It was early afternoon. The light from the scorchingly hot sun splashed down the world of Nuar basking the entire planet with a blazing glow.

The busy streets of Beltran City were noisy as usual, but it was entirely different in one isolated corner of the city.

There was an ordinary-looking store situated in that corner giving off a mundane but calm atmosphere. If the top experts would only take a look at this store, they would surely feel that it wasn't what it seemed to be. There was an oppressive but invisible aura that covered the entire store as if an impenetrable layer of divine armor protecting it. Just that no one but Jiu Shen was the only one who can see it...

Inside the store.

"Young Miss Hestia hic~, can I have hic ~ another order of Mystic Jade here, please hic~?" A young man in his late teens asked with a beet-red face. The usually arrogant expression on his face can no longer be seen. It was replaced by a mild and noble countenance making him look like a scholar. It was hard to believe but this man was Xue Tong...

Hestia's long fiery hair swayed as she turned to look at the already drunk Xue Tong. She gave him a faint smile as she nodded her head. "Yes, Young Master Xue."

Xue Tong chuckled while looking at Hestia's walking figure with his hazy vision. He forcefully blinked his eyes to prevent himself from losing consciousness. "The wines here are hic~ great!"

In front of him were his three guards. They were also drunk but not to the point of losing consciousness since they had a much higher drinking tolerance than their young master who was only at the initial 3rd-rank Crusader realm.

"Here is your Mystic Jade, Young Master Xue." Hestia gently placed a bottle of wine in Xue Tong's table as she said with a carefree smile.

Even in their drunken states, Xue Tong and his guards were still bedazzled by Hestia's unrivaled beauty.

"Thank you, Young Miss Hestia." Xue Tong said after temporarily regaining his senses.

Hestia smiled at them before she went back to attend to the other customers.

* * *

Inside the store's kitchen.

"Master, are those Earth Origin Dragon Tree outside real?" Lu Sulan poked her master's back as she asked with a blank look.

Jiu Shen stopped in his tracks and turned to glance at his curious disciple with a serene look.

"Hmm..." He nodded calmly.

"But... Is it okay to show it off inside the store? I mean that's a 9th-rank spiritual plant and if the top experts of the Profound Dragon Continent will learn about their existence, they will surely come to visit your store." Lu Sulan said, feeling a bit worried about the thought of facing countless top experts.

Although her master was also a top expert. Would he be able to fight off many cultivators in the same realm?

Jiu Shen was at first calm, but when he heard what Lu Sulan had in mind, he gently closed his eyes and recalled the scene where he had fought against tens of thousands of experts from the Celestial Paragon Tower when he was being pursued by them. He killed thousands during that day and was still able to escape despite receiving heavy injuries. He was only captured when Celestial Emperor Lao Gou took the matter with his own hands and sealed the injured Jiu Shen in his God-rank artifact, the God Sealing Tower.

Lu Sulan was confused at the change in her master's usually serene expression. There was a tinge of nostalgia and an inexplicable emotion lingering on his handsome face. Lu Sulan didn't know what she said to evoke that kind of change in her master's emotion.

"Master... I... I-" Lu Sulan cast a worried look at her master. Just what kind of memory could make someone like her master become like that? She didn't know and she didn't dare ask either.

Jiu Shen opened his eyes and shook his head gently. "Help Hestia attend to the customers outside. I'll just make some preparations for the wine that I will be brewing tomorrow."

Lu Sulan bit her lower lip, but in the end, she obeyed her master and said after bowing respectfully at Jiu Shen. "Yes, master."

Jiu Shen glanced at Lu Sulan's fleeting figure serenely.

"No one in this world can stop me..." He muttered calmly, but the atmosphere within the kitchen turned frosty causing the whole kitchen to be covered in a layer of ice. Seconds after, a brilliant light enveloped the whole kitchen removing the icy layer that covered the entire place. It was the system maintaining the store's perfect condition...

"System, open the Spirit World for me." Jiu Shen spoke after regaining his calm state.

- Ding!

- Opening the entrance to the Spirit World!

- Host, please wait for a moment!

The system's mechanical voice echoed inside Jiu Shen's head.

A two-meter tall door made from Eonic Ragardwood Tree emerged out of thin air. Although Jiu Shen had already seen the striking appearance of the door, his mouth still twitched at the sight of it. Perhaps only the system could be this flashy in making an entrance to a Spirit World...

Jiu Shen pushed the door open with one hand and was greeted by a beautiful sight at the other side of the door.

Humongous green mountains surrounded by thousands of tall trees. A huge blue lake that glowed with a golden hue and numerous aquatic savage beasts living within. The grassy land of the Spirit World was also filled with plump and healthy savage beasts.

Although the creatures inside the Spirit World were only low-level creatures, they were all giving off a vigorous and robust aura. With enough time, they would surely evolve into a much stronger species of savage beasts.

"I was able to gather a few spiritual plants from the Green Mountain Lake. I should replant them here in order for them to continue growing. With the amount of true essence in this Spirit World, it shouldn't be a problem for these spiritual plants to further develop." Jiu Shen muttered to himself as he flew around the Spirit World to search for a perfect place to replant the spiritual plants that he had found earlier.

After flying around for some time, Jiu Shen's eyes shone when he saw an uninhabited island. There was an unaccountable number of spiritual plants at the 3rd-rank Crusader realm and there were even some at the 4th-rank Knight Crusader realm. Jiu Shen fished out the spiritual plants inside his storage earring and planted them in different locations. He also placed a protective array formation around each of the spiritual plants just in case stray savage beasts would find their way on the island.

Jiu Shen then took out the last spiritual plant from his storage earring. It was the Abyssal Vine Cranberry, an 8th-rank Divine realm spiritual plant.

Jiu Shen dug a small hole from the land he was stepping on and carefully put the small shrub before he covered its roots with soil.

The soil on this island was rather healthy and full of true essence. It was a sufficient place to nurture these high-level spiritual plants.

After planting the Abyssal Vine Cranberry, Jiu Shen used his spiritual power to create a protective array around it with a casual wave of his arm.

It was enough to ward off 8th-rank Divine realm savage beasts.

If Lu Sulan saw how easy it was for Jiu Shen to create an array formation, she would surely gape at the sight. Because even the 9th-rank protective array around their Ice Cloud Sword Sect was made under the combined efforts of more than five 9th-rank Saint Array Formation Maker!

"This should be enough..." Jiu Shen nodded his head with a satisfied look.