126: Chapter 126 Once the floodgates of desire are opened, they can never be closed again.
One month later.
Ghost Entertainment City, Tianluo Internet Cafe.
On the holographic projection in the center of the hall, a match of "cultivation glory" was being broadcast.
"Take out that Medicine God Valley healer! Don't let her cast her healing spell!"
"That assassin from the Heavenly Sword Sect has flanked us! Senior brother from the Vajra Sect, quick, activate your protective sword aura!"
Amidst the clamor, no one noticed that in the corner of the spirit-energy mobile phones on their wrists, a number representing the date had quietly turned red.
This was the first large-scale repayment day for "Ghost Pay."
However, the carnival continued.
For the vast majority of disciples, the so-called "repayment day" was just an insignificant reminder. Their spirit stones had long been exhausted in endless "microtransactions" and indulgence.
Repay? With what?
Next month's monthly allowance?
Many people had even mortgaged their monthly allowances for the month after next through various channels to the Ghost Chamber of Commerce, exchanging them for "glory coins" to squander in the game.
"What are you afraid of? The law doesn't punish the masses!"
A greasy-faced fat disciple stuffed a piece of roasted demonic beast meat into his mouth and said vaguely:
"Right now, among the Seven Great Sects, eight out of ten outer sect disciples use 'Ghost Pay.' Do you think Ghost Group would dare to do anything to all of us?
They are just a company operating in the mortal realm; would they dare to offend so many cultivation sects?"
"Exactly! At worst, we just default on the debt! Can they crawl through the network cable to beat us up?"
A tall, thin disciple nearby chimed in, drawing a burst of laughter.
Their logic was simple and crude: We are the high and mighty cultivators, and they are mortals.
It is only natural for mortals to serve cultivators.
As for that soul contract... in their eyes, it was just a gimmick created by Ghost Group, a means to add a sense of ritual.
Who would actually believe that a mortal company could control the laws of the Heavenly Dao?
Ridiculous.
However, cracks had already been quietly spreading in places they couldn't see.
In the corner of the internet cafe, two Vajra Sect disciples who used to call each other brothers were now arguing with flushed faces.
"Zhao San, are you going to return those fifty spirit stones to me or not? I'm waiting for the money to pay the interest on 'Ghost Pay'!"
"Why are you rushing me! Where would I get the money? Didn't I spend my money on drawing that 'Supreme Sword Case' too!
Besides, didn't you use my invitation code back then to increase your credit limit?"
"I don't care! If you don't pay me back today, we are no longer brothers!"
"Fine, we're not brothers then! For fifty spirit stones, do you even deserve to be my brother?"
The argument eventually escalated into an ugly shoving match.
Those around them cast looks of disdain, but more were simply numb.
Such scenes had become common in the sect recently.
The once simple camaraderie between fellow disciples had become incredibly fragile under the pressure of spirit stones and debt.
Once the floodgates of desire are opened, they can never be closed.
To satisfy their ever-expanding desire for consumption, the disciples began to think of every possible way to get money.
At first, they only accepted sect missions with higher rewards, even if those missions came with extremely high risks.
Later, when the income from missions couldn't fill the hole, some people started to have crooked ideas.
In the sect's pill pharmacy, the disciples responsible for guarding the medicinal materials would secretly sell some of the substandard auxiliary herbs to the Ghost Chamber of Commerce.
In the Artifact Refining Pavilion, the disciples doing chores would pack up the scraps left over from failed artifact refinements and take them away.
Even the disciples patrolling the mountains would carefully collect the lowest-quality spirit stone dust that condensed from the seepage of the sect's spirit veins.
These resources, which they had once regarded as treasures and the foundation of the sect, were now, in their eyes, just a string of numbers that could be exchanged for "glory coins."
This unhealthy trend even began to blow toward the inner sect.
Vajra Sect, inner sect disciple cultivation area.
Zhou Chen, an outstanding talent among the Vajra Sect's inner disciples, whose cultivation had reached the peak of the fourth rank, was a key focus of the sect's cultivation.
He had always looked down on the outer sect junior brothers who were addicted to "cultivation glory," believing it to be a distraction that ruined one's ambitions.
A true powerhouse should be focused and pursue the ultimate path of martial arts.
However, today, his Dao heart wavered slightly.
Just a moment ago, he had inadvertently seen that outer sect junior brother Li Hu, whom he had always looked down upon and who had mediocre aptitude,
actually showcasing his newly acquired game character on the martial arts practice field—a Monkey King clad in golden armor and wielding a giant staff.
Each move of that Monkey King character was bold and unconstrained, and as the staff shadows flew, they faintly contained the essence of some profound staff technique of the Vajra Sect.
The onlookers let out gasps of amazement.
Li Hu was surrounded by the crowd, his face full of pride.
Zhou Chen felt very uncomfortable.
He knew that the Monkey King skin was the "Supreme Collection" recently launched by "cultivation glory," which required a cumulative expenditure of ten thousand spirit stones to obtain.
Where would an outer sect disciple get ten thousand spirit stones?
The answer was self-evident.
"It's just some illusory data," Zhou Chen warned himself.
But when he returned to his cave dwelling, sat cross-legged, and prepared to enter meditation,
the arrogant image of the Monkey King wielding the giant staff, as well as Li Hu's smug face, kept appearing in his mind.
He found that he couldn't calm his mind.
An emotion called "unwillingness," like ants, was gnawing at his pride.
He opened his spirit-energy mobile phone and, as if possessed, clicked on "cultivation glory," which he had never looked at properly before.
A gorgeous pop-up window immediately occupied the entire screen.
"New user exclusive! Make a first deposit of any amount and receive the legendary hero 'Sword Immortal Li Xiaoyao'!"
On the screen, a sword immortal in white robes was flying on his sword, using a "Myriad Sword Art" that sent a rain of swords falling from the sky, elegant and dashing, his aura piercing the clouds.
Zhou Chen's breath hitched for a moment.
This... this sword technique...
The certain principles of the sword path contained within it actually moved him, someone who specialized in fist and foot techniques.
"Study it... just to study the principles of the sword path and draw inferences about other things," he told himself.
He clicked the "First Deposit" button.
Then, without hesitation, he activated "Ghost Pay."
His initial credit limit was as high as ten thousand.
Because he was an inner sect disciple.
...
Li Gang, a legend among the outer sect disciples of the Vajra Sect.
It wasn't because his cultivation was high, nor because his comprehension was good.
But because he had money.
Or rather, he once made everyone think he was very rich.
In the world of "cultivation glory," his ID, "Gangmeng Wushuang," was a presence known to everyone on the entire server.
He was the first player to collect all the legendary skins.
He was the first "grinder" to max out the proficiency of all heroes.
He was the number one on the "Big Spender" leaderboard, the one looked up to by countless people, with a string of shining diamonds attached to his ID.
For this number one spot, he paid a huge price.
He not only exhausted all his savings and overspent his sect monthly allowance for the entire coming year, but even secretly mortgaged the magic artifact given to him by the sect for self-defense to the Ghost Chamber of Commerce.
And behind all this was the bottomless borrowing limit of "Ghost Pay."
From initially borrowing one hundred spirit stones, to later one thousand, and then to the five thousand he borrowed crazily to climb the rankings...
The debt, like a snowball, had expanded to a scale he couldn't imagine in places he couldn't see.
Today was the repayment day.
Li Gang woke up from a hangover with a splitting headache. Last night, to celebrate his continued hold on the number one spot of the "Big Spender" leaderboard, he had hosted a grand banquet at the Wanwei Restaurant and spent the last five hundred spirit stones borrowed from "Ghost Pay."
He rubbed his temples and habitually opened his spirit-energy mobile phone, wanting to see the flattering private messages sent by his admirers in the game.
However, what caught his eyes was not the game interface.
But a scarlet bill that occupied the entire screen.
[Respected "Ghost Pay" five-star user: Li Gang]
[Your current bill has been generated]
[Loan principal: 8,250 low-grade spirit stones]
[Compound interest: 12,130 low-grade spirit stones]
[Total amount due: 20,380 low-grade spirit stones]