Just like the Training Camp, the market could not be accelerated with 'Rapid Growth.' To be able to trade with others as soon as possible, Lin Yu extravagantly used a [Time Acceleration Scroll II (2 Days)].
At the same time, he saw a lord in the world chat who wanted to trade a Gold Element Core (Gold) for a Wood Element Core (Gold).
After both parties paid a 500-point transaction fee, Lin Yu successfully obtained the Gold Element Core (Gold). (Neither of them was a merchant, so they quickly reached a deal.)
[Detected that you have collected the five elemental cores—Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth—all of which are Gold quality. Do you wish to synthesize them into a Five Elements Core (Gold)?]
The system prompt arrived right on cue.
"Synthesize!!!"
Lin Yu took out the five cores and watched as they converged, transforming into a large Elemental Core that shimmered with a rosy glow.
[Name]: Five Elements Core
[Quality]: Gold
[Description]: Chaos birthed Yin and Yang, Yin and Yang created the Five Elements, the Five Elements gave rise to all things, and all things exist within Heaven and Earth. The Five Elements are the foundation of all creation. In an environment with abundant Five Elements energy, all beings have a higher chance of ascending to a higher state of existence.
Increases the Five Elements energy within the territory and raises the probability of denizens comprehending Five Elements skills.
Composite cores possess additional sockets for inlaying Upper-Rank Elemental Cores (upgraded single-element cores or multi-element composite cores).
[Effect 1]: The territory will naturally generate Five Elements energy.
[Effect 2]: +25% chance for denizens to comprehend skills of any of the Five Elements. When leveling up, there is a chance to increase quality: Green -> Blue (60%), Blue -> Purple (30%), Purple -> Gold (5%), Gold -> Red (1%), Red -> Rainbow (0.01%).
[Effect 3]: +10% chance for soldiers to be promoted to heroes upon leveling up.
[Effect 4]: The composite core has enhanced compatibility, granting three additional sockets (Green: 0, Blue: 1, Purple: 2, Gold: 3). These can be used to inlay other Elemental Cores.
Lin Yu was ecstatic about the effects of the Five Elements Core.
He was especially excited about the last part of Effect 2: the 0.01% chance of promotion from Red to Rainbow. The crucial part wasn't the low probability, but the fact that the possibility existed at all.
'As long as the chance to become Rainbow-quality exists, that's enough.'
'For each individual denizen, there are only two outcomes: promotion or no promotion. A 100% chance or a 0% chance.'
'That 0.01% is a statistic, meaningless to the individual.'
'Lin Yu's advantage lay in his vast territory and large population.'
'With a large population and given enough time, a few geniuses were bound to emerge.'
'And for a genius, as long as the possibility exists, promotion is a certainty. If they fail, it simply means they weren't enough of a genius to begin with.'
He could use the additional sockets to inlay his Wind Element Core (Purple) and Ice Element Core (Gold).
This also saved him the trouble of agonizing over whether to sell them for points or keep them for some other potential use.
As for the last remaining socket, he decided to leave it empty for now. He would fill it whenever he acquired a suitable core. Lin Yu had no plans to actively seek out and purchase other Upper-Rank Elemental Cores.
First, Upper-Rank Elemental Cores were rare, and most lords who managed to get one used it themselves.
Second, the ones available on the market were all low-grade; he hadn't seen any that were Legendary (Purple) or higher.
Third, they were incredibly expensive. Even an Excellent-grade one was listed for 10,000 points, and Lin Yu had no desire to be taken for a ride.
He inlaid the Wind Element Core (Purple) and the Ice Element Core (Gold) into the Five Elements Core, then socketed the entire composite core into his Territory Core.
The socket in the Territory Core, originally quite small, expanded on its own as the Five Elements Core drew near, allowing it to fit perfectly inside.
Then, a pillar of rosy light, visible to the naked eye, shot into the sky, bathing the surroundings in a dazzling, multicolored brilliance.
The already excited denizens sensed the shift in the territory's energy, and their celebrations grew even more wild.
None of this concerned Lin Yu, however. Having done all that he needed to, he simply lay down on his bed to rest.
Outside the World Tree, a graceful silhouette lingered for a long time. Unable to find a way in, she eventually had no choice but to depart.
The next day, Lin Yu woke up to a notification from his Territory Core. It informed him that someone was repeatedly knocking on the trunk of the World Tree, attempting to enter the Lord's Mansion.
Lin Yu glanced up, and for him, the walls of the Lord's Mansion instantly became as transparent as glass.
Outside the World Tree, Chenxi's well-proportioned, curvaceous figure came into view. Even though he didn't know what she was doing there, Lin Yu decisively opened the gates of the Lord's Mansion for her.
"Chenxi, what brings you here so early? Did you run into trouble building the Wisdom Library?"
Under Chenxi's supervision, the construction time for the Wisdom Library had been reduced by a full 30%. After applying 'Rapid Growth,' it would now only take three days to complete.
"That's not it, my Lord. There are no problems with the Wisdom Library's construction. I just saw how hard you were working alone last night and figured you probably didn't have a proper meal, so I came to bring you some delicious fruits I picked."
As she spoke, Chenxi presented a platter of fruit, all of which were varieties Lin Yu had never seen before.
"My Lord, these are new types of fruit that have started growing as the territory expanded over the years. This is a Starlight Fruit. The sparkling part is its pit, which you can't eat, but the rest of the flesh is edible. It's sweet and sour, and highly nutritious. This one is called a Moonlight Pearl Fruit; it shines brightly at night. It's crisp and very sweet to eat. And this one is an Illusion Mist Fruit..."
Seeing that Lin Yu didn't seem to recognize the fruits and was hesitating to try any, Chenxi quickly stepped forward to explain. As she did, she began to pick out the delicious, edible parts and feed them to him.
Lin Yu was taken aback for a moment, but he didn't object. He leaned back in his chair with a look of pure enjoyment, allowing Chenxi to prepare the fruit and feed it to him.
"Oh, right, my Lord. I saw Lord Meiying here when I arrived. It looked like he had something urgent to discuss with you, but then he left."
"Is that so?" Lin Yu said languidly. "I'll call him over when I'm finished eating."
"But my Lord, Lord Meiying looked like he was in a great hurry," Chenxi coaxed, feeding him another piece of fruit.
"Alright, fine," Lin Yu relented. "I'll have him come over now."
With that, Lin Yu communicated with the Territory Core, notifying Meiying to come to the Lord's Mansion.
In less than two minutes, with a flash of black light, Meiying appeared beside the World Tree. It was obvious he was in a great hurry.
"Master!" Meiying cried as he entered the Lord's Mansion. He looked up to see Lin Yu lounging in his chair, lazily eating one piece of fruit after another as Chenxi fed them to him.
"Chenxi mentioned you were looking for me about something urgent?"
"Master, after the territory transformed yesterday, I heard a voice. It told me that in three days, I will face the Celestial Tribulation, and that I should prepare myself."