The golden light of the Heavenly Mall bathed the ruins of the Windsear Plateau.
What had once been a battlefield now pulsed with commerce and anticipation. The air buzzed not with killing intent, but with spiritual demand—the hunger of cultivators not for power, but for access.
And then…
A girl appeared.
She was thin. Dusty. Dressed in patched robes that had long lost their sect's insignia. Her hair was tied into a rough braid, and her left leg bore a crude splint. She limped forward on instinct more than reason.
Her eyes were sunken, but when they rose to look at the glowing mall gates, they reflected stars.
Li Tianyu watched her from behind the reception desk, arms folded.
> [New Customer Detected.]
Status: Unaffiliated. Bankrupt. Starving. 1 Karma Coin remaining.
Condition: Critical.
Suggested Action: Activate Starter Blessing.
"System," Tianyu murmured. "Override suggestion."
> Warning. Starter Blessing will cost 10 Karma Credits.
Current Balance: 137 Karma Credits.
"I'll pay it."
> Override Accepted.
He stepped forward as the girl collapsed at the threshold.
"Welcome," he said, kneeling and catching her just before she hit the steps.
She blinked, confused, then struggled. "I—I have no money—"
"You have a soul. That's enough for now."
A beam of golden light scanned her body.
> [Body: Damaged Dantian | Fractured Meridians | Energy Flow Blocked]
[Initiating Emergency Stabilization Protocol.]
From the mall's entrance, a pill floated forward—sealed in a clear capsule engraved with silver sigils.
"Take it," Tianyu said. "It's on the house."
The girl hesitated, then swallowed it.
A moment later, her eyes widened as her body convulsed—not in pain, but in restoration. Golden strands of spiritual Qi surged through her meridians, knitting bone and blood, reconnecting pathways long considered shattered.
Her cultivation base, once considered dead, flickered to life.
> [Body Stabilized. Minor Core Reformation Detected.]
[Inherent Talent Reignited: Star-Rooted Constitution (D-Rank).]
The girl burst into tears.
Tianyu stood and helped her to her feet.
"What's your name?" he asked.
"...Yun'er. Of the Falling Petal Sect. Or... I was."
"Not anymore," he said with a smile. "Now you're the first citizen of the Golden Lotus Dominion."
Behind them, a cheer broke out.
Dozens of onlookers—similarly broken, wandering cultivators, or outcasts who had followed the strange light in the sky—stood in a loose circle. They had witnessed the transformation. Heard the prophecy. Felt the shift.
Heaven no longer belonged to the powerful.
It belonged to the entrepreneurial.
Tianyu turned and raised his hand.
> [Initiate Opening Auction.]
Golden holograms flared into the sky like fireworks:
1x Spirit Blade – Starting Bid: 2 Karma Coins
3x Healing Elixirs – Starting Bid: 1 Coin Each
1x Void-Piercing Talisman – Rare Item, Minimum Bid: 10 Coins
And at the bottom, highlighted in red:
Exclusive Investment Opportunity: Founding Stake in Heavenly Mall (First 100 Citizens Only)
"Let the bidding begin."
---
Moments Later…
Yun'er stood beside Tianyu, blinking at the chaos of the crowd now flooding toward the gates.
"Who… who are you really?"
He smiled without turning.
"Just someone who realized that if heaven was for sale… I might as well be the one collecting."
> [Divine Tycoon Status: 0.3% Initialized]
[First Client Registered. System Rating: +100 Favor]
[Unlocking: Level 2 Terminal Functions | Personal Territory Map | Nexus Gate]
From the sky descended a radiant screen.
It depicted a floating city blueprint—his future capital.
And at its center burned the golden lotus crest, spinning like a wheel of fate.