Chapter 6: Bankruptcy Upon Opening

As for the Spirit Sword Technique...

Chen Xuan stepped out of the shop, picked up a fallen leaf from the ground, silently recited an incantation, and forcefully hurled it at a nearby ginkgo tree.

With a soft whooshing sound, the leaf pierced the tree trunk like a flying knife!

He approached for a closer look and found that the leaf had completely penetrated the bark, embedding deeply within, leaving only a two-finger-wide notch on the surface.

This effect was astonishing...

Chen Xuan marveled inwardly—if this leaf struck a person, their life would be at serious risk. Even if the vital points were avoided, it would instantly disable the target’s ability to resist.

He knew cultivators possessed remarkable skills, but a technique rated only white level producing such an effect was truly terrifying.

Next, Chen Xuan experimented with other applications, such as attaching the spirit sword to his fingertips. It looked as if his nails had simply grown longer, yet it could effortlessly slice through chopsticks and leave scratches on ceramic tiles.

No doubt, it could silently sever a person’s throat without them noticing.

Who would be the ideal buyer for such an ability?

“It seems I must be more cautious in choosing future clients,” he muttered to himself. If the Spirit Sword Technique fell into the hands of someone with ill intent, the consequences could be disastrous.

After testing his abilities, Chen Xuan recalled his performance points.

The store manager’s handbook clearly stated that these rewards could be redeemed immediately.

Returning to the counter, he opened a red notebook and flipped to the relevant page. Sure enough, it specified that performance could be used to improve the store manager rating or exchanged for other rewards, but any choice required submitting a report via email.

So, the Level 1 colored abilities were indeed upgradable?

Chen Xuan promptly opened the management section of the butler app for his store and, following the handbook’s example, found the performance point reward category.

Scrolling down, he saw that most options were blank except the first one—“Store Manager Rating.”

Upgrading from Level 1 to Level 2 required only four performance points.

This system was practically like a corporate promotion ladder—higher sales meant faster advancement and higher pay. The catch was that employee salaries were paid by the boss. If he was only a branch manager, there must be an authority like an owner or board of directors behind the ability shop.

But reality was different.

The manual even explained the rarity rating of abilities, explicitly stating that legendary abilities, comparable to SSR rarity, were unique in the world.

In other words, the title “The ??? Store Manager” was singular.

Lower-level abilities could exist in multiples.

White-level abilities were labeled as common, not even reaching rare classification.

It couldn’t be that the contents of the red notebook were fabricated, could it? Having experienced a real transaction, Chen Xuan no longer dared to doubt the authenticity of the handbook.

Since pondering it was futile, he decided to set the question aside and focus on upgrading his manager rank first. After all, it was a reward system, and climbing higher certainly couldn’t be bad.

He clicked on the manager rating option, and an email template popped up on the screen. No recipient was specified; he had to fill in a reason for the promotion.

“So troublesome... why can’t it just count the performance?” Chen Xuan scratched his head helplessly and reluctantly filled out the email. Naturally, he praised himself tactfully, just as if writing a genuine job application letter. He didn’t want to be careless; the app’s complexity hinted at underlying complications.

After sending the email, nothing happened.

Obviously, this was not an instant feedback process.

Ding dong—

The wind chime suddenly rang.

“Hey, is the boss here?” someone called out.

Another customer so soon?

Chen Xuan immediately switched to a warm smile and looked up. “Welcome!”

The visitor was a middle-aged man, about forty years old, wearing a tank top and shorts, with glasses on his face. Chen Xuan quickly judged him: a vigorous man with strong hands and feet, modestly dressed but perhaps someone who preferred to keep a low profile in the city. In any case, customers who entered this peculiar store were never ordinary people.

So... what kind of ability was he seeking?

“A pack of White Sands cigarettes and a bottle of Tsingtao beer.”

“Ah? Oh...”

“Do you have spicy hot pot skewers?”

“Uh... no.”

“Then why is spicy hot pot skewers your specialty? Ridiculous.”

“...”

After the man left, Chen Xuan finally regained his composure. The process of buying for this man was even more unbelievable than entertaining Liu Shuyue!

—This shop was both an ability shop and a convenience store serving the Tianlu residential area?

The thought of cultivators and retired grandmothers shopping side by side gave him chills.

Wait a minute...

Wasn’t this a disaster?

Chen Xuan suddenly realized he not only had to receive ability clients but also keep the store running like a mini supermarket, which was exponentially more challenging!

The store manager’s handbook had explicitly stated: “All operating expenses must be borne by the manager,” and “Under no circumstances shall the store be allowed to close.” Clearly, this was a hidden trap!

The next day, Chen Xuan didn’t go to work—he resigned outright.

The other party agreed readily since it was his voluntary resignation; he would save the company the monthly salary.

Now that Chen Xuan was the store manager, it was impossible to waste time for just one month’s pay. All his energy had to be devoted to the ability shop.

After a morning of calculations, he finally had a rough estimate of the store’s operating costs.

They mainly comprised two parts: first, the cost of restocking all goods—cigarettes, alcohol, coffee, snacks; second, fixed expenses such as rent, water, electricity, and gas.

Yes, this mysterious store, centered on ability trading, still had to pay the national power and water companies. Rent was automatically deducted monthly from a dedicated bank account.

After tallying, monthly operating costs amounted to around 30,000 to 40,000 yuan.

Chen Xuan had assumed sold goods would automatically replenish, but the reality was very different. After a whole night, no fresh cigarettes appeared on the shelves, no new drinks in the refrigerator. Even the rag used to clean Liu Shuyue’s bloodstains was not renewed to pristine condition.

Apart from the ability trading feature, it was no different from an ordinary neighborhood convenience store, just more finely decorated.

Chen Xuan currently had 50,000 yuan in savings.

This was the remainder from his failed startup, enough for rent and food with ease in normal times, but with the current planned expenses, he could hold on for at most a month and a half before the store would have to close due to unpaid bills.

The situation was dire!

Performance points were no longer the priority; real money was.

Realizing this, Chen Xuan immediately had a plan. With his current income, working to support the store was impossible. The most feasible approach was to monetize abilities!

“Sell abilities directly...” Chen Xuan pondered silently. He had spent the entire previous night testing and reached a conclusion not mentioned in the handbook: losing an ability did not equate to a “forgetting curse” and would not affect normal life.

For example, after giving up the “Exceptional Sleeper” ability, he could still sleep well at night. After trading away “Encyclopedic Knowledge,” he hadn’t forgotten history entirely; common knowledge like famous dynasties and historical figures remained intact, though detailed examples were faint. He guessed these keywords had transcended history to become part of his self-awareness. Moreover, looking up those stories online refreshed his memory.

This dispelled his last hesitation about ability trading.

Although he could currently only exchange ability for ability, no rule forbade him from charging an additional fee.

Take “Exceptional Eater” and “Exceptional Sleeper” — though their rarity was low, for wealthy people who struggled to eat well or sleep soundly, these were precious abilities worth paying a hefty price for. Adding an inconsequential ability as a bonus could make such transactions quite feasible.

The problem was, he didn’t know any such wealthy bosses, and with his connections, finding suitable clients quickly was difficult.

That idea was undoubtedly hard to realize.

Naturally, Chen Xuan thought of a second method: using his own abilities to earn the first pot of gold.