Divine Convenience Store

As the last customer stepped out of the Divine Convenience Store, Lin Mo flipped the signage and retreated to the counter. The light at the storefront dimmed slightly, indicating that the store hours were over.

For the last 11 days, the store was always punctual. Lin Mo could adjust it at the Staff Management Interface, but he didn't have any plans to do it yet. Morning to evening should be enough for now, otherwise, he'd truly not get any time for himself.

While waiting for Liu Xiaoyu and Xiao Ya to return, he checked on Yangyang inside the quarters.

The bespectacled functionary lifted her head and put down the hotline artifact as she finished up her last call.

"Shopkeeper, all done outside?" She asked as she took off her glasses to wipe the lenses clean.

"Yes. Just waiting for the system's evaluation. Great job again today, Miss Yangyang."

"You too, Shopkeeper." She smiled. "Are you going to use the immortal-grade artifacts tonight? If you want. I can assist you in operating them. Both you and Xiaoyu may not be able to handle the intensity of spiritual energy needed to activate them. Even a Nascent Soul Stage wouldn't be able to directly activate them through their spiritual energy alone. Immortal-grade artifacts are supposed to be activated by immortal qi to run smoothly. However, if you reach Immortal Embryo Stage, you may be able to wield an artifact of that grade to some extent without the support of spirit stones."

Lin Mo tilted his head as he digested this new set of information.

Immortal Embryo Stage? How distant is that from Nascent Soul Stage? The strongest cultivators he had encountered in this realm to date, apart from the divine beings or Yangyang, were only at the Nascent Soul Stage.

Of course, it could be possible that the nearby upper-grade sects had some ancestors or previous sect masters buried within their grounds to preserve their lifespan. That's why only Nascent Soul Stage cultivators are freely moving in their region.

What about the other regions? Lin Mo didn't cross out the possibility that the Eastern Abyssal Domain had lower spiritual density than other regions.

But upon thinking about it, many cultivators needed months to years in closed-door cultivation. Many of those experts might still be meditating in their immortal caves and cultivating to break through to the next stage.

It would be impossible not to have those cultivators above Nascent Soul. After all, the Second Heaven exists, which was the destination of cultivators who succeeded in their Immortal Ascension, casting off their mortal bodies and becoming an entirely different lifeform.

"Immortal Embryo… It must be someone closer to becoming an immortal, right?" In the end, he couldn't help but succumb to his curiosity.

Yangyang simply nodded in response. Her knowledge was truly from someone who was born and raised in Third Heaven. Despite claiming to be mortal, she's probably stronger than the sect masters of the upper-grade sects.

"Mhm. It's the second-to-last stage before Immortal Ascension. If you're wondering, there are still three stages after the Nascent Soul before Immortal Embryo, namely Spirit Severing, Void Refinement, and Law Integration."

"... I've only read fiction featuring immortal heroes before, but let me guess, those stages take hundreds of years to pass." Lin Mo wryly smiled as he recalled the few titles he'd read. Those novels had time skips of decades or centuries because the protagonist had to meditate in utter silence for enlightenment.

"It depends, Shopkeeper, but usually, it's all about enlightenment. Those who take years upon years to reach the next stage are only lacking in that department. But not to worry, you'll possibly never face a bottleneck."

"Huh? Why is that?"

"Because of your Celestial Providence and the hint of divinity in your body, Shopkeeper. If you need enlightenment, that will help you bypass it."

Lin Mo blinked, processing Yangyang's words. But then, it all makes sense to him. Taihao handed him the Heaven's Favor, stating that it would smoothen out his cultivation path. Then, they also revealed that he has a hint of divinity within his body, and once it grows and becomes a spark, he'll be like Yangyang, a mortal born with a divine spark. That divine spark can be forged in order to become an actual divine being.

Or so, that's his current understanding of it.

He rubbed the back of his neck, easing the sudden weight falling on his shoulder, "So, in the end, I'm truly like those protagonists I've read before. I have this clear path ahead of me."

Yangyang adjusted her glasses, her lips curving into a faint, knowing smile. "I'm quite ignorant of those fictional works, Shopkeeper, but you can take it as your own predisposition. The moment Zhenren Taihao brought you to this realm, your soul became tied to something extraordinary."

Lin Mo leaned against the door as he continued digesting these new pieces of information while occasionally glancing at the woman stretching after a long day's work in front of him.

She wasn't wrong. Even if the [Silent Stream Breathing Technique] is known for its passive spiritual energy absorption, he'd broken through minor realms with barely any effort in a matter of days. On top of that, he's mostly sitting around, sipping coffee and ringing up customers and somehow, he's already at the Spirit Condensation Stage. His quick rise was almost insulting to the dedication of many cultivators, even Liu Xiaoyu, who must've already spent more than a decade cultivating. And she's even dubbed as a cultivation prodigy.

"Guess I've been taking things too lightly. My brain has been muddled with the clinking of spirit stones and the noodles I'm consuming," He said with a dry chuckle. "So, I basically have a fast pass to enlightenment? No sitting in a cave for decades?"

"Exactly," Yangyang replied. "However, do not be complacent and still prepare for it, Shopkeeper. Enlightenment is the bottleneck for most. Spirit Severing requires cutting away worldly attachments, Void Refinement demands mastering the void within and without, and Law Integration means harmonizing with the laws of the universe. Each step needs profound insight, and that's where cultivators stall. But you… your Celestial Providence can probably nudge you past those hurdles. It's not instant, but it's going to be smoother. Combined with the store's resources, you can reach Immortal Embryo faster than anyone in this region."

Lin Mo raised an eyebrow. "Faster than the Sword Fairy? She's a genius with a sword path sharper than her blades."

"Her talent is exceptional," Yangyang conceded, "but it's still bound by the conventional path. She'll need decades, maybe centuries, to hit Law Integration – assuming she doesn't die in some trial or feud first. You? With the store and your providence, you're on an express lane. The [Heavenly Mirage Illusion Orb] alone could simulate centuries of combat experience in a night. Add the fountain's energy that can supply you an almost endless spiritual energy, you don't have to worry at all."

"Of course, our customers might also experience quicker cultivation speed now. Partly because of our store products, partly because the realm is being threatened by the Outer Worlds. Crisis gives birth to opportunity. The Tower and Anchor's appearances are shaking things up. Eventually, the realm's spiritual density may increase as a response to the foreign energy seeping in."

After saying that, Yangyang stood up and walked over to Lin Mo, giving him a pat on his shoulder.