X-Dragon Era

If this had been on land, Xin Yun might not have had such a smooth journey, but where was he? This was the sea bottom, Yinglong's territory. Even if faced with an opponent he couldn't match in power, he just had to turn invisible and meld into the water. He could charge through unimpeded, encountering no obstacles whatsoever.

However, don't assume that because Xin Yun had it easy, others would as well. First of all... Dragons from other series than the Water Series are unlikely to dare come down here. In the world at the bottom of the sea, the strength of all dragons, save for those of the Water Series, plummets—not by a mere double.

For this reason, the Water Spirit Fruit has always only been sought and harvested by Water Series dragons. And even among the Water Series dragons, only an exceptional few with unique abilities and extraordinary strength have the capacity to dive down here; otherwise, even if they found the Water Spirit Fruit, they would likely be unable to defeat its Guardian Dragon.

Time slowly passed. Following the Spirit Veins, Xin Yun kept searching, but unfortunately, after more than three months, he had found nothing. You should know... Water Spirit Fruits are not only loved by Xin Yun; all dragons living underwater enjoy them. Each fruit is guarded by a powerful Water Series dragon that will immediately gulp it down once it reaches the city. Therefore... finding a Water Spirit Fruit requires not just strength, but also a bit of luck!

Luckily, perseverance pays off. Three months later, Xin Yun finally found the first Water Spirit Fruit. Unfortunately, it was still unripe, roughly a year shy of maturity.

To this, Xin Yun didn't mind. Water Spirit Fruits would not be problematic while they were still maturing. In fact... a Shark Dragon was guarding the fruit right beside it, and they wouldn't waste it before its ripe time. Don't ask why—it's like how monkeys don't eat unripe peaches, probably just instinct.

After memorizing the location, Xin Yun didn't stay to wait. He once again rode the Giant Dragon, roaming the sea floor. Over the next year, Xin Yun's footprints covered the entire Western Sea. Finally... he found all three Water Spirit Fruits. Particularly noteworthy was that a year after entering the sea, Xin Yun found a nearly mature Water Spirit Fruit guarded by an exaggeratedly enormous Whale Dragon!

Observing the fruit carefully, Xin Yun didn't intend to disturb the Whale Dragon. Once the Water Spirit Fruit matured, with Yinglong's speed, he could snatch it in an instant, then activate the Tai Chi Diagram to leave directly, without needing to defeat the Whale Dragon.

As days went by, finally... on a rock by an underwater fountain, a ping-pong-ball-sized Water Spirit Fruit slowly began to emit a hazy glow! Yes... glowing was the sign of the fruit's maturity; when its emitted light reached its peak, it would be ripe. The intense, irresistibly lure light would attract all creatures within thousands of kilometers. The birth of each Water Spirit Fruit would cause a frenzied slaughter on the sea floor.

Time flew swiftly. Under Chu Rui's efforts, the advertising campaign inside tens of thousands of super-large cities surged like a fiery wave. Whether on street sides or in crowded areas, posters were plastered everywhere, even in remote alleys!

The workload was immense. Orchestrating a simultaneous ad campaign across tens of thousands of cities—each with populations over ten million—was beyond what most could imagine.

Fortunately, Chu Rui lacked nothing but a bit of cleverness. With substantial financial support, she hired numerous idle women and children at a low cost. Thanks to them, posters reached every corner of all cities, even places beyond Chu Rui's imagination.

With the overwhelming ad campaign in place, even idiots wandering the streets were aware of the bank's existence, as well as the new type of currency soon to be issued. Although these currencies remained unseen, one thing was certain, the term "bank," along with its various functions, had become deeply embedded in people's hearts.

Moreover, in the tens of thousands of super-large cities, Chu Rui had also chosen locations for various bank branches. Following Xin Yun's instructions, Chu Rui didn't rush to acquire them. In Xin Yun's words, once the Sky-opening Sect took control of these cities, everything here would belong to the sect, and there would be no need to spend a penny purchasing them.

All work progressed methodically, with promotional plans and poster printing bustling day and night. The three-year deadline promised by Xin Yun was rapidly approaching.

Meanwhile, in the Pot Within Heaven, Ming Xuan had broken out of seclusion. Although he wasn't the first companion to break through to the Amethyst stage, he was the first to exit seclusion.

Naturally, the first to break through to the Amethyst stage was Po Kong. However... immediately after his exit, he activated the Taiji Diagram and went home. Up to now, among the Five Directions Heavenly Emperors of the Sky-opening Sect, all but Po Kong had their own forces. Since Po Kong was new, he had no close followers and therefore... Po Kong had broken through to the Amethyst stage in just a year and then became busy building his own legion!