Chapter 597: Greater Aura of Combat

Back in the Divine Convenience Store, Fanling City.

Lin Mo sneezed, rubbing his nose as he stared at the massive holographic projection floating above the main counter.

“Someone must be cursing my name,” he muttered. “Probably someone from the Violethaven Temple. Or Xiaoyu, because I wouldn’t let her eat a second box of the Celestial Ox ribs.”

“Hey! I heard that, Boss!” Xiaoyu yelled from the arcade zone, currently checking the state of the arcade cabinets with her little brother and Xiao Ya. “I only asked twice! It’s not my fault they taste like heaven and make my lightning sparkly! You’re too stingy, treat Pingping, Xiao Ya, and Pan Ruo too!”

“Treat you? Don’t you all have daily salaries? You know I’m already broke from that meal we ate at the tower recently.”

“Pfft. It’s fine, Shopkeeper Boss, we earned from the bets earlier. Hehe. Right, Xiaoping?” Xiao Ya giggled as she turned to the boy who was smiling awkwardly.

Lin Mo knew what that meant, because it’s only Xiao Ya who won. That boy bet against her, so all his money went to her.

“Heh. That’s great then. Are you going home tonight?”

“No! I intend to use the Premium Cultivation Room, Shopkeeper Boss. My Golden Lotus Physique is about to break through! Xiaoping said he’ll help me.”

“Help you?” Lin Mo raised an eyebrow as his gaze shifted between the two young cultivators. Xiao Ya, who had once been a frail mortal, was now radiating the pure, pristine energy of her Golden Lotus Physique. The [Heavenly Root Blooming Sutra] she’s cultivating truly helped in refining her Bloodline Physique.

Beside her, Xiaoping stood straight, trying his best to look like a dependable senior, even though his knees were slightly shaking under Lin Mo’s scrutiny.

“Oho? My little brother is finally growing up!” Liu Xiaoyu teased, vaulting over the arcade cabinet and landing next to them. She slung an arm around Xiaoping’s neck, pulling him into a noogie. “Make sure you don’t slow her down, Pingping! If her breakthrough fails because you got distracted, I’m going to hang you from the store’s signpost!”

“Sister! Stop it, I’m not a kid anymore! I’m a late Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator like you! I can guide her cultivation.” Xiaoping protested, his face turning as red as a tomato while he desperately tried to escape his sister’s iron grip.

Lin Mo chuckled, waving a hand to spare the poor boy. “Alright, Xiaoyu, let them go. I don’t think I need to remind you, right? The Premium Cultivation Rooms have built-in safeguards. If the spiritual energy becomes too volatile, the system will automatically isolate them and suppress the feedback. It’s a perfectly convenient environment for a breakthrough. Just make sure to configure the simulation to help you synergize perfectly with your physique. And Xiaoping, I’ll leave her in your care.”

“Understood, Shopkeeper Boss! Thank you!” Xiao Ya bowed deeply, her eyes shining with gratitude, before grabbing Xiaoping’s sleeve and dragging the flustered boy toward the stairs leading to the second floor.

Watching them disappear up the staircase, Lin Mo felt a strange sense of parental pride. He shook his head to clear the thought. He was a shopkeeper, not a sect patriarch raising disciples. Though the line between the two was becoming increasingly blurred these days.

Next, he turned to Pan Ruo, who was still busily calculating something in her jade tablet.

Wu Meiyu was standing next to her, watching as they finalized the inventory ledgers for the new Harvester’s Guild exchanges.

Lin Mo smiled at that sight and returned his focus to the [Divine System Interface].

The store was closed to the public for the night. Most patrons had already moved outside the city to wait for the opening of the dormant Anchor.

Lin Mo checked the store’s current status. The numbers were beautiful.

[Dimension Essence Balance: 19,450,220 DE]

[Tier Progression: Renowned Store (41,200,500/100,000,000)]

There’s still a day before a new Weekly Tasks would be posted but it didn’t matter to him for now.

The Private Auction had been a massive injection of capital, and the ongoing, gamified war at the Anchors was providing a steady, daily river of essence. He was sitting on a dragon’s hoard of currency, and it was time to spend some of it. The Dreilling at the Sunken Caverns were not going to wait politely for him to level up.

He opened the [Dimension Essence Upgrades] tab.

He had previously eyed the Divine Guardian Construct Enhancement for 50 million DE, but he was still short. However, there was another upgrade that would immediately benefit every single patron risking their lives on the front lines, and more importantly, it would benefit him during the upcoming deep dive into the Sunken Caverns.

[Greater Aura of Combat (15,000,000 DE): Increases the permanent aura enhancement in combat efficiency from 20% to 50% inside the Divine Convenience Store branches or any Anchor and Tower with a Store Beacon deployed.]

A 50% boost to overall combat efficiency. It was an astronomical buff. It meant a Foundation Establishment cultivator would hit with the weight of a Core Formation expert. It meant Xiaoyu could probably punch a hole through a mountain.

“A 15 million DE investment,” Lin Mo mused, his finger hovering over the glowing prompt. “In my past life, spending that kind of capital would require six months of board meetings, risk assessments, and shareholder approvals. And those meetings were something I never had any authority to join. I’m an ordinary salaryman, after all. But here, good thing I’m the sole shareholder if I don’t count the divine beings supplying our products.”

Without any more hesitation, he tapped [Confirm].

[Purchase Confirmed: Greater Aura of Combat]

[Cost: 15,000,000 DE]

[Effect: Active immediately. All linked locations now possess the permanent Greater Aura of Combat.]

The moment the upgrade went live, a subtle yet profound shift occurred within the store before it extended outwards, spreading throughout the connected Anchors and Conduit Towers with Store Beacon deployed inside, Celestial Shuttle Hubs, and the Branch Store at the Southern Wilderness.

Lin Mo opened and closed his fists, feeling the sudden lightness in his limbs. His [Psionic-Tempered Starlight Qi] practically hummed with eagerness within his meridians, demanding to be unleashed.

If he felt this in the peaceful lobby of the store, he could only imagine the chaos it was causing on the battlefields.

Sure enough, upon opening the Public Channel, a flood of messages from dumbfounded patrons greeted him.

[SwordFanatic77: WHAT IS HAPPENING?! I JUST CLEAVED A DECRINT WARRIOR IN HALF WITH A BASIC SWING! MY BLADE FEELS LIKE IT WEIGHS NOTHING!]

[IronWallTank: The Aura! The aura has been upgraded! Look! There’s a notification in the corner of your eyes if you’re inside a tower of Anchor. It’s fifty percent! FIFTY PERCENT! THE SHOPKEEPER HAS BLESSED US!]

[StormAxeBorok: THE VERMIN DIE LIKE FLIES! STORMHOWL HOLDS THE ENTRANCE OF THE ANCHOR! PRAISE THE CONVENIENCE SAINT!]

Lin Mo swiped the notifications away with a satisfied nod. “Return on Investment: Instantaneous. Morale is maximized. The product has been delivered.”

“Boss? Did you just do something crazy again?” Xiaoyu bounded over to the counter, her golden eyes wide. “I was just doing a mock summon in the arcade, and Sparky suddenly jumped! He became equivalent to a Level 2 Summoned Unit! And I feel like I drank ten cans of Heavenly Dew Soda at once!”

“Don’t exaggerate it.” If she were nearby, he would’ve flicked her forehead.

“I just spent fifteen million Dimension Essence for an upgrade. Consider it a patch for the upcoming boss fight,” Lin Mo said, standing up and stretching his arms. “The [Greater Aura of Combat] is now active. A flat fifty percent boost to our efficiency within the Beacon’s range.”

Xiaoyu gasped, grabbing his arm and shaking him. “Patch? Oh! That’s what you meant! Fifty percent?! Boss, you’re the best! We are going to obliterate those long-eared creeps! When do we leave? Are we back too?”

“Nope. That’s the job for your grandfather. Why not set your eyes on something nearby?” Lin Mo laughed, gently prying her hands off his uniform.

“Is it opening soon? Good. Let’s go, Boss! Sister Meiyu, you’re coming too, right?”

Wu Meiyu blinked, slightly taken aback by the sudden invitation. She glanced at the towering stacks of inventory logs and the bustling, albeit winding down, activity of the store’s late-night patrons. As the Chief Operations Officer, her instinct was to remain anchored to the desk, ensuring that the supply chain of convenience remained unbroken.

But then she looked at Lin Mo. His expression wasn’t one of a boss demanding overtime, but of a partner offering an opportunity.

“Un. The store closed for tonight and Pan Ruo can watch the place for tonight,” Wu Meiyu said, her lips curving into a graceful, anticipating smile. “The Guardian Construct can also handle any unsavory individuals. It has been a while since I stretched my own cultivation. And as the COO, I suppose it is my duty to personally inspect the new ’market environment’ our patrons will be facing. We must understand the consumer experience.”

“That’s the spirit, Your Highness. Market research is vital,” Lin Mo nodded approvingly. “But we must pack accordingly. Pan Ruo.”

The reincarnated immortal clerk looked up from her jade tablet. “Yes, Shopkeeper?”

“Bring us three sets of the ’Anti-Magic Vanguard Kits’. The ones you compiled this afternoon. We’re gonna test it tonight and let you stock it tomorrow if it’s effective.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep