Divine Convenience Store

While the two women were making short work of the Area Boss, Lin Mo found Xiaoping an extremely effective support. His gauntlets, glowing faintly with his [Stormy Edge Scripture], made short work of the first skirmishers that arrived to reinforce the Area Boss, his movements surprisingly agile for his age.

Looking at this, Lin Mo thought the boy was enough to defend the chokepoint. His help wasn't needed at all. He could sit down on one corner and cheer for them. That's how strong these three talented cultivators are.

Compared to him… he would be nothing without the Celestial Providence.

"Shopkeeper Boss, they're coming from this side!" Xiaoping called out, taking him out of the trance.

The boy punched a Decrint Tribe skirmisher that tried to creep up on him and its crude bone knife clattered to the ground as it dissolved like liquid.

With a wry smile, Lin Mo turned to where the boy was pointing. Gripping the spear tightly, he raised his thumb, "Good job, Xiaoping! Come, let's show them what a proper ambush looks like!"

Upon saying that, Lin Mo pulled out a [Spirit Embodiment Sticker Seal] depicting a coiled serpent and slapped it on his arm. As soon as it activated, his body became so light and acrobatic he could perform maneuvers he never thought possible before.

His [Starlit Dragon Spear] shot out, poking through the goblin-like creatures effortlessly. The quality of his weapon shone even without him executing the spear techniques he had developed.

As another wave of skirmishers rounded the corner, their bone knives glinting in the dim light, Lin Mo met them head-on. He lunged with a fluid grace born from his mental simulations as he executed a perfect Starcoil Thrust.

The spear tip, imbued with a spiraling starlight qi, bypassed a skirmisher's crude block and pierced its chest. The creature dissolved before it could even register the pain.

Then, with a Dragon Crescent Sweep, he spun, brandishing the spear.

The spear's arc widened and a shimmering crescent of starlight qi erupted, tearing through three more skirmishers who crumbled into dust.

The wisp of foreign energy that came from those kills pooled through his body, adding to his progress to the peak of Spirit Condensation Stage.

"Whoa!" Xiaoping exclaimed, eyes wide with awe as he witnessed Lin Mo's newfound prowess. "Shopkeeper Boss, you're so cool!"

Lin Mo grinned and rubbed his nose.

The simulations had been invaluable, turning theoretical knowledge into instinctive action. His spiritual energy flowed smoothly, the [Spirit-Infused Respirator] counteracting the acidic miasma, allowing him to fight without concern for depletion.

Then, at the same time as they finished off the remaining skirmishers and bone archers, a loud roar echoed behind them.

The Area Boss. The Decrint Tribe Chieftain fell under the combined might of the graceful Sword Fairy and his prodigious assistant.

The cavern briefly illuminated with a final, blinding flash of sword light, followed by a crackle of lightning that reverberated through the stone walls.

When the light subsided, the hulking form of the Decrint Tribe Chieftain was no more, dissolved into a swirling vortex of green mist that rapidly dissipated, leaving only a lingering acrid scent.

Following that, the Anchor's panel chimed.

[Area 1 Cleared]

[Area Core has already been claimed…]

[Generating an alternate reward for Area Clear…]

[Reward: 10,000 Dimension Essence]

Lin Mo's eyes widened, a genuine smile replacing his wry amusement. "One… one hundred thousand Dimension Essence for clearing just one area?"

He quickly corrected himself as he saw the actual number. "Oh, ten thousand. Still good!"

Jiang Jianxin stepped closer as confusion muddled her eyes, "Fifty thousand Dimension Essence? Shopkeeper. Is it the same one we're earning in the Tower? Where is it stored? And do we get 10,000 each?"

"It should be. Wait a bit. Let me just…"

Lin Mo accessed the Divine Interface System and checked the Dimension Essence balance. And sure enough, there wasn't an additional 10,000 Dimension Essence in it.

That meant that the reward that they received was credited to the Anchor's System.

There was a slight confusion inside his head as he tried to process it. Suppose the Anchor was giving Dimension Essence as a reward even without a Store Beacon. Did it mean the foreign energy from the Outer Realm was also getting categorized as a Dimension Essence?

Then, he recalled the wisp of foreign energy that they were absorbing each time they defeated the foreign creatures…

"The Dimension Essence here is the filtered foreign energy from the Outer Realm. It's not just a currency created by the Conduit Tower's link to the Divine Interface System. It's like the universal identification for energies not originating from the Realm of Nine Heavens. Then, it'll be possible to absorb it as well."

Upon saying that, he pulled up the status of the Anchor. Like he had guessed, a new line was created below.

[Current Dimension Essence: 10,000]

[Available Feature: Dimension Essence Funnel]

He relayed what he discovered to the Sword Fairy and the Liu Siblings.

"This… Impressive. So, this is the true nature of Dimension Essence. It's not just a currency for your store, Shopkeeper. You're collecting it to buy upgrades, correct?"

"Mhm. Unfortunately, the store's system also failed to explain it properly to me. In any case, you're free to use what you've earned. I doubt it'll disappear after we leave here. Our energy signature has been recorded by this Anchor and will remember us the next time we return."

"I'll save it for now. But this is quite a substantial reward substantial for a single area. The core was already claimed by my prior exploration, so this is an alternative reward. Does this mean these Anchors can generate significant resources, Shopkeeper?"

Lin Mo quickly tapped the interface, confirming the reward. And then, instead of using the funnel to absorb the Dimension Essence to his body, he smoothly transferred it to the store's system. He had no use for it, after all.

"Indeed, Miss Sword Fairy. This is definitely substantial. It's more than enough to activate the Anchor link to the store.."

Liu Xiaoyu then chimed in. "Whoa! Boss, you're not using it for yourself? Then take mine too! You've used all the store's Dimension Essence for that Celestial Shuttle Network."

"You sure? You know that's safer than the wisp of foreign energy we're absorbing for every kill."

"No problem! I'm the Divine Convenience Store's Assistant. No way, I'll let you shoulder everything, Boss!" Ending that with a wink, the young woman droned in close to him as she peered into the projected interface.

After fiddling with the Anchor's System and following his instruction on how to transfer the Dimension Essence to the store's wallet, Liu Xiaoyu smugly grinned.

"There!"

Watching them from the side, Jiang Jianxin and Liu Xiaoping looked at each other before stepping forward.

"Shopkeeper, use mine too."

"Yes, Shopkeeper Boss! I don't need it. Yet."

The two of them copied Xiaoyu, giving away their reward. With that, the depleted Dimension Essence of the store surged to 40,000 in one go.

It was more than enough for the cost of establishing the Anchor Link, bringing this Anchor to the growing connectivity of the Divine Convenience Store and deploying the Anchor Interference Protocol in it.

Lin Mo chuckled. "Alright, since you're all so generous, let's do this. Miss Sword Fairy, I'll get this Anchor linked to the store system. That way, we can make this place truly convenient for future explorations and ensure its resources are properly utilized."

He brought up the Anchor's interface, and the first option glowed brightly: [Establish Anchor Link].

"This will cost 10,000 Dimension Essence, but it will stabilize the Anchor's resonance, deploy a Store Beacon inside, and provide an additional exit zone for each area. Not to mention, it allows me to activate the [Anchor Interference Upgrades] we discussed earlier."

Jiang Jianxin nodded. "An excellent investment, Shopkeeper. The additional exit zones alone are invaluable for safe retreats. And the ability to deploy the Dimension Essence upgrades will be crucial for the deeper areas."

Lin Mo didn't hesitate. He tapped [Establish Anchor Link].

The Store Token in his hand shimmered. Its light flowed into the ceiling and sank in it. Before long, a slight tremor occurred which resonated through the cavern. Intricate silver lines, similar to those that had appeared on the Conduit Tower, began to glow faintly on the cavern walls.

The foreign energy, though still present, seemed to ripple and then subtly recede, as if being gently disciplined by the incoming spiritual flow.

[Anchor - HLFB#0027 is now linked to the Divine Interface System]

[Anchor Interference Protol Deployed]

[Store Beacon Deployed]

[Additional Exit Zones created for all Areas]

[Anchor Interference Upgrades are now available for this Anchor]

Following that, Lin Mo immediately went to the [Tower Integration and Anchor Interference Protocol] menu, scrolled down to find the HLFB#0027, and accessed its available upgrades.

As he had expected, the [Interface with the Core] option that was present on the dormant Anchor at Fanling City wasn't among the choices. This Anchor was already active and the role of the Anchor's Core was just to maintain this place and wait until the Dimensional Bridge finished its construction.

The [Deploy Store Beacon] was naturally missing as well. That's why the first item on its list was a variation of the [Disrupt Anchor Construction]. The [Disrupt Anchor's Foundation] which costs slightly higher at 30,000 Dimension Essence.

It has the same effect. It weakens the Anchor's spatial foundation, allowing the Dimension Essence Upgrades to also be deployed inside.