Douluo Continent: I can overdraft the future in advance

Days passed by like this.

Luo Yun's cultivation became a three-pronged approach. Every morning, he cultivated his soul power without fail. In the morning, he would dedicate an hour to studying body refinement, attempting to open a second and third meridian in other parts of his arm, following the already opened miniature meridian. In the afternoon, he would go to Master Fang's place to learn about soul tools, and in the evening, he would return to continue cultivating his soul power.

All three lines must be followed; none of them can be overlooked.

The progress of his body tempering was slower than he had anticipated. The first pathway was synchronized back by the system, and he only needed to follow it. But opening a second pathway on his own was a completely different matter. He tried many times—compressing his soul power into thin threads and forcibly pushing it forward through his muscles. Each time he pushed it forward even a little bit, his muscles would ache unbearably, forcing him to stop and wait for it to recover before continuing.

After two months, less than a third of the second channel had been opened.

"At this speed, it would take ten or eight years to fully utilize my full power," Luo Yun said, looking at his arms with a hint of helplessness.

But it wasn't entirely without benefits. With the opened channel now open, circulating his soul power daily, the muscles in his arms were indeed much firmer than before. He pinched his right arm with his left hand and could clearly feel the difference in firmness between the two muscles. Moreover, each time his soul power passed through the miniature meridians, it carried away a slight soreness, making his arms feel much lighter.

His soul power cultivation progressed steadily. With the help of herbs and the system, his soul power rose from level thirteen to level fifteen in half a year. In Wu Yun City, this speed was already considered that of a minor genius. Once, when Master Fang checked his soul power, he remained silent for a long time before saying, "All those things you ate weren't wasted."

Meanwhile, Master Fang's progress on his soul tool was also not lagging behind. He could already complete the core array of the second-tier heating furnace independently, although the success rate was not high, succeeding only three or four times out of ten, Master Fang said that this progress was already very fast.

"Your hand is much steadyer now." Master Fang gave a rare word of affirmation after inspecting the magic array he had carved. "Before, there were always uneven depths when carving the nodes, but it's much better now."

Luo Yun knew this wasn't something he had learned on his own; it was experience synchronized back from the system. But he couldn't say anything, he just nodded.

"Now you can take the Level 1 Soul Master exam." Master Fang put away the iron plate, glanced at him, and said, "A Level 1 Soul Master at nine and a half years old is quite impressive even on the entire continent."

---

The family business has grown bigger and bigger.

The reputation of "Huami" spread from Wuyun City to several surrounding cities. Luo Xing opened branches in Qing Shi City, Bai Shui City, and Feng Lin City. Each store was decorated according to a uniform standard—pure white signs, simple shelves, and bright soul-guided lights. Even the aprons worn by the shop assistants were uniformly white, with the words "Huami" embroidered on their chests.

The workshop also doubled in size. The original courtyard was no longer enough, so Luo Xing rented an even larger courtyard next door and knocked down the wall to connect them. The number of blacksmiths increased from six to more than a dozen, the number of soul masters increased from eight to twenty-five or twenty-six, and more than thirty apprentices were recruited.

The assembly line process is now more finely divided. Previously, one person was responsible for grinding, engraving the main circuit, engraving nodes, assembling, and debugging. Now, it's been broken down into seven or eight processes. Some people specialize in rough forging, some in fine grinding, some in engraving the main circuit, some in engraving nodes, some in assembly, and finally, there's a dedicated person for debugging. Each person only does one process, and as they become more proficient, their speed increases and the quality becomes more consistent.

Luo Yun once visited the workshop and almost didn't recognize it. Rows of workbenches stood neatly in the new courtyard, blacksmiths hammering away, soul masters engraving magic arrays, and apprentices pushing carts back and forth carrying materials. Several horse-drawn carriages were parked at the entrance, waiting to be loaded and shipped to various branches. A manager-like figure carried an account book, patrolling back and forth, occasionally stopping to offer a few pointers.

Production has increased more than twentyfold compared to the initial output. In the soul tool market of Wuyun City and several surrounding cities, "Huami" holds nearly 30% of the market share. The Luo family's shop has transformed from a small store into a brand that is well-known in several nearby cities.

Luo Yun no longer needs to worry about cultivation resources.

He could eat two or three pieces of the century-old whale glue a month. He always kept ice spirit grass and spirit ginseng on hand. He also bought all the metal materials Master Fang needed in one go, never asking about the price. Lin Shi prepared different nourishing soups for him every day: spirit ginseng stewed chicken, ice spirit grass porridge, and sweet soup made from cold marrow fruit, rotating through them. Sometimes Luo Yun felt like he wasn't cultivating, but being raised like a pig.

That evening, Luo Yun sat in his room, staring blankly at the ceiling.

I'm level 15 now. Five levels away from level 20. At this rate, with the help of the system and herbs, I should reach level 20 by age 12. I should be able to become a Level 1 Soul Master then. As for body refinement, although it's slow, at least it's progressing.

enough.

Go to Shrek, that's enough.

But a thought kept running through his mind that he couldn't suppress.

Five years of overdraft.

This thought had been there since the system awakened, but he had never seriously considered it. A year's cooldown was too long. He had just embarked on the path of cultivation, overdrawing a year's worth of resources every three months for steady improvement. Although it wasn't fast, it was reliable. What if he overdrawn his resources for five years, and then couldn't use the system for the entire following year? In that case, he would have to rely on himself for that year.

With the current cultivation speed, enhanced by various elixirs, it's equivalent to the fourth level of the Innate Realm?

He had experienced that feeling before. Without a system or resources, three days of meditation wouldn't budge his soul power. Now, with the support of herbs, his speed could reach the fifth or even sixth level of the Innate Realm, but that was about it. Master Fang had said that there was a limit to acquired nourishment; one couldn't change much about the fundamental nature of things.

But what if you overdraw your savings for five years?

The cultivation results from five years later will all come flooding in at once. My soul power will at least reach level 20, maybe even level 25. As for body refinement, since my future self can open other miniature meridians, he might have already opened even more. The experience gained from soul tools will also be synchronized back, and might even allow him to...

Moreover… he has resources now. His family isn't short of money, and there's plenty of medicinal herbs. Even if the system stops working, relying solely on the herbs, his cultivation speed over a year won't be too bad. Master Fang won't stop either; even if it's a bit slower, he can still learn what he needs to learn. A year will pass if he grits his teeth and perseveres.

Luo Yun took a deep breath, sat up in bed, and walked to the window.

The moonlight outside was bright, shining on the stone table and benches in the courtyard. He sat on that stone bench every morning to cultivate his soul power, sometimes for an hour at a time. It had been more than three years since he was six years old.

Three years later, he will be going to Shrek Academy.

That place was teeming with geniuses and monstrous creatures. Without the system, he couldn't even get close to it. With the system, he had his ticket to the game, but whether he could gain a foothold depended on himself.

Overdrawing his credit for five years was the only way he could think of to push himself up significantly in the shortest amount of time.

There are risks. But what path doesn't involve risks?

He turned around, sat back on the bed, and closed his eyes.

Decided.

With a thought, he brought up the system interface.

[Overdrafting the Future System]

[Currently available option: Overdraft the next year (on cooldown, 12 days remaining)]

[Currently available option: Overdraft the next five years (cooldown complete)]

There are two options, one grayed out and one lit up.

Luo Yun closed the system interface and lay down.

Tomorrow, I'll press that button.

Then came a year of waiting.