Divine Convenience Store

Left behind with Wu Meiyu, Lin Mo shifted his attention back to her. "Your Highness, I believe your kingdom will also benefit from the Faction Recruitment Hall and the Mercenary & Adventurer's Guild. I'm honestly ignorant of your conflict with the northern barbarians but with how the realm changes, it's about time for our realm to work towards unity."

"I understand, Shopkeeper. I'll send a message to the capital. No, I'll message Royal Father on his Viewing Jade. He should've received one by now. My Royal Brother, who should be guarding the north, was already hooked by your convenience and the challenges in the Conduit Tower. All they're doing up there right now is to prevent the northern barbarians from breaking past our border and raiding our kingdom's territories."

Wu Meiyu's expression became more thoughtful. "Our kingdom's northern army is formidable, but it's a constant drain on our resources. If we could post commissions on your new 'Mercenary's Guild' for specialized tasks, like scouting deep into barbarian territory or assassinating a troublesome chieftain that continues to worsen the conflict with them, it could free up our main forces to deal with more significant threats. Like the Anchors."

"Exactly," Lin Mo agreed. "It's about efficiency. Why send a whole regiment when a small, specialized team of rogue cultivators, motivated by a hefty reward, can do the job better and faster? The kingdom saves resources, and the cultivators get a chance to earn wealth and recognition. It's a convenient cycle. And perhaps, you can also find a middle ground with them and achieve peace for the realm. They could also help us in repelling the Outer Realm threats."

A genuine smile touched Wu Meiyu's lips. "You truly see the world differently, Shopkeeper. Unfortunately, this realm will just not run out of conflict, even with a common threat as we all walk different paths. Nevertheless, I'm inspired to follow in your footsteps. For the good of the realm. Maybe I should also start bettering my cultivation and not remain stagnant at the Foundation Establishment Stage. You and Xiaoyu are about to catch up to me."

"It's just good business." Lin Mo said with a shrug, though her praise sent a pleasant warmth through him. He was about to ask her for more details on the political landscape of the Northern Arctic Dominion, but the familiar, gentle chime of the Divine System Interface echoed through the now-quiet store.

The day was officially over.

The daily evaluation materialized in the air before him, its soft glow illuminating their faces.

[Weekly Tasks - Completed]

[Pending New Tasks: 1 day left]

—

[Day 17 Evaluation: Excellent]

[Sales Summary: 1891 Transactions]

[Revenue: 1301542 Intermediate-grade Spirit Stones]

[Celestial Duel Gear Bundle Sold: 500 units]

[Awakened Celestial Duel Mode Activation: 520 units]

[Divine Hall & Exhibition Arena Usage: 12 hours]

[Normal Cultivation and Training Room Usage: 211 sessions]

[Premium Cultivation and Training Room Usage: 34 sessions]

—

[Viewing Jades Sold: 3015 units (total 14714 units)]

[Store Bulletin Board User Count: 12101 users]

[Golden Patron Count: 145]

—

[Celestial Shuttle Network Trips: 2,560 passengers]

[Dimension Essence Balance: 978,912 DE]

—

[Rewards: +50 Spirit Stones to Personal Balance for both Shopkeeper and Assistant, +35 Spirit Stones for the Staff]

[Tier Progression: Renowned Store (3669138/100000000), Golden Card Patron (145/1000)]

Lin Mo scanned the figures. The growth was relentless. The revenue had climbed past 1.3 million intermediate-grade spirit stones for the day, and the Dimension Essence balance was steadily recovering, nearing the one million mark again.

The number of Bulletin Board users had surged past twelve thousand, a clear sign that the network's influence was spreading like wildfire.

The most telling statistic, however, was the number of shuttle trips. Over 2,500 passengers in a single day. The realm was becoming smaller, more connected, with his store at its absolute center.

"The numbers continue to astound me," Wu Meiyu murmured, her eyes fixed on the progression bar. "At this rate, the store will become a 'Legendary Store' in a matter of months."

"Right, that next tier is our next goal but don't worry too much about it. It'll arrive sooner than we'd hope for," Lin Mo said. He glanced at his own personal balance reward.

The spirit stones were piling up, but he hadn't had a single moment to think about what to do with them. Maybe he could finally start looking at the more expensive, personal cultivation items in the store's catalog, not just the manuals. But at the moment, all he's lacking is a unique defensive item different from the defensive talismans or instant formation kits being sold in the store.

That way, he'd be more confident fighting outside, right? He's thinking of trying to finish climbing the Jade Hollow Conduit Tower and the newly appeared Abyssal Forest Conduit Tower.

Speaking of those towers, Sword Fairy successfully completed the 10th floor of the Jade Hollow Conduit Tower. Her name was now second to Liu Xiaoyu in the list of those who completed all ten challenges.

According to the disciples of the Cerulean Cloud Sword Sect active on the Bulletin Board, she had already gone into a secluded cultivation to prepare for tackling the Core Formation Stage.

Core Formation Stage required a cultivator to form their own Core. The Golden Core was the highest quality one could form, a flawless condensation of one's essence, spirit, and qi, creating a perfect foundation for future realms. It was the equivalent of achieving a Perfect Foundation.

Below it were the Silver Core, a mark of exceptional talent but with minor imperfections, and the common Bronze Core, the standard for most cultivators who successfully made the breakthrough.

To form a Golden Core, one needed not just a stable and sturdy foundation, but also profound enlightenment and a flawless state of mind during the breakthrough. A cultivator with a Perfect Foundation would have a higher chance of achieving it.

Meanwhile, Chu Yueying was also diligently preparing her body and mind for it in the store's training rooms for the past two days. Most likely, she had already finished. Like Jiang Jianxin, she's also about to become a Core Formation Stage cultivator.

Yu Qingyan, too. Whatever was waiting for her in that Secret Realm, she might return like she was reborn. A silent anticipation was building up in the corner of his mind for her.

Suddenly, a thought struck Lin Mo.

Everyone around him was striving for the pinnacle. A Perfect Foundation, a Golden Core. Xiaoyu, Jiang Jianxin, Chu Yueying, Yu Qingyan, and even the young men like Yan Wei and Zhou Rui were aiming for the very best. What about him?

He had cultivated powerful techniques, divine artifacts, and the Celestial Providence, but was he aiming for the pinnacle himself?

He had been so focused on managing the store, on surviving, on living a quiet life and expanding, that he hadn't truly considered his own long-term cultivation goals beyond the next immediate stage.

"Your Highness," Lin Mo said, turning to Wu Meiyu, his expression turning serious. "You mentioned bettering your cultivation. Have you considered aiming for a Golden Core?"

Wu Meiyu was taken aback by the direct question. A flicker of wistfulness crossed her face before her regal composure returned. "A Golden Core is the dream of every cultivator, Shopkeeper. But it is a path for true geniuses with unparalleled resources and fortune. My royal duties, my responsibilities... they do not always allow for the single-minded focus required for such a feat. A Silver Core would be a great blessing for my kingdom."

"Perhaps, your fate getting entangled in the store can also give birth to the first Golden Core of the Southern Wu Kingdom. What do you think?" Lin Mo said, his tone slightly teasing.

That earned a chuckle from the composed princess, "Indeed, perhaps the store products and the facilities in this establishment can help me achieve something no one, not even my Royal Brother, the Crown Prince, could achieve."

"Mhm. This store specializes in turning the impossible into the convenient. Maybe it's also time I started treating my own cultivation with the same ambition I treat my business."

He made a decision. He would not just reach the Foundation Establishment Stage. He would achieve a Perfect Foundation and then, he would also forge a Golden Core. He would use every resource his store had to offer to walk the path of the absolute peak. He was going to embody the very ideal he was selling: the pursuit of perfection through convenience.

Wait, was that really what he's trying to achieve? Because with the spark of divine energy within his chest and his title of Convenience Saint, a path to becoming a divine being was also laid in front of him.

As if sensing his resolve, Wu Meiyu's expression softened. "If anyone in this realm can achieve it, Shopkeeper, it would be you."

As he closed the evaluation, a notification from the Divine System Interface smacked right in front of his face. And upon reading it, he couldn't help the wry grin to creep onto his face.

[System Notification: Personal Task for Shopkeeper Lin Mo has been generated by Zhenren Taihao]

[Task: Foundation Establishment Preparation]