The money he had just received vanished before he could even warm it in his hands.
But what could he do when this basic cultivation really did cost a hundred thousand?
He wanted to charge more too, but what if he scared everyone away?
He was not actually counting on this to make money. What he wanted was business.
The more orders he received, the greater his gains. He had no interest in these flyspeck profits.
After a grumble, the deduction was complete.
The deep-blue energy flowing inside the Cultivation Machine suddenly trembled violently, and the light filling the air gathered inward in a frenzy.
The Gene Cultivator began working, and the ring of light energy at its center started spinning wildly.
Hum!
A moment later, a low sound rang out. The energy core stopped spinning, and its light receded.
The next instant, an entirely white egg, fully half a meter tall and emitting a faint glow from its surface, condensed into existence out of thin air. It floated steadily in the Cultivation Machine's central recess, its aura stable.
A complete Bloodline Embryo Egg was born.
At that moment, a deathly silence instantly fell both inside and outside the shop.
All the spectating Soul Masters outside widened their eyes, staring at the scene in disbelief, while Ning Rongrong inside froze as well, her delicate face covered in astonishment!
She stared fixedly at the egg that had appeared out of thin air, her mind already thrown into disarray:
I was just playing around! Don't make it real! I was just running my mouth. Who actually wants an extra son or daughter?
Help! Someone save me!
Still, all of this was far too unbelievable, and Ning Rongrong remained somewhat unconvinced. Her pretty face tightened as she demanded:
"Boss, you didn't hide this egg in the machine beforehand, did you? You can't tell anything from an egg anyway, and then you could just take the money and run."
Hearing her doubts, Lin Yan shook his head.
"Listen to what you're saying. There are so many people watching and surrounding this place, packed three layers deep inside and out. The whole city has its eyes fixed here. Even if I wanted to run, where could I go?
"Besides, miss, you might not know this, but although this is my first day in business, my shop has been here in Suotuo City for over a decade. This land is my private property.
"Suotuo City might not be a major city, but it's close to the Star Dou Great Forest, with plenty of Soul Masters coming and going. And this is the most luxurious, most bustling part of town. Selling it for a million Gold Soul Coins would be no problem. A mere hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins isn't enough to make me pack up and run, is it?"
"What? This land is yours?"
The moment Lin Yan said that, before Ning Rongrong could respond, the shopkeeper outside lost his composure first.
Then what the hell was he supposed to do?
He had thought that once he drove Lin Yan away, he could take over the shop. Now he would have to pay to buy it, and he could not bear to spend that money.
Still, Lin Yan's words did make him considerably more credible.
And what Lin Yan said next completely dispelled Ning Rongrong's doubts:
"Besides, the notice already said it: completion in one day. As long as you're willing to spend the money, you can see this egg hatch within a day. Whether I'm a fraud will be clear in just one day."
"That does make sense. Then hurry up and hatch it for me. I want to see whether you're lying."
"Sorry, dear, we wouldn't recommend hatching it immediately."
"Could you stop talking in such a disgusting way?"
"Sorry, sorry. Force of habit."
He had no experience running a shop, so he had learned professional customer-service phrasing from Taobao and Pinduoduo in his previous life. Sure enough, nobody liked this kind of phrasing.
"Why can't you do it now? Are you afraid of being exposed?"
"No. It's because what you've received is only the most ordinary egg. A hundred thousand only buys the basic version, which can only produce ordinary offspring with random talent and a random Martial Soul. Most likely, their aptitude will be mediocre, with nothing outstanding about them, and they'll never become a powerful Soul Master."
"Do you know who I am? With my talent, how could my offspring possibly be mediocre?"
"But having a child involves two people. You only account for half. The other half's blood is randomly selected from the Cultivation Machine's gene bank, so it could be the strongest bloodline, or it could be the worst. Combine the worst with your strongest, and the result will still be mediocre, or even worse."
"You actually dared to give me a random one?"
"What else? If it weren't random, it might involve ethical issues later on.
"That's why our shop keeps the other half's identity completely confidential. Even I don't know who it is. But rest assured, everyone whose blood the gene bank draws for the other half is around your age, and extremely, extremely handsome. Super, invincibly handsome.
"There's no need to worry about them being ugly!
"Just look at me. Even with a mask on, there's a faint melancholy in my eyes. Who knows how many young maidens these eyes of mine could charm to death?"
"Ugh, boss, you're so greasy."
Still, Ning Rongrong was a good judge of people. Although this shopkeeper talked a little greasily and wore a mask, judging by his overall contours and his eyes, his face could not possibly be all that ugly. She would believe him for now.
"Then what do you want to do?"
"As the foremost young lady of an unparalleled great sect, with an illustrious family background and exceptional talent, you wouldn't want the offspring you cultivate to end up a mediocre good-for-nothing, would you?"
"Of course not. Even if it's just a child made with my blood and money who has nothing whatsoever to do with me, it still has to be the best."
The pride in Ning Rongrong's bones had been thoroughly roused.
But she did come from a merchant family, after all, and she did not get carried away. What Lin Yan was doing now was an outright pig-butchering scam: starting with a basic package, then constantly enticing you into all sorts of other packages. But she did not care at all.
After all, she was already here, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was wealthy enough to rival a nation. Even if he tried to fleece her out of hundreds of thousands or millions, she would not bat an eye. Grandpa Sword and Grandpa Bone would get it back for her anyway.
If the fellow before her really dared to swindle her money, she would leave him no road to heaven and no door into the earth.
"This young lady isn't short of money. Go on. I want to see just what you're up to. If there's a basic package, there must be upgraded packages. Come on, show me all of them."
"Certainly."
Lin Yan lightly brought his hands together, tapped the air with a fingertip, and opened the first Soul Power customization service.
"The embryo has already been created, but what talent and aptitude the child ultimately hatches with will depend on your subsequent investment in customization and your sincerity. First comes Innate Soul Power customization.
"Everyone knows that Innate Soul Power is something you're born with, ordained by fate, and can only be obtained randomly through awakening. Human effort cannot interfere with it. But here, Innate Soul Power can be precisely customized and purchased with money. Levels one through ten, with clearly defined tiers and transparent prices."
The moment Lin Yan finished speaking, a chorus of sharp intakes of breath rang out inside and outside the shop.
Everyone was dumbfounded.
"You can buy Innate Soul Power with money? Impossible. Absolutely impossible."
"Since ancient times, Innate Soul Power has always been determined by heaven. How could it possibly be customized afterward? That's outrageous!"
"There has to be a limit even when you're lying, okay? This is way too ridiculous."
"Exactly, boss. He was at least putting on a bit of an act before, but now he's not even pretending. If he really can customize Innate Soul Power, I'll eat a whole jin of shit!"
"I'll eat ten jin!"
"I'll shit while standing on my head!"
"I'll eat shit while standing on my head!"
Hearing these arguments outside the shop, Lin Yan shook his head, a look of disdain appearing on his face.
These days, there were people trying to scam free food and drink everywhere.
Before you continue