The Thousand-Year Toxic Miasma Sour Orange Tree, Prompt

"No, Elder Xuan, is that thing of yours even right?!"

Watching Xuan Zi yank something out of his storage bag that was going kuku and spewing black smoke, Bai Ran was so startled he immediately backed away two steps.

Oh no. This old man wasn't really some supreme elder of the Holy Spirit Sect, was he? He had even taken out the Human Emperor Banner. He wasn't even pretending anymore, was he?

"What are you scared of, boy Bai? With this old man here, a mere thousand-year soul beast can't hurt you. Besides, plant-type soul beasts are already weaker in attack power than animal-type soul beasts."

Bai Ran: It's exactly because you're here that I'm even more scared, okay?

"So what soul beast is this, exactly?"

It looked like a fruit tree, but this was the first time in Bai Ran's life he had ever seen a fruit tree that spewed black smoke.

All he could say was, the world was vast and full of strange things.

"A thousand-year Toxic Miasma Sour Orange Tree."

"A sour orange tree?"

Hearing that, Bai Ran carefully studied the fruit tree that was spewing black smoke—though in reality, it was using toxic miasma to protect itself.

And to be fair, really, to be fair, the green fruits hidden among the leaves really did look a bit like unripe oranges.

"No, Elder Xuan, I asked you to find me a fruit tree. Even if it wasn't especially tasty, at the very least it had to not taste bad.

"The fruit on this tree looks sour at a glance. If I absorb its soul ring, won't my coffee become even harder to drink?"

Espresso concentrate was already bitter enough, and now sour orange juice had to be added too. (The kind dozens of times more acidic than lemon.)

One sip of that, and Bai Ran felt even a hundred-thousand-year soul beast could be knocked flat if it wasn't prepared.

"Boy Bai, your coffee wasn't exactly delicious to begin with."

Xuan Zi, who had only ever drunk Iced Americano, expressed that whatever coffee it was tasted only slightly better than the old man's foot-washing water.

Besides, high-level soul masters could seal off their five senses. As long as the effect was good, who cared what it tasted like? Just make it and be done with it.

"You're not allowed to slander my Luckin Coffee."

"Luckin Raw Coconut Latte—the coffee I grew up drinking."

Bai Ran took out a cup of Raw Coconut Latte, handed it to Xuan Zi, and let him try it.

"You had something this good and didn't take it out last time?"

After tasting it, Xuan Zi momentarily didn't even know what to say.

No wonder boy Bai could sell more than twenty cups of coffee every day at his coffee shop in the outer courtyard cafeteria.

He had thought they were all clowns who just wanted to try something new, but when he looked back, the clown had actually been him, Xuan Zi?

"Elder Xuan, you said yourself that you wanted to drink coffee. Of course I treated you to Iced Americano."

Strictly speaking, Raw Coconut Latte was only a coffee-flavored beverage, while classic Americano and the like counted as real coffee.

Jokes were jokes, and messing around was messing around.

Bai Ran still looked at Xuan Zi expectantly, hoping he would introduce this sour orange tree that was cosplaying the Human Emperor Banner.

"As for this thing, I only know that it's very sour—sour to the point that it can corrode metal. This layer of toxic miasma floating on the surface is called corrosive poison fog. The corrosive poison fog of a thousand-year Toxic Miasma Sour Orange Tree can easily melt ordinary hundred-year soul beasts."

"As for what soul skill absorbing its soul ring might bring you, boy Bai?

"It could possibly be a buff that lets the attacks of the target who drank your coffee carry a corrosive effect, or it might increase poison-attribute damage."

"Are there any other fruit trees?"

Bai Ran wasn't satisfied with these fruit-type plant soul beasts.

That Gold Jade Glazed Pomelo was decent, sure, but its age was too low. If it had reached the thousand-year level, Bai Ran guessed he wouldn't have hesitated at all.

As for this final Toxic Miasma Sour Orange Tree, its age fit, but its effect was too useless, and the taste after blending it into coffee was also hard to describe.

Bai Ran: Sigh~ Tasteless to eat, but a pity to throw away.

"No."

Xuan Zi patted his storage bag. In truth, there was still a ten-thousand-year Rainbow Watermelon Soldier inside, but Xuan Zi was keeping that to eat himself.

Besides, boy Bai already had a hard time absorbing the soul ring of a thousand-year soul beast. Asking him to absorb a ten-thousand-year soul ring—how was that any different from asking him to kill himself?

Xuan Zi wasn't the Emperor Auspicious Beast, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion. He didn't have the ability to make a ten-thousand-year soul beast obediently sacrifice itself to a human soul master.

"Looks like—hm?"

Just as Bai Ran picked a Jasper Creamy Peach and prepared to taste it...

A line of prompt text suddenly appeared before him: Eight-hundred-year Jasper Creamy Peach. (Ordinary production material)

Recommended Luckin product for production: Fleshy Peach Coffee. (Fruit coffee)

Product description: Lots of fruit pieces you can really chew, paired with extracted coffee concentrate; prominent fruity flavor, low bitterness.

Recipe: One hundred words omitted here. (Luckin Coffee employees do not disclose their company's recipes)

Recommended price: large, 19.9 Gold Soul Coins; extra-large, 29.9 Gold Soul Coins. (Standard cup: 9.9 Gold Soul Coins)

Effect (current): after drinking, healed most minor injuries on the body.

Bai Ran, thinking his eyes were playing tricks on him, picked another fruit.

Once again, a line of text appeared: six-hundred-year Gold Jade Glazed Pomelo. (Rare crafting material)

Recommended Luckin product: Pomelo C Americano. (Fruit coffee)

Product description: What makes a good pomelo? Time has the answer. Fresh pomelo fragrance, full-bodied fruit notes, refreshing to the heart.

Recipe: One hundred words omitted here. (Luckin Coffee employee: There is no way I'm telling you anything.)

Recommended price: same as above.

Effect (current): after drinking, gained a basic illusion-piercing effect, allowing the drinker to see through any disguise used by soul masters below the Soul Ancestor level for 30 minutes.

So his cheat really was Luckin Coffee.

It even came with exclusive customization?

Bai Ran, still refusing to believe it, had Elder Xuan help him pick a fruit from a thousand-year Toxic Miasma Sour Orange Tree.

The prompt surfaced again.

But this time, it was different.

"A one-thousand-two-hundred-year toxic miasma sour orange, rated as trash among trash. Recommended to sell to the Mixue Ice Cream & Tea next door to make lemonade."

Six six six. Bai Ran had thought it would recommend making it into some kind of fruit coffee like a Lemon C Americano, but he had not expected it to be taken to Mixue Ice Cream & Tea and turned into lemonade.

Business warfare, too, was this simple and unadorned.

"Kid Bai, why are you standing there without moving? Did that fruit sting your eyes?"

Seeing Bai Ran holding that thousand-year toxic miasma sour orange without moving an inch, Xuan Zi thought something had happened, and his tone carried a hint of concern.

"Elder Xuan, would you like to try a coffee with a different flavor?"

"Hmm? Kid Bai, have you decided which soul beast's soul ring you're going to absorb?"

Hearing Bai Ran say that, Xuan Zi thought he was preparing to absorb a soul ring.

No need to worry. With him, Xuan Zi, here, no one could disturb Bai Ran while he absorbed a soul ring.

"No. If I want different coffee effects, I don't necessarily have to absorb a soul ring."

Xuan Zi: What is this kid mumbling about? I've got the toxic miasma under control, so there's no way it could've blown into his brain.

"Rich fruit flesh, overflowing peach aroma, plenty of fruit bits you can chew."

As Bai Ran's words fell, the eight-hundred-year Jasper Creamy Peach in his hand was peeled, diced, and juiced in one smooth sequence under the effect of soul power.

Finally, it perfectly merged with an Iced Americano that had been filled with more than half a cup of ice cubes and a small cup of espresso.

"Please enjoy, a large Fleshy Peach Coffee."

Xuan Zi, who had witnessed the entire scene, had already opened his mouth wide. No, kid, are you performing magic for me here?

(Because Luckin Coffee had too many products, even if all nine soul rings were million-year soul rings, they probably still would not be enough to make them all. So the protagonist would gain one ability every time his soul power increased by ten levels.

When his soul power reached level ten, he gained the ability to increase his soul power slightly for every cup of Luckin Coffee he sold.

When his soul power level reached level twenty, he gained Luckin-exclusive prompts, enriching the Luckin Coffee Shop menu.

When his soul power level reached level thirty? The snow that loves you has sent you a party invitation.

...)