Divine Pantheon, Third Heaven.
"Taihao, is it true? Lin Mo decided to scout the Anchor where a Dreilling has appeared?"
Pushing the doors open and striding with haste, the usually composed Goddess of Harmony and Comrce, Lihua, rushed into the celestial garden. Her eyes were wide with a rare anxiety. Behind her was the functionary, Yangyang, equally as anxious as the goddess.
Seated lazily at his divine bench while sipping a cup of nebula-swirling tea, Taihao didn't even look up.
Behind him, the forr Great Poison Demon, now the Purveyor of Miasma, was hunched over a floating, complex dashboard of runes. The ominous purple glow that he used to emit seed to dim a little, yet he seed to have started to emit the holiness similar to a divine being following the Heavenly Laws.
It's like he beca a contradiction. Whatever Taihao did to him seed to alter his path.
If before he strictly followed the Chaotic Law, which he comprehended and used to make his divine spark bloom, now, there seed to be a mix of Heavenly Law, similar or closely related to it, radiating from his body.
The mont he saw Lihua's arrival, the Purveyor of Miasma and Corruption imdiately lowered his head like a tad dog.
Lihua's brows twitched at that but she didn't mind. The divine beings of the pantheon had already held a eting about inducting the forr Great Poison into their ranks. And with Taihao's persuasiveness, almost everyone agreed.
"Sit, Lihua. Have a biscuit," The old man gestured to the empty seat opposite him as he brushed his long white beard, "And indeed, it is true. Our little Shopkeeper has decided to take the initiative. It's quite the developnt, don't you think so? Hoho~"
"Developnt? It's recklessness!" Lihua snapped, ignoring the tea. "A Dreilling that could already manage to cross the boundary might've been at the bottom of their ladder but they would still be a High-Tier Psionic Entity. The inhabitants of the First Heaven can cultivate their mind, body and soul, and carve their path to immortality but them? They were born to dominate."
"Lin Mo has just achieved his Foundation Establishnt. Even with a Perfect Foundation, the gap in cultivation is an abyss! If his mind is shattered, not even our divine wares can heal him. Why didn't you advise him not to take on a challenge he cannot cope with yet?"
Facing her outburst, which sounded logical, Taihao calmly sipped at his tea as his playful mood seed not to even be shaken.
"Hoho… You underestimate the lesson Xingxing imparted to him," Taihao chuckled, "He polished his soul and re-forged his entire identity. He is no longer just a misplaced soul in a manager's body. He is on his way to becoming a sovereign of his own domain. Isn't he the Convenience Saint, now? That entity from that realm relies on finding cracks in the will, insecurities to exploit and fears to magnify. But tell , what fear does a man have who has stared down Heaven's Will and complained about the lack of custor service?"
Lihua paused, her brow furrowing. "You think he is immune?"
"Not immune but he is highly resilient. Besides, do you believe he'll charge inside on his own? That young man values his 'quiet life'. He simply believes that only he has the best chance to gather information."
"Even so–"
"Hoho… If you're that worried about him, why not send your projection down there to visit and check on the store? Perhaps, offer him advice?" Taihao cut her off with a sly glint in his eyes. "You haven't had a proper chat with him outside of official business, have you? Go on. Be the doting patron goddess. Give him a trinket. A blessing. Make sure your investnt is secure."
Lihua glared at him but let it go almost instantly. She was known to have the patience of a saint. She'd rather think of a solution than wallow in anger.
She smoothed her robes, regaining her composure with a huff. "It is not doting, Taihao. It is… rely looking after one of our own. We had him shoulder the responsibility of managing that store… It is only right that we protect him from doing sothing still beyond his capabilities."
Behind her, Yangyang had a soft smile on her lips. She also hadn't seen the Goddess be this agitated in all the years she stayed in a Pantheon. But she could understand why she's acting this way at the mont. Lin Mo, no matter how peculiar he was or how insignificant his existence weighed at the current state, he had an oddly irresistible draw to him.
It had only been a few days since her return to the Divine Pantheon but she already sowhat missed the chaos she experienced down at the First Heaven.
Yangyang took a step forward and asked, "Zhenren Lihua, should I prepare the Divine Projection Pool?"
"Yes," Lihua answered right away.
Then, as they walked out of the garden, Taihao's laughter echoed behind, mixing with the rustle of the celestial leaves.
The Purveyor of Miasma kept his head low, his fingers dancing across the runic dashboard, pretending he hadn't just witnessed the Goddess of Harmony flustered.
—
Divine Convenience Store, First Heaven.
[Day 24 Evaluation: Excellent]
[Sales Summary: 5211 Transactions]
[Revenue: 3,602,440 Interdiate-grade Spirit Stones]
[Celestial Duel Arcade Revenue: 232,211 interdiate-grade spirit stones]
[Celestial Hot Spring Revenue: 891,222 interdiate-grade spirit stones]
[...so lines omitted...]
[Dinsion Essence Balance: 14,999,672 DE]
[Tier Progression: Renowned Store (23,834,595/100,000,000)]
After reviewing the twenty-fourth day's evaluation, Lin Mo couldn't help but nod in satisfaction.
The revenue for the arcade and hot spring had added more than a million in revenue when converted to the store's standard unit for progress.
Yesterday, the opening of the hot spring also raked in quite a lot but the revenue doubled this ti.
He started wondering if the hot springs would be enough to accommodate all of them.
But since there wasn't any complaint, that new facility seed to adjust to the volu of patrons availing its service.
He truly had to try that soti himself.
As for the arcade, it also beca a hit. Other than the ones like that rchant and rogue cultivator earlier, the students of the Red Lotus Academy also ca over, showcasing what they've learned from the curriculum being taught regarding the Celestial Duel Platform.
No one could actually beat them in the casual mode so they ended up playing among themselves. That's why they eventually left without causing any ruckus.
Sohow, Lin Mo felt like he needed another expansion because, despite how large the convenience store had beco that it was now comparable to a supermarket in terms of size, there would still be a sea of patrons visiting every day. The lines outside were also not disappearing despite the enlarged capacity of the store.
"Mhm. Perhaps the next tier upgrade might turn the convenience store into the size of a shopping mall." He muttered in amusent.
In any case, he raised his head and walked over to the counter where Pan Ruo eagerly awaited him.
Placed on top of it were the inventory lists the young woman had prepared.
She had categorized the sales data by sect affiliation, creating targeted 'Recomnded Bundles' for each major faction.
[Crimson Vale Bundle: 5x Energy Replenishing Candy, 3x Fruity Healing Tablet, 1x Box of Spicy Beef Noodles. (Tagline: Fuel Your Fury!)]
[Azure Gale Bundle: 1x Stamina Gum, 1x Windstrike Talisman, 1x Can of Frosty Lotus Brew. (Tagline: Speed Requires Cool Heads!)]
He couldn't help but be amazed at her. After all, with how busy the store was during the opening hours, she still had the ti to compile that.
"Your understanding of our custor demographics is frighteningly accurate, Pan Ruo," Lin Mo comnted, approving the new bundles with a tap of his finger. Naturally, he also needed to consult the divine beings before setting it all up.
"I rely observe patterns, Shopkeeper," Pan Ruo replied humbly as a flicker of satisfaction crossed her eyes. "The Crimson Vale disciples prioritize sustain and aggression. The Azure Gale disciples prioritize speed and recovery. Efficiency dictates we cater to their specific needs."
"Efficiency indeed. Keep it up."
He glanced at the clock. It was ti. He had promised Xiaoyu they would start their preparation for the Anchor dive in three days. He better start doing so work.
If possible – even though it would probably be unprecedented – reaching the Core Formation Stage would be his goal.
"Your Highness, Pan Ruo, you can take a rest now and Xiaoping, escort Xiao Ya ho safely, alright?" Lin Mo said. "Xiaoyu and I will be using the training rooms for the night."
Wu iyu raised an eyebrow, "Together, Shopkeeper?"
"Well, it'll be more efficient to train together." Lin Mo answered but now that she ntioned it, it sounded like they're going to dual cultivate.
anwhile, Liu Xiaoyu grinned as if she had won a trophy, "Sister iyu, do you want to join us? I'm gonna beat up Boss. He's growing too fast as a cultivator. I need to let him understand who's the prodigy between us."
Upon hearing that, Wu iyu sighed in relief. She was overthinking, it seems.
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