bookbashuk Chapter 2 Crowdfunding for Immortal Cultivation, Boundless Magical Power
Chapter 2 Crowdfunding for Immortal Cultivation, Boundless Magical Power
The Qingyun Ancestral Hall was even more dilapidated than the dining hall. Sunlight streamed in through the holes in the roof, and seven or eight memorial tablets were placed on the offering table in front. These were the spirit tablets of the successive leaders of the Qingyun Sect.
Shen Qing knelt down in front of the offering table, her forehead pressed against the cold ground.
"Grandmaster..."
His voice was hoarse.
"This disciple is incompetent."
"Disciple... will soon be unable to defend Qingyun Sect."
Without a Foundation Establishment cultivator to oversee things, the Qingyun Sect has become easy prey. As for the senior uncle Shen Qing mentioned, he is indeed a real person.
But as Huang Wenyuan said, this senior uncle has been away from Qingyun Sect for more than 20 years, and it is highly likely that he cannot be relied upon.
This kneeling lasted for a long time.
So long that the angle of the sunlight changed, so long that my knees lost all feeling, and then:
【Ding--】
A clear, crisp sound rang out in Shen Qing's mind.
[Host identity detected: Acting Sect Master of Qingyun Sect]
[Host status detected: Lifespan only three years remaining, aptitude assessed as low-grade, mixed spiritual roots, probability of Foundation Establishment less than one in ten thousand]
[Sect Status Detected: Three disciples, all with loyalty reaching the "Sincere Recognition" standard]
The judgment condition is met.
[Crowdfunding cultivation system activated.]
Shen Qing suddenly raised her head.
A semi-transparent light screen appeared before my eyes, with lines of golden text dancing on it.
The core rules of the system are as follows:
[I. As the sect leader of Qingyun Sect, the host can extract a wisp of pure spiritual energy from all disciples who "genuinely acknowledge the sect" at midnight every day.]
Second, the extraction process does not damage the disciple's foundation; the disciple experiences no sensation and there are no side effects.
[III. The higher the disciple's cultivation level, the higher their loyalty, and the greater the number of disciples, the greater the total amount of spiritual energy extracted daily.]
[IV. The system extracts spiritual energy, refines and transforms it, and can perfectly compensate for the host's aptitude deficiencies, thus aiding in breakthroughs.]
[Shall we begin the first draw?]
Shen Qing's heart pounded as he looked at the words: The cheat code had arrived!
"Yes."
As soon as he finished speaking, he felt a slight warmth in his dantian.
Three extremely fine strands of spiritual energy appeared out of thin air, like three tiny snakes. They were so few that they were almost negligible, but the purity of these three strands of spiritual energy sent a shiver down Shen Qing's spine.
In my fifty years of cultivation, I have never felt such pure spiritual energy.
It has no impurities, no mixed feel, and requires no refining.
Just like the most primordial spark of inspiration recorded in the Daoist canon at the beginning of the world, it was incredibly pure.
The three strands of spiritual energy flowing into his dantian brought an improvement equivalent to two full days of his usual arduous cultivation.
And this was contributed by only three useless disciples at the third level of Qi Refining.
What if there were thirty disciples?
Three hundred?
Shen Qing slowly stood up, his gaze falling on the bottom of the system panel.
[Current daily total spiritual energy extracted: 3 strands (low-grade)]
[Estimated: If the number of disciples reaches 20, the total daily spiritual energy extracted will increase to 50% of the cultivation speed of the first level of Foundation Establishment]
[Estimated: If the number of disciples reaches 100, the total amount of spiritual energy extracted daily will be sufficient to support the host in breaking through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.]
[Estimated: If the number of disciples reaches 1000...]
Shen Qing didn't read the words that followed.
He doesn't need to see it.
He knew only one thing: all his fifty years of arduous cultivation had amounted to nothing more than a stepping stone towards death. But now, God had given him a second path.
It's not something you can achieve through self-cultivation.
It depends on everyone.
Crowdfunding for Immortal Cultivation.
As Shen Qing walked out of the ancestral hall, the setting sun cast a golden-red glow on the dilapidated mountain gate.
The three disciples were still standing in the courtyard, looking at him expectantly.
"Sect Master..." Zhao Shitou opened his mouth.
Shen Qing walked over and patted him on the shoulder.
"Stone, pack your things."
Zhao Shitou's face turned pale: "Sect Master, are we really going to..."
"No." Shen Qing raised her head, looked at the lights of the county town below the mountain, and a genuine smile appeared on her lips for the first time in three months.
"Pack your things. Come down the mountain with me first thing tomorrow morning."
"Go down the mountain?"
"Yes." Shen Qing's gaze swept over the three disciples. "It's time for our Qingyun Sect to accept new disciples."
He paused, then spoke in a tone his disciples had never heard before:
"The more the better."
That night.
Shen Qing sat alone in the quiet room, a map of the county town spread out in front of him.
His fingers traced the dense network of streets and alleys, finally stopping at the north of the city, the poorest part of the county, inhabited by dockworkers, beggars, orphans, and refugees fleeing famine.
In his previous life, he was a corporate slave and had seen too many business models.
There is a type of business called WeChat e-commerce.
Recruiting people, making grand promises, binding interests, and splitting profits at each level.
Shen Qing dipped his brush in ink and wrote four characters on the paper: Immortal Fate System.
Uplines recruit downlines, and downlines recruit their own downlines, creating a lifelong bond where everyone prospers together.
Referral Rewards: For each person you refer who joins the sect, you will receive half an hour of training in the cultivation method.
Tiered Rebates: New users recruited by your downline will also receive "Immortal Affinity Contribution Points" upon logging in.
Contribution points can be used to exchange for cultivation techniques, elixirs, magical artifacts, and guidance time.
Core sales pitch: Zero-barrier cultivation, all-inclusive meals and accommodation, change your destiny.
Shen Qing put down his pen, looked at the densely packed words on the paper, and smiled.
There was a hint of self-mockery and madness in that smile, but more than anything, it was a fierce energy that had been suppressed for fifty years and was finally erupting.
A person who is about to die has nothing to lose.
Since that's the case, let's go crazy!
He opened the window and looked down at the urban area where ordinary people gathered.
As night deepens and countless lights illuminate homes, those at the very bottom of society struggle to survive in the darkness, yearning for even the slightest chance to change their fate.
The Qingyun Sect is nothing but an ant in the world of cultivation.
But even a multitude of ants can kill an elephant.
Shen Qing reached out his hand, as if to grasp the lights.
"The Huang family wants a reply in half a month, right?"
"OK."
"I will give you an answer in half a month."
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking.
Shen Qing put on his most presentable Taoist robe, though it was only slightly less patched, and led his three disciples out of the Qingyun Sect's mountain gate.
Uncle Zhou stood at the door, watching the four figures gradually disappear on the mountain path. His cloudy old eyes held a mixture of worry and inexplicable anticipation.
He didn't know what the sect leader was going to do.
But he knew that today's sect leader was different from yesterday's.
It's like a drowning person suddenly grabbing onto a piece of driftwood.
Down the mountain, the county town was faintly visible in the morning mist.
Shen Qing stopped and looked back at his three disciples.
"Remember what I said. We are not going down the mountain today to beg someone to become our disciple."
Zhao Shitou asked in confusion, "Then what are we going to do?"
Shen Qing smiled slightly.
"Give them a chance."
"A life-changing opportunity."
He walked towards the county town shrouded in morning mist, his silhouette stretched long by the rising sun.
Behind him, the three disciples exchanged a glance and quickly followed.
The north of the city is a place frequented by people from all walks of life.
Shen Qing stood in front of the abandoned earth god temple, surveying the surrounding environment.
This was a location he had carefully chosen, far from the Huang family's businesses and not belonging to any other power's territory.
More importantly, this place is home to the poorest people in the entire county who are most eager to change their fate.
Dock laborers carrying loads, orphans who lost their parents, refugees fleeing famine, and illegitimate children abandoned by their families.
In the eyes of cultivators, these people are ants, weeds, and dust not worth a second glance.
But in Shen Qing's eyes, they were seeds.
It is the hope for the rise of Qingyun Sect.
"Stone, Little Moon, Dog Egg."
The three disciples immediately gathered around.
Shen Qing pointed to the open space in front of the Earth God Temple: "Right here. Shi Tou, go and beat the gong to attract everyone. Gou Dan, you're in charge of maintaining order and setting up a stall. Xiao Yue, take this talisman to the city pawnshop, exchange it for some silver to buy food to take back to the sect."
Zhao Shitou scratched his head: "Sect Master, what are you saying with the gong?"
Shen Qing pulled a broken gong from his sleeve and stuffed it into his hand: "Just say that the immortal master of Qingyun Sect is recruiting disciples here. No apprenticeship gifts are required, no aptitude is considered, food and lodging are provided, and they will teach you how to cultivate immortality."
"Sect Master, room and board included? We...we don't have that kind of money..."
"That's right."
Zhao Shitou dared not ask any more questions. He picked up the gong, walked to the center of the open space, took a deep breath, and began to strike it.
"Fellow villagers, the Immortal Master of Qingyun Sect is here to recruit disciples. No apprenticeship gifts are required, no aptitude is considered, food and lodging are provided, and immortal techniques will be taught!"
The sounds of broken gongs and shouts echoed through the narrow alleyways.
At first, few people paid attention. People in the north of the city were used to charlatans who could make all sorts of claims, like "iron-clad predictions" or "secret family recipes," but in the end, it all came down to money.
But Zhao Shitou kept knocking and shouting.
Gradually, people started to peek out.
More people gathered around.
Shen Qing stood on the steps of the earth god temple, observing the crowd silently. He was waiting, waiting for enough people to gather, waiting for their curiosity to reach its peak.
Fifteen minutes later, forty or fifty people had gathered in the open space.
There were shirtless laborers, emaciated beggars, and poor men in patched clothes. They whispered among themselves, their eyes filled with the same thing: curiosity and a hint of longing.