Around 4 in the evening, Kevin left the wooden inn after sealing the deal. Keyana was cool with his deal to tag along to the Den of Chernobog. She nodded like it was no biggie when he promised he could manage on his own. He handed Samira three qi potions from the five he had, then gave the rest to Keyana.

In return, Samira hooked him up with a ring that had a white stone on it. As Kevin strolled down the busy street, he couldn't resist rubbing it. "This is actually pretty cool," he said, checking out the system's description.

[Item: Spatial Ring

Tier: Earth

Level: Nonehistorical

Price: 1800 Omni tokens]

The spatial ring was a nifty gadget for storing stuff. It had this cool feature where it could hold up to a cubic meter of goodies. This meant Kevin could pack a bunch of things in there. Last time he had ventured into the Misty Mountains, he had to leave behind some loot because he couldn't carry it all back. That kind of situation sucked big time.

But now, with this spatial ring on his finger, things were looking up. Especially since he was tagging along with the hunting party. They were off to cultivation grounds, which translated to prime stuff to sell at his store. The more haul he could bring back, the fatter his wallet would get. It was like a direct equation: more stuff, more earnings. Definitely a win-win scenario.

Although the ring wasn't worth even one of his qi potions, he wasn't shocked. The whole price thing in the cultivation world was kinda wonky. He figured the system didn't consider things like rarity or whatever when it set prices. Plus, in a place like Lucima City, where qi potions and techniques didn't break the bank, the values were kinda different from what everyone here was used to.

But that wasn't a huge deal. Despite the ring and system quirks, he was still in the green. He'd scored a total of 1.5 million units from selling the five qi potions at 300,000 units each. Of course, the system took a hefty slice, leaving him with half a million units. That was good dough for a teenager like him. It could easily put him in the upper-middle class here and maybe snag him a decent pad in the swankier parts of the city.

"First things first, let's level up the store. Storehouse can chill for a bit," Kevin thought as he entered the Blue Jade Store, a pretty massive place owned by the Benvar family. It was known for having all kinds of stuff, including quality weapons and qi potions.

The joint was rad. The crystal floors and walls had this awesome blue glow that had him feeling all chill and focused. "This place is like super Zen," he muttered to himself, getting lost in the vibe. The whole calm mind thing was like an extra perk, and he made a mental note to incorporate something similar into his own store.

While soaking in the cool vibes, he remembered his shopping list: good weapons and some earth-grade qi potions. That was the plan. He'd snagged a sweet black blade from the cultivations associations, but he knew better than to rely on just one weapon.

Also, he was kinda low on qi potions for his own training. He decided to score a hundred earth-grade ones, forking out 3500 units each. That way, he'd have plenty to merge and still have enough for his own practice.

After wrapping up his shopping spree, he was left with only 150,000 units. 'Money's like a sneeze; can't hold it in forever. Better to let it out before it surprises you,' he thought with a chuckle. Kevin was all set to dive into his next adventures in this wild new world.

Heading up to the third floor, Kevin had his sights set on the weapon section. He was in the market for a good weapon, but budget constraints had him eying the more mediocre options. It's not that he couldn't have more cash, he could totally get an advance from Keyana for those potions he's gonna sell her. But she had mentioned needing some time to gather the money, which was a bit of a bummer.

The catch was, they were off to the academy in just two weeks. In that short span, Kevin wanted to get as familiar as possible with whatever new weapons he picked up.

"Hey there, need a hand with something?" A twenty-something dude, dressed in a snazzy blue uniform, greeted Kevin with a friendly smile.

Figuring he worked here, Kevin replied, "Yeah, I'm looking to buy a decent long knife."

"Well, you're in luck. We got a fresh batch of those not too long ago. They've just hit the shelves," the employee said, leading Kevin to the section where sword-like weapons were displayed.

The young guy walked over to a display and pulled out three three-foot-long knives. There was a dark brown one with streaks of yellow, a deep green one, and a duo of dark purple ones with matching handles.

"This here's called the Lightning Slasher. It's made from stone that's been zapped by natural lightning day in and day out. That charge kinda gets stored in it. When it's turned into a weapon, cultivators can enhance that effect. In this case, getting slashed by this knife also gives the person a little shock and leaves 'em stunned for a bit," the young man explained, showing off the intricately crafted knife.

Kevin's interest was certainly piqued – that stun effect sounded pretty darn cool. But wait, there was more. The guy moved on to the deep green knife, "Now this one, it's kinda the cream of the crop out of these three. Made from the scales of a Kevltia serpent. They say these serpents can actually turn into dragons if they live long enough. Unfortunately, this one didn't make it to dragon status, but it did give us this exquisite-looking knife. Don't you think, Mr. Customer?"

Kevin nodded, totally agreeing. The knife did have a unique allure, almost like snake eyes. "Despite its killer looks, it's not just a pretty face?"

The young salesman's grin widened; he was in his element. "You've nailed it. Looks aren't everything with this one. Those jagged edges, kind of like thorn-like teeth, they're what give it the name: The Serpent Saw. When this blade slices, it's not just a cut. It's more like the jagged edges tear into the skin, creating a wider wound. And if that wasn't enough, there's a touch of poison in the mix. If it's not treated properly, it could get pretty dicey. That's why this baby's more for the pros – they know how to handle its bite."