Chapter 81: System Store

Seeing this panel, Ryan felt a steady surge of confidence rise from the depths of his chest.

Stronger. Far stronger than before.

Level 40. A true Upper Exalt. The moment his cultivation crossed this threshold, the world itself seemed wider. Flight was no longer a dream, and every basic combat skill had advanced to the intermediate level. Whether fists, blades, or swords, every strike now carried a completely different weight compared to the past.

More importantly, he had obtained a new technique, Blazing Dance of Flames.

Ryan had not yet tested it, but just the name alone carried an overwhelming presence. Any technique labeled as “Heaven rank” was never ordinary. He was certain that once he had time to experiment, its power would not disappoint.

Then there was the God of War Value.

A full 120 points.

That meant his ultimate skill could be unleashed twelve times in succession. Twelve uses of Crashing Mountain Landslide. Just imagining the devastation made his scalp tingle. How many enemies could possibly withstand that kind of relentless destruction?

The all-attribute pills had also increased by another hundred. Ryan did not plan to consume them immediately. These pills were life-saving resources, best reserved for moments when he truly needed them.

What surprised him the most, however, was the secondary professions.

Every single one had advanced to the intermediate level and automatically granted him the title of master.

Alchemy master. Forging master. Puppet master.

As long as he possessed the materials, Ryan could instantly refine fourth-grade pills, forge high-rank equipment, or construct complex puppets without needing any additional study. It was as if years, even decades, of accumulation had been compressed into a single moment.

On the Holy Mystic Continent, warriors stood at the top, but master-rank special professions were no less revered.

A single alchemy master could receive treatment equivalent to an Upper Exalt, welcomed as an honored guest by major forces. A grandmaster-rank professional could even sit on equal footing with the peak powers of the Four Domains, commanding respect wherever they went.

Those people built their reputations with time, talent, and endless dedication.

Ryan, on the other hand, simply… advanced with killing.

If the special professionals of the Four Domains ever learned about this, some would probably come knocking out of envy alone. Still, Ryan had no intention of exposing these identities. Secondary professions were tools, not banners. They were meant to be used quietly, when necessary.

After finishing his inspection, Ryan noticed a newly lit icon at the bottom of the panel.

System Store.

A brief introduction hovered beneath it, and after reading it, Ryan immediately understood.

This was a direct exchange hub.

No need to rely on luck or monster drops. As long as he had enough God of War Value, he could purchase whatever he needed straight from the system.

And the currency was precisely what he now had in abundance.

God of War Value.

Ryan glanced at the number “120” and licked his lips slightly. That value had never been easy to obtain. With this much saved up, there was no way the rewards would be mediocre.

He opened the system store.

In an instant, countless items unfolded before his eyes. Cultivation techniques, martial arts, pills, weapons, armor, and all kinds of rare resources filled the interface.

If Ryan could imagine it, the store had it.

He casually clicked into the martial arts section. Rows of techniques were neatly arranged by rank. Some of the higher-rank ones were grayed out, locked beyond his current permissions. Others were brightly lit, ready to be inspected, each displaying a price and a detailed description.

Ryan’s gaze sharpened.

Now this… was where the real fun began.

Inside the martial arts section, everything could be neatly filtered by category.

Boxing, saber, sword, palm techniques… each type could be previewed independently, which made browsing far more convenient.

Ryan clicked into the boxing category and casually selected a technique named “Beiming Fist.”

The name alone carried weight. It sounded deep, tragic, and imposing, the kind of martial art that surely wasn’t ordinary. However, from the icon itself, Ryan could only see the name. To know whether it was truly powerful, he had to open the description.

*

Name: Beiming Fist

Description:

Legend has it that during the ancient Flood Era, a powerful Upper Exalt named Zhong Yuan created this boxing technique. While battling a mortal enemy, Zhong Yuan was caught in a prolonged stalemate. During this time, his beloved wife was murdered by that enemy. Consumed by grief and rage, Zhong Yuan retreated from the world, turning sorrow into strength. After years of cultivation, he fused his emotions into his fists and created Beiming Fist. Using this technique, he later returned and personally killed his foe, avenging his wife. The technique was then passed down through his lineage.

When performed, Beiming Fist releases a haunting wail, like ghosts crying in despair. This sound can disrupt the opponent’s mind while delivering immense destructive power.

*

After reading the description, Ryan’s eyes lit up.

Strong offensive power. And most importantly, it came with a mental interference effect.

Sound-based disruption.

In battles between experts, even the slightest disturbance could decide life and death. If an opponent was about to counterattack and suddenly heard a ghostly wail that shook their mind, that moment of hesitation could be fatal.

This martial art was excellent.

Truly excellent.

But then Ryan’s gaze drifted downward to the price.

800 God of War Value.

Ryan froze.

Eight… hundred?

That wasn’t a price. That was daylight robbery.

He had worked himself half to death to gather 120 God of War Value. Even counting everything he had ever earned, he had never reached 200. Buying Beiming Fist was nothing short of a fantasy.

Ryan immediately closed the page.

No money, no dignity. Looking further would only hurt his feelings.

Since martial arts were sorted by price from low to high, Ryan decided to check the cheapest one instead, just to see what kind of technique his current wealth could afford.

He clicked on the first icon.

*

Name: Ten Ring Breaking Fist

Description: Allows the user to unleash ten consecutive punches at extremely high speed. Each punch produces a sonic boom. From the first punch onward, power stacks with each strike. By the tenth punch, the total power released is tripled.

*

The description was simple and straightforward, without flowery language or legends. Still, the effect was clear and practical. Compared to Ryan’s current boxing techniques, it was not inferior at all.

Then he looked at the price.

50 God of War Value.

Ryan’s mouth twitched.

Even the cheapest martial art cost 50 God of War Value?

Was this a shop or a robbery den?

He quickly backed out again and continued browsing other categories.

Saber techniques, sword techniques, palm techniques… he checked them all.

And the result?

Every single martial art had a starting price of at least 50 God of War Value.

Sword techniques were even more outrageous. The cheapest ones started at 200 God of War Value, and they were all top-grade martial arts, comparable to Ryan’s current sword technique, Path to Heaven.

In other words, the martial arts that stunned outsiders and made Ryan proud were nothing more than entry-rank trash in the system store.

The lowest of the low.

Ryan nearly rolled his eyes.

He had once thought his collection of martial arts was impressive. Now it felt like wearing beginner gear in a high-rank dungeon.

After figuring out the pricing pattern, Ryan finally understood.

The price had nothing to do with power or rarity beyond grade. It was purely grade-based.

Before entering the system store, Ryan had felt rich with his 120 God of War Value. Now he realized he was just a poor man clutching a few coins.

With a dark expression, Ryan closed the martial arts section and moved on to the pill category.

The cheapest pill available was the Small Golden Healing Pill, which he had previously obtained as a drop.

Price: 100 God of War Value.

Ryan’s eyelid twitched.

The Medium Golden Healing Pill costs 200 God of War Value and restores 40 percent of health within three seconds.

Compared to the small version, it recovered more health and acted faster. In real combat, this kind of pill could easily turn the tide of battle. Even a heavily injured warrior could recover to a fighting state almost instantly.

The Large Golden Healing Pill was even more absurd. At 400 God of War Value, it restored 50 percent of health within three seconds.

The effect was terrifying.

The price was even more terrifying.

Ryan silently thanked the system for having dropped healing pills earlier. If he had to rely solely on purchases, he would probably bleed to death before affording one.

Besides healing pills, there were many other rare elixirs.

Resurrection pills that could revive someone on the brink of death.

Agility pills that temporarily boosted movement speed.

Water-walking pills that allowed free movement in deep seas without oxygen or pressure.

Each one sounded incredible.

Each one was priced beyond reach.

They were perfectly suited to Ryan’s level, yet completely unaffordable at his current stage.

Ryan closed the pill section and exhaled slowly.

The system store was powerful, yes.

But it was also merciless.

At least now, he finally understood one thing clearly.

One hundred and twenty God of War Value was not wealth.

It was pocket change.

After closing the elixir section, Ryan casually browsed through weapons, equipment, and several other categories.

He lasted less than half a minute.

Then he gave up.

One word summed it all up.

Expensive.

Every single item carried a price tag that made his scalp tingle. Weapons, armor, accessories… even the most ordinary-looking piece costs an outrageous amount of God of War Value.

After touring this shamelessly predatory system store, Ryan finally reached a conclusion.

Yeah, he is still too poor.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep