On Wanxian Island, the abnormal price fluctuations of Spirit Mist Grass had long caused a massive uproar.
With just a little inquiry, Li Fan understood what had happened.
Unsurprisingly, someone had laid a trap to ruthlessly fleece cultivators like He Zhenghao who had hoped to profit off the crisis.
The destruction of the island where the grass was cultivated was genuine. Once that news was verified, many cultivators had decisively entered the market, eager to make a fortune.
What they did not know was that the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals had recently discovered a grotto-heaven that had been sealed for a millennium.
It was said to be rich in wood-attribute spiritual energy and overgrown with all kinds of rare spirit plants.
As for Spirit Mist Grass, it covered the ground like weeds.
A single step could trample several stalks to death.
Previously, only the alliance's upper echelons knew about this.
It was only when traders in the market were practically tearing each other's throats out over Spirit Mist Grass that the news was abruptly released.
No wonder the price had plummeted overnight.
"It seems Friend He won't be making his capital back anytime soon," Li Fan said with a faint chuckle, shaking his head with mock pity.
"Still, that grandmaster's methods were rather underhanded."
Li Fan checked the transaction logs in the Heavenly Profound Mirror.
True Sovereign Qingmu Huasheng.
It was this very person who had driven up the price of Spirit Mist Grass at the start. Then, as the bulls and bears were fiercely locked in battle, he delivered the final, fatal blow, aggressively crashing the market.
*Clearly an insider crook who knew the news all along,*
Li Fan remarked inwardly.
Still, when a Nascent Soul True Sovereign made a move, those who suffered losses would never dare cause trouble for him.
They could only swallow their broken teeth with their own blood and chalk it up to bad luck.
Li Fan even maliciously suspected that the island where the grass grew might have been destroyed in secret by this very True Sovereign.
"The market truly is treacherous." Li Fan shook his head.
Just as Li Fan was reveling in schadenfreude, a message arrived from He Zhenghao.
"Friend, I've sold all the goods we acquired on our trip to the Li Realm." He Zhenghao's voice sounded thoroughly depleted of vitality, as if all his strength had been sucked out of him.
"The total came to 2,342 contribution points. In accordance with our prior agreement, we'll split it evenly, half and half."
Though He Zhenghao had suffered devastating losses in his speculative gamble, he did not embezzle Li Fan's rightful share.
After receiving the 1,171 points from He Zhenghao, together with his remaining 125, Li Fan's total contribution points reached 1,296. It was barely enough to get by for a while.
After a moment's thought, Li Fan decided against entering seclusion immediately. Instead, he searched for information regarding Jiao Xiuyuan.
He had previously heard that this person could obtain large batches of Form-Concealing Talismans from the alliance's Talisman Hall, which meant he clearly had good connections. Li Fan could take the opportunity to buy a few talismans and see if he could pry any information out of him regarding Sikong Yi.
From its center to its perimeter, Wanxian Island was divided into three main zones.
The innermost core held the official buildings of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals.
These included the Council Hall, the Martial Hall, the Medicine Hall, the Talisman Hall, and others.
The middle zone consisted of carved-out cave abodes. If one possessed enough contribution points, one could purchase one here,
sparing themselves from being cramped inside the tiny space allocated by the Heavenly Profound Mirror.
These cave abodes were fully furnished and equipped; whatever could be done inside the mirror's space could also be done within a cave abode.
The outermost periphery was a mixture of commercial and residential areas.
The Dharma Transmission Plaza and the Heavenly Profound Mirror were situated right at the boundary between this outer ring and the central cave abode area.
Residences here provided only the barest accommodations. There was no spiritual energy amplification, nor could one connect to the Heavenly Profound Mirror from inside. To cultivate, one still had to return to the mirror's allocated space.
As for the commercial district, it consisted of independent shops run by cultivators outside the mirror's official trading system.
Goods in these shops were generally cheaper than those listed in the Heavenly Profound Mirror, but their quality was equally unguaranteed.
Jiao Xiuyuan ran a shop in this very district.
Following the directions he had retrieved from the mirror, Li Fan arrived at the location.
Thousand Li Hall.
Looking up at the slightly crooked sign, Li Fan stepped inside.
The shop was not large, and the floor was cluttered with junk. From within came the faint, agitated sound of a man's voice.
"I'm telling you, these ten Form-Concealing Talismans must be traded at the price we agreed upon earlier! I don't care how far the market has crashed now..."
"What? You're canceling the deal? You're even forfeiting the deposit?!"
*Bang!*
"Dammit! Another one! Does everyone think Jiao Xiuyuan is a pushover?!" A dark-skinned man with an unshaven beard slammed the table and roared in fury.
Almost immediately, his posture slumped, and he muttered despondently under his breath, "Ruined, completely ruined... I, Jiao Xiuyuan, have never run a losing business in my life. Who would've thought I'd end up stuck with such a massive pile of Form-Concealing Talismans on my hands..."
Only then did he notice a customer entering the shop.
The customer's features were obscured, clearly concealed by a talisman.
Having seen plenty of such people, Jiao Xiuyuan paid it no mind.
"Looking for anything in particular? Formations, talismans, magical instruments, pills—we've got it all! Bulk discounts available!" he called out listlessly.
"How much for a Form-Concealing Talisman?" the visitor asked.
Jiao Xiuyuan's eyes lit up, his spirit instantly revived.
"Ten contribution points apiece! How many do you need? If you buy more than ten, I'll give you twenty percent off. Over a hundred, and you get fifty percent off!"
Li Fan chuckled. "Why would I need that many for no reason? Five or six will do."
Pausing, Li Fan added, "Besides, your price isn't right, is it? Before coming here, I bought one in the Heavenly Profound Mirror. A Form-Concealing Talisman capable of shielding against a Golden Core cultivator's gaze costs only twenty points right now. And you're charging this much for defective goods?"
Jiao Xiuyuan's face twitched. He quickly adjusted his pitch. "Eight points each, and not a sliver lower! You have to realize that crafting talismans incurs costs too!"
"Fine. Give me six." Li Fan did not haggle further.
Fearing that Li Fan might change his mind, Jiao Xiuyuan hurriedly retrieved six Form-Concealing Talismans.
"How would you like to pay?"
The Heavenly Profound Mirror did not support anonymous transfers; paying directly with contribution points would inevitably expose their identities.
However, Li Fan had come prepared.
"Spirit stones." With that, he drew five medium-grade spirit stones from his storage ring and handed them over.
Standard spirit stones were minted through the joint cooperation of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals and the Five Elders Association. Categorized by grade, they served as the cultivation world's legal tender, bearing unique anti-counterfeiting restrictions.
The exchange ratio between supreme-grade, high-grade, medium-grade, and low-grade spirit stones was uniformly ten to one.
Within the alliance, a single low-grade spirit stone could be exchanged in the Heavenly Profound Mirror for one contribution point at par value.
The five medium-grade spirit stones Li Fan presented were equivalent to fifty contribution points.
"Keep the change."
Li Fan put away the talismans and asked casually, "Do you take jobs gathering intelligence on cultivators?"
Jiao Xiuyuan's guard went up immediately.
He scrutinized Li Fan for a long moment before gritting his teeth. "I do! Why wouldn't I? I've lost my shirt on merchandise; if I don't take on some side jobs, I won't even be able to get by!"
"What's the name, and what's the cultivation?" Jiao Xiuyuan asked in a lowered voice.
"Sikong Yi. Middle Qi Condensation stage."
Chapter 74