His strength was already formidable enough, so these two skill books were given to the people of his territory to use.
He noticed that some buildings could be upgraded, but he decided to upgrade the Great Wall first.
This was because the Great Wall played a crucial role as the territory's first line of defense against monsters, and it had to be prioritized.
Territory notification: "Consume 150,000 spirit coins and 100 three-star stones. The Great Wall's level has been upgraded to level 21."
Territory notification: "Consume 250,000 spirit coins and 200 three-star stones. The Great Wall's level has been upgraded to level 22."
...
After upgrading the Great Wall directly to level 25, his stones were depleted.
[Building: Great Wall]
[Level: 20]
[Upgrade Required: 650,000 spirit coins, 00 three-star stones]
[Quality: rrr]
[Defense: 200000/200000]
[Special Attribute 1: Defense +25%]
[Special Attribute 2: Increases territory morale +25%]
[Special Attribute 3: Increases defense attributes of all territory members by 15%]
[Description: When the territory reaches ten thousand li, it can transform into the Great Wall of Ten Thousand Li.]
His Spiritual Field had long been upgraded to level 30, but to upgrade it further, he would need a two-star earth attribute spirit core.
However, what he most desired was to upgrade the Spiritual Spring, but he had yet to obtain a single low-grade spirit stone, which highlighted how precious they were.
He was currently lacking materials of three-star rarity or higher; he had used all the one-star and two-star materials for crafting equipment.
However, as the newcomer trials became increasingly difficult, quite a few novice lords had their territories overrun by monsters, cutting their trials short.
Equipment of bronze quality and above remained in high demand, but the price of black iron-grade equipment had dropped considerably, now matching the prices outside the newcomer trials.
But he had already earned the money he was supposed to, and he still had the most bronze-grade and above equipment.
He was still a major supplier of high-grade equipment, which remained in short supply. However, he hadn't even equipped his own soldiers with silver-grade equipment, so he hardly sold much to outsiders, perhaps only a few items with particularly poor attributes.
After upgrading all the buildings that could be upgraded, a significant amount of materials was consumed.
With all the territory matters settled, it was already very late.
He took Diao Chan back to the five-star hotel and said with a smile, "Chan'er, we should experience a new life."
"New life?" Diao Chan seemed confused and looked at Zhou Yan, asking, "What do you mean?"
"Hehehehe! Ψ(￣∀￣)Ψ"
As they entered the hotel's premier suite, Diao Chan quickly understood what he meant.
The twenty-first day.
As the defense towers within the territory began to attack, Zhou Yan rose from his "cultivation."
"They've arrived so quickly."
Zhou Yan gazed at the monster tide outside the window. Although it was still dark, his strength had granted him night vision, allowing his eyes to see far into the distance.
His senses were the same; with concentration, he could perceive everything around him as if it were clearly displayed in his vision, like a captured memory.
This ability would continue to strengthen with his physical attributes and cultivation realm.
"This battle will continue for another nine days."
Diao Chan also dressed herself. Although she was quite exhausted, as the matriarch of the territory, she could not be absent when monsters invaded.
"Let's go to the Stone of Three Lives to check in first."
Zhou Yan, holding Diao Chan, opened the glass window. Despite being dozens of floors up, he could still use his agility to descend slowly, finally arriving at the Stone of Three Lives with Diao Chan.
Because his name and Nie Xiaoqian's had been successfully inscribed on the Stone of Three Lives, the condition for upgrading the building had been met, and the Stone of Three Lives had successfully been upgraded to level two.
The next level would require three couples to upgrade.
He had already encouraged the people in the territory to fall in love freely, hoping they would connect with each other and expedite the Stone of Three Lives' upgrade.
There wasn't much he could do to help with this matter.
Well... he would try his best himself. (´ｰ∀ｰ`)
[Stone of Three Lives] notification: "Lord Zhou Yan has successfully checked in at the Stone of Three Lives and obtained 222 soul coins."
Although the amount of soul coins was not to his liking, free soul coins were free, regardless of the amount.
As the level of the Stone of Three Lives increased, the daily soul coins obtainable from check-ins also increased.
[Stone of Three Lives] notification: "Diao Chan has successfully checked in at the Stone of Three Lives and obtained 299 soul coins."
He strongly suspected that this building favored women, but since it was his wife, it didn't matter.
The overwhelming sound of attacks echoed from all around the territory, but he first went to the Mysterious Shop, hoping daily that good items would appear.
Upon seeing the first item, Zhou Yan was very surprised: "There's actually something like this."
He clicked to view its attributes.
[Equipment: Dragon Phoenix Ring·Dragon Ring·Male]
[Quality: Couple Ring]
[Durability: 1000/1000]
[Attribute 1: All Attributes +50, Charm +20, Luck +20]
[Attribute 2: Sense (Couples wearing the Dragon Phoenix Rings can sense each other's danger and provide their location. Beyond one hundred kilometers, only a general direction can be provided.)]
[Attribute 3: Dragon Phoenix Rings within five kilometers of each other grant +10 to all attributes (no distance requirement within the territory).]
[Attribute 4: Dragon Phoenix Harmony (Each Dragon Phoenix Ring unleashes a spectral dragon and phoenix, dealing devastating attacks to enemies. Cooldown: ten days).]
[Equipment Requirement: Only couples who truly love each other can wear it.]
[Description: Infused with a trace of soul power from the souls of a true dragon and a phoenix, only those who truly love each other can activate its attributes.]
[Price: 100 million spirit coins (a pair)]
This was a pair of special equipment, considered additional gear, and its attributes were incredibly powerful.
Just the +50 to all attributes alone would provide a total of 200 attribute points.
All attributes, of course, did not include luck and charm.
"This ring must be purchased."
He strongly suspected it was prepared specifically for him, and he liked it.
"One hundred million."
If he didn't have several hundred million spirit coins now, he wouldn't have been able to afford this pair of equipment.
"Although it pains me a bit, this equipment must be bought."
If such equipment were sold in the Lord's World, people would buy it for even a billion.
But he would absolutely not sell it.
After purchasing the Dragon Phoenix Rings, a delicate treasure box appeared in his hand. Upon opening it, a purple and a pink light respectively emanated from the Dragon Phoenix Rings.
A small blue dragon-shaped diamond appeared on the Dragon Ring.
A small pink phoenix diamond appeared on the Phoenix Ring.
Zhou Yan turned his head and looked affectionately at Diao Chan, saying, "Chan'er, let me put it on for you."
No woman would refuse, and Diao Chan shyly nodded. Two blushes appeared on her stunningly beautiful face, making her look so captivating.
Zhou Yan took Diao Chan's hand and gently placed the Phoenix Ring on her finger.
Then, Diao Chan took the Dragon Ring and put it on Zhou Yan.
As the two held hands, the Dragon Phoenix Rings suddenly erupted with two streams of energy, transforming into spectral dragons and phoenixes that soared into the sky. They remained for several seconds before disappearing.
The attributes of the Dragon Phoenix Rings were activated, significantly boosting their strength.