Divine Convenience Store

Before the winged Decrint Tribe Skirmisher landed, a translucent barrier seemingly activated like a dome, preventing it from crashing into the venue. It was the natural defensive formation setup around the valley of the Red Lotus Academy.

The creature slammed into the invisible barrier with a wet thud, sliding down its surface before collapsing onto the ground just outside the academy's main gate, twitching and whimpering.

Through his spiritual senses, Lin Mo noticed that it was grievously injured, with deep, cauterized wounds smoking on its back as if it had been slashed before it fled from whoever caused it.

That's weird. Shouldn't they be the invader? Why is this one running away? Someone eliminated his group that breached the Anchor?

The joyous atmosphere of the inauguration ceremony evaporated instantly. It was replaced by a tense, shocked silence. Thousands of students and faculty stared at the fallen creature, then at the sky from which it had come.

"What in the heavens was that?" A professor muttered as he reached for his defensive artifact.

Headmaster Feng Haoran's warm demeanor vanished, replaced by the sharp authority of a peak expert.

"Grandmaster Lian, lockdown protocol! Seal the valley! All professors, establish defensive positions! Students, remain in your seats and do not panic!"

His orders were swift and clear, and the academy's faculty moved with efficiency as if they'd already done this kind of drill before.

Formations flared to life around the perimeter, and the professors, who moments ago were scholars, were now formidable cultivators ready for battle.

But Lin Mo's attention wasn't on the academy's response. His eyes were fixed on the sky. Whoever's chasing it should be coming.

As if on cue, the sky darkened.

Black dots started blotting out the sun. Not just one but at least twenty flying creatures had come chasing after the runaway Skirmisher.

Lin Mo narrowed his eyes to see their appearance, and to his surprise, they looked like flying beast-riding barbarians.

Before he could voice it out, one of the professors blurted out next to him, "They're from the Stormhowl Tribe! What are those barbarians doing this far from their mountain nests?"

The riders descended with terrifying speed. They were mounted on savage-looking wyverns, their leathery and bony wings beating against the air with a sound like thunder.

The tribesmen themselves were massive, their bodies covered in intricate dark cloud tattoos and clad in crude armor made of lightning-forged iron and beast hide. Each one wielded a gigantic, jagged axe that crackled with untamed lightning.

Although also storm-based like what the Liu Clan exhibited, their lightning seemed to be more unrefined. They're not traditional cultivators who focus on developing their spirits. Rather, they all seemed to be Body Cultivators. Those who focused on developing their bodies over their spirits

Their leader, a warrior with a wild mane of white hair, pointed his axe down at the fallen Decrint Skirmisher.

"It fell here!" He roared with a guttural voice that echoed through the valley, bypassing the formations. "The little sky-vermin is ours! Hand it over, valley-dwellers!"

Headmaster Feng stepped forward, his scholarly robes fluttering as he moved. His presence was calm but immensely powerful, which pushed back against the riders' oppressive presence.

"Chieftain Borok of the Stormhowl Tribe," Headmaster Feng started. "Your hunting grounds do not extend to the Serene Lotus Valley. This creature, whatever it may be, landed within the bounds of our academy. By ancient and kingdom law, it is our matter to deal with now. State your purpose, or turn back."

Chieftain Borok let out a harsh, mocking laugh. "Ancient law? Kingdom law? Your paper laws mean nothing in the sky! We tracked this foul beast from the Graypeak Mountains. It is part of a swarm that plagues our lands, a new pestilence appearing out of nowhere. We will have its head, and we will take its heart to learn its weakness! Stand aside!"

Lin Mo processed his words. A swarm that plagues their lands. So, they also hadn't been able to locate the Anchor yet? But he sounded like they were fighting them for so long already. It's just that those foreign creatures had never been able to get away from them.

Which means… the Anchor was probably hidden within their territory.

Graypeak Mountains. According to the map of the Southern Wu Kingdom he'd gotten from the First Princess, it should be right in the middle, sandwiched between this Serene Lotus Valley and the northern border where the Crown Prince was defending against other barbarian tribes outside the Kingdom's territory.

The wounded Decrint Skirmisher, hearing the chieftain's roar, let out a terrified squeak. It scrambled on its broken wings, trying desperately to crawl away from the Stormhowl riders and towards the academy's gate, as if sensing the 'valley-dwellers' were the lesser of two evils.

Chieftain Borok's eyes narrowed in fury at the creature's defiance. "Insolence! You will not deny us our prey!"

He raised his crackling axe. "Break their shiny wall! The first warrior to bring me the vermin's head gets its wings as a trophy!"

The twenty Stormhowl riders let out a unified war cry. They and their wyverns surged forward, their lightning-charged axes aimed directly at the academy's defensive barrier.

"Hold the line!" Grandmaster Lian commanded, her hands already weaving intricate signs as the academy's main defensive formation pulsed with power.

The first wave of axes slammed into the barrier. The translucent dome shimmered violently, groaning under the assault. The sheer, brute force of twenty wyvern-riders was immense. While the formation held, cracks of spiritual energy began to spiderweb across its surface.

Lin Mo watched the scene unfold, analyzing the pros and cons of this situation.

Clearly, a direct conflict would be a waste of resources for both sides. The academy would eventually repel them, especially if they started using the store products or just the Celestial Duel Great. And it'll be a great cost to their energy reserves. The Stormhowl Tribe would lose warriors and gain nothing. It was an inefficient and inconvenient mess.

After weighing in his choices, he stepped forward, magnifying his voice to cut through the din of the current conflict. It wasn't loud but everyone clearly heard it as it carried a strange authority that made both sides pause.

"Please wait. I believe there is a more convenient solution to this."

Headmaster Feng and Chieftain Borok both turned their heads, their attention drawn to the surprisingly calm shopkeeper standing on the ceremonial stage.

Lin Mo met the furious gaze of the Stormhowl Chieftain without flinching. Well, his aura was blocked by the formation and the Headmaster. Furthermore, Grandmaster Lian positioned herself in front of him as though she were ready to use her body to protect him. After all, he's not only their honored guest. What his existence represents is the Divine Convenience Store and the Divine Pantheon behind him.

"Chieftain Borok, you want to learn the creature's weaknesses, correct? To better fight this 'swarm' as you call it?"

"What is it to you, little man?" Borok sneered. Nevertheless, he momentarily held his attack as he was intrigued by Lin Mo's audacity.

"I can offer you something better than its heart," Lin Mo said as his lips curled into a familiar, confident smile. "I can offer you data. A full tactical report on its species, its strengths, its weaknesses, its biology, and the possible location of its nest. Or rather, the origin of their existence. I'll give you everything you need to know to exterminate this 'pestilence' efficiently."

He then turned to Headmaster Feng. "And Headmaster, this creature is a symptom of a realm-wide threat. I believe I've already mentioned it in the Bulletin Board. This creature. It's a Decrint Tribe Skirmisher. A native of the Highland Realm. One of the four Outer Realms that deployed those Anchors to mount their invasion. For it to be outside, an undiscovered Anchor had been breached. Studying it alive is far more valuable than letting it be hacked to pieces. It's a research opportunity."

He looked back at the chieftain. "I will provide both of you with what you want. In exchange, the Red Lotus Academy will take custody of the live specimen for study, and the Stormhowl Tribe will cease its attack and receive a full tactical briefing as my… new customers."

A stunned silence fell over the valley. The students stared, the professors gaped, and the wyvern-riders exchanged confused glances.

Chieftain Borok was the first to break the silence with a booming laugh. "Data? A briefing? You think words can kill these monsters? We need blood and bone, not scrolls and whispers!"

"My 'words', you see…" Lin Mo replied as his lips curved up further as though his smile was sharpening, "...come with a quality guarantee. And to show my sincerity…"

He raised his hand. From the Store Token, where he could access a part of the Divine System Interface, a single, humble-looking can of [Heavenly Dew Soda] materialized in front of him.

With a flick of his wrist, he sent it soaring through the air. The academy's barrier parted just enough to let it pass, and it landed squarely in Chieftain Borok's outstretched hand with a soft thud.

"...a complimentary sample for a potential new patron."