Welcome to Ability Store

Chapter 328: Promote Me!

For Chen Xuan, ability synchronization and salary increase are somewhat minor matters, occurring with each promotion, but offering little help to the situation.

The lifting of restrictions on ability trading, however, is good news. Chen Xuan quickly skimmed through the explanation and found it was just as it sounded—the performance point data had been removed from the APP, and the previous restrictions to prevent him from rigging performance points also vanished. In other words, a pile of white Purifying Heart Technique and Spirit Sword Technique in stock have become tradable goods, helping villagers adjust their abilities doesn’t have to be done on-site but can be warehoused first, and then traded to those better suited for the abilities later, significantly enhancing flexibility.

This is easy to understand.

After all, his level has increased.

Just like how the punch-in system is aimed at lower-level employees, who cares if high-level executives punch in or not.

Another change: the unlocking of the control room is much more complex.

According to the explanation above, the store now has an additional floor... the newly added fourth floor is the control room.

With a curious mindset, Chen Xuan entered the stairwell and climbed to the third floor. Sure enough, the stairway, which should have ended, extended further.

Following the stairs up, a door blocked his way.

Its style was distinctly different from the floors below.

If the first floor was store-like, the second floor hotel-like, and the third restaurant-like, then the door of the fourth floor exuded a distant and cold technological feel. It was entirely matte gray, metallic, with yellow pinch protection warning strips at the four corners, and a call panel embedded beside the door.

For a moment, Chen Xuan couldn’t find where the door handle was.

But as he approached the door, a green light scanned down from above the door frame.

"Identity verification in progress... verification successful, welcome, Mr. Store Manager."

Then the metal door slid open to the sides automatically.

This is so ceremonial, as if he had become a figure of great importance. Chen Xuan instinctively straightened up and stepped inside.

The room inside wasn’t large, similar to an operating room, with a recliner in the center, uniform lighting from the ceiling, and nothing else in terms of furnishings.

Anyone seeing such a scene would know what to do next.

Chen Xuan was no exception.

"Alright then..." he muttered as he sat down on the recliner, laid his back flat, "I wonder what mystery it’s selling."

The next second, the ceiling lights went out.

The room was instantly plunged into darkness, and even with the Divine Eye Technique, nothing could be seen... Such an absolutely lightless environment was uncommon, causing Chen Xuan to feel somewhat panicked and instinctively try to sit up, but he quickly realized that there wasn’t any sensation of a chair beneath him, as if he were floating in void space.

Immediately after, light illuminated his surroundings, with three-dimensional maps that smartly enlarged or moved away with his gaze.

It only took him a few seconds to realize where these maps pointed.

They were all branch store maps!

For instance, the suite hidden in the corner of an apartment building was a branch store in Paris, wasn’t it? And this large building marked entirely as a branch store was the Bagreen Hotel gifted to him by Walter Company...

Not only were the branch stores accurately presented on the maps, but even the surrounding buildings, streets, and even crowds were vividly included. Chen Xuan could see all the details with just a thought... The structure of the buildings seemed transparent before him, a clear view.

He also discovered that focusing on a particular branch store would trigger a detailed box on the side, recording the store’s activation status, transaction records, and inventory reserves.

He even saw WIFI data, clearly indicating signal coverage and the number of connected devices.

Scrolling down further, there were store manager operation options.

After tinkering for a bit, Chen Xuan’s surprise grew—if the APP on the bar computer was just a limited authority access port, then the control room managed the store’s operational mechanism.

For instance, he could now swap the main store and branch stores!

Under the store options, any property-owned building could be set as the main store, with the Celestial Ridge District store automatically becoming a branch.

This meant that even if this address were exposed, he could transfer the main store to minimize losses, significantly enhancing the store’s survivability.

Additionally, he could adjust some store functions.

For example, elevator connection channels could be customized; by simultaneously activating two branch stores and canceling the elevator function, he could connect the two portals together for seamless cross-world connection!

Previously, transporting people and goods across worlds had to be done through elevator transfers, which were cumbersome. Now, it’s much simpler, with villagers from the Wanshan Wilderness walking through a door directly into the future Paris.

The same applied to WIFI, with the ability to change the password, set a whitelist, and even a power control slider. Pushing it to the end could achieve overload operation, doubling the effective range of the WIFI, albeit at the cost of doubled electricity bills.

There were many similar options.

From this perspective, the store resembled a castle built of many building blocks, where each branch and every functional area were like modules that could be replaced.

Chen Xuan couldn’t help but feel a sense of marvel.

Perhaps only at this moment... has he truly become the Ability Store’s manager.

And this store isn’t meant for collecting abilities... or generating more turnover; it must have a deeper goal that requires further exploration.

Could that goal be related to ascension?

The term ’ascension’ appeared in descriptions of demons, Dimensional Limit Mechanisms, and even the Lotus Cloud Sect abilities. What exactly does ascension represent? A path? An outcome? Or a direction of cultivation?

Chen Xuan couldn’t figure it out.

But none of the worlds currently show any signs of ascension. The Lotus Cloud Sect, where Liu Shuyue resides, remains cloaked in mystery, with constant conflicts among the Six Kingdoms, and the cultivators’ power seems weaker than during Ji Yun and Ji Lian’s times; Elorie’s world, while avoiding the destruction of surface civilization, has development stalled, with companies ruled by demons becoming dominant forces; as for this side... he couldn’t believe that the desolate future was the ascension target pursued by the mechanism.

Without any clues, Chen Xuan decided to temporarily set aside this question.

By the way... now that he’s an LV6 store manager, the promotion criteria for the next level should also be unlocked.

Everything that could be done via the bar computer could also be handled in the control room, so he used a finger to swipe in the air, opening the Ability Store APP, finding the store manager rating page updated.

"Pfft!"

Upon seeing the requirement, Chen Xuan almost spat out.

It’s truly a case of fearing something and it actually happening...

He couldn’t help but complain.

There was a line of text: Store Manager LV7 Application Requirement: Witness Ascension.

Indeed, there’s no performance requirement now, but the condition has become more outrageous. Saving the world was already exaggerated, and completing the target was purely accidental; now, even the condition itself is a mystery, how is one supposed to strive for this?

At least explain to me what ascension means!

Despite the complaints, Chen Xuan managed to deduce some insights from the brief statement: Witnessing ascension, instead of self-ascension... This implies that the store manager’s mission isn’t to ascend. He doesn’t need to ascend himself, only to see others ascend or witness the phenomenon of ascension to meet the condition, suggesting that ascension is more of a concrete action rather than an abstract concept like a path or direction of civilization development.

Chen Xuan started drafting an email, beginning to fill out the promotion application.

He was no longer the fledgling rookie store manager, ensuring all promotion criteria were met before solemnly submitting the application. Since the store wouldn’t reject unapproved applications, promotion would proceed upon meeting criteria, so he didn’t bother boasting about his accomplishments.

As a result, the email became incredibly concise, with no earnest work statements or detailed presentations of achievements, the entire text being just one sentence: "Promote me!"