Divine Convenience Store

Yan Wei threw out a [Hurricane Talisman], creating a powerful gale that sent Zhou Rui flying backward. Another talisman that related to wind. He's quite fixated on obtaining anything that has to do with wind. Hence his frustration at not being able to buy the Celestial Wind Saber himself.

Zhou Rui countered by pulling out a [Wall Expansion Talisman], which, to the shock of everyone, instantly conjured an earth wall in midair, stopping his momentum before he crashed into the arena barrier.

The audience lost their minds.

"WHAT KIND OF BATTLE IS THIS?!"

"They're using store items like they're throwing spirit stones away!"

"DOESN'T MATTER. I NEED TO BUY THOSE TALISMANS!"

Even the sect elders, who had initially frowned upon the match's unorthodox nature, were now watching intently, murmuring amongst themselves about potential applications of these store products in actual battles.

Back on the battlefield, Yan Wei clicked his tongue in annoyance. He still had a lot of items in his sleeve but he didn't want to use them all. He'd be scolded by his father again for burning spirit stones as if he's mining it himself.

Zhou Rui was the same. His pocket wasn't as deep as Yan Wei so he had to end this match soon or he'd lose.

"Let's finish this," He said, reaching into his robes one last time.

The crowd watched with bated breath.

From his sleeve, Zhou Rui pulled out—

A Banana Peel.

Yan Wei stared. The audience stared speechless.

"…What."

Without a word, Zhou Rui flicked it toward Yan Wei's feet.

The golden peel landed with unnatural precision.

Yan Wei's instincts screamed at him. He tried to sidestep, but his earlier [Featherweight Talisman] made him too light, throwing off his balance.

His foot landed directly on the banana peel.

SLIP!

"Ah!"

WHAM! THUD!

Yan Wei crashed onto the arena floor with an earth-shaking thud.

The audience erupted into pandemonium.

"WHAT KIND OF FINISHER IS THIS?!"

"IS THAT EVEN LEGAL?! WHERE DID HE GET THAT PEEL?!"

Yan Wei groaned as his vision spun. Zhou Rui stood over him, shaking his head in disappointment as he clicked his tongue.

"Even the mighty Azure Gale Young Master falls to the power of the Banana Peel from the Divine Convenience Store."

The golden panel overhead switched the camera view, announcing the winner of the match.

[WINNER: ZHOU RUI.]

At the VIP seats, while everyone was shocked at the result, he was more stupefied to see that Banana Peel. Who among the divine beings thought that was a valid product? It's not even a banana fruit, it's simply its peel.

Meanwhile, Liu Xiaoyu who was just happily counting the number of spirit stones that piled up in front of her, wondering how Lin Mo would praise her for her quick thinking, was also dumbfounded when the match abruptly ended.

She remembered seeing that banana peel yesterday. It wasn't an item being sold in the store but somehow, it appeared on one of the shelves. Most likely, it got caught up with the automatic restocking of the store which happens overnight.

She thought of picking it up and throwing it away or asking Lin Mo about it. However, she failed to do any of it because it was during the time they opened. She eventually got distracted by a new customer and it took hours before she remembered it. When she returned to the corner where she saw it, it was gone.

"Someone from the Crimson Vale Sect disciples yesterday picked it up. That Zhou Rui wouldn't dare. He'd ask Boss if it's an item for sale rather than pocketing it in his robes."

As Liu Xiaoyu was trying to make sense of how a banana peel ended up becoming a finisher move of Zhou Rui, those who betted for the Crimson Vale Sect disciple erupted into madness around her makeshift betting corner.

"HAHAHAHA! I WON! I WON! PAY UP!"

Another disciple from Crimson Vale Sect jumped in place, clutching his bet slip like it was a treasured divine artifact. He wasn't alone, Su Mei and several others who had bet on Zhou Rui were grinning from ear to ear, their outstretched hands eagerly waiting for their winnings.

Meanwhile, the Azure Gale Sect disciples were the picture of despair.

"Impossible... Young Master lost?!"

"How?! It was just a banana peel! A BANANA PEEL!"

"This can't be happening... My spirit stones..." One disciple fell to his knees, cradling his empty pouch like a grieving widow. Another simply stood in stunned silence, staring at the sky as if questioning the heavens themselves.

The contrast between the two sects couldn't have been greater.

On one side, Crimson Vale Sect disciples were howling with laughter, practically rolling on the ground at the absurd conclusion of the match.

On the other, Azure Gale Sect disciples were mourning their losses, some even arguing among themselves.

"I told you not to bet everything!"

"I was sure! The odds favored Young Master Yan! WHO WOULD'VE THOUGHT HE'D LOSE TO A PEEL?!"

Liu Xiaoyu was completely unfazed. She moved with the efficiency of an experienced assistant store manager, quickly distributing spirit stones to the winners while collecting the losing bets with a neutral, professional expression.
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However, deep inside, she was grinning like a greedy fox.

Zhou Rui's victory had been an upset. Because Yan Wei had the edge as the young master of the Azure Gale Sect, many betted for his win even if the return was lower.

And now, an upset meant huge profits for the house. Even after paying out the winners, she had made a tidy sum from the sheer number of people who had bet against him.

'This is the beauty of gambling. I finally understood the Boss's choice of expansion last night.' She thought, humming to herself as she pocketed a handful of spirit stones.

In total, the store made close to 50 high-grade spirit stones. Not that bad for their first gig.

—

Back in the arena, Zhou Rui stood over Yan Wei with an amused expression.

"Well fought," He said as he offered a hand, his saber was already sheathed on his back.

Yan Wei groaned but begrudgingly accepted the help, allowing himself to be pulled up. His robes were a mess, his hair disheveled, and worst of all, his pride was in shambles. Still, thanks to the array formation on the stage, their injuries immediately healed the moment the match was concluded.

He glared at Zhou Rui. "Hmph. A banana peel? Is your sect so poor that you even resort to using such an unconventional item?"

Zhou Rui grinned. "You should know by now that in battle, the most unexpected weapons are often the most effective. This was given to me by a junior brother. He said he picked it up inside the store. There's no price tag so he took it with him like a good-luck charm. I meant to ask Benefactor about that peel today but as you can see… I had no time to do that."

Yan Wei clicked his tongue but didn't argue. As much as he hated to admit it, Zhou Rui had won.

He glanced at the audience, seeing the shocked faces of his fellow sect members, the barely-contained laughter from the Crimson Vale Sect, and the smug look on Liu Xiaoyu's face as she counted her earnings.

This was a humiliating loss.

But...

Yan Wei took a deep breath and extended his hand.

"You won," He admitted. "Next time, I'll be ready."

Zhou Rui clasped his hand with a grin. "Looking forward to it. This stage is incredible. We can fight with everything we have and we won't risk any injury."

The handshake between the two fighters drew a round of applause, with many cultivators in the audience nodding in approval. It was rare to see two hotheaded young talents settle their differences so amicably.

Of course, the moment was slightly ruined when a voice from the VIP seats shouted—

"I DID NOT TRAIN MY DISCIPLES TO USE BANANA PEELS IN A BATTLE! YOU BITCH!"

Elder Chu Yueying looked absolutely livid, while Yu Qingyan was simply struggling to breathe from laughter.

As for the other VIPs seated around them, they tried to calm her down. However, when Zhou Rui saw her, he immediately knew he'd be scolded by her later.

Just as the excitement was dying down, Lin Mo walked toward the stage, a satisfied smile on his lips.

He knew too well that he shouldn't let go of this opportunity to further advertise his store and everything it could offer.