Welcome to the Ability Shop!

Chapter 5 Strange knowledge increases

Liu Shuyue walked quite a distance before slowing down slightly.

She turned around, and the magical shop was already beyond a hilltop, separated by layers of trees, where only a faint glimmer of light could be seen.

The shopkeeper did not chase after them.

Perhaps, as he said, this deal was a fair one, but she still couldn't let her guard down.

Once Liu Shuyue understood what she had gained, she realized that her initial judgment was completely wrong! What did it mean to exchange four abilities for one? If she had known that "Knowledge of the Past and Present" was like this, she would have been willing to exchange even more abilities!

She actually saw another history, an extremely vast history! Various figures established various dynasties, and their rise and fall were like a magnificent scroll painting, far more complex than she had imagined, and far beyond what she had learned.

She couldn't understand why an ability that could so significantly increase one's knowledge and experience would be classified as a mere eighth-rank skill. Furthermore, its description was completely contrary to the truth: what did it mean to say, "You think you can learn from it, but you actually can't"? Many people in this historical period have clearly pointed this out, such as using history as a mirror to understand rise and fall, and that later generations should not forget the lessons of their predecessors… It must be said that the shopkeeper was either too careless, misattributing the ability, or deliberately testing themselves.

However, it now seems that the answer is more likely to be the latter.

Can I return or exchange it within one month?
She could never revert to her former abilities in this lifetime.

Liu Shuyue didn't actually tell the whole story.

From the moment she began her studies, a question had lingered in her mind. If the purpose of the Lotus Cloud Sect was to assist the ruler in governing the world, why were there so few records of past disciples in the sect's library? Logically, regardless of their achievements, good or bad, they should all be recorded truthfully—the good could be emulated, and the bad could serve as a warning. Yet, she found nothing. When she asked her master, he always smiled but didn't answer, or rather, the sect's seniors seemed indifferent to all the disciples who descended the mountain, as if the changes in the world were irrelevant to the Lotus Cloud Sect.

With Liu Shuyue's speed, it would take her at most a month to travel from Kunlun to the capital of the Great Qi Kingdom, but she has already been delayed on the road for almost half a year.

In the past six months, she had traveled through more than ten towns and cities, witnessing many sights she had never seen in the sect and learning many things that were never taught in books. Logically, with the assistance of sect disciples, the dynasty should have flourished and the people should have lived in peace and prosperity, but the reality she witnessed along the way was quite different. Small towns were rife with bandits and thieves, official roads and villages were deserted, and only a few large cities were slightly better.

Furthermore, no matter how she inquired, she could not learn any information about the previous generation of disciples who had left the mountain, which she found truly incomprehensible.

The mountain gates open once every hundred years, and most cultivators, barring unforeseen circumstances, can live past that age. Even if a disciple dies halfway through their journey, they should still leave behind a wealth of deeds and achievements.

However, there are not many folk tales about the disciples of immortals.

Liu Shuyue was almost certain that the previous disciple had failed.

Perhaps, as the sect's elders have mentioned as a counterexample, this person was trapped by worldly desires and forgot his original intentions, or perhaps he became too involved in court affairs and deviated from the sect's original purpose.

She couldn't verify the matter with the authorities yet, because that would shake the image of the Lotus Cloud Sect's disciples as all-knowing.

Since the previous one failed, what about her?

After all, every disciple she taught the same things, and their talents were only higher or lower. If they achieved nothing, would she follow in their footsteps?

This series of worries and questions made it difficult for her to travel in peace.

At this moment, Liu Shuyue was no longer as worried as before.

Because she had received guidance from countless "ancestors," witnessed many court intrigues, and knew how to stay true to herself and fulfill her duties. She seemed to have glimpsed countless possible futures for herself and had the opportunity to choose the best one from them.

What an amazing ability!

Her master told her that she should always keep a calm mind, but Liu Shuyue still couldn't help but smile.

She definitely made a profit!

So it seems the shop owner wasn't really taking advantage of the situation?
However, thinking of the young shop manager's unchanging fake smile from beginning to end, she still let out a slightly dissatisfied snort. Everyone here is a capable person; why speak so harshly and mercenarily like a merchant? Why not just openly and honestly present your abilities?
Also... it's strange that this shop is called "Mala Tang" (spicy hot pot).

It's not only unrefined, but even a bit vulgar.

Could these three words have some deeper meaning?
"Spicy hot pot... Chen Xuan..."

Liu Shuyue silently read it over and over: To which faction do you belong? Are you a mountain deity or an overseas mystical sect? And to which world do these historical stories belong? If she has the chance to meet you again, she will definitely ask you properly.

……

……

After cleaning up the bloodstains, Chen Xuan breathed a sigh of relief.

He really is the store manager.

This feeling, both ethereal and real, lingered in his mind. If he weren't worried about disturbing the neighbors late at night, he would have loved to close the door and yell a couple of times. He wanted to vent but also tried his best to restrain himself. At this moment, he felt like a normal person pretending to be in an incredibly bizarre dream.

But no matter what, the facts are the facts.

He took two deep breaths to calm himself down.

Now that I'm the store manager, what should I do next?
"Oh, right... check the inventory."

Chen Xuan threw the rag into the sink, went to the computer at the bar, and turned the inventory window to its maximum.

The overview showed the following: Ability Inventory: [4], Available Ability Providers: [1]. The "1" was still Chen Xuan himself; Liu Shuyue's name did not appear in the list.

"It seems there isn't a one-to-one correspondence between the number of abilities and the providers," he pondered. "These abilities become unclaimed after being traded? And I'm the shopkeeper, so I can act as a temporary provider at any time?"

Can I use these abilities?
He opened his own section and dragged the "Alchemy" ability from his inventory into it.

In an instant, a flood of information rushed into his mind, causing him to let out a muffled groan.

It really can!

The throbbing pain came and went quickly. A moment later, Chen Xuan felt his mind filled with a wealth of information, such as how to distinguish between ordinary herbs and spiritual herbs, and how to process them into pills. Undoubtedly, this was all knowledge that Liu Shuyue had learned, and now it belonged to him.

The inventory count has also become 3.

But what does it matter? He's the store manager anyway, and he can participate in transactions at any time. Giving his abilities to someone else won't cost him anything! If you consider abilities as money, it's like he can withdraw the store's savings at will without paying any interest.

Besides, ability is much more real than money!
He was eager to bring over the other inventory capabilities as well, but found that he couldn't—his page only had four columns, which looked like an Excel spreadsheet in the software, but he couldn't add or delete items.

So he can only have four abilities at the same time?

Is this true for everyone, or does it vary from person to person?
Chen Xuan immediately realized that the answer should be the latter.

It's quite simple; Liu Shuyue traded four abilities at once. If the limit was only four, she essentially gave up everything to acquire "Knowledge of the Past and Present," which doesn't make logical sense. Furthermore, judging from her reaction, while she was somewhat unhappy about exchanging one for four, it was still within an acceptable range. She didn't seem to regret losing those four abilities much, indicating that Liu Shuyue has far more bargaining chips to offer than just these.

After all, they are cultivators, while I am just an ordinary person.

Chen Xuan readily accepted this. Four it is. Since he couldn't increase the limit, he could at least adjust the content. He dragged "Extraordinary Eater" and "Extraordinary Sleeper" to his inventory, and then dragged "Heart-Clearing Mantra" and "Spirit Sword Technique" onto himself. This series of operations all succeeded.

A cool current rose from the soles of his feet and spread throughout his body in an instant—he immediately understood the effect of the Mind-Clearing Technique: it was a passive skill, like internal energy in kung fu movies. Once learned, it could be used on its own to strengthen the body and could also be used in combination with other abilities.

Furthermore, he discovered that even the entry-level cultivation techniques had extremely strict aptitude requirements. If he wanted to learn the Heart-Clearing Technique through conventional means, he might practice for more than ten years without any results. However, ability trading could overcome this hurdle, as if forcibly grafting abilities onto the body. Not only could he master it, but he could also use it freely.

It was as if Liu Shuyue's memories and experience from cultivating the Heart-Cleansing Technique had also been transferred to him.

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(End of this chapter)