The void of the simulation chamber rippled.
Su Yuan stood at the center of SoulNet's conceptual space, arms crossed as cascading data swirled around him. Threads of light, glowing symbols, and equations danced across invisible planes.
SNC was working.
Users had already begun practicing, discussing, and even uploading valuable items to the internal SoulNet repository.
[Uploaded Tech Blueprint: Basic Energy Core Stabilizer – Rated 1.8 SNC][Uploaded Skill Template: Basic Field Maintenance – Rated 0.6 SNC]
But there was a problem.
Every exchange still required manual valuation and review. Users couldn't instantly access or trade what they needed. Su Yuan had to verify each upload personally or allow the system to delay responses.
It was inefficient.
And inefficient systems didn't evolve.
"I need a market."
His thoughts settled.
"A structure where supply and demand balance organically. Where knowledge and technology can flow—fast, secure, untraceable."
"I need… Instant Trade."
He reached out into the heart of SoulNet.
[Initiate Deduction: Instant Trade Function]
Cost: 17.3 Soul Power UnitsSystem Load: ModerateDanger of Instability: NegligibleProceed?→ YES
As the command was confirmed, SoulNet reacted like a living organism.
Su Yuan could feel the deduction engine hum deeper than before—its pulse slower, heavier, like a dormant giant awakening to a new purpose.
Lights converged into a massive crystalline ring.
Within seconds, lines of code formed into nodes, nodes into clusters, and clusters into a virtual architecture—a vast web that allowed peer-to-peer transactions within SoulNet using SNC as the universal medium.
[Deduction Complete: Instant Trade Function – Tier F+]
Allows real-time evaluation, pricing, and trade of tech, programs, and skills.Auto-matching between users with compatible needs.Immediate SNC transfers via secure neural handshake.Items are stored in decentralized SoulNet data threads—untraceable and bound to SoulNet's internal laws.Fraud rate: 0.00%.Deployed globally to all active SoulNet users.
The moment it deployed… SoulNet shifted.
Users across the network received the update as a soft mental pulse, like an idea blooming within them:
[New Feature: Instant Trade Now Available]Exchange tech, programs, or skills directly with fellow SoulNet users.Auto-value detection enabled.Private Marketplace Mode Supported.
In a quiet dorm room, Qin Ke, a programmer who had been studying deep automation protocols, felt a sudden weight lift from her shoulders.
She had written a powerful subroutine—"PulseEcho Automation v3.6"—capable of managing semi-autonomous machines with 25% better efficiency.
But it had been sitting useless in her mind—she had no connections, no buyer.
Now?
She uploaded it.
[Upload Detected: PulseEcho Automation v3.6]Estimated Value: 11.2 SNCTrade Pool: Searching…
Across the city, Li Fang, a small-time scavenger, had found an old AI-guided combat drone in a ruined facility. He didn't understand the internals… but he had salvaged the tech blueprint and painstakingly repaired it.
He uploaded the blueprints.
[Upload Detected: Compact Recon Drone - Gen-Alpha]Estimated Value: 12.6 SNCTrade Pool: Searching…
The system instantly matched the two.
[Trade Opportunity: Exchange PulseEcho v3.6 for Compact Recon Drone Blueprint?]User "L-Fang" – Match Rating: 94%Additional Balance Adjusted: 1.4 SNC transferred to Qin Ke
[CONFIRM]
Two minds, both linked to SoulNet… confirmed at once.
The exchange was done.
No middleman.
No delay.
And most of all: no system trace.
Just two people—connected through a net of soul and thought—trading value without speaking a word.
Su Yuan watched the numbers update:
[SoulNet Status Interface]
Connected Users: 84Total Soul Power: 127.3 unitsActive Instant Trades: 5Average Daily Transactions: Increasing…System Feedback: StableEvolution Index: +2.1%
A small smile touched his lips.
"And so… it begins."
Meanwhile, users reacted with awe.
The forums buzzed to life.
Thread Title:[[New] Instant Trade is insane – just got a skill for 3 SNC!?]
📥 user924: Just got "Pulse Breathing II" from someone in District C. Took like 3 seconds. My heart is pounding.📥 medtechXi: The valuation is fair too. This system understands tech better than humans.📥 Codex42: So… this isn't just some black market… It's like… a world inside the world.📥 hiddenheart: We're not alone anymore. This is real. And it's changing me.
Su Yuan leaned back, letting the rising pulse of SoulNet surround him.
With the Instant Trade system in place, the gears of economy, ambition, and evolution had begun to turn.
Each trade wasn't just an exchange.
It was growth.
A spark.
A seed.
Soon, he'd need to guide them toward structure—a civilization within SoulNet.
But for now… he let the users explore.