Upon hearing that, Lin Mo couldn't help but glance at the room where the portal to the Martial World was located. He had almost forgotten about it amidst the escalating chaos. It felt like an eternity ago that he had activated it, a side project in a world now consumed by grander conflicts.

"The Martial World," he mused aloud. "I admit, with everything that has happened, it slipped my mind. But what about the Staff Management?"

He recalled its functions. Apart from assigning a direct role to every employee of the store and appointing the Official Distributor, he had truly not touched most of what it offered yet.

For example, the Employee Training, the Schedule and Payroll Management, and the Performance Review. With Xiaoyu, Xiao Ya and Wu Meiyu's assistance, he'd been able to manage everything manually. Now that his staff was expanding, it was time to put those functions to proper use.

Zhenren Lihua's holographic form offered a patient smile. "Your hands-on approach has served you well, Shopkeeper. But as your enterprise grows, so too must your systems. The Staff Management module is designed to streamline operations, allowing you to focus on the grander strategy. You can set schedules, automate payroll, and even create standardized training regimens for new hires. It is a tool for building a stable, efficient, and loyal workforce. A convenience for the manager."

She paused, her gaze turning pointed. "As for the Martial World… think of it not as a distraction, but as an opportunity. A controlled environment. It is not just for the resources it may hold, but for what it represents. It is a world without spiritual energy. A world that has been ravaged by an ancient war. Visiting it before anyone else will broaden your perspective."

Lin Mo's mind raced as he tried to comprehend what Lihua said. What is this advice? How can his perspective broaden if he checks out that place? Shouldn't it be a desolate plane with only wreckages and lost legacy left? She spoke as if it were still an inhabited place.

"I understand, Zhenren," He said, bowing slightly. "I will explore both functions to their fullest potential. Thank you for your guidance."

"The path of convenience is one of continuous improvement, Shopkeeper," Lihua replied, her form beginning to shimmer. "Walk it well. I look forward to the results of the lecture tomorrow. Beware of Xingxing. She's a vixen."

With a final, warm smile and a warning of sorts, her holographic projection dissolved, leaving Lin Mo alone in the quiet of the second-floor lounge.

The conversation had been brief, but it had provided him with a clear, actionable roadmap. Setting aside that warning regarding the Goddess of Beauty of Refinement, one of the two divine beings who would descend tomorrow to conduct their lectures, Lin Mo cupped his chin.

First, he pulled up the [Staff Management] interface.

The list of his employees, both permanent and temporary, was displayed. He saw the new hires, Pan Ruo, Xiao Ya, Xiaoyu, and even Wu Meiyu and her escorts. And surprisingly, he also saw that the list also included the temporary Security and Intelligence Partner of the store, the Shadow Veil Clan.

Since there was no immediate need to manage them, Lin Mo began by formalizing Wu Meiyu's role, creating a new position just for her that would be recognized by the Divine System Interface.

[Position Created: Chief Operations Officer]

[Assigned to: Wu Meiyu]

[Permissions Granted: Full oversight of daily operations, staff scheduling, inventory management, and training protocol implementation.]

He then created a standardized training regimen for all new hires, a series of short, interactive modules accessible via their Viewing Jades. He racked his brain for those training modules he had read in his office job back on Earth and switched them up to fit the industry.

'Intro to Convenience Philosophy', 'Proper Scanning Technique', 'Advanced Snack Recommendations', and 'De-escalation via Complimentary Beverages'.

It was a curriculum for the modern convenience employee.

As for the schedule and payroll, he officially automated it, setting up rotating shifts and direct deposits of their chosen compensation – spirit stones, Store Credits, or Dimension Essence – at the end of each day.

It was a simple system that would free up hours of his and his assistants' time.

Naturally, he also sent a message to Chi Yang to implement it in her branch. After a day, that Branch Store had quickly upgraded to the next tier due to the Poison Demon Cult's presence in the area as well as those two major factions of the Southern Wilderness.

With the store's internal structure now more robust and automated, he turned his attention to the second, more intriguing task.

He stood up and walked towards the unassuming door to the Portal Room. He pushed it open with a soft creak, revealing the shimmering, violet-green rift that pulsed with the energy of another world.

"A quick look," He muttered to himself, stepping through the doorway.

As he approached the rift, the system interface related to it once again appeared before him.

[Plane Portal – The Martial World]

[Status: Inactive (Awaiting Activation)]

[Activation Cost: 50,000 Dimension Essence]

[Maintenance Cost: 5,000 Dimension Essence per week]

[Accessibility: Spirit Condensation Stage to Nascent Soul Stage]

[Note: The portal's stability is tied to the Store Beacon within the Jade Hollow Conduit Tower. Deactivation or destruction of the tower will collapse the portal.]

[Available Actions:

- Activate Portal: 50,000 DE

- Scan the Immediate Vicinity of the Portal Location for Initial Data: 10,000 DE]

He had already previously scanned its vicinity, so all that was left was to activate it.

Looking at the store's current Dimension Essence Balance, 50,000 was already quite trivial when the Celestial Shuttle Network and the Store Beacons could rake in millions.

[Plane Portal to Martial World (Fractured Plane) has been activated]

[Entry Protocol: A physical body is required for entry. However, a temporary 'Spirit-Body Projection' can be created for initial scouting.]

[Spirit-Body Projection: Creates an ethereal duplicate of the user with 10% of their original cultivation and skills. Safe from permanent harm. Duration: 1 hour (real-time).]

[Cost: 1,000 Dimension Essence]

"Perfect," Lin Mo said. A safe, low-cost reconnaissance option. He confirmed the choice, and a thousand DE were deducted from his balance. The time was also enough. There are only a few hours before the sun rises from the east again. He can't afford to be lost in another realm.

His body tingled as a portion of his spiritual energy was drawn out, coalescing before him.

It swirled and solidified, forming a perfect, seemingly translucent duplicate of himself, right down to the green and white uniform.

The projection felt strange, like controlling a remote puppet, but the connection was stable.

"This must be how it feels to have a shadow clone." He mused.

He directed the projection to step into the rift.

As soon as that happened, the clone got swallowed by it, disappearing before him. Moments later, he felt a strange sensation.

It didn't like the teleportation he was already familiar with from the Celestial Shuttle Network, but of passing through a thick, dimensional curtain before sliding down the abyss with his body being pushed along a pipe leading to the other side of the portal..

When that sensation subsided, the view taken from the eyes of the clone got him a little startled. After all, he found himself standing on a jagged cliff overlooking a vast, mist-shrouded gorge.

The air was thick with untamed energy that was different from the spiritual energy of the Realm of Nine Heavens. It was sharper, wilder, filled with martial intent. It seemed to tremble with the essence of a thousand different weapons.

This was the Shattered Blade Gorge he had read about in the initial description.

In the distance, he could see figures, mere specks against the colossal landscape, leaping between cliffs and clashing in mid-air with explosive bursts of energy.

They weren't using complex spells but only martial arts, honed to a deadly and supernatural degree.

That reminded him not of a cultivation world but of jianghu.

"So, despite being called a Fractured Plane, people still live here. And this energy… it exists, yet it's already too scarce. It must be the result of a cataclysm that drained the world of its spiritual energy, leaving only this raw, martial qi."

His mind deduced. It was the only explanation that made sense. This wasn't a world without energy, but one where the energy had evolved, or devolved, into something purely physical and martial.

He directed his projection to descend from the cliff, using his [Crimson Flow Phantom Steps]. Even with only 10% of his power, the movement technique was still ethereal, allowing his spirit-body to drift down like a falling leaf.

He landed in a secluded, shadowed part of the gorge floor, near a cluster of broken, monolithic swords, each one the size of a small house, half-buried in the ground. They were remnants of the ancient war Lihua had mentioned.

Suddenly, he heard the sharp clang of steel on steel nearby, followed by a grunt of pain. He cautiously moved his projection towards the sound, peering through a gap between two colossal, shattered blades.

There, in a small clearing, a young woman was desperately fending off three bandit-looking scar-faced men. She wore simple, worn-out leather armor and wielded a chipped, straight-bladed sword. She was outnumbered and clearly outmatched.