Two Bladefury Sentinels weren’t enough to deter Lin Mo. He successfully defeated the two by relying on his trained skills, albeit not as easily as he thought he would, and took down the Floor Guardian with four shots of the [Starshot Revolver].

Once the Floor 4 Guardian fell, the mental and spiritual strain brought by drawing out the power of what could be graded as a divine artifact reached its maximum.

If he continued using the gun, he might just lose consciousness on the spot. Consuming store products also seemed to be useless as the gun required him to truly put a stop to using it and let the strain recover naturally.

That’s why after opening the reward chests, he took a break, wrote a draft for his report regarding the testing of the gun before preparing himself to use the [Celestial Duel Gear] on Floor 5.

Surprisingly, what he acquired from the chests appeared to be adapting to his situation too. Both were defensive enhancements. A protective talisman that could activate against a fatal attack under the Core Formation Stage and a defensive technique manual that could bolster his resilience in combat.

The Green Chest contained a [Jade Aegis Talisman], a one-time-use item that would automatically deploy a protective barrier capable of withstanding a single strike from an attack at the Core Formation Stage or below. He had to make sure not to deploy it right away and only use it in a tight situation. Meanwhile, the Blue Chest contained a thin, worn-out manual titled [Crystal Shell Technique]. It was a defensive martial technique that channeled spiritual energy into a flexible, crystalline sheen around the body, reducing damage from physical and energy-based attacks.

With the comprehension of [Foundational Martial Technique] as a base, he successfully comprehended the [Crystal Shell Technique] to basic proficiency in less than an hour.

Luckily for him, he hadn’t been kicked out by the tower for stalling his climb. But that’s the discovered privilege of a challenger. As long as they successfully finish the challenge on the floor, they’re free to linger as much as they want. However, the foreign energy seeping into the chamber would gradually disappear until it was almost nonexistent.

And since that was discovered, someone, with the username [LookAtMeRoll], posted a thread at the Bulletin Board about his experience of being kicked out by the tower.

It can only happen at Floor 1. If a challenger lingered for more than ten minutes at the starting point, they’d be deemed to have forfeited their challenge.

Many called the guy out for wasting his one in three days chance, but he claimed to have already tried it on the second floor during his first challenge. He failed, and he had to force himself to clear it even though he originally didn’t want to continue after accidentally pressing yes when the prompt suddenly popped up at Floor 1. As it turns out, he was one of those 1st day challengers, and he came early this morning to waste that one chance after the cooldown.

“Now then… It’s time to test this one next.” He tapped the [Celestial Duel Gear] on his wrist as he popped up an [Energy Replenishing Candy] before putting [Card Talismans] and [Spirit Embodiment Sticker Seals] in his breast pocket.

He checked on his torn uniform and decided to just go with it and change when they returned to the store. He didn’t bring a spare.

As he approached the spiral staircase, the prompt appeared in front of him.

[Proceed to Floor 5? Y/N]

—

Inner Abyssal Circle – Bone Ash Syndicate’s Fallen Village

From atop the breached wall of the village, an Acolyte stationed to keep an eye out for the surroundings saw the approaching figure of a few Wasp Branch cultists. In the middle of them was a haggard Priest donning a robe with an Arachnid Branch insignia, clutching a spatial bag in his arms.

The leading Wasp Branch Priest sent out a signal flare made from his spiritual energy, drawing the attention of the other lookouts as they all raced to inform Venom Master Xun, who was sitting inside the former mansion of the head honcho as she took over his seat.

Venom Master Huangfeng was overseeing the consolidation of the village’s defenses and the distribution of the store’s products. Not for free, of course. The ones they distributed during the battle were the only freebies. Now, they’re forking out what little spirit stones or valuable artifacts and elemental stones they could get from them.

Right as the group approached the wall, Venom Master Xun flew to the skies, staring down at them.

The priests immediately knelt as they watched her land gracefully.

Some Doom Spider hatchlings skittered behind her as if they were her pets.

“Priest Maozhi,” Venom Master Xun spoke, her voice a silken thread laced with authority. She eyed the Arachnid Branch Priest, noting his disheveled state and the faint tremble in his hands as he clutched the spatial bag. “You’ve returned sooner than expected. Have you hurried here and faced a mishap? I trust the [Celestial Duel Gear Bundle] is secured.”

Priest Maozhi raised his head and nodded. His face was pale and although barely noticeable due to the darkness of the night, a red patch could be seen on his side. He was wounded.

“Venom Master Xun, the bundle is secured.” He hesitated, then added as his face twisted in pain, “I ran into a group of Shadow Veil Clan on their way to Fanling City… They tried to capture me by deducing that I also came from the city. I escaped, but not without injury.”

Xun’s lips curled into a sinister smirk. “Is that so? Shadow Veil Clan… Did they choose to bypass our cult and contact the store directly? Hmph.”

With her eyes narrowing, he called for another Priest and coldly ordered, “Prepare an ambush unit and intercept those bastards. Take everything from them.

As if she didn’t just spell the fate of those people from the Shadow Veil Clan, she turned his attention back to the wounded priest, “You earned an honor, Priest Maozhi. You’re free to keep two Doom Spiders as your reward.”

Her gaze then flicked to the spatial bag, her spiritual senses probing its contents.

“Much appreciated, Venom Master! Here are the goods, intact and unopened, as you instructed,” Zhao replied, offering the bag with both hands. “I also purchased additional [Viewing Jades] [Card Talismans] and newly released snacks as recommended by the Shopkeeper’s assistant. The Shopkeeper also threw in a pack of [Taihao Spicy Noodles] as a… gesture of goodwill.”

His voice faltered slightly, as if unsure whether to mention the last item. It’s not exactly a gift but something that was added and recommended by Lin Mo. He better not mention it though. For his head’s sake.

Huangfeng, who had approached silently, let out a low chuckle. “Goodwill, huh? That man’s generosity is as calculated as a spider’s web. What’s the catch? Did he ask for anything in return?”

Maozhi shook his head. “Nothing overt. He only asked that I come again. He’s treating me like any other customer. He had also given me this.”

He pulled out the Golden Card that signifies his status as a Golden Patron.

Venom Master Xun picked it up and inspected it. Her lips curled up slightly, “Interesting. So this little card here entitles a customer to the privilege of being able to contact him directly through the Bulletin Board. I must possess one of these.”

“Uhm… You can have it, Venom Master.”

“No. I doubt it can be transferred. One must personally visit the store to acquire this card. Anyway, good work in delivering my message. I sensed that he had read it already. I’m bound for a warm welcome from him when I turn up at Fanling City eventually, am I correct?”

She then turned to Marrow Weaver, who was now following behind her like a trained attendant. She had cast off her previous attire and was now fully indoctrinated to the Poison Demon Cult with her new moss-green robes.

Whatever the method used, Venom Master Xun subdued and converted her in less than a day.

“Little bird. You’ll accompany me to Fanling when the time comes. The Shopkeeper deserves to meet the Syndicate’s now, my Arachnid Branch’s finest… reformed under the influence of the store’s convenience.”

Marrow Weaver’s lips trembled, but she nodded. Her previous defiant eyes now sparkling with excitement.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep