Chapter 903: Awaken My Masters!? What on Earth Are the People in This Shop Doing!?

The Wuwei Dao Alliance.

Inside the council chamber, a thick stack of documents lay piled before Nalan Mingxie, written out in a meticulous, slender script that rendered everything—from the shop opening and interior layout to the game release plan—crystal clear at a single glance.

"You actually asked the old masters to work as shop assistants in the Thousand Immortal Sea?" Shopkeeper Fang walked in from the doorway, caught between laughter and tears.

"At this point, we can only rely on their help," Nalan Mingxie said, handing the neatly arranged proposal over to Fang Qi. "These... take a look."

...

The Thousand Immortal Sea, the Thousand Lantern Immortal Market beneath the Sacred Emperor Mountain, where a multitude of immortals gathered.

The Three Monsters of Yunmeng let out a laugh. "This artifact looks somewhat interesting, but fellow immortal friends, what rank exactly is this Nine Palaces Footwork?"

"Rest assured, everyone," Gu Tingyun said. "Since our shop is named 'High Immortal,' nothing we sell will fall below the lowest tier utilized by a High Immortal!"

"Furthermore, each use requires only..." He held up five fingers. "One-fifth of an immortal crystal!"

"What—?!" The Three Monsters of Yunmeng cried out in immediate astonishment. One had to understand that items used by High Immortals were, at the very least, treasures of the Earth Rank, which were already considered highly superior to ordinary immortal cultivators!

"Is it truly only one-fifth of an immortal crystal per use?!"

Zong Wu nodded. "One immortal crystal can purchase five immortal coins at our shop. This BBK Learning Machine can be used once per immortal coin."

The tall, thin man spoke up, "Then give me five immortal coins."

The tall, thin immortal cultivator stepped onto the Nine Palaces Platform and turned on the artifact. Looking at the screen, a highly rhythmic music began to echo from within the device, though... this cultivator was clearly still a bit bewildered and at a loss.

"Wait for the prelude of this music to pass," Zong Wu explained. "Follow the rhythm of the music and step on the corresponding squares of the Nine Palaces grid. Imagine you are in the midst of battle, executing footwork to evade an enemy's attack."

"Clang!" With an incredibly fierce momentum, the tall, thin cultivator brought his foot crashing down upon the pedal.

The entire shop shook slightly.

The faces of everyone in the shop darkened.

Because he had used too much force on this single step, he quickly missed the chance to take the second, instantly failing to catch many of the subsequent steps.

"Lighter, this footwork emphasizes a light, ethereal grace, like strolling through the clouds," Zong Wu hurriedly spoke. "The accuracy of your footwork determines your final score ranking, and it also relates to unlocking higher-tier footwork. It is not something you can just dance well on a whim."

"So it actually possesses such a wonderful utility?!" Everyone's attention was fixed on the tall, thin cultivator, and no one noticed that Zong Wu had used an odd word again.

"This artifact cannot only make one proficient in footwork, but it can even guide the artistic conception and rhythm of the footwork correctly?!"

The cultivator quickly corrected his mistakes, and with agility, began to dance upon the artifact once more.

"Young Master..." In front of the dance machine, the servant beside the young master clothed in white rubbed his hands together, seemingly eager to try.

"What BBK Learning Machine?!" The white-clothed young master sneered, saying with disdain, "The orthodox ancient immortal clan footwork that this young master learned at the Dao Listening Pavilion—which one of them isn't profound to the extreme? You fellow, how can you be so unpromising?!"

"Young master's lecture is correct..."

"However... this artifact seems somewhat interesting," the white-clothed young master spoke. "Let us watch for a moment."

He watched dispassionately from the side, when suddenly, following the guidance on the screen, the cultivator's steps shifted, and his entire presence became unfathomable...

His form was elegant, and streaks of afterimages manifested around the immortal cultivator's body. Moving along with the rhythm of the beat, the tall, thin immortal cultivator cried out, "This... this does not seem to be ordinary Earth Rank immortal footwork... I feel as though my entire body is stepping upon a mass of clouds—!"

He dared not be careless in the slightest, staring intently at the arrows falling on the screen, his upper body swaying as if dodging an enemy's attack, his feet producing a continuous series of "tap-tap-tap" sounds upon the pedals.

With every step he took, those arrows on the screen shattered accordingly, turning into a burst of crisp and beautiful musical notes. When the footwork reached its peak of perfection, a brilliant display of neon lights even lit up above his head. His steps grew more and more precise, accelerating along with the speed at which the arrows fell on the screen, until finally, a blur of afterimages manifested beneath his feet.

It was as if... countless feet were tapping upon the ground, and his entire form on the pedal divided from one into three, and three into nine. In the end, everyone saw nine identical figures dancing atop this Nine Palaces Array!

"This...?!" The white-clothed young master stared dumbfounded at this scene, crying out, "Avatar manifestation, shifting forms and swapping shadows?! This footwork... is not only practical, but it is actually so beautiful and elegant, like an immortal lord drunk amidst the clouds, where every step seems casually thrown about, yet is supremely profound."

"This footwork... is too powerful! This is absolutely not just Earth Rank immortal footwork, this..."

He looked with burning eyes toward Zong Wu and the others nearby. "What is the name of this footwork?!"

"It is called... uh..." The crowd looked at one another, and in the end, it was Gu Tingyun who spoke, "Nine Palaces Moon-Gazing Steps!"

"A fine Nine Palaces Moon-Gazing Steps!" The white-clothed young master said, "I, Yao Ji, shall also try your shop's 'Nine Palaces Moon-Gazing Steps' today!"

He casually pulled out a piece of pale gold immortal jade and threw it onto the table. "Young master is happy today. See how many coins this can exchange for, and give them all to me."

Gu Tingyun took the immortal jade and looked at it. "It is worth at least six hundred immortal crystals. Young Master may register a membership card in our shop and record the immortal coins within the card, saving you from carrying too many immortal coins and causing inconvenience."

"Go do it, go do it! Bring me a few immortal coins first." Yao Ji stepped onto another Nine Palaces Platform, somewhat unable to wait. "Right, you said... one can also unlock new footwork?"

Gu Tingyun nodded. "Of course. If you can perfectly execute this set of footwork, you will be able to unlock a new set. We are the 'High Immortal Arcade Hall,' and the items in our shop are all of noble quality, superior goods for the enjoyment of High Immortals."

Yao Ji seemed much more reassured, immediately slotting a coin inside. As the music commenced, he cast a disdainful glance at the tall, thin cultivator beside him.

"A mere mid-tier immortal, let this young master show you how this set of footwork should be executed to truly display its essence." Having spoken, he stood upon the Nine Palaces Platform. As the music played, Yao Ji's form swayed left and right to the melody, like an immortal drunk on wine, like stepping on clouds.

Immediately following, as the sprite-like arrows jumping on the screen fell, his steps also began to move with considerable rhythm.

"Young master is indeed powerful!" The servant immediately marveled.

The tall, thin cultivator gave Yao Ji an astonished look, seemingly surprised that although he had just started, his footwork could be so smooth and elegant, but...

"Hmph! Although my talent, Xue Mang, is inferior to yours, on this Nine Palaces Platform, I do not believe I will lose to you!" A cry of surprise arose, and on the other side, the Three Monsters of Yunmeng also immediately shouted aloud. One could see that with every step the tall, thin man took, it felt as though he were stepping right into everyone's hearts, his body moving with his steps like a fluttering butterfly.

Neither would yield to the other, stepping out streaks of dazzling afterimages under the guidance of the screen.

"I can feel the rhythm of life filling this footwork, accompanied by the beat of the music and the flashing of the lights, it feels as though the hot blood of youth is being fused into the soul..." The servant below the platform watched the two of them, as if watching a supremely exquisite battle of techniques!

"I feel as though there is an emotion deep within my heart about to explode and release, like... the feeling of blood burning!" In such an atmosphere, the other two of the Three Monsters of Yunmeng instantly grew fervent as well.

And at this moment, several immortal cultivators passing outside the shop only heard a strange sound echoing from within: "Aya-ya-ya, let us all join together... Aya-ya-ya... Aya-ya-ya."

With expressions of bewilderment, they poked their heads inside to look, only to immediately see two figures jumping back and forth within, gasping in horror, "What on earth are the people in this shop doing?!"