistic conception related to the 《Medicine King Alchemy Canon》 was infused into it, instantly transforming the once ordinary blank manual into an object of astonishing value and power.

A quarter of an hour later, Zhang Zhongjing arrived at the Core Hall.

The Skill Book was placed into the Lord's hands.

At this moment, Hang Yu had just completed upgrading the Territory Hall.

When he learned that Zhang Zhongjing's breakthrough had succeeded, he was genuinely surprised.

It had happened much sooner than expected.

He glanced at the Skill Book.

【Skill Book: Medicine King Alchemy Canon】, Special Consumable, Blue-grade Superior Secret Manual... Cultivation Requirements: Total Attributes above 4,000, including over 2,000 Will. This cultivation requires 3,000,000 Essence.

“Tsk tsk... It really isn't cheap.”

Zhang Zhongjing's enlightenment and cultivation had consumed no small amount of resources.

Especially the creation of this Skill Book, whose cost had been extraordinarily high.

However, in Hang Yu's opinion, every bit of it was worthwhile.

The territory already possessed numerous combat techniques, combat arts, Martial Dao cultivation methods, and Spell Dao cultivation methods.

Yet none of them could compare to such an outstanding support-oriented cultivation method as the Medicine King Alchemy Canon.

Although both creating and learning the Skill Book required tremendous expenditures, this method allowed complicated cultivation techniques to be inherited extremely quickly.

Unlike other Lords, Hang Yu was not lacking in Essence.

By doing this, he saved enormous amounts of time and effort.

The investment was more than worthwhile.

After obtaining the Medicine King Alchemy Canon Manual, Hang Yu immediately used it.

The manual absorbed a vast quantity of Essence, then instantly disintegrated in his hands, transforming into a beam of light.

As that beam entered his body, Hang Yu immediately sensed profound changes throughout himself.

Every cell became more vigorous, overflowing with vitality.

At the same time, countless insights, knowledge, artistic conceptions, and practical experience regarding the Alchemy Dao flooded into his mind.

In only a few short seconds, Hang Yu completely absorbed this new power.

Every bit of knowledge, every realization, and every cultivation method became thoroughly integrated, as though he himself had researched this cultivation method for several decades.

He had completely inherited the culmination of Zhang Zhongjing's nearly one hundred years of cultivation.

Thus, in addition to the Blazing Tyrant Saber and Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix Spear, Hang Yu had now mastered his third cultivation method.

He could now heal himself during battle, buff himself, detoxify poisons, remove abnormal conditions, and perform many abilities he previously lacked.

Naturally, his combat strength increased substantially.

Next, he could repeat the same process.

He would first assist Zhou Cang and Wen Ping in comprehending their own cultivation methods.

Then, he would gradually learn their cultivation methods, as well as Jia Xu's Extreme Yin Demonic Canon and Extreme Yin Puppet Art.

Of course, Hang Yu did not possess the Talents of Wen Ping, Zhang Zhongjing, or Jia Xu.

Even if he mastered the same cultivation methods, their Skill enhancements would inevitably be weaker.

Even overwhelmingly superior attributes might not completely make up the difference.

That was not important.

The goal was to draw upon the strengths of every school.

Once one's attributes and foundation became sufficiently powerful, there was little need for flashy techniques.

Even an ordinary slash would contain boundless might.

The more Blue-grade cultivation methods he accumulated, the stronger the foundation for creating Purple-grade cultivation methods would become.

They would also provide excellent source material.

If he could someday master a Purple-grade cultivation method, then even if he immediately retired and returned to the Land of the Stars, he would still be regarded as a universally respected Grandmaster.

Naturally, not every cultivation method provided massive attribute bonuses.

For example, Zhou Cang's techniques were far too similar to Hang Yu's own.

Even if the cultivation method Zhou Cang eventually created differed from the Blazing Tyrant Saber, many of its foundational techniques would still overlap.

Those overlapping portions would not grant additional attribute bonuses.

In the future, the territory would be filled with countless unique cultivation methods.

The Calamity Army would certainly create many more.

Hang Yu naturally had no intention of learning every single one.

He would simply absorb those that provided substantial enhancements, practical utility, or excellent source material.

“The Medicine King Alchemy Canon truly possesses unfathomable profundity!”

Hang Yu generously praised Zhang Zhongjing.

“The depth of this cultivation method even surpasses Zhang Xiu's Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix Spear!”

Zhang Zhongjing felt immense comfort and satisfaction.

He had never imagined that he would create his own unique cultivation method so quickly.

This was undoubtedly a milestone achievement in his life as a cultivator.

As for the fact that the Lord himself had learned the Medicine King Alchemy Canon, Zhang Zhongjing had never been someone who hoarded his own knowledge.

In fact, he sincerely hoped that the methods of Alchemy Dao cultivation would spread throughout the world and be mastered by more people, thus reducing illness, suffering, and casualties.

And who was the Lord?

His personal cultivation of the Medicine King Alchemy Canon was the greatest recognition this cultivation method could possibly receive.

To Zhang Zhongjing, this was an incomparable honor.

Hang Yu continued, “Divine Physician Zhang has repeatedly rendered extraordinary service to the territory and has now created this unparalleled Alchemy Dao cultivation method. This Lord is deeply gratified and has decided to grant you an additional special reward.”

Zhang Zhongjing was overwhelmed with gratitude and alarm.

“This old man has merely fulfilled his duties. I have never considered myself greatly meritorious. My Lord has already used the territory's precious Essence reserves to help me create this cultivation method. Such boundless grace can never be repaid. How could I dare accept even greater rewards?”

The Lord's generosity even made Zhang Zhongjing feel uneasy.

Although he had no idea what this special reward might be, he truly could not bring himself to accept it shamelessly.

In truth, the reward was nothing else.

Hang Yu possessed a batch of Talent cultivation materials.

There was no point in hoarding them.

The sooner he used them to strengthen his subordinates' Talents, the sooner those subordinates would become even stronger and more capable.

Wouldn't that, in turn, allow them to contribute even more to the territory?!