Perhaps there were no gods in the world, but as more people worshipped them, gods appeared.

Lin Xiang suddenly discovered that he had received feedback on the incense value from the players. This was a completely unexpected gain, and it also gave him a better understanding of the profession of the land god.

Since there are so many extra incense points, why not just repair all the main buildings of the market town in one go, and then slowly refine the details later.

So after seeing the grand spectacle of the land temple being built with bricks, the players and villagers witnessed a miracle once again!

The soil seemed to have life, defying gravity and starting to solidify on its own.

You are already mature soil, and you must learn to build houses and streets on your own.

Natural stone slabs emerged from the ground, forming a complete, clean, and tidy street. Each slab was exactly the same length, thickness, and thickness, as if they had been precisely measured with a ruler!

"If I can't make a living in the future, I can work as a construction worker in my own area and make money."

Lin Xiang even had time to let his imagination run wild.

Houses and courtyards are rising from the ground. The overall framework is in place, but they lack furniture and decoration. They are considered unfinished houses.

All buildings are formed as one piece, without any gaps.

Originally, there was nothing on this vacant land except weeds, but now it has become a ghost town.

At first glance, it looks like an ancient version of an unfinished building, without any breath of life, and needs to be slowly filled in by players and NPCs.

At the entrance of Fangshi, there is an eye-catching plaque with four seal characters "Huanyu Fangshi" written on it!

The market is not big, but it has a big tone.

Lin Xiang knew that these players existed, so he couldn't keep a low profile even if he wanted to.

Fortunately, they are still weak and should not cause too much trouble.

If I really offend the giants of both good and evil, I'll just pack up my things and run away.

The construction of the market town was completed in one go, consuming a huge amount of money, but it was all worth it, as this would be his future foundation.

Lin Xiang then said to Han Mu and other players, "The market has been established. Please help improve the various buildings."

When the player hears these words, it becomes a mission reminder.

"NPC is so stingy, they actually rewarded me with residence time. I thought they would assign me a room."

"How can such a good thing happen?"

"over thinking."

"I want to buy a small courtyard, but how can I pay for it?"

"This game is too real! I have to buy a house in real life, and I have to buy a house in the game too. Am I destined to be a house slave?"

"Who would buy a house in the Novice Village for no reason? I'm afraid they have too much money to burn."

"Well, I'll only use it when I'm offline anyway, so it doesn't need to be fancy, just safe enough."

Most players feel that there is no need to buy a house in the Novice Village, not to mention that they have no money or spirit stones, so what can they use to buy it!

Even if you have money in your pocket, you still have to think twice.

What if there will be better options when you reach a higher level?

Isn't it better to buy a small courtyard in a sect or a big city than to live in this wilderness?

At this time, none of the players would believe that Dongshan Village and the house with the misleading name Huanyu Dongtian had the potential to appreciate in value.

Even if the first five beta testers had house purchase discount coupons, they did not have enough spirit stones to buy the property, and they were all penniless.

Even Bingxuepiaopiao only cared about the two pieces of land she had reclaimed, and did not feel that a small courtyard or a house was a must, let alone a store.

Now everyone is poor and there is no one around. What can we sell in the store?

It will take time for a market town to develop.

Lin Xiang did not force it. He simply changed the sign of one of the stores to a pill shop and put his own pills in it to make the place stand out.

Of course, the first store that appears in the entire Huanyu Market will attract a lot of attention.

"Hiring three employees for the pharmacy, with a weekly salary of one low-grade spirit stone. Employee benefits: 20% off on all elixirs, and abundant spiritual energy in the pharmacy for cultivation."

Of course, he couldn't take care of the store by himself. He was anxious to go to the Ascension Conference to see what was going on. Of course, he left this important task to the players.

You can also gain experience points by looking after the shop, and even get spirit stone rewards.

Now, for the first time, players can see tasks that can obtain spirit stones, and even so many elixirs can be purchased at a discount. If they are resold at a 10% or 95% discount, they can make a small profit!

"The Qingxin Pill that can restore spiritual power, the Red Dragon Pill that speeds up cultivation, as well as the Bigu Pill, the Yangling Pill, the Xisui Pill, and the Yuanyuan Pill. So many good things?"

"It feels a bit expensive. Ten Qingxin Pills cost only one low-grade spirit stone."

"Where can I find spirit stones?"

"This store can only be used to buy things, can it also sell things?"

"Right now, I'm just selling pills, which I don't need right now. I just want to buy a better weapon. I'm planning to team up with others to go into the forest and fight monsters. Maybe I can bring back some meat and fur to sell. I heard there are also spiritual herbs and other things over there. If I dig some, I can sell them to the land god."

When Lin Xiang and the others had finished their discussion, they opened another shop.

This time, we opened a bookstore.

There are some common poetry books in the bookstore, but more of them are skill books he obtained, which are specifically designed for players and possible casual cultivators nearby.

From the "Pure Yang Art" that he practiced, which was everywhere, to the "Nine Swords of Pure Yang", "Small Cloud and Rain Art", "Genjin Sword Art", "Eight Trigrams Chasing Wind Art", to the formation, alchemy books and so on.

Different from the works such as elementary alchemy and comprehensive explanation of formations that he obtained, Lin Xiang separated each formation, each skill, and each alchemy recipe in them and sold them separately.

First, it can sell more money, and second, it makes the bookstore look more abundant in terms of merchandise, so that it doesn't look so depressed.

If players' excitement level when seeing a pharmacy is 100, then their excitement level when seeing a bookstore is 1000 or 10000!

No matter who you are, you want to squeeze into this bookstore.

Even just looking at the name of the skill book is satisfying.

Song Mingming realized her luck when she saw the price tag for the Gengjin Sword Technique: 10 low-grade spirit stones. She suddenly approached Lin Xiang and summoned the courage to ask, "Lord of the Land, does the bookstore need any staff? I can work 16 hours a day."

There's nothing you can do in the sanatorium anyway, so instead of feeling sorry for yourself in real life, you might as well be free and easy in the game world.

But Lin Xiang shook his head: "The store clerk's working hours are only four hours, and you don't need to watch the store the rest of the time."

Reject involution and start with small things.

After finally getting into the game, you can't really confine others in a bookstore.

"The treatment at the bookstore is the same as at the pharmacy. The weekly salary is one spirit stone, but you can read non-skill books for free."

The mission Lin Xiang gave out was quickly snatched up, and the six store clerks were recruited in an instant. The other players felt a little regretful about this.

At this stage, isn’t running a store just about sitting there and chatting or practicing?

Who can afford it!

The weekly salary may not seem very high, but if you go the purchasing agent route, you can earn a 10%-20% difference, which is the big profit.

Lin Xiang looked at the players' excited yet disappointed expressions and said, "The inns and weapon shops will open soon. Please work hard to make money and improve yourselves."

It is impossible to keep all these players in this remote corner of Dongshan Village. The only way is to release the players who are good at gathering intelligence.

Some players walked together towards the outskirts of the Shiwan Mountains, some players left along the official road outside the village, and some players looked for tools to make traps and fishing nets, preparing to go fishing in the small river not far away.

The goods in bookstores and drugstores are relatively scarce, and everyone wants to upgrade quickly and has no time to look carefully.

The originally bustling Huanyu Market soon became deserted.

In order to avoid any hiccups, the employees discussed with each other the order of duty, as no one wanted to lose such a good job.

The initial profits are average, but once the players have money, they can help with purchasing and make a lot of money.

Although Song Mingming's proposal of internal competition was rejected, he still grabbed a precious opportunity to work in a bookstore.

She volunteered to work the first shift, and the other two colleagues gladly accepted. After all, they all wanted to take the opportunity to complete more tasks.

The villagers of Dongshan Village found that these young men were extremely hardworking. Not only did they respect the elderly and love the young, but they also rushed to complete everything. However, some of them were not very good at doing things and always made things worse.

Song Mingming knew that he could not learn those skills, but being able to read books for free was enough.

So she picked up a miscellaneous book from the shelf and began to read. She treated the history of this world as pure fiction, but it was a good way to pass the time. When she got tired of reading, she would pick up a straightened branch and practice the Gengjin Sword Technique.

Even without obtaining the cultivation method, this set of sword techniques alone allowed Song Mingming to begin to passively absorb spiritual energy, subtly improving his physical fitness.

Just as she was reading attentively, two furtive figures outside the street looked towards the bookstore filled with skill books.

"Chibi Maru-chan" squatted behind the flower bed and said to his companion, "There's only one skinny girl guarding the bookstore. We'll just rush in and grab those skill books. If that girl gets in our way, we can just knock her down or tie her up and keep her out of the way."

"Brother Duzi, do you think it would be so easy for us to capture the land god?"

Zeng Fanqiang next to him was a little worried. Lin Xiang had just built a market town. Wouldn't he set up protective measures for the places where valuables were placed?

Apart from anything else, even if the two of them didn't rob the store, what if the clerk stole the items?

Chibi Maru-chan chuckled contemptuously, "Even if he has protective measures, so what? At most, he failed to succeed. We are only level 2 now, and we have no equipment or money. How bad can it be?"

Zeng Fanqiang was right in thinking this way.

When you have nothing, you have nothing to lose.

So they looked around carefully, made sure there was no one else around, and then rushed into the bookstore with their chopping knives and axes.

First rob the bookstore, then go to the drugstore next door.

Song Mingming was reading a book. When two strong men rushed in waving knives and axes, she had no reaction at all and was completely stunned!

If it were the games she played before, she would definitely rush up and fight the two criminals without hesitation.

At most, the game character will die.

But "Ascension" is too real, so real that Song Mingming has blurred the boundaries between virtuality and reality, and thinks that he is still disabled and has encountered criminals.

She was trembling all over, her eyes were wide open, her face was pale, and her mind was blank.

Zeng Fanqiang and Chibi Maru-chan said fiercely, "Hurry up and take out the skill book!"

"I... I can't take it out. I need spirit stones." Song Mingming's eyes were moist and his whole body made a trembling sound, not much louder than a mosquito.

Chibi Maru-chan was a bit skeptical. He looked at Song Mingming with disdain and said, "We'll give you a share after we succeed. We're all players. Is it necessary for us to work hard for NPCs?"

"Yes." Zeng Fanqiang chopped the table with his axe, "Beautiful lady, please don't be ungrateful."

"Try it yourself."

Song Mingming moved to the side. She had actually tried before to see if she could take out the jade slip, but as soon as she reached out, she encountered an invisible light curtain that blocked her.

After moving slightly, she suddenly woke up.

I can control my legs!

"I forgot that we are in the game world." Song Mingming reacted immediately, and the fear in his heart suddenly subsided a lot.

She quietly adjusted her pain level to the lowest, then silently observed the two robbers and tightly grasped the small branch next to her.

Isn’t it just that the game character died!

The two players, Chibi Maru-chan Duzi and Zeng Fanqiang, did not think of killing the female player, after all, she was also a worker.

They just suspected that the other party was lying, so they quickly went to the shelf and reached out to take out the "Nine Swords of Pure Yang".

But as soon as he stretched out his hand, he was blocked. It seemed like there was an invisible wall on the opposite side that he couldn't touch at all!

So they turned their attention to the remaining spells.

However, I couldn't find any skill book I was interested in, as if it was a huge joke.

"How could this happen? You must have a control mechanism!" Chibi Maru-chan turned around and yelled at Song Mingming. In fact, he had never been a bad guy in real life. He was the kind of person who had the desire but not the courage to do so. When he entered the game, it seemed as if the seal was released and he became much more irritable.

Song Mingming quickly shook his head. "You have to put in enough spirit stones to open it. There's a formation set up by the land god here. You guys should leave quickly. If the land god finds you, he might arrest you."

"Brother Duzi, let me try!"

Zeng Fanqiang swung his weapon and chopped it towards the shelf. However, the knife bounced back instantly after hitting the shelf and broke directly from his hand.

The huge recoil force caused Zeng Fanqiang's palm to bleed and his health points dropped a lot.

The Five Elements Wu Earth Formation is no joke!

He connected all these self-operated shops to the Wu Earth Formation, including the inn rooms and the courtyard outside, so safety was guaranteed.

If these shops and courtyards are rented to others, they can set up their own formations and prohibitions to protect safety and privacy.

If the formation that connects to the earth veins and consumes medium and low-grade spirit stones is broken by a lv.2 player, it will be useless.

The formation was triggered, and Lin Xiang, who was originally practicing in the real land temple in Dongshan Village, immediately received feedback.

The alarm function of the formation is relatively secretive, and for now, only he can sense it.

Therefore, Lin Xiang did not hesitate at all and immediately teleported to the bookstore, where he saw the two players holding weapons and trying to split the shelves.

"Land God?" When Song Mingming saw the handsome NPC suddenly emerging from the ground, her face suddenly relaxed a lot. She really didn't want to be robbed on her first day at work.

Zeng Fanqiang smiled and said, "Oh, you can act! Are you trying to curry favor with that NPC?"

He thought Song Mingming was bluffing.

But a magnetic voice came from behind and scared the two robbers out of their wits.

"Two young men, what are you doing?"

Chibi Maru-chan and Zeng Fanqiang's bodies stiffened. They slowly turned around and found that the land god and sacrificial spirit dressed as an elegant scholar was standing opposite them, looking at them with a smile on his face.

These two players are quite good. Instead of chopping wood, they come here to rob.

One has a ridiculous name, and the other looks like an ordinary name, but they are put together.

Chibi Maru-chan smiled awkwardly, put the axe into the game package, and said defensively: "We came to the bookstore to broaden our horizons and see what skills we can learn in the future."

"Yes, yes, yes, just see what books are available." Zeng Fanqiang agreed.

Neither of them took it too seriously. After all, there was no murder or arson, and no successful robbery, so they were not too worried.

It's just the embarrassment of being caught doing something bad.

However, Lin Xiang didn't want to let them go and planned to make an example of them.

"I'm sorry, you two young men have violated the rules of the Huanyu Market. You must now go to the Earth God Temple to receive punishment as a warning to others."

After saying that, he transformed his spiritual power into ropes and instantly transferred the two players to the land temple in the market town.

Inside the bookstore, the three figures disappeared, leaving only Song Mingming in shock and regret.

"I wish I could become stronger, otherwise I'd be robbed every day..."

This thought flashed through Song Mingming's mind. She clenched the branch in her hand and decided to practice the Gengjin Sword Technique, which was worth 10 low-grade spirit stones.

Inside the land temple, the two people who were teleported here were a little panicked.

"Brother Duzi, what does this NPC want to do?" Zeng Fanqiang was a little worried. Would the two of them be locked up in a small dark room?

Chibi Maru-chan was a bit calmer, "Don't be afraid, we are players, the game planners will definitely not make things difficult for us players. Besides, we are not even red-named, so what are we afraid of."

He was certain that the so-called land god in front of him could not understand the conversations between players and NPCs, and was chatting in jargon that only players could understand.

Who knew that Lin Xiang heard it clearly.

"You two young men have violated the safety regulations of the Huanyu Market due to your misconduct, including robbery. You must sweep the floor of the Earth God Temple for 12 hours. You may leave only after the sweeping time is up. If you do it again, the penalty time will be doubled."

These two players did not commit any murder or arson, so all Lin Xiang could do was to put them under house arrest.

It’s not that they really have to sweep the floor for 12 hours, this land temple is clean, it’s just to give them a reason to be confined to their homes.

"Protest! We have no idea when this safety rule was introduced!"

"Does it have to be 12 hours? Can it be shortened?"

Two tied brooms suddenly appeared in Lin Xiang's hands. After handing them to the two players, he said, "It cannot be reduced."

After saying that, he teleported away, not giving the two a chance to continue arguing.

There has to be a certain level of order in the game, especially in a market like this.

If there were fighting, killing, and robbery everywhere, who would be able to do business or practice cultivation with peace of mind?

Lin Xiang originally thought that it would take some time for players to become stronger before someone would run into trouble, but two stupid thieves appeared today, and it would be a waste not to deal with them.

"It would be great if I had some help. This group of players is too difficult to manage."

Lin Xiang really felt overwhelmed. If he kept paying attention to the players' behavior, how would he have the time to improve and become stronger?

It is impossible for him to be the only one in a force. He couldn't help but think about whether he should recruit and surrender a few men to share the work if he had the chance in the future.

Players can, and of course NPCs can too, there are no restrictions.

"We can't delay any longer. We must go to the Ascension Conference."

After being busy for most of the day, Lin Xiang was quite dissatisfied with his progress.

He took out the little clay figurine representing the swordsman Lin Han, and his soul moved directly into it. The little clay figurine suddenly expanded into a real person dressed as a swordsman.

There is nothing wrong with him either from the outside or from the soul.

Immediately afterwards, Lin Xiang took out the Ascension Order and activated it with spiritual power. Then his whole body was wrapped in clouds and mist, and he was teleported to a mysterious place!

…

"Brother Duzi, we don't really have to stay here for 12 hours, do we?" Zeng Fanqiang tried to leave from the gate of the land temple, but the gate was clearly open and blocked the two from entering or leaving.

Chibi Maru-chan spread out her hands and said helplessly, "I don't know either. Let's try to climb over the wall and get out."

After saying that, he threw the broom aside, jumped, grabbed the upper edge of the wall with his hands, and climbed up with his feet pushing against the wall.

As a result, people climbed up, but couldn't jump down and continued to be blocked by the invisible wall.

"Damn, is this rubbish NPC serious?"

"12 hours equals 24 hours. It's absurd to lock us up here for so long!"

They cursed the planner and Lin Xiang at the same time, but they did not give up and tried all kinds of ways to escape from prison.

The result was of course in vain.

In the three-acre land of Dongshan Village, if they can get the palm of the land god, they are no longer ordinary people.

After struggling for a long time, Zeng Fanqiang chose to accept his fate.

"I was wrong! I shouldn't have been so foolish as to rob the land god's things."

"Now we have to be locked up for such a long time. Others are upgrading and making money, but we two are left behind."

"Hey, who knew playing games could land me in a dark room? I won't take shortcuts like that anymore."

They found themselves trapped in this land temple and had no way to leave. Even after logging off, the timer stopped and the 12 hours only counted in the game world!

The rest of the players also gradually learned about what happened to these two people.

While watching the fun, I was also secretly warning myself not to be like them.

At the beginning of the game, everyone was not very familiar with each other, and no one chatted with them. At most, they would ask from a distance what was going on.

There were even some good-hearted players who posted about their disguised jailing on the game forum, and this finally achieved Lin Xiang's goal of killing the chicken to scare the monkey!

"Brother Duzi, let's just pass the time peacefully and go out when the time is up."

"After going out, I will quickly kill monsters and catch up with the progress of other players."

Compared to Zeng Fanqiang's resignation to his fate, Chibi Maru-chan fell into an extreme state: "Damn NPC, when I can leave, I will definitely not look back. When I become powerful, I will come back and flatten your garbage market, and see what you can do!"

Don’t look down on the poor players, or you will regret it one day!

The author has something to say:

The protagonist's name is Lin Xiang, and his pseudonym is Lin Han.

In Dongshan Village, he appears as his real self, but when he does things outside, he wears a vest.

So please don’t think that the author made a mistake.