To better manipulate prices and reap profits, Tantai Can and his cohort had dumped nearly half their Puxian True Leaf onto the market, creating the illusion of active circulation. This lured unsuspecting cultivators to take the bait, setting them up for slaughter.
Yet now, the very Puxian True Leaves that had once brought them fortune had turned into a death warrant.
Almost the instant cultivators began snapping up the leaves in a frenzy, Tantai Can realized just how dire their predicament would become if they did not take immediate action!
Without hesitation, Tantai Can decisively ordered them to buy back Puxian True Leaf at all costs.
Driven by this frantic buyback, the rate at which the price soared soon reached a point that baffled ordinary cultivators.
In the blink of an eye, it skyrocketed from just over three hundred points to four hundred, and showed no sign of stopping.
This utterly bizarre phenomenon left the onlookers dumbfounded.
"Something is strange!" The thought crossed everyone's mind.
"Could this Puxian True Leaf have some hidden purpose no one knows about?"
Amid wild speculation, the cultivators who had already bought in secretly congratulated themselves, watching with immense excitement as the price continued to surge.
Meanwhile, those who had previously insisted that Li Fan's prophecy was nothing but a scam—though still harboring doubts—could not sit still as they saw the people around them striking it rich in an instant. Swept up in the fervor, they too joined the rush to buy.
Watching the madness unfold, Tantai Can and his associates turned pale.
If this went on, years of accumulated wealth would be wiped out in one fell swoop!
"Daoist Tantai..."
Tantai Can waved his hand. "We have no choice but to take the loss this time! Keep buying!"
"As long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn. So long as we weather this crisis..."
A sinister look flitted across his handsome face.
Hearing this, the others could only grit their teeth and continue competing with the cultivators, who were bordering on mania.
Time trickled by. Their contribution points flowed out like water, yet the deficit they had incurred was far too immense.
It was like a bottomless pit that could never be filled.
Even with their considerable personal fortunes, their funds were slowly stretched to the limit.
Seeing that Tantai Can had yet to speak up or change his mind, however, they wiped the cold sweat from their brows and continued to buy back the leaves with bated breath.
The tension grew so thick it seemed ready to freeze the air solid.
Right at that moment, Tantai Can retrieved a flashing communication talisman. After checking its contents, his expression eased slightly.
After sending a reply, he regained his composure, once more looking calm and collected.
Seeing this, the others assumed a turning point had arrived and breathed a sigh of relief as well.
At the same time.
Inside Thousand Li Hall in the Congyun Sea.
Having seized the initiative during the earlier buying spree, Li Fan and Jiao Xiuyuan had long since acquired large quantities of Puxian True Leaf at rock-bottom prices.
Now, they wore bright smiles as they watched the price surge skyward.
At the same time, adhering to the principle of locking in profits while he could, Li Fan prudently offloaded a portion of his Puxian True Leaf first.
Under Li Fan's urging, Jiao Xiuyuan gradually sold off a few as well.
As the two were discussing their next move, Jiao Xiuyuan's expression suddenly froze.
A moment later, he smiled at Li Fan and said, "Tantai Can had someone pass along a message. Care to hear it?"
"No harm in hearing it," Li Fan replied calmly.
"Ahem..."
Jiao Xiuyuan altered his voice, mimicking the tone to perfection: "'Brother Jiao, leave a line of leeway in all things so we may meet on good terms in the future. How about doing me a favor this time?'"
Li Fan let out a slight sneer.
Yet he did not rush to take a stance, asking Jiao Xiuyuan first, "Brother Jiao, what do you think?"
Jiao Xiuyuan gave a grim chuckle. "A mere junior of the Tantai clan dares talk about face in front of me? Perhaps if his clan's ancestor came in person!"
Li Fan's heart stirred, but he did not pry. Clapping his hands, he praised, "Daoist Jiao is truly imposing!"
Then, changing the subject, Li Fan remarked, "However, there's no harm in agreeing to their request!"
This came entirely out of left field for Jiao Xiuyuan.
Jiao Xiuyuan paused, looking Li Fan up and down. "You don't strike me as someone soft-hearted. Why the sudden burst of charity?"
"Far from it, far from it!" Li Fan shook his head. "It is merely to make another fortune!"
The mention of business instantly piqued Jiao Xiuyuan's interest. He hurriedly asked, "How so?"
"In my earlier divination, I didn't merely see the price of Puxian True Leaf skyrocket. I also foresaw that the fallout from this incident would be too vast, eventually forcing Alliance officials to intervene and put an end to the turmoil," Li Fan said unhurriedly.
"What's more, we won't have to wait long."
"Oh? You mean the price of Puxian True Leaf will soon plummet back down?" Jiao Xiuyuan caught on immediately.
"Yes, but the exact timing cannot be pinpointed with certainty—it could well be at the very next moment. If we haven't offloaded all the Puxian True Leaf in our hands before the Alliance steps in, the surplus could end up rotting in our inventory once the price collapses.
"Instead, it would be far better to negotiate an agreeable price with Tantai Can and his cohort before that happens and sell them our entire stock in one bundle.
"Not only does it reduce our risk, but it also lands us a hefty profit—and puts Tantai Can in our debt."
Li Fan laid out his reasoning smoothly.
Jiao Xiuyuan's eyes lit up, and he burst into hearty laughter. "Fellow Daoist Li Fan, you truly are a natural genius at business!
"We'll do as you say!"
With that, he closed his eyes, clearly impatient to reply to Tantai Can.
Li Fan, meanwhile, stared at the ever-shifting numbers on his Lesser Heavenly Profound Mirror, calculating how best to handle the repercussions that this upheaval would bring.
A few hours later, Jiao Xiuyuan roused from his petrified state.
"It's done. Tantai Can's side will take all the Puxian True Leaf in our hands at a flat rate of 1,300 contribution points per stalk.
"On top of that, he promised to fulfill three requests of ours within his power.
"Seeing that he had truly reached the limit of what he could stomach, I took the liberty of finalizing the contract with him," Jiao Xiuyuan explained.
"No matter, it is a minor detail," Li Fan replied with complete indifference. At the same time, he handed his stock of Puxian True Leaf over to Jiao Xiuyuan so he could complete the transaction.
Li Fan glanced at the price of Puxian True Leaf on the Heavenly Profound Mirror.
930 points per stalk, and it was still climbing, showing no sign of falling.
*On the surface, Tantai Can and his group still made a profit. But...*
Li Fan sneered inwardly, waiting for the Heavenly Profound Mirror to deliver the final verdict.
Not long after Jiao Xiuyuan sent word that the deal was completed, a familiar, cold, and mechanical voice rang out in the minds of every cultivator standing before a Heavenly Profound Mirror across the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals.
Just as Li Fan had heard in his previous life.
"Due to substantial and abnormal fluctuations in the price of Puxian True Leaf over recent days, and in order to ensure the stable and harmonious development of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, the following announcement is hereby made:"
Chapter 458