Myriad Things Come

Qiao Bin's gaze fell on the other man's glistening, oil-slick back. He tapped ash off his cigarette on the edge of the stool. "Brother Ning, is that shimmering stuff on your back Spirit Liquid?"

At that moment, the Spirit Stones in the basket inside the shop quietly vanished, and a glowing screen appeared before Yang Ning once more:

[System Prompt: Spirit Stone collection progress: 99999/100000 → 100000/100000, Level 2 · Large Supermarket list unlocked!]

[System Reward: Physique +10, Current Physique: 15 (Foundation Establishment Realm strength)]

[Next Stage: Level 3 · Simple Armory: 0/1000000]

[Please keep up the good work, host!]

The Level 1 System Mall had contained the goods you'd find in an ordinary Convenience Store: alcohol, drinks, cigarettes, and general merchandise. Now, the Level 2 System Mall had become a massive supermarket, with Home Furnishings, Electronic Products, and even a huge Bakery and Deli Area.

"Brother Ning? Brother Ning?" Qiao Bin called again twice.

A cool sensation coursed through Yang Ning's entire body. The bliss of his physique improving made him let out a soft hum. He answered lazily, "It's called Essential Oil. You rub it on your back during a massage to soothe your mood and improve your skin."

As a Core Formation cultivator, Qiao Bin keenly sensed Yang Ning's aura surge in that instant. The Mortal, who had previously possessed no cultivation at all, was suddenly radiating the pressure of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. His eyes lit up, and he was inwardly astonished. Brother Ning's place is full of strange treasures. This has to be cultivation Spirit Liquid! If I had this Spirit Liquid to go with Enlightenment Incense, my cultivation speed would skyrocket! Good heavens! I'd be unstoppable!

Qiao Bin licked his lips, suppressing his excitement as he rubbed his hands together and smiled ingratiatingly. "Brother Ning, there's no need to hide it from me. It's definitely Spirit Liquid."

The blissful feeling gradually faded. Yang Ning, still stuck in the breathing hole, rolled his eyes. "Call it whatever you like."

Qiao Bin swallowed and ventured, "Brother Ning, how many Spirit Stones for a bottle of this Spirit Liquid?"

Yang Ning's lips curled into the sly smile of a shrewd merchant. "Limited-edition item. Five Spirit Stones a bottle."

Qiao Bin's eyes gleamed. Though the Cloudsky Sword Sect was a top sect on a par with the Carefree Holy Land, its disciples had to complete dangerous missions from the Bounty Pavilion to obtain cultivation aids like Spirit Liquid. Compared to those missions where they might barely escape with their lives, five Spirit Stones was an absolute bargain!

But he had just bought two cigarettes, and had already spent most of his monthly allowance.

"Brother Ning... Do you think you could..."

"No credit." Before he could finish, Yang Ning's languid voice came from beneath the bed.

Qiao Bin knew the Sect Rules were strict. The Sect Master forbade disciples from bullying ordinary people. Last year, a Senior Disciple Brother at the Nascent Soul stage had abducted a woman, and Yun Zishan, the Hall Master of the Law Enforcement Hall, had thrown him into an Alchemy Furnace. In the end, his body and soul were destroyed. Qiao Bin would never risk his life for a bottle of Spirit Liquid. Besides, he had long heard that some big shot at the Spirit Transformation Stage from Dan Peak was a regular at Yang Ning's shop. Brother Ning had powerful connections.

As a Core Formation cultivator, Qiao Bin received just ten Spirit Stones a month in salary, equivalent to about ten thousand Tongbao. After everyday expenses and cigarettes, he had only one Spirit Stone left on him.

Without a care for the dirt staining his white robe, Qiao Bin bent down and crawled beneath the Massage Bed. They faced each other, one above the other, separated by the breathing hole. Yang Ning kept his eyes closed, looking completely at ease.

Qiao Bin smiled obsequiously and lowered his voice. "Brother Ning~ It's only five Spirit Stones~ We've known each other for ages, and I'm a regular customer. Couldn't you make an exception?"

Yang Ning slowly cracked one eye open. His handsome face was crammed into the breathing hole, all scrunched up. "Little Qiao, it's not that I don't want to help you. I have plenty of regulars at my shop. If I let you buy on credit today, then someone else buys on credit tomorrow, what happens to my business?"

Qiao Bin scratched his head, growing more anxious by the moment. The Hall Master of the Law Enforcement Hall, Yun Zishan, had recently taken in a junior sister whose cultivation was advancing by leaps and bounds. She had already reached the late Foundation Establishment Stage, just one step away from Core Formation. As the Law Enforcement Hall's Senior Disciple Brother, Qiao Bin had only just broken through to the middle Core Formation Stage. The pressure was crushing.

If his junior sister, who had cultivated for less than ten years, surpassed him in another year or two, he—who had cultivated for seventy years—would become the laughingstock of the Sword Sect.

Qiao Bin took the incense ash from Yang Ning. His throat bobbed as he looked around to make sure no one was there. Then he lowered his voice and widened his eyes in a pitiful look. "Brother Ning, how about I leave my Jade Waist Token from the Law Enforcement Hall with you as collateral? Please, give me a chance..."

Yang Ning's eyes narrowed on the Massage Bed. He slowly sat up, a curl of smoke rising from the Lanzhou cigarette between his fingers. Qiao Bin immediately picked up the Incense Ash Pot beside him, holding it in one hand while undoing his Jade Waist Token with the other.

"Put it away. If your Hall Master finds out you used the Law Enforcement Hall Senior Disciple Brother's Jade Waist Token as collateral, she'll skin you alive."

Qiao Bin gave Yang Ning an awkward smile. He had already spent his monthly allowance and was out of options. Yang Ning smoked and gazed at the distant mountain peaks, never giving in. Qiao Bin forced himself to keep smiling.

As the seconds ticked by, Qiao Bin's smile grew more and more bitter. The pressure of cultivation weighed on his heart, so he began appealing to their friendship:

"Brother Ning, you've been like a second father to all of us. You know how many Spirit Stones cultivation takes. There was a time when a bottle of Spirit Liquid cost fifty Spirit Stones on the market, and we used that price for decades.