That surprised Tianlei, remembering how greedy she had been in the tunnels when it came to sharing the soul crystals .
"You're willing to share your soul crystals?" Tianlei asked.
The Feather Lady scoffed.
"I'm not greedy. And I'm only giving you one. Besides, you already took two. That's a large share.
"Hey, where do we exchange treasures for merit points?" the Feather Lady yelled, clearly trying to show off since almost every student hadn't gained even a single soul core.
"Wait… not only did they survive, they even gained treasures?" a boy whispered.
Bai Kun clenched his fists, trying to suppress the anger boiling within.
"This way," a female voice called out.
Tianlei remembered her. She was the one who had helped him in the chambers when he nearly killed the destiny star for forcibly making a contract with him .
"Come on," the Feather Lady said, grabbing Tianlei's hand and hopping forward as they followed the woman .
They went upstairs into a calmly lit room filled with floating screens. Behind a massive desk sat an old man who was a scrolling through some old book .
"This is one of the transaction units for beginners," the woman said, pointing toward him.
"Mr. Zhengzhou, these are the only customers for today. Don't cheat them."
The old man looked up from his books.
"Alright. You can leave."
The woman scoffed and left.
They walked up to the desk.
"So, what do you have? Make it quick. I have matters to attend to," the old man said, closing one of his books.
"I thought we were your only customers. Who else do you need to attend to?" the Feather Lady asked.
"Alright, smart pants. Show me."
The Feather Lady waved her hand, and three soul crystals flew from her storage ring onto the desk.
The old man's eyes widened instantly. He leaned forward, examining them closely.
"These are actually soul crystals… but how?"
His gaze sharpened as it moved between the two of them. For a couple of weak beginners to acquire even one soul crystal was impossible—yet they had three.
He rubbed a finger across one crystal, still staring as if searching for any trace of deception.
"Old man, I thought you didn't have all day. Yet here you are staring at us. I know we're irresistible, but—"
"Alright, alright," he interrupted. "I was just curious how a bunch of weaklings managed to get three soul crystals."
The Feather Lady gritted her teeth and waved her hand again. Two more soul crystals appeared on the desk .
The old man nearly fell forward.
"B-but… how?" he stammered. "This has to be some kind of trick."
Tianlei guessed she was showing off again.
The old man glanced between them once more, eyes blinking rapidly. Then he sighed and leaned back.
"You are impossible."
"How many merit points do we get per crystal?" Tianlei asked.
"A soul crystal is more valuable than any soul core," Zhengzhou said slowly.
"For a soul core, you gain ten thousand merit points—about one hundred and fifty gold coins. But a soul crystal is worth over one hundred and seventy-five thousand merit points, depending on the vitality it wields ."
Tianlei's breath caught.
"That's over… that many gold coins?"
"Given the strong vitality of these," the old man continued, "each is worth around two hundred and ten thousand merit points. Your total comes to one million and fifty thousand merit points."
The Feather Lady rubbed her chin , every soul crystal was a valuable treasure , each wielding the potential to skyrocket someone's soul power to a profound level . Selling them would be giving away a priceless opportunity . She raised her hand , then removed two crystals from the desk.
"Two for me. One for my friend here."
The old man glanced at Tianlei.
The soul crystals weren't his, so he had no say. One crystal was already an absurdly generous gift.
Tianlei nodded.
"Very well. Two hundred and ten thousand merit points for the young man, four hundred and twenty thousand for you."
The old man brushed his finger through the air. A transparent screen appeared, and he tapped it. Two notifications chimed.
"Merit points have been added to Feng Tianlei's account and Su Jiaru's account."
"Su Jiaru?" Tianlei repeated. "That's your name?"
"Don't call me that," she said flatly. "I prefer Feather Lady."
Tianlei didn't push it.
"With your combined total of six hundred and thirty thousand merit points," Zhengzhou said, "you qualify for a decent portion of this store."
"Brother Tianlei, what do you think?" Feather Lady asked.
If not for her helpand his spinning blades during the encounter with the Hell Minotaur, he would already be dead. His only skills were basic kickboxing and a few punches. They meant nothing here.
"Let's try it."
"Alright, old man. Show us what you've got."
Zhengzhou tapped on his console and thousands of small floating screens appeared, filling the chamber all the way to the ceiling. Two larger screens formed in front of Tianlei and Feather Lady.
Tianlei slowly turned, eyes scanning the countless symbols drifting around him. Some were clearly combat techniques ranging from level one to a profound level 5 for beginners like them .
"Around you are over fourteen thousand techniques, herbs, treasures, weapons, cores, and crystals," Zhengzhou said.
"But since your merit points are below one million—"
He tapped a few digits. Nearly half the screens vanished.
"The remaining ones are within your range.
"
Feather Lady glanced at Tianlei.
"Brother Tianlei, what do you want to buy?"
Tianlei turned again. To his right were defensive items marked with shield symbols. Since he had chosen beast taming, defense came first.
"What about Type Three defense shields?"
The selection was massive. Choosing the right one could take hours.
"If you have specific qualities in mind," Zhengzhou said, "tap the screen."
Tianlei already had low-quality Black Tortoise armor. Its suppressive frame redirected force, reducing surface damage but during the evaluation, when the White Panther struck him, the impact still rattled his organs.
That weakness could kill him.
"A non-suppressive frame shield," he muttered, tapping the screen.
Twenty screens flew forward—Type Two shields, capable of blocking Level Two beasts.
He pointed to the middle one.
"Bull Head Shield."
"One hundred and twenty-seven thousand merit points," Zhengzhou said.
As Tianlei completed the purchase, Feather Lady selected a Golden Phoenix Wing Arrow worth two hundred and fifty thousand merit points.
"I also want a Phantom Needle Gun, Type Two," Tianlei said. "How much?"
"A Type Two costs over one hundred and twenty thousand."
Tianlei's eyes fell. His balance wasn't enough to purchase such an item .
"Don't worry," Feather Lady said. "I'll cover it."
The payment processed instantly.
The surrounding screens vanished faster than they had appeared. Three items descended, floating before them.
The Bull Head Shield was nearly larger than Tianlei himself. The Phantom Needle Gun was a compact cylinder with a trigger—each shot rotated the chamber, loading the next needle. Feather Lady's arrow gleamed gold, winged at its tip.
Each item drifted to its owner.
"Thank you," Tianlei said, holding the Phantom Needle Gun. He stored it and the shield into his ring.
He still didn't understand why she was helping him this much. In a world where everything had a price, this kindness felt like a delayed transaction.
He smiled anyway.
Together, they exited the transaction chamber. Other students were recovering; some were still being treated by the healers.
"Tomorrow's classes are adjusted from morning to afternoon. Use the time to rest," a robotic voice echoed through the hall.
Feather Lady tilted her head.
"Since classes are delayed… why don't we go out?"