The prices of goods sold within the Tianxuan Mirror were not fixed. They were regulated by the mirror itself, fluctuating in direct proportion to the number of buyers.
For instance, when news broke that the supply of Liuli Pearls had been disrupted and Liuli Pills could no longer be produced for some time, it immediately triggered a wave of frenzied buying.
Some buyers genuinely needed the pills to accelerate their cultivation, but many more, like Li Fan, sought to hoard them for speculation and massive profit.
Consequently, the price of Liuli Pills skyrocketed from 6 contribution points to 9 in a very short period.
This sudden price surge caught the attention of those still unaware of the situation. Upon inquiry, they learned of the impending disappearance of Liuli Pearls and hurriedly joined the buying craze.
The price of Liuli Pills soared once more, briefly reaching a staggering 12 points per pill.
Seeing that the time was right, Li Fan chose to liquidate his entire stock of Liuli Pills, selling them directly back to the Tianxuan Mirror.
Due to the high demand, the mirror’s buyback price wasn’t slashed in half like it had been for the Halt Stele Fragment. Instead, it offered a “high price” of 10 points per pill.
Not one to be greedy, Li Fan promptly sold all 350 pills in his possession.
3500 contribution points instantly flowed into his account. Combined with the previous balance of 129 points, Li Fan’s total contribution points now stood at a massive 3629!
After Li Fan’s sale, the market’s fervor gradually began to cool.
A price of 12 points clearly exceeded the intrinsic value of a Liuli Pill. After all, its effects weren’t unique; numerous other pills offered similar benefits. The Liuli Pill’s popularity stemmed from its low cost.
The temporary price explosion was just a result of the market temporarily losing its rationality due to the shocking news.
Once people calmed down, the price of Liuli Pills stabilized at a more reasonable level: 8 contribution points per pill.
At this point, Li Fan purchased another 100 pills for his own cultivation use. Spending 800 points left him with 2829 contribution points.
Through this series of maneuvers, Li Fan had gained not only an extra 600 contribution points but also essentially obtained 100 Liuli Pills for free!
600 points represented the entire annual surplus of an ordinary, diligent Qi Refinement cultivator who focused solely on completing tasks; not to mention the 100 Liuli Pills, which were as good as hard currency.
Indeed, the ones who commit murder and arson end up with golden belts, while those who build bridges and repair roads lie dead and unburied. Li Fan mused to himself.
Yet, this philosophical observation did nothing to slow the spending pace of this particular beneficiary.
He immediately purchased everything he could lay his hands on, useful or not: Introduction to Arrays , Primer on Alchemy , Fundamentals of Artifact Forging , Compendium of Treasures in the Cultivation World , and more.
As for commonly used items for cultivators, like protective robes, Qi-Concealing Talismans, basic composite arrays, and beginner alchemy sets—Li Fan bought them all without a second thought.
As his storage ring began to fill up, his contribution points plummeted, dropping to 346.
Li Fan felt not one shred of regret. Once his spending spree concluded, he swallowed a Liuli Pill, activated the Assisted Cultivation Mode, and began practicing the Lesser Water Manipulation Art.
An abundance of water attribute spiritual qi surged forth, and Li Fan once again experienced what it meant to cultivate at a genius’s pace.
The combined effects of the Tianxuan Mirror’s Assisted Cultivation Mode and the Liuli Pill made his progress nothing short of meteoric.
In just two days, Li Fan broke through to the early-stage Qi Refinement realm. Then, over the next three days, he cultivated the Lesser Water Manipulation Art to the peak of the mid-stage Qi Refinement realm.
He faced no bottlenecks, and progress was as smooth as water flowing downhill. It was utterly exhilarating, making him crave more.
Li Fan became deeply addicted to this mode of cultivation. So, when his progress automatically halted due to the missing late-stage Qi Refinement realm portion of the Lesser Water Manipulation Art, he felt a profound sense of loss and emptiness.
Fortunately, the hefty price tag of 600 contribution points for the late-stage section of the technique helped cool his head slightly.
Just as he was contemplating whether to sell some Liuli Pills to afford the subsequent part of the technique, he received a visitation request from He Zhenghao.
Li Fan thought for a moment. Then, he retrieved the newly purchased Qi-Concealing Talisman from his storage ring and affixed it to himself before allowing He Zhenghao to enter.
The moment He Zhenghao saw Li Fan, he said with some excitement, “I’ve already spoken with the guardian of Tai’an Island. I’ll take you to see him now; all you need to do is accept the commission.”
Then, He Zhenghao retrieved a spirit talisman and handed it to Li Fan. “Wear this. Remember not to say much when you meet him later. Leave everything to me.”
Li Fan took the talisman and glanced at it. Immediately, his face darkened.
If he hadn’t just bought an identical one not long ago, he wouldn’t have recognized what this was.
This talisman was called an Aura Exaltation Talisman, and its effect was the opposite of the Qi-Concealing Talisman.
While the Qi-Concealing Talisman hid one’s cultivation level, the Aura Exaltation Talisman was used to disguise oneself as a cultivator of a specific realm.
By giving him this talisman, He Zhenghao intended for Li Fan to pretend to be a Foundation Establishment cultivator!
So, all that talk about Qi Refinement cultivation being sufficient to protect an island had been nonsense to trick him.
All along, He Zhenghao had planned for Li Fan to pose as a Foundation Establishment cultivator to accept the commission from the guardian of Tai’an Island, allowing him to pocket the difference!
After all, the cost in contribution points to hire a Foundation Establishment cultivator versus a Qi Refinement realm cultivator was like night and day.
He Zhenghao didn’t notice Li Fan’s expression. Smiling, he introduced Li Fan to the guardian of Tai’an Island: Zhou Qing’ang.
Li Fan couldn’t very well expose He Zhenghao, so he forced a smile and greeted Zhou Qing’ang.
I shouldn’t get deeply involved with this man! Li Fan thought to himself, shooting a sidelong glance at the smiling He Zhenghao.
Zhou Qing’ang looked Li Fan over and seemed quite satisfied.
He immediately issued a commission to He Zhenghao.
After accepting the commission, He Zhenghao turned and issued another commission to Li Fan.
“Guard Tai’an Island in Zhou Qing’ang’s stead while he travels to seek his opportunity. Reward: 800 contribution points per year.”
Thankfully, He Zhenghao hadn’t skimmed off an outrageous amount. At this point, Li Fan had no choice but to accept the task.
Zhou Qing’ang handed a jade token to He Zhenghao and then left impatiently to seek his breakthrough opportunity.
Seeing this, He Zhenghao also breathed a sigh of relief. He handed the token to Li Fan and said with considerable gravity, “This is the guardian token of Tai’an Island. With this, you can control the island protection array. You must keep it safe, young friend. Do not lose it.”
Li Fan accepted the token, and the two of them stepped through the teleportation array, arriving at Tai’an Island.
The Tai’an Island’s island protection array was nothing like the majestic, thousand-peaked spectacle of Liuli Island. Instead, it took the form of a seemingly prosperous city. What set it apart, however, was its inhabitants: every single resident was a piece of fruit bearing a disturbingly human-like face.
These fruits lived just like real people. Within the confines of this array-manifested city, they worked, lived, wed, and bore children, living out their entire lifespans.
“This is Tai’an Island’s specialty, the Tai’an Fruit,” He Zhenghao explained as they strolled through the city, gesturing toward the ceaseless flow of the bustling “crowd.”
“When one of these fruit-people dies, it signifies that the Tai’an Fruit has fully ripened. Consuming a ripe fruit can extend the lifespan of a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment realm or lower by five years.”
He Zhenghao sighed, a note of regret in his voice. “It is only effective the first time a person consumes a Tai’an Fruit.”