Welcome to the Ability Shop!

Chapter 3 Immortal Master (Thanks to BreakupXD for the Alliance Leader)
He should have been terrified—the shop had somehow ended up in some remote, desolate area, and if he were in danger, shouting until he was hoarse would be useless; worse, he'd run into a ruthless, bloodthirsty character who didn't care whether the blood on his sword was human or animal, it didn't matter to him, unarmed. Now, this ruthless character looked hostile, as if he might strike at any moment, and he felt like he'd suddenly found himself on the edge of a cliff.

However, Chen Xuan was unusually calm at this moment, so calm that even he himself was somewhat surprised. Even from the moment the other person entered the store until now, the smile on his face hadn't faded in the slightest.

"Don't worry about it. Just because we were in Tianlu Community a second ago doesn't mean we're still here now... Just like a river is constantly flowing, it's normal that I didn't notice the subtle changes."

He said slowly.

"As for what kind of shop this is... it's hard for me to explain it to you in just a few words. But if you need any skills or want to improve some of your shortcomings, then you've come to the right place."

"Ability?" the girl repeated doubtfully.

"That's right. Would you like a cup of coffee?" Chen Xuan walked past her casually, as if he hadn't even noticed the blood-dripping sword on her back.

For some reason, a thought became clearer and clearer in his mind.

"She is a guest."

Moreover, they are the kind of customers selected by the store.

Those who can walk into this store are not ordinary people!

The girl hesitated.

Her hesitation wasn't about whether or not to drink coffee, but rather that the sharp, murderous intent in her eyes was no longer as aggressive as before.

Chen Xuan ignored her reply, made himself a cup of coffee, and then returned to the bar. "If you still don't understand, you might as well ask yourself: since this shop is located in the middle of nowhere, why did you come here? It's late at night now... It's not very safe for a girl like you to travel at night."

He noticed that the shop must have appeared suddenly in the mountains, and the only change should have been the shop door, because the electrical appliances in the shop were still working normally, and the light strips hidden in the ceiling were not turned off, which meant that the house was still connected to the power grid.

The other party was most likely attracted by the light behind the curtain.

Why was she the one who attracted attention, and not someone else?
In other words, why should the store be located in some wilderness instead of in a big city?

We warmly welcome every guest.

The first rule of the store manager's code came to Chen Xuan's mind.

Conversely, this means that every guest who enters this store deserves to be warmly received.

“No ordinary person can hurt me, and I didn’t plan to come here in the first place.” The girl was silent for a moment before answering. “I just saw two broken carriages on the road, followed the signs of a fight, and after wiping out a group of bandits, I found myself in the deep mountains and forests.”

So... the fresh bloodstains on the sword were left after killing the bandits?

Would such a thing happen in China? Obviously not.

Then this mountain is no longer Lushan Mountain behind the residential area.

"Someone got robbed...and then what? Are they still alive?"

“I arrived too late, and all the kidnapped people were dead.” She shook her head regretfully. “Everyone was covered in wounds. They must have been tortured and drained of their last bit of value. The bandits never intended to leave any survivors.”

"What a pity," Chen Xuan sighed softly.

“Where there are murderers and robbers, there are also people who sell stolen goods. I suspected that this shop was engaged in such despicable business, so I decided to come and check it out.” She looked at Chen Xuan again, “But you look unsteady on your feet, weak and feeble, and you speak like someone who is literate. You shouldn’t be with those bandits.”

“Even if you doubt me, you shouldn’t doubt this shop.” He chuckled. “With the style of mountain bandits, they certainly couldn’t have decorated such an elegant shop.”

He finally understood why the other person had a cold expression and looked at him with a scrutinizing gaze when they entered the store.

The girl nodded slightly. "Indeed, I could sense this place was extraordinary the moment I stepped in. It's comparable to... the place I came from. But external things are easy to fake, so I still need to confirm it with my own eyes."

“I understand.” Chen Xuan took a sip of coffee. “You’re a chivalrous person, always ready to help those in need and clean up the mess after you’ve done your job. But I must say that the reason I brought you here isn’t because of bandits or robbers, but because of your destiny with this shop. You know, not everyone is qualified to enter this shop; this opportunity belongs to only a lucky few.”

"Fate? Where does fate come from?"

"The dilemma within you! You wanted to save them, but failed. Although you eliminated the bandits and robbers, you couldn't bring back the lives of those unfortunate people. You might ask yourself if you've done your best, if you possess the ability to prevent such things from happening again. Perhaps a faster movement, more powerful martial arts, or even foresight to stop the tragedy in advance—"

"Can you predict the future?" the girl interrupted crisply.

“These are just examples,” Chen Xuan said patiently. “If the ability to predict the future truly existed, it would be incredibly valuable. This shop is such a place… capable of filling gaps and deficiencies in a customer’s abilities. If you are unsure what abilities you need, I can also provide corresponding consulting services.”

Her eyes widened, a look of surprise on her face for the first time. "Do you mean that this shop can treat abilities as commodities and freely trade them with customers?"

"good."

At least that's what the store manager's handbook says. The girl fell into deep thought. After a moment, she glanced at the lucky cat on the bar, then looked up at the softly glowing LED strip above her head, before speaking, "I do have some doubts."

"My name is Liu Shuyue, and I am a cultivator from the Lianyun Sect. I apologize for not introducing myself earlier."

"Chen Xuan." Chen Xuan smiled.

"Excuse me, are you the shopkeeper or the owner?"

"Manager. You can consider it both."

“Hmm…” Liu Shuyue pondered, “But you’ve never heard of the Lotus Cloud Sect? The shop’s decoration looks so unique, I think its owner must be very powerful and knowledgeable. It seems I was arrogant.”

Is this sect so famous that people tremble at the mere mention of its name?
"Fame is insignificant in the river of time; it may resound throughout the world one second and vanish into thin air the next," he said with utmost confidence. "Of course, I'd be happy to listen if you'd like to tell me more. By the way, would you like a cup of coffee? It's a beverage that can refresh and relieve fatigue, similar to tea."

This time she understood, "The kind of stuff you drink?"

Chen Xuan nodded.

"It's troublesome."

Seeing that the other party agreed, he took out a new cup and began to brew coffee. From that moment on, he truly considered himself the manager of this mysterious shop, and the girl his first customer.

"The Lotus Cloud Sect is not some reclusive sect, I have nothing to hide." Liu Shuyue's words were open and aboveboard. "It is located at the top of the Kunlun Cloud Sea, and its mountain gates open once every hundred years. Several Lotus Cloud Sect disciples will set off from here to travel down the mountain and choose a country to assist. There are currently six countries in the world, so there are a total of six disciples."

This description alone doesn't match any of the history Chen Xuan knows.

"You are one of the disciples?" He vaguely guessed the answer.

"Yes," the girl said frankly.

"Are there no other sects in this world?"

"They're not here. The others are either charlatans or evil cultivators, not worth mentioning at all. As for other places, I don't know because they're separated by the Abyss Sea."

This is still a monopolistic industry...

In other words, she is an officially certified cultivator, and her identity is indeed extraordinary.

Chen Xuan handed her a warm latte. "So what do you usually do to assist the monarch? I guess the sect must have provided training on this, right?"

“Of course. For the past ten years or so, I’ve been studying this. It includes rituals, rainmaking, demon slaying, and pacifying the people, all aimed at bringing good fortune and avoiding misfortune, ensuring the prosperity of the dynasty.” She took the cup, cautiously smelled it, and then took a small sip. The moment the coffee touched her lips, her delicate brows furrowed. “So bitter…”

Spitting it out would be impolite, and she was already trying her best to hide her aversion.

However, after only a moment, the girl's brows relaxed, and a hint of surprise appeared in her eyes.

She had clearly tasted the unique sweetness and rich aroma of milk coffee.

Chen Xuan smiled slightly, "Just these four items? But I have a feeling... things aren't that simple."

"Why do you say that?" Liu Shuyue's gaze sharpened.

“Since you’re assisting with matters concerning the immortals, you’re obviously the most professional group. Just do what the sect teaches you, why would you have any doubts?” he analyzed. “But your attitude doesn’t seem to reflect that… When you mentioned the role of assistant, you clearly hesitated a little, just a little… but I guess it’s unrelated to those four tasks.”

Seeing the girl fall silent, Chen Xuan knew he had guessed correctly.

Besides, it's not hard to guess.

What makes cultivators so unique? Their combat prowess, of course! This is evident from her daring to travel alone at night and single-handedly hunt down a group of bandits; her strength far surpasses that of ordinary people. How could the rulers of a dynasty waste their "swords" on trivial matters… What these people would do with swords is obvious. Cultivators don't need to be powerful enough to command the wind and rain; just being a sniper rifle is terrifying enough.

“I have indeed heard some seniors say that some disciples of the Lotus Cloud Sect also participate in court politics and forget their original intentions… But how do you know this?” she asked after a moment, puzzled.

“If I didn’t even understand this much, how could I dare to run this shop? You’re worried about the unknown future because it’s a field you haven’t studied. Perhaps you want to stay out of trouble and only shoulder the responsibilities that belong to the sect’s disciples, but some fragments left by our predecessors show that sometimes things don’t go as planned.” Chen Xuan said mysteriously, “Let me guess again, the current six kingdoms probably don’t have a very long history, right? They either split from a single dynasty or were formed by the merger of several dynasties?”

"...Do you really know nothing about us?" Liu Shuyue asked suspiciously.

"I really hadn't heard of it before," Chen Xuan said, spreading his hands to show his nonchalance.

"So you think this store can answer my question? Do you have the ability to fill this gap?" she pressed.

(End of this chapter)