Primordial Era: Starting with the repair of Penglai Immortal Island

With a wave of his hand, Huanglong projected those areas back onto the screen and addressed Duobao and Xuandu.

"The plains are flat and have abundant water resources, making them suitable for large-scale farming. In addition, the rich spiritual energy of heaven and earth means that these tribes' grain production far exceeds their needs, piling up like mountains. What they can't finish can only mold and rot. However, their meat, herbs, and other supplies are relatively scarce."

Huang Long pointed to the green areas in the painting.

"In mountainous regions, wild animals abound, and only a small portion of the land is suitable for cultivation. These tribes rely primarily on hunting, but they do not have much land to grow grains."

He pointed to the brown areas.

"In these remote mountain areas, there's neither enough prey for hunting nor large enough flat land for cultivation. Yet, these places produce rare medicinal herbs!"

The advantages and disadvantages of each area in Huanglong are listed one by one.

Duobao gazed at the scroll, remaining silent for a long time before slowly saying, "Each tribe has its strengths and weaknesses. Plains tribes have plenty of grain, but lack meat and herbs; mountain tribes have plenty of meat, but lack grain and herbs; deep mountain tribes have plenty of herbs, but lack grain and meat...!"

He looked up, a flash of understanding in his eyes: "Junior brother means that these tribes need to trade with each other?"

Huang Long nodded: "That's right. Every tribe has its own advantages and disadvantages. If they can't complement each other, it will be difficult for them to grow and thrive."

He stood up, walked across the Jade Square, his gaze falling on the ancestral land of the human race at the foot of the mountain, and slowly said:

"On this land, countless human tribes have surplus production circulating among humans, which will inevitably increase the overall strength of the human race and greatly boost its fortune. As the supreme ruler, Shennong will naturally benefit from this as well."

Duobao's eyes grew brighter and brighter; he vaguely grasped something, but it wasn't very clear yet.

"Exchange of goods and resources...luck..." he murmured to himself, deducing the future of humanity as Huanglong had described.

Huang Long turned around, looked at Duobao, and smiled slightly: "Senior Brother, do you still remember the trade fair after the Dao Discussion Conference in Kunlun Mountain?"

Duobao was taken aback, and looked at Huanglong with a puzzled expression, "Wasn't that held specifically for you, Junior Brother?"

Huang Long shook his head: "That's because I have Enlightenment Tea and Blood Jujube Wine that everyone needs."

"And my fellow disciples possess the cultivation resources I need."

Huanglong looked at Duobao and spoke to Xuandu again, "And I can guarantee the fairness of the transaction."

"Fairness!" Duobao pondered these two words carefully.

"Yes! It's fair!"

"Without fairness, all transactions are futile!"

"And fairness among humankind needs to be upheld by Shennong, the common ruler of humankind."

Duobao nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

Huang Long walked to the stone table, dipped his finger in the tea, and drew a simple diagram on the table.

"Bartering is a way to exchange goods and resources. A region is selected where dozens or even hundreds of surrounding tribes can transport their surplus supplies to this region and exchange them with other tribes. Shennong needs to arrange for his people to ensure the safety of this region and that all transactions are conducted voluntarily."

"By achieving this, the cohesion of the entire race will be greatly enhanced, and the fortune of the human race will also increase significantly."

He raised his head and looked at Duobao: "The root cause of Shennong's stagnation in cultivation lies here. He searched for herbs and introduced the five grains for the human race. The various tribes of the human race were like a plate of loose sand, each governing its own affairs, and resources could not circulate, so the human race's fortune could not advance further. As the common ruler, Shennong's Dao was connected to the human race's fortune. When the human race's fortune stagnated, his Dao naturally came to a standstill as well."

Duobao stood up and paced back and forth around the ancient pine tree. The expression on his face changed from contemplation to enlightenment, and from enlightenment to excitement.

He walked back and forth dozens of times, then suddenly stopped and clapped his hands sharply:

"Yes! Yes! That's it! Junior Brother solved the problem as soon as he stepped in!"

He turned to Huanglong, his eyes filled with gratitude: "Junior Brother, Shennong didn't not want to do it, he just couldn't think of it!"

As he spoke, Duobao shook his head, "Let alone Shennong, even I, your senior brother, who have participated in many trading conferences in Kunlun, never thought of this."

Huang Long nodded: "Therefore, we need your senior brother to guide him."

Duobao looked at Huanglong, sighed softly, and then bowed deeply to Huanglong: "Thank you for your guidance, Junior Brother! I will go to the ancestral land of the human race and pass on this method to Shennong."

Huang Long quickly helped Duobao up, saying, "Senior brother, you're too kind. We're fellow disciples; it's only right that we help each other."

Duobao then turned to Xuandu, cupped his hands, and said, "Junior Brother Xuandu, I will go ahead first. After resolving the matter of the human race, I will come to Shouyang Mountain to play chess and discuss the Dao with you."

Xuan Du smiled slightly: "Senior brother, please go ahead!"

Duobao nodded, greeted Ziling, and then vanished in a flash, transforming into a ray of light.

Under the ancient pine tree, only Huanglong, Xuandu, and Ziling remained.

Huanglong grinned, looking in the direction where Duobao had disappeared. He patted the stone table, looked at Xuandu, and said:

"Junior brother, come and play a few games of chess with your senior brother."

Xuan Du glanced at Huang Long helplessly: "Playing chess is fine, but you can't take back your moves!"

"You still don't trust your chess skills, Senior Brother?" Huang Long looked heartbroken.

Xuan Du shook his head and took out a chessboard and two boxes of chess pieces from his sleeve.

The chessboard is an ordinary chessboard, and the chess pieces are ordinary chess pieces, but in this Shouyang Mountain, having been imbued with the Taoist spirit of the sages for countless years, they have long since become extraordinary.

The black and white chess pieces exude a subtle Daoist charm.

Huanglong wielded black, and Xuandu wielded white; they began to fight.

After brewing a fresh pot of tea for the two of them, Zi Ling began refining the Innate Yin-Yang Fruit under Xuan Du's guidance.

She sat cross-legged in front of the Eight Views Palace and swallowed the Innate Yin-Yang Fruit.

The yin and yang energies within the spiritual fruit flowed slowly, transforming into wisps of laws and Dao patterns that merged into her body.

Above the Eight Views Palace, the Tai Chi diagram, with its manifested Yin-Yang Daoist principles, is slowly flowing.

Strands of Yin-Yang Daoist principles, intentionally guided by Xuan Du, manifested before Zi Ling, allowing her to comprehend them.

The Daoist principles within the Innate Yin-Yang Fruit and the Yin-Yang Daoist principles above the Eight Views Palace converged, merged, and intertwined within her body, forming a complete picture of the Great Dao of Yin and Yang.

Yin and Yang, generation and restraint, decline and growth, fullness and emptiness.

Two opposing forces transformed and merged within her soul, ultimately returning to the Tai Chi principle.

Although Zi Ling's cultivation level did not improve, her understanding of the laws of heaven and earth gradually became more complete.