The Bubble of Greed

"Smelled a business opportunity? What do you mean by that?" Li Fan asked, looking Jiao Xiuyuan up and down with keen interest. Jiao Xiuyuan wore a smug expression. "Just as some people can instinctively seek fortune and avoid disaster, I, Jiao Xiuyuan, have been able since childhood to effortlessly pick out the path to exorbitant profits from countless pieces of cluttered, useless information! It is instinct, and it is a gift—something others can only envy!" He glanced at Li Fan once more and said, "Just now, the instant Fellow Daoist began to walk away, an overwhelming sense of loss surged in my heart. "It was as if I watched a mountain of contribution points drift away with my own eyes; my heart was practically bleeding! "Therefore, I am certain that what Fellow Daoist said is true!" Jiao Xiuyuan concluded. Li Fan was rather surprised; he hadn't expected the man to truly possess such a talent. Yet, recalling his past encounters with Jiao Xiuyuan, Li Fan slowly nodded. "If so, what price are you prepared to offer, Fellow Daoist?" Jiao Xiuyuan pondered for a moment, then held up three fingers. "What does this mean? Three thousand contribution points?" Li Fan looked at it for a moment, unable to understand what it signified, and asked in puzzlement. Jiao Xiuyuan said in a deep voice, "Thirty percent. Thirty percent of all profits generated by this piece of information." Li Fan narrowed his eyes, somewhat incredulous. "So generous?" Jiao Xiuyuan smiled. "After all, Fellow Daoist is not a merchant. You do not understand the true value of a piece of opportune information far ahead of its time. "Under specific circumstances, a single piece of news can yield a hundredfold or thousandfold profit. "If paying a mere thirty percent allows me to reap hundreds or thousands of times in return, why wouldn't I do it?" Jiao Xiuyuan's eyes brimmed with shrewdness. Li Fan couldn't help clapping his hands. "Well said, Fellow Daoist. But words alone are no guarantee. How can I be sure you won't turn around and go back on your word when the time comes?" Jiao Xiuyuan chuckled scornfully. "It seems Fellow Daoist truly knows little of commerce. In business, there are naturally the rules of business." From who-knew-where, he produced a sheet of glittering golden foil paper. Using his finger as a brush, he quickly wrote down the terms of the agreement upon it. After showing it to Li Fan for confirmation, he signed his own name without hesitation. "Fellow Daoist, please!" He handed the foil paper to Li Fan. Li Fan read it carefully once more, then finally wrote down the name of his clone: Lin Fan. The golden foil instantly divided into three parts. Two flew toward Jiao Xiuyuan and Li Fan, while the third soared into the sky, heading off to parts unknown. A moment later, Li Fan felt an inexplicable force descend upon the clone. This power bound and restricted the clone, compelling him to carry out the terms agreed upon the golden foil. It was as though it had become his own will, leaving no room for second thoughts. Instead, he would proactively fulfill the agreement. "A power that alters mental cognition..." Sensing this strange shift within his mind, the clone was startled. Immediately checking, Li Fan found that his true body inside the Heavenly Profound Mirror remained completely unaffected. *The Stealing Heaven Changing Sun Art is truly miraculous,* Li Fan praised silently, breathing a sigh of relief. Over on the clone's side, compelled by the power of the golden foil, he immediately spoke up to reveal the news that the Spirit Mist Grass island had likely been attacked by the abnormal beast dragon whale, and that all the Spirit Mist Grass on the island had been destroyed. "The Spirit Mist Grass island was destroyed?" Hearing this, Jiao Xiuyuan's eyes turned immensely greedy. "Wait a moment, Fellow Daoist. Let me look into this!" With that, he closed his eyes. After a long while, he snapped his eyes open. "The news is accurate!" He paced back and forth in excitement. "Lingwu Island in the Congyun Sea is one of the largest cultivation sites for Spirit Mist Grass. At least one-fifth of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals' Spirit Mist Grass comes from there. "Now that all the Spirit Mist Grass on the island is destroyed, its price is bound to skyrocket in the short term. "Along with it, the prices of derivative products like Form-Concealing Talismans will also surge." Suddenly, he paused in his tracks, frowning slightly. "However, it is only something used from Foundation Establishment to the Golden Core stage, and other places cultivate it as well. Even if the price rises, increasing by half at most would be about the limit. "Compared to the business opportunity I dimly sensed, that falls far too short. "Where on earth is the problem?" He pondered for a long time without finding an answer. Jiao Xiuyuan instantly grew somewhat irritable. An unsettling aura began to emanate from him. Listening to Jiao Xiuyuan's muttering, Li Fan was also lost in thought. The various anecdotes he had heard before transmigrating; the small circle around He Zhenghao rubbing their hands in anticipation, planning to make a killing from this opportunity; how the rise in Spirit Mist Grass's price would immediately prompt a crowd to jump on the bandwagon... The various clues strung together into a single thread, and Li Fan understood at once. He patted Jiao Xiuyuan on the shoulder and said in a low voice, "This business opportunity does not lie in the Spirit Mist Grass—it lies in people!" Jiao Xiuyuan froze slightly, his eyes momentarily clouded with confusion. Then he snapped to full alertness in an instant and rejoiced, "Fellow Daoist's words have truly awakened me from my dream! Exactly! Reaping dozens of times in profit lies in people, not in grass!" While enlightening Jiao Xiuyuan, Li Fan's true body also began buying Spirit Mist Grass in the Heavenly Profound Mirror. Unfortunately, after various expenses, his true body had only a little over two thousand contribution points left, which was barely better than nothing. At this moment, Jiao Xiuyuan's demeanor changed completely. Gone was his previous wretched air; in its place was an inexplicable dominance. "To profit off people, I must be the house. "As the saying goes, one cannot trap a wolf without offering up the bait." Without any apparent movement on his part, Li Fan saw the price of Spirit Mist Grass begin to soar at a speed visible to the naked eye just moments later. 19, 20, 21... In an instant, the price of Spirit Mist Grass skyrocketed to 22 points. *Thousand Li Hall across the entire cultivation world...* Li Fan's eyelids twitched. This Jiao Xiuyuan truly hadn't been boasting. And at this moment, Jiao Xiuyuan's moves had only just begun. "Now that I am the house, it is time to invite our esteemed guests to take their seats." He let out a low laugh. Then, as if falling into a deep slumber, he remained motionless. For a time, Thousand Li Hall fell into silence. Li Fan, however, knew what he was doing. Jiao Xiuyuan was undoubtedly using his countless puppets spread across the cultivation world to disseminate the news of the Spirit Mist Grass island's destruction with all his might. It would take time for the matter to ferment; all he had to do was wait patiently. Right then, He Zhenghao's utterly thrilled transmission arrived belatedly. "Fellow Daoist Li Fan! Do you still remember when I told you I would take you along to make a fortune?! "Now the chance is here! "I've received definite news that the island cultivating Spirit Mist Grass was attacked by an abnormal beast, and all the Spirit Mist Grass on the island was destroyed! "The price of Spirit Mist Grass is certain to surge! "If you don't believe me, look—in just a short while, it has already jumped from 18 to 22 points! "But that doesn't matter, it will definitely keep climbing! "An opportunity not to be missed—make your move quickly, Fellow Daoist!" A cryptic smile touched the corners of Li Fan's lips, and he swiftly replied, "Many thanks, Fellow Daoist He. I have already bought in with everything I have." ... When a bubble descends, everyone understands that it will burst at the slightest prick. Yet in the face of colossal profits, everyone loses their senses and throws caution to the wind. As Jiao Xiuyuan's countless puppets began to flex their power, a piece of news started spreading through the cultivation world. Spreading wider and farther, it gradually became known to all. The price of Spirit Mist Grass was going to rise. And so, the bubble began its first expansion.