In the twelfth lifetime, only a small handful of people, including He Zhenghao, learned about the Spirit Mist Grass island’s destruction early and subsequently attempted to speculate on it. From beginning to end, the impact of the Spirit Mist Grass incident had remained confined to just a few provinces.
But in this lifetime, when the house shifted from Eminence Qingmu Huasheng to this Jiao Xiuyuan, whose cultivation level was unknown but business spanned the entire cultivation world, the situation changed dramatically.
Countless puppets relayed the information. Through various channels, news of Spirit Mist Island's destruction quietly spread throughout the Xuanhuang World in less than half a day.
Even if only one percent of the cultivators who heard this news developed thoughts about speculating, and only one percent of those actually took action, it would still be an enormous number. Moreover, in the Myriad Immortals Alliance, where accumulating contribution points through ordinary means was quite difficult, few cultivators would willingly pass up such an "obvious" opportunity to make a fortune.
Thus, the actual number of cultivators participating in the Spirit Mist Grass price speculation far exceeded these estimates.
While most cultivators weren't particularly wealthy, they could still afford to buy one or two stalks of Spirit Mist Grass. Driven by the mentality of earning whatever they could, vast numbers of cultivators rushed back to the Tianxuan Mirror as quickly as possible, scrambling to purchase Spirit Mist Grass.
Therefore, half a day after He Zhenghao sent his message to Li Fan, the price of Spirit Mist Grass rose from 22 contribution points per stalk all the way to 35 points, 10 points higher than the peak price of 25 points Li Fan had witnessed in his twelfth lifetime. And the upward trend showed no signs of stopping.
He Zhenghao's excited voice kept coming through: "Haha, Fellow Daoist Li Fan, wasn't I right? The price of Spirit Mist Grass is bound to keep rising! It's gone up fifty percent in half a day; I've recouped all my previous losses in one go!
“Fellow Daoist, don't sell the Spirit Mist Grass you're holding now. You have no idea how wildly the news about the drastic drop in Spirit Mist Grass production is spreading. Countless cultivators are joining the buying frenzy. Several of us agree that it's far from time to cash out. At the very least, it should rise another fifty percent! Hahaha, my Nascent Soul technique is within reach!" He Zhenghao was clearly extremely agitated.
Li Fan offered perfunctory replies and some flattering words, but his attention remained focused on his avatar.
"Fellow Daoist Jiao, I see the price has risen considerably. Should we cash out?" Li Fan asked tentatively, watching the steadily climbing numbers in the Mini Tianxuan Mirror before him.
Jiao Xiuyuan’s face showed little excitement. He closed his eyes for a moment, then shook his head. "No, the time is not yet ripe. An even greater variable will soon arrive. Wait patiently."
"An even greater variable?" Li Fan paced back and forth in the Thousand Li Hall, his mind racing. "According to common sense, the price of Spirit Mist Grass is already extremely high. What could this so-called variable be?"
However, Li Fan knew that no matter how high the price of Spirit Mist Grass rose, with the existence of the five elements grotto-heavens, the final outcome would inevitably be a crash to the depths. Even if he failed to cash out in time, the maximum loss would only be ten thousand contribution points, an amount he could easily earn back. So he remained completely unflustered, calmly observing how events would unfold.
Like Li Fan, many others decided to wait and see a while longer, including Eminence Qingmu Huasheng, who held nearly ten thousand stalks of Spirit Mist Grass grown in his own grotto-heaven.
A few days prior, he'd happened to hear that the Alliance headquarters had apparently discovered an enormous wood-attribute grotto-heaven containing countless spirit plants and herbs.
He feared the price of Spirit Mist Grass would soon plummet. Thus, he began methodically selling off his Spirit Mist Grass.
Though he released his stock as slowly as possible to contain price fluctuations within normal ranges, the price continued its uncontrollable descent, dropping from its peak around 21 points to a historic low of 18 points.
Eminence Qingmu Huasheng immediately realized he wasn't the only one privy to this information. Yet for their own benefit, everyone had tacitly agreed to sell gradually, preventing a catastrophic market collapse.
Just as Qingmu had sold over half of his ten thousand stalks, he suddenly noticed the price had not only halted its decline but had begun rebounding sharply. Before he could react, the price had already recovered to its previous level.
Knowing something abnormal must be at work, Qingmu immediately mobilized his connections and uncovered the likely cause: Spirit Mist Island had been destroyed, along with all the Spirit Mist Grass cultivated there.
Qingmu instantly recognized that this was a rare opportunity. Thus, he swiftly shifted from selling to buying, repurchasing all the Spirit Mist Grass he'd previously sold.
Though he had incurred significant losses through the multiple transactions, the price soon embarked on another explosive rally, and this single move transformed his losses into profits.
The ferocity of this surge filled Qingmu with both delight and trepidation.
As someone dedicated to cultivating various spirit plants, Qingmu understood Spirit Mist Grass better than most cultivators in the Myriad Immortals Alliance.
A price of 35 points clearly exceeded its intrinsic worth. Not to mention that with the wood-attribute grotto-heaven's existence, the price would inevitably crash eventually.
Yet despite holding over ten thousand stalks and having resolved to sell, Qingmu hesitated as he watched the price rise, seemingly without end.
Perhaps... I should wait a bit longer? This sudden spike is clearly abnormal. There are signs of many hands manipulating it behind the scenes.
Maybe it will rise just a little more?
Once this thought took root, it could no longer be erased.
After all, for Qingmu, each time the price of Spirit Mist Grass rose by one point, it meant ten thousand more contribution points for him.
Even for a Nascent Soul Eminence, earning over ten thousand contribution points wasn't easy.
Ordinarily, tending to these Spirit Mist Grass required exhaustive effort and meticulous care. All that backbreaking work yielded only a meager tens of thousands of points as compensation.
Yet now, in the blink of an eye, he could obtain the same amount without lifting a finger.
The young Eminence Qingmu didn't yet understand that paper profits weren't real profits.
Facing his wildly inflating paper wealth, greed crept into Eminence Qingmu’s previous rationality.
He decided to wait until Spirit Mist Grass prices rose just a bit more, then he would sell off his stock.
Once news of that wood-attribute grotto-heaven's discovery becomes public knowledge, spirit plant prices will inevitably fall. He reasoned. Earning contribution points will grow increasingly difficult.
This is a rare opportunity. If I don't take this final chance to profit now, I'll surely regret it later.
Watching the prices continue their relentless ascent, Azurewood Eminence's eyes gradually burned with hunger. He had convinced himself of his decision with terrifying ease.