The Omniversal Merchant-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.

The disparity between their worlds yawned like an abyss.

"Fifty thousand spirit crystals!" Xia Yuan blurted, desperation sharpening his voice. "No—five hundred thousand! For your breakfast!"

Luo Chuan's chopsticks froze. His gaze swept over Xia Yuan, coldly amused. "Do I look starved for spirit crystals?"

The unspoken rebuke hung in the air: You think wealth moves me?

Xia Yuan wilted. Of course it didn't. To a being who treated heavenly treasures as pantry staples, mortal currency was meaningless. Yet as Luo Chuan resumed eating—each bite crisp, each sip deliberate—Xia Yuan's resolve crumbled.

When Luo Chuan finally set down his bowl, Xia Yuan was a man hollowed by longing.

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"Are there spare ingredients in the kitchen?" Luo Chuan asked Yao Ziyan.

"Plenty," she replied.

"Bring them down."

Xia Yuan's breath hitched. Yao Ziyan returned moments later, cradling a sheaf of wheat that seemed spun from captured starlight—Star Moon Wheat, its stalks shimmering with constellations. She thrust it into Xia Yuan's trembling hands.

"F-For me?" he stammered, voice cracking.