Divine Convenience Store

Jiang Jianxin stood in the sect's alchemy hall, her silver sword sheathed at her side as she watched the Pill Master analyze the [Decrint Antidote Serum].

The vial glowed faintly on the jade table, its green liquid swirling with foreign energy that made them think it was made from some sort of slimy substance.

Elder Shi sat nearby, his hardened face pale but steady. His spiritual energy was temporarily stabilized by a [Core Harmonizing Pellet] from the Divine Convenience Store. It allowed his dantian to be protected from the foreign poison that had been spreading in his body.

The poison was said to be weak and its only effect was to gradually drain one's spiritual energy but the sect's apothecaries were cautious about the serum's unknown properties.

The Pill Master adjusted his jade spectacles, his spiritual sense probing the vial. "Sword Fairy, this serum is… peculiar. Its base is alchemical, tied to whatever that realm's alchemical attainment. It could neutralize the poison, but there's a risk. It carries traces of foreign energy that might destabilize Elder Shi's cultivation if not properly filtered."

Jiang Jianxin's lips tightened. "Can you refine it? Strip the foreign energy?"

The Pill Master nodded, his hands already moving to summon a small alchemical array. "Possible, but it'll take time—two days, maybe three. Our treasury should have a [Spirit Cleansing Elixir]. It could speed up the process, but since we're dealing with a poison from another realm, we'd need more than what's in stock here…"

He paused for a moment and sighed, "Refining it in a short time is also impossible. I hope you can visit the Divine Convenience Store again. Perhaps, they have something equivalent. The Shopkeeper mentioned it, right? For its customers' convenience, one can find anything they need there."

Jiang Jianxin's mind flashed to Lin Mo's business-like smile. He did say that and not just once or twice. She naturally wanted to believe it but there's a certain part of her that told her not to get her hopes up immediately. Because there's always a certain possibility that the store didn't have their needed pill yet.

Still, since she also wanted to tell him the result of their expedition, she's already planning to go there. Sending it through the Viewing Jade wasn't ideal for her; she wanted to hear his insight directly. Especially when she found out that he also ventured inside an inactive Anchor near Fanling City.

"I understand. I'll make a trip to the Divine Convenience Store. Elder Shi, how are you holding up?"

The elder grunted, his broadsword resting across his knees. "Better than I look, Jianxin. That [Core Harmonizing Pellet] is worth its weight in spirit stones. The poison's not spreading, but I'm not swinging my blade anytime soon."

Jiang Jianxin nodded, her gaze drifting to the alchemy hall's window. To the direction of the Anchor.

After exiting it using the [Emergency Escape Talisman] earlier, they hurried back to the mountain where their sect was located.

She had already met the Sect Master and told him of their findings. As for the disciples with them, they were resting on the other side of the hall and were being checked for the foreign energy that entered their bodies from slaying those foreign entities.

Before leaving the hall, she checked on Li Ruo.

She was among the other disciples resting on one of the beds. Her jade hairpin was slightly askew from the Anchor's chaos. The small injuries she received during all those ambushes had already healed. Her cultivation also crept closer to the late Foundation Establishment. The gains from the expedition were truly astronomical. It had easily beaten meditating and cultivating for a few months.

In any case, the foreign energy also left her cultivation base slightly unsettled. Jiang Jianxin could at least expel some of them due to how she's already at the peak, and nudging it further would force her to form her Golden Core and break through to the Core Formation Stage. She had to suppress it for now. At least, until they finished their exploration of the Anchor.

"Senior Sister," Li Ruo said, straightening as Jiang Jianxin approached. "I'm fine, just a bit drained. The disciples are stable too, thanks to the store's talismans. We'll do better next time."

Jiang Jianxin's silver eyes narrowed, her hand resting on the hilt of her Ethereal Cloud Edge. "Good. All of you did well. Take this time to rest and stabilize your cultivation. You'll need it to prevent the foreign energy from encroaching further."

Li Ruo's lips twitched, a faint echo of her usual playfulness surfacing. "I overheard, Senior Sister. You're off to Fanling City again."

Jiang Jianxin's expression softened, a shadow of Lin Mo's wry grin crossing her mind. "Mhm. Elder Shi needs some [Spirit Cleansing Elixir] for the poison. Do you want something?"

"Snacks. I heard the gummies taste great, Senior Sister! Oh, and also Card Packs. I think we failed to use the full potential of the Celestial Duel Gear. From the Shopkeeper's post, he said building a personal deck could provide improvements in utilizing it. While Starter Decks are good to go, they're more generalized and won't provide complex strategies.

"Card Packs? Alright. I'll get us one. I also haven't used mine so… I might try it out there. Let the artificers inspect that dagger we looted. It might be valuable."

"Yes, Senior Sister!" Li Ruo flashed a smile and bowed. She watched Jiang Jianxin's retreating figure as the Sword Fairy strode out of the alchemy hall.

—

In the Inner Abyssal Circle, Venom Master Xun gathered her Arachnid Branch cult members and Doom Spiders outside the main temple. Today is the day they set out for the Bone Ash Syndicate's territories. Along with the Wasp Branch, their task is to spread the influence of the store and put them under the cult's banner.

The eight-foot-tall arachnids, the Doom Spiders, though terrifying, weren't considered demonic beasts that were impossible to tame.

Venom Master Xun had captured the Doom Broodmother and put it under her control. Its hatchlings were then put under the care of her most trusted acolytes, their silk-wrapped forms scuttling in eerie unison behind her.

The Doom Spiders' eyes glinted like polished obsidian, their mandibles clicking softly as they awaited her command.

The Wasp Branch, led by Venom Master Huangfeng, hovered nearby. They're wearing sleek black armor buzzing with faint spiritual energy, wasp-like wings folded against their backs.

Venom Master Xun's indigo robes billowed in the temple's shadowed courtyard, her long hair woven with delicate silver threads that shimmered like a spider's web under the dim light.

Her Viewing Jade glowed faintly in her hand, its screen displaying the latest Bulletin Board thread. Liu Xiaoyu's infuriatingly viral thread about Lin Mo's duel with Yu Qingyan. Her lips curled into a predatory smirk, yet her eyes burned with a mix of envy and calculation.

"Shopkeeper, you're making waves without me," She murmured softly as a wicked yet alluring grin peeked from her lips. She tapped out a quick thread as her fingers danced across the jade.

[DuelDrama is insignificant. Wait for my arrival in Fanling City – ArachnidMistress]

"Emissary Yu thinks she's stolen the stage, but my webs are wider. Fanling City awaits, Shopkeeper. Save a dance for me."

Huangfeng approached, his wasp-like eyes narrowing as he caught her expression. "Venom Master Xun, the Syndicate's outposts are fortified, but their scouts are stretched thin. We strike their southern supply line at dusk. The Doom Spiders will handle their sentries, and my Wasps will secure the perimeter. But this detour to Fanling City… is it wise?"

Xun's smirk widened, her gaze flicking to the Viewing Jade before pocketing it. She glanced at him and waved her hand, her grand ambition radiating from her body. "Wise? Huangfeng, the Shopkeeper is waiting for me. I must make this connection with him to stay ahead. His products fuel half the realm's cultivators, and his Bulletin Board shapes their whims. If we control his influence, even that old man will kneel without a fight. Fanling is no detour. It's the heart of my web."

She raised a hand, and a Doom Spider scuttled forward, its silk trailing behind it like a ghostly thread. She plucked the strand, weaving it absentmindedly between her fingers. "Besides, I'm curious. The Shopkeeper's no mere merchant. I want to see what makes him tick… and if he'll squirm in my parlor. Of course, that's after we dealt with the Syndicate. Bringing them as a gift on a silver platter should be sufficient. Let's go and spread his convenience."

Huangfeng nodded, though his expression remained skeptical. Their position was the same but anyone could tell that he was subordinate to her.

"Alright. The caravan departs in an hour. We'll reach the Syndicate's border by nightfall and Fanling by tomorrow's dawn at the quickest."

Xun nodded with her eyes shimmering with anticipation. "Good. Ensure the Doom Broodmother is secured. Her hatchlings are our trump card. And Huangfeng, look out for my subordinate coming back from the city. He should be procuring the [Celestial Duel Gear Bundle] by now."