Cloud Heaven Sword Sect

"Brother Ning? Brother Ning?"

"Mmm..."

A lazy voice emerged. Yang Ning, the owner of the Myriad Things Come shop, was lying on a massage bed, too lazy to even lift his eyelids.

Qiao Bin panted, licking his chapped lips. His hair was messy, dark circles hung heavily under his eyes, and he blinked incessantly, sniffling. His throat bobbed. "Th-that... do you still have that stuff?"

Yang Ning lazily sat up, looking at Qiao Bin's disheveled state, which bore no resemblance to the chief disciple of the Law Enforcement Hall.

"Didn't you just buy one the day before yesterday?"

Qiao Bin scratched his face, his breathing growing a little rapid. "G-give me two more!"

Yang Ning stretched languidly. "They're on the shelf. Help yourself."

Qiao Bin's eyes lit up. He trotted into the thatched hut. Watching Qiao Bin's retreating back, Yang Ning secretly thought: He really is a cultivator. One a day, and he's not dead yet. If he were a mortal, his ashes would probably be colorful.

A moment later, Qiao Bin walked out quickly, clutching a black-covered Lanzhou in his hand.

He sniffled, his steps hurried. As he walked, he tore open the plastic seal and entered the dedicated incense burning room.

Qiao Bin's eyes swept over more than a dozen cultivators from the Cloud Heaven Sword Sect sitting on rows of wooden benches. Each person had at least two Enlightenment Incense sticks beside them. The room was filled with swirling smoke, making it impossible for the cultivators to even see the faces of those sitting opposite them.

Inside the incense burning room, each cultivator displayed their unique Spiritual Power. Those from Beast Taming Peak used their spirit pets on their shoulders to light their incense, those from Dan Peak had exotic flames dancing on their fingertips, those from Artifact Peak took out various treasures, and some of the more affluent directly used luxurious lighters.

Qiao Bin pushed through the smoke, looking left and right. He finally found a spot by the side and immediately trotted over, afraid someone else would take it.

He lifted his white robe and sat down, crossing his legs, completely devoid of his usual immortal demeanor. As soon as Qiao Bin sat down, he saw an unextinguished "incense butt" lying on the ground. He quickly picked it up and blew on it, afraid the embers would die out.

"Good, good. No need to buy a lighter. Saved a Spirit Stone."

Qiao Bin tremblingly pulled out a Lanzhou, placed it in his mouth, and took a deep drag from the glowing butt.

"Hiss— whoosh—"

He squinted and slowly exhaled a wisp of green smoke. His cultivation, stuck at the early stage of Core Formation, broke through to the middle stage at that very moment. The Law Enforcement Hall had been swamped with affairs lately, and as the chief disciple, he had been busier than ever. Last night, he had been so anxious he couldn't enter a meditative state to cultivate, so he had resorted to his old method—a stick of Lanzhou.

Just then, a husky female voice came from beside him: "Junior Brother Qiao, congratulations on your breakthrough. Could I have a stick of Lanzhou... please?"

Qiao Bin turned and looked at the female cultivator before him. It was Dong Xiaojie, the second disciple of Jade Maiden Peak. She was tall and slender, wearing red-soled high heels that swayed as she walked, exuding an aura of a mature woman. She was also the first person to discover that Enlightenment Incense aided cultivation. Now, she was a powerful cultivator at the Nascent Soul Late Stage.

Qiao Bin immediately took out a stick from the black box and handed it to Dong Xiaojie with both hands.

"Senior Sister Dong, you are the grand senior sister of cultivation in our 'Incense Sect.' What's one stick of incense?"

Dong Xiaojie took the Lanzhou, put it in her mouth, and lit it with a lighter.

"Junior Brother Qiao flatters me. Your breakthroughs are all thanks to Boss Yang's Enlightenment Incense. How could I dare to be the grand senior sister?"

Qiao Bin chuckled sheepishly and glanced at the poster on the wall. It showed Miss Dong, wearing red-soled stilettos, holding a Lanzhou between her fingers. Below the poster was the slogan for Enlightenment Incense: Stranger Senior Brother, please give me a stick of Lanzhou.

Miss Dong, being one of the first customers of the Myriad Things Come shop, was generous, open-minded, and talkative. The two chatted while smoking the Enlightenment Incense, discussing everything from cultivation methods to sword techniques, from the affairs of various peaks to gossip and entertainment.

They talked about how the junior sister of Jade Maiden Peak had a new partner again, how the third disciple of Beast Taming Peak's spirit dog had bitten someone again, and how the Law Enforcement Hall was busy expanding its prison cells because they had recently captured many spies from the Demonic Cult...

As they chatted, they smoked Lanzhou one after another. Later, finding it not satisfying enough, they started smoking five or six sticks at a time. In less than the time it takes for half a cup of tea, the entire pack of Lanzhou had turned into a pile of cigarette butts, which they threw into the nearby trash can.

As more and more people filled the incense burning room, it became crowded. Dong Xiaojie stood up and patted Qiao Bin on the shoulder. "Junior Brother Qiao, come to Jade Maiden Peak another day. Senior Sister will introduce you to a partner."

Qiao Bin smiled foolishly, opened the first pack of the second carton, and handed the entire pack of Lanzhou to Miss Dong. "Ah, okay, Grand Senior Sister."

Dong Xiaojie smiled charmingly, reached out to take the Lanzhou, her red fingernail brushing Qiao Bin's hand. Then, she turned and walked into the smoke, her hips swaying, disappearing from Qiao Bin's burning gaze in her red-soled high heels.

Qiao Bin swallowed, took out another stick, put it in his mouth, and savored the recent conversation as he smoked, feeling warm inside. After a long while, he stood up, opened two packs of Lanzhou, and began distributing the Enlightenment Incense to the people in the room.

This was the rule of "Myriad Things Come Incense Sect." Cultivators who broke through with Enlightenment Incense had to distribute incense to their fellow disciples present, wishing each other good luck.