Elias sighed as he was automatically logged off the terminal he was sitting at before removing the helmet he was wearing. He had heroically fought his way into Don Corneo's villa to rescue his childhood friend Tifa, and the cute flower girl he had recently met named Aerith when that cowardly man led him into a trap. A secret door opened beneath him and the two ladies causing all three to plummet into a waterway underground. The three of them swam out of the tainted pool they had dropped into, and made their way onto solid ground.
Elias was looking around to familiarize himself with his surroundings when a large commotion occurred. A humongous being easily two or three times taller than him was rushing towards the three of them. This monster had blue-grey skin, a long whip like tongue, huge spikes jutting from its shoulders, and broken chains in its wrist. Elias felt his blood run cold seeing this creature, but he couldn't let the two ladies see him scared so rushed forward to meet the threat.
Unfortunately for Elias, the results were disastrous. He couldn't deny that as he played the game his skill with swords and blades had greatly improved, but even then he still couldn't kill the enemy. Eventually time ran out, and he had to leave the terminal for the next customer per store rules. He rose from the seat, took his weapons and items from the storage locker inside the booth, and then exited said booth making his way to the front entrance.
'If I owned a place like this, I wouldn't limit customer's time as long as they could pay', he inwardly pouted as he passed the front desk. Then something caught his eye. Normally, the front counter only had the spiritual puppets standing by to receive guests and accept payment but a new addition had been added. A terminal had been set up at the end of the counter, and Elias could recognize the immortal master Fang Shi sitting at said terminal. He decided to take a chance, and he strolled over to ask a question.
"Master Fang", he did his best to hide his nervousness, "Can you give me advice on how to face the beast under Don Corneo's villa?"
A helmeted head popped out from behind the screen a moment later giving Elias a scare. Fang Shi took the helmet off, and looked at the young man.
"Noob", he said, "It's only the third boss of the game, and you're already having trouble?"
"My apologies", Elias felt sweat form on his brow, "I'm at fault for bothering you, I'll take my leave."
"It's fine", Fang Shi said with a blank expression, "What level are you in game?"
"Level 19", the young merc replied.
"You're higher level than Aps and you still lost?", Fang Shi looked hopelessly at Elias.
Elias looked embarrassed, but Fang Shi ignored him and activated a screen at the counter. Elias looked, and saw the image on the screen belonged to the shop owner.
"Have you been regularly using the mind's eye essence on your enemies?", Fang Shi's voice got his attention, "By the look on your face, I'd say no."
Elias realized he had been seen though, and only quietly responded, "No."
"You have at least been picking up the essences from the fountains or buying them from the stops, right?", Fang Shi continued his questioning.
"I have", Elias responded.
"Did you pay attention to the instructor that taught you about essence?", Fang Shi asked.
"I did", Elias nodded hurriedly.
"Look here", Fang Shi highlighted a yellow orb set in an armor piece, "Since you are facing Aps, it means you've already been to the shrine Aerith uses to grow flowers. And you should seen this orb there. It has the special effect of scanning the enemy, and informing you of the strengths and weaknesses of your target."
Elias felt his face turn flush as he heard the explanation. He did pick up the orb when he met Aerith at the shrine, but he had decided after reading the description that it had no effect on combat.
"Also", Fang Shi continued, "Essence placement is important. Having a lightning essence on your sword will cause your sword damage to also cause lightning damage, too. If you install that same essence on your armor instead, you will find lightning damage reduced, nullified, or even absorbed depending on how pure the essence is. Here, watch what I do and what you learn will be up to fate."
Elias stood there and watched as Fang Shi directed Cloud to the closest save point before saving his progress and exiting to the save menu. The young merc was surprised to see that the owner's file had some many files saved.
"Why do you save like this?", he couldn't help but ask.
"Two reasons", was the answer he received, "Saving before a boss prevents a loss of progress if I fail to kill the boss. Also, by saving this way I can always revisit old fights to try winning using different strategies or party members."
Fang Shi no longer said anything, and proceeded to initiate the fight against the Air Buster several times. In between battles he would rearrange his essences in different way. It didn't take long before more guests became curious, and also stood by Elias watching the demonstration. After Fang Shi beat the boss for the fifth time, he suddenly closed out the game and turned off the terminal. The crowd that had gathered was about to complain but when Fang Shi stood up, the words got stuck in their throats.
Fang Shi walked out and turned towards the main store. The audience that had been watching him broke up with most of them returning to their original purpose of renting a terminal, though a few like Elias were finished and those like that left the lounge.
Fang Shi thought about how the version of Zuizhong Huanxiang was different than his past life. In his personal residence, his cultivation pod had the original version of the game unchanged and he had beaten it several times before the arrival of everyone. The story was mostly the same but there were a few tweaks made. For instance in Wall Street, in the original story Cloud had to disguise himself as a woman to enter Don Corneo's villa. In the new version, this is changed to a different storyline because Fang Shi knew cross dressing would be rejected by the masses. Other changes saw the removal of phoenix downs, materia being renamed essence, shop stock being made more realistic, materia placement being and changed, and even character costumes (Tifa) being made to cover more skin.
Fang Shi was only slightly sad to see the changes to a masterpiece, but as a merchant he understood that it was necessary to be successful.
"Master Fang", a presence he had detected before finally called out to him.
"Master Pell", he answered, "To what do I have the pleasure of your presence?"
"Please Master Fang", Rowan Pell looked embarrassed, "To call myself a master in front of you is embarrassing. Simply Rowan is good enough."
"Envoy Pell", Fang Shi adjusted his words.
Rowan looked slightly crestfallen at this but only for a moment, "I was on my way to attend a banquet for the Free Island Compact when I happen to see you. Though it's sudden, would you like to dine with us?"
Fang Shi stopped walking. It was inevitable that the leaders would seek cooperation with him, but he had hoped it would be a few more days before they grew bold enough. He thought for a moment before answering. He didn't actually have any plans at the moment so he relented.
"I will attend", he replied but continued when he saw the man's smile grow, "But only if you agree to my conditions."
"Sure, anything you wish", Rowan was feeling proud that his efforts were rewarded.
Then a moment later, he felt a chill down his back when he realized that one of the powerful puppets was standing next to Fang Shi.
Fang Shi didn't try to hide his orders to the puppet at all, "Change the banquet to our largest hall, and send a invitation to the minister of the empire."
Rowan was about to protest, but Fang Shi shot a look, "Envoy Pell, if my arrangements are unacceptable then I'll have withdraw from the your invitation. My time is valuable, and I don't wish for my schedule to be filled with banquet invitations for the next few days."
Rowan held his protest and even had a guilty look on his face, they had indeed planned to use this strategy to lure this immortal into an exclusive alliance. He looked at Fang Shi, who had the face of a sixteen year old young man, and realized that he underestimated him.
"Master Fang's time is indeed precious and I didn't consider it as I should", Rowan backed off, "Please excuse me. I need to inform the others of the change in venue."
Fang Shi chuckled as he made his way towards the banquet hall. When he arrived, he saw the room setup. His own table was at the head of the hall while the two factions were lined up to his left and right. On his right, thirteen tables were lined up. To his left, seven were placed with one in the front and the other six lined up behind it. Ready to get start, Fang Shi clapped his hands and the doors opened. Both sides filed in at the same time, guided by puppets to their seats. Each one of guests where accompanied by a servant, a poison tester, and a personal guard. Fang Shi inwardly scoffed at this, why would deem anyone here worth the effort to poison or kill?
"Guests", his voice broke the stuff silence, "Use the menu to order as you wish. If you don't recognize the item, touch the words and an image will display."
Fang Shi had already made his decision, so he waited the several minutes it took for the rest to order as well. It didn't take long for the drinks and appetizers to arrive, and he was enjoying his mean while the others waited for the poison testers to do their duty before joining in. Several more courses were served before Fang Shi used a spoon clinking against his glass to get everyone's attention.
"I will first apologize", he admitted fault, "I arranged everything at the last moment without asking anyone so I'll drink these three drink to make up for it."
A puppet carrying a tray with three small bowls of wine appeared next to him at just the right time. He quickly drank all three, and began to speak again.
"Now the reason I did everything was because I have an inkling of why everyone here wishes to invite me", he had a knowing looking on his face, "Unfortunately, since I'm a merchant I don't wish to exclusively serve only one faction. I'll do business with anyone that is capable of arriving here, and has the means to pay. Now, does anyone have other inquiries to make?"
Minister Liang, who had been listening up until this moment, finally spoke, "Immortal master, we from the Azure Tide empire recognize your claim of this island. It's unfortunate that we can't cooperate with you exclusively, but that's fate. I do have one request. Is it possible for you to sale or rent land to us, so that we can build an embassy for future cooperation."
Zhao Kuang was sitting in his private room inside the sect's flying ship. Today was an eye opening experience, but it also filled him with trepidation. This pavilion was problematic. The sect he belonged to, True Martial hall, had most of the same goods sold here in their own vaults. But they didn't have the same quality and quantity of those goods, and certainly not at the same prices.
If this continued, sects that rival True Martial hall would began to appear in just a few generations. According to his own investigation, the one who backed this shop lived on the top floor of the main hall, and was called 'Senior' by all. To prevent future problems, one thing was clear. This 'Senior' must be eliminated, all the goods confiscated or taken over by his people, and tighter oversight placed here to prevent a reoccurrence.
Since it was decided, Zhao Kuang stood up from his mediation mat and went to Elder Sun's room. After knocking, he was quickly allowed into the room and he took a seat across from the older man.
"Old Sun, should I assume you have the same thoughts about this place that I have?", he made his thought known.
"Hmm", Sun Lianhua said.
Zhao Kuang knew the old man was in agreement, "I'll call our people back first."
He went to stand when he heard Elder Sun speak.
"You're still too hasty", he chastised the younger man, "Let's speak with them first."
"Alright", Zhao Kuang conceded.
Sun Lianhua stood up, and both men arrived at the Heaven & Earth pavilion soon after.
Upon entering Zhao Kuang spoke with the closest employee, "Arrange a meeting with your Senior."
The employee pulled a Tianxu from his stage ring and moments later, Fang Shi appeared the three of them.
Zhao Kuang snorted. He asked for the man in charge, and a puppet appeared. This 'Senior' must be afraid of them so he didn't show his face.
"I'm not sure who you are", Zhao Kuang confronted the puppet, "But as of now, you need to submit to True Martial hall."
The puppet wearing a fox mask titled its head, "This establishment pays all its taxes and dues according to the laws. Is there some misunderstanding, dear guests?"
Elder Sun knew that Elder Zhao had ignored his earlier advice, so he jumped in, "My friend, your actions of opening this store seems to be to challenge the authority of True Martial Hall. We simply must confiscate these goods and resources to prevent them from falling into the hands of beasts or demonic cultivators. We are being kind now, but if you don't cooperate, that will not continue to be the case."
Everyone on the first floor of the main hall froze when they realized that these two had come to rob the store. But they were elders from True Martial hall, the strongest sect on the continent, so their faces changed when they realized their favorite shop had just been taken from them.
"I'm afraid I can't do that", 'Fang Shi' replied, "Since it appears that the two of you no longer wish to be guests of my establishment, I must ask you to leave."
Zhao Kuang was about to turn towards the puppet in anger when he heard a finger snap. Now instead of being inside, Elder Sun and himself, plus every member of True Martial hall they had brought were outside the walls of the pavilion. Also there was 'Fang Shi'.
Zhao Kuang didn't hesitate. He immediately formed his strongest attack, and a fireball that induced dread in everyone around appeared in his hand. He struck out, and the fire ball raced towards the puppet. 'Fang Shi' made a few motions and ball of fire also appeared before shooting towards Zhao Kuang's attack. Zhao Kuang felt the power of the two attacks, and pulled a protection talisman out, activating it. The two fireballs hit but what happened caused him to freeze. The two fireballs sound around each other causing the area to not only warm up, but become rich in Qi. As this interaction continued, the ball consisting of both attacks shrunk in size until moments later completely disintegrating.
"What happened?", Zhao Kuang sounded exasperated.
"You're nothing but a foolish clown", 'Fang Shi' retorted, "You claim to walk the Dao for enlightenment, but you can't even fathom how the world actually works. You read books handed down by others and meditate, lucky enough to grow in strength despite being absolute idoits. Instead of progress, you fanatical cling to the present. Someone gave you the chance to climb higher, only for you to turn around and pull the ladder up. You and ever other sect do the same thing, you block the Dao of others and then wonder why it's so hard to find talented people to continue the sect's legacy. You must be the dumbest of humans, you don't walk your own path, you have zero interest in learning, and you prevent others from pursuing their Dao. You are the lowest."
The street in front of the pavilion grew quiet as everyone watch 'Fang Shi' berate the members of the True Martial hall and Zhao Kuang's face grew redder by the second.
"What do you know?", he snapped, "You're just a cowardly man hiding behind a puppet."
Zhao Kuang made a few hand gestures causing everyone by Elder Sun to rise, and flew away with them back to the flying ship.
Once there, Sun Lianhua sighed, "Elder Zhao, you did not handle that well but you are correct about one thing. This place can no longer exist. Let me send a message back to the sect first before we do anything else."
"Alright", Zhao Kuang responded before turning to the others, "Activate the weapons and shields."
"Elder Zhao", Li Cangfeng said with concern, "What's happening?"
"A conspiracy", Zhao Kuang answered, "An unknown Nascent Soul opened this store with the intent of luring subordinate sects from True Martial hall into rebellion. We were lucky enough to find out before they became to powerful. Ready to Heaven Suppressing Cross bow, we must destroy this disgrace immediately."
Zhao Kuang's words caused everyone to leap into action, and preparations were underway.
"Elder Kuang, what are you doing?", Elder Sun had reappeared.
"Good, you already sent the message", Zhao Kuang was pleased, "I am preparing our strongest attack. I wish we could hold back some to prevent damage to the things inside, but this opponent is stronger than I thought. The loss of some resources are acceptable."
He continued to fume when Li Cangfeng came to him, "Elder, it's ready."
Zhao Kuang slightly nodded to acknowledge his subordinate, "Elder Sun please reinforce our defenses, I'm ready to fire."
Sun Lianhua walked to the defensive formation and moments later, all the arrays lit up. Zhao Kuang followed suit, and soon the formation he entered was activated as well. Outside on the nose of the ship, a strange crossbow larger than several carriages stood ready. What made this crossbow strange was that had no visible drawstring.
When Zhao Kuang activated the array, a change occurred to the crossbow as well. A drawstring of intense energy formed before getting pulled back. Once locked in place an arrow made of thunder fire formed on the crossbow as Zhao Kuang used the array to target the Heaven & Earth pavilion. He made his final adjustments as a smile showed up on his face.
"You might have surprised me before, but we will see the look on your face after this lands", he muttered as he shot the arrow.
Zhao Kuang kept the scrying spell active so he could personally witness the aftermath of the attack. That's when he noticed the formation around the store had already been erected, and was covered in lightning. All the lightning covering the barrier surged towards one point before a bright flash of light blinded him for a moment.
The next thing he heard was the ship's protective array breaking along with all the ship's sails. That's when the flying ship began plunging towards the ground.