I Have an Omen System-Chapter 64 - 62: Automatic Loan

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

Qin Xuan forced a look of joy onto his face as he solemnly accepted the Soul-devouring Banner with both hands.

’Still, I have to be careful. There might be a trick hidden in this Soul Banner.’

"Mm." Ji Boying nodded, satisfied.

With a flick of his wide sleeves, he led Qin Xuan away, swaggering past the assembled Righteous Loose Cultivators without a shred of concern.

The Righteous Cultivators nearby were scared into silence. Not one of them dared to stand in their way.

Yet, the moment Ji Boying was gone, they found their courage again, passionately cursing the Blood Demon Sword Sect as a chorus of agreement rose around them.

...

After returning to the Sect and escorting Qin Xuan back to his Cave Mansion, Ji Boying added with a meaningful tone, "Junior Brother Qin, you must make good use of this Soul-devouring Banner!"

Qin Xuan’s heart sank.

’I knew it! There was a catch!’

Strangely, however, his Golden Finger hadn’t given any warning.

"Senior Brother, what do you mean by that...?"

"Relax, there’s no catch. It just costs a few Contribution Points, that’s all." Ji Boying rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

Qin Xuan froze, a confused look spreading across his face.

The next moment, the Identity Token in his robes suddenly grew scalding hot.

[Plague Bone Altar Steward Qin Xuan detected back in Sect. Data updating.]

A brilliant cyan light flared, and the entire Identity Token looked brand new.

Immediately after, a conspicuous, blood-red exclamation mark popped up in the Blood Loan Money Shop interface.

[Investment Project: Thousand Mechanisms Ancient Tomb #23, Qin Xuan]

[Project Status: Investment Successful]

[Tallying investor dividends and investee reward processing fees. Tally complete.]

[Flame Demon Inheritance: Processing Fee 50,000]

[Soul-devouring Banner Reward: Processing Fee 50,000]

(Beep! Friendly reminder: Due to insufficient balance, a loan of one hundred thousand Contribution Points has been automatically processed. You are currently enjoying the Steward-exclusive low-interest discount of 3% monthly.)

A stream of information flooded out.

Qin Xuan’s eyes bulged like brass bells. He was completely stupefied.

’What the fuck? They can actually do this?’

’I nearly died on that trial, and you pack of Incense Masters are just treating me like some financial product?’

’And what’s the deal with this processing fee and the automatic loan?’

’Fucking Demon Sect! You’re completely shameless! Utterly shameless!’

Qin Xuan wanted to cry, but no tears would come.

"Junior Brother Qin, look at you. Crying tears of joy and gratitude. It’s all right. I saved your life, and I won’t even charge you for it."

Ji Boying took out his own Identity Token, his sharp eyes smiling until they narrowed into slits.

Unlike Qin Xuan’s black Iron Order, Ji Boying’s Identity Token was a piece of warm, lustrous white jade, looking far more high-end.

"Oh, by the way, Junior Brother Qin, you’ll be a Vice Incense Master soon. Remember to go to the Artifact Hall to update your Identity Token when you have time. It has a Communication Jade function."

Ji Boying mentioned this casually, then glanced at his own White Jade Token. Seeing the long string of zeros, he grinned from ear to ear.

[Project #23 Investor: Ji Boying]

[Investments in Project: Flame Demon Inheritance x1, Soul-devouring Banner x1, Blood Burning and Bursting Pill x1]

[Project Investment Dividend: 1,000,000!]

’Units, tens, hundreds, thousands...’

’Excellent! A full one million Contribution Points! Father was right, Junior Brother Qin really didn’t disappoint me!’

Ji Boying beamed, clapping his hands in high praise.

This was another feature of the Blood Loan Money Shop, called [Trial Venture Capital].

As the name implied.

Whenever a Demon Cultivator participated in a trial, the Golden Core Blood Demon or Purple Mansion True Demon who launched the trial could establish an investment project under the authority of an Altar Master or Hall Master.

Meanwhile, other Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivators could also participate in the venture capital, using their status as Incense Masters or Outer Sect Elders.

For this Thousand Mechanisms Ancient Tomb trial, a total of sixty-seven Stewards from the True Body Altar, the Plague Bone Altar, and various other Inner Sect Altars had participated. This was, in turn, subdivided into sixty-seven small projects.

As a Golden Core Blood Demon, for example, Ji Boyan had invested the Flame Demon Inheritance and the Spiritual Artifact Soul-devouring Banner. This meant that, success or failure, he was the house and could reap the profits.

And Ji Boying, having connections, had received inside information long ago. He hadn’t just placed a ten-thousand-unit bet on Qin Xuan beforehand.

After Qin Xuan emerged, Ji Boying had also rushed to the scene with a Blood Burning and Bursting Pill, adding a physical asset to his on-site venture capital. It was safe to say he’d made a killing.

On the other hand, Outer Sect Elder Sun Yuan had invested in Xiao Ran and lost his shirt.

He was currently in his empty Cave Mansion, pounding the floor and wailing.

He was seen clinging to Ji Bochang’s leg, snot and tears streaming down his face. "Master Ji, please, have mercy! This Alchemy Furnace is my pride and joy! It’s been with me for twenty whole years."

"Can you just give me a few more days? I... I’ll definitely scrape together the five million Contribution Points!"

Ji Bochang kicked Sun Yuan away.

"Get lost. If you had the guts to bet ten thousand units on Xiao Ran, and on five-times leverage at that, then you should’ve been prepared to lose money."

"You old bastard. My father is a Golden Core Blood Demon. Did you really think you could make a profit off him so easily?"

At Ji Bochang’s command, a group of men burst in. Several Demon Cultivators wobbled as they lifted the massive [Mixed Element Pill Furnace], swaggering off amidst Sun Yuan’s anguished wails.

...

「Inside the Cave Mansion」

’Fucking Demon Sect! I only had a few thousand Contribution Points to my name. Now I come back from one mission and I’m a hundred thousand in debt.’

Seeing the bright red negative sign in his Blood Loan Money Shop account, Qin Xuan felt his heart bleed.

’This won’t do. When I have time, I have to go ask Zheng Qi for advice. I need to find a way to earn a lot more Contribution Points and take full advantage of this Vice Incense Master position!’

Fortunately, the Contribution Points were just virtual numbers, while the benefits he’d received were tangible.

As he looked at the Six-winged Cyan Cicada and the dark gold Soul-devouring Banner before him, his sorrowful mood began to brighten.

’Especially the Six-winged Cyan Cicada. If I use this thing right, it’s practically an extra life!’

"Just to be safe, I should first check on Chen Lixuan inside the Soul-devouring Banner. I wonder if the guy has any of his mind left."

Just as Qin Xuan was staring, mesmerized, at the twisted, dream-like face on the Soul Banner, a familiar voice suddenly called out from outside his door.

"Excuse me, is Steward Qin present?"

To Qin Xuan’s surprise, the person who had come looking for him was none other than Huang Xu.

In the few dozen days since they’d last seen each other, Huang Xu had actually broken through to the Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer. However, he had yet to participate in the Blood Pool Trial and obtain a Blood Talisman.

"Congratulations on completing the trial mission, Steward Qin. These are the Contribution Points this humble one has saved up over the past few days. I hope Steward Qin will not find them beneath his notice."

Huang Xu was kneeling outside the Cave Mansion, bowed so low that his rear stuck high in the air. In his hands, he held up a token made of a special, iron-black material, engraved with a crescent moon and ten brilliant stars.

This token was called a Contribution Order. Each star represented one Contribution Point, and a crescent moon represented one hundred.

The Contribution Order Huang Xu offered, therefore, was worth 110 Contribution Points. To the current Qin Xuan, this was an amount he could swindle in a matter of minutes.

But it was a different story for Huang Xu. For a Demon Disciple still at the Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer, 110 Contribution Points was an astronomical sum.

Qin Xuan knew that once news of his return spread, a crowd of Demon Disciples and Demon Cultivators would prepare to come and offer their congratulations.

He was rather surprised, however, that Huang Xu was the first to arrive.

Qin Xuan smiled warmly. "You’re a thoughtful one, kid. But since you’ve already come all this way, why are you hesitating outside the Cave Mansion, afraid to come in?"

Huang Xu’s answer was identical to the one Qin Xuan himself had once given: "An Incense Master is swamped with a thousand tasks a day. This humble one was afraid of disturbing the Steward’s cultivation, and so I did not enter rashly."

"It’s fine. Come in."

At Qin Xuan’s permission, Huang Xu acted as if he were overwhelmed by the favor, a reaction that Qin Xuan found immensely satisfying.

The present moment was a perfect echo of the past.

Qin Xuan’s eyes narrowed slightly. Looking down at Huang Xu, who was kneeling with his rear sticking high in the air, he felt as if he were seeing his past self, kneeling in Steward Wang’s Cave Mansion.

For some reason, hearing Huang Xu call him "Steward" again and again felt incredibly satisfying to Qin Xuan.

The feeling was like walking out of a boiler room and into an air-conditioned house on a scorching summer day, then eating a slice of ice-cold watermelon that cooled you to your very soul. It was a sensation of utter, full-body relief.

"Haha! Good. You’re a teachable one."

Qin Xuan laughed heartily. "You haven’t entered the Blood Pool Trial yet, have you?"

Huang Xu paused. "If I may ask, Steward, what is the Blood Pool Trial?"

"The Blood Pool Trial takes place in the Blood Pool Sword Tomb. It’s where you can obtain a Blood Talisman with Sword Patterns..."

After explaining everything in detail, Qin Xuan casually tossed him a few Corpse Centipede Pills.

Watching Huang Xu’s retreating back, his face filled with deep joy, Qin Xuan couldn’t help but reflect that the Holy Sect was truly a fine place for cultivating talent.

’And there’s the solution for my Contribution Point problem!’