User handle: IronOx_7.
Posts detailed frustration about being stuck at Qi Condensation Stage 2 for months. He is unable to afford the basic purity pills needed to refine his Qi for the next breakthrough.
His public Qi-Credit score was low but not as low as Li Fang, preventing him from getting even a predatory loan from a minor loan shark sect. He sounded young, frustrated, but determined.
Low flight risk, high motivation.
After discussing with the QFS, Li Fang crafted a careful, anonymous message.
"Subject: Opportunity. Aware of your cultivation bottleneck. Offering unconventional assistance. Direct Qi infusion is available to enable breakthrough attempts. Repayment is tied ONLY to your success. Failure will be defaulted. Low risk, high reward. Interested?"
He attached the basic structure of the Ascension Spark Loan contract, stripped of any identifying system markers, making it look like he's a legitimate dealer.
The reply came back almost instantly. "You. Who is this? Is this a scam? What's the catch?"
As expected, the user was suspicious. After all, who in their right mind would offer a loan with a clause stating Failure to breakthrough would default the loan. Anyone would think that there's another reason why that's the case.
Li Fang responded immediately, "No catch beyond the contract terms. If interested, go to Pillar 12, Lower Market periphery in one hour. Bring only yourself. Witness a demonstration. Decide afterwards."
Naturally, he needed to be careful. This could easily be a sting operation by a rival scavenger crew or even low-level sect enforcers.
He chose the location carefully. One that is public enough to deter casual violence and shadowed enough for a quick escape.
After preparing extensively, he set out, bringing nothing but his determination. The QFS assured that he didn't need any tools for the demonstration. His body was enough.
Sometime later, he arrived early, cloaked and masked. He quickly went to find a suitable vantage point overlooking the designated meeting spot.
On the side, the Quantum Fortune System also did its obligation to scan the area:
[Scanning the vicinity…]
[No overt threats detected.]
[Ambient spiritual signatures consistent with Lower Market activity.]
[Monitor for anomalies.]
As he positioned himself there, he waited for a few minutes before a young man approached Pillar 12 hesitantly.
The figure matched the fragmented profile Li Fang had scraped on IronOx_7. Someone barely out of his teens, wearing worn but clean utility clothes. His eyes darted around nervously, with his posture screaming 'stuck and desperate cultivator.'
Li Fang waited again to properly observe him. Ensuring it's not going to be a sting operation against him.
No signs of backup, no hidden watchers that the QFS could detect.
With that, he sent another anonymous message: "Look up. Third ventilation grate. Use night vision to see."
IronOx_7 looked up, startled. Li Fang gave a slight nod.
"Demonstration. Focus your Qi sense here. Don't miss a moment."
Taking a deep breath, Li Fang authorized the Quantum Fortune System according to its instructions earlier.
"System. Manifest 1 Credit-worth of pure Qi. Target: ventilation grate."
[Authorisation Confirmed.]
[Manifesting Spiritual Energy Construct…]
[Conversion to Pure Qi Initiated…]
[Direct Qi Manifestation…]
A tiny, almost invisible pulse of pure, clear energy coalesced near the grate, radiating a warmth and clarity utterly distinct from the chaotic ambient Qi of the Lower Layers. It lasted only for a few milliseconds before dissipating.
Down below, IronOx_7's eyes went wide. He stared at the grate, then back around, searching for the source. He could feel it. That tiny taste of pure energy was more potent than anything he'd likely encountered outside of prohibitively expensive sect training rooms, which were filled with grime and smelled like it hadn't been maintained for so long, only the Sect-Corps squeezing what little Qi-Credits they could squeeze from struggling cultivators.
Li Fang sent the final message: "That's the principal. A small portion of it, of course. The bulk of it will be enough to fuel your breakthrough. Contract or no contract?
As the message got delivered, he attached the full Spiritual Contract, ready for digital signature via neural implant handshake.
IronOx_7 hesitated for a long moment, wrestling with disbelief and desperation. Then, a notification pinged in Li Fang's Quantum Fortune System interface.
[Spiritual Contract 'Ascension Spark Loan v1.0' accepted by Borrower] [Designation: IronOx_7]
[Binding initiated.]
[Standby to disburse Principal Qi Infusion.]
Li Fang felt a strange mix of exhilaration and dread. He'd done it. He made his first spiritual loan!
After confirming it and watching the kid fidget down below, he authorized the QFS to transfer the full 50 Credits' worth of Qi directly into IronOx_7's dantian via a targeted, short-range resonance beam.
Down below, IronOx_7 gasped, clutching his stomach as the pure energy flooded his meridian and flowed directly to his dantian.
He staggered slightly, overwhelmed with both joy, fear and any other emotion he could think of. Then, with a look of fierce determination crossing his face, he gave a jerky nod towards the grate or rather, the figure of Li Fang still hidden at the darkest corner of it, then turned and hurried away. Presumably, to find a safe place to immediately attempt his breakthrough.
Li Fang watched him go, the weight of the foreclosure clock pressing down on him.
36 hours left.
He'd spent resources, taken a huge risk, and now, he had to wait. To hope for this gamble to pay off.
He still had 25 Qi-Credits left, a handful of Ghost Candles still to sell, and one active loan based on manifested energy and a digital contract enforced by a rogue, almost mystical AI that could bypass the restrictive system imposed in this monolithic city where everything was regulated.
[First High-Yield Investment Deployed.]
[Monitoring Borrower Progress…
[System Stability Contingent on Portfolio Diversification and Growth.] [Current Trajectory: Insufficient. Innovation Required.]
Li Fang grimaced at that. The pressure had yet to lessen. It just changed shape.
At the moment, he wasn't just fighting debt anymore. He was managing risk, investing hope, and playing a game with rules dictated by an alien intelligence that considered bankruptcy a fate worse than soul deletion.
He needed more borrowers. He needed more products. He needed to scale, fast. His hustle had just begun.