Chapter 5: Borrowing money to cultivate immortality? At the bottom of the dark cave, Ling Changqing put away the silver wire net bag, took a short rest and decided to get up and leave. When he arrived at the cave entrance, he still carefully looked around, repeatedly confirming that there were no dangerous sea beasts or sea fish approaching, and especially after no other pearl divers appeared, Ling Changqing slowly swam out of the cave. "…Should we go back like this, or continue looking for the next one?" Ling Changqing, floating in the water, was silently calculating, and was a little hesitant for a moment. According to the convention, as long as the pearl diver can bring back a jade crystal winter flower pearl that meets the requirements after each dive, he will be considered to have completed his mission for the day and can return to the ship to rest. It is still early now, and Ling Changqing feels that he can consider catching another sand-bathing sea clam, so that he can get double the reward when he returns. In the past, such an idea would undoubtedly be quite dangerous. Even if there is no attack by sea beasts, staying in the cold deep sea for too long is unbearable even for a cultivator's physique. Once a cultivator's physical and spiritual strength are exhausted, and there is no elixir to replenish them in time, he will most likely remain at the bottom of the sea forever.
Pearl divers who dare to take risks in the seabed and bring back two or even three sand-bathed clams at a time are basically experienced veterans. Only those who have at least reached the third level of Qi training are confident enough to try. In the past, Ling Changqing had limited strength, so he always adhered to the principle of hiding himself. Every time he went into the water, he would call it a day after finding a suitable sand-bathing clam and never stayed in the water for long. However, now that he has the mysterious Era Star Palace by his side, Ling Changqing, whose strength has improved significantly, feels that he needs to make some appropriate adjustments. After all, if you want to improve your cultivation, you cannot do without resource support. If you want to break through as soon as possible and step into the fourth level of Qi training, you cannot lack many cultivation resources such as elixirs, spirit stones, and techniques. Forget it, let’s give it a try! There was no indecisiveness in Ling Changqing's character, and he made up his mind immediately. After organizing the tools on his body and grabbing the dagger in his hand, Ling Changqing continued to search among the many dark reefs. In fact, although the waters around Chanxin Island are a bit dangerous, the resources in the ocean are quite abundant. In addition to the Jade Crystal Winter Pearls, there are many types of resources with trading value. Some rare items can be sold at high prices in the market as long as you have the ability to get them. In the past, when the Ling family's pearl-diving team went out to sea to work, they not only searched for the Jade Crystal Donghua Pearls, but also collected various cultivation resources needed by the family. This time, because of the special circumstances and the task given by the head of the family himself, Deacon Ling Zifeng asked the pearl divers to put aside other work and give priority to collecting the Jade Crystal Donghua Pearls in order to complete the task as soon as possible. In the deep sea hundreds of feet away, Chen Tong, with a pale face, huddled in the crevice at the bottom of a large reef, shivering with blood oozing from the corners of his lips. There was an undercurrent in the sea not far from him. A several-meter-long, silver-gray sawtooth shark with a strong murderous aura was swimming back and forth, and its ferocious bloody mouth was clearly visible. The horror of the Senluo Sawtooth Shark is far beyond the reach of those inferior sea beasts. Its lethality has already reached the level of a second-order monster. If one wants to confront or even kill a mature Senluo Sawtooth Shark head-on, usually only a cultivator above the sixth level of Qi training and carrying a top-grade magic weapon can have a chance of doing so. Monks who fail to reach this standard of strength can only rely on human wave tactics to fight it out of consumption. "What a bastard! Why am I so unlucky today? I just came down here not long ago and I actually ran into this damn beast..." Chen Tong spat and cursed in a low voice through gritted teeth. The anger, unwillingness and fear in his heart made him feel that the injuries on his body were becoming more painful. If this big guy keeps staying here and refuses to leave, Chen Tong will be in great danger today. With his frail body, he won't even be able to fill the gaps in the opponent's teeth.
At this moment, Ling Changqing was unaware of the scene in the distance. He had successfully found the cave where the second sand-bathing sea clam was hiding. After observing the nearby terrain, he entered with skillful movements. "Eh? There are actually two this time?" After seeing the situation at the bottom of the cave clearly, Ling Changqing was happy at first, but then became a little disappointed. The good news is that there are two sand-bathing sea clams hidden in the sea sand. The bad news is that according to Ling Changqing's experience and observation, only one sand-bathing sea clam contains the Jade Crystal Winter Pearl. However, this result is already quite good. At least Ling Changqing will not return empty-handed. Other pearl divers rarely have similar luck. Taking out two sealing talismans hidden in his arms, Ling Changqing concentrated his mind, silently activated his spiritual power, locked onto the breath of the Sand Bathing Sea Clam, and cast the talisman. The light that illuminated the entire cave was fleeting, and when the surroundings returned to calm, a sand-bathing sea clam appeared in Ling Changqing's silver wire net bag. "Okay, let's go back!" Ling Changqing no longer hesitated. Even though his physical and spiritual energy had not been depleted much at this moment and he should have enough strength to try again, he no longer planned to take the risk. The consequence of greed is often losing everything. Following the same procedure and after confirming that there was no danger around, Ling Changqing paddled in the sea water and swam quickly towards the sea surface. Dozens of breaths later, Ling Changqing surfaced and saw the familiar blue sky again. Several huge birds of prey were appearing in the clouds. The salty sea breeze blew across the sea, creating heavy waves. The small boat belonging to Ling Changqing was circling not far away. When the old servant saw him surface, he immediately rowed over. "Young man from the Ling family, is everything going so smoothly today?" the old man rowing the boat asked with a smile. As long as the pearl divers could return, their mission for the day would be completed, so it was inevitable that they would be in a good mood. "well enough." Ling Changqing spoke briefly, then he sat down holding the silver wire net bag and began to regulate his breathing and recover. The old man knew that he was not a talkative person, so he didn't say much and rowed the boat slowly back to the ship. Leaning against the side of the ship and grabbing the rope ladder thrown by the sailor, Ling Changqing swiftly climbed onto the deck. At this time, Deacon Ling Zifeng was sitting at a golden sandalwood table, drinking by himself. On the table were several carefully prepared dishes. Seeing the familiar figure of the young man in blue shirt appear, Ling Zifeng was startled for a moment, then smiled: "Boy, you have good news so soon today? It seems that you are really lucky!" Actually, Ling Changqing was the first one to come back today, and he also caught two sand-bathing sea clams. If Jade Crystal Winter Pearls can be found in them, it would indeed be a good sign. Ling Changqing bowed with a smile, complimented Ling Zifeng a few words, and then handed the silver wire net bag in his hand to the Ling family member. After a dozen breaths, Ling Zifeng looked at the two crystal clear and shining jade crystal winter beads in his hand with a smile on his face. If all pearl divers could perform as well as Ling Changqing, this task would be very easy to accomplish. The steward looked Ling Changqing up and down, thought for a few breaths, and finally spoke: "My dear, how about this... If you can continue to perform as well as you did today in the next few days, I can consider giving you some benefits. What do you think?" Due to the influence of the mysterious power of the Era Star Palace, or perhaps due to his luck, he now feels quite favorable towards Ling Changqing, so he made this somewhat unexpected decision. "..." Ling Changqing looked normal. He bowed again and said softly, "It is my honor to work for the steward. I dare not ask for any reward."
Ling Zifeng laughed: "No need to be modest, this is what you deserve." "Although your cultivation is a little low, you are still young. If you can get a better technique and magical power, and have enough elixirs and spiritual stones to help you, it should not be difficult to improve your cultivation." Ling Changqing was a little surprised. Could it be that this deacon really intended to help him? But Ling Zifeng's next words almost made him stand there in a daze. "...as long as you can bring back a hundred high-quality beads in the next period of time," Ling Zifeng said with a smile: "I can guarantee it for you. Go to the family bank and apply for a loan. With this resource, you can improve your cultivation with peace of mind. You can also exchange it for a better skill. Wouldn't it be better if you don't have to continue saving money here?" The expression on Ling Changqing's face was a little stiff. He didn't expect that he had not yet paid off his mortgage and car loan in his previous life. He had finally come to this world not long ago, and he would have an inextricable bond with loans again. "So, this... can also be borrowed?" Ling Changqing took a deep breath and asked weakly. Ling Zifeng's butler, a slightly plump, naive old man in a white shirt, Tian Wenhu, stepped forward and said gently: "Young man, what you said is true. Our Ling family is prosperous and has many children. There are many talented people among them, but they are unable to follow the path of Taoism because of their lack of money." "The family leaders couldn't bear to see the younger generations worrying about the resources for cultivation, so they asked the bank to launch this charity. Any younger generation with the qualifications and endowment that meet the requirements can apply..." After his explanation, Ling Changqing finally had a preliminary understanding of this kind of borrowing in this world. In the past, there were mortgages, car loans, dowry loans, education loans, medical beauty loans, consumer loans... There were all kinds of loans with numerous names, covering all aspects without any blind spots. Moreover, many of them are unsecured loans. As long as you dare to borrow, those institutions will dare to give it to you. The pros and cons of rampant lending is a very complex issue and there is no need to delve too deeply into it. But in this mysterious and magnificent world of immortals, there are actually various loans for the monks? According to the explanation of the old man in white shirt, this kind of lending not only exists, but also has a huge market. The Ling family's family bank relies on this business, and its annual income is a considerable figure. For example, there are loans such as elixir loan, spirit stone loan, magic weapon loan, technique loan, and qi training loan, all of which have detailed descriptions of the loan amount, interest rate, and repayment time. Even if a cultivator wants to find a partner to practice dual cultivation together, if he is short of money, the bank also has corresponding dual cultivation loans and betrothal loans for you to choose from. In the Ling Family Bank, there are hundreds of loan types under different names, allowing low-level monks to make reasonable choices based on their own needs. As for the consequences of not being able to repay the loan when it is due, one only needs to look at the increasingly large army of slave monks in the family territory. Since those forces dare to lend money, they must have sufficient means to prevent all kinds of bad debts. Borrowers want to run away and cheat? No way! The fate of being a deadbeat is to lose everything, including your body. Even if you work hard all your life, after you die, your soul will be used to make ritual instruments. "...Thank you for your favor, Mr. Deacon. I will do my best." In the end, Ling Changqing agreed without much hesitation. Anyway, everything is for the purpose of improving cultivation as quickly as possible. It is not bad to cultivate immortality by taking out loans. Everyone has gone through this. (End of this chapter)