Hoarding and profiting

Leaving aside Gao Yuan's little thoughts about discerning people's hearts, the perspective returns to He Zhenghao.

Amidst his restless mind, he spent about ten more days, finally completing the collection of 100 million contribution points.

Afterward, he waited quietly for Li Fan's next command, as instructed by Gao Yuan.

This period was quite difficult to endure.

Because no matter how reasonable it sounded, it was still just Gao Yuan's personal guess.

As for what Lord Secret Envoy truly thought…

Who could really say for sure?

Perhaps he had the idea of letting me, He Zhenghao, manage those 100 million contribution points?

Although He Zhenghao appeared calm on the surface,

his mind was actually filled with countless thoughts, and his heart was uneasy.

It was as if a death row inmate, about to face execution, was agonizingly awaiting his final fate as time passed.

This truly allowed him to experience what ancient Cultivators referred to as a “Heart Demon invasion.”

Fortunately, He Zhenghao's luck was not bad.

Just as he felt he was about to give up, he suddenly felt a series of inexplicable fluctuations coming from his storage ring.

Overjoyed, He Zhenghao quickly composed himself, then eagerly took out the small metal figurine.

“Lord, do you need me for something?” He Zhenghao respectfully asked, placing the figurine on the table.

“Use the 100 million contribution points you collected to quickly procure the Materials listed on this清单,” Li Fan’s voice came from the metal statue.

“You don’t necessarily have to buy from the tianxuan mirror; other items that have slight flaws but are much cheaper can also be given priority consideration as appropriate.”

“Soon, when the prices of these things rise, you can sell them off.”

…

After giving his instructions, Li Fan’s voice gradually faded.

However, He Zhenghao’s mind was now blank, ringing like thunder.

“Gao Yuan guessed wrong!”

“Lord Secret Envoy truly intends to entrust these 100 million contribution points to me to manage this time!”

After a brief moment of mental stagnation, He Zhenghao slowly recovered.

But this time, he no longer felt the previous fear and helplessness.

Instead, he felt a strange excitement and passion.

Although relying solely on his own ability would certainly be insufficient,

if he had the Lord’s guidance, then none of it would be a problem!

Investment, to put it plainly, is actually very simple.

It’s nothing more than information asymmetry.

As long as one knows information that others don’t in advance, even a pig can make money lying down!

He Zhenghao’s body trembled slightly as he quickly read the list provided by Li Fan in his mind.

“Heavenly Healing Medicinal Pill, Violent Qi Powder, Killing Intent Madness Medicinal Pill…”

“Standard Heavenly Gang Armor, Divine Martial Thunder…”

“Hundred Battles Array Diagram…”

The more He Zhenghao read, the more his brows furrowed, and his face was full of doubt.

It was completely different from what he had expected.

He Zhenghao had originally thought that the Materials Li Fan wanted him to procure would be some rare Ore, spiritual wood herbs, or similar raw Materials.

Because of the tianxuan mirror’s overall control, the price fluctuations of these items would not be too large.

At most, they would be around twenty percent up or down.

Even if he unfortunately bought at the highest point, as long as he held them for a long enough time, he could wait for the price peak again.

If he sold them then, he would at most only lose some handling fees.

If his contribution points Rank was high enough, the loss from handling fees could even be ignored.

But the Materials on the list Li Fan provided this time were all finished products.

Moreover…

They were all Medicinal Pills, Magical Artifacts, and array diagrams used in combat against others.

Medicinal Pills were understandable; Cultivators exploring Sect ruins would inevitably encounter dangers. Carrying some for emergencies was reasonable.

But Magical Artifacts like Heavenly Gang Armor and Divine Martial Thunder were not used by ordinary Cultivators unless it was a life-or-death struggle.

Not to mention those array diagrams.

He Zhenghao searched for the transaction records of these Materials in the market, and they were few and far between.

They could basically be said to be ignored.

So the prices had always been very stable. And these were all items that could be mass-produced in a standardized manner, so the inventory must be extremely large.

Would the prices of these things rise?

Even though Li Fan had already demonstrated his miraculous predictive abilities several times before, He Zhenghao couldn't help but fall into deep doubt at this moment.

Did he really have to buy these things in large quantities?

He Zhenghao immediately hesitated.

However, at this moment, Gao Yuan’s warning echoed in his mind once again.

“Those of us who are subordinates, it doesn’t matter if we lack ability. The most important thing is to be obedient enough.”

“Whatever the Lord tells us to do, we must complete it resolutely and without delay.”

“Otherwise, with so many Cultivators in Congyun Sea, and since we aren’t some heaven-sent talents, why would the Lord favor us?”

…

He Zhenghao gritted his teeth and made up his mind.

“Although it’s a bit hard to understand, I’ll just operate according to the Lord’s guidance.”

“Furthermore, these Medicinal Pills and Magical Artifacts are widely circulated; whenever something cheap and easy to use is mentioned, they are the first things that come to mind.”

“Even if the Lord’s prediction fails, it’s unlikely to result in a significant loss, right?”

He Zhenghao comforted himself this way.

Calming himself down, He Zhenghao dared not delay and quickly began to inquire among his various friends.

He Zhenghao was a popular figure now.

As soon as they heard he needed help, many Cultivators eagerly offered suggestions.

After contacting and comparing prices from more than ten suppliers, He Zhenghao began his grand procurement.

And with a big customer coming to their door, wanting to buy products that had accumulated a lot of inventory,

these people naturally beamed with joy. To facilitate the transaction as quickly as possible and prevent the other party from backing out, they offered very favorable prices.

Although 100 million contribution points was a lot, when divided among each type of Medicinal Pill and Magical Artifact, it wasn’t much.

Even slightly larger production workshops could meet He Zhenghao’s requirements.

Thus, the progress of the procurement was somewhat faster than He Zhenghao had anticipated.

When all 100 million contribution points he had collected were spent, exchanged for a pile of seemingly useless “waste products,”

even though it was Li Fan’s instruction, He Zhenghao felt a bit empty inside.

A sense of unreality permeated his heart, lingering for a long time.

And He Zhenghao’s unusual actions, although he had been careful enough, still could not escape the eyes of some people.

In the eyes of the public, He Zhenghao’s every move did not just represent himself.

Everyone knew that he was Li Fan’s confidant. Such a large-scale procurement, to say it wasn’t at Li Fan’s behest, would be truly suspicious.

Could it be that this Ancient Heavenly Mystery Sect Cultivator had deduced something else?

Would the prices of these Materials He Zhenghao procured rise?

Many people were instantly tempted.

But…

With the tragic incident of the pu xian true leaf fresh in their minds, more Cultivators learned from their mistakes and believed that it was very likely Li Fan repeating his old trick, deliberately inflating prices.

They chose to wait and see instead.