Chapter 191: Without Capital, Infinite Profit

In the twelfth generation, True Lord Qingmu Huasheng, who had previously orchestrated the Spirit Mist Grass speculation, this time abandoned his role as market manipulator and entered the fray to pursue his own profits.

Many other behind-the-scenes players shared Qingmu's thinking. Driven by these individuals, the price of Spirit Mist Grass, after briefly stabilizing at 35 points, began its second surge.

The day after the event unfolded, the price soared to 50 points at one point. It then dropped to 45 points and fluctuated between 45 and 50 points. By this time, the fact that the price of Spirit Mist Grass had more than doubled in a short period became a hot topic among many cultivators. Their faces flushed with excitement, and in their discussions, they seemed to believe the price of Spirit Mist Grass would rise to at least one hundred points.

Gradually, many who were slow to react were inevitably drawn in. Many cultivators who had never even heard of Spirit Mist Grass before now began to take an interest and get involved.

Influenced by this, on the third day, the price of Spirit Mist Grass successfully broke the 50-point mark, soaring to 54 points.

Inside Qianli Hall on Myriad Immortal Island, Li Fan asked again, "Fellow Daoist Jiao, now should be a good time to act, shouldn't it?"

Jiao Xiuyuan's eyes were filled with greed. He shook his head abruptly. "No, no, no, this is just the beginning! Right now, this Spirit Mist Grass is still just Spirit Mist Grass. When Spirit Mist Grass is no longer just Spirit Mist Grass, that's when we'll truly make a huge profit! It's coming soon, I feel like we're just one step away!"

Meanwhile, He Zhenghao held an opinion identical to Jiao Xiuyuan's. "Fellow Daoist Li Fan, remember to hold onto your Spirit Mist Grass tightly. Don't believe what some people say about its price plummeting. Those are just messages intentionally spread by those who haven't entered the market yet, trying to drive the price down. Trust my judgment! Spirit Mist Grass will continue to rise!"

As if to confirm their words, over the next few days, the price of Spirit Mist Grass continued to rise amidst fluctuations, climbing all the way to 66 points.

Inside the Heavenly Profound Mirror, Li Fan shook his head. "It seems only a fuse is needed before true madness erupts. Of course, it could also be the bursting of the bubble."

Li Fan looked at the two thousand nine hundred stalks of Spirit Mist Grass he currently held and unhesitatingly chose to sell one thousand stalks first. At this point, Li Fan discovered another benefit of joining the Myriad Immortal Alliance system. Based on one's clearance level, a corresponding number of original-price buybacks were offered annually. Li Fan was currently at Derivation Level Five. He could sell materials at their actual market price in the Heavenly Profound Mirror three times a year. So, Li Fan sold the Spirit Mist Grass for 66 points of contribution. Sixty-six thousand points of contribution instantly flowed into his pocket.

Li Fan's heart remained calm as he continued to observe how this storm would unfold.

When the price of Spirit Mist Grass reached 69 points, its upward trend was finally curbed. Some who were initially fervent began to feel that the price of Spirit Mist Grass had indeed been inflated too much. They recognized the risk of a subsequent crash. Thus, like Li Fan, they chose to secure their profits. They even tried to speak out, advising their friends to remain rational. The price did fall slightly as a result, but it was quickly pulled back up by an even larger number of speculative cultivators. However, it never managed to break past the 69-point barrier. Buyers and sellers engaged in a fierce struggle here. The stalemate lasted for five or six days, with neither side gaining the upper hand.

Just as the standoff continued, events took an unexpected turn for Li Fan. The variable Jiao Xiuyuan had mentioned truly arrived.

That day, Jiao Xiuyuan and He Zhenghao's slightly crazed voices came simultaneously. "Hahaha, Fellow Daoist Li Fan, how's my foresight, He Zhenghao? The price of this Spirit Mist Grass is going to soar to the heavens! It's here! The business opportunity with dozens of times the profit has finally arrived!"

Li Fan was startled awake from his cultivation and glanced at the price of Spirit Mist Grass. At first glance, he thought he had misread it. One hundred thirty-five points of contribution per stalk. Li Fan paused, then looked again. One hundred sixty-six points of contribution per stalk. Moreover, this number was increasing at an incredibly rapid pace.

"How can this be?" Li Fan wondered, astonished. He quickly inquired.

Jiao Xiuyuan and He Zhenghao provided the answer, one after the other. Both their voices trembled with excitement. "Just now, news came in. Submerged Dragon Abyss, Phoenix Mist City, Vast Mountain... several major Spirit Mist Grass cultivation sites within the Myriad Immortal Alliance were simultaneously attacked by unknown cultivators. All the cultivated Spirit Mist Grass was destroyed. These people were deranged; they even completely destroyed the special environments within the cultivation sites that nurtured Spirit Mist Grass! This means that for a long time to come, no new Spirit Mist Grass will grow throughout the entire Myriad Immortal Alliance! These people... they truly dared..."

Li Fan fell silent, involuntarily. He couldn't help but recall that if there was 10 percent profit, capital would be ensured to be used everywhere; with 20 percent, it would become active; with 50 percent, it would become audacious; for 100 percent, it would trample all human laws; and with 300 percent, it would commit any crime, even at the risk of the gallows.

Even in a different world, this truth remained. What's more, the profits at stake now were far beyond three times. The news of the simultaneous attacks on the cultivation sites instantly ignited the price of Spirit Mist Grass. In just the time it takes an incense stick to burn, it soared from over 160 points to 212 points. And it continued to rise without any apparent ceiling.

Cultivators who had previously sold Spirit Mist Grass for over sixty points regretfully bought it back, almost in tears. Seeing the Spirit Mist Grass price poised for another surge, cultivators who already held Spirit Mist Grass but still had ample resources couldn't resist buying more. For a time, the price of Spirit Mist Grass in the Heavenly Profound Mirror began to soar inexplicably once more: two hundred fifty-five, two hundred eighty-two, two hundred ninety-nine... Soon, its price surpassed three hundred points.

At this point, most cultivators understood that the price of Spirit Mist Grass had completely become a bubble. But they were all gambling. They gambled that they could withdraw completely before the bubble burst, and incidentally earn contribution points they couldn't possibly accumulate in a lifetime of work. Human greed was fully laid bare.

This explosive surge, which could burst at any moment, also left Li Fan feeling astonished. A strong sense of unease suddenly surged within him, and at the price of 310 points, Li Fan unhesitatingly sold all the remaining 1,900 stalks of Spirit Mist Grass he held. It didn't even cause a ripple; it was instantly swallowed up by the irrational cultivators.

Five hundred eighty-nine thousand points of contribution. Adding the previous sixty-six thousand points, Li Fan looked at his total of six hundred fifty-five thousand contribution points as if in a dream.