1
The shop's signboard read "Hundred Treasures Pavilion." A lazy white cat lounged by the door, barely lifting its eyes as they approached.
The interior was far bigger than it looked from outside—clearly enhanced by some kind of spatial formation. Shelves overflowed with artifacts: talismans, pills, weapons, compasses… even a few smartphones engraved with runes.
From behind the counter emerged a stooped old man whose eyes gleamed with unnatural brightness.
"Back again, Su clan girl?" he rasped. "What do you need this time?"
Su Wan gave a respectful bow. "Uncle Chen, I need a basic set of equipment for my friend here. Budget—twenty spirit coins."
The old man narrowed his eyes and gave Ji Chen a long sniff.
"Hmm… how curious.""He reeks of—a Heavenly Tome?"
Ji Chen's body tensed. He instinctively stepped back, but Su Wan moved in front of him.
"Uncle Chen sees too well. I'd appreciate your discretion."
The old man chuckled. "Three hundred years I've run this store. Seen stranger things than you, boy."
He rummaged through the shelves and returned with three items:
A bronze ring
A jade pendant
A small dagger
"The ring's a Mystic Storage Ring—half a cubic meter of space inside.The pendant is a Clearheart Charm, protects against basic mind control.As for the dagger…" he gave a sly smile, "you'll see."
Ji Chen looked at Su Wan. She nodded.
He picked up the dagger and pricked his finger.
The moment his blood touched the blade, it dissolved into golden light and fused into his palm, merging with the jade imprint.
"What the hell...?"
"That's a Soulbound Blade, an ancient relic. Its affinity aligns with your Heavenly Tome," Uncle Chen explained. "Twenty coins. Non-negotiable."
Su Wan took out a cloth pouch and poured twenty crystalline coins onto the counter. They glimmered with misty currents inside, neither jade nor metal.
As they left the shop, Ji Chen couldn't help but ask:
"What exactly are spirit coins?"
"Universal currency in the cultivation world," Su Wan said. "Forged from pure spiritual jade. One spirit coin equals roughly 100,000 yuan."
Ji Chen nearly choked. "So we just spent... two million?"
"Roughly." Su Wan didn't seem concerned. "Money's not a problem. I've got investments in the mortal world."
Ji Chen was beginning to realize that this girl wasn't just a cultivator—she was also a hidden tycoon.
He focused on the bronze ring and could faintly sense the small internal space—currently empty.
"Just think about what you want to store, then touch the ring," Su Wan demonstrated. Her own ring flashed, and her silver bow vanished—then flashed again and reappeared in her hand.
Ji Chen tried storing his phone. Success. Like a kid with a new toy, he did it three more times before Su Wan gently stopped him.
"Save your energy. We still need to buy some talismans."
As they turned to leave, a group of young people approached from the opposite direction. Leading them was a tall, handsome man in a designer suit, his expression full of arrogance.
When he saw Su Wan, his eyes lit up.
"Well, if it isn't the Su clan's half-blood phoenix."
Su Wan's face darkened. "Zhao Mingyang. Good dogs don't block the road."
He grinned wider. "Heard you got demoted to Jiangcheng as a glorified monitor. Thought I'd come see how far you've fallen."His eyes shifted to Ji Chen, dripping with contempt. "And who's this mortal stray? Your new pet?"
Ji Chen's fists clenched, but Su Wan spoke first, cold and sharp:
"Worry about yourself, young master Zhao. Last clan tournament—wasn't it you who knelt and begged my cousin for mercy?"
Zhao's smile evaporated. "Su Wan. Don't think just because your family backs you—"
"Move," she snapped, pulling Ji Chen past him. "We're busy."
Just a few steps later, Ji Chen felt a pulse of spiritual energy behind him.
He turned instinctively—just in time to see a streak of black light shoot from Zhao's fingertip.
His Spirit Eyes activated on their own. Ji Chen clearly saw the trajectory and raised his hand to block.
The storage ring pulsed—redirecting the attack.
The black light rebounded, grazing Zhao's cheek before burning a hole in the stone wall.
Zhao's face twisted in fury. "You—!"
"Fighting in the black market?"A stern voice rang out. A squad of uniformed men strode toward them, badges on their chests reading: "Paranormal Regulation Bureau."
The leader—a middle-aged officer with a cold gaze—glared at Zhao.
"Your Zhao clan wants to get blacklisted?"
Zhao immediately backed down. "Just a misunderstanding, Captain Zhang."
"Disperse," the officer barked.
His eyes lingered on Ji Chen for a moment—curious, calculating—but he said nothing more.
2.
Back at Su Wan's apartment—an unassuming unit in a rundown downtown building—Ji Chen realized something was off.
Despite its plain exterior, the place was covered in protection sigils. Layers of invisible barriers shimmered briefly as they passed through the entrance.
Only when they were safely inside did Ji Chen finally ask the question that had haunted him all night:
"What exactly is the Heavenly Tome? Why does the Night Owl Society want it so badly?"
Su Wan handed him a steaming cup of tea and sat across from him.
"The Celestial Genesis Tome is a sacred artifact left behind by the ancient immortal Master Taixu. It contains cultivation techniques that lead directly to the Great Dao."
"According to legend, there are nine volumes, scattered across the realms. The one you have... is the first. The foundation."
Ji Chen stared at the mark in his palm, the shape of a jade scroll faintly glowing beneath the skin.
"But why me? I'm just an ordinary guy."
"The Tome has its own will," Su Wan said softly. "It chooses its bearer."
She hesitated. "But... Ji Chen, this isn't just some lucky break. Every known bearer of the Tome in history was dragged into massive upheavals in the cultivation world. Some became legends. Most—didn't live long."
Ji Chen forced a bitter laugh. "So I'm fated for a life of danger and chaos?"
"Well..." Su Wan gave a small smile. "At least now you've got me."
Then she paused—realizing what she just said.
"I-I mean... as your mentor. And... friend."
Ji Chen was quiet for a moment. Then he smiled.
"Thank you, Su Wan."
In his 24 years of life, he'd never had a friend like this. Someone who knew his biggest secret. Someone who saved his life—and dragged him headfirst into an entirely new world.
Su Wan stood up and pulled an old book off her shelf.
"Enough with the emotions. Training starts now. First, let's review the primary meridian channels in the human body…"
As the first rays of dawn lit the sky outside, Ji Chen leaned in, listening intently.
A new day was beginning.
And for him, a whole new world had just opened.