Primordial Era: Starting with the repair of Penglai Immortal Island

The ancestral land of humankind, the abode of Shennong.

Duobao looked at Shennong and said urgently, "Shennong, I have just returned from Shouyang Mountain and had a long talk with Junior Brother Huanglong. Do you know how great the differences are between the various tribes in terms of their current situation, their surpluses, and their shortages of resources?"

Shennong raised his head and looked at his master with a puzzled expression: "Over the years, I have indeed observed that the produce of each region differs. Some places have abundant grains, some have plentiful game, and some are covered in medicinal herbs. But I believe this is the natural order of things, and it is perfectly normal for the produce of each region to be different."

Duobao shook his head: "Normal? You're wrong. It's precisely because the resources of each tribe are 'different' that the root cause of your stagnant cultivation."

He stood up, paced around the room, and began to explain Huang Long's analysis in detail...!

"In human tribes, although barter exists, it is limited to each tribe."

"However, there is no such example between different human tribes."

Upon hearing this, Shennong suddenly stood up, his face filled with shock.

As the ruler of the human race, he immediately understood the problem after Duobao's guidance.

"Does the teacher mean... that the lack of communication between tribes prevented the flow of goods, causing humanity to become like a heap of loose sand?"

Duobao nodded: "Exactly. Junior Brother Huanglong said something that left a deep impression on me... The human race now has countless tribes, large and small, but they govern themselves independently. Even if there is some communication, it is limited to only a few tribes. For the human race as a whole, these tribes are isolated, their fortunes are stagnant, and your path to becoming the Human Emperor will naturally come to a standstill."

Shennong paced back and forth in the house, his steps quickening as he became increasingly agitated.

He finally understood.

Every single thing he has done for humanity over the years has been right and has been of great merit.

But he overlooked the most important thing: connection. He ensured that the human race had ample food, passed down herbal medicine, and enabled each tribe to heal itself and detoxify, but he failed to discover that the human race, though seemingly prosperous, was actually still a disorganized mess.

"Master!" Shennong stopped, his eyes shining with determination. "Disciple understands! Disciple will immediately summon the elders of all the clans to discuss the establishment of a trading market!"

Duobao nodded with satisfaction: "Go ahead. Your master awaits your good news."

In the council square, Shennong stood on the high platform in the center of the square, looking down at the noisy crowd below, all of which represented the essence of the human race.

With a thought, he released the aura of a Great Luo Immortal, and the entire plaza fell silent instantly. At this moment, Shennong spoke:

"Elders, the reason I have gathered you all here today is to discuss a major matter concerning the future of the human race."

He recounted the output, surplus, and shortage of resources of each tribe, and then told the elders the analysis that his teacher had obtained from Huanglong.

"Please look," Shennong said, turning his head, and a scroll unfolded in the void.

It was a simplified map of the human race's territory, with different colors marking the characteristics of resources in different regions: "Plains: Abundant grain, but lacking meat and herbs; Mountainous areas: Abundant meat, but lacking grain and herbs; Deep mountain areas...!"

Shennong pointed to the different colored areas on the map and said in a loud voice, "These tribes now operate independently, with no interaction between them. Resources within each tribe circulate only within its own territory, causing the overall development of the tribes to stagnate!"

The elders below the stage discussed among themselves, some nodding, some frowning, and some puzzled.

"But what if we let these tribes exchange what they need?" Shennong continued, "Each tribe can get the resources it needs, and each tribe can turn its surplus resources into something of value."

He walked to the edge of the platform, his gaze sweeping over everyone below: "In this way, the tribes will no longer be isolated, but will form a whole. The tribes will depend on and support each other, and the entire human race will work together with one heart and one mind, gathering fortune and prospering!"

Below the stage, an elderly clan elder stood up and asked, "Lord, we understand your method. But how exactly do we do it? We can't expect people to carry grains from the plains to the deep mountains, can we? That would be thousands of miles round trip. Cultivated humans might be able to manage, but ordinary humans simply can't do it."

Shennong nodded: "The elders are right. Therefore, I plan to establish trading markets in suitable locations in various places. These markets will be chosen at the intersections of different tribes to facilitate trade between them. Our ancestral land will send cultivators to each selected area to use their supernatural powers to carve mountains and create trading markets."

He paused, then continued, "At the same time, the ancestral lands will dispatch guards to be stationed at the market to protect the safety of the tribesmen who come to trade and to maintain the fairness of the transactions. Anyone who engages in market manipulation, sells inferior goods as superior ones, will be severely punished. Anyone who dares to plunder the market will be killed without mercy."

Another round of discussion erupted from the audience.

Another elder stood up and asked, "Lord, how should the trade be conducted? How much grain can a wild boar be exchanged for? How much meat can a basket of herbs be exchanged for? Without rules, disputes are likely to arise."

Shennong replied, "This is the purpose of the trading market. Initially, let them negotiate among themselves: one pound of grain for one pound of meat, one bundle of herbs for one bag of grain. If both parties agree, they exchange; if not, they don't. Over time, a customary price naturally forms. We don't enforce prices; we only maintain fairness and impartiality."

The elders all nodded in agreement. The method, though simple, sounded feasible.

Seeing that no one had any further objections, Shennong immediately issued the order: "Issue my decree, the Common Ruler, to immediately begin preparations for the establishment of the trading markets! First, the cultivators of the ancestral lands will survey the entire human territory and select suitable locations to establish the trading markets. Second, cultivators from the ancestral lands will be dispatched to various locations to clear mountains and quarry stone to build the markets. Third, guards will be stationed at each market to ensure safety and fairness. Fourth, once the markets are established, the Common Ruler's decree will be issued and disseminated to every human tribe!"

The moment the order was given, the ancestral land erupted in excitement.

Hundreds of clan elders returned to their respective tribes to convey the decree of the common lord; teams led by Golden Immortals set off from their ancestral lands to various parts of the human race to survey the terrain and select market locations; they used supernatural powers to carve mountains and stones, lay out formations, and build trading markets.

A massive project was being carried out simultaneously across the entire human territory.

Over the decades, trading markets sprang up across the human land.

They are distributed at the intersection of different regions and tribes, with some small ones radiating to tribes within a radius of hundreds of miles, and others encompassing tribes within a radius of tens of thousands of miles.

From south to north, from east to west, a trading network covering the entire territory of the human race is slowly taking shape.

After each market was built, the tribes within its radius of influence received the decree of Shennong, the sovereign, which spread the existence of the trading market to every human tribe.

In an instant, the entire human race was in an uproar.

The fortunes of the entire human race surged at this moment.

The fortunes of various tribes intertwined, collided, merged, and rose in the trading market, eventually converging into a vast torrent of human fortune, surging from all directions towards the ancestral land and towards Shennong.

Shennong, in his ancestral land, felt the power of destiny surging in from all directions.

His spiritual cultivation, which had stagnated for thousands of years, began to rise.