Chapter 172: The Price of Ambition
Xia Yuan's gaze flickered between Luo Chuan and Yao Ziyan, his earlier suspicions hardening into certainty.
*Of course.*
To an entity of Luo Chuan's stature, spatial arrays were child's play. Yet deploying such profound magic to expand a mere shop? It bordered on decadence. Xia Yuan's heart ached at the extravagance.
His thoughts stuttered as his attention snagged on Luo Chuan's breakfast—or more precisely, the aroma of it. The scent coiled through the air, rich and primal, tugging at instincts Xia Yuan hadn't known he possessed.
Luo Chuan paused, a steamed bun halfway to his lips, and fixed Xia Yuan with a warning glare. "The mall doesn't serve breakfast."
Xia Yuan's throat bobbed. "Boss... what are those ingredients?"
"Star Moon Wheat, Ember Millet, Pathseeker-grade beast meat, and Life Spring water," Yao Ziyan replied, her tone breezy. "Nothing special."
Nothing special.
Xia Yuan nearly choked. Each ingredient was a legend among cultivators—celestial grains that drank starlight, volcanic crops forged in magma, meat from a demonic beast straddling the Pathseeker realm, and water steeped in primordial vitality. Yet here they lay, reduced to a morning meal.