Song Miaozhu read the contract carefully. It was a cooperation agreement between an Elite Master and the SEIU.
All obligations expected of Elite Masters, as well as the SEIU's preferential policies for them, were clearly laid out, matching exactly what Zhao Huoyan had just explained. There were two identical copies, but what stood out was that both sheets emitted a faint spiritual glow. They were made of spiritual paper.
"You all use spiritual paper for contracts now?" Song Miaozhu asked.
She had stockpiled a lot of spiritual paper, but still used regular paper for practicing the Secret Art of Paper Crafting.
"This isn't just any contract," Zhao Huoyan said as he flipped the paper over and pointed to a red symbol on the back.
"This is a spiritual contract stamped with the Xiezhi Seal. If either party violates the terms, the Xiezhi Seal will burn the contract and alert the other side.
Elite Masters are key cultivation targets of the SEIU, and they have access to high-priority spirit items. If one were to go astray, it could cause serious harm to society. So the spiritual contract is also a protective measure."
On the red beast-head seal, Song Miaozhu could see a flickering spiritual light.
It confirmed her suspicion. The SEIU definitely had access to spiritual items that were not publicly sold. She had never seen this Xiezhi Seal available in the SEIU's contribution mall.
She could understand their concern, but this also meant that if someone tried to come after her, she couldn't just curse them to death like she had with Geng Qiushan or those kidnappers.
Wait, or could she?
She looked again at one clause in the contract: "Elite Masters may not use spiritual items without cause to harm the nation or the people, except when acting in self-defense to protect their own life and property."
"Team Leader Zhao," she asked, "does this mean that using spiritual items to defend myself won't be considered a breach of contract?"
"Exactly," Zhao Huoyan replied. "But if you're in danger, it's still best to contact the SEIU immediately. Your safety is part of our responsibility. In emergencies, you have the right to defend yourself, even with excessive force if needed. Every Elite Master holds at least one high-priority spiritual item. Losing any of you would be a great loss to us.
However, if anyone uses spiritual items recklessly to harm others, the SEIU will deal with them strictly."
With that, Song Miaozhu's last hesitation disappeared. She had always learned powerful arts purely to protect herself. If no one messed with her, she had no reason to stir up trouble.
She signed her name.
The moment she did, she felt a faint force settle over her.
It was a light restriction, easy to break free from, but it was tied to the contract. If she did break it, the contract would be destroyed.
"Please keep this copy," Zhao Huoyan said. "If the SEIU ever breaches the contract, you'll be notified immediately."
He only took one of the contracts with him and left the other with her. Satisfied with the agreement, Zhao Huoyan left Xiaozhu Mountain, reminding her to check the SEIU app the next day. The following morning, after finishing her mountain training, Song Miaozhu opened the app.
Two new features had appeared on her account: the Elite Masters Forum and the High-Priority Spirit Item Vault.
In the forum, the SEIU Headquarters account was the most active. Some of the information from the public forum was mirrored here, but there was also a lot that had never been made public. As she browsed, she spotted several reports and documents that immediately piqued her interest:
"Statistical Report on Spiritual Power Nurturing Cycles"
"Trial Guidelines for Measuring Spiritual Power"
"Trial Categorization and Ranking of Spiritual Items"
"How to Judge a Cultivator's Level Based on the Glow Between Their Brows"
But before she could dig in, one new post grabbed her full attention.
[SEIU Headquarters: Announcement! Welcome Master Song Miaozhu and her Bowl-Holding Paper Servants to the Elite Masters Family! [Image]]
[Le Pengkun]:Welcome! (≧▽≦)/
[Yu Lichuan]:Welcome, Master Song! Now we finally have enough people for a dinner gathering. When can we all meet up? (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧
[Yin Chunan]:@Yu Lichuan, you're out of Peace Talismans again. Instead of eating out, maybe focus on crafting a few more (¬_¬ )
[Zhang Yunxi]:Finally, a young person joins! Welcome! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ:･ﾟ✧*
[He Zhen]:It's rare for someone so young to craft a high-priority spirit item this early. Master Song is truly gifted!
[Xie Wushuang]: Waiting in line for the release. Guess what number I got? ( ̀⌣ ́)☞ Ha! Number 695! [Image] Check out #SpiritVault_BowlPaperServants# to see item details.
[Yuan Liben]:I'm 696. These Bowl-Holding Paper Servants came at the perfect time. Master Song must be quite strong already (｀・ω・´)
[Gong Anyan]: Darn it! You're all too fast. I ended up at 700 (╥_╥)
[Wu Qingfeng]:I bet the people ahead in line are all regional SEIU teams. You rarely see so many lining up for a spiritual item. Wonder how many they're each buying. Maybe we should just ask Master Song to sell us a couple privately (¬‿¬)
[Zhang Yunxi]:Hehe~ I've got Master Song's contact info~
Just as she saw that message, a green bubble popped up.
[Zhang Yunxi]:Miaozhu, please sell me one Bowl-Holding Paper Servant privately! I'm begging you!
[Miaow Zhu]:Sure! I'll have the Spirit Kite deliver an empty spirit-infused jade bead to you. Just charge it with some spiritual power.
After sending the message, Song Miaozhu dispatched the Spirit Kite with an empty bead to Xiangcheng Not long after, a video request popped up from the same green bubble.
"Miaozhu! Did you send this paper bird?" Zhang Yunxi's excited face appeared on screen.
"Yep. That's the Spirit Kite. It can travel through space to deliver items. I'll list it on the contribution mall soon," she replied.
"I want to buy one right now!" Zhang Yunxi said.
She had no shortage of contribution points.
"Sure," Song Miaozhu said. Once the Spirit Kite returned with the filled jade bead, she bound both the Bowl-Holding Paper Servant and the Spirit Kite to Zhang Yunxi and sent them out again.
Moments later, she saw a brand-new post in the Elite Masters Forum.
[Zhang Yunxi]:Just received a new spiritual item, thanks to Master Miaozhu~ [Image]
Under the post, Song Miaozhu counted eight different masters asking for her contact info.
She had just asked Master Zhang and confirmed that, including herself, there were only ten Elite Masters in the SEIU. No wonder the forum posts barely had any likes or comments.