The twenty-second day of Lin Mo's new life in the Realm of Nine Heavens quickly passed. In the end, he decided to delay the Private Auction for a day. After all, the patrons had just experienced the divine teachings from Goddess Xingxing and Sage Danzhu. The Spirit Severing Ancestors instantly went into seclusion to try and cultivate past their current bottleneck. Even Liu Zhongzhu had left his post at the Argent Covenant Anchor to digest the profound teachings of the Divine Lecture after Lin Mo's visit that night.

And in the middle of the day, Liu Tianfeng, who took over after his son, reported that Liu Zhongzhu's Spirit Severing Tribulation happened at midday.

Although not as flashy as Lin Mo's minor tribulation, he saw it from a distance. Liu Xiaoyu even went to that Anchor to check. He was still her father, after all.

When she returned at night, she couldn't stop recounting the step-by-step process her father took to complete his breakthrough.

Just from the name itself, the tribulation was harsh. He had to sever one mortal attachment via Karmic Severing Meditation and accumulate 100 Strands of Severing Intent while chanting Mantra of Detachment and resisting a Karmic Phantom born from that mortal attachment. The choice was hard, for it would feel like cutting off one of his limbs.

Still, every cultivator walking down the path of immortality had to experience that.

Luckily for him, the store had some products that helped him tide through it, or at least lessen the severity of the breakthrough. For example, the [Soul-Soothing Incense] from Goddess Xingxing's product line.

"Grandpa lit one up right when the Karmic Phantom tried to whisper doubts into Father's ear," Liu Xiaoyu recounted, miming the action with dramatic flair as she sat on the counter, swinging her legs. "The phantom looked like a twisted version of Father himself, screaming about how he failed the clan by stagnating for so long. But the moment that smoke hit it? Poof! It didn't vanish, but it got… mellow. Like it decided to take a nap instead of haunting him. That gave Father the opening to use the [Mantra of Detachment] without spitting blood."

Lin Mo nodded, impressed. The incense was designed to calm the mind, but seeing it pacify a tribulation-induced heart demon was a testament to its divine quality. Goddess Xingxing's product line would sell like hotcakes again and this time, not just to women.

"And the physical backlash?"

"He used a [Highland Vitality Candy]!" Xiaoyu grinned. "Danzhu's recipe works like a charm. When the severing intent cut his connection to his mortal attachment, his body nearly collapsed. But he popped that green candy, and boom! His vitality surged back. He looked ten years younger when he walked out of the mist and lightning!"

Lin Mo was curious about what the mortal attachment he had severed but upon thinking about it, it would be insensitive to do. Although regaining it was still possible in the higher stages, it would always be a difficult choice for everyone. Furthermore, they had to cut two more as they progressed on that stage. Only then would they be able to approach the domain of Void Refinement.

In the future, he also had to make that choice. However, given how Taihao assured him that he wouldn't experience any bottleneck in his cultivation, he might be able to pass through those hard choices relatively unscathed.

"So, the Liu Clan now has two Spirit Severing experts if we count that Grand Elder that was left behind to guard your ancestral estate and one Void Refinement patriarch. That's good. Pick a gift for your father. Tell him it's a congratulations from the store. A bottle of [Celestial Dew Wine] should be appropriate. It was the most expensive among the liquors that the divine beings from the Pantheon finally concocted. It stabilizes the soul after a breakthrough."

That's right. Lin Mo found a new shelf in the inventory this morning with three different kinds of spirit liquors. They seemed to be made with different statures in mind. Cheap, fair, and expensive. The Celestial Dew Wine was too expensive for normal folk, and it cost 100 high-grade spirit stones.

Xiaoyu's eyes lit up. "On it, Boss! He loves that stuff! I'll add a note telling him not to drink it all at once! There's a limited supply of it!"

She hopped off the counter and dashed towards the beverage aisle, her energy infectious. Lin Mo watched her go, a faint smile on his lips.

The Liu Clan was becoming a formidable pillar for the store.

—

At the Northern Arctic Dominion, Yu Qingyan and her group successfully reached the location where the Conduit Tower was supposed to be. Considering it remained undiscovered and they couldn't just search for it recklessly, they entered the nearby city, selling the wares she had stocked up while waiting for the news from the Arctic Sea Palace disciple that they contacted.

The Glacial Tide City was a fortress of dark blue stone, built to withstand the eternal winter of the north.

Yu Qingyan sat in a reserved booth of a local teahouse, sipping a cup of warm brew that couldn't compare to the store's tea and coffee, but was comforting nonetheless.

Across from her sat a young woman in the white and blue robes of the Arctic Sea Palace.

This was Shang Shuiyin, the user known as [FrozenTideAdept]. She had been to the Divine Convenience Store when the Violethaven Temple first appeared there. She believed she could get contribution points for bringing back the high-quality store products and the footage of Lin Mo shattering a heaven-grade equipment of a Grand Elder at the Void Refinement Stage.

Unfortunately for her, her hard work had yet to produce any results.

She looked nervous, her eyes alternating between Yu Qingyan and Chu Yueying, who was casually snacking on a packet of potato chips, looking both seductive and frightening.

"E-emissary Yu," Shang Shuiyin stammered as she clutched her Viewing Jade like a lifeline. "I… I didn't think you would actually come. And with such a… huge caravan."

"The Divine Convenience Store takes its patrons' concerns seriously, Miss Shang," Yu Qingyan said with a professional, reassuring smile. "We contacted you about the undiscovered Conduit Tower my disciple mentioned through the Bulletin Board. You see, the store had the means to sense its location. Only a day left before a Tower Break occurs. I presume you've already gathered all the relevant information about it."

"I have," Shang Shuiyin nodded vigorously, eager to prove her worth. She tapped her Viewing Jade, projecting a crude, hand-drawn map of the Glacial Tide City's outskirts. "The location you mentioned... it aligns perfectly with the newly discovered 'Valley of Frozen Whispers'. It is declared a forbidden zone about twenty kilometers north of the city. The sect elders claim it's a place where the yin-frost energy is so chaotic it causes hallucinations. They forbade anyone from entering."

"Hallucinations?" Chu Yueying scoffed, wiping crumbs of potato chips from her lips. "Or perhaps they get scared of the foreign creatures that spilled out of it. Are you sure they're not just keeping that Tower to themselves? You know, greed is inherent even to elders who preached about justice."

Shang Shuiyin flinched but didn't deny it. "That... is not entirely inaccurate. I tried to tell my Master. I showed him the recording of the Flash Raid and the Celestial Duel Gear Alpha Tests! I told him about the towers in the East! But he dismissed it as 'propaganda' and 'merchant trickery'. He said the spiritual fluctuations were just the natural tides of the valley and the Palace Master ordered a thorough investigation before venturing into it."

Yu Qingyan's expression cooled. The reasoning was sound, but they couldn't truly afford to wait for a more definite result from their investigation. The Divine Convenience Store's system had properly located it. It even showed how many floors the tower had.

Although the threat assessment was low, there's no telling how devastating those foreign creatures would be if they ventured out of that valley.

"Miss Shang, if a Tower Break occurs so close to a major city, the consequences will be catastrophic," Yu Qingyan stated, her voice firm. "The creatures inside are not natural spirit beasts. They could cause a disaster if they spill out unchecked. Glacial Tide City will be overrun before your sect can even mobilize."

"Eh…? T-then… Please follow me, Emissary Yu. I'll bring you to the palace to meet the Palace Master. My master didn't believe me when I said the Emissary of the Verdant Sky Pavilion is coming but if I bring you to him personally, perhaps he will listen."

Yu Qingyan exchanged a glance with Chu Yueying. The latter shrugged, popping another chip into her mouth. "Well, we're here to sell convenience, not force it down their throats. You should go with her, Qingyan. I'll look after your disciples and your caravan. Ah. Just leave behind enough stocks. Look, the lines are still too long."

She gestured outside, where they set up their carts and stalls. Little Spring and Mei Ling were leading the Verdant Sky Pavilion members while the exploration group members guarded their vicinity.

Yu Qingyan nodded, "Alright. I'll leave it to you. I'll contact the Shopkeeper. Maybe he can also help persuade the palace."

"Heh. Sure. I'll pretend you didn't just find an excuse to hear from our dear Shopkeeper." Chu Yueying smirked as she waved her hand in a dismissing gesture.