Divine Convenience Store

After a whole night of walking from the Jade Hollow Plains, the thin, bald monk approached Fanling City's gates, his patched robes fluttering in the morning breeze.

His staff tapped a steady rhythm against the earth, leaving a faint trail in his wake.

The Conduit Tower's shadow still loomed in his mind, as it was his mission to destroy all of them. But before that, he had to confirm the divine thread linked with it.

The Divine Convenience Store was the key and the Shopkeeper, Lin Mo, the so-called Convenience Saint, was its heart.

Cultivators and mortals parted for him, their whispers trailing in his wake.

"A wandering monk… is he here for the store?"

"He looks like he traveled all the way here on foot. Hurry, give him water."

The monk paid them no mind, his spiritual senses attuned to the faint pulse of divine energy emanating from one corner of the city. It was subtle, like a candle in a storm, but unmistakable to one who'd toppled Towers and unraveled their secrets. Not to mention the spiritual energy concentrated in that area.

As he neared the store, its unassuming facade belied the chaos within. Cultivators crowded the entrance, clutching [Celestial Duel Gear] bundles and chattering about the platform's launch.

The monk's eyes narrowed, his [Thousandfold Spring Chant] sharpening his perception. The store's energy was no mere merchant's trick—it was divine, woven into every talisman, every snack, every artifact.

"Amitabha," He murmured as his fingers fiddled with his prayer beads. "A merchant who carries the will of the divine beings. Or perhaps, a pawn in their game. I shall see for myself."

He stepped into the line, his presence drawing curious glances but no challenges.

The young cultivator from the plains had been right. Nobody messed with the store. Not yet, at least. But the monk's mission was clear: understand the Shopkeeper, unravel the store's purpose, and determine if its divine thread was a blessing or a threat to the realm.

—

[Come and challenge me! - UnrivaledGale]

"Everyone. This young master has rented the Divine Convenience Store's multipurpose hall for five full hours! I welcome any challenge, be it a traditional duel or a Celestial Duel. No need to be scared of getting beaten up! The Divine Arena of the store will protect you from serious injuries! Regardless, if that's not enough security for you, spectating is also free! Come and witness this young master's greatness!"

From the time it was posted, it raked in hundreds of comments, most of which were mocking UnrivaledGale – Yan Wei – for his arrogance. His anonymity had long been unmasked thanks to the nature of his threads. Not to mention, there is a glaring indication of him being one of the store's Golden Patrons.

Despite that, however, many also commented that they were taking up the challenge and were on their way to Fanling City, telling him to be ready.

Inside the [Divine Arena & Exhibition Hall], six figures were currently facing off on the stage. Three of them were disciples of Azure Gale Sect, while the other three were composed of a student from Red Lotus Academy and disciples of Crimson Vale and White Ember sect.

All six wore the [Celestial Duel Gear] on their wrist, their spiritual energy pouring into the artifact. They were currently holding a group match with the stage already transformed into a Celestial Field.

Still, none of them activated the Awakened Celestial Duelist mode, making it a casual game of the [Celestial Duel Platform]. The one where there was a Setting and Battle Phase to practice tactical deployments and swift strategies.

A group battle wasn't that much different than a solo one since the rule of winning was the same: bring down their opponents' Celestial Energy to 0.

Furthermore, each group had uniform decks. The Azure Gale group had the [Crimson Battle Spirits] deck while their opponents used the [Celestial Idols] deck.

Just like last time, the high-quality projection or illusion of the Celestial Idols was so popular with the spectators, especially with men. Many threads were even created advocating for those who'd buy the [Celestial Duel Gear] bundle to pick the one with the [Celestial Idols] as the starter deck.

Perhaps, if posting an image were available, the Bulletin Board would already be flooded with shots of every Celestial Idols' unit.

At the moment, they're already at the [Battle Phase] of the 3rd round.

The mixed group gained an advantage during the previous round as they all landed a direct attack against their opponents, while they barely suffered an injury from their destroyed units.

The group of Azure Gale disciples scrambled to reform the defense of their Summoned Units by activating Spell Cards and sending out Level 1 and 2 Units.

Unfortunately for them, the mixed group ignored those little units and went straight to damage directly again, even if they sacrificed a few, further cementing their advantage.

Within the audience stand, Liu Xiaoyu, manning the Betting Stall, was still hollering to the spectators to place their bets while also giving commentary on the current match.

With the golden screen up above showing a floating scoreboard that tracks the current state of the players down below, she managed to weave it into a tale of an epic battle.

"Ooh! That's gotta sting Player 5's [Sapphire Melody] hit Player 3 directly, bringing down her Celestial Energy to 1000. But wait! The [Sapphire Melody] cannot return anymore. Little [Battle Spirits] and [Crimson Bladed Disciples] have surrounded her!" Liu Xiaoyu's voice rang out from the betting stall as she continued to accept spirit stones betting on the mixed group. "Place your bets, dear customers. Will the Idols keep their groove, or can the Spirits claw back? Ten low-grade spirit stones minimum, let's see some guts!"

The arena pulsed with spiritual energy, the Celestial Field shimmering like a mirage as the six cultivators clashed in a flurry of summoned units and spell cards. The Azure Gale disciples, their faces taut with focus, summoned the Level 3 [Flame Vanguard] card, its fiery avatar roaring to life on the stage. The crowd gasped, the air crackling with heat, but the mixed group countered swiftly. The Red Lotus Academy student played the Level 3 Unit [Moonlit Muse], summoning a graceful figure that wove a barrier of silvery light, nullifying the Vanguard's charge. The Crimson Vale and White Ember disciples followed with a [Harmony Chord] spell, boosting their units' attack, and the Azure Gale team's Celestial Energy plummeted.

The spectators roared. Some waved recording jade to capture the match while others scrambled to toss spirit stones into Xiaoyu's betting pool. The Bulletin Board thread [Come and challenge me! - UnrivaledGale] was exploding in real-time, with users narrating the battle like how Xiaoyu did and many mocked Yan Wei's team for their shaky defence. A few bold commenters from the Northern Arctic Dominion even claimed that if their region finally got their hands on it, they'd win against any Celestial Duelist from the Eastern Abyssal Domain.

Yan Wei, seated in the VIP section of the stands, crossed his arms with a scowl. From out of nowhere, a jade fan snapped open with a flourish. "Tch, it doesn't matter, juniors. Even if you lose, this young master will avenge you later. Just go out and gain experience there." His voice carried just enough to draw chuckles from nearby spectators while his entourage of Azure Gale disciples nodded loyally, their eyes glued to the stage.

Grandmaster Lian chimed in, "Young Master Yan Wei, that's not good. You should guide them on how to properly manage their units. This game isn't so simple. One cannot win without properly strategizing their every move. And I'm not saying this to mock you. It will do you well to remember it, as the experience will be carried over when you use Awakened Celestial Duelist Mode."

The talisman grandmaster nodded in satisfaction as she watched the Red Lotus Academy student on the stage.

It was Liying, one of the three students who accompanied her a few days ago. The young woman was properly applying what she learned. She took up the mantle of being the leader of their group, commanding the other two where to move their Summoned Units.

With the group of Azure Gale disciples failing to recover from their earlier blunder, the match ended in the next round.

—

Back in the store proper, the Divine Convenience Store thrummed with barely contained energy as the morning sun climbed higher over Fanling City.

With the soundproofing of the multipurpose hall, he could barely hear the fervor happening inside. Nevertheless, with his eyes on the Bulletin Board and the constant stream of customers entering the store to go straight to it, he could tell that it was going well.

The [Celestial Duel Gear] launch was a resounding success that would continue to produce more activity within the store.

As he kept the Area Monitor and spiritual senses open, he checked the [Tower Integration Protocol], which glowed with fresh data.

[Dimension Essence Collected: 8213 (103713 total)]

The [Lucky Essence Drop] upgrade was already paying off, with essence trickling in faster than before as more challengers spent it on the Store beacon.

His thoughts were interrupted when the First Princess tugged his sleeve from his side before pointing at a thread recently posted by ArachnidMistress.

"Shopkeeper, who is this ArachnidMistress? Her threads reek of her obsession with you."