Divine Convenience Store

Although a little puzzled, Captain Zhao was a soldier and quickly assessed the situation. He nodded and had his squad move with disciplined precision.

"Hope these spears are worth the stones, Shopkeeper!" The scarred guard charged forward, thrusting his [Mortal-Grade Spirit Spear] at the fledgling Lin Mo indicated.

To his surprise, the entity's reaction was slow. The spear pierced its elongated arm, drawing a spray of green blood that sizzled like acid against the stone floor.

The Fledgling shrieked, which made the city guards and Lin Mo frown from discomfort. Then, its pierced limb twisted unnaturally in an attempt to counterattack. The scarred guard was almost lifted by the force of the rotation after failing to pull the spear's tip out in time.

Luckily for him, Captain Zhao and other guards rushed over, forming a tight circle around it, skewering it in all directions.

It twitched and then stopped moving altogether. Like its blood, the lifeless husk gradually sizzled, transforming into a purple haze that was absorbed by the squad of city guards.

Lin Mo, watching that scene, sensed their cultivation base rising. Three of them even broke through to the next minor realm, drawing gasps of surprise.

It's like getting experience points and leveling up.

"What just happened? Killing it can make us stronger," Captain Zhao muttered.

Meanwhile, the monk slammed his staff onto the ground, sending a pulse of golden light that staggered the second Fledgling. "Amitabha, your threads are tangled, lost ones. Be freed!"

His mantra surged again, bolstered by Elder Wen's incantation. Her jade compass steadied, channeling a stream of spiritual energy that reinforced the monk's barrier, its golden glow pushing back the entities' disruptive hum.

The third Fledgling locked its glowing slits on Lin Mo as if it recognized that he's the one leading the group.

Its body swayed, dodging the monk's golden light and surged forward to the side with unsettling speed.

Its [Adaptive Resonance] vibrated, sending a wave of foreign energy that clashed with the barrier covering them. Elder Wen's junior diviners tumbled back as the barrier shattered from their side.

"Here I thought I had to go out there and lure you in." Lin Mo gritted his teeth as his spiritual energy circulated before pooling down his feet.

Using [Crimson Flow Phantom Steps], his figure became a blur as he darted forward, his body weaving through the Fledgling's clawing limbs with otherworldly grace.

"I apologize, no matter how I look at it, you cannot be a customer of our store." His fingers curled, channeling the insights he gained from [Foundational Martial Technique], mimicking Xiaoyu's [Tempest Claw Technique]. It's not the exact technique, but his hands became infused with spiritual energy that formed into claws as he raked across the Fledgling's chest, tearing through its husk-like form.

Purple blood sprayed and the entity staggered. However, that's not enough to take it down. These Fledglings are equivalent to Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators. His strength was insufficient to take it down in one strike.

Just in time, the monk's mantra overwhelmed the second Fledgling, its body freezing under the golden light as his staff sealed its fate. He then turned around, charging towards Lin Mo and the injured Fledgling.

With a shriek, the remaining Fledgling swiped at Lin Mo's figure, which turned into an afterimage, his movement technique displacing him to its right, his clawed hands ready to draw more purple blood.

Captain Zhao and his guards also moved from their positions, but it didn't matter anymore as the monk came in from the left, doing a palm strike at the same time as Lin Mo's claws severed the Fledgling's arm.

The same as the first two, the moment it died, its body turned into a purple haze before splitting into two, absorbed by both Lin Mo and the monk.

The Divine Interface System chimed, updating in real-time:

[Entity Neutralized: Anchor Fledgling (3/3)]

[Foreign Energy Saturation: Reduced by 5%]

[Note: Neutralizing remaining entities may further stabilize the environment. Proceed to Anchor Core for full assessment.]

Lin Mo dusted off his uniform as he sensed his body breaking through to the next minor realm.

7th level Spirit Condensation Stage! He's now only a level behind his prodigious assistant.

As for Monk Huiyin, there's no difference. He's still like a bundle of mystery with his true strength concealed.

"Amitabha. Benefactor, your spark burns brighter in this place. These entities can raise someone's cultivation upon their defeat. Take it as our realm, stealing their essence and transforming it into ours.

"Is that how it is, dear customer?" Lin Mo asked. Because other than the 'experience points' they absorbed, the [Anchor Interference and Tower Integration Protocol] also collected Dimension Essences from the three Fledglings, 300 to be exact.

He glanced around him. Aside from the City Guards, who were pleased at their increase in cultivation, Elder Wen also gained some with her assistance against the second Fledgling. And she, too, was baffled at it.

"No matter… Let's discuss this later. Let's press on." Lin Mo said, pointing towards their destination.

Everyone nodded as the guards popped [Spirit Replenishing Candies] while the diviners sipped on [Spirit Rejuvenating Tea]. The monk also took out an open packet of [Spirit-infused Potato Chips] and munched on a few pieces before putting the packet away.

—

The group pressed forward, Huiyin's golden barrier and the diviners' protective shell holding steady against the maze's intermittent surges of foreign energy.

The passages twist a few more times, but they ultimately connect to their destination. Lin Mo's [Stillwater Perception] mapped every turn, noting dead ends and faint traces of more Fledglings lurking in the distance.

The system flagged seventeen remaining entities and for the next half an hour, they encountered two more groups of five and six.

The monk continued taking the vanguard while Captain Zhao's squad made up the brunt of the offensive, their [Mortal-Grade Spirit Spears] slicing through the Anchor Fledglings with disciplined precision.

Lin Mo darted through the skirmishes, his [Crimson Flow Phantom Steps] weaving him past clawing limbs as he landed calculated strikes with his makeshift claw technique and at one point, he asked Captain Zhao for a weapon. He's regretting not picking something from the store.

Like the first three, each kill fueled their cultivation while the store products kept them in top condition.

By the time they neutralized the third group, the Divine Interface System chimed again:

[Entities Neutralized: Anchor Fledglings (6/6)]

[Anchor's Separate Space: Unidentified]

[Status: Stabilized (Temporary Link Active, 47 hours 18 minutes remaining)]

[Environmental Hazard: Foreign Energy Saturation (Moderate, Increasing)]

[Effect: Spiritual energy efficiency reduced by 15%. Prolonged exposure risks cultivation dissonance (Estimated safe exposure: 5 hours).]

[Detected Entities: Mid-level threats (6). Classification: Unknown.]

[Recommendation: Proceed with caution. Neutralize or avoid entities on your path to the Anchor's Core.]

Lin Mo glanced at the updated detail. Six more remaining entities. There was no indication whether they're also Fledglings but the 'Low-level' had already disappeared, which meant they're about to face stronger adversaries.

After relaying that to the group, they proceeded with more caution. However, they didn't run into any entities anymore. They safely arrived before the passage wherein Lin Mo's spiritual perception couldn't pierce through.

"This… Shopkeeper. It's a natural formation separating the two spaces. Whatever's inside… it may not be that much different from what we encountered here." Elder Wen gave her evaluation after inspecting the transparent formation that only blocks spiritual perception but not physical passage.

"I see. What's beyond may be the place where we can find the Anchor's Core or just another series of maze-like passages. Either way, we have no other choice but to press on. Otherwise, our trip will be pointless. We, at least, have to get some information from the core regarding the Outer Realm set to invade us." Lin Mo said, narrowing his eyes as he stared up ahead.

Naturally, no one objected. That's the reason they ventured inside, after all. In Lin Mo's mind, this was like a scouting mission for a new dungeon. They're not here to clear it but to map its layout.

He was hoping to run into those inhabitants of the Outer Realm, like the green-skinned creatures that the Sword Fairy described. But that would only be possible at an active Anchor where this separate space became stabilized for those foreign entities to travel into.

Lin Mo waited for the mysterious monk to say something. However, he stayed silent. Or rather, he simply glanced at Lin Mo with his enigmatic eyes with a hint of acceptance. He sure mellowed out from speaking about divine threads or interference.

The monk had already accepted the fact that the Anchor was truly different from the Towers he destroyed before.

Soon, they ventured past the natural formation.

The moment they did, Lin Mo immediately spread his spiritual perception open, scanning the passages ahead.

And sure enough, it was still maze-like. However, perhaps attributed to the Anchor not being fully activated yet, there was only one open passage that led directly to the core.

When Lin Mo's senses ventured further inside, the Divine Interface System chimed in, informing him of what was waiting for them up ahead.

[Entities: Anchor Fledglings (Mid-tier)]

[Threat Level: 25-27 (Mid Foundation Establishment Stage)]

[Abilities: Energy Manipulation, Spatial Distortion]

[Note: They are Fledglings designed to protect the Anchor's Core. They're present during its Activation Phase and will transform into (High-tier) after. Neutralizing them is mandatory to access the Anchor's Core.]