Azure Cloud Continent – Soaring Dragon City, Ancient Stone Empire
Soaring Dragon City—jewel of the Azure Cloud Continent and pride of the Ancient Stone Empire—stood as a fortress to human ambition and divine blessing.
Sprawling across hundreds of miles, its glittering towers and sprawling markets were said to never sleep.
No matter the hour, the streets pulsed with energy: merchants shouting their wares, spirit beasts roaring from their pens, and the faint hum of cultivators soaring overhead on their flying swords.
It was a city of opportunity, where fortunes could be made or lost within a single breath.
Home to over one hundred million people, its prosperity knew no bounds.
The air was thick with spiritual energy, drawn in by the countless arrays and formations etched deep into its foundation—a city literally built atop ley lines of power.
It was no wonder that young sect disciples from every corner of the continent flocked here, eager to test their luck or seek enlightenment among the countless treasures that the city had to offer.
Here, one could find anything—from ancient relics unearthed from forbidden ruins, to rare beast cores, to spirit pills crafted by alchemists of renown.
Even wandering experts who had seen centuries of cultivation often came to this city to sell their wares, their eyes always scanning for that one fateful encounter that might change the course of destiny.
Thus, Soaring Dragon City became a crucible of fortune, a place where the threads of fate intertwined endlessly, birthing both heroes and villains in equal measure.
Yet, amid all this grandeur and brilliance, there existed a place unnoticed by most.
Far from the bustling avenues, in a neglected alley where even stray cats seldom wandered, a small, dilapidated shop quietly stood.
The walls were cracked, the roof caved slightly inward, and the windows were so clouded that no one could peer inside.
The building leaned awkwardly, as though time itself had long abandoned it.
A faint smell of old wood and dust hung in the air, mingled with something faintly sweet—like the scent of a long-forgotten meal.
Few ever spared it a glance.
Most who passed by merely assumed it was abandoned, another ruin swallowed by the city's endless growth.
Above the warped wooden doorway hung an ancient stone plaque.
Its edges were chipped and worn, and the words upon it were nearly erased by time.
Yet, if one looked closely, they could still make out the inscription.
"Dimensional Food Store."
***
At exactly nine o'clock, a tall and striking young man appeared before the shabby little shop hidden in one of Soaring Dragon City's forgotten alleys.
The morning mist had yet to clear, and faint rays of sunlight filtered through the cracks between the buildings, casting long shadows across the uneven cobblestone street.
The man, dressed in loose dark robes that looked a size too big for him, pushed aside the creaky wooden sign that hung from a rusty chain and leaned toward the peephole of the door.
Anyone could see the open sign of the store but sadly not one soul could be found lurking outside.
"System, are you there?" he asked in a weary tone.
"Affirmative, Host," a gentle yet distinctly proud female voice answered from within his mind.
Her tone carried an almost teasing warmth, as though she found his suffering mildly amusing.
Lin Feng exhaled loudly and rubbed his temples. "Then tell me something, oh mighty system—how the hell am I supposed to sell that dumb breath mint when you won't even let me open the door to my own store?"
Silence. Then the same serene voice replied, "Patience, Host. Only those worthy of our store's products are fated to find us. Leave everything to destiny and smile. Life is full of beauty and hope."
"Beauty and hope, my ass!" Lin Feng barked. "You know what's full of hope? My stomach, when I actually eat something! It's been a full month since I've had a proper meal, and if you don't give me something edible soon, I'm going to start gnawing on the furniture!" Lin Feng only had water bottles for ration. Just water. No real food.
The system ignored his outburst. It always did.
Lin Feng grumbled under his breath and leaned back against the wall, staring blankly at the faded ceiling.
He had been in this world for one miserable month now.
Just thirty days ago, he was an ordinary 18 year old man on modern Earth, working a dead-end job at a convenience store.
His life was plain, predictable, and uneventful—until the day he saw a little girl about to be hit by a truck.
He didn't think. He just ran.
Then came the screech of tires, the flash of headlights, and the bone-crushing impact that should have ended his life.
Instead, he woke up here—in a decrepit shop with a sarcastic talking system claiming to be his "partner."
"Lucky me," Lin Feng muttered bitterly.
He glanced down at his loose robes and sighed.
They looked impressive at first glance, but were actually made of the cheapest spirit-thread fabric available.
It itched constantly, and worse, they hung loosely around his waist—emphasizing a certain tragedy he'd rather not acknowledge.
Lin Feng looked down grimly at his lap. His "little brother," once a source of pride, looked weak and malnourished.
"System," he said slowly, "I still don't get why you had to slap me with that curse. What kind of sick sense of humor do you have?"
"Correction: it is not a curse," the system replied sweetly. "It is a motivational restriction. Once you sell your first product, your vitality will be fully restored. Please work hard, Host!"
Lin Feng's face darkened. "Motivational my ass! You've basically taken away my will to live!"
He trudged over to the dusty counter, where a single chalkboard hung crookedly on the wall.
There, written in elegant glowing script, was the entirety of his shop's current stock:
Breath Mint – 1 Spirit Stone
He stared at it for a long moment, his expression a mixture of disbelief and despair.
"One spirit stone," he murmured. "Do you know what that's worth? A thousand gold coins! That's enough to buy a small house—or a wife, for heaven's sake! Who in their right mind would spend that much on a breath mint!?"
"Only those fated to find value in it," the system said cryptically.
"Fated my foot," Lin Feng muttered. "At this rate, I'll be an old man before my first customer walks through that door."
He dragged a chair across the floor and slumped into it, propping his chin on his palm.
The shop was quiet—eerily quiet.
The wooden shelves stood empty, the air smelled faintly of dust and old tea, and the single lantern above his head flickered weakly as if sharing in his misery.
Outside, the city was alive with energy—laughter, shouts, and the rumbling of merchant wagons—but none of that vibrance reached him.
His store was in no man's land.
He sighed heavily. "You know what's funny, system? Back on Earth, I used to dream of owning my own shop. A cozy little place, maybe a cafe. Customers would come in, I'd smile, make them coffee, maybe flirt a little if they were cute… But no. Instead, I get this broken-down dump that sells a single overpriced mint. I even left earth as a virgin for heaven's sake!"
"Dreams are a good start, Host," the system said cheerfully. "Keep dreaming until a customer arrives."
Lin Feng slammed his forehead onto the counter with a dull thud. "You're really enjoying this, aren't you?"
"I do not experience enjoyment," the system replied innocently.
"Liar," Lin Feng muttered.
For a long while, silence returned to the shop.
The lantern buzzed faintly, the air hung still, and Lin Feng stared blankly at the closed door in front of him.
Somewhere beyond it, the world was moving on—while he was trapped here, half-broke, half-mad, and fully celibate.
"More than that," he murmured under his breath, "what's a man without his little brother?"
He closed his eyes in despair. "System… just kill me now."
A soft chime echoed in his mind, followed by the system's familiar voice:
"Error. Host termination request denied. Please focus on improving sales."
Lin Feng groaned and dragged his hands through his hair. "I hate my life."
***
Read Advance Chapters on my Patreon... https://www.patreon.com/c/Nobody696969