Borrowing Money Once Feels Great, Borrowing Forever Feels Even Better

[Brain Storage]

[Universal Ten-Centimeter Collection Point (Don't ask, just know it's useful)]

"You borrowed ten thousand from Speedy Loan Treasure before?"

Across the desk, the bald man flipped through his phone, the screen displaying Li Zhengyang's credit report.

"Yes."

"Do you have a house in your name?"

"No."

"What about a car?"

"Brother, I'm just a student, how could I have a car or a house?"

The bald man slapped his phone onto the desk, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, not bothering to look at him again. "Then why are you here? We aren't a charity."

Li Zhengyang sat on the stool, not moving.

This so-called "financial company" was hidden on the third floor of an urban village.

The office consisted of only one desk and two chairs, with a few cases of mineral water tossed in the corner; it was nothing more than a shell company.

"Brother, take another look."

Li Zhengyang leaned forward. "I have a stable income; the school provides a monthly subsidy."

"What school?"

"Martial Arts Junior College."

The bald man glanced at him sideways. "A junior college student, no house, no car, and already a ten-thousand-yuan debt. You're telling me that's a stable income?"

"I can pay it back."

"With what?"

Li Zhengyang pointed to his own kidney. "With this."

The bald man froze for two seconds, then laughed.

Ash fell onto the desk, but he didn't care, wiping it away with his hand.

"You're an interesting kid."

"I'm serious, brother, I need it urgently." Li Zhengyang's tone was so sincere that the bald man took a second look at him.

Early twenties, thin, wearing a washed-out jacket, he looked just like a broke student with no money.

But looking closer, the kid was actually quite handsome.

The bald man had seen plenty of people like this.

Gamblers, addicts, young people addicted to over-consumption—all sorts of people, and not a single normal one had ever walked through that door.

But the kid in front of him was different from the others; he was too calm.

"I can only give you my darkest loan. Borrow ten thousand, get seven thousand in hand, pay back twelve thousand. Interest is calculated daily for overdue payments, at two percent per day." The bald man laid out the ugly truth first. "If you can't pay it back, don't say I didn't warn you."

"Fine."

The answer was absurdly fast.

The bald man's eyebrows twitched.

He had been in this business for six years, and this was the first time he had encountered someone who agreed without even asking about the terms.

Usually, people would hesitate at least a little when hearing these terms, even if they just pretended to be conflicted.

This kid, however, didn't hesitate at all.

"Did you understand? Borrow ten thousand, get seven thousand in hand, three thousand in upfront interest, and if it's overdue..."

"I understood." Li Zhengyang interrupted him, then said something that left the bald man completely stunned. "Can I borrow more?"

"...What?"

"With this kind of interest rate, can the limit be higher? Like eighty or a hundred thousand?"

The bald man's cigarette almost fell out of his mouth.

He stared at Li Zhengyang for several seconds, confirming the other party wasn't joking.

Six years, he had seen all kinds of borrowers, but this was the first time someone had actively asked to increase their limit, specifically choosing the darkest tier.

"What exactly are you using it for?"

"Cultivation."

The bald man thought he was talking nonsense, but Li Zhengyang's expression was too serious.

After half a minute of silence, the bald man stubbed out his cigarette and looked him over again.

"Twenty thousand. You get fourteen thousand in hand, pay back twenty-four thousand." The bald man held up two fingers. "If it's overdue, it's two percent daily interest, compounded. You better think clearly; this debt will be lethal once it starts rolling."

"Brother, can the limit be increased if I take nude photos?"

"Get lost!"

"Don't be angry, brother. Twenty thousand it is, deal."

Signing, pressing a thumbprint, taking photos of the front and back of his ID, and a photo holding it.

The entire process took less than ten minutes.

The bald man pushed a stack of cash over, fourteen thousand, counted out neatly.

Seeing Li Zhengyang shove the money directly into his pocket without counting it, the bald man suddenly felt that he might not be getting this money back.

It wasn't the kind of "not getting it back" where the kid couldn't afford to pay.

It was the kind where he had no intention of paying it back at all.

"I'm off, brother. Let's stay in touch." Li Zhengyang stood up and brushed off his pants.

"Wait." The bald man called out to him, "Don't change your phone number."

"I won't, I won't. Don't you worry."

When the door closed, the bald man muttered to the empty office, "Is that kid sick in the head?"

Leaving the urban village, Li Zhengyang turned into an empty alley.

He reached into his pocket, felt the stack of cash, and pulled out his phone.

On the screen, a translucent interface appeared.

No one else could see it; only he could.

[Pay-to-Win Martial Arts System]

[Function: One yuan equals one day of the host's cultivation progress]

[Current Blood-Qi Value: 108]

This thing had appeared three days ago.

No time travel, no rebirth, and no old master living in a ring.

Just one morning when he woke up, there was something extra in his brain, like a phone that had automatically updated an app—simple and brutal to an outrageous degree.

Spend money, increase Blood Qi.

Once Blood Qi reached a certain value, the realm would automatically break through.

The principle? He didn't know. The origin? He wasn't sure. The safety? Who cared.

He was just a poor student; why worry about that? As long as it felt good, that was all that mattered.

The ten thousand he had borrowed earlier was recharged, adding 100 points of Blood-Qi Value, bringing his total to 108 and pushing him straight across the threshold from Martial Disciple to Rank-One Martial Artist.

What was the concept of a Rank-One Martial Artist? He had trained at the Martial Arts Junior College for two years, and his Blood-Qi Value had been stuck at 8 points, unable to rise no matter how he trained. His teacher said his aptitude was average and suggested he change careers to become a masseur after graduation, saying a Martial Disciple's grip strength was well-suited for that.

But now, ten thousand yuan had solved a problem he hadn't been able to fix in two years.

So, he had borrowed from another place.

Li Zhengyang pulled the fourteen thousand from his pocket and, without hesitation, tapped recharge on the system interface.

A flash of white light appeared, and the money was gone.

[Recharge successful!]

[Recharge amount: 14,000]

[Obtained Blood-Qi Value: +140]

[Current Blood-Qi Value: 248]

[Current Realm: Second Rank]

A surge of heat exploded from his Dantian, his internal organs heating up along with it. His muscles expanded, his bones crackled, and it hurt—but it was the kind of pain that was addictive.

Li Zhengyang leaned against the wall, waiting for the sensation to pass.

Second Rank.

The strongest student in the entire junior college was a Fourth-Rank Martial Artist. He had trained for three years and could be considered exceptionally talented for a junior college student. He was invincible among his peers, and his spot for transferring to a four-year university had already been secured.

He had caught up to half of that just by taking on twenty-four thousand yuan in debt.

Li Zhengyang looked down at his hands.

Clenched, then relaxed.

The sense of power in his hands was completely different from three days ago.

Worth it. It was fucking worth it.

Li Zhengyang leaned against the wall and began to calculate.

He had borrowed ten thousand before, recharged 100 points of Blood Qi, and today he borrowed another twenty thousand, received fourteen thousand, and recharged 140 points.

In total, he had received twenty-two thousand eight hundred, with a total Blood Qi of 248.

What about the external debts? The first installment was ten thousand, the second was twenty-four thousand, totaling thirty-four thousand.

Was it a loss?

By the standards of a normal person, it was a massive loss.

But by Li Zhengyang's standards.

Why should I pay back money I borrowed based on my own ability?

He said this sentence out loud, feeling no sense of guilt.

It wasn't that he was born lacking morals; it was that the system had given him a very clear realization: by the time those debt collectors came knocking, his Blood-Qi Value would only be higher, not lower.

Loan sharks resorting to violence?

He would see whose fist was harder when the time came!

Were there any Martial Warriors in the debt collection team?

There were, but at most they would be Fifth-Rank Martial Artists, and he would just keep charging up.

The problem wasn't whether to pay back the money or not.

The problem was where to borrow the next sum.

It was just a pity that he had no parents, no car, and no house, making it difficult to even borrow money.

Li Zhengyang put away his phone and loosened his shoulders and neck, his joints emitting a dense series of crisp cracks.

His entire spirit and energy were like those of a different person compared to ten minutes ago.

At this moment, his phone rang.

It was a number saved under the contact "School."

He answered, and the voice of a middle-aged man came from the other end, sounding impolite.

"Is this Li Zhengyang?"

"It is."

"I am Director Wang from the Academic Affairs Office. Where are you now? Come to my office."

"What is it about, Director Wang?"

"Come here and we'll talk."

The call ended.

Li Zhengyang looked at his phone screen, feeling somewhat dazed.

What could the Academic Affairs Office want with him? Skipping class? He really hadn't been attending much lately, as he had been busy researching the system and finding money.

But the Martial Arts Junior College wasn't that strict about attendance, as long as one passed the assessments.

Could it be that the end-of-month combat assessment had been moved up?

Regardless of what it was, it would be good to go over there now.