Chapter 234: Him

Half an hour later, everyone left the House of Wondrous Abilities. Shui Yuetian led the group through the various other shops in Heracles' Treasure Trove.

Heracles' Treasure Trove truly had all kinds of strange and unusual shops. Many of them served a specific race. For example, the "House of Exotic Fragrance" catered exclusively to the wind elementals and sold nothing but various modified forms of wind element. People of other races couldn't understand how the wind element sold there differed from ordinary wind elements, but wind elementals loved the shop and could perceive the subtle differences between its products.

Stopping here and there along the way, Yu Xian and the others eventually made their way up to the second floor. After passing several shops, Shui Yuetian stopped in front of one called "Mushroom Paradise."

Yu Xian stepped forward. "Mushroom Paradise? Is this a place that serves mushrooms?"

He liked eating mushrooms, especially a type of mutated mushroom found on the Blue Planet. It was called the "Gourmet King Oyster Mushroom." Anyone who had tasted it even once would start salivating just from remembering the flavor.

Shui Yuetian immediately replied, "Don't let the shopkeeper hear you say that. There's an entire world inside!"

Everyone froze in surprise. An entire world?

Shui Yuetian nodded. "The owner of Mushroom Paradise is a Creator God. When the Abyss invaded her world, she fled with the little lifeforms she had created. In the end, she used what little spatial energy she had left to recreate a Mushroom World here."

Zhang Shou was shocked. "A Creator God? My god, doesn't that mean she's insanely powerful?"

Yu Xian smiled. "Not necessarily. Gods are actually similar to sacred spirits. Their strength depends entirely on how powerful their world is, as well as the authority they possess and the faith of their followers."

Shui Yuetian explained. "Fish God, I don't know about other gods, but according to what I've heard, this shopkeeper possessed Cosmic-rank strength. However, after she severed and disentangled herself from her original world, her strength regressed severely. Now she's only at Heaven rank."

Bluebird asked in surprise, "She fell that far?"

The others were equally shocked. Yu Xian in particular understood better than anyone else just how terrifying Cosmic rank was, and he immediately realized that the owner of Mushroom Paradise was an unfathomably important figure.

Although she was currently only in Heaven rank, with her experience and breadth of knowledge, she was probably second only to Eternal Purity. In fact, because of her unique identity, there probably were certain areas in which her knowledge surpassed Eternal Purity's. Eternal Purity was not omniscient or omnipotent. There were always things she did not understand or know about.

Shui Yuetian smiled. "Come on, let's go in. As long as you don't break the shopkeeper's rules, she's quite easy to get along with."

Everyone entered the shop together, and the world around them underwent a dramatic transformation. Lush trees stretched in every direction. Little mushrooms were everywhere. Some of them had eyes and round, stubby limbs.

The moment they saw visitors arrive, they began emerging from the bushes one after another.

"Welcome.

"Welcome, one, two, three... honored guests."

"Guests, you have to spend lots and lots of money, or Big Sis's deficit is going to grow again this month."

"Guests, oh my goodness, there's a bear!"

"I want to pet the bear! I want to pet the bear!"

These mushroom people had plenty of personalities, each with thoughts of their own. Every one of them talked over the other, and for a moment, the whole place descended into noisy chaos.

Just as everyone found themselves surrounded by mushroom people and at a loss for what to do, a tall woman slowly emerged from the forest. Her hair was a soft, pale blend of colors, and as she walked, its hues shifted subtly. Her entire figure seemed almost unreal, yet there was an indescribable beauty within that dreamlike quality. It was like being in a dream and glimpsing a goddess through a hazy veil.

An indescribably exotic fragrance spread through the air. The mushroom people around them immediately fell silent and moved aside to form a path.

The tall woman stepped forward and looked at everyone, a dreamlike smile appearing on her face. "Welcome to Mushroom Paradise. I'm the shopkeeper, Ni Man. We have Future Mushrooms, Sweet Dream Mushrooms, Enlightenment Mushrooms... What kind of mushroom would you like?"

Shui Yuetian raised her hand. "I want a Sweet Dream Mushroom. Please give me a wonderful dream."

Dodging the tiny hand of one of the mushroom people, Zhang Shou raised his hand. "Excuse me, what does a Future Mushroom do? Can it let you see the future?"

"The future has countless possibilities." Ni Man smiled as she picked up a mushroom person and held it in her arms. "I can only guarantee that you'll see one possible future, but I can't guarantee that future will actually come to pass."

Zhang Shou immediately made his choice. "Then I'll take a Future Mushroom."

Everyone made their selections one after another. Yu Xian wasn't particularly interested in the future, so he chose an Enlightenment Mushroom instead. He was curious whether it could help him gain some kind of enlightenment.

Once everyone had made their choices, a cloud of dreamlike mist immediately rose around them. Yu Xian possessed spatial abilities, so he keenly sensed the surrounding space changing. In the span of a moment, the world seemed to shift around him, and he found himself standing on a vast grassland.

Ni Man faintly smiled as she looked at him. "Honored guest, please lie down."

Yu Xian was surprised. "Didn't I choose an Enlightenment Mushroom?"

Ni Man unhurriedly replied, "Ordinary guests are attended to by the mushroom spirits, but you are a true Star-rank powerhouse. Their abilities wouldn't have any effect on you, so I'll have to do it myself."

There was an ethereal quality to her voice, as though she had seen all the vicissitudes of the world yet remained detached from them.

Yu Xian asked, "Will it cost more?"

"Don't worry. When a Star-rank guest visits my humble shop, it's free of charge."

Ni Man looked at Yu Xian, and her lips suddenly changed from pink to deep crimson. She leaned in and kissed him fiercely.

Yu Xian's eyes flew wide open. Two streams of red mist burst from his nostrils, ears, and the top of his head before his eyes slowly closed. He entered a state of enlightenment. His mind seemed to acquire an effect similar to quantum entanglement, constantly drawing in pieces of information that had no apparent connection to one another. Countless strange and ingenious ideas flew through his mind, with new inspirations emerging every second.

Ni Man released Yu Xian, then slowly turned toward Eternal Purity, who stood nearby with a smile. Her expression became solemn. "Esteemed guest, what service would you like?"

Although Ni Man had fallen to Heaven rank, the Star-rank powerhouses of Crescent Bay all knew of her existence, and none dared to look down on her. Nor was anyone willing to be the first to stick their neck out and test what hidden trump cards she still possessed.

The reason she had personally appeared to receive Yu Xian's group was that the moment Eternal Purity entered the world she had created, Ni Man sensed that something was strangely out of place. She couldn't identify anything actually wrong, yet she still felt that something wasn't right.

When she actually appeared before the group, she initially traced that strange feeling to Yu Xian. But after separating everyone, she finally became aware of Eternal Purity's existence.

Eternal Purity looked at Ni Man. Instead of answering her question, she spoke with a smile. "How about I point out a path for you?"

Ni Man frowned. "Esteemed guest, the path you speak of is..."

Eternal Purity turned her gaze toward Yu Xian, who was still immersed in enlightenment. "Him."

Ni Man looked at Yu Xian in surprise. Him? A mere Star-rank being can actually become my path?