Chapter 194: One Word Settles the Storm

During his twelfth life, although Li Fan's total net worth once exceeded a million contribution points, that was the result of years of diligent effort in Mingyue Palace.

It might not have been blood money, but it was hard-earned.

Unlike now, where he paid almost nothing. He just seized the opportunity to promote speculation, and in the blink of an eye, he pocketed 650,000 contribution points.

This huge sum came too easily, giving Li Fan an extremely illusory feeling.

Li Fan steadied himself slightly, looking at He Zhenghao and Jiao Xiuyuan, who were still caught in a frenzy of greed. His main body and Clone couldn't help but simultaneously speak out in warning.

"Stop, Fellow Daoist He!"

"Stop, Fellow Daoist Jiao!"

"You've already earned enough. It's not too late to stop now!"

Although the two were in different locations, their reactions were surprisingly consistent.

"Stop now? How is that possible?! This surge in lingwu grass has just begun!"

"The destruction of those cultivation sites indicates that a major player has truly entered the market! Three hundred contribution points are not the end, but the beginning! Fellow Daoist, do not ruin yourself!" He Zhenghao analyzed meticulously, dismissing Li Fan's suggestion.

"Not enough, not enough, still not enough! The business opportunity hasn't ended yet, wait a little longer!" Although Jiao Xiuyuan was a bit more rational, he was still driven by greed, wanting to earn even more.

Seeing the two in this state, Li Fan knew that they wouldn't listen to anyone's advice now.

"Good advice is wasted on those who are doomed."

"I wonder how many Cultivators will lose everything and have their Dao Hearts shattered after this."

Li Fan sighed inwardly.

The bursting of the lingwu grass price bubble came faster than Li Fan had imagined.

And it was beyond the expectations of most fanatical Cultivators.

As the price of lingwu grass soared, breaking through the 350 mark and seemingly about to exceed 400 points,

all the Cultivators who were scrambling to buy lingwu grass in front of the Tianxuan Mirror suddenly heard the tianxuan mirror's slightly mechanical and cold voice simultaneously in their minds.

"Due to the significant abnormal fluctuations in lingwu grass prices in recent days, to ensure the stable and harmonious development of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, the following announcement is made."

"Three months ago, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance discovered a sealed Grotto-Heaven. This Grotto-Heaven is vast, with extremely high Wood Attribute Spiritual Qi, and an abundance of various spiritual plants and herbs."

"According to rough estimates, the annual output of lingwu grass alone in this Grotto-Heaven is around ten million stalks."

"It can fully meet the various production and consumption needs within the Alliance."

…

The Cultivators no longer cared about what the tianxuan mirror said next.

Upon hearing that the annual output of lingwu grass was as high as ten million stalks, their expressions froze.

Then, an overwhelming fear instantly descended, occupying their minds.

Although there had been rumors that the Wood Attribute Grotto-Heaven had such a high output, and so on,

under the crazy surge of lingwu grass, no one was willing to believe this news.

They preferred to believe that it was a trick released by someone with ulterior motives to disrupt the market.

They were unwilling to believe the authenticity of the news.

However, it was different now.

Because the one announcing this news was the tianxuan mirror.

As the Foundation of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, the platform for all resource exchanges,

no one would doubt the words of the tianxuan mirror.

Therefore, after the tianxuan mirror's announcement was released, all Cultivators felt as if they had been struck by lightning.

Only one thought remained in their minds:

Run.

Run as fast as possible.

Lose as little as possible.

But…

All Cultivators knew that the price of lingwu grass had completely collapsed.

Everyone wanted to sell the lingwu grass in their hands.

And no one was willing to buy anymore.

The final straw that broke the camel's back was the tianxuan mirror directly providing a precise, unified buy-back price.

4 contribution points per stalk.

Cultivators wanted to activate their privilege to sell to the tianxuan mirror at the real-time price.

But they found that the tianxuan mirror refused to buy back.

Thus, Li Fan witnessed a scene that he would find unforgettable.

The price of lingwu grass plummeted like a waterfall.

The numbers changed rapidly, from three digits to two digits.

From two digits to one digit.

In just a dozen breaths, the price of lingwu grass dropped from nearly four hundred points to four points.

It instantly fell by ninety-nine percent.

In Thousand Mile Hall, Jiao Xiuyuan's face was blank, a distorted expression frozen on it.

"I, Jiao Xiuyuan, never do losing busine…"

After spitting out a few words with difficulty, cracks appeared on his body, and the aura of life rapidly disappeared.

In an instant, Jiao Xiuyuan transformed from a living person into a withered, dilapidated piece of wood.

It fell to the ground with a thud, breaking into several pieces.

"Fellow Daoist Jiao!" Li Fan couldn't help but "exclaim" and stepped forward to check.

"I… am… fine."

Jiao Xiuyuan's gritting voice came from under the Thousand Mile Hall counter.

Another complete Jiao Xiuyuan crawled out from a pile of sundries under the counter. A smile uglier than a cry appeared on his dark face.

"The business opportunity was clearly not over, yet the tianxuan mirror cut it short with a single word…"

"This time, I've lost terribly."

Li Fan also pretended to be distraught: "I advised Fellow Daoist to stop long ago, but you wouldn't listen."

"My thirty percent profit has also turned into a bubble."

"If I had cashed out at three hundred points, or even at two hundred points, it would have been an unimaginable profit…"

"Bang!"

Countless cracks appeared on the face of this newly emerged Jiao Xiuyuan again.

In an instant, it shattered into countless pieces.

"You… don't say anymore."

"Let me calm down first…"

Another Jiao Xiuyuan slowly crawled out from the sundries, as if his heart was bleeding, and said with a pained expression.

Seeing this, Li Fan seemed to come to his senses. His gaze shifted back and forth between the scattered wooden fragments on the ground and Jiao Xiuyuan, his face filled with shock: "Fellow Daoist Jiao, are you human?"

Changing the subject seemed to suit Jiao Xiuyuan's wishes.

He coughed and waved his hand: "Fellow Daoist, there's no need to panic. Of course, I am human. It's just that what I cultivate is the Ten Thousand Puppets Dao."

"Ten Thousand Puppets Dao?" Li Fan's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Could it be, could it be that all of Thousand Mile Hall in the Cultivation World are Fellow Daoist's Puppets?" Li Fan asked knowingly.

"Hehe, that's right. Business is tough, so of course, I have to manage everything myself. Hiring one more person means many more costs. Sometimes, spreading oneself too thin isn't necessarily a good thing!" Jiao Xiuyuan lay down on his back, speaking weakly.

"Like this time, just blowing up so many Puppets will cost…"

Before he finished speaking, this Puppet also exploded with a bang.

"Fellow Daoist, don't talk anymore. Let me be quiet for a bit first."

Jiao Xiuyuan's weak voice came from the bottom of the sundries.

A communication talisman flew in front of Li Fan.

"Let's talk later…"

Li Fan's Clone weighed the communication talisman in his hand and quietly walked out of Thousand Mile Hall.

Jiao Xiuyuan was not the only one who suffered a heavy blow.