Someone stepped into Noa's very first establishment. It was a brand-new store—one he had been itching to open.
As for the customer, it was a completely new face.
Instead of the youngster with the sect uniform, this time it was a middle-aged man with a serious expression.
His name was Feng Fan. His eyes, paler than the moonlight, scanned the shop with silent interest. He stepped tall, robed in a layered blue and white cloak.
A strong scent of incense followed him, but not a single word escaped his mouth.
Feng Fan was a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage.
He wasn't particularly talented, but compared to the average person, he was strong and had a lifetime's worth of wealth. But even this fortune was nothing in the cultivation world.
Hollow Jade City was a famous place for cultivators to visit.
Not because it was a central hub in the Black Flame Empire, but because it was home to famous merchants who offered a variety of essential services.
Feng Fan had visited this street countless times before.
But only now did he notice the building he was currently standing in.
The store had no signboard, and the windows were impossible to penetrate with his sight.
But the strong spiritual presence guided him inside.
Yet the building contained only two products, neither of which Feng Fan recognized.
Still, his eyes trailed over the shelves as he tried to guess the purpose of the shampoo bottle and the small toy.
"Do you need any help?" Noa approached him and asked, his voice slow and polite.
The cultivator acknowledged the question. But he remained quiet for a moment before offering a slight nod.
"What are you selling? I can't really tell," he said, his face still expressionless.
Noa smiled before answering.
"I have only two products for sale. The first one is a hair cleanser with…"
Just as Noa was about to tell Feng Fan about the miraculous properties of the shampoo, the system stopped him.
[Beware of the Karma. You may be playing the role of the shopkeeper right now, but don't forget that you are a Dimensional Tycoon. You shouldn't act like a desperate merchant. Your role is to collect money and influence the market. As for your products, let them sell themselves.]
"What kind of bullshit is this?" Noa spat in his head. "Why would I stay silent about these things? Karma had no problem when I had a shabby stall?"
[The store and you should have principles—unwritten rules to follow.]
Meanwhile, Feng Fan took the bottle and shook it in his hands.
The only explanation he heard was that it could clean his head.
"Price?" he asked, his tone higher than the previous times.
"One True Spirit Coin," Noa answered.
The price remained the same, but watching how the man's brows twitched in surprise almost made him laugh out loud.
Though Noa was still questioning the strange rules he had to follow, he had to admit that they made sense.
The principles also added a nice twist to the store, and he liked that.
As for Feng Fan, he turned the bottle upside down once more, as if trying to uncover its hidden mysteries.
Then he glanced at Noa.
All he saw was a scrawny young man with no hint of qi inside him.
Which meant two things.
Either Noa had an exceptionally high cultivation base that allowed him to conceal his strength, or he was an ordinary human who hadn't even reached the Body Refinement stage.
And the correct answer could easily change how Feng Fan would see his products.
Nevertheless, he had one more item to see.
"It's a toy," Noa explained shortly. "You just put it on your finger and spin it around. But it costs three True Spirit Coins."
"Three?" Feng Fan repeated.
Now it was a daylight robbery. At least the shampoo was useful for cleaning oneself. But the simple toy to be priced so highly was nothing but a scam.
He was about to leave the shop when something halted his steps.
There was something about the store that couldn't be faked. It was the potent qi that Feng Fan felt all around the establishment.
Even if the products had a steep price, even for a cultivator, the energy he could sense was enough proof to change his mind. Not that he believed three spirit coins were worth the price.
It was just that Feng Fan was a curious man.
He could buy a rare beast egg or a body tempering treasure at that price. But the store itself invited and convinced him to make a purchase.
"I will take them," he said, taking both products in his hands.
There was slight hesitation in his movements, but once he made a decision, Feng Fan wouldn't change his mind.
"Follow me," Noa instructed, and guided the man towards the counter.
Then he took the bottle and scanned it with a red light. The beeping sound startled the man, his eyes narrowing.
Noa did the same thing with the fidget spinner. "Four True Spirit Coins," he said, waiting for the cultivator.
Feng Fan nodded.
He took coins out of the spirit storage and dropped them on the counter. Instead of leaving the store, he opened the transparent package of the spinner and used it just as Noa had instructed earlier.
He was that eager to see it in action.
As soon as the toy started spinning on his finger, black vortices appeared around him. Thankfully, they were only visual effects, and their strong pull didn't destroy everything in sight.
As for Feng Fan, he found himself seated before he even realized it.
His mind was calm.
Six spirals, embodying six elements, floated beside him in harmony. The spiritual energy was so strong that even Noa could tell what was happening.
Feng Fan was absorbing qi, and the fidget spinner aided him in keeping his mind and spirit relaxed.
Suddenly, the world destabilized, and the man opened his eyes.
Meanwhile, Noa's vision was flooded with system notifications.
» [Your customer managed to break through]
» [Milestone Achieved]