11: Congratulations, you have been blacklisted by Tiandao

Lu Yuan found a desolate, ruined temple outside Tianfeng City and settled down there.

This was the most difficult period he had endured since becoming a "trader."

His karma points had completely reset to zero.

The warm jade bottle containing the [Congealing Azure Pill] also appeared as a cold, gray, locked status on the Exchange's panel.

He was almost back to square one.

The [Market Scan] function, which used to constantly scan the surroundings and help him avoid all risks, had fallen silent.

Any potential danger would no longer have an early warning.

He reverted to being an ordinary, low-Spiritual Qi Cultivator at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer, a Loose Cultivator.

Fragile.

And completely ignorant of the surrounding darkness.

The sound of the wind at night was no longer just simple air movement.

The roars of Yao Beasts in the distance were no longer background noise unrelated to him.

Every subtle sound made his nerves taut.

He could only rely on his pitiful cultivation and the experience gained from struggling at the bottom for over a decade, hiding in the shadows, carefully avoiding all possible predators.

This feeling made him extremely uneasy.

Having grown accustomed to overseeing the chessboard from a God's eye view, being forced to personally enter the game and play a piece that could be crushed at any moment—this disparity was enough to drive anyone mad.

A month slowly passed in this kind of agonizing wait, day and night.

That day, Lu Yuan, as usual, snuck into a nearby Mortal town to replenish his water supply.

He was wrapped in a worn-out cloak, walking with his head down on the muddy streets.

Several passing Cultivators were talking loudly, their voices filled with incredible shock.

"Have you heard? Something big happened in Danyang City!"

"It's more than just big; it's like the sky has fallen! 'Pill Obsessed' Liu Xuan, that Great Master of the Golden Core Stage... he's finished!"

Lu Yuan's footsteps paused.

He buried his head even lower, but his ears perked up, greedily catching every word that drifted through the air.

"How is that possible? Great Master Liu is a powerful expert at the Golden Core Middle Stage!"

"Absolutely true! My cousin works in Danyang City and saw it with his own eyes! A month ago, Great Master Liu's Immortal Cave, where he was in secluded cultivation, suddenly exploded. Flames shot into the sky, leveling half a mountain peak!"

"It's said that something went wrong with his Alchemy, and his Pill Furnace exploded! When Great Master Liu was dragged out of the ruins, he was charred all over, his aura was faint, and his Golden Core cultivation was forcefully blown back to Foundation Establishment!"

This news exploded in Lu Yuan's silent mind.

A clear image formed in his consciousness.

The Pill Furnace exploded, flames devouring everything.

A high-and-mighty Golden Core mighty figure, in the field he was most proud of, was utterly shattered.

And the source of all this was just a damaged Pill Formula he had bought for 1 Karma point at the Exchange back then.

Just as the news reached his ears and was understood by his brain.

The cold voice, which had been silent for a month, resonated in the depths of his consciousness with an unprecedented grandeur and melodiousness.

[Detected critical Karma event achieved...]

[Target: 'Liu Xuan's Alchemy failure', confirmed to have occurred.]

[Your associated event 'Weakening the competition intensity for the nine revolutions soul returning grass' has completed settlement...]

[Congratulations, you have gained 150 karma points!]

In an instant, an unimaginably vast warm current appeared out of nowhere, surging into his limbs and bones.

The number on the karma points panel, from a dazzling "0", frantically jumped upwards.

10... 50... 100... 150!

Finally, it settled on the number [150.0], which made him gasp!

But that wasn't all.

Another golden message popped up immediately after, carrying the solemnity of a promotion announcement.

[Congratulations on completing your first 'event shorting' arbitrage. Your trading record has significantly improved.]

[Your Trader Rank has been promoted, unlocking a new function: Leverage (initial 2x).]

Intense euphoria almost breached the high wall he had built with his reason.

He won the gamble.

He won!

This was not just a gain of one hundred and fifty karma points, but a perfect validation of his entire "shorting" strategy!

He didn't dwell in the euphoria for too long.

A calm, even ruthless, trader always knows what to do after making a profit.

That is, to convert profit into stronger capital and a more solid moat.

Without hesitation, his thoughts like lightning, he issued his first command.

"Buy a call option for the [nine revolutions soul returning grass]."

[Target: nine revolutions soul returning grass. Buying a call option requires 50 karma points. Confirm?]

"Confirm."

[Transaction successful. You now hold a call option for the 'nine revolutions soul returning grass'. Upon expiration, you have the right to forcibly purchase this item at the price of 'one stone'.]

Having resolved his biggest goal, Lu Yuan immediately began to strengthen himself.

"Exchange cultivation resources to break through to Qi Refining Eighth Layer."

[Confirm consumption of 10 karma points, Exchange for 'Qi Refining Late Stage Cultivation Resource Pack' and one 'Barrier Breaking Pill'.]

A surge of Spiritual Qi resources appeared out of thin air in his Storage Pouch.

Lu Yuan immediately returned to the ruined temple, set up a simple warning Formation, and swallowed the Barrier Breaking Pill.

The surging medicinal power dissolved, impacting his long-stagnant cultivation barrier.

Half an hour later.

A much stronger aura than before emanated from his body.

Qi Refining Eighth Layer!

The double surge in strength and capital made him feel, for the first time, that he was truly in control of his own destiny.

However, just as he was feeling the abundant Spiritual Qi in his Dantian and a smile was forming on his lips.

An unprecedented, blood-red warning appeared coldly before his eyes.

[Warning: Your actions have severely interfered with a major Karma event, causing irreversible effects on the world line.]

[Your existence has attracted the attention of a low-Rank 'heavenly dao watcher'.]

[The probability of your 'Karma backlash' has increased from 'extremely low' to 'medium'.]

The smile on Lu Yuan's face froze.

heavenly dao watcher?

These five words, carrying a sense of coercion and indifference originating from the rules of the world itself, made his heart clench.

Before he could ponder the terrifying implications, a new market dynamic refreshed on the Exchange's light screen.

[Market Anomaly: Due to 'Pill Obsessed' Liu Xuan's severe injury, his rival Sect, 'Blazing Fire Valley', has begun hostile acquisitions targeting his industries and spheres of influence.]

[A large number of related 'merger', 'bankruptcy', and 'change of ownership' options have been listed for trading.]

Lu Yuan's gaze shifted from the blood-red warning, landing on this brand-new trading sector, full of blood and opportunity.

He slowly exhaled.

Then, his gaze cast distantly towards the direction of the Qian Family in Tianfeng City.

The first fireworks display had ended spectacularly.

And the second one he had prepared for the Qian Family seemed to be about to begin.

Except this time, in the audience, there might also be an existence he couldn't afford to provoke.

A heavy shadow fell over his heart.