Divine Convenience Store

Chapter 666 - 666: Heavenly Blessed Emporium

"Whoa!" Liu Xiaoyu exclaimed. Even though she had seen this phenomenon a few times already, watching the store expand before her eyes was still a breathtaking scene.A massive 'Pharmacy' section bloomed on the east wing, lined with pristine glass counters and temperature-controlled displays for pills and elixirs packaged in a modern way. To the west, the 'Armory' expanded, racks of mortal-grade, spirit-grade, earth-grade weapons and armor pieces locked into place.

The 'Arcade Zone', which was previously a part of the store proper, disappeared from its corner and was moved to a more dedicated space, much like the Celestial Hot Spring, Divine Arena & Exhibition Hall, and Celestial Shuttle Hub. Its new entrance was framed by pulsing neon light tubes that simulated crashing lightning and roaring beasts.

If Lin Mo saw it later, he'd once again curse at Taihao for overly copying anything he'd seen on Earth. Compared to the simple corner before that only offered a few cabinets for the Celestial Duel Platform, the new Arcade Zone now had at least 200 of them. More patrons, be it mortals or cultivators who lacked the means to buy the actual Celestial Duel Gear, would now be able to easily access the game and gain experience. If they truly liked it, by the time they purchased their own Celestial Duel Gear and activated the Awakened Celestial Duelist mode, it wouldn't take long for them to truly become a Celestial Duelist.

Still, Lin Mo would find the Arcade Zone lacking. After all, it still only featured the Celestial Duel Platform. The others were just replicated games with no actual value beyond entertainment.

The transition was seamless yet absolute. Where there had been a moderately sized, albeit magically expansive, supermarket, there now stood a sprawling, multi-tiered department store.

Pan Ruo's eyes excitedly scanned everything, her mind processing the spatial dimensions at a terrifying speed as enlightenment seemed to flash within her pupils.

"The square footage has increased by precisely five hundred percent," She noted, her voice devoid of shock but laced with deep professional appreciation. At this point, even if her past life's memories had yet to return to her, she had already realized the extraordinariness of her identity. Despite her lack of experience, her comprehension and inspiration could rival even Xiaoyu's. Even a simple explanation from Lin Mo regarding some topics could easily be expounded and understood by her.

"Un. The segregation of departments is optimal. The flow of foot traffic will naturally guide patrons from high-volume, low-margin consumables on the ground floor toward the premium, high-margin artifacts and services. With this expansion and impeccable layout that adopted my previous adjustments, the daily revenue would shoot up to more than 300%. And 600% if new patrons from the Western Sacred Lands arrive."

"A Heavenly Blessed Emporium…"

Wu Meiyu sighed in amazement. She could only marvel at this sight, thinking back on how magical everything was. If she had remained in their Imperial Capital, she would never be able to witness such a scene. She no longer saw herself as an Imperial Princess of a Mortal Kingdom. With her horizons broadened, her ambitions now lay beyond the First Heaven. And to continue walking this path next to Lin Mo.

Yu Qingyan, who had been anxiously staring upstairs, waiting for Lin Mo to return, also let out a breath as she took in the changes before her.

"So, this is what he meant… How fascinating. The small peculiar store has already transformed into a holy land of convenience. If the Violethaven Temple could see this, they would understand how much they missed out on an opportunity to latch onto this giant ship that no blockade could stop."

"Ooh! What's this over here?" While the others still marveled at different sections of the expanded space, Liu Xiaoyu had already abandoned the Arcade Zone's flashy entrance and dashed toward a completely new structure situated near the grand staircase spiraling around the pillar of light in the middle of the floor.

"That looks heavenly! Xiaoping, let's go see!" Xiao Ya also exclaimed as she dragged Liu Xiaoping with her and followed behind Liu Xiaoyu.

Before long, the other three women also followed them.

It was a freestanding, enclosed booth made of dark, polished spirit-wood and frosted glass.

It looked somewhat like an opulent confession box or a high-end customer service kiosk.

Above its sleek, sliding door, a glowing plaque read: [Divine Guidance Booth].

"Is this a new cultivation chamber?" Yu Qingyan wondered aloud, sensing a profound, concentrated aura of celestial law emanating from within the small structure. Although she was far from comprehending any laws or even sensing divine energies, the interior of the place made her feel like she had entered a celestial realm.

Wu Meiyu frowned, reading the engraved instructions at the front. "It says… 'For patrons seeking clarity on their path, answers to the insurmountable, or direct consultation."

From outside, the place appeared a little inconspicuous, but now that they're inside, they realized how expansive this place was as well.

Just like with the Celestial Hot Spring, there appeared to be a reception counter in the middle of the hall and a door on each side.

[Hall of Tribulation]

[Hall of Enlightenment]

"Divine Guidance…" Wu Meiyu murmured, trying to grasp the meaning behind this new addition. She stepped closer to the sleek reception desk separating the two imposing doors. "A direct consultation. Shopkeeper has always maintained that the store merely provides the tools, leaving the enlightenment to the patron. Is this a departure from that philosophy?"

Liu Xiaoyu didn't bother analyzing the philosophical implications. She simply marched right up to the door labeled [Hall of Enlightenment] and grabbed the jade handle.

"Let's see what's so enlightening inside!" She declared, yanking on the handle.

As the door to the [Hall of Enlightenment] opened, an opulent hallway appeared before them.

Numerous [Enlightenment Booths] lined the left and right walls of the corridor, each sealed with a frosted glass door that hummed with a silencing array. It looked uncannily like a row of high-end, soundproofed teleconference pods from a modern corporate office, entirely stripped of the traditional Xianxia aesthetic of meditation caves or mountain peaks.

Above each door, a small digital display read: [Not Available].

"Not Available? Oh. It must be because the store is currently closed. Well, let's see how this works," Liu Xiaoyu muttered excitedly, stepping up to the first booth and sliding the door open.

Inside, there was a single, plush velvet cushion placed before a jade console shaped into something out of the current Realm of Nine Heavens setting.

A glowing indentation on the console was clearly designed to receive a Viewing Jade, a jade token or direct payment. As Xiaoyu poked her head inside, the console flickered to life.

A pleasant, synthesized voice, one that sounded suspiciously like a slightly more robotic version of Yangyang, spoke.

[Welcome to the Hall of Enlightenment. Here, patrons may exchange Dimension Essence or spirit stones for direct, timed consultations with the projections of the Divine Pantheon. Please select your desired consultant.]

Zhenren Taihao (General Dao, Fortune, Unorthodox Solutions) - Rate: 10,000 DE / Minute.

Zhenren Lihua (Harmony, Commerce, Resource Management) - Rate: 10,000 DE / Minute.

Goddess Xingxing (Soul Refinement, Charm, Aesthetics) - Rate: 15,000 DE / Minute.

Sage Danzhu (Alchemy, Pill Formulation, Material Transmutation) - Rate: 12,000 DE / Minute.

Zhenren Chuang (Artifact Forging, Array Mechanics) - Rate: 10,000 DE / Minute.

…

Heavenly Immortal Xian Si (Puppet Crafting, Artifact Forging) Rate: 5,000 DE / Minute

Heavenly Immortal Hao Qin (Beast Taming) Rate: 5,000 DE / Minute

—

A large list of divine beings and immortals belonging to the Divine Pantheon appeared before them that even after scrolling for a minute, Liu Xiaoyu couldn't find the end. Even Yangyang, whose position was a Functionary and Attendant to Zhenren Lihua, was included even though she's neither an immortal master nor a divine being yet. She was listed as Divine Seed and had the same rate as Heavenly Immortals.

"This is huge! This is even better than the previous Divine Lecture! Patrons can contact divine beings and immortals to consult them!" Liu Xiaoyu exclaimed as her jaw seemingly dropped. Despite being a day-one resident of the Divine Convenience Store, this kind of opportunity still astounded her.