A Loan Fraud Scheme Too?

Beaming, Counselor Yuan set down his thermos and gestured for Chen Zhuo to take a seat across from him. In an amiable tone, he asked, "How much does Student Chen wish to borrow?" After a moment of careful thought, Chen Zhuo asked cautiously, "Teacher Yuan, I'm currently at the fourth layer of Qi Refining, which is a critical stage in my cultivation. Based on my situation, how much do you think I can borrow?" "Well, as for that..." Counselor Yuan did some mental arithmetic before replying, "According to the regulations of the Taiqing Bank University Town Branch, an employed junior college student in the middle stage of Qi Refining can generally borrow around three hundred spirit coins." *Three hundred spirit coins?* Hearing that number, Chen Zhuo furrowed his brow, bitterly disappointed. It was far less than he had imagined. What could he even do with that? It was barely enough for a single injection. While three hundred spirit coins was hardly pocket change, it was truly insignificant to the current Chen Zhuo. After all, he still had over a hundred physical spirit stones tucked away in the storage bag hidden at his place! Once someone grew used to hauling in giant catches from the deep sea, they would never be satisfied fishing for tiny shrimp in a creek. Noticing that Chen Zhuo seemed unsatisfied with the sum, Counselor Yuan's eyes instantly lit up. Lowering his voice, he said, "It seems Student Chen isn't quite content with that figure." Seeing this, Chen Zhuo did not beat around the bush and replied directly, "Teacher Yuan, three hundred spirit coins is indeed a good amount, but for me, it's only enough to purchase a single booster shot. It won't even let me reach the fifth layer of Qi Refining in the short term." Listening to Chen Zhuo, Counselor Yuan showed an approving look. He had naturally reviewed Chen Zhuo's file. Half a year. In just half a year, he had grown from an ordinary mortal into a cultivator at the fourth layer of Qi Refining. Such cultivation speed was already comparable to those blessed with high-grade spiritual roots whose spiritual qi perception scored around forty or fifty. Information regarding the specific species of artificially implanted spiritual roots was top secret. A mere counselor like Yuan Mingde naturally had no clearance to access such records, but he estimated that Chen Zhuo's innate aptitude could not possibly be remarkable. And for Chen Zhuo to advance so quickly, there was likely only one explanation. He had been doping like mad. This was perfectly normal. In the history of the Taiqing Domain, there had once been a legendary doping prodigy who likewise possessed an artificial spiritual root. Through oral doses, nasal inhalation, intravenous injections, and even rectal absorption, that individual had injected over a thousand doses within ten years, successfully breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage. He had been revered by the masses as a living legend! It was just that the expenses of his doping were so astronomical that he racked up over a hundred thousand spirit coins in debt. Rumor had it that he was now cryogenically preserved by a pharmaceutical conglomerate, serving as a test subject for their experiments. The specifics involved drawing his blood every day to study what kind of constitution he possessed, why injecting so many drugs had not caused his body to explode, and how his drug tolerance could be so terrifying. Such a talent was scarcely inferior to a Heavenly Spiritual Root! The pharmaceutical conglomerate wanted to study him solely to develop methods for boosting drug tolerance. The moment they succeeded, they would strike it rich. Therefore, judging from Chen Zhuo's current cultivation at the fourth layer of Qi Refining and his present condition... He had definitely been doping. So it was entirely natural for him to look down on three hundred spirit coins. *With such a steadfast Dao heart, he truly is the ideal candidate!* At that thought, Counselor Yuan broke into a wide smile. With an abrupt wave of his hand, a surge of gentle spiritual qi rushed forth, shutting and locking the office door. Chen Zhuo's heart leaped in surprise, and he watched Counselor Yuan with heightened vigilance. *What is he doing?* The atmosphere in the office subtly shifted. Instead of speaking right away, Counselor Yuan stood up, walked to the window, and drew the blinds. Only after completing all of this did Counselor Yuan turn back to Chen Zhuo. "Chen Zhuo, do you want to borrow more spirit coins?" Warning bells clanged in Chen Zhuo's mind, but he maintained his composure and asked tentatively, "What do you mean by that, Teacher Yuan?" "Exactly what it sounds like." Counselor Yuan laid it out bluntly: "I can pull some strings to package you as a priority talent nurtured by the academy. We'll run you through government policy channels like the 'Immortal Mansion Talent Nurturing Initiative' or the 'Enrolled Junior College Student Entrepreneurship Project' and have the bank approve a loan of four to five thousand spirit coins for you!" Hearing Counselor Yuan's words, Chen Zhuo was instantly dumbfounded. *Holy crap!* *A loan fraud scheme!* *Isn't that illegal?* "Teacher Yuan, this..." If it were any other method, Chen Zhuo might have accepted, but this seemed fraught with risk. Chen Zhuo immediately voiced his concern: "Wouldn't this easily draw the attention of law-enforcement cultivators? And will the bank even approve it?" "How does this count as illegal?" Counselor Yuan sneered and waved his hand. "These are bona fide policies; you students just don't know about them. Besides, this isn't falsification, because..." "You are a tournament reserve member, the key cultivation target of our Department of Elixir Appraisal for this cohort!" "Huh? Isn't there supposed to be a selection?" Chen Zhuo asked in surprise. "If you take out such a massive loan, your immortal Dao potential will be ranked number one in the entire class. What is there left to select?" Counselor Yuan said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "With such high immortal Dao potential, the spot will simply be yours by default. "That way, you'll be one of the three tournament reserve candidates recommended by the Department of Elixir Appraisal of our Alchemy Vocational and Technical College. Then I'll have Teacher Nangong from the Academic Affairs Office bump your name forward when publicizing the rankings, listing you alongside the students from our college's Combat Department. Even if the bank sends investigators afterward, they won't find a single flaw!" Counselor Yuan continued, "We aren't defrauding anyone of a loan. You truly are a nurtured talent. We're merely reversing the order: secure the loan first, grant the status after. "Of course, many of the intermediate steps are rather troublesome, and I can handle them on your behalf. However, I'll need a ten percent kickback from the cut. That's fair, isn't it?" Chen Zhuo sank into thought. Evidently, Counselor Yuan Mingde was using his position to package students for hefty loans and pocketing kickbacks from the proceeds. And from the look of things, Yuan Mingde had planned this from the very beginning. He had used the pretext of the 'tournament reserve' to scout for students willing to take out loans. In other words, whoever was willing to take the loan became the 'tournament reserve.' *Damn, that's corrupt as hell. Whatever happened to fair competition?* *Is the 'strongest junior college student' actually the 'strongest debt-ridden junior college student'?* And seeing how practiced he was... *Did he pull this on every single cohort?* "Teacher Yuan, could you grant me some time to consider it..." After a moment's contemplation, Chen Zhuo decided to look into the details first and see whether any real danger was involved. Chen Zhuo had no desire to end up breaking rocks in a prison quarry. He had a bright future ahead of him. Flipping waste pills back and forth yielded plenty of spirit stones, so there was no need to ruin himself for a bit of quick cash. "No rush, take your time to think it over." Counselor Yuan offered a faint smile and sat back in his chair with supreme ease, showing utter understanding toward Chen Zhuo. "I had the same doubts and worries back in the day. But our college has done this more than once. The loan is a legitimate bank loan with complete paperwork; the approval process is just handled with a bit of flexibility." Chen Zhuo nodded, adopting an earnest posture of seeking guidance, and asked, "Then Teacher, what about the tournament reserve spot?" "Wait, do you actually plan on competing in the tournament?" Counselor Yuan was taken aback before replying nonchalantly, "Though every department gets three spots, the college can only send five students to the official tournament. The vast majority of reserves are merely benchwarmers. The ones who actually compete are almost always from the Swordsmanship Department or the Body Cultivation Department. The three spots for our Elixir Appraisal Department, along with those from the neighboring Alchemy Department, Spirit Herb Department, and Pharmacy Department, are basically used to scam loa—*cough*, to assist with loan procurement." Hearing this, Chen Zhuo was instantly relieved. Still, out of caution, Chen Zhuo did not agree on the spot. Instead, he filled out the registration form and took his leave. On the way out, Chen Zhuo pulled out his spiritual communication jade slip and began barraging his contacts. He had three targets in mind. Yu Xia from the Talisman College. Senior Sister Si Jing, his pill supplier. And Liang Ningwan, who possessed an extraordinary family background. Senior Sister Si Jing was the first to reply. Si Jing: "You managed to snag one of the three spots? What kind of dumb luck is that?" Si Jing: "Oh, actually that makes sense. You reached the fourth layer of Qi Refining after only cultivating for half a year or so. If they didn't give it to you, they wouldn't be able to explain to the bank during the background check why someone else got it over you. Although everyone knows what's really going on, the Immortal Mansion hangs above us all, and one must still revere the Divine Monarchs." Si Jing: "Don't worry, the college leadership knows all about this. It's essentially a perk handed down to new teachers and counselors. You don't have to worry about Yuan Mingde setting you up." Seeing Senior Sister Si Jing's response, Chen Zhuo immediately understood. So it was genuine. The reason he had been picked was that he had been doping a bit too aggressively these past few days, causing his realm to soar too quickly. If they gave the spot to anyone else, the bank's background check would never pass. After all, the Immortal Mansion's administrative system was formed from the divine senses of several fallen Divine Monarchs. The Divine Monarchs' divine senses wouldn't cut anyone slack; they would only see that a top-ranked student had failed to receive this 'scholarship loan,' which was completely irrational. *Then what else is there to say? Borrow!*