Jiang Jianxin recalled her swords and sheathed them back before offering words with a rare note of respect towards her defeated opponent.
Hu Zhen chuckled dryly as he shook his head.
"I fought desperately. There's a difference."
He looked at his hands, still trembling from the aftereffects of the store's products. He probably even needed someone to support him up as the aftereffect of the [Unyielding Blood Surge] had fully set in.
"To think… with enough of these, even someone like me could push a top-tier cultivator." He glanced at the talismans that had already lost their glow as a wry smile formed from his lips.
"That is the terrifying part, isn't it?" Jiang Jianxin nodded, her eyes flickering with light full of meanings. "Your strength wasn't your own. It was borrowed. But even so… it still made you so formidable that I had to… show my trump card."
That sounded like he was being hammered by the Sword Fairy's words as though he wasn't enough to make her go all out but Hu Zhen could only accept it with a sigh. He had already exhausted all the means he had with him before he used the store products. At that point, he was already defeated.
Pulling out another item from his spatial pouch, it was a Healing Salve that looked like a fruit punch. He downed it in one gulp in the hopes of easing the backlash of the jade talisman and the burning of his blood essence.
Then he turned toward Lin Mo, who jumped back into the stage, approaching them.
"Shopkeeper, I don't know what kind of miraculous place you run, but I admit defeat. Your store… I apologize for looking down on it."
Lin Mo smirked, watching the countless eyes that were now filled with more fervor to get their hands on Divine Convenience Store products.
Listening to their whispers, he could pick up those, who were previously in doubt, thoroughly shaken.
"The store's products conveniently closed the gap between their strength by just using a few enhancement talismans. That Sticker Seal is also truly quite a product…"
"If even Hu Zhen can fight like that with them, then what about someone even stronger?"
"I need to get my hands on those items…"
Jiang Jianxin closed her eyes and listened to those as well before glancing at Lin Mo with newfound curiosity.
"Shopkeeper," She started. "I believe it's about time I made my first purchase."
Lin Mo grinned, "Of course, dear customer. Are you still trying to get your hands on a manual?"
"Mhm. I have this gut feeling that my fate of not being able to pick one from those wondrous sword-related manuals has been subverted."
Jiang Jianxin didn't waste any time. After excusing herself to Lin Mo, she jumped out of the stage and returned to the store proper. The other Cerulean Cloud Sword Sect cultivators didn't even have the time to follow her.
Upon returning to the Books and Manuals Section of the Divine Convenience Store, she once again stood before the shelf containing the sword-related manuals.
Before the commotion with the Ironclad Blood Sect cultivators, she believed she had only spent a minute or two browsing, but as it turned out, she remained in the same place for close to half an hour without being able to pick anything. She realized that she either had her perception of time going awry or her previous attempts to pick up a manual had been erased from her mind.
This time, however, things felt different.
Jiang Jianxin took a deep breath and centered herself, her spiritual perception sharpening to its utmost peak.
The duel just now had ignited something within her, a faint yet profound shift in her state of mind.
Was it the exhilaration of battle? The acknowledgment of her opponent's struggle? Or perhaps… the realization that the Divine Convenience Store was far more extraordinary than she initially assumed?
Her fingers hovered over the manuals, her eyes scanning the titles with the same thoughtful determination.
She was no longer simply trying to pick a manual, she was trying to understand the rules set up so that only a select few could bring away a manual from the store.
What was the deciding factor? Strength? Talent? Will? Luck?
No. The Shopkeeper had already told her. It was fate.
And this time, she could sense it. She was fated to leave the store with one of these magnificent sword-related manuals before her eyes..
Jiang Jianxin closed her eyes for a brief moment before making her move. She reached out, this time not just because the title interested her but because of the sensation that it was calling to her.
It was a manual printed in paperback.
Her fingers brushed against the spine of a book and traced the title from the cover, reading it through touch.
[Silent Moon Swordplay]
Jiang Jianxin grasped it tightly. She still had no idea what happened earlier but this time… she was trying to sense if the manual, or the store itself, would reject her from walking away with it.
To her pleasant surprise, the book remained in her grasp even after a few minutes.
The Sword Fairy's eyes flickered open and she looked down at the manual in her hands.
A beat of silence passed before her lips curled into a satisfied smile.
"So… this is the one."
She flipped through the pages, absorbing the knowledge contained within. The techniques outlined were simple at first glance, but the deeper she read, the more she realized the profound mysteries hidden within each stroke, each form.
Even if she's not the utmost expert in their sect when it comes to the way of the sword, she could tell. The [Silent Moon Swordplay] is what the Cerulean Cloud Sword Sect needed to further hone their sword skills.
Jiang Jianxin let out a breath and walked out of the aisle, running into Lin Mo who had just stepped out of the [Divine Arena & Exhibition Hall]
"Congratulations, dear customer. It seems you are indeed fated to pick a manual." Lin Mo said with an amused smile as his gaze shifted to the [Silent Moon Swordplay] in her hand.
Jiang Jianxin mused. "Many thanks, Shopkeeper. I have been enlightened."
Lin Mo shrugged. "Oh. Don't be. You are a valued customer, it's only right for me, as the Shopkeeper, to accommodate you. Is that all you're going to buy? In that case, you can check it out on the register. There's a line though."
Jiang Jianxin chuckled. "Fear not, Shopkeeper. I have to set an example for my fellow sect cultivators. I won't cut in line. By the way… may I inquire about something else?"
"Sure. Go ahead, dear customer."
"It is quite obvious that your store has an expanded space… I won't pry on who's responsible for it, but seeing you have an arena, do you happen to have meditation or training rooms we can rent?"
Upon hearing that, Lin Mo paused for a moment before slowly shaking his head, "I'm afraid we don't have it at the moment. In the future, however, I will consider it when our store gets another chance at expansion."
In his head, he was already drafting a suggestion that he could forward through the Divine Interface System. If the divine beings of the pantheon could build the multipurpose hall when Lin Mo chose it for expansion upon reaching the next tier, meditation and training rooms shouldn't be too far-fetched as another potential upgrade.
Jiang Jianxin nodded thoughtfully. "I see. That would certainly be a useful addition. If you ever do implement it, I'm certain many cultivators would be willing to pay a good price for such a service."
Lin Mo grinned. "I'll keep that in mind. Thank you for the suggestion. As I said, we are here to provide convenience."
The Sword Fairy gave him a meaningful look before glancing around the store once more.
The lingering effects of her duel against another Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator, the hushed conversations of the observing cultivators, and the reverent gazes cast upon the store's merchandise, all of it painted a picture of undeniable allure.
With a slight smile, she turned toward the checkout line, joining the queue like any other customer. The other Cerulean Cloud Sword Sect disciples quickly followed behind her, but they immediately dispersed into different aisles after getting instructed by the Sword Fairy to continue browsing for store products that they could bring back to their sect.