Chapter 652: Comprehending the first manual

Silence fell over the VIP lounge.

Executive Woody of the Sacred Foundation Bank stared at Lin Mo with a mixture of profound terror and absolute awe. Matriarch Layla’s hands were actually trembling.

Even someone who only dabbles in lending to poor cultivators could see the astronomical returns of a system fueled by raw, unfiltered vanity.

"To weaponize ’face’..." Woody breathed out, removing a silk handkerchief from his robes to dab at his forehead. "In our world, face and reputation are worth more than life itself. Sect Masters will bankrupt their ancestral treasuries just to ensure their sect’s name is placed higher than their rivals on a meaningless stele. To put that competition on a digital stage, visible to millions simultaneously..."

"It is a gold mine that never runs dry," Layla finished, her amber eyes practically glowing with a predatory, mercantile light. The elegant fan in her hand had stopped moving completely. She looked at Lin Mo not as a junior, nor even as a rival, but as a prophet who had just handed her the sacred scriptures of commerce.

"Mhm. Think it over, dear customer. Once you decide, we can start preparing for it."

"I understood. But Shopkeeper, please elaborate more for me." Matriarch Layla requested while Executive Woody had the same face as he wanted to be clear if there would also be a venture specifically for himself that Lin Mo could offer.

Lin Mo didn’t mind that. Since he’s going to catch the two big fishes of the Western Sacred Lands’ economic world, he’s naturally going to use a top-notch bait to not let them get away from the allure of profits.

For the next two hours, he answered their questions, presented more ideas and elaborated on them. Wu Meiyu also didn’t just stay silent. Most of the time, she’d fill in the explanation for me, cementing her position in their eyes.

While he has a very reliable prodigious assistant, he also has a brilliantly sharp Chief Operations Officer who translates his abstract concepts into the rigid vernacular of the realm’s political and economic realities.

When Lin Mo sensed that they were about to say yes to all of his offers, he advised them to discuss it further and give their answer three days later.

As for the reason? He just wanted to delay it since they haven’t truly shown their sincerity yet. If they want a piece of this very delicious pie, they have to demonstrate a willingness to invest more than just words and reputation. Even Jin Cheng stayed in Fanling City for a week and traded with the Harvester’s Guild and Professional Foundry before he got the Official Distributor slot from Lin Mo.

Shortly after their departure, Lin Mo wrote everything they discussed on the [Feedback & Suggestions], letting the divine beings up there also decide which ones are viable and which ones are not.

"Now then, I guess I should start comprehending these new manuals." Lin Mo muttered to himself after Wu Meiyu returned to her post downstairs.

He glanced over the Premium Cultivation Room, and the room Sword Fairy was using remained closed. Perhaps once she finished there, she’d be stronger than most Core Formation Stage cultivators. Well, except Liu Xiaoyu.

After attending to the things he needed to deal with, Lin Mo picked a room and configured it according to his needs and stepped inside.

—

At the Northern Border of the Southern Wu Kingdom, the daily skirmish between the kingdom’s army and the barbarians beyond the wall continued raging.

With the Crown Prince Wu Tianlong returning to the battlefield along with the newly created squadron of Aether-Knights, the kingdom had gained a significant advantage over the past week.

Having volunteers and an almost endless supply of loot from the Argent Covenant Anchor, the number of Aether-Knights had grown from a mere fifty to over three hundred.

The process of equipping mortal soldiers and low-level body cultivators with the [Legionary Set] had become a streamlined operation. Thanks to the constant farming at the Argent Covenant Anchor by the patron alliances, spare armor pieces flooded the store’s Barter Terminal, allowing the Kingdom to purchase them in bulk using Dimension Essence. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"Charge! Break through their rigid formation! Activate the Aetheric Link!" A late Foundation Establishment Stage General atop a spirit steed wearing a [Decurion Set] command.

Behind him were ten more soldiers atop a horse wearing [Legionary Set], following his command.

Having gotten a complete [Decurion Set], Dragon General formed a new cavalry squad composed of ten Aether-Knights, becoming a spear that could pierce through the dense number of barbarian hordes.

The barbarian horde, clad in thick beast pelts and wielding massive bone clubs infused with earthly qi, crumbled against them.

Then, other Aether-Knights on foot led the infantry, slaying strong barbarian leaders.

In the past, the sheer physical momentum of the barbarians would have shattered the Kingdom’s front lines, forcing the Core Formation Stage Generals to intervene directly.

Today, the result was a dull, resounding THUD.

The might of the Aetheric Link had fully shown in a battlefield just like how the cultivators would be swarmed by a legion of Argent Covenant soldiers inside the anchor. The silver hexagonal patterns on their armor flared, linking together to form a massive, invisible wall of kinetic dispersion.

The barbarians’ clubs bounced off, the recoil shattering the attackers’ own wrists.

"Advance! Pulse fire!"

Atop the wall, those previously holding crossbows would occasionally switch to [Stardust Repeaters] or [Celestial Duel Gears], catching the barbarians off-guard.

A volley of condensed spiritual energy tore through their ranks like a scythe through wheat.

Or a Celestial Field encompassing the frontline would summon a variety of Unit Cards to disrupt the barbarian’s momentum.

Standing on a fortified watchtower, Crown Prince Wu Tianlong observed the slaughter while exhaling in awe.

"They’re too powerful. With the barbarian not knowing how to break the link, the attrition rate remained zero," He murmured, turning to the Dragon General beside him. "A blow meant to kill one is dispersed among ten, fifty and more than one hundred. If all our soldiers eventually get one, sweeping through their mountains to finally quell these bloodthirsty barbarians will not be a dream anymore."

"Indeed, Your Highness," The Dragon General nodded, his arms crossed. "However, their Aether Shard consumption will be immense especially in a chaotic battlefield such as this. The supply lines back to Fanling City must remain uninterrupted, or these walking fortresses will become iron coffins."

"Aether Shard is no problem. There are now an excess of them. Once the cultivators push further into the Anchor, the drop rate will double. In the future, even a complete [Centurion Armor] might appear. With my Royal Sister and her close relationship to the Shopkeeper, our kingdom will not lose out on those supplies. For now, we need only focus on pushing the border forward. Who knows? An Anchor or a Tower might be hiding in their territory. That’s a calamity waiting. " Wu Tianlong said, a fierce ambition burning in his eyes.

"Uncle, I can’t lag behind. I’m gonna climb the tower again. As the Crown Prince, with our Southern Wu Kingdom being the place where the legendary store appears, we need to increase our strength. My Royal Sister has already chosen to remain in the store for the Shopkeeper. I intend to focus on strengthening our kingdom so when it’s time for me to ascend, we won’t be inferior to prominent sects of our region."

—

Back in the Divine Convenience Store, Lin Mo started comprehending the [Sea of the Silent Stream], immersing himself completely in the simulated environment he had configured.

[Simulated Environment: The Abyssal Trench]

[Spiritual Density: 10x the ambient Spiritual Energy - attuned to water/void qi]

[Time Acceleration: 5x]

The white room had melted away, plunging him into an oppressive, lightless depth. The simulated pressure of a million tons of water crushed down on him, forcing his physical body and his spiritual sea to condense simply to survive.

He floated cross-legged in the pitch black, the only light emanating from the six brilliant starlight constellations swirling above his dantian.

Although this wouldn’t be the actual process to break through to the Core Formation Stage, the manual would prepare him for it by forming an Embryonic Core.

The instruction for the [Sea of Silent Stream] mentioned centralising the passive accumulation of the [Silent Stream Breathing Technique], bringing it above the dantian.

Following that, using the [Vein of the Silent Stream], the spiritual energy circulation has to flow nine times before eventually arriving at the same spot like a flowing river returning to the source.

And lastly, since there’s already a spiritual sea within the dantian, the [Sea of Silent Stream] acts as the crucible, forming the Embryonic Core by incorporating all the rivers that have finished their circulation.

Having understood those steps, Lin Mo began directing the flow.

One circulation. Two. Five.

With each cycle, the agonizing pressure of the simulated Abyssal Trench amplified, pressing against his skin, his bones, and his soul.

"Incorporate the environment," Lin Mo murmured as he focused his concentration on directing the rivers and caging the accumulation in. "For now, compress into an enclosed sea which would later accommodate the true Core, ensuring a higher quality that could possibly surpass the limit."