The Continent Chamber of Commerce was the largest and most comprehensive establishment in Tieshi City, dealing in medicinal herbs, Demonic Beast materials, and pills for martial practitioners. It handled everything related to cultivation, including the buying and selling of herbs, beast skins, bones, meat, pills, and even weapons, cultivation techniques, and martial arts skills. No one knew exactly how large the Continent Chamber of Commerce was or how long it had existed, but everyone knew it had branches throughout the Eastern Continent of the Huaxia mainland. It had existed for as long as the mainland itself.
Every martial practitioner in the Eastern Continent was well aware of the chamber's power. Five hundred years ago, the royal family of the Oumeng Empire—one of the fifth-rank empires in the region—had forcibly occupied a local branch of the Continent Chamber of Commerce. As a result, a mysterious force wiped out the entire empire overnight, eventually causing it to fragment into countless small nations, one of which was the Great Qin Empire.
Since then, no empire in the Eastern Continent dared to covet the wealth of the Continent Chamber of Commerce. Every sect and faction treated the chamber's influence with extreme caution, and none dared to interfere with its operations. Similarly, as a prince, Hua Tianxiong had been repeatedly warned by the highest levels of the imperial family since childhood. Therefore, even members of the royal nobility dared not cause trouble for the chamber.
Surveying the dazzling array of herbs, a sudden idea struck Hua Tianxiong. Although the Tieshi Mountains were rich in medicinal herbs, finding and harvesting them was inconvenient and fraught with danger—one could lose their life to fierce Demonic Beasts at any time. If common herbs could be artificially cultivated on the land around Tieshi City, it would undoubtedly expand the city’s herb business and bolster its economic foundation.
If the Star Domain Cauldron could contain living creatures, could it also support the growth of medicinal herbs? With this in mind, Hua Tianxiong decided to buy some spiritual herb seeds to test his theory. He walked to the counter selling seeds and asked the female attendant, "What kind of spiritual herb seeds do you have for sale here?"
"My lord, we have Qingling Grass, Silver Leaf Flowers, Soul-Calming Grass, and Blood Essence Grass—all common low-level spiritual herbs found in the nearby Tieshi Mountains. We stock seeds for most herbs required for first-grade pills. For anything second-tier or above, we would need to order them from a nearby branch or the Great Qin Empire headquarters. Which ones do you need?" Seeing Li Gang, the City Lord of Tieshi City, following behind, the beautiful attendant did not dare to be negligent and explained earnestly.
Although Hua Tianxiong knew nothing about alchemy, his broad knowledge allowed him to recognize the herbs needed for the most common first-grade pill, the Body Tempering Pill. He replied, "Then give me one portion each of the Qingling Grass, Silver Leaf Flower, and Blood Essence Grass seeds. How much silver does that cost?"
"Each portion of Qingling Grass is 100 taels, Silver Leaf Flower is 150 taels, and Blood Essence Grass is 200 taels, totaling 450 taels."
"How many seeds are in a portion?" Hua Tianxiong asked, puzzled.
"Each portion contains 1,000 seeds, but the germination rate for seedlings is less than 1%. Even if our master alchemists at the Continent Chamber of Commerce cultivate them, the rate doesn't exceed 5%. If you intend to make pills, I suggest buying the finished herbs; it's more cost-effective. Otherwise, people wouldn't risk their lives going into the Tieshi Mountains to gather them," the attendant advised warmly.
"I see. I was just asking. How are the seedlings sold?" Hua Tianxiong asked again.
"Qingling Grass seedlings are 10 taels each, Silver Leaf Flowers are 20 taels, and Blood Essence Grass are 30 taels. First-grade spiritual herb seedlings take 12 months to mature, with a survival rate of about 10–15%."
"What is the purchase price if I sell them to your chamber?"
"We buy mature Qingling Grass for 50 taels, Silver Leaf Flowers for 100 taels, and Blood Essence Grass for 150 taels per plant."
"Give me 10 seedlings of each kind. What is the total?"
"Including the seedlings, it comes to 1,050 taels."
Seeing that Hua Tianxiong was asking detailed questions, the attendant remained patient. Few people were accompanied personally by the City Lord of Tieshi City, and while the Continent Chamber of Commerce was powerful, it never bullied customers or abused its strength. On the contrary, it actively promoted good relations with all factions. After all, the Huaxia mainland respected martial prowess, and since everyone needed resources, every martial practitioner was a guest to the chamber.
Hua Tianxiong took 1,050 taels from his storage bag, paid the attendant, and walked out of the chamber with Li Gang. While 1,050 taels meant little to him, it was a massive sum for an ordinary resident—a typical family’s annual expenses were less than 5 taels—so not everyone could afford to grow spiritual herbs.
"Does Your Highness truly intend to attempt cultivating spiritual herbs?" asked Li Gang after they left the chamber, having remained silent until then while considering the Prince of Shicheng's actions.
"Has anyone experimented with this before?" Hua Tianxiong countered.
"Many merchants new to Tieshi City have tried, but because of the varying sizes of the Beast Tide every year, no one is willing to plant them anymore. Some do plant seedlings, but they grow no faster than those gathered in the mountains, and the profit margins are lower."
Upon returning to the City Lord’s Mansion, Hua Tianxiong summoned two soldiers skilled in farming and instructed them to clear a small plot of land in the courtyard to plant all the seedlings and half of the seeds, ordering the soldiers to irrigate and nurture them regularly. Once finished, Hua Tianxiong returned to his room in a rush, entered the Star Domain Cauldron, and sowed the other half of the seeds directly into the soil inside.
At the same time, in the Qin State Imperial City, Empress Ye Yingwen was sitting on a couch in the Cining Palace, receiving her brother, Ye Huan, the First-Rank Grand General. Ordinarily, maids and eunuchs would be in attendance, but the hall was empty; the Empress had used a burst of temper to drive everyone outside.
"Brother, how is that wretch's son doing? Did he die on the road?" the Empress asked urgently.
"Rest assured, sister. My men have returned. The first few assassination attempts failed because that Wu Tian is highly skilled. Later, they set an ambush at a bend near Tieshi City. My men saw Hua Tianxiong's carriage struck by a giant boulder and sent off a cliff. He certainly couldn't have survived!" Ye Huan boasted.
"That's good. My heart can finally be at ease. If he isn't dead, I never feel secure," the Empress sighed in relief.
"Sister, don't worry. Besides, the First Prince has been the Crown Prince for so many years. That boy Hua Tianxiong was exiled to Tieshi City; even if we didn't kill him, he would have died there sooner or later anyway. What are you afraid of? Just be a good Empress! You should pay more attention to the other princes!"
"Brother, you're right. I am the Empress, the First Prince is the Crown Prince, you are the Grand General, and Father is the Imperial Father-in-law. The power is in our hands—what do I have to fear? Hahaha..." A delighted laugh echoed through the Cining Palace.
Ever since planting the herbs, Hua Tianxiong spent time every day observing their growth. The seeds in the Star Domain Cauldron sprouted by the second day. The seedlings in the courtyard also grew, but at a pace nowhere near those in the cauldron; the seeds in the yard didn't sprout until the 12th day.
According to his observations, the growth rate inside the Star Domain Cauldron was 12 times faster than outside. Most gratifying to Hua Tianxiong was that 1,485 of the seeds in the cauldron sprouted—a nearly 100% germination rate, far higher than what the chamber's master alchemists could achieve. Relieved, Hua Tianxiong realized he could expand his herb business and finally possessed the economic foundation he needed.
As the saying goes, to achieve great imperial ambitions, one can do nothing without an economic base. He felt truly blessed on this trip to Tieshi City; not only could he cultivate again, but he also possessed the divine Star Domain Cauldron. He had Wu Tian secretly purchase two more portions of seeds and planted the remaining space in the cauldron, spending most of the silver left in the storage bag he had inherited from the old eunuch.
As the number of seedlings in the cauldron increased, so did the concentration of spiritual energy. Hua Tianxiong hadn't noticed at first, but by the fifth day, the energy inside the cauldron became significantly denser than outside, further accelerating his cultivation. Not long after breaking through to the Seventh-Rank Martial Disciple, he felt he had reached the peak of the rank.
For a month and a half, Hua Tianxiong stayed in the City Lord’s Mansion. One day, while discussing the reinforcement of the city walls with Li Gang, Gongsun Shang from the Ministry of Works brought good news: thanks to the efforts of 200 laborers, the Prince’s Mansion was nearly complete. He had come personally to invite them for an inspection.
The three men soon arrived at the main gate. Hua Tianxiong and Li Gang inspected the scale of the mansion. While not massive, it was the largest construction project Tieshi City had seen in years. The design was meticulous and grand, living up to the reputation of the Gongsun family of craftsmen. The main hall sat at the center, with the Ministry of War to the left and the Ministry of Works and other departments to the right. As they developed, they could continue to expand outward toward the walls.
After a half-hour walk-through, they completed their inspection. To Hua Tianxiong's delight, Gongsun Shang—unaware that Hua Tianxiong’s Dantian and meridians had been shattered—had designed a sophisticated, secure cultivation chamber in his bedroom that was difficult for outsiders to access or spy on. Hua Tianxiong praised him immediately. With the mansion finished, they agreed to hold the official enthronement ceremony for the Prince of Shicheng at the end of September and reward the officials of Tieshi City.
Hua Tianxiong then assigned new tasks to the Ministry of Works. First, they were to spend a month and a half reinforcing and raising the old city walls from eight meters to ten meters, repairing any damaged sections. Second, they were to renovate the city streets, paving them with flat stone to make travel easier—a benefit for the residents of Tieshi City.
Inside the Star Domain Cauldron, Hua Tianxiong channeled the spiritual energy in his Dantian, pushing against the loosening bottleneck of the Eighth-Rank Martial Disciple. One attempt, twice, three times... the barrier shattered with a crisp series of cracks like popping beans, and he successfully entered the Eighth-Rank.
Feeling his surge of new power, he realized that in just two months, he had gone from a broken waste to an Eighth-Rank Martial Disciple. His cultivation talent was truly brilliant; the Star Domain physique was indeed a sacred cultivation vessel. Having reached the level of a Martial Master before his Dantian was shattered at age eight, he had no issues with his cultivation mindset. This growth was also bolstered by his years of forced meditation while crippled.
"Boom!" A basin-sized rock shattered into fragments under his punch. Hua Tianxiong blew the dust off his knuckles.
"Two hundred cattle-power. Not bad, it matches the strength of a Second-tier Martial Master. The space in the Star Domain Cauldron has increased again, allowing for more planting." He didn't worry about the dwindling silver in his pocket; his first batch of herbs would mature in a few days, and the second batch within ten days. Selling them to the chamber would provide funds to buy more seeds.
Watching the lush green seedlings thriving, the lethargy of two months prior had vanished. As his cultivation rose, his confidence returned, even stronger than before. He had grown two inches taller, and his muscles were becoming defined—something unthinkable just two months ago. He glanced at the phantom figure of his master in the corner, wondering when he would wake. He vowed to do everything in his power to help him.