Chapter 167: Guiding Wind Hall

"If no one pursues this matter, it's fine. I'm just afraid that someone with ulterior motives will use this as an excuse to scheme against me. That would truly be big trouble!" He ZhengHao's face grew darker the more he thought about it.

"There's no need to worry, fellow Daoist He," Li Fan consoled him. "At most, I think it will just be a topic of casual conversation. If someone truly wanted to plot against you using this, why would they speak of it so lightly? They would surely take it directly to the higher-ups of the Myriad Immortals Alliance."

"However, to be safe," Li Fan added, "it's best if you don't do such things again in the future, fellow Daoist."

He ZhengHao sighed and nodded.

Immediately after, Li Fan feigned intense curiosity: "Since you know that helping mortals smuggle is quite risky, why did you insist on doing it before? Could it be that the profits were so high they made you disregard life and death?"

He ZhengHao gave a wry smile: "High profits? What high profits? From one small world, one trip every ten years only yields two or three thousand contribution points. It's just a matter of accumulating small amounts over time."

Li Fan pretended to be astonished: "Are you really that short on contribution points, fellow Daoist? Do you need to be greedy for such a small amount?"

He ZhengHao's old face flushed: "Who would ever say no to more contribution points? Besides, I have my own unavoidable difficulties."

Thereupon, He ZhengHao explained the pros and cons of his current cultivation method and his intention to switch to a Nascent Soul cultivation method.

Li Fan listened and shook his head, tutting: "Cultivating for over a hundred years and only reaching the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment—this cultivation method is indeed not very good. It's better not to cultivate it!"

"Fellow Daoist He, breaking off ties with your current method midway, though costly, is clearly worth it!"

"I support you!"

"How many more contribution points do you need to exchange for that Nascent Soul True Art, fellow Daoist?"

He ZhengHao shook his head with a sigh: "The cultivation method I want to exchange for is quite extraordinary. Not only does it require 250,000 contribution points, but my authority level also needs to reach a certain rank to even find and exchange it."

"My authority level is almost there now, but accumulating the contribution points is still a long way off. I still need about a hundred thousand more points."

Li Fan nodded at his words, but thought to himself, "So, the list of cultivation methods I usually see in the Celestial Mirror is still incomplete."

"A hundred thousand contribution points truly is an astronomical figure. In the little over a month since I joined the Myriad Immortals Alliance, I've only just realized how difficult it is to accumulate contribution points. I heard that 'Setting Fish' was a chance to get rich overnight, so I tried my luck. Sigh..." Li Fan sighed, looking dejected.

"'Setting Fish'? Heh, I used to be quite obsessed with it a long time ago. But I haven't played in ages."

He ZhengHao said sternly: "Take my advice: it's best to touch that thing less. You and I simply don't have the foresight or the luck for it! Going there is just throwing money away for nothing!"

Li Fan wholeheartedly agreed: "What you say is absolutely true, fellow Daoist."

Immediately after, Li Fan changed the subject, revealing his true intention: "After much thought, I believe the investment method you mentioned to me earlier is more suitable for me..."

He ZhengHao looked pleased: "Heh heh, fellow Daoist, for you to realize this so quickly, your foresight is indeed good. Unlike me, who wasted half my life before finally finding such a stable way to earn money."

"Don't worry, next time there's a big opportunity to profit, I definitely won't forget you, fellow Daoist!"

Li Fan, however, directly stated: "No need to wait for 'next time'. There's an opportunity to make a lot of money right now!"

"Oh? Is that so?" He ZhengHao subtly sensed something was amiss, his expression changing. Nevertheless, he asked.

"Heh heh, to be frank, fellow Daoist. Ever since you mentioned this investment method to me last time, I've often researched it myself in my free time. After a month, I feel like I've already grasped the trick. To profit from price fluctuations, Spirit Mist Grass is still the most convenient."

"Its price usually fluctuates between 18 and 22 contribution points per stalk. If I just buy a large quantity of Spirit Mist Grass when it's at 18 contribution points and sell it all when it's at 22 contribution points, wouldn't I easily make a huge profit?" Li Fan spoke confidently and eloquently.

"Uh... that's true in principle." He ZhengHao, hearing Li Fan's words, couldn't find any flaws and could only nod in agreement.

Li Fan suddenly clapped his hands: "Then now is the best time to buy! For some reason, the price of Spirit Mist Grass has been slowly falling recently. It has now dropped to 18 contribution points! Isn't that precisely the lowest price? If we don't buy now, when will we?"

He ZhengHao's heart stirred upon hearing Li Fan's words: "That makes sense!"

He immediately pulled out a small Celestial Mirror from somewhere. After a light tap, the price of Spirit Mist Grass appeared.

"It really has dropped to 18 contribution points!" he exclaimed with surprise.

He then praised Li Fan: "Your business acumen is truly sharp, fellow Daoist!"

"Wait! How did it drop to 18!?" Suddenly, He ZhengHao reacted, his face changing drastically.

"I bought it at 18 contribution points back then and never sold it. Has it dropped back down again?"

Li Fan quickly said: "Oh, there's no need to panic, fellow Daoist. As they say, when things reach an extreme, they reverse. The price of Spirit Mist Grass has been falling, and it has reached its limit. Next, it will surely rebound. Perhaps it might even jump to 23 points. With the price so low now, it's the perfect opportunity for us to increase our holdings!"

"You're right! You're right! Increase holdings, we must increase holdings!" He ZhengHao was deeply convinced.

"Alas, it's a pity that most of my contribution points were lost in 'Setting Fish'. I wonder, fellow Daoist He, if you could lend..."

Before Li Fan could finish, He ZhengHao repeatedly shook his head: "No, no. As you saw last time, I only have a little over a thousand usable contribution points left. I really don't have any extra to lend you."

Li Fan's face showed regret: "If I miss this huge opportunity to make money, I'd be quite unwilling!"

He ZhengHao looked at Li Fan, seemingly wanting to say something, but he hesitated.

Li Fan, however, saw right through him and exclaimed happily: "Do you have something to tell me, fellow Daoist?"

He ZhengHao still didn't speak.

Li Fan said solemnly: "If you can help me out this time, fellow Daoist, I will surely repay you handsomely in the future."

"I have a premonition that I'm not far from reaching Foundation Establishment Completion and will soon need to prepare for Core Formation."

"Gathering cultivation methods is urgent. If I miss this opportunity, who knows how much longer I'll have to toil!"

Perhaps Li Fan's last two sentences convinced He ZhengHao.

After a moment of hesitation, he finally took out a dark green jade token and handed it to Li Fan.

He whispered: "If you truly want to take this chance, you can take this token to the outermost part of Myriad Immortals Island and find a shop called 'Clear Wind Hall'."

"Once inside, don't say anything, just present this token."

"If anyone asks, just say I introduced you."

"Clear Wind Hall appears to be a shop selling various sundries, but it secretly provides loans of contribution points, cultivation methods, and various other resources."

Li Fan listened to He ZhengHao's words, a slight smile forming in his heart.

This is it.