Chen Yiyi's expression shifted slightly as she watched her senior brother retrieve the tortoise shell. A sinking feeling settled in her chest.
"Brother, you're not thinking of..." She trailed off, already guessing his intentions.
Chen Mo remained silent. Taking a deep breath, he channeled his spiritual power into the tortoise shell.
A faint, hazy brilliance emerged, swirling with an ancient and mysterious glow.
Then—
His face twisted in shock.
The moment his spiritual energy entered, an uncontrollable force surged back.
Crack!
A sharp, fracturing sound rang through the air.
The glow vanished instantly, replaced by a jagged crack across the tortoise shell's surface. The intricate patterns etched into it had been destroyed.
Pfft!
A mouthful of blood spilled from Chen Mo's lips. His complexion turned deathly pale.
"Brother!" Chen Yiyi exclaimed, rushing to his side.
Luo Chuan, who had been casually handling the Colorful Colored Glazed Chicken, had noticed Chen Mo's actions from the beginning.
However, he had no interest in interfering.
Chen Mo's injury had nothing to do with him.
It was the result of a failed divination—his own mind had suffered a backlash.
Luo Chuan cast them a brief glance before returning to his task, completely unbothered.
Chen Mo wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes clouded with disbelief.
"This… how is this possible?" he muttered hoarsely. "Why couldn't I see anything?"
Chen Yiyi's concern deepened. "Brother, what happened?"
Chen Mo took a shaky breath, forcing himself to calm down. "Causality… is invisible."
Chen Yiyi's eyes widened in horror.
As a disciple of the Heaven's Secret Pavilion, she understood the significance of those words.
Causality was the foundation of all existence—everything in the world was intertwined with cause and effect.
For something to be completely severed from causality…
It was an impossibility.
No cultivator, no matter how powerful, could exist without some form of karmic connection.
"That's absurd..." she whispered, struggling to process it.
Chen Mo clenched his fists, his voice heavy with frustration. "Perhaps… I am simply too weak."
A powerful cultivator could indeed block weaker ones from prying into their fate.
But was that really all there was to it?
Silence stretched between them. Neither dared to voice their deeper suspicions.
While the siblings wrestled with their thoughts, Luo Chuan remained focused on his culinary endeavor.
By now, the Colorful Colored Glazed Chicken had been properly cleaned and prepared.
Luo Chuan called out in his mind.
"System."
The mechanical voice responded promptly. "What is it, host?"
"I need some lotus leaves," Luo Chuan said. "You can't make Lotus Leaf Colored Glazed Chicken without lotus leaves, can you?"
A moment of silence.
Then, several large, glowing lotus leaves materialized in his system space.
Luo Chuan smirked. If he had made this request when he first became the host, the system would have ignored him outright.
But by now, it had long given up resisting his whims.
He retrieved the fresh, fragrant leaves and got to work.
Meanwhile, Chen Mo and Chen Yiyi had finally finished selecting their purchases.
Despite their shock and uncertainty, they still had enough clarity of mind to recognize the sheer value of these goods.
They were certainly wealthy, but their choices were limited—there were only four items available for purchase.
Additionally, there were restrictions.
During the mission period, Jade Nectar Dew and mineral water had limited stock. However, the system had adjusted their availability—rather than one bottle every seven days, Jade Nectar Dew could now be purchased up to ten times per day, matching the mineral water limit.
Furthermore, each person could only buy one Coke and one pack of Spicy strips per day.
Chen Yiyi studied the light curtain curiously. "How do we make the payment?"
Chen Mo furrowed his brows. "I think… it's mental power?"
Testing his theory, he focused his intent on purchasing the items.
A voice echoed in his mind—detached, emotionless.
"Purchasing: one Coke, one pack of La Tiao, one bottle of mineral water, one bottle of jelly lotion. Total price: 110,110 spirit crystals. Confirm transaction?"
Chen Mo's breath hitched.
The voice carried an indescribable weight—an overwhelming authority that made resisting feel impossible.
How had it even entered his mind?
Suppressing his unease, he steadied himself and gave his response.
"Confirm."
At that moment, he realized—
This was no ordinary shop.