"I-Is that real?" the young man stammered after hearing it was a gold coin. Most of the earliest people cast into the Primordial Realm had arrived empty-handed, but in the chaos, a few managed to smuggle in their treasures and valuables. As a result, items like gold coins, spirit stones, and other treasures did exist in the Primordial Realm—but they were exceedingly rare and priceless.

This was especially true given that many eras had passed since the Primordial Era, and most of such valuables had long since been claimed by the powerful or lost to the ravages of time.

"Of course, it's real." Yuan nodded. "Anyway, can I pay with this?"

"Pay with the gold coin?! I apologize for my language, but are you insane?! A single one of those coins can turn a poor family into a rich one! If you're going to use that gold coin to buy noodles, I'd rather you give me the gold coin and I pay for the noodles for you! Hell, I'll even go into debt to pay for your noodles!" said the young man, making his voice as low as possible even though they were the only customers inside the restaurant.

Yuan smiled and said, "Let's do that then."

He placed the gold coin on the table and calmly slid it in front of the young man.

"..."

The young man didn't immediately accept the coin and could only stare at it with a dazed face. He couldn't comprehend how Yuan could casually give away such a precious item.

'Am I being scammed right now?' he wondered inwardly.

However, the possibility of a cultivator scamming a mortal for some noodles was just as inconceivable.

'Whatever. Even if I might go broke, I'm willing to take the risk!'

After a moment of hesitation, the young man grabbed the gold coin and immediately put it inside his pocket.

"Sorry for the delay, owner. I'll pay for the noodles right now."

The young man got up from the table and went to pay the old man.

"Is that your friend?" the old man asked as he accepted the money, a slight frown on his face.

"Something like that."

The old man shook his head and sighed, "He's sketchy. Don't get involved with people like him. I'm warning you because you're a regular at my restaurant."

"Thank you for the advice…" The young man didn't argue and returned to the table to wait for the food.

"Do you have any more coins? I'd like to take a look at one." Yuan suddenly asked.

"Here… It's my last coin…"

The young man handed Yuan a small black coin with a hint of purple mixed within, its surface gleaming with a crystal-like sheen. Yuan studied it closely, though the material and design were unfamiliar to him.

Yingzi moved her head closer to the coin and said, "This is made of shadow crystals…"

"What? You also recognize this material?" Yuan looked at her with surprise.

She nodded and said, "Shadow Crystals are rare resources found only in places untouched by light. My homeland had them in abundance. They are similar to spirit stones but contain Chaotic Essence instead."

"And they're using such rare materials to make coins to use as currency? Well, I guess it doesn't really hold any value to cultivators since they cannot cultivate Chaotic Essence."

"Thanks." Yuan handed the coin back to the young man before asking, "Is there a place where I can sell some gold coins? It's not convenient to travel without money."

The young man pondered for a moment before responding, "Our city is quite small and poor, so you won't find anyone able to buy them here. How many are you trying to sell?"

"A handful?"

"A hand—?! You have that many?! But you don't have a single chaos coin?! That doesn't make any sense!"

If the young man knew Yuan actually had tens of millions of gold coins in his possession, not even the heavens would be able to predict his reaction.

"I came from a very, very seclusive place…" Yuan gave a random but somewhat believable excuse.

"In fact, I am currently traveling the world and gaining experience for a trial, and my family didn't give me any money when I left."

"A trial…? Cultivators are truly something else… If only I could become one, too. Unfortunately, I was born into an ordinary family, and I am not desperate enough to risk my life for glory."

Yuan smiled faintly and said, "To become a cultivator in an environment like this… I can hardly imagine how one could even begin the path without the fortune of a privileged birth."

"Truly." The young man sighed. "Forget spiritual energy—even if someone were granted an endless supply, most couldn't so much as obtain a cultivation technique."

Sometime later, Yuan asked, "Since you don't know where the Spirit Tree is located, do you know someone who does?"

"You can try the First City. Their city is the most prosperous in the Realm of Chaos, and it's where most cultivators gather. Oh, you can probably sell your gold coins there, as well."

"First City? What is the name of this city?" Yuan then asked.

"The Seventh City."

"What an odd naming choice. How many cities are in this region?" he asked further.

"Seven," the young man swiftly replied. "Each city is ranked according to its value, and that rank becomes its name. As such, the names can change."

"So this is the worst city, huh?"

"Only by a small margin. Besides the top three cities, the disparity between each city isn't as much as you imagine."

The noodles began arriving shortly later, quickly filling the table.

"You're not going to eat?" Yuan asked when the young man didn't touch the noodles.

"A single bowl is enough to keep me going for an entire day."

"One bowl for an entire day? No wonder you're so skinny."

"What can I do when that's all I can afford? I'm used to it by now, anyway," he said with a bittersweet smile.

"Well, today is a special day, so eat until you're full," said Yuan.

"If you say so." The young man nodded and reached for a bowl.

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