The High Priest's grin widened, his eyes filled with venomous greed. "Good. The Great Poison Demon has shown us the path. The Divine Convenience Store is our blade, our shield, our salvation. Through its wares, we'll expand in the Inner Abyssal Circle. It won't be with blood alone but with desire. Every village, every sect, every soul will crave what we offer. What the store offers. And through us, the Divine Convenience Store and the Convenience Saint's legend will grow, turning everyone a patron."
"Other than that… We are to look out for Towers and Anchors. One is a trial ground, similar to what appeared in the Jade Hollow Plains in the Eastern Abyssal Domain and the other is underground ruins that served as the entrance to a hidden realm linked to another large realm like ours, with their inhabitants seeking to invade us. Once we take control of those, the Inner Abyssal Circle will kneel to convenience and the store's Shopkeeper will know our devotion. For the Great Poison Demon!"
"For the Great Poison Demon!" The chant echoed, fervent from the cultists, grudging from the Venom Masters. Xun's lips curved faintly, her thoughts already spinning new plans.
The High Priest's victory was hers to leverage, but she'd never be content as a mere follower. The Convenience Saint was a prize worth ensnaring, and she'd spin her threads carefully. As for the Towers and Anchors? Nothing but a means to get closer to the Shopkeeper.
[Everflowing Serenity Sutra - 1st Layer]
[Current Progress: 50%]
[Comprehension bonus: Due to the harmony with your current techniques, cultivation speed has increased by 140%.]
[Foundational Martial Technique - Basic Proficiency]
[Current Progress: 25%]
[Comprehension bonus: Proficiency increases the combat effectiveness of techniques by 25%]
[Celestial Providence Activated: Combat Mastery has been acquired upon reaching Basic Proficiency.]
[Combat Mastery: Increases combat intuition and perception by 25%]
After spending almost a day inside the Mental Simulation, which only translated to a little over two hours in reality, Lin Mo opened his eyes and was immediately engulfed by the intense sensation of his dantian overflowing with spiritual energy.
As he was expecting this, he immediately steadied his breathing and calmly collected the surrounding spiritual energy pooling inside his body. The [Silent Stream Breathing Technique], the [Vein of the Silent Stream] and the [Everflowing Serenity Sutra] worked in tandem, pushing over to the next minor realm.
[Cultivation Progress: Spirit Condensation Realm – 6th Level]
[Silent Stream Breathing Technique – 2nd layer]
[Current Progress: 60%]
[Vein of the Silent Stream – 1st layer]
[Current Progress: 60%]
[Spiritual Roots: Intermediate-grade (50%)]
As the Divine Interface System reflected his current cultivation progress, the overflow in Lin Mo's dantian settled like a tide finding its shore, steady but brimming with potential. He exhaled slowly, releasing the turbid air in his body before focusing his senses.
Almost instantly, he could feel his flesh, bones, and inner organs strengthened. Moreover, he could now sense the condensed knowledge of his achieved proficiency in the [Foundational Martial Technique]. If he picked up any type of weapon, he wouldn't be so clueless about how to use it anymore. At the very least, he'd know enough not to embarrass himself in a fight.
The spark in his chest was still continuing to draw the energy coming from those who were praising him with the 'Convenience Saint' title.
Yangyang gave him a simple explanation about it and called the phenomenon he experienced as receiving 'faith energy'. It was one of the ways divine beings used to collect divine energy, through belief and faith. That's why many would establish a church or a cult dedicated to worshipping them. Nevertheless, Yangyang also said that it wasn't the end-all, be-all path to divinity. She pointed at herself as an example. The forging of her divine spark hinged more on understanding a Heavenly Law. As for the specifics, she added that he'd understand it more once his divine spark collected enough faith energy that it started to transform into divine energy that he could use.
Lin Mo rubbed his absently as he muttered to himself, "Alright, no need to get cocky. Still a long way from swinging a spear like a master. And I can't picture myself becoming like that old man Taihao… Uh. Zhenren Lihua is a goddess of beauty though."
Shaking his head, Lin Mo looked around him.
The multi-purpose hall was quiet now, save for the faint hum of the [Everlasting Spirit Fountain] and Xiao Ya's soft breathing as she cultivated under Liu Xiaoyu's watchful eye.
Yangyang stood nearby, cradling the [Heavenly Mirage Illusion Orb], her serene smile betraying a hint of amusement as she caught Lin Mo's mutter. "Congratulations, Shopkeeper. You broke through again. Many will be envious of your speed."
Lin Mo snorted, waving her off as he rose from his lotus position. "Most don't have the resources and opportunity I've gotten or a cult chanting their name like it's a prayer, Miss Yangyang. Speaking of which…"
His gaze drifted to the Divine Interface System, pulling up the latest notifications.
The Bulletin Board was ablaze with activity. The Celestial Duel Platform's announcement fueled a storm of speculation. Somehow, Grandmaster Lian's preorder request had sparked a frenzy, with a few cultivators from as far as the Northern Arctic Dominion, the region above the Eastern Abyssal Domain, begging for reserved units. Those were people who hadn't ventured down the store yet, but they've gotten their hands on a Viewing Jade from merchants and watched the two videos of the platform's showcase.
And as he expected, the number of people referring to him as Shopkeeper had started to dwindle as many preferred to use Convenience Saint. It kept on popping up in every other comment, each mention sending a faint pulse to the spark in his chest.
He grimaced, shaking his head. "This saint nonsense is getting out of hand. I'm selling convenience, not miracles. Besides, it shouldn't be me who they should praise for how useful our products were."
Liu Xiaoyu, catching the tail end of his words, grinned like a fox spotting a gap in a fence. "Oh, come on, Boss! You're practically a celebrity now. Did you see ArachnidMistress's latest? She's calling the Inner Abyssal Circle your 'stage'. Like you're about to stroll in and claim it! I bet you, she'll eventually build you a shrine soon and offer her prayers. Her faith in the Great Poison Demon will be shifted to you."
After saying that, the young woman mischievously winked as she knew how impossible that was. If anything, that ArachnidMistress should be thinking of ways to exploit him.
"Keep talking, Xiaoyu and I'll make you sweep the aisles for a week." Lin Mo shot back, his lips twitching with suppressed amusement.
He turned to Xiao Ya, who was blinking out of her cultivation trance, her small face flushed with effort. "How's it going? Feeling that breakthrough yet?"
Xiao Ya nodded shyly, her fingers clutching the [Stone Fist Technique] manual like a talisman. "Almost, Boss. My Golden Lotus Physique… it's like flowers blooming inside me. Sister Xiaoyu says I'm close to the 7th Level and I… learned a technique from it."
Looking at her fair complexion and confident gaze, she's now a far cry from the timid mushroom girl who'd first stumbled into the store.
"Mhm. Good job." Lin Mo gave her a rare, encouraging nod before shifting his attention back to the interface.
Closing the Bulletin Board, he moved to check the [Tower Integration Protocol] to see if he had already collected enough for the next Dimension Essence Upgrade.
[1. Jade Hollow Plains Conduit Tower
- Current Stock: Configured (15/15 Products)
- Promotion Shelf: [Spirit-Animated Battle Construct] - 20% Discount Applied
- Dimension Essence Collected: 48358
- Maintenance Cost: N/A (Unconquered)]
- Active Challengers: 112
- Highest Floor Cleared: 3]
It still fell short. But he believed it'd fill up by the morning. When that happened, the challengers could get lucky to earn more Dimension Essence and when they did, it could bring even more challengers—and customers to their essences on the Store Beacon.
And tomorrow, the Celestial Duel Platform's launch would only amplify that pull. A game that doubled as a weapon against the foreign creatures? It was a merchant's dream. However, he knew how it would change the realm. In the future, when the immortal-grade artifacts are sold to the customers, a huge transformation will happen.
Still, that might also be the time for the realm to take up arms against the invaders.
"Shopkeeper?" Yangyang's voice cut through his thoughts, gentle but probing. "You're staring at that interface like it owes you spirit stones. Do you have something on your mind?"
Lin Mo hesitated, then shrugged, his wry grin slipping back into place. "Just wondering how deep this rabbit hole goes, Yangyang."
"Hmm? Rabbit hole?" The bespectacled functionary tilted her head, confused at the term.
Lin Mo scratched his head, "I mean, it was an expression. Duel platform, divine spark, cults singing my praises. It's a lot for a guy who got whisked here after his death. But no use overthinking it. We've got a big day ahead. Xiaoyu, when those stocks arrive later, make sure those duel gear bundles are front and center. Xiao Ya, double-check for new products."
The girls nodded, Xiaoyu with a playful salute and Xiao Ya with quiet determination as her eyes sparkled in anticipation.