The glowing blue interface continued expanding in front of Evan.
Soft lines of light formed rows and columns like a marketplace made entirely of energy.
Evan leaned slightly forward on the bed, eyes shining with curiosity.
"So this is the System Shop…"
The interface flickered once.
Then the menu finally appeared.
[System Shop]
[
Categories Available:
• Cultivation Resources• Techniques• Weapons• Pills
]
Evan blinked slowly.
"That's… a lot."
Even from the category names alone, he could tell this system wasn't playing around.
These were the exact kinds of things cultivators fought wars over.
Carefully, Evan reached out and tapped the first category.
"Cultivation Resources."
The screen shifted instantly.
[Cultivation Resources]
[
1) Mortal Qi Gathering Manual — 1000 System Points
2) Low Grade Spirit Stone (x1) — 50 System Points
3) Low Grade Qi Recovery Pill — 120 System Points
4) Minor Body Tempering Liquid — 300 System Points
]
Evan froze.
Then he leaned closer.
"Wait."
He read the first item again.
Basic Qi Gathering Manual — 1000 System Points
His eyebrow twitched slightly.
"That sounds… extremely important."
In the cultivation world, the very first technique a cultivator learned was the Qi Gathering Manual.
Without it, one couldn't properly circulate spiritual energy.
Without circulation—
There was no cultivation.
Evan slowly looked toward the corner of the interface.
[Current System Points: 500]
Silence filled the room.
Evan stared at the number.
Then he slowly leaned back.
"…Of course."
His lips twitched slightly.
"Why would it be affordable?"
The most important item in the shop required 1000 points.
And he had 500.
Exactly half.
Evan rubbed his forehead.
"You couldn't even give me a discount?"
The system, of course, did not respond.
Evan sighed.
"Alright. Let's see what else is here."
He scrolled down the list.
Low Grade Spirit Stone.
Fifty points.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Spirit stones were one of the primary currencies of the cultivation world.
They were condensed crystals of spiritual energy used for cultivation and trading.
Even low-grade ones had value.
Evan tilted his head slightly.
"So technically… I could buy ten of these."
But without a cultivation technique, the spirit stones wouldn't be very useful.
He kept scrolling.
Qi Recovery Pills.
Body Tempering Liquid.
Interesting items.
But nothing he truly needed right now.
After a moment, Evan switched categories.
"Techniques."
The interface shifted again.
[Techniques]
[
1) Mortal Qi Gathering Manual — 1000 System Points
2) Beginner Body Strengthening Technique — 800 System Points
3) Minor Breathing Control Technique — 650 System Points
]
Evan stared silently.
"Why is the same manual here again?"
Apparently the system categorized items in multiple ways.
Convenient.
But the problem remained the same.
Too expensive.
Evan sighed again.
"You know… if this were a game, players would complain about these prices."
Still, curiosity pushed him to explore further.
He opened the Weapons section.
[Weapons]
[
1) Beginner Iron Sword — 300 System Points
2) Reinforced Steel Dagger — 350 System Points
]
Evan immediately closed the tab.
"I'm five."
He stared at the screen with a flat expression.
"What exactly do you expect me to do with a sword?"
Sure, he was technically a reincarnated adult.
But physically?
He was still a five-year-old child.
Swinging a sword would probably knock him over.
He moved to the next category.
"Pills."
[Pills]
[
1) Low Grade Qi Recovery Pill — 120 System Points
2) Beginner Vitality Pill — 200 System Points
]
Evan crossed his arms.
"Still useless without cultivation."
Then something caught his attention.
At the bottom of the shop interface was a greyed-out tab.
[High Grade Resources — Locked]
Evan immediately clicked it.
The system responded instantly.
[Access Denied]
[
Higher level shop items unlock through:
• Cultivation Level• Special Achievements• System Milestones
]
Evan frowned.
"Really?"
He clicked it again.
Same message.
He clicked it a third time.
Same message.
Evan narrowed his eyes at the interface.
"Come on."
"You're telling me there are better items in there and I can't even look?"
The system remained completely indifferent.
After a moment, Evan leaned back on the bed again.
"…This feels like those games that lock all the cool content behind progression."
Then he paused.
Actually…
That was exactly what this was.
A progression system.
Evan sighed dramatically.
"Fine."
"I'll play by your rules."
He glanced once more at the Mortal Qi Gathering Manual.
1000 points.
Just a little out of reach.
Then suddenly—
The familiar sound echoed again.
!~Ding~!
A new window appeared in front of him.
[System Mission Available]
Evan blinked.
"Oh?"
He leaned forward again.
The mission description appeared.
[First Mission]
[
Begin your path as a cultivator.
Requirements:
Learn about cultivation.
Reward:
500 System Points
]
Evan stared at the mission.
Then he blinked again.
"…That's it?"
He read it again.
Learn about cultivation.
That was the requirement.
Not cultivate.
Not fight someone.
Not complete some dangerous trial.
Just…
Learn about it.
Evan slowly scratched his cheek.
"Well… that's surprisingly reasonable."
Then he realized something.
If the reward was 500 points…
And he already had 500 points…
His eyes slowly widened.
"That means…"
500 + 500 = 1000.
Exactly the price of the Basic Qi Gathering Manual.
Evan stared at the mission window for several seconds.
Then he slowly smiled.
"Oh."
"I see what you did there."
The system had deliberately given him just enough points to almost buy the manual.
Then it offered a mission that would give him the exact remaining amount.
Clever.
Very clever.
Evan crossed his arms thoughtfully.
"Learn about cultivation…"
He already knew quite a bit.
Over the past few years, he had secretly listened to many of Lyra's conversations.
He understood the basics.
Qi.
Dantian.
Cultivation realms.
But knowing bits and pieces wasn't the same as properly learning.
Still…
A grin slowly spread across his face.
"Well, this should be easy."
After all—
He lived with Lyra.
A powerful cultivator who had been planning to teach him eventually anyway.
Evan stretched his arms lazily.
"Guess I'll finally start asking some questions."
But before closing the system window, he glanced once more toward the locked shop categories.
Somewhere behind those locked sections were items he couldn't even imagine yet.
Ancient techniques.
Legendary weapons.
Rare treasures.
All waiting behind progression.
Evan's smile slowly turned into a determined grin.
"Alright, system."
"If this is a game…"
His eyes gleamed with excitement.
"Then I'll make sure to clear every level."
The blue interface flickered quietly.
And outside the room—
The peaceful morning sunlight continued shining through the window.