What happened next was, of course, predictable.
In the stampede of cultivators scrambling for their lives, the price of Samantabhadra True Leaf plummeted. Having just breached the thousand-point milestone, it now cascaded downward like a waterfall.
The spectacle drew repeated exclamations of awe from Jiao Xiuyuan.
"Fellow Daoist, your divination art is truly miraculous!" he said. "Had you not warned me, I might have ended up sharing their fate. I can almost see it now—countless cultivators, their Dao hearts shattered!"
He spoke with undisguised schadenfreude.
In Tianshu Province, Tantai Can and the others had just completed their trades and were quietly congratulating themselves on their good fortune when the Tianxuan Mirror's announcement reached them. Their expressions cycled through a fascinating spectrum of colors.
Then, with their own eyes, they watched the Samantabhadra True Leaf they had repurchased at the exorbitant price of 1300 points collapse catastrophically in value.
Many could not withstand the shock. They coughed up mouthfuls of blood and fainted on the spot.
"Fellow Daoist Tantai!"
Those still conscious turned to Tantai Can with grief and indignation, hoping this leading figure of the Tantai family could devise a solution.
Tantai Can's face had gone ashen.
From the very beginning, the entire affair had seemed guided by an invisible hand. Every development had caught him off guard.
He found himself suspecting, almost instinctively, that this had been a conspiracy targeting the Tantai family from the start, and that Jiao Xiuyuan and that Heavenly Mechanisms Sect cultivator, Li Fan, were nothing more than part of the opponent's misdirection tactic.
Even as potential suspects flashed through his mind, Tantai Can scrambled to formulate a plan to limit the damage.
The losses were simply too severe. Even with the standing he had built within the family over recent years, he would likely face reprimand, and this might give his brothers the pretext they needed to move against him.
No. I must recover at least some of the losses.
Tantai Can gritted his teeth.
"Spread the word about our recent discovery," he said in a low voice.
"What?"
"No! Brother Tantai, don’t do anything rash!"
"We haven't even reported this to the Immortal Alliance yet..."
The others were shocked, urging him to reconsider. But Tantai Can's mind was made up. Furthermore, the discovery had been largely his own achievement, so they had no choice but to comply.
Through their respective channels, they disseminated the information into the market.
Thus, while Li Fan and Jiao Xiuyuan were on Myriad Immortals Island tallying their gains, they suddenly noticed that the Samantabhadra True Leaf's downward plunge was beginning to slow. The price was still declining, but the state of total collapse had gradually passed.
"Hmm? What's going on?" Li Fan glanced at Jiao Xiuyuan. "The Samantabhadra True Leaf is holding firmer than expected."
Jiao Xiuyuan was momentarily taken aback. Then, with an inscrutable expression, he said, "A rumor has emerged from somewhere. It claims that an artifact crafted from a large quantity of Samantabhadra True Leaf can reduce the lifespan devoured within the Lifespan-Devouring White Mist...
"And," he continued, "it can also provide direction within the vast, disorienting Lost Domains of the endless White Mist."
His eyes narrowed slightly. Clearly, this was the first he was hearing of it as well.
Li Fan was instantly startled. "Is that true?"
"Judging by the market's reaction, it's likely not false," Jiao Xiuyuan said gravely. "It seems Tantai Can leaked this secret to minimize his losses. Who would have thought the Samantabhadra True Leaf had such a use? Being able to resist the Lifespan-Devouring White Mist... this could change the entire landscape of the Xuanhuang World."
He muttered this quietly to himself, apparently also discreetly buying back Samantabhadra True Leaf.
So that's why its price kept steadily rising in my past life. The realization struck Li Fan with sudden clarity.
Having spent several years in the Roaring Abyss, he understood the terror of the Lifespan-Devouring White Mist all too well.
Had he known of the Samantabhadra True Leaf's properties back then, constructing the Tianxuan Soul-Locking Array within the White Mist would not have been such grueling work.
With this item, one could even explore deeper regions of the Lost Domain.
And in my previous life, Tantai Can never breathed a word of this, not even after I had embodied an object and the Tianxuan Soul-Locking Array’s implementation was complete...
The news was somewhat too shocking.
For a moment, both Li Fan and Jiao Xiuyuan fell into their own contemplations. A hushed silence descended over the Thousand Li Hall.
It was Jiao Xiuyuan who eventually broke it.
"The Tantai family is interesting. They discovered intelligence of this magnitude, yet failed to report it promptly."
"What exactly is the background of this Tantai family?" Li Fan asked.
"The family head, Tantai Liruo, is a Dao Unity Immortal Venerable, one of the three executive giants at the Myriad Immortals Alliance headquarters' Administration Hall. Because she conducts herself with a low profile, the Tantai family has always remained unknown to outsiders. Only those who reach a certain level come to understand how formidable they truly are."
Jiao Xiuyuan paused, his tone turning somewhat strange. "That said, the Administration Hall is not the Tantai family's personal fiefdom. With a blunder of this magnitude, she will likely have to answer for it.
"Tantai Can doesn't strike me as a fool. So why is he making such errors this time? Logically, the significance of this discovery could have secured the Tantai family an even stronger foothold. Who would have thought he'd simply toss it out for some petty, immediate gain?"
Li Fan considered this for a moment. "Perhaps he isn't truly that foolish. After all, the Tantai family is the Tantai family, and Tantai Can is Tantai Can."
The statement seemed convoluted on the surface, yet Jiao Xiuyuan listened with a thoughtful expression.
They spoke for a while longer, agreeing to cooperate again should another opportunity arise. Then Li Fan used a secret passage within the Thousand Li Hall to slip away from the dense, clamoring crowd of cultivators demanding answers outside, and quietly returned to the Tianxuan Mirror.
He steadied his thoughts and began tallying the gains.
The Samantabhadra True Leaf had been acquired at roughly three to four hundred contribution points per stalk, with most of it sold to Tantai Can at around 1300 points. A small portion had been offloaded earlier along the way. All told, the profit amounted to roughly fourfold.
After deducting the unexpected loss from the earlier purchase of Spirit Mist Grass, Li Fan's personal wealth had surged from just over five million contribution points to the astronomical sum of 18,600,000.
But the present Li Fan was no longer the greenhorn who had first entered the cultivation world.
Faced with such a colossal sum, his heart remained calm, his expression unchanged.
He opened the Tianxuan Mirror's shopping catalog. In addition to bulk purchasing the items needed for the trade with the Empire, he selected objects that might prove useful for his future cultivation.
His current permission level was still insufficient for much of what he wanted, which drew a sigh from him. Here he was, sitting atop a treasure mountain, yet unable to spend a single coin.
His days of carefree, extravagant spending did not last long.
Soon, just as Li Fan had anticipated, a voice echoed from within the Tianxuan Mirror. He was to report to the Martial Hall immediately for an investigation.
The subject: whether he had maliciously manipulated the market and undermined the stability of the Myriad Immortals Alliance.