Contribution points were a sort of currency circulated within Ask Dao Sect. Buying goods from Ask Dao Sect, eating in the cafeteria, and trading with fellow disciples all required contribution points.
On top of that, the special prizes offered in the Mission Hall also required contribution points.
For example, the most popular prize—yet one no one could afford—was the "Ask Dao Sect Sect Master for a Day Experience Tour." As the name suggested, redeeming this reward let one be Sect Master for a day: attending meetings with the elders, handling sect affairs, having people address oneself as Sect Master, strutting through the world with unrivaled might, and enjoying the privileges of the highest leader among the Five Great Immortal Sects...
There were plenty of benefits. Unfortunately, the required number of contribution points was far too high, and no one had managed to redeem it yet.
Supposedly, several senior disciples had wanted to pool their resources and redeem it once just for the thrill of it. However, they had gotten into an argument over "who should be Sect Master." None of them would yield to the others, and they had ended up fighting tooth and nail. In the end, they had all been carried to Elixir Cauldron Peak for treatment, drawing a crowd of onlookers.
Those senior disciples were currently outside performing long-term missions and had not returned to Ask Dao Sect for a long time.
Another example was the "Medicine King Elixir." Its description claimed that the Medicine King Elixir was a precious liquid specially refined by Ask Dao Sect's upper echelons, unique in all the world. It could be taken orally or applied externally, strengthen the body, increase physical strength, condense the soul, and stabilize one's cultivation. Although it cost a considerable number of contribution points, its sales still ranked near the top and it was extremely popular among senior and junior disciples alike.
Take a sip during a spell duel, and it guaranteed that one's energy and magical power would be fully restored, while wounds would heal faster. Everyone who had used it said it was excellent.
Then there was the "Flying Ship Accident Insurance," which could be purchased for just one contribution point.
"Hold on. Why is there flying ship accident insurance?" Lu Yang felt that the term did not sound very auspicious.
The senior disciple who had posted the mission said matter-of-factly, "That's perfectly normal. What mode of transportation is one hundred percent safe? Even flying ships operated by the Luodi Money Merchant Guild can run into accidents. They might collide with some mighty expert, suffer a mechanical failure and fail to make an emergency landing, or have the captain go on strike and demand higher wages... Those are all very common accidents. Fortunately, they rarely result in deaths, so there's no need to make a fuss."
"After the president of the Luodi Money Merchant Guild discovered that flying ships were always running into accidents, he felt that this represented a certain degree of risk. So he proposed having passengers pay a small sum of money into a pool. Whenever a flying ship had an accident, the merchant guild would take a large sum from the pool and compensate the passengers."
"That way, if nothing happened to the flying ship, the passengers would only have paid a tiny, harmless amount. If something did happen and delayed the passengers' affairs, they could still receive compensation."
"The guild president named this model 'risk protection,' abbreviated as 'insurance,' and promoted it extensively throughout other businesses."
"But you don't need to worry. Our Ask Dao Sect would never chill our disciples' hearts. We've always been generous when it comes to insurance. We purchased all kinds of insurance for you when you joined the sect, including flying ship accident insurance. The flying ship accident insurance sold in the reward section merely increases the compensation amount."
The senior disciple wore an expression that said, "We're a righteous sect, unlike those devil dao sects that live from dawn to dusk—we insure everything that ought to be insured." He looked thoroughly reliable.
"The cultivation world has really developed quickly. It even has something like insurance now."
The corner of Lu Yang's mouth twitched. In his memories, insurance in his previous life had originated from ocean shipping. He had never expected that in the cultivation world, it would arise from flying ship transportation.
He felt that this thing was too ominous. He might as well buy something else.
One had to be at least somewhat superstitious in the cultivation world.
The senior disciple seemed to have heard Lu Yang's thoughts and continued, "However, a mighty expert who studies karma proposed a question: Could purchasing insurance establish a karmic connection with risk and thereby increase the likelihood of risk occurring?"
"The merchant guild categorically denied the possibility. The two sides argued for a long time without reaching any official conclusion."
"This subject is highly research-worthy in the cultivation world. If your research concludes that there is a karmic connection, that mighty expert will favor you. If your research concludes that there is no karmic connection, the Luodi Money Merchant Guild will favor you. Either way, you win without losing."
Lu Yang thought to himself, If I research this and discover that there is a karmic connection, won't the merchant guild butcher me?
"One contribution point can be exchanged for one hundred low-grade spirit stones, and one hundred and twenty low-grade spirit stones can be exchanged for one contribution point."
"Blood-Drinking Flying Sword, two thousand contribution points. The longer it's soaked in blood, the greater its power. Why does the description make it sound less than righteous?"
The senior disciple explained from the side, "It doesn't have to be soaked in human blood. Pig's blood, cow's blood, or duck's blood will all do. I heard that two days ago, the shop selling Sichuan-Shu hotpot in the sect even went to complain at all the mountain peaks, demanding to know which bastard had secretly soaked a Blood-Drinking Flying Sword in their duck's blood."
"After a thorough search, the culprit was found. The hotpot owner's punishment was to make him drink an entire pot of red-oil broth. The scene was truly—tsk. I reckon he'll never want to eat hotpot again in this lifetime." The senior disciple clicked his tongue several times, his expression extremely peculiar. No one knew what he had witnessed at the time.
Lu Yang continued browsing. "A bottle of fasting pills in any flavor, one contribution point."
"An ancestral barbecue secret recipe, one hundred contribution points."
"Floating Sword Formation, twenty-five contribution points. This formation can be engraved onto a weapon, allowing it to float behind one's back and discarding the restrictions of a scabbard for convenient use at any time. It also comes with a protective formation that can shield the treasured sword from wind and sun."
Lu Yang considered it and decided that this formation was quite practical, so he promptly bought it.
It was a semi-concealed formation condensed in midair. Once it settled on the ancient sword, it evaporated like a drop of water in the air and vanished completely. The treasured sword then floated quietly behind Lu Yang, looking extremely cool.
Lu Yang turned his body, and the ancient sword moved along with him without the slightest lag or delay.
"Good stuff."
"Ten Oxen Strength Pill? One hundred contribution points, one thousand contribution points, ten thousand contribution points? A classic work by alchemy grandmaster Wu Ming. After taking it, one gains the strength of ten oxen and can sweep through a thousand soldiers. Anyone from the Foundation Establishment Realm to the Nascent Soul Realm can use it."
Lu Yang suspected that if it had not been refined by Senior Brother Wu Ming, whose pills were half medicinal poison, the price would have been even higher.
Still, judging by the description, this pill really was good stuff. It would have miraculous effects in battle, so he could buy one and test it out.
"Junior Sister Tao Yaoye, sorry to trouble you, but do you use contribution points to buy things? I'd like to borrow five contribution points. I'll return them the next time I finish a mission."
Contribution points could be transferred between people.
Tao Yaoye needed a great many contribution points to buy something, so five more or five fewer did not matter much.
"Sure."
Lu Yang briskly bought a single Ten Oxen Strength Pill.
The senior disciple who had posted the mission handed Lu Yang a small porcelain bottle. Inside was a golden pill that reflected a faint gleam in the sunlight. At a glance, it was clearly no ordinary item.
"I told you before that we had to celebrate your Foundation Establishment properly. I reserved a table at the Hundred Fragrances Tower. Come on, let's go eat. I guarantee it'll all be food you like." Meng Jingzhou laughed heartily and warmly invited Tao Yaoye as well.
"Junior Sister Tao, would you like to come with us?"
As the second person to join the sect, Meng Jingzhou was Tao Yaoye's senior brother.
Tao Yaoye felt that although Lu Yang was afraid of heights, had a mouth full of lies, and had poisoned her room without telling her, at least they had completed a mission together. They could probably be considered friends.
"I'll go."
Before you continue