"Hand over the Sky-Rending Sword Manual, girl, and the Crimson Tiger Sect might let you live!" The leader of the men sneered as he brandished his massive saber as a warning.

"This manual belongs to the Silent Rain Sect! It was our legacy! You have no right!" The woman retorted. Her voice was filled with defiant fury despite the blood trickling from the corner of her lips. She was willing to stake her life to protect that legacy.

Lin Mo watched this scene with an unreadable expression. This was a classic scene of martial world conflict. A righteous but weakened sect, a stolen legacy, and a ruthless, stronger sect bullying the weak to steal its legacy.

With only 10% of his power, he was barely at the mid Spirit Condensation Stage.

He observed the martial artists from where he was watching. They are experts, alright. However, since they cannot harness spiritual energy and only cultivate their bodies through martial qi and inner energy, he estimated that they're similar to early Spirit Gathering Stage cultivators. Or for a closer comparison, they're like those following the Body Cultivation Path. They're only comparable to those at the Body Tempering Stage.

Besides, he also deduced that they're far from the strongest experts of this Fractured Martial World.

"Should I interfere?" He thought.

His first instinct, the instinct of a pragmatic manager, was to observe. Gather data. He was only going to take a peek, after all. Interfering in a local dispute was an unnecessary risk and an inconvenient complication.

However, another thought, one shaped by his recent experiences, cut through. The Vindicators, the Blazing Maw, Chi Yang's village… he had interfered in all of those situations. He didn't act as an observer but a purveyor of convenience. This scene before him was the very definition of an inconvenience.

A stronger power bullying the weak for resources was bad for any potential market.

But then again, there's no plan to expand the Divine Convenience Store here. This place was barren. And even if it exists close to the Realm of Nine Heavens, it holds little value when it comes to dealing with the Outer Realms.

Still, Zhenren Lihua's words echoed in his mind.

"Visiting it before anyone else will broaden your perspective."

Perhaps this was what she meant. Not just to see the landscape, but to understand the people, their struggles, their 'convenience' or lack thereof.

The bandit leader, who was starting to grow impatient with the young woman's resistance, finally made his move.

He lunged as his saber became coated with a crude but powerful qi, aimed to disarm and cripple. The other two men moved to flank her, their movements coordinated enough to verify their claims of being in a sect.

The woman didn't back down. She fought with a desperate yet graceful fury.

Her sword art was elegant and fluid, like a silent rain, but it lacked the power to break through their assault. Her chipped blade met the massive saber with a sharp clang, and she was thrown backward, making her arm numb from the impact.

She stumbled, landing hard against one of the monolithic, broken swords.

She was cornered.

"Last chance, little flower," The leader growled, advancing slowly as he raised his saber, ready to deal the final blow regardless of whether she was willing to hand the manual over or not.

Lin Mo sighed. It seemed his quiet reconnaissance was over.

He accessed the system interface through his projection. A limited version of his inventory was available. He scrolled through it, a plan forming in his mind. He couldn't use a weapon or a powerful talisman. The clone was too weak to channel it. But what about… a distraction?

He found what he was looking for: a single, humble-looking item. A [Morning Dew Popcorn Puff].

He materialized it in his projection's hand. It looked solid and real.

The leader of the Crimson Tiger Sect was about to deliver a final, decisive blow. He raised his saber, a cruel grin on his face.

At that exact moment, Lin Mo's spirit-body clone flicked its wrist.

The single popcorn puff shot out like a tiny, white cannonball. It wasn't infused with much energy, but it was perfectly aimed.

Poof.

It hit the man squarely on the nose.

It wasn't a powerful attack but it was enough to make him stagger. Furthermore, it was… unexpected. Utterly, completely, and absurdly unexpected interference.

The leader crossed his eyes as he stared at the single, white puff that almost blew him away. Then his cruel grin was replaced by a look of profound, bewildered confusion.

His two subordinates also stopped, staring at their leader's nose. The young woman from the Silent Rain Sect stared, her desperation momentarily forgotten, replaced by the same utter confusion.

"Who goes there?!"

The entire, tense, life-or-death confrontation had been brought to a screeching halt by a single piece of puffed corn.

However, in that single, perfect moment of distraction, the young woman acted. Her sword, no longer on the defensive, became a blur of silver light.

She executed a swift, precise technique, a move she would never have been able to make if her opponent hadn't been contemplating the snack that had just assaulted his face.

Her blade sliced across the leader's sword arm, drawing a spray of blood. He roared in pain and surprise, stumbling back, the popcorn puff finally dislodging and falling to the ground.

Seizing the opportunity, the young woman didn't press the attack. She jumped back, widening the distance between her and the bandits who claimed to be from the Crimson Tiger Sect.

Meanwhile, Lin Mo directed his spirit-body projection to step out from behind the shattered monolith, his green and white uniform once again appearing bizarre and otherworldly in this world of leather and steel.

Furthermore, the translucent, ethereal nature of his form made him look like a wandering ghost.

"Pardon my interruption," Lin Mo said with a calm and polite tone, "It seems this is a three-against-one situation. That's a rather inconvenient imbalance, wouldn't you agree?"

The three men froze, spinning around to face the source of the voice. Their eyes widened as they took in the sight of his shimmering, ghostly form.

"A... a ghost?!" One of the men stammered, his tough-guy facade crumbling instantly.

"What nonsense!" The leader snarled, though a flicker of uncertainty crossed his face. "It's a trick! Some kind of illusion art! Kill him!"

The two flanking men hesitated for a moment before charging at Lin Mo, their blades held ready.

Lin Mo didn't move. He simply raised a hand. "Now, now. Let's not be hasty. Violence is bad for business."

He had no physical form, and only 10% of his power. But he didn't need to clash. He flicked his fingers and activated the [Stellar Domain].

The passive, ten-meter field unfurled, invisible and imperceptible to them. Even if it's weaker than normal, its effect was immediate. The wild, untamed martial qi in the air around him seemed to calm, subtly influenced by the serene, orderly power of the stars.

The two charging bandits suddenly felt their movements become sluggish, their powerful inner energy sputtering as if they had run into thick mud. It was a bizarre, disorienting sensation.

"What is this sorcery?" one of them cried out, his charge slowing to a clumsy stumble.

Lin Mo smiled. He then used the simplest, most fundamental application of his Perfect Foundation: [Qi Solidification].

He didn't create a grand wall or a sharp spike. He simply solidified the air directly in front of their feet.

The two men, already off-balance from the domain's suppressive effect, tripped spectacularly over the invisible, ankle-high barrier. They went down in a comical heap of flailing limbs and clattering steel, landing face-first in the dirt.

The leader stared, utterly baffled. His two subordinates had been defeated without the 'ghost' even moving a muscle.

The young woman, who was also wary yet grateful at the newcomer, watched with wide, disbelieving eyes.

"Alright," Lin Mo said, turning his attention to the now-isolated leader. "As I was saying. Let's discuss this inconvenience. You want the manual, she wants to keep it. This seems like a simple trade dispute. And as a merchant, I'm uniquely qualified to mediate."

The leader, realizing he was facing something far beyond his comprehension, took a step back, his courage replaced by a wary fear. "Stay back, demon! This is the business of the Crimson Tiger Sect!"

"Crimson Tiger Sect, you say?" Lin Mo grinned like those merchants who found a new customer to scam. "Excellent. A potential future customer. But your current business practices are... unsustainable. Bullying and theft lead to a poor brand reputation. Let me propose a more convenient solution."

He flicked his wrist, and a single, familiar item materialized from his system inventory, floating in the air before the bandit leader. A packet of [Taihao Spicy Noodles (Original Flavor)].

The bandit leader stared at the colorful, plasticky object as if it were a venomous snake.

"What... what is that?"

"Let's just call it a bribe or a free sample." Lin Mo said, his voice laced with the smooth confidence of a seasoned salesman as he tossed the packet to the bandit leader. "Think of it as a gesture of goodwill and opportunity from my establishment. The Divine Convenience Store."