Option 1 was the safest and it was his initial objective as a precaution against the strong, long-eared foreign entities. Although it meant throwing away a perfectly good, high-level farming spot or training ground for the store patrons, he deemed it necessary due to the growing threats of the Outer Realms.

With one confirmed 'stabilized Anchor' down in the Southern Wilderness, he naturally wanted to prevent the appearance of another one as it would be difficult for the Eastern Abyssal Dungeon alone to defend against an Outer Realm invasion that could send entities stronger than most cultivators in the region.

Option 2 was something he hadn't expected to see. Anchor is supposed to be a space carved out by the Outer Realm forces to create a Dimensional Bridge and stage their invasion.

Furthermore, Conduit Towers already had a similar function. While it's not a 'dungeon', it's a progression tower that provides challenges. It's another training ground, but instead of 'experience points' and 'loot drops', it provides rewards, personalized or otherwise, to every cleared floor.

Furthermore, the towers weren't from the Outer Realms. Taihao and Lihua confirmed that they were all connected to a Fractured Plane similar to the Martial World, which had been ravaged by an ancient war.

But now, instead of simply resetting the Anchor – closing it for a few days or maybe weeks before the Highland Realm could try again – he was given the option to transform the place into a dungeon, simulating its original state.

And Option 3 is, of course, not on the table yet. Even if Xiaoyu picked that, Lin Mo wouldn't.

"Why are you looking at me like that, Boss? You're the Boss! It's your decision!" Liu Xiaoyu crossed her arms, puffing out her cheeks. "But if you're really asking for my professional Assistant Shopkeeper opinion... Option one is a waste. We just fought tooth and nail to get here, and we're just going to turn it off? Boring! Option three is... well, even I know picking a fight with a whole realm of brain-squids on their home turf right now is a bad idea. But Option two?"

Her golden eyes sparkled with excitement, akin to a dedicated gamer who had just found an infinite-grinding spot.

"Boss, Option two is going to turn this place similar to a Tower! If it simulates the original state, it means the enemies come back. The Decrints, the Amalgamations, the drops! We can send the patrons in to farm them endlessly! It's a sustainable business model!"

He looked back at the interface.

At this point, five hundred thousand Dimension Essence wasn't actually a steep price to pay. And this would be an investment. As for the maintenance fee, it would be similar to the conquered Jade Hollow Conduit Tower. It would likely encompass the necessary energy to generate the foreign entities and Highland Energy, as well as the loot and rewards that the adventurers will gain inside.

"Alright, since it won't be a threat anymore and the Celestial Shuttle Hub will not have to disappear along with it, let's pick Option 2." Lin Mo said, his finger hovering over the holographic panel. "We turn an existential threat into a regional asset. Everyone can now temper themselves against the Dreillings. If another Anchor originating from their realm appears again, our patrons will not be equipped on how to handle them."

"Exactly!" Xiaoyu cheered, pumping her fist. "Plus, I want to try fighting that Xylos guy again while enduring the pressure of mental domination!"

When the Sect Masters and Nascent Soul Stage experts heard that, they all looked at Liu Xiaoyu as though they were looking at a monster. After all, they dreaded facing them again. Without the protection of the divine artifact as well as the store products for mental defense, they'd definitely be helpless against the Mind-Weavers.

"Can you handle the Highland Domain? That divine artifact will be returned to Zhenren Lihua soon." Lin Mo asked.

"I don't know but Boss… you just said it. We can temper ourselves here."

"Indeed… Shopkeeper, please maintain this place. This place will be a precious training ground, not only for our disciples but for us, as well." Azure Gale Sect Master Yan Tianfeng stepped forward. The other sect masters nodded. Even Sect Master Hong Ying stared at him intently with eagerness in her eyes.

"Alright. This is for the realm anyway." Lin Mo shook his head. He was also a little inclined to pick it rather than just follow through with his initial plan. It's a waste of a training ground.

Furthermore, since it'll be integrated into the Divine System Interface under the [Anchor Interference and Tower Integration Protocol], there will be no risk of them all turning into puppets. He can configure that being 'dominated' or 'charmed' will be equal to failing and the affected patron will be sent out. As for the risk of death… it'll be minimized. Accidents can still happen, after all.

Without challenge, the training ground's efficiency will be too low. It'll be akin to wasting the maintenance that will be deducted. As for earning through it, it'll just be the same as the integrated tower. The operation of the Anchor will not just rely on the maintenance fee that's going to be consumed every day. It can also draw spiritual energy from the surroundings to supply.

And with the Store Beacon, everything they earn will still be spent on the store anyway. So it's going to be a cycle.

[Selection Confirmed: System Integration (Dungeon Mode).]

[Deducting 500,000 Dimension Essence.]

[Initiating Anchor Interference Protocol…]

[Rewriting Spatial and Conceptual Laws... Please Stand By.]

The moment the prompt vanished, the entire Core Area shuddered. It wasn't a violent, destructive earthquake, but a deep, resonant hum that vibrated through the very fabric of reality.

Patriarch Liu Tianfeng and the Spirit Severing Ancestors, who were still sitting in their meditative circle, snapped their eyes open, reaching for their weapons.

"Shopkeeper! What is happening?!" Ancestor Swordpoint called out, his sword intent flaring defensively. "The Highland Energy... it is shifting!"

"Stand down, everyone. It's just a system update. No need to be alarmed." Lin Mo announced calmly, raising a hand to placate the Ancestors.

Although the place didn't change much, the oppressive Highland Energy seemed to weaken. After all, the Dimensional Bridge had been destroyed, severing the supply of Highland Energy getting funneled from their realm.

Soon enough, it was then replaced by the simulated 'Highland Energy'.

[Integration Complete.]

[Anchor HLFB#0120 has been reclassified as: Sunken Caverns Dungeon.]

[Maintenance cost: up to 1,000,000 Dimension Essence.]

[Management Menu has been enabled.]

—

Highland Realm.

At the same time Lin Mo picked the second option, the swirling portal that was being maintained at the Highland Realm dissipated at the other side of the destroyed Dimensional Bridge.

"The Anchor! It closed!" The Dreillings stationed at the Anchor Site deep within the Highland Realm scrambled as the towering portal of swirling violet energy abruptly shrank, sputtered, and collapsed into a single, dull point of light before vanishing completely.

That wasn't supposed to happen. The Anchor was supposed to stabilize today.

A day ago, they had just sent in more Dreillings inside to reinforce Vespera and prepare for occupying the land and establishing their foothold in the Realm of Nine Heavens.

They even mobilized a massive force of hundreds of lesser Nobles, thousands of Amalgamations, and legions of Decrints and Gremblins to be deployed for the invasion.

But the doorway was gone.

"Viscount Heron, the connection… It's completely severed! There is no feedback, no residual spatial tearing. It's as if the coordinates for that world-fragment have been wiped! The countdown for the loosening restriction that we noticed earlier had disappeared."

The Dreilling subordinate, a mid-tier Mind-Weaver with a lower noble lineage, fell to his knees, his eyes trembling with a mixture of terror and incomprehension.

Viscount Heron, a Dreilling adorned in opulent crimson robes stared at the empty stone archway.

His elongated ears twitched erratically. As a High Noble who oversaw this particular Anchor that was nearing its stabilization, this failure was a direct stain on his immaculate record.

"A Convergence Engine was being constructed. And Lady Vespera was personally overseeing it. How can it suddenly vanish?"

"I-I do not know, My Lord!" the subordinate choked out, clutching his head. Although he knew the answer, he wouldn't just blurt it out and risk his head.

The disappearance of the portal only meant one thing. The Anchor has been closed on that side. The natives reached the Core Area and accessed the Anchor Core.

BANG!

A terrifying force burst out of Viscount Heron that almost blew away the subordinate. The walls around him cracked, and the ground shattered.

With gritted teeth, he retrieved a medallion. A communication trinket to send word to his superior.

"Duke, Anchor#0120. The Anchor that Lady Vespera ventured into has been closed."

Upon saying that, he closed his eyes, bracing himself for what was to come next.

After all, the Duke is Vespera's father. A terrifying figure of nobility with influence far-reaching enough to be the right-hand of the High Emperor.