Chapter 452: Puxian's True Wonderful Use

What happened next was predictable.

Amidst the stampede caused by cultivators scrambling to escape, the price of Puxian True Leaves plummeted. After briefly surpassing the 1,000-point mark, it cascaded downward.

This spectacular sight left Jiao Xiuyuan continuously amazed.

"Fellow Daoist, your deduction techniques are truly miraculous!" Jiao Xiuyuan gloated. "If you hadn't warned me, I might have suffered the same fate as them. I can almost picture countless cultivators' Dao hearts shattering!"

In Tianshu State, Dantui Can and others, who had just completed their transactions and were secretly congratulating themselves on their good fortune, instantly looked incredibly dismayed upon hearing the announcement from the Heavenly Profound Mirror. They then watched as the Puxian True Leaves they had just repurchased at the exorbitant price of 1,300 points experienced a price collapse in an instant. Many cultivators couldn't withstand the shock, spitting out a mouthful of blood and fainting on the spot.

"Fellow Daoist Dantui!" The cultivators who were still conscious looked at Dantui Can with indignation and despair, hoping that this leader of the Dantui family could find a solution.

Dantui Can's face had turned ashen. From the very beginning, it seemed as if invisible giant hands were manipulating the entire event, and its developments caught him completely off guard. He even subconsciously believed that the entire affair might be a conspiracy against the Dantui family, and that Jiao Xiuyuan and the Tianji Sect cultivator Li Fan were likely just a smokescreen.

As potential targets flashed through his mind, Dantui Can was also actively strategizing a remedy. The losses from this back-and-forth transaction were simply too immense. Even with his increasingly stable position within the family over the years, he would likely face severe punishment. It was even possible that his brothers would use this as an excuse to attack him.

"No, I must at least recover some of the losses," Dantui Can gritted his teeth, and an idea sparked in his mind.

"Publicize our recent discovery!" he said gravely.

"What?" "No! Brother Dantui, calm down!" "We haven't reported this matter to the Immortal Alliance yet..." The others were all greatly astonished and panicked upon hearing this, urgently trying to dissuade him.

However, Dantui Can's mind was made up, and he had claimed most of the credit for discovering this secret. They had no choice but to cooperate. Through their respective means, they disseminated the information into the market.

Consequently, Li Fan and Jiao Xiuyuan, who were inventorying their gains on Myriad Immortals Island, suddenly noticed that the decline in Puxian True Leaves was slowly decelerating. Although the price was still falling gradually, the crash had subsided.

"Hmm? What's going on? The price of Puxian True Leaves is more resilient than expected," Li Fan said, glancing at Jiao Xiuyuan. Jiao Xiuyuan paused for a moment, then said with an unreadable expression, "News is spreading from somewhere that crafting artifacts from a large quantity of Puxian True Leaves can reduce the amount of lifespan consumed by the Soul-Devouring White Mist... And also, they can point the way within the vast, labyrinthine white mist." Jiao Xiuyuan narrowed his eyes, clearly learning about this for the first time as well.

Li Fan was startled: "Is that true or false?" "Judging by the market's reaction, it shouldn't be false," Jiao Xiuyuan said gravely. "It seems Dantui Can released this secret to minimize his losses. I never imagined Puxian True Leaves had such a use. Being able to resist the Soul-Devouring White Mist—this is something that could change the dynamics of the Xuanhuang Realm." He murmured, seemingly also quietly repurchasing Puxian True Leaves.

"So that's why its price was constantly rising in my previous life," Li Fan realized. Having spent several years in the Chizha Abyss, Li Fan was naturally well aware of the terrors of the Soul-Devouring White Mist. If he had known about the marvelous properties of Puxian True Leaves back then, the Heavenly Profound Spirit-Locking Array, built within the mist, wouldn't have been so arduous to construct.

"Moreover, with this item, one could even explore deeper into the labyrinthine domain..." "Yet, in my previous life, Dantui Can never revealed any information about this, not even until I had transformed into a spirit and the Heavenly Profound Spirit-Locking Array was fully constructed..."

This news was simply too shocking. For a moment, both Li Fan and Jiao Xiuyuan fell into their own thoughts, and the Qianli Hall became utterly silent.

"The Dantui family is quite interesting. To discover such crucial information and not report it immediately," Jiao Xiuyuan broke the silence a short while later. "What exactly is the background of this Dantui family?" Li Fan continued, picking up the conversation.

"The family head, Dantui Lianuo, is a Dao Integration Immortal Venerable and one of the three principal executives at the headquarters of the Myriad Immortals Alliance's Department of Governance," Jiao Xiuyuan explained to Li Fan. "Because of their low-key conduct, the Dantui family has always been unknown to outsiders. Only by reaching a certain level does one truly understand the terrifying influence of the Dantui family."

"However, the Department of Governance isn't solely controlled by the Dantui family. With such a significant blunder this time, he'll surely have to account for it," Jiao Xiuyuan's tone suddenly turned strange. "I don't think Dantui Can is a fool, so why did he make so many poor decisions this time? Logically, the importance of this matter could have helped the Dantui family solidify their standing. I can't believe he just threw it away for a mere trifle."

Li Fan pondered for a moment, then analyzed, "Perhaps this person isn't as foolish as he seems. After all, the Dantui family is the Dantui family, and Dantui Can is Dantui Can." Although seemingly a bit convoluted, Jiao Xiuyuan became thoughtful after hearing it.

After this, the two chatted for a while longer and agreed to collaborate again given another opportunity. Li Fan then quietly returned to the Heavenly Profound Mirror via a secret passage within the Qianli Hall, avoiding the throngs of cultivators outside, who were packed together and clamoring for an explanation.

Settling his thoughts, Li Fan began to tally his gains from this venture. He had acquired Puxian True Leaves for around 300-400 points, selling most of them to Dantui Can for about 1,300 points. A small portion was sold off midway. In total, his gains had roughly quadrupled, even after deducting the unexpected loss from purchasing Spirit Mist Grass earlier. Li Fan's net worth had surged from over 5 million contribution points to the astronomical sum of 18.6 million.

However, Li Fan was no longer the naive newcomer he once was in the cultivation world. Facing such a colossal amount of contribution points, he remained calm and composed, showing no change in expression. He simply opened the Heavenly Profound Mirror's shopping list with practiced ease, not only buying items needed for trade with the empire but also continuously selecting objects that might be useful for his future cultivation. Unfortunately, his current authorization level was still insufficient, making Li Fan lament having a treasure mountain he couldn't spend from.

His blissful days of lavish spending didn't last long. Soon, just as Li Fan had anticipated, a voice echoed from the Heavenly Profound Mirror, instructing him to immediately report to the Martial Arts Hall for an investigation into whether he had maliciously manipulated the market or undermined the stability of the Myriad Immortals Alliance.