By the next morning, the entire outer disciple area knew.
No one agreed on the details. Some said Li Ren used a forbidden technique. Others claimed he was backed by a hidden elder. A few whispered that he was some kind of karmic cultivator.
But all the stories shared one thing in common.
Four outer disciples had tried to deal with him.
And all four had walked away weaker.
Li Ren noticed the change the moment he stepped out of the servant quarters.
Conversations stopped when he passed. Eyes followed him. Some were curious. Some were fearful.
A few were calculating.
Mei Lin walked beside him, carrying a small basket of tools.
“Three people asked about you this morning,” she said.
“Servants?” Li Ren asked.
She shook her head. “Outer disciples.”
That wasn’t surprising.
“Did they say what they wanted?”
“Two of them were just asking questions,” she said. “But one of them… he left a message.”
Li Ren slowed slightly.
“What message?”
Mei Lin lowered her voice.
“He said he has a debt that can’t be solved with fists. And he wants to talk.”
Li Ren’s eyes sharpened.
Now that was interesting.
Later that day, as the sun dipped lower, a tall outer disciple entered the servant courtyard.
He didn’t look aggressive. His robes were plain, and his expression was calm. But there was a quiet intensity in his eyes.
Above his head, the system text appeared.
Target: Outer Disciple Ren Tao
Debt: Failed inheritance contract
Total: 48 spirit stones equivalent
Status: Critical
Li Ren’s gaze lingered on the number.
Forty-eight stones.
That was the largest outer-disciple debt he’d seen so far.
And the word Critical was even more interesting.
Ren Tao stopped a few steps away.
If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.
“You’re Li Ren?” he asked.
“Yes.”
Ren Tao nodded once.
“I heard you settle debts,” he said. “Quietly.”
“Sometimes,” Li Ren replied. “Depends on the debt.”
Ren Tao didn’t speak immediately.
Instead, he glanced around the courtyard. Servants pretended not to listen, but their ears were clearly tuned to the conversation.
“Walk with me,” he said.
They moved to the edge of the courtyard, near the storage sheds. Mei Lin stayed nearby, sorting tools as usual.
Ren Tao crossed his arms.
“I entered a minor inheritance site three months ago,” he said. “There were three of us.”
Li Ren listened quietly.
“One of them died inside. The other took the core treasure and ran. The inheritance was meant to be shared equally.”
“How much was it worth?” Li Ren asked.
“About one hundred and fifty spirit stones,” Ren Tao said. “Plus a cultivation technique.”
Li Ren nodded.
“So your share is fifty stones.”
Ren Tao shook his head.
“Forty-eight, according to the karmic calculation,” he said. “The dead one still had some claim.”
Li Ren’s eyes narrowed slightly.
So he already understood karmic value.
Interesting.
“And the one who ran?” Li Ren asked. “Who is he?”
Ren Tao hesitated.
Then he said quietly, “Inner disciple.”
That explained everything.
Servants could bully servants.
Outer disciples could bully servants and each other.
But once an inner disciple was involved, the balance of power shifted drastically.
“You can’t challenge him directly,” Li Ren said.
Ren Tao nodded.
“If I accuse him without proof, I’ll just be punished for slander.”
Li Ren folded his arms.
“And you think I can solve it?”
Ren Tao looked at him seriously.
“I don’t know what you are,” he said. “But four outer disciples lost their strength in a single afternoon. That’s enough for me to take the risk.”
Li Ren considered the situation.
An inheritance debt.
Involving an inner disciple.
Worth nearly fifty stones.
Dangerous.
But extremely valuable.
“What are you offering?” Li Ren asked.
“Ten spirit stones,” Ren Tao said. “If the debt is settled.”
Li Ren raised an eyebrow.
“Out of forty-eight?”
Ren Tao didn’t flinch.
“You’d be going after an inner disciple,” he said. “That’s more than most people would offer.”
He wasn’t wrong.
The risk had increased.
But so had the opportunity.
Li Ren opened the system quietly.
Major Debt Detected
Debtor: Inner Disciple Zhao Wei
Creditor: Ren Tao
Value: 48 spirit stones equivalent
Status: Unsettled inheritance
His pulse quickened slightly.
This was the first time the system had clearly marked an inner disciple as a debtor.
The scale was rising.
Just like he wanted.
“What happens if I refuse?” Li Ren asked.
Ren Tao shrugged.
“Then I wait,” he said. “Or I give up.”
Li Ren studied his face.
There was no desperation there. No pleading.
Just quiet determination.
He wasn’t looking for a savior.
He was looking for a solution.
Li Ren nodded slowly.
“I’ll look into it,” he said. “No promises yet.”
Ren Tao gave a small nod.
“That’s enough.”
He turned and left without another word.
Mei Lin walked over once he was gone.
“That one felt different,” she said.
“He is,” Li Ren replied.
“Big debt?”
“Forty-eight stones.”
Her eyes widened slightly.
“That’s almost enough for another breakthrough.”
He nodded.
“Yes.”
She crossed her arms.
“But it involves an inner disciple, doesn’t it?”
Li Ren gave a faint smile.
“You’re getting good at this.”
She sighed.
“That means it’s dangerous.”
“Yes.”
“Are you going to take it?”
He looked toward the inner sect peaks in the distance.
Tall towers. Hidden pavilions. Places where servants weren’t supposed to go.
“Probably,” he said.
That night, Li Ren opened his system.
Divine Debt Ledger
Host: Li Ren
Realm: Interest Gatherer (Stage 1)
Debt Qi: 144/200
Below it, the new entry glowed faintly.
Major Target Detected
Inner Disciple Zhao Wei
Debt: Inheritance default
Value: 48 spirit stones equivalent
Status: Unsettled
Li Ren stared at the number.
If he collected even half of that…
He would break through to the next stage.
But inner disciples were not like outer ones.
They were stronger.
More influential.
And far more dangerous.
He closed the system slowly.
“The scale just changed,” he murmured.
And with it…
So did the risks.
