Contracts also varied in quality. An ordinary contract was much like swearing an oath. Failing to fulfill it could seriously affect one's state of mind, making it perfectly possible to become unable to cultivate further, or even suffer a steady decline in cultivation.
But contracts like these ultimately had serious flaws. Some people did not care about oaths, while others left loopholes in their vows, allowing them to avoid fulfilling them. Some never intended to continue cultivating at all, making such contracts even less effective. High-grade contracts, however, were another matter entirely.
A true contract was at least of Earth Grade quality, just like the one in Huo Hai's hands. Using such a contract on someone below the Spirit King Realm would be a complete waste. These contracts were difficult to make, and their materials were rare.
Once signed, however, the contract would form a special power that merged into the signatory's body. If they violated the contract, or were capable of fulfilling it but refused to do so, that power would activate.
At that point, the violator would suffer grievous injuries at best, or die on the spot at worst. Of course, these binding contracts had their own shortcomings: they could not affect a person's state of mind. Once someone's cultivation far exceeded the scope of the contract's restraints, they could even forcibly dissolve it. Such contracts were rarely used for long-term agreements.
Even Huo Hai did not know how powerful the contract he had signed actually was. All he knew was that once its power entered his body, he could no longer sense it. This meant the contract's power far surpassed his own.
The contract was probably Earth Grade Mid-tier or Earth Grade Upper-tier. Huo Hai leaned toward the latter. After all, it was a fallback left behind