Hao’s lips curled into a quiet grin.
’Oh I’m so ready for this. Noon me’s gonna be built different.’
He stretched his arms overhead and got up from the couch.
Even a future powerhouse had to brush his teeth.
Hao took the world’s fastest bath, and started his morning routine.
Wipe the counters. Sweep the floors. Restock the isntant noodles. Refill the glass-door refrigerators.
Tidy up the potato chips shelf after Kurome’s kittens had knocked a few bags over during the night.
He carried on without a hint of dissatisfaction.
Even if he was officially a cultivator now, Hao knew he couldn’t just run off and start flying through the skies or fighting demons in the forest.
He had responsibilities.
This was the Dimensional Convenience Store. And he was the storekeeper.
Maybe not the strongest.
Maybe not the most mysterious.
But this place didn’t run without him.
And if Hao was honest with himself… he didn’t hate it.
He had come to enjoy the flow of the store.
Watching over the shelves. Greeting weird customers. Life here was strange, sure – but it was his.
Though yeah… it did get boring sometimes.
But now? He had unlocked a new way to pass the time. It was like getting a new feature in a game, something that could give him a little boost, a fun extra to add to his day-to-day.
By the time the cleaning and setup were done, Hao walked over to the front door and flipped the hanging wooden plaque. The backside now faced outward.
’Open.’
He stepped back, hands on hips, and let out a breath.
As expected, just doing the chores helped him circulate spiritual qi. The Solar-Ascendant Constitution seemed to absorb energy through both skin and breath, meaning even while sweeping the floors or adjusting the fridge, he was cultivating.
How broken was that?
And since the inside of the store was always well-lit, it felt like Hao was living inside a semi-cultivation array. At least, that was true until he turned the lights off.
The lights alone was helping him gather spiritual qi, even without any sunlight.
He glanced at his hands. No golden glow yet.
But there was progress.
His qi reserves were growing bit by bit.
The scripture said he’d eventually be able to turn into light, literally shift into a beam and flash from place to place.
But for now, he didn’t have enough qi to pull that off. His reserve was still small.
Barely enough to run a few laps through the basic breathing cycle.
Still, he could feel it building.
Like a battery charging up.
He gave the drinks one last check, then leaned back behind the counter. He could practically feel the qi flowing in through the lights above, energizing him.
The store, even though it was tucked away in a dark alley as the first connected door, had actually turned out to be a pretty decent place for Hao to cultivate.
He looked around, half-worried that the lights working a little too well.
’System, you’re not gonna charge me for this, right? I mean, what if the power for the lights runs out cause of me?’
[Thank you for the suggestion, host. Deducting one crystal per hour of indoor light absorption will now be implemented.]
Hao froze.
[Just kidding. Of course not, host. You are not drawing power from the lighting system.]
[The Solar-Ascendant Constitution passively converts ambient light into spiritual qi. There is no cost. The constitution you selected is simply efficient.]
Hao let out a slow breath and shook his head.
’If I really got stripped one crystal every hour, I’d be bankrupt by tomorrow.’
He rubbed his face.
Actually, he was already broke.
If the system really started charging him for light? Hao wouldn’t just be poor.
He’d be negative rich. Rock-bottom.
Debtor arc unlocked.
Might as well rename the store to “Dimensional Debt Center.”
But luckily this arrangement really worked for him.
Thanks to the constitution he picked, he could just hang around the store, chill behind the counter, and still cultivate like a proper protagonist.
No climbing mountains or sitting under waterfalls required. Just good lighting and low effort.
He just had to make sure he locked in properly when using the actual cultivation technique.
Earlier, when he tested it for a second, the effects felt… off.
Weaker.
And it didn’t make sense at first.
The sun should’ve been up, the timing was right, but the power wasn’t there.
Then it hit him.
He was on the ground floor now.
Before, he’d been up on the third floor when he activated it the first time. Closer to the light source. Maybe even just a better angle.
He had no explanation for it. No deep, profound understanding of how solar qi interacted with buildings or floors or ceiling tiles.
It just felt right.
And in cultivation, gut feeling was basically a valid research method.
Lin Yijun entered first, hands tucked behind his head with a relaxed grin on his face.
“Greetings, boss.” Lin Yijun said with a nod.
The others followed after him, each giving a brief greeting as they made their way inside.
“Welcome.” Hao replied casually. They had all gotten used to the storekeeper’s usual act by now.
The group moved toward their usual spots, but Yue Xueyan’s gaze lingered on Hao for a moment longer. Something felt different.
She didn’t speak, but the realization hit her quietly.
The senior was radiating spiritual qi.
Before, there had been nothing. Not even a hint of cultivation.
But now? Hao was clearly at the First Stage of the Spirit Awakening Realm.
And more than that, the qi he gave off felt pure and bright. Refined in a way that didn’t match anything she had ever felt before.
Yue Xueyan blinked, then looked away. Well, that was new.
Still, she didn’t jump to any conclusions. Her first thought?
Maybe the senior just got bored of being a mortal and decided to try cultivation again from the start for fun.
That was probably it. Probably.
She couldn’t think of any other reason, so she turned away and joined the others to grab products.
She was excited to taste the Peach Oolong Tea again – this time, she was going to savor it.