Lingxian Sect wasn't worried about the cultivators in the mortal realm becoming too powerful; they were more concerned that these cultivators might remain too weak, lacking the courage and strength to face the cultivation world when the time came.
After all, the matter with Wan Wantong might be delayed for ten or even twenty years, but no one could say for sure what would happen beyond that.
So, sharing cultivation insights didn't take much time and had to be agreed upon.
The organizers of the technique exchange conferences couldn't help but feel regretful when they realized they hadn't thought of inviting Lingxian Sect members earlier.
Fortunately, it wasn't too late. The organizers of these conferences quickly followed the example of the cultivation exchange conferences and extended formal invitations to Lingxian Sect, asking them to send specialized cultivators to share their skills and insights.
Since these sects and royal families were eager to improve, Lingxian Sect was more than happy to oblige.
In the past year, the mortal realm had rapidly transformed from a dull, colorless world into one brimming with vibrant energy.
Everyone was making efforts to improve in all areas, including farming.
Some sects, after tasting the spiritual grains from Xiushui City's agricultural district, purchased large quantities of spiritual grain seeds and spiritual fertilizers, as well as farming methods provided by Lingxian Sect for a price.
Although the quality of the seeds these sects bought wasn't as high as the seeds Qinghe Sect had obtained at last year's auction, and Lingxian Sect didn't offer free farming lessons, these sects no longer hesitated to spend spirit stones. They had found new ways to earn them and weren't as frugal as before.
After purchasing farming methods with spirit stones, these sects would tell their disciples responsible for farming that if they produced high-quality spiritual grains, they would receive a commission based on the harvest's quality.
As a result, the disciples who once felt their job of tending fields was inferior to crafting techniques and other skills now saw things differently after witnessing the value of the spiritual grains and plants sold in Xiushui City.
Those spiritual grains and plants were brimming with spiritual energy, clearly valuable! The selling price of these items was far higher than the grains they had grown before.
This newfound realization made them eager to delve into the agricultural manuals and master the farming techniques.
As more and more sects and royal families sought advice from Lingxian Sect on planting spiritual plants and other agricultural details, the elders in charge of the spiritual fields, led by the old man Lin, decided they had had enough. They approached Liu Yunian and suggested that every quarter, Xiushui City should host an agricultural exchange conference to share farming techniques.
Even the usually reclusive elders of the spiritual fields couldn't sit idle any longer. With technique and cultivation exchange conferences already established, they felt farming was just as important and deserving of its own conference.
It wasn't surprising that the cultivators in the mortal realm had overlooked this idea—most of them didn't eat grain and had little understanding of the complexities of farming. But since no one had suggested it, the elders decided to take the initiative.
After all, hosting a conference once a quarter wasn't too much work. Over the past two years, they had trained many young disciples in farming, and their communication and teaching skills had significantly improved. For instance, Lin Dashan and Lin Dayou, who once sat shyly in a corner at markets, waiting for someone to approach them, had now become much more proactive.
While many high-level cultivators might not be interested in the agricultural exchange conference, the young disciples in charge of farming in various sects and royal families were eagerly looking forward to it. They had already prepared their tickets, excited to attend.
The development of Xiushui City wasn't limited to cultivators. The lives of ordinary people were becoming more vibrant and diverse.
At first, the interaction between ordinary people and cultivators in the city was limited. Only a few farmers would hire low-level cultivators with spirit stones to help them with farming.
However, as the City Lord's Mansion and Lingxian Sect began employing ordinary people and paying them in either spirit stones or silver, more ordinary citizens had spirit stones in hand.
Some sharp-eyed cultivators noticed this and began to study talismans, formations, and pills that were suitable for ordinary people, selling these convenient items in the city.
But this led to a new problem: many of these items, suitable for ordinary people, were not worth the full value of a spirit stone. If an ordinary person used a spirit stone to buy them, they would be overpaying.
At first, familiar households would pool their money—ten or more people would chip in to buy several items together, using one spirit stone to purchase ten items.
But as time went on, it became harder to organize these group purchases, which frustrated the citizens.
Many low-level cultivators and ordinary residents wrote letters to the City Lord's Mansion, asking for help in finding a solution.
When Lin Yun first saw this issue, he found it a bit tricky, but he quickly came up with a temporary solution. He proposed that transactions could be done using gold and silver instead of spirit stones.
The City Lord's Mansion had already established a system for exchanging spirit stones for gold and silver, with one spirit stone equal to one hundred taels of silver.
This way, citizens could use silver to buy items worth less than a spirit stone, and the sellers could exchange the silver for spirit stones at the City Lord's Mansion.
However, this solution could only serve as a temporary fix. It couldn't be used long-term because the value of a spirit stone far exceeded that of one hundred taels of silver. The two currencies belonged to entirely different systems, and mixing them for an extended period would inevitably lead to problems.
Although Lin Yun wasn't an expert in economics, he understood that this temporary solution wasn't sustainable. After setting up the exchange system, he quickly went to Lin Xiao to explain the situation.
"Can't we create our own currency, something below spirit stones, to make it easier for the citizens to trade with cultivators?" Lin Yun didn't directly ask for a solution but instead shared his own idea.
Hearing this, Lin Xiao looked at him in surprise and exclaimed, "Brother, you're so smart!"
For Lin Xiao, who had knowledge and experience from his previous life, this issue was relatively straightforward. He viewed many problems from a broader perspective, standing on the shoulders of 21st-century giants.
But Lin Yun wasn't like that.
All of these ideas were things Lin Yun had slowly observed, learned, and thought through on his own.