I Have an Omen System-Chapter 104 - 102: Bumper Harvest from the Wager

"How are low-level Cultivators like us supposed to survive?!"

Zhao Youliang, who was standing to the side, looked up in astonishment.

He glanced at Wei Qingyi, who was clutching a Purple Mansion Jade Order, then at the Instructor Iron Order in his own hand, feeling like he wanted to cry but had no tears left.

’If a distinguished Demon Monarch Bloodline like you counts as a low-level Cultivator, then what does that make me?’

Zhao Youliang had owned some shares before.

A full thousand shares, in fact.

But he’d sold them all. He had bought them when they hit rock bottom at 1,000 points per share, but couldn’t resist selling at 300 points per share.

A classic case of buying high and selling low.

The thought made his stomach churn with regret.

If he had just held on, he would probably be the Demon Cultivator with the most Contribution Points in the entire Holy Sect right now!

Wei Qingyi sighed. "Ah, well. Luckily, I still have five shares. With ten-times leverage, I can still make a little something."

With that, Wei Qingyi shamelessly turned to Qin Xuan. "Junior Brother Qin, look, about those hundred shares you have... could you spare a few for me?"

Hearing this, Zhao Youliang’s eyes widened in shock.

’Master Qin, didn’t you tell me not to buy any?’

’Why did you tell me not to buy, only to secretly buy so many for yourself...’

"I don’t have many. Old Zhao here still has a thousand shares," Qin Xuan said with a faint, mocking smile.

"Hmm?" A murderous glint flashed in Wei Qingyi’s eyes. "You, a mere Instructor, dare to hoard so many for yourself?"

"Hand over my thousand shares at once!"

A chill shot down Zhao Youliang’s spine. He immediately began kowtowing like a pestle grinding garlic, tears and snot streaming down his face. "Master Wei, that was a long time ago! I did buy some before, but I sold them all! I’m even deep in debt now!"

Wei Qingyi shook his head. "Sigh. You’re just not the kind of person who can hold onto wealth."

"Such a great opportunity, and you didn’t seize it. If you hadn’t sold, you could be in my Soul Banner right now. Wouldn’t that be nice."

Zhao Youliang’s heart pounded in terror, and he broke out in a cold sweat.

He kowtowed even harder, his forehead turning blood-red.

"Hahaha! I was just messing with you. You actually took me seriously," Wei Qingyi roared with laughter.

Only then did Zhao Youliang breathe a sigh of relief.

He suddenly felt that he had made the right decision to sell.

If he had really held onto those thousand shares, he’d probably be like those other Instructors from the Outer Sect—decapitated, with no place for a proper burial!

...

In some inconspicuous corner, Liu Mobai’s price had plummeted to 120 points per share.

Xie Qing sat in his Cave Mansion, staring dazedly at the ceiling beams.

He was slumped on the floor.

The last spark of light in his eyes died out.

"It’s gone. It’s all gone."

Suddenly, he raised a palm to strike his own forehead.

However, the next moment, quick as lightning, a large-headed doll in a red bib bounded out from the shadows and snatched him up.

The creature cackled, "My long watch wasn’t in vain. You finally couldn’t resist trying to kill yourself!"

Xie Qing’s expression changed drastically. "Blood Loan Ghost Child!"

The Blood Loan Ghost Child shook its head back and forth, its mouth splitting open to its ears to reveal sharp, pointed teeth. It let out a strange, giggling shriek as a sinister aura emanated from its body.

It actually had the Cultivation of Ninth-Layer Foundation Establishment!

Xie Qing wanted to put up a last-ditch struggle, but he was completely suppressed by the Blood Loan Ghost Child, unable to move an inch.

The Blood Loan Ghost Child produced a black paper ledger and announced in a loud voice, "Investigation has confirmed that Xie Qing, Incense Master of the Skull Altar, attempted suicide in a malicious act of loan evasion. He has been captured alive by me, Blood Child Xin Ba. Case file number 170029."

"A Divine Soul Brand will now be implanted. The sixty million Holy Loan debt is hereby doubled, and the interest rate is doubled. This demerit will be recorded in the Holy Sect’s Contribution Hall archives. The case will be settled in full after the Foundation Establishment Pacification War!"

Xie Qing’s face turned ashen.

Blood Child Xin Ba gloated, "Heh heh, another 100 Merit Points in the bag!"

Meanwhile, countless similar scenes were playing out across the Holy Sect.

Without exception, all these Demon Cultivators had placed heavy bets on Liu Mobai.

Of course, while some Demon Cultivators had bet on the wrong horse, others were still raking it in.

With two months and twenty days remaining until the Foundation Establishment and Chaos Suppression Conference, the price of Chen Xuanba in the Celestial Pride Wagering officially broke the 100,000-point mark!

All of the Inner Sect Incense Masters went crazy.

A grand frenzy began.

Some even went so far as to mortgage their entire net worth, buying shares from other Incense Masters at premium prices of 120,000 or 150,000 Contribution Points!

After all, Chen Xuanba’s peak price had been nearly 800,000 Contribution Points per share.

Even now, this was just the beginning. The price could still multiply another eight or nine times at least!

But Qin Xuan smelled a rat.

’How come this feels so much like a pump-and-dump scheme with a garbage stock from my past life?’

Qin Xuan made a snap decision and sold all one hundred of his shares at a price of 100,000 Contribution Points per share.

Right now in the Celestial Pride Wagering, there were no sell orders at all—only buy orders.

A mere one hundred shares was like a drop in the ocean.

The moment he put them up for sale, they were snatched up.

Qin Xuan had bought them at 100 Contribution Points per share and sold them at 100,000, a thousand-fold increase.

And because he had also used ten-times leverage...

...it was a perfect ten-thousand-fold return.

In an instant, the entire White Jade Token erupted in a multicolored splendor.

It was so bright it nearly blinded Qin Xuan.

He whispered, trying to take it all in. "...ten thousand... a hundred thousand... a million..."

Qin Xuan was so happy his eyes narrowed into slits.

A full one hundred million Contribution Points now lay quietly in his account!

Qin Xuan immediately summoned Chen Lixuan.

He had to admit, this perpetual motion machine made of a soul was quite useful.

Even more useful than the Demon Disciples in the Holy Sect.

Demon Disciples would get tired, but the souls within the Soul Banner never did.

In just ten days, Chen Lixuan had actually managed to refine nine Second-tier Treasure Talismans. Not only was this hundreds of times faster than when Qin Xuan had worked alone, but the quality had also improved significantly.

Each Treasure Talisman could unleash at least three full-power attacks comparable to that of a Third-Level, Celestial Dao Foundation Establishment Cultivator!

Qin Xuan was somewhat dissatisfied. He shook his head. "This speed... it’s a bit slow!"

At this rate, Chen Lixuan definitely wouldn’t be able to make a hundred Treasure Talismans by the time he had to go to the Bone-Eroding Demon Sea.

Chen Lixuan trembled. "Master, we’ve only just begun. The other souls are still a bit clumsy in their coordination..."

Qin Xuan’s face turned cold. "Don’t give me that crap about being clumsy. Xiaochenzi, did it ever occur to you that you’re just not working hard enough?"

"Nine Treasure Talismans in ten days! Are you even taking this work seriously?!"

Qin Xuan rained curses down on Chen Lixuan’s head.

He then summoned Xuanzhen Ascendant, Fang Hai, and Zhang Jun, and released their Curse Technique restraints.

Qin Xuan’s tone was indifferent as he said coldly, "You three, teach Xiaochenzi why the flowers are so red."

Xuanzhen Ascendant’s eyes were bloodshot. Realizing he no longer had to obey Chen Lixuan’s commands, he was moved to tears of gratitude.

"This old one thanks you, Master."

After kowtowing to Qin Xuan, Xuanzhen Ascendant turned to Chen Lixuan with a vicious, savage grin.

"Little brat, you’ve finally fallen back into my hands. Today, I’ll make you wish for death but deny you even that!"

A white-bearded old man, flanked by two burly giants, attacked relentlessly from all sides.

"AHHH!"

Chen Lixuan threw his head back and let out a bloodcurdling roar.

...

"A small tree needs pruning to grow straight; a man needs a beating to get his head right."

Qin Xuan clapped his hands together.

He believed that after this, Chen Lixuan should understand the importance of working hard.

After a moment’s thought, Qin Xuan turned and went back to the Contribution Hall to find Jin Wuhai and buy more Treasure Talisman materials.

"Junior Brother Qin, did you scrape together enough Contribution Points this time?"

Jin Wuhai had no idea what he was about to face.

"Of course I did. I’m just not sure if Senior Brother Jin has ever seen this many Contribution Points before."

"Haha, you must be joking, Junior Brother Qin. What sort of scene have I not witnessed?" Jin Wuhai laughed heartily.

Qin Xuan also gave a mysterious smile.

He discreetly revealed a corner of his account on the White Jade Token.

Jin Wuhai’s pupils dilated instantly!

"J-Junior Brother Qin... did you rob the Blood Loan Money Shop?" Jin Wuhai’s tongue was twisted in a knot.

Good heavens, a full one hundred million Contribution Points!

Even converted to Merit Points, that was a full million—enough to buy his life.

This was one scene he really had never witnessed!

Qin Xuan smiled. "Speaking of which, I have Senior Brother Jin to thank for your earlier reminder."

’A reminder...’

’What did I remind him about?’

But in the next moment, realization dawned on Jin Wuhai.

’The kid bought Chen Xuanba!’

’Damn it all! I lost everything, and this brat gets a lucky break.’

Seeing Qin Xuan earn so many Contribution Points was even more painful for Jin Wuhai than his own losses.

He wished he’d never told him about the Celestial Pride Wagering. But even though he was dying inside, he had to put on a show of not caring.

The smile on Jin Wuhai’s face was uglier than a crying one. "Junior Brother Qin, what will you be needing this time?"

Qin Xuan waved his hand magnanimously. "One hundred million. Give it all to me in Treasure Talisman materials. I’ll take as many as you’ve got!"

Jin Wuhai’s spirits lifted instantly. The melancholy in his heart vanished, and his eyes narrowed into smiling slits.

’There’s my whole year’s worth of Merit Points!’

In the end, Qin Xuan spent sixty-three million Contribution Points to buy two hundred sets of Treasure Talisman materials.

In just ten days, the price of Treasure Talisman materials had gone up again.

The original price of 300,000 Contribution Points per set had risen to 335,000!

Countless Incense Masters were grinding their teeth in hatred, cursing the Contribution Hall in their hearts for being bloodsuckers and war profiteers.

Of course, to a nouveau riche like Qin Xuan, this price hike was nothing.

Even after buying the two hundred sets of talisman materials, Qin Xuan still had thirty-seven million Contribution Points left.

The reason he only bought two hundred sets was because the Contribution Hall had just issued a new rule the day before, limiting each Foundation Establishment Incense Master to a maximum purchase of that amount.