Lin Qian's consciousness snapped back into his body, leaving him momentarily frozen in place.
"A... Mall system?" Lin Qian felt as if he had been hit by a bolt of lightning. What in the world was this mall system?
Yun Rong and the others exchanged worried glances. Lin Qian's expression had suddenly become extremely strange, shifting between joy, fear, panic, and disbelief—all sorts of complex emotions playing out on his face.
"Qian'er..." Lin Di, Lin Qian's father, called out gently. Ever since their son had reappeared in their lives, he'd been resolute, optimistic, and steadfast, except for the brief moment when he had secretly wiped away tears upon reuniting with his parents. This was the first time they had seen him so emotionally unhinged, and it made Lin Di uneasy.
But Lin Qian's emotional response was not without reason. What had just happened to him was nothing short of extraordinary.
Summoning his soul power, Lin Qian activated his Golden Emperor Eyes. The familiar system interface floated before him, and with practiced ease, Lin Qian opened the mall section of the interface.
As the greatest spender in the fantasy game he had played in his previous life, the game company had even designed a custom theme for him—complete with an elegant tea house aesthetic. Now, that same nostalgic interface reappeared before him, and for the first time in ages, the previously locked mall button was now brightly illuminated.
The words "Midsummer Twilight," his personal title, glowed in the top right corner. In his past life, Lin Qian had been the top spender in the entire game, a title he had earned with pride.
As he scrolled through the mall, Lin Qian found that many familiar items were still available, though slightly altered to fit his new reality. Everything had been imbued with soul power, reflecting the changes in the world around him.
Eagerly, Lin Qian opened the Accelerator Items section, and just as he had expected, only items related to accelerating the growth of spiritual herbs were available. The cost to purchase these items was still listed in Xuanhuan Coins—the same currency from his previous life. Back then, each unit of currency could be bought with one yuan, with a hundred Xuanhuan Coins equaling one yuan.
"Well, look at that! Still have a balance of a few hundred million Xuanhuan Coins. That should last me quite a while," Lin Qian said to himself with satisfaction as he reviewed his balance. "I even still have the special discount privileges—80% off. That'll make this last even longer."
As Lin Qian explored the interface, his earlier panic faded, replaced by calm as he continued to examine the system. His fingers danced across the interface, navigating through various menus to get a better sense of how things worked now.
To Yun Rong and the others, the sight was puzzling. Lin Qian was standing still, eyes focused on something invisible, his hands moving as if he were manipulating the air. Every now and then, they heard him chuckling to himself, a sound that sent chills down their spines.
"I've confirmed the situation with the mall system," Lin Qian muttered after some time. He now had a clearer understanding of the situation.
First, his balance of Xuanhuan Coins remained the same as it had in his previous life—plenty to keep him going for quite a while.
Second, the mall's exchange system still worked. He could exchange soul crystals for Xuanhuan Coins, allowing him to buy more items. The system had even evolved to include features like soul power enhancement and spiritual herb cultivation.
However, most of the more powerful items in the mall were still locked. Only a few basic tools for speeding up the growth of spiritual herbs were available. It seemed that only by fulfilling certain conditions in his new life could Lin Qian unlock more advanced items.
He decided to test the system, purchasing one of the acceleration tools for spiritual herb growth. Upon activation, the tool altered the environment, turning the land into a replica of Wanyao Qianmu Valley, where spiritual herbs would grow at an accelerated rate.
Unlike in his previous life, these tools were now much more user-friendly and powerful. For Lin Qian, this was an unexpected boon.
However, there were limitations. He could only buy a set number of these items per week—just three purchases every seven days. At the moment, with only one category of items unlocked, this wasn't much of a problem, but Lin Qian knew it could become a frustrating issue later on.
With the limitation in mind, he quickly purchased the maximum of three items and used them immediately in his Huaxia Empire within the Illusionary Star Realm.
Lin Qian also realized that these items weren't restricted to the Illusionary Star Realm—they could be used in the real world as well, which would significantly accelerate the growth and development of the Huaxia Empire.
Though it seemed like a small investment now, Lin Qian knew that the future returns would be enormous once his empire expanded and these tools were fully utilized.
"Prime Minister, continue researching ways to increase the acceleration rate of the spiritual herb growth in Wanyao Qianmu Valley. We need to unlock more items from the mall system," Lin Qian ordered through his connection with Zhuge Ming, the head of the Heavenly Works Division.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Zhuge Ming replied, excitement barely contained in his voice. The idea of using the Emperor's mystical powers to create new Wanyao Qianmu Valleys without draining any of the empire's resources was thrilling. Not only was it an efficient way to generate results, but it also promised a future of endless possibilities.
As Lin Qian finally closed the mall interface, his expression returned to normal. He looked over at his parents and grandparents, who were still staring at him with worry etched across their faces.
"Don't worry," Lin Qian said with a reassuring smile. "I'm fine. Here—these are your new techniques."
With that, five ancient-looking manuals appeared in Lin Qian's hands, which he handed to his parents, grandparents, and uncle.
The five of them took the manuals in disbelief, especially Yun Rong. She had never expected that Lin Qian would actually follow through on his earlier boast.
"How is this even possible?" Yun Rong thought, shaking her head with a slight smile. "Just a moment ago, Qian'er was standing there doing nothing, lost in thought. And now, he's created techniques for us?"
However, as she opened the manual and read the first few lines, Yun Rong's disbelief was shattered. Her hands began to tremble as she flipped through the pages.
"This… this is incredible!"