Foundation Loan

The auction continued in an orderly fashion. Chen Qiu had little interest in the next two items and barely bid at all, until—

"The eighth auction item."

"A Heavenly Dao Trait. A special trait. Its effects can be inherited."

"Starting bid: 100 Spirit Stones. Each raise must be at least 100 Spirit Stones."

The instant the old man on the stage finished speaking—

Chen Qiu could clearly feel the entire hall fall silent in an instant. At nearly the same time, lights began flashing continuously from the other private rooms on the second floor.

"800!"

"1,000!"

"1,300!"

In the blink of an eye, the price soared from the starting bid of 100 Spirit Stones to 1,300. Heaven-Question Market's auctions always set starting prices casually; a low starting bid did not mean the item was worth only that much.

Of course, there was basically no chance of picking up a bargain. If the highest bid called out on-site fell far below the item's actual value, Heaven-Question Market's people would simply bid it back themselves and put it up again at the next auction.

The appearance of the eighth item instantly ignited the entire venue's enthusiasm. Quite a few factions had come specifically for this "Heavenly Dao Trait." Who wouldn't love a permanent trait that could be passed down?

Though it required a gamble, not a single person who had built a career from scratch amid chaotic times believed himself anything less than heaven's favored child.

The hall was soon filled with chatter.

"So this auction really does have a Heavenly Dao Trait up for sale. I saw it on the item list already, but seeing it for real is still exciting. You don't get many chances to lay eyes on something like this."

"Exactly. They say that trial-type Heavenly Dao Secret Realm in Windward City, which will open in a few days, has a decent chance of producing Heavenly Dao Traits too. If you're lucky enough to get one inside the secret realm, wouldn't you become rich overnight?"

"Over a thousand Spirit Stones... it really makes one green with envy. Too bad I haven't finished repaying my Foundation Loan yet, so I'm not qualified to enter the secret realm. Otherwise, I'd like to go in and try my luck too."

"Foundation Loan."

A loan issued by Great Xia's Qian Clan Bank, specifically for government office members on Great Xia's official rolls who earned at least five Spirit Stones a month. The loan amount was exactly 300 Spirit Stones, no more and no less—just enough to quickly raise someone from the First Level of the Qi Refining Realm to the First Level of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

However, to qualify for such a loan, one had to be a government office member earning more than five Spirit Stones a month. And anyone meeting that requirement had a cultivation level of at least the Foundation Establishment Realm.

For a Qi Refining Realm cultivator to obtain a Foundation Loan, he first had to become a government office member on Great Xia's official rolls, otherwise he could not borrow it. But to become a government office member on Great Xia's official rolls, his cultivation first had to reach the Foundation Establishment Realm.

It looked like a dead loop, but in truth, all one had to do was find an "intermediary" to smooth things over—tear down the western bridge to cross east, then tear down the eastern bridge to cross west. The only drawback was that, until the loan was repaid, a wisp of aura would remain in one's dantian.

That aura served only one purpose: it prevented its bearer from entering any secret realm.

After all, secret realms had far too high a death rate. Qian Clan Bank did not particularly want all its customers dying in secret realms.

"Oh?"

The man beside him was slightly stunned, a trace of envy flashing through his eyes. "I heard Windward City's government office recruited fewer than a hundred new people in total this year. Could you be one of them? Five Spirit Stones a month, and hardly any danger to your life—that's a cushy posting."

"Ah."

Though the man who had spoken wore a somewhat smug expression, he let out a helpless sigh. "I was lucky enough to have a benefactor pull some strings for me, but my actual life is still a complete mess."

"I never felt it before, but after joining the government office, today my third grandaunt falls seriously ill and comes to borrow money; tomorrow my parents want to build a grand house in the village with enough face. On ordinary days, I also have to keep good relations with my colleagues and treat them to a meal every few days. My benefactor may not say anything, but surely I have to show some appreciation, right?"

"The childhood friends I used to get along with well also come asking me out for drinks from time to time. They never say it outright, but every word between the lines asks whether I can lend a hand. My wife's family boasts everywhere that she found herself such a fine son-in-law, so whenever any of their relatives run into trouble, they all come looking for me. You tell me, how could I refuse? The moment I refuse, I'd puncture every boast my father-in-law had made."

"But if I don't refuse, doesn't every single matter now require Spirit Stones to pave the way?"

"And every month, I still have to repay the Foundation Loan. Brother, you have no idea. My cultivation is far stronger than before, and in Windward City I can be said to have gained some footing, but I truly feel less carefree than I did in the past."

"Sometimes I think that if I were all alone, perhaps I could still strive for the Golden Core Realm in this life and seek the great Golden Core Dao!"

"Though demonic cultivators are reviled by all, I think the way demonic cultivators do things—"

"Once they step onto the immortal path, they kill their parents first, then slay their children."

"Really can cut away a great many attachments."

"Uh..."

The man who had been envying him was rendered speechless. He had been about to offer some comfort, but when he thought of his own tangled mess of troubles, he suddenly had no mood to comfort anyone.

The private rooms on the second floor continued bidding.

The price had unprecedentedly reached 1,700 Spirit Stones.

This price had essentially surpassed the market rate for a Heavenly Dao Trait. Heavenly Dao Traits were highly speculative: they might leave a lineage with an inherited trait sufficient to make it flourish, or they might leave behind an incurable trait that was a bane.

Generally speaking, around 1,500 Spirit Stones was the market price for a Heavenly Dao Trait.

"Who exactly is sitting in Heaven Room Six? He called out 1,700 Spirit Stones without even blinking?"

"I don't know, but I do know that lineages possessing Heavenly Dao Traits have an extraordinarily complicated set of wedding rites. They say it is to have the Heavenly Dao bear witness. Only children born this way can inherit Heavenly Dao Traits; illegitimate children born without wedding rites cannot inherit them. And only the first wife's children can do so. A concubine's wedding rites cannot earn the Heavenly Dao's recognition."

"Ah, I don't even dare imagine how happy it must be to be born into a lineage like that. From the moment you're born, you're already several steps ahead of your peers."

"That's not necessarily true. What if your birth mother is a concubine? Then your position in the lineage..."

"1,700 Spirit Stones, third and final call!!"

"Congratulations to Heaven Room Six for acquiring the eighth auction item, the Heavenly Dao Trait, for 1,700 Spirit Stones!"

Inside Heaven Room Six, a middle-aged man held a glamorous woman in his arms and said with delighted laughter, "Madam, another Heavenly Dao Trait is ours. Our first two Heavenly Dao Traits were both good ones. Even if this third trait has negative effects, we can fully accept that."

"If all three Heavenly Dao Traits have positive effects, then our children will stand far ahead of their peers from the moment they are born. They will surely lead the Zhang Clan up another step!"

"And you will be the Zhang Clan's First Madam!"