Chapter 74: Not a Moment of Rest

On Ten Thousand Immortals Island, the abnormal price fluctuations of Spirit Mist Grass had already caused a huge uproar.

Li Fan learned the whole story with just a little inquiry.

As expected, someone had set a trap, ruthlessly harvesting Cultivators like He Zhenghao who wanted to take advantage of the situation.

The news about the island where Spirit Mist Grass was grown being destroyed was true, so after the information was confirmed, many people decisively jumped in, hoping to make a profit.

But what they didn't know was that the Myriad Immortals Alliance had recently discovered a sealed Immortal Cave that had been closed for a thousand years.

It was said that the cave was filled with abundant wood-attributed Spiritual Qi and covered with all kinds of rare spirit plants.

As for Spirit Mist Grass, it was everywhere.

You could trample several plants with a single step.

Previously, only the high-ranking members of the Myriad Immortals Alliance knew about this.

It wasn't until the market was in chaos over Spirit Mist Grass that the news was suddenly released.

No wonder the price of Spirit Mist Grass had plummeted later.

"It seems Fellow Daoist He has no chance of recovering his investment," Li Fan said with a regretful smile.

"But this big shot's actions are really not very ethical."

Li Fan checked the transaction records on the Tianxuan Mirror.

Azure Wood Transformation True Lord.

It was this person who first drove up the price of Spirit Mist Grass. Then, during the battle between bulls and bears, he delivered the final fatal blow, smashing the price of Spirit Mist Grass down hard.

Clearly, he was an insider who knew the news all along.

Li Fan silently complained in his heart.

However, since a Nascent Soul True Lord was behind it, those who suffered losses probably wouldn't dare to cause him trouble.

They could only swallow their teeth and blood, resigning themselves to bad luck.

Li Fan couldn't help but maliciously speculate that the island where the Spirit Mist Grass was grown might have been secretly destroyed by this Nascent Soul True Lord.

"The market is truly treacherous," Li Fan shook his head.

Just as Li Fan was gloating, a message from He Zhenghao arrived.

"Fellow Daoist, I've sold all the supplies we obtained from the Li Realm." His voice sounded weak, as if he had been drained.

"We got a total of 2342 Contribution Points. As agreed, we split it half and half."

Although He Zhenghao had suffered heavy losses in this investment, he didn't embezzle Li Fan's share.

After receiving 1171 Contribution Points from He Zhenghao, plus the remaining 125, Li Fan's total Contribution Points reached 1296, barely enough for a while.

After thinking it over, Li Fan chose not to go into seclusion immediately. Instead, he searched for information about Jiao Xiuyuan.

He had heard that this person could obtain large quantities of Hiding Talismans from the Myriad Immortals Alliance's Talisman Hall, indicating he had good connections. Li Fan planned to buy some Talismans and see if he could learn anything about Sikong Yi from him.

Ten Thousand Immortals Island, from the inside out, is roughly divided into three main parts.

The innermost core area houses the official buildings of the Myriad Immortals Alliance.

Such as the Meeting Hall, Martial Arts Hall, Medicine Hall, and Talisman Hall.

The middle area consists of individual Immortal Caves. If one has enough Contribution Points, they can purchase one here.

No longer needing to squeeze into the cramped space allocated by the Tianxuan Mirror.

These Immortal Caves are fully equipped; anything that can be done in the Tianxuan Mirror space can also be done in the caves.

The outermost area is a mix of commercial and residential zones.

The Dharma Transmission Plaza and the Tianxuan Mirror are also located at the boundary between this area and the central Immortal Cave district.

The residences here only provide the most basic shelter. There is no Spiritual Qi amplification and no connection to the Tianxuan Mirror. To Cultivate, one must return to the Tianxuan Mirror space.

As for the commercial area, it consists of shops run by individual Cultivators, independent of the Tianxuan Mirror trading System.

The prices in these shops are often lower than those on the Tianxuan Mirror, but the quality is also not guaranteed.

Jiao Xiuyuan had opened a shop here.

Following the information from the Tianxuan Mirror search, Li Fan arrived at the corresponding location.

Qianli Hall.

Li Fan glanced up at the slightly crooked signboard and walked in.

The shop was small, with clutter piled everywhere. A man's voice could be faintly heard.

"I'm telling you, these ten Hiding Talismans must be traded at the price we agreed on. I don't care how much the price has dropped now…"

"What? You're canceling the deal? You're even forfeiting the deposit!"

Bang!

"Damn! Another one! Do you think I, Jiao Xiuyuan, am easy to bully?" A man with a stubbly beard and dark complexion slammed the table and roared angrily.

But immediately, he deflated, muttering under his breath, "It's over, it's over. I, Jiao Xiuyuan, never do business at a loss, but now I'm stuck with such a large batch of Hiding Talismans…"

At that moment, he noticed a customer had entered the shop.

But he couldn't make out the customer's appearance, clearly because a Hiding Talisman was being used.

Having seen many such people, Jiao Xiuyuan didn't think much of it.

"What do you need? Formations, Talismans, Magical Artifacts, Medicinal Pills—we have everything. Bulk orders get discounts!" he greeted lazily.

"How much for a Hiding Talisman?" the customer asked.

Jiao Xiuyuan's eyes lit up, and he perked up.

"10 Contribution Points each. How many do you want? If you buy more than ten, I'll give you 20% off. If you buy more than a hundred, I'll give you 50% off!"

Li Fan chuckled: "Why would I need that many? Five or six are enough."

He paused, then added, "Besides, your price isn't right. I bought one on the Tianxuan Mirror before coming here. A Hiding Talisman that can block the detection of a Golden Core cultivator costs only 20 points now. And you're selling these defective ones at such a high price?"

Jiao Xiuyuan's face twitched upon hearing this, and he quickly changed his offer: "8 points each, and that's the lowest. You have to consider the cost of making Talismans!"

"Fine, give me six," Li Fan said without further haggling.

Afraid Li Fan would change his mind, Jiao Xiuyuan quickly brought out six Hiding Talismans.

"How would you like to pay?"

The Tianxuan Mirror does not support anonymous transactions; direct exchange of Contribution Points would reveal their identities.

But Li Fan had come prepared.

"Spirit Stones," he said, taking out five Mid-Grade Spirit Stones from his Storage Ring and handing them over.

Standard Spirit Stones are produced jointly by the Myriad Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Association. They come in different grades and serve as the legal currency of the Cultivation World, with unique anti-counterfeiting Restrictions.

The exchange ratio between Extreme-Grade, High Grade, Mid-Grade, and Low-Grade Spirit Stones is 10:1.

Within the Myriad Immortals Alliance, one Low-Grade Spirit Stone can be exchanged for one Contribution Point on the Tianxuan Mirror.

The five Mid-Grade Spirit Stones Li Fan handed over were equivalent to 50 Contribution Points.

"Keep the change."

Li Fan put away the Hiding Talismans and casually asked, "Do you take on jobs to gather information about Cultivators?"

Jiao Xiuyuan immediately became wary upon hearing this.

He sized up Li Fan, thought for a long time, and finally gritted his teeth: "I do. Why not? I've lost so much in business that I can't even make ends meet. If I don't take on some side jobs, I won't be able to survive!"

"What's the name, and what cultivation level?" Jiao Xiuyuan asked in a low voice.

"Sikong Yi, Qi Refining Middle Stage."

Thank you to readers 20210301220655095, Bai Simeng, and Shi Keng Zhong Wu Dao for their tips.

Thank you to everyone for the recommendation tickets and monthly tickets.