"Luo Hongqin." Su You murmured her name, and the image of a kind-faced old woman with graying hair immediately appeared in his mind.
She was Tang Yongqing and Tang Yongyuan's grandmother, as well as the aunt of Luo Feng's father, Luo Hongguo.
"Maybe I should just go along with Yongqing and latch onto City Lord Luo's coattails?" Su You frowned and lowered his head in thought.
After hesitating for a while, Su You still couldn't make up his mind. "Forget it. I'll think about it later. In the original story, I wasn't a variable, so I'll just take things one step at a time!"
Just then, Su You's consciousness shuddered. It seemed to arrive in a strange place in an instant—an empty, boundless expanse.
A streak of golden light shot toward him and appeared before him in an instant, forming a screen of light. The four large characters "Martial Dao Mall" were written at the top. Below them on the left were four slightly smaller characters, "Cultivation Methods and Techniques," while the bottom right displayed the two characters "Items."
"Martial Dao Mall? Cultivation methods and techniques? Items?" Su You looked astonished, and excitement surged through him. "Could it be that I really do have a cheat?"
After a moment, Su You calmed himself, and his thoughts began to wander.
"This should be my Consciousness Sea, right?" As someone who had crossed over after reading novels, he wasn't unfamiliar with scenes like this. Before crossing over, he'd imagined something like it countless times.
After thinking briefly, Su You focused his consciousness on the four characters "Cultivation Methods and Techniques." The screen shifted instantly, and rows of text, each smaller than those four characters, appeared beneath them.
Su You looked at the top row, and his gaze instantly went blank.
"Seven Swords of Jietian, complete edition. Price: 100 million Merit Points."
"Seven Swords of Jietian? Merit Points? The Supreme of One World?" Su You was somewhat taken aback.
His memory had improved, and he could recall most of his past-life memories with great clarity. Naturally, that novel he'd read was no exception. Su You hurriedly moved his gaze downward.
"Golden Tome of Yuanshi, complete edition. Price: 100 million Merit Points."
"Wuwei Sutra, complete edition. Price: 100 million Merit Points."
"Zhuxian Sword Scripture, complete edition. Price: 100 million Merit Points."
"Buddha's Palm, complete edition. Price: 95 million Merit Points."
"Eight-Nine Profound Art, complete edition. Price: 95 million Merit Points."
Below the twenty cultivation methods on the first page of the screen was a line of blood-red text: Cultivation methods and techniques redeemed from the Martial Dao Mall must not be shared with others.
"Heh. So, it'll kill me?" Su You muttered, then focused his gaze on the very bottom of the screen, where a line of data appeared:
[Merit Points: 1000]
Su You looked over the twenty cultivation methods on the first page. Even the cheapest one, the Jade Tome of the Heavenly Emperor, cost sixty million Merit Points. He immediately felt the sting of poverty.
"How do I get more Merit Points? There isn't even a system handing out quests." Su You was puzzled. He examined the screen for quite a while but still couldn't find a way to earn Merit Points.
"Other people's systems have system sprites. How does this Martial Dao Mall not even have a shop assistant?" Su You grumbled to himself. At the same time, he focused his consciousness on the characters "Items," and the contents of the screen changed instantly.
"Cause of All Fruits. Price: 1 billion Merit Points."
"Human Emperor Sword. Price: 50 million Merit Points."
"Bagua Furnace. Price: 50 million Merit Points."
"Seal of Samsara. Price: 50 million Merit Points."
The first page likewise had twenty entries. Aside from the first, Cause of All Fruits, the other nineteen items all cost fifty million Merit Points.
Below the list of twenty items was a line of pale green text: (Note: Other Shore Level Divine Weapons have flawed spirits.)
"It's still that expensive even with a flawed spirit?" Su You grumbled out of habit, then began carefully browsing the various cultivation methods and items in the Martial Dao Mall.
As he flipped through the catalog of cultivation methods and techniques, Su You nodded approvingly. "Heh, this mall is pretty user-friendly. You can buy them by realm, or purchase individual techniques. Not bad!"
"In The Supreme of One World, they started by cultivating true energy, but in Swallowed Star, they cultivate Genetic Origin Energy. Can these cultivation methods still be used here?" Su You couldn't help wondering.
"Mm, I'll exchange for a basic one and give it a try." Su You quickly made up his mind and opened the Eight-Nine Profound Art, which was near the top of the list.
If these cultivation methods could be used in the world of Swallowed Star, the Eight-Nine Profound Art would be his favorite. It allowed him to fight without restriction in any conditions, anywhere, and at any time. Though it wasn't the strongest, it was still among the very best—and certainly one of the most versatile.
"Eight-Nine Profound Art, Qi Accumulation Chapter. Price: 100 Merit Points."
"Eight-Nine Profound Art, Opening Apertures Chapter. Price: 1,000 Merit Points."
After one hundred Merit Points were deducted, the contents of the Eight-Nine Profound Art Qi Accumulation Chapter appeared directly in his mind.
Su You immediately returned his consciousness to his body. He still had nine hundred Merit Points, but there was no need to rush into choosing anything else. He could wait until he'd tested the Eight-Nine Profound Art.
"Just as I expected, the cosmic energy stopped pouring in!" Su You exhaled in relief, turned over, and sat up, once more assuming the Five Hearts Toward Heaven posture.
Before testing the Eight-Nine Profound Art, he still needed to practice the Five Hearts Toward Heaven Cultivation Method to truly absorb cosmic energy and optimize his Gene Level.
Cosmic energy surged into Su You's body almost instantly, then was greedily devoured by every cell in his body.
Su You's skin, muscles, bones, and cells all began to change. His Life Gene Level seemed to have improved to some extent as well.
Feeling the fundamental changes taking place in his body, Su You silently thought:
"Since I've never consciously absorbed cosmic energy before, this first time should be when I absorb the most. I wonder how many hours I can keep it up?"
"Should I try the Eight-Nine Profound Art?" The thought suddenly occurred to Su You. The Five Hearts Toward Heaven Cultivation Method was, in fact, only a way to sense cosmic energy. The Guidance Technique was the real method for cultivating Genetic Origin Energy.
"Theoretically, the Eight-Nine Profound Art should count as a kind of Guidance Technique, right?" Su You mused, while beginning to guide the cosmic energy entering his body according to the Qi Accumulation Chapter of the Eight-Nine Profound Art.
Soon, the cosmic energy inside his body formed 720 small vortices. Su You immediately noticed that each of his cells could now hold considerably more cosmic energy. They all seemed to have developed a much bigger appetite.
Cosmic energy from the outside world was no longer limited to entering through his "five hearts"; it poured in directly through all 720 apertures across his body. The speed was at least ten times what it had been when he'd used only the Five Hearts Toward Heaven Cultivation Method.
The changes to the genes inside Su You's body accelerated as well. His bones grew denser, his cells shrank, and his muscle tissue began to improve. The power contained within his body grew increasingly terrifying.
PS: The cultivation methods and weapons in the Martial Dao Mall are mainly based on The Supreme of One World. Not having read it won't affect your understanding; most of the cultivation methods and divine weapons are familiar to everyone.
Before you continue