The Fiercer the Cursing, the More Frenzied the Scramble

The fire ignited by a few exceptionally clever fools had spread across the entire Douluo Continent in just one month.

Even Spirit City had gathered visiting soul masters. If they had not known this was Spirit Hall's stronghold, they probably would have already launched protest marches and surrounded Pope Hall.

"Little brother, quite a few branch halls outside have been surrounded. Are you still going to wait?"

Qian Xunji paced back and forth through Pope Hall with a troubled expression, several fever blisters already forming at the corners of his mouth.

"It is about time."

Qian Mochen held reports submitted by countless Spirit Hall branch halls over recent days. He stood and stretched lazily.

"Big brother, get the warehouses ready and wait to collect the money!"

"Why don't you first calm down those soul masters who are about to lose their minds?"

Qian Xunji shot Qian Mochen a glare.

Qian Mochen hooked an arm around Qian Xunji's neck and pulled him closer with a sly grin. "Big brother, you underestimate me too much!"

"Tomorrow, I'll have a pure gold bed made for you!"

After saying that, Qian Mochen strode out of the hall and gathered his men. "Go. Carry out the plan!"

Half a day later, Spirit Hall branch halls in every city posted notices on their bulletin boards.

"Everyone, His Holiness the Pope has heard your voices. To this end, His Holiness the Pope and dozens of elders and worshippers argued their case for half a month and finally secured these rights for everyone!"

"Starting today, any soul master wishing to learn the three cultivation methods may purchase them directly with money!"

"As long as you are on the Douluo Continent, you can learn these cultivation methods at any branch hall!"

The moment these words were spoken, soul masters immediately crowded over. "Is what you said true?"

"Of course. Beneath the notice are the Pope's Seal and the Pope's personal signature!"

The soul masters turned to look and indeed saw the familiar Pope's Seal and the Pope's handwriting.

At the bottom of the notice, Spirit Hall had thoughtfully listed the effects and prices of the three cultivation methods.

Truth-Piercing Eye: Cultivating this method could increase spiritual power and greatly enhance eyesight. Purchase price: 100,000 Gold Soul Coins.

Mystic Crystal Sharp-Edge Hand: When activated, this method gave both hands the properties of refined iron, making it easy to shatter wood and crack stone. Price: 50,000 Gold Soul Coins.

Phantom Trace Step: Activating this method could increase speed by twenty percent for a short time. Price: 80,000 Gold Soul Coins.

After purchase, the cultivation methods were forbidden from being spread. If anyone spread them, Spirit Hall would dispatch all its soul masters to annihilate them.

"So expensive!"

"Damn it, I just went hunting soul beasts last month. My pockets are cleaner than my face!"

Before the branch hall, a crowd of soul masters gritted their teeth as they stared at the bulletin board. Out of more than a hundred people, only one or two finally clenched their teeth and used their savings from the past few years to buy a cultivation method.

The rest could only watch those lucky few enter the branch hall with envy, jealousy, and resentment.

"My lord, I wish to purchase the Truth-Piercing Eye!"

"After purchasing the cultivation method, you must study it within the branch hall. You may not take it away." The branch hall soul master explained the new rule.

"Huh?"

The branch hall soul master spoke meaningfully. "If you carried the cultivation method out of the hall, what do you think the soul masters waiting outside would do?"

"Thank you, my lord, for considering our safety! I would like to remain in the hall for a few more days. Please make an exception for me."

The man looked gratefully at the branch hall soul master and gritted his teeth as he took out a small pouch of Gold Soul Coins as a token of respect.

The branch hall soul master accepted the pouch, weighed it in his hand, and smiled in satisfaction.

"Rest assured, Spirit Hall has always dealt fairly with young and old alike. I guarantee it will be worth every coin!"

Outside the branch hall, some people with ulterior motives had been keeping watch. Several days passed without anyone coming out, so they spent money to inquire about it.

Spirit Hall had actually kept those lucky few within the hall, and they would not even be given manuals while learning the cultivation methods.

Damn Spirit Hall! You were eating the meat and would not even let us have a sip of the soup!

The people lingering outside the hall cursed as they left.

Without anyone to guide them and without even a manual, it would be useless even if they captured someone who had learned the cultivation methods and tried to reverse-engineer them.

Who knew where hidden dangers might be buried? Practice carelessly, and they might train themselves into madness. Such examples had long been passed around among soul masters. That was also why weak soul masters possessing inheritances could survive while roaming the Douluo Continent.

Every faction's cultivation methods were filled with all sorts of hidden tricks. Even those who had learned them might not understand the traps within.

They could only watch helplessly as those lucky few entered the branch hall. By the time they came out, their strength would surely have increased greatly.

No, I can't fall behind!

Some of the bolder ones set their sights on the Soul Beast Forest. As long as they brought out a few more soul beasts, would they not have enough money for the cultivation methods?

The more timid ones also had options. The Soul Fighting Arenas in each major city made money more easily, and the danger there was not as great as in the Soul Beast Forest.

In short, once Spirit Hall announced that the three cultivation methods capable of rapidly increasing combat strength could be bought with money, no soul master could remain calm.

Several days later, intelligence from branch halls everywhere had been gathered.

Qian Mochen glanced through it and discovered an interesting pattern.

Soul masters from the Far North cursed the fiercest, but the branch halls in the Far North also earned the most. One branch hall there alone had brought in ten million Gold Soul Coins over those past few days.

Qian Mochen's system had also collected a huge amount of Emotion Points over the past few days. Including what he had accumulated several times before, the Emotion Points in his possession had just exceeded one million.

Keep it up. You should curse more. The harsher you curse, the happier I'll be.

When he noticed over the following days that the Emotion Points feedback had decreased, Qian Mochen was dissatisfied. He directly spent money to hire more than a dozen ghostwriters.

"Your task is to curse Spirit Hall's money-grabbing behavior in different ways every day. Understood?"

The dozen or so people opposite Qian Mochen exchanged looks. If the person standing before them had not been the young master of the Qian Family, they would have already run to the main hall to report him.

Seeing that they did not understand what he meant, Qian Mochen had no choice but to put it another way.

"The fiercer your curses, the better the newspapers sell, and the greater your rewards!"

"After one month, whoever has the best sales will get this entire chest of money!"

The moment he said this, everyone's eyes lit up, especially when the chest was opened and the gleaming golden soul coins filled their vision.

Everyone began breathing heavily, and their gazes toward one another gained a hint of hostility.

"Go. I only care about the final result."

"Whether you take only a few dozen Gold Soul Coins or carry this whole chest of money home depends on yourselves."

As soon as he said this, everyone immediately pounced on the nearest tables and chairs. They dipped their pens in ink, and without needing to think at all, inspiration continuously surged through their minds under the drive of money.

Several days later, the first batch of newspapers was published. The complaints and curses within about how Spirit Hall treated people like dirt instantly struck a chord with soul masters struggling to earn money.

"Boss, give me ten copies!"

"I'll take two as well!"

"Boss, give me another hundred copies! I want everyone to know Spirit Hall's scheme!"

Qian Mochen watched the flood of information scroll past like a screen refresh, and his smile grew ever brighter.