"Good kid. You've got guts."
Zheng Qi laughed heartily.
"Since you're the first one to take a loan, your collateral is waived. Step forward, sign this contract, and I will help you plant the [Demon Seed]."
Xiao Ran's face lit up when he heard the collateral was waived.
The surrounding Demon Disciples began to regret letting Xiao Ran get there first.
A yellowed Sheepskin Scroll materialized out of thin air and floated down before Xiao Ran.
On it were lines of flamboyant, crimson characters written in blood.
[Holy Sect Standard Loan Agreement]
[Borrower: Xiao Ran]
[Loan Amount: 200 Contribution Points]
[Interest: 3% monthly, Term: One year, Collateral: None]
[Note 1: For a first-time default on a Holy Loan, the collateral Spiritual Object will be confiscated and the Holy Loan amount will double;]
[For a second-time default with inability to repay, the Flesh Body will be sent to the Artifact Refining Hall, Spiritual Blood will go into the Holy Pool, the soul will enter the Human Emperor Banner, the Spirit Bones will be forged into a Lifebound Iron Sword, and a brand of debt will be stamped upon one's Reincarnation... Debt does not die with death, for up to ten lifetimes.]
[Note 2: The above default penalties can be paid off with Spirit Stones. The more, the better.]
After reading the lines of bloody text on the Sheepskin Scroll, the corner of Xiao Ran's mouth twitched. His eyes widened, his earlier excitement replaced by pure, unadulterated shock. He was completely dumbfounded.
'The penalty for defaulting on this Holy Sect loan is too damn harsh!'
'Is all this really necessary for a loan of 200 Contribution Points?'
'If I can't pay it back, not only will I lose my entire being, but even my Reincarnation will be branded. Debt does not die with death!'
A chill ran down the spines of the other Demon Disciples.
They finally understood why there was a constant stream of Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer Demon Cultivators willingly bleeding themselves into the Blood Pool behind Zheng Qi.
Those were all people in debt!
Zheng Qi said with false sincerity, "Well, Junior Brother Xiao? If you think it's too steep and are unwilling, you can choose not to take the loan and pick a free Cultivation Technique instead."
Xiao Ran touched the ring-pendant hanging around his neck and clenched his teeth. "No, I'll take it. Thank you, Senior Brother!"
The humiliation he had just suffered at the hands of Wang Jian was still fresh in his mind. He wanted revenge.
Zheng Qi smiled. "A smart one."
BOOM!
As he signed and sealed the contract, the golden pillar of light representing the Celestial Demon Soul-Catching Strategy erupted in brilliance. The complex scriptures on it shone with a dazzling golden light, transforming into motes of starlight that flowed into Xiao Ran's body.
In an instant, Xiao Ran's aura began to climb at a visible rate.
Three-tenths of the Lifebound Iron Sword at his waist turned a coppery bronze.
He was only a hair's breadth away from breaking through to the Qi Cultivation Third Layer!
A look of immense joy appeared on Xiao Ran's face.
Zheng Qi unhurriedly extracted a wisp of Soul Light from Xiao Ran's body.
"Junior Brother Xiao, I must remind you. After learning a Divine Technique, you must never harm your fellow disciples. In our Holy Sect, in addition to their main Cultivation Technique and Divine Techniques, every Demon Disciple also cultivates the Blood Demon Sword Scripture, which allows them to raise their Cultivation by being Bloodthirsty."
"To prevent disciples from killing each other, Sect regulations state that in any public area within the Holy Sect, anyone who harms or kills a fellow disciple will be punished according to the severity and their Cultivation Realm. The penalties are, in order: three liters of Spiritual Blood, thirty liters, three hundred liters... one kilogram of Spirit Bones, ten kilograms, one hundred kilograms... with death being the maximum penalty."
"So whatever you do, don't rely on your high Cultivation Realm to deliberately harm fellow disciples in public."
Zheng Qi said, reminding him as he refined the Demon Seed for Xiao Ran.
He even deliberately emphasized the two words "in public," adding extra stress.
Hearing this, a sharp glint flashed through Xiao Ran's dark pupils. "Thank you for the reminder, Senior Brother. This junior understands!"
Xiao Ran licked the corner of his mouth, his eyes turning scarlet. He looked down at the Qi Cultivation Second Layer Demon Disciples whose Realms were lower than his as if they were delectable little snacks.
The hearts of the other Demon Disciples pounded in their chests, and they broke out in a cold sweat.
'No wonder Incense Master Zheng isn't afraid of anyone refusing his loans!'
'If you don't take a loan and just practice a free Cultivation Technique, your fellow disciples will advance faster than you and have stronger Divine Techniques. When that happens, won't you just become a fish on the chopping block, waiting to be slaughtered?!'
'But if you do take a loan, you become a string puppet for the Inner Sect Incense Master, Zheng Qi.'
Zhao Youliang had a bitter taste in his mouth. "What a Holy Sect... what a blatant conspiracy!"
After Xiao Ran, the Demon Disciples who shared a courtyard with Qin Xuan—Qian Kai, Zhou Kai, and the others—all chose to take out loans.
The bolder ones, like Zhou Kai, directly borrowed 400 Contribution Points to choose the Taotie's Greedy Yuan Skill, using all the blood in his body as collateral.
If he couldn't repay the loan after a year, on top of the debt doubling, he would have to contribute ten liters of Spiritual Blood every month.
The others were much the same.
They either mortgaged their own Spiritual Blood or their Spirit Bones.
Of the nearly one hundred Demon Disciples, almost half chose to take a loan. In just a short hour, Zheng Qi had lent out nearly 10,000 Contribution Points. It was a staggering amount!
'Inner Sect's Ten Thousand Laws Altar, Incense Master...'
Qin Xuan's eyes grew deep in thought. 'Although I don't know the exact value of Contribution Points, the fact that he can lend out so many at once without worrying about bad debts is quite intriguing.'
However, nearly half of the Demon Disciples still ended up choosing a free Cultivation Technique.
This was because Zheng Qi later added that after choosing a free technique, they could stay on the first floor of the Scripture Pavilion for two days to get a basic grasp of it and gain some ability to protect themselves before leaving.
"Thank you, Senior Brother!" The Demon Disciples were overjoyed.
Zhao Youliang, for instance, worried about becoming Zheng Qi's puppet and chose the same technique as Qin Xuan: the White Bone Yin Talisman.
And Li Fan, afraid of being in debt for the rest of his life, chose the Mystic-tier Low Grade technique, Nine Netherworld Yellow Springs Flame.
At a rough estimate, about thirty people chose the higher-grade Nine Netherworld Yellow Springs Flame, nearly double the number who chose the White Bone Yin Talisman.
But in the end, a free Cultivation Technique was still free. It couldn't compare to the Divine Techniques obtained through loans.
Furthermore, they were forbidden from being passed on to others.
If discovered, the Holy Sect would mete out severe punishment.
BOOM!
BOOM!
As the Taotie's Qi and Demon Seeds were planted, the auras of the Demon Disciples inside the Scripture Pavilion grew increasingly powerful.
"JIE JIE JIE!"
Pairs of scarlet eyes fixed on the remaining Demon Disciples. They licked their lips and let out sinister, cackling laughs.
Li Fan and the others felt their scalps tingle, swallowing hard with a GULP.
'The Holy Sect forbids killing each other in public. I'm not leaving this Scripture Pavilion until I master my technique, even if it kills me!'
The Demon Disciples who had chosen the free Cultivation Techniques trembled, secretly making up their minds.
Demon Sect Cultivation Techniques had always been known for their rapid progression.
「Late at night, a bright moon hung high in the sky.」
Wisps of Spiritual Qi were drawn in.
Qin Xuan's qi and blood were the most vigorous, and his comprehension of the Cultivation Technique was the fastest.
In just a few moments, he successfully and safely formed his first White Bone Yin Talisman.
However, he didn't draw any attention to it. Instead, he secretly concealed the Yin Talisman in his palm, as if nothing had happened.
Just as Li Fan and the others were about to draw the first wisp of Netherworld Fire from the void, Xiao Ran—the first to choose a Cultivation Technique—suddenly turned pale.
PUFF!
Xiao Ran spat out a large mouthful of crimson blood and cried out in horror.
"This Celestial Demon Soul-Catching Strategy... there's something wrong with it!"
Xiao Ran's aura withered in an instant.
His Cultivation, which had been infinitely close to the Qi Cultivation Third Layer, rapidly regressed, and his strength felt as if it had been completely drained.
It wasn't just Xiao Ran; the other Demon Disciples cultivating the same technique also began to spit up blood.
All the Demon Disciples were aghast.
Qin Xuan lowered his gaze, silently circulating the Netherworld White Bone Yin Talisman Heart Method, having expected this all along.
'The Middle-Lower Draw is starting to come true.'
"AH!" Immediately after, another scream of agony rang out.
Zhou Kai, who was cultivating the Taotie's Greedy Yuan Skill, was clutching his stomach and rolling on the ground.
Looking closely, a sinister and terrifying Taotie ghost face had appeared on his belly. The ferocious mouth on the ghost face was ravenously devouring his flesh and blood.
Zhou Kai broke out in a cold sweat.