Everyone crowded around the entrance. Those who had seen it wanted to see it again-after all, who wouldn't want to watch prodigies and monstrous talents being created?
Those who hadn't seen it also wanted to find out whether the rumors were true.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Lin Yan opened the Cultivation Room at eight o'clock sharp.
He slowly stepped out of the shop and looked at the dark, endless sea of people before him. Even though he had prepared himself mentally, he still couldn't help freezing.
The sheer scale of the crowd had genuinely startled him. After just one night of word spreading, his shop had already become this popular. He still felt a little excited.
Excited as he was, however, Lin Yan immediately withdrew his gaze. With an indifferent expression, he hung an exquisite wooden sign above the shop's main entrance as everyone watched. Written clearly upon it were the words:
Closed for half the day today. Business will resume on time this afternoon.
The sight instantly set off the crowd, throwing everyone into an uproar.
After waiting all morning, their hopes had come to nothing, and displeasure welled up within them.
"Why is the owner doing this?
We came to line up before dawn."
"Exactly! We finally waited long enough for the doors to open, only to find out it's closed for half the day. This is such a disappointment."
"That's right..."
They had all come for customized Martial Soul cultivation, only to be told it wasn't available until the afternoon. They had wasted half a day waiting.
Unwilling to accept this, everyone pressed him for an answer.
Lin Yan swept his gaze over the crowd and slowly gave his reason:
"This shop's owner is going to collect a debt."
"Collect a debt?"
Everyone seized on those key words, their attention instantly drawn to them. They were quite interested in this as well, brimming with curiosity.
"Is it that young girl's debt from yesterday?
The ten-million-Gold-Soul-Coin one?"
"Owner, where are you going to collect it?
Which family is she from, exactly?"
"I'm going to the Star Luo Empire to collect it."
Lin Yan answered frankly.
"The Star Luo Empire?"
Upon hearing Lin Yan's destination, someone quick-witted immediately connected it to yesterday's scene and blurted out:
"I've got it! That little girl is from the Star Luo Zhu Family."
"Right, I also remember that youngster seemed to be called Zhu Zhuqing. In the entire Star Luo Empire, the only family surnamed Zhu that could afford a debt limit of ten million would be the Hell Spirit Cat Zhu Family.
That little girl's Martial Soul fits, too."
These words instantly sent the crowd into an uproar. Questions arose in their minds, and they all began discussing it.
"A young lady of the Zhu Family, a dignified legitimate daughter of a top-tier clan-how did she end up drifting all the way to our Heaven Dou Empire?
And reduced to buying on credit, at that?"
Just as everyone was puzzling over it, a Soul Master in the crowd who knew a great deal about the Star Luo Empire slowly spoke, revealing the secret behind it:
"There's something you don't know. If I'm not mistaken, that young girl named Zhu Zhuqing yesterday should be the Zhu Family's least-favored second legitimate daughter, Zhu Zhuqing.
Under the Star Luo Empire's bloody elimination system, whether in the imperial family or the Zhu Family, the strong survive and the weak are eliminated. Only one can live.
Her elder sister is seven years older than her. By the time she comes of age, that seven-year age gap will be difficult to bridge, so her family discarded her as a sacrificial pawn long ago.
She probably wandered to the Heaven Dou Empire hoping to find a chance here. Who would've thought she'd actually stumble into good fortune?"
In an instant, everyone understood. So that was it-she was a discarded daughter, neglected by her family and subjected to endless bullying.
"Then there's a good show coming. She drew ten million against her family's credit in one go to customize her own daughter. The Zhu Family certainly won't be willing to pay.
The owner says he's going to their door to collect a debt, but isn't that just going there to seize it by force?"
"Exactly, this will be entertaining.
If the owner really goes there to collect the debt and seize it by force, then the skies over the Star Luo Empire, and even the entire Douluo Continent, are going to change."
Everyone became excited upon hearing this, stirring restlessly.
"Come on, stop lining up! Hurry to the Zhu Family in the Star Luo Empire to watch the show. If we're late, we'll miss it."
"The owner alone against the entire Zhu Family, and the Zhu Family has the Star Luo Imperial Family behind it. That means he'll be taking on the whole Star Luo Empire by himself. You wouldn't see a spectacle like this once in a hundred years."
But just as everyone was getting fired up, someone clever calmly analyzed the situation and doused everyone's enthusiasm with a few words:
"You lot think you can go watch?
In your dreams!
Take a good look at what the owner said. Closed for the morning, business as usual in the afternoon. If he makes it back in time, he can even have lunch.
It's eight in the morning now. There are only four hours until noon.
In four hours, he has to get from here to the Star Luo Imperial City, cross more than half the Douluo Continent, collect the debt, and return the way he came. All of that will take him just four hours.
Just how absurd do you think his speed must be?
Do you really think you can keep up?
The owner's cultivation is at least that of a Limit Douluo. Flying at such incredible speed, covering a thousand miles in an instant-that's beyond our reach."
"That's true. Even if we traveled at full speed, we wouldn't make it there in time. We'll just have to wait until tomorrow to hear what happened. What a shame we can't witness the owner's true combat strength ourselves."
"Do you remember yesterday's Escort Package?
That top-tier 'Demon King Guard,' which claimed, 'Below the gods, I am invincible; above the gods, I trade one life for one.'
Better to believe it exists than assume it doesn't.
Doesn't that mean the Star Luo Empire is finished?"
"Exactly, exactly."
Someone immediately called out:
"Owner, are you leaving right away?"
Lin Yan nodded calmly.
"Yes. I'll set off early so it doesn't delay lunch."
That casual remark was an incomparable display of showing off.
Everyone couldn't help inwardly cursing just how good Lin Yan was at showing off.
After making his announcement, Lin Yan immediately returned to the shop. Yet none of the people outside left. It was only four hours, and they were actually willing to wait here.
Once Lin Yan entered the shop, he began communicating with the system:
"System, confirm today's accounts. Verify Zhu Zhuqing's outstanding credit debt of ten million against her family inheritance. Confirm that she has no ability to repay it personally, and that the Zhu Family is highly unlikely to pay voluntarily.
To prevent the Zhu Family from transferring assets ahead of time and denying or defaulting on the debt, the full ten million must be recovered today.
To prevent this debt from going bad, activate debt collection mode for me immediately."
[Beep, beep. System evaluation in progress. Evaluation complete. The host's request has been determined reasonable and compliant. All lawful debts owed to this shop are protected by the system's highest authority. No one may illegally misappropriate, transfer, or deny them. Exclusive Debt Collector Mode is now officially activating. Activation successful. The exclusive Debt Collector interface has been unlocked. The host may freely select an exclusive Martial Soul, specify Soul Ring quality, and choose a top-tier Soul Bone set, while receiving powerful bound cultivation.]
He had finally gotten to see it.
It hadn't been easy!
He could have activated Guardian Mode yesterday, but unfortunately, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had interrupted him.
Today, however, he had finally entered this Debt Collector interface in its entirety!
He could customize everything himself. It felt unbelievably good.
Before you continue