Rise in Douluo Continent with the help of bean buns

With three days left until the awakening of the Martial Soul, the atmosphere in Qing Shi Village gradually heated up.

Every household is busy preparing for their children of the appropriate age, raising funds for awakening, getting new clothes, and asking around to find out what awakening masters like. The usually quiet village is now bustling with activity because of this annual event.

The awakening fee of three gold soul coins is not a small amount for ordinary farmers. Many families have been saving for more than half a year, just waiting for this day to try their luck—even if there is a 99% chance of getting a useless martial soul with zero soul power, as long as there is a one in ten thousand chance of becoming a soul master, the whole family can turn their lives around.

Lin Chen's courtyard remained quiet, completely out of place with the hustle and bustle outside.

He was sitting at the stone table, taking stock of supplies and making final preparations for the awakening three days later.

The calming herb soup, simmering in the earthenware pot, exuded a faint herbal fragrance. Next to it were more than a dozen mild herbs, such as calming flower, nourishing vein vine, and clearing herb, all of which were used before and after awakening.

Drinking the Soul-Stabilizing Soup an hour before awakening can stabilize the soul power seed to the maximum extent and weaken the impact of awakening; a medicinal bath made from the Nourishing Vein Vine, soaking for half an hour after awakening can nourish the meridians, consolidate the foundation, and minimize the damage to the body caused by awakening.

These medicinal herbs were accumulated by him over the past six months, many of them wild herbs gathered from deep in the mountains, and their medicinal properties are better than those of the artificially cultivated herbs sold in pharmacies.

"Doubao, recalculate the current total assets." Lin Chen said to himself as his fingertips brushed over the herbs.

Asset statistics update:

Anonymous Gold Tickets: 57 Gold Soul Coins

Cash on hand: 5 Gold Soul Coins, 18 Silver Soul Coins

Inventory (soothing packs, finished medicinal herbs): equivalent to 8 Gold Soul Coins

Fixed assets (investment in medicinal field improvement, tools and equipment): equivalent to 12 Gold Soul Coins

Total: 82 Gold Soul Coins

[Sufficient cash flow to cover all initial startup expenses, including body tempering and soul hunting.]

In less than half a year, he went from a penniless, dying orphan to a fortune of more than eighty gold soul coins, which would be an unbelievable story for any six-year-old child.

Lin Chen simply nodded calmly, without the slightest ripple of emotion.

This amount of money seems like a lot, but it doesn't last long at all. Body-tempering herbs, basic cultivation techniques, hiring soul hunters, and supplies along the way—each one is a money pit. Take hunting for the first soul ring, for example. Hiring two reliable soul master guards for a trip to the outer reaches of Star Dou will cost dozens or even hundreds of gold soul coins round trip, not counting the expenses along the way. Eighty-odd gold soul coins are barely enough to get started.

Therefore, he must take his business to the next level before he awakens and establish a more stable cash flow so that his subsequent cultivation will not be interrupted due to money.

  

"Are the conditions ripe for the channel expansion plan in the three surrounding towns to be implemented?" Lin Chen tapped his fingers lightly on the stone table.

The channel expansion plan for the three surrounding towns (Baishui Town, Hongyan Town, and Liushu Town) has been refined and completed.

Expansion Model: Find local general stores and Soul Master supply stores to act as resellers, with monthly settlements and a 30% profit share for the stores.

Market gap: There are no similar high-quality calming packs in the three towns, resulting in minimal competition.

Expected returns: Monthly income can increase to over thirty Gold Soul Coins after the product launch is complete.

Implementation period: 10 days, can be activated after awakening.

Lin Chen nodded in agreement.

He had been planning this for a long time, but he hadn't had enough energy or capital before. Now the time was just right. That afternoon, he went to Blackstone Town and asked Mr. Wang, the owner of the grocery store he often cooperated with, to act as a go-between.

Mr. Wang has been doing business in this area for over a decade and has a wide network of contacts. This small matter was no problem for him, and he readily agreed to help connect with other business owners, charging only a small referral fee.

After finalizing the distribution channels, he went to Hongyuan Pharmacy and found Manager Zhang.

"Manager Zhang, I'm planning to expand my medicinal herb cultivation by half an acre, which will double my supply. Can you handle the volume?"

Shopkeeper Zhang's eyes lit up, and he patted the counter, saying, "Double the price? That's great! The medicine merchants in the city have been pressing us hard lately, and we're worried about not being able to buy good medicinal herbs! We'll buy as many as you have, and we'll even raise the price by half a percent!"

"Then let's do it this way. Starting next month, the supply will double." Lin Chen finalized the cooperation in a calm tone.

After leaving the pharmacy, he went around to the back of the mountain to take a look at the medicinal herb field.

The half-acre plot of mint and calming grass grew lush and green, far surpassing the quality of wild plants. He had already chosen the plot to expand the planting area, which was adjacent to the main plot. Once the awakening ceremony was over, he would just need to hire two villagers to clear the land.

There's no need to waste his energy on physical labor that money can solve—his time should be devoted to cultivation and decision-making.

By the time we got back to the village, it was already dark.

A group of villagers gathered under the old locust tree at the village entrance to cool off, and their conversation revolved entirely around the awakening of martial spirits.

"I heard that Deacon Li from the Spirit Hall will arrive early the day after tomorrow, and will officially awaken the day after that."

"Sigh, I guess there's not much hope for my kid. I'd be lucky if he even reached level one of the soul power levels."

"What are you thinking? In all these years, the highest we've ever had in our village is only the second level of the Innate Realm, and that's not even a farming tool martial spirit."

"By the way, should that kid from the Lin family also go awaken? With his physique, I doubt it; he might even have zero soul power."

"Hey, what are you doing here, an orphan? You don't even know if you've collected enough gold soul coins yet."

The murmurs drifted over on the evening breeze, but Lin Chen didn't stop and walked over calmly.

When the villagers saw him coming, they all stopped talking and looked at him with different expressions, some with sympathy, some with disdain, and some with amusement.

No one thought this orphan could awaken a decent martial spirit.

Lin Chen didn't care at all.

You can't talk about ice with a summer insect. These people, confined to border villages their whole lives, have a world as small as a well opening. They can't comprehend the vastness of the path of a Soul Master, let alone imagine the heights a "useless martial soul" can reach. Arguing with them is a complete waste of time.

Back in the courtyard, I closed the door and bolted it shut out the noise from outside.

Lin Chen began adjusting the medicinal bath formula. With his awakening imminent, he increased the calming ingredients in the bath by half a unit to maintain his body and mind in the most stable state.

During my meditation that evening, Doubao suddenly gave me a hint:

[Increased activity detected in the host's dantian soul power seed, a clear sign of impending martial soul awakening. It is recommended to reduce high-intensity computations starting immediately, conserving mental energy to cope with unforeseen circumstances on the day of awakening.]

"Okay." Lin Chen replied, ending his meditation and lying down to rest.

The next day, he didn't go up the mountain or to town. Instead, he sorted out medicinal herbs and counted supplies in the courtyard. He put all the things he needed for the day of awakening into a small cloth bag and carefully wrapped three golden soul coins in a soft cloth, placing them close to his body.

As evening fell, the village head knocked on doors to announce: "Deacon Li of the Martial Soul Hall will arrive tomorrow morning. The day after tomorrow at 5:00 AM, all school-aged children must assemble at the Awakening Hall at the village entrance. No one is allowed to be late."

Lin Chen responded and watched Muramasa walk away before closing the door behind him.

As night fell, the bright moonlight shone on the stone slabs of the courtyard, casting a clear glow across the ground.

Lin Chen sat cross-legged on the straw mat, not cultivating, but slowly adjusting his breathing.

The sea of ​​consciousness is calm, and Doubao switches to low-power standby mode, retaining only basic body monitoring functions.

Deacon Li will arrive tomorrow.

The day after tomorrow is the day of the Martial Soul Awakening.

After half a year of traversing the treacherous waters, half a year of lying low, and half a year of preparation, all the groundwork and accumulation will begin the day after tomorrow, when we will officially step onto the path of becoming a Soul Master.

It would be a lie to say he had no expectations at all, but he felt mostly at ease.

Even though he had already predicted the outcome countless times and prepared for the worst, he remained certain that no matter what martial soul he awakened, with Doubao around and a clear path in place, he would always be able to forge his own path.

Silent all night.

The next day, just as dawn broke, commotion was heard at the village entrance. Deacon Li arrived in the village by carriage, and the village head, along with several local gentry, greeted him warmly, offering him fine wine and food.

Lin Chen stood on the courtyard wall and glanced at it from afar before turning his gaze away.

He continued to prepare the medicine, regulate his breathing, and organize his things step by step, adjusting himself to his best condition.

As the sun set, the discussions in the village reached their peak.

Every household was reminding their children to be obedient and focused when they woke up tomorrow, so as not to leave a bad impression on the deacon.

Lin Chen ate dinner early, took a gentle, nourishing bath, and then went to bed to rest.

I slept very soundly and had no dreams all night.

On the day of awakening, Lin Chen woke up before dawn.

He first drank a bowl of warm Soul-Stabilizing Herb soup. The medicinal effects gently dissolved, and the soul power seed in his dantian felt warm and exceptionally stable.

After a quick wash, he changed into a clean set of coarse cloth clothes, which were easy to move in and wouldn't attract attention. He tucked three gold soul coins into his pocket, locked the courtyard gate, and headed towards the Awakening Hall at the edge of the village, bathed in the morning light.