Ascension Spark Loan

Twenty-four hours later, Li Fang's desolate account chimed with an incoming transfer: 85 Qi-Credits.

Dao Broker Xun had delivered. Five Ghost Candles were sold at 20 Credits each (100 Credits total), minus his 15% commission (15 Credits).

Finally, Li Fang now had 85 Credits, plus the 1 Spiritual Coin. His karmic equity, however, was still a horrifying -908. The interest relentlessly chipped away at him. And the foreclosure clock continued ticking down: 37 hours remaining.

Eighty-five Credits. That sounded like a fortune for someone like him living under the dregs and nothing at all considering what he was about to do. It would be enough to buy more components, maybe even upgrade his soldering iron. However, it's not enough to make a real difference to the mountain of debt threatening to erase him.

Foregoing pessimistic thoughts, he immediately reinvested.

A quick, encrypted message to Old Man Ji secured a bulk order of slightly better capacitors 'only minor scorch marks!' and mid-grade scramblers, delivered via anonymous drone drop to a derelict service conduit near his container.

Cost: 50 Credits.

He spent another 10 on concentrated nutrient paste and a basic water purification filter. Even if filling his stomach was low on his priority, he'd be unable to work with an empty stomach.

Remaining balance: 25 Qi-Credits.

With that, he set to work, assembling more Ghost Candles.

The process was faster now, his hands even more practiced.

The Quantum Fortune System offered minor optimization suggestions. 

[Reroute Qi flow through the secondary capacitor node for +3% stability.] [Estimated failure rate reduced to 16.2%]

[Apply resonance dampening frequency via scrambler sub-channel to enhance signature masking by 5%]

He worked mechanically, the repetitive task failing to distract him from the gnawing inadequacy of his plan. He was building better Ghost Candles, yes. Maybe he could sell them for 25 Credits next time.

Maybe Xun's commission could be negotiated down to 12%.

It was an incremental improvement on a fundamentally flawed model.

He wasn't disrupting anything, he was just a slightly more efficient bottom-feeder.

[Performance Review: Host's current operational model demonstrates low scalability and limited market penetration.]

[Profit velocity insufficient to counteract debt accumulation.]

[Financial Cowardice Index: 68%]

[WARNING: Recommend strategic pivot towards higher-yield opportunities.]

"Higher yield like what? Hostile takeover of the Omni-Credit Sect? I have 25 Credits and a magic coin I can't spend!" Li Fang snapped at the empty air as his frustration boiled over. It's not like he's not doing anything, right? But then again, looking at his ticking foreclosure countdown, he could understand the QFS's impatience.

And there, his naggy associate continued its machine-cold analysis.

[Analysis: Direct confrontation with established Sect-Corps currently inadvisable (Probability of Success: 0.003%).]

[Alternative strategies leveraging market inefficiencies offer higher potential return on investment.]

[Recalculating based on previous observations…]

[Opportunity Identified: Micro-Cultivation Financing Gap.]

[Target Demographic: Low-resource cultivators unable to access traditional Sect-Corp capital streams.]

[Problem: Lack of initial Qi for foundational techniques/resource acquisition.]

[Proposed Solution: Direct Qi-infusion loans with repayment tied to cultivation progress.]

Li Fang paused, a half-assembled Ghost Candle in his hand. The idea resurfaced, sparked by the memory of the nutrient bar vendor being hauled away the other day, by the countless faces he saw every day, etched with the same quiet desperation.

Lending Qi... not Credits, but pure, usable energy. However… there's one critical problem.

"How?" He asked the system. "Where would the Qi come from? My passive income is negligible. It would take years to even generate one whole Qi."

The system went silent for a moment, possibly calculating and processing its own capabilities.

[System Functionality: Quantum Fortune System possesses the capability to manifest baseline Spiritual Energy constructs, convertible into pure, unaligned Qi suitable for foundational cultivation (up to peak Qi Condensation Realm).]

[This process utilizes ambient dimensional energy, catalyzed by System Core processes. Initial Qi 'Principal' can be generated upon Host authorization.]

Manifesting Qi out of thin air, backed by... ambient dimensional energy? That sounded like pure technobabble, pseudo-spiritual nonsense. How would that be possible when all the energy in Neo-Tian was regulated?

But the system hadn't steered him wrong yet, not entirely. Furthermore, the Ghost Candles proved it could manipulate energy, even if only his minuscule passive income stream.

"And the repayment?" Li Fang pressed, his interest piqued now. The Ghost Candle in his hand settled down, "How do you enforce a contract based on 'cultivation progress'?"

[Solution: Spiritual Contract Module.]

[System can facilitate the creation of minor, binding spiritual agreements.] [Contract terms link repayment directly to measurable increases in the borrower's Qi capacity or successful breakthrough to the next minor realm.] [Enforcement utilizes resonance tracking and automated Qi siphoning upon contract fulfillment (or default).]

[Risk of default can be mitigated through rigorous borrower assessment.]

Automated Qi siphoning. Binding spiritual contracts. It sounded dangerously close to the predatory practices of the very Sect-Corps he despised.

But the terms... repayment tied to success, not arbitrary interest rates that felt like a guillotine ready to plunge down a poor creditor's head. It could give people the actual fuel they needed to start their engines.

Obviously, it was risky. Dangerous. Potentially revolutionary. And definitely not financially cowardly.

"Okay," Li Fang breathed slowly, calming down the subtle excitement that had been ignited in his chest. "Show me. Draft a basic contract. Loan amount: equivalent to 50 Qi-Credits worth of pure Qi. Repayment: Ten percent of the total Qi capacity increase over the next three months, OR twenty percent of the energy released upon successful breakthrough to the next stage of Qi Condensation, whichever comes first. Target borrower profile: Qi Condensation Stage 1-3, no major Sect affiliation, verifiable need."

At first, he thought his requirement was rigorous and something the Quantum Fortune System couldn't easily generate. But much to his surprise, it did. And quickly at that.

[Generating Spiritual Contract Template: 'Ascension Spark Loan v1.0'...

[Incorporating Host parameters…]

[Risk Assessment Algorithm Activated…]

[Standby for Borrower Identification…]

Li Fang gulped down as he took a minute to process it.

Finding the first borrower was the next hurdle. He couldn't advertise. He needed someone desperate, trustworthy enough not to simply run off. However, it should also be someone not so connected that attracting their attention would bring bigger predators down on him.

He thought of the sprawling digital forums hidden on Neo-Tian's dark net. It was a place where struggling cultivators shared tips, lamented their lack of resources, and occasionally sought illicit help.

Using a heavily encrypted connection routed through multiple anonymous nodes (courtesy of his remaining scrambler tech), Li Fang began scanning.

He filtered by location (Lower Layers), cultivation level, keywords ("stuck," "need resources," "breakthrough help," "desperate").

He found a potential candidate within an hour of an automated search.