26: Capital bottleneck

Lu Yuan returned to the temporary Immortal Cave located underground in Danyang City.

There was no light inside the Immortal Cave.

He liked darkness; darkness allowed his thoughts to become pure.

He sat down cross-legged, his palm tightly gripping the cold bronze token.

The intricate patterns on the token subtly wriggled on his skin.

His Divine Sense once again probed inside.

Boom!

This time, he was no longer passively drawn into that torrent of information.

His consciousness actively stepped into a newly discovered, boundless ore vein.

The myriad phenomena record.

Cultivation Techniques, Pill Formulas, secret news, biographies of powerful individuals, maps of ruins... countless categorized light bands each extended into the infinite distance, with branching light points as numerous as the sands of the Ganges.

This was a database far more intuitive and complex than the Great Dao Options Exchange.

If the Exchange was a “financial derivatives market” oriented towards the future...

Then this myriad phenomena record was a “spot intelligence market” encompassing the past and present of the entire Cultivation world.

Its value was immeasurable.

Lu Yuan suppressed the tremor in his heart and began to attempt a search.

His Divine Sense locked onto a light point named “Detailed Biography of Immortal Master Golden Core Chen Changqing.”

The token vibrated slightly, and a line of cold text appeared in his mind.

“To view this entry, 50 karma points are required. Authority: Reserve Scribe. Confirm?”

Fifty points.

His entire starting capital was only enough to purchase two sets of detailed information on Golden Core Cultivators.

Lu Yuan was like a poor Loose Cultivator who had just stepped onto the top floor of Wanbao Tower, overwhelmed by the dazzling array of Magic Treasures.

Behind the immense sense of opportunity lay an even greater sense of powerlessness.

His Divine Sense withdrew from the myriad phenomena record and instead focused on the list left by Qingniao.

There weren't many names on the list, only seven or eight, but the Cultivation Realm annotated after each name made him catch his breath.

“Zhao Qian, Late Foundation Establishment Stage, Loose Cultivator, skilled in Formation.”

“Sun Mei, Late Foundation Establishment Stage, Disciple of the Joyful Union Sect, possesses Weird methods.”

“Wu Jing, False Core Stage, Body Cultivator, capable of shattering mountains with a single punch.”

...Each of these names represented a mountain he currently could not surmount.

His gaze finally settled on the name marked in blood-red.

Ye Chen.

There was no Cultivation Realm annotation behind it, only a small line of explanatory text.

“High-value target, Heavenly Dao favored one.”

And that cold warning.

“Absolute avoidance.”

Lu Yuan’s fingers unconsciously tightened, the edges of the bronze token digging painfully into his palm.

Heavenly Dao favored one.

These five words brought a hundred times more pressure than the three words “False Core Stage.”

This meant that fortuitous encounters would actively seek him out, and his enemies would inexplicably suffer misfortune.

To be an enemy of such a person was to be an enemy of the entire world.

Lu Yuan did not close the Heavenly Secret Pavilion token; with a thought, he switched to his own System.

The Great Dao Options Exchange.

He entered the words “Ye Chen” on the light screen.

The light screen flickered, and soon several tradable options appeared.

“Underlying: Ye Chen obtains the core Legacy of the ‘Cloud Mist Secret Realm’ within one month.”

“Call option price: 10,000 karma points.”

“Put option price: 10 karma points.”

A thousand-fold difference in odds, the market declared its absolute optimism for Ye Chen's success with the most brutal numbers.

But what made Lu Yuan’s pupils suddenly constrict was the price of ten thousand karma points.

All his current karma points combined amounted to just over one hundred.

He didn't even qualify to buy this call option betting on Ye Chen's success.

What chilled him to the bone even more was the small, red warning below the option price.

“Warning: Your current Cultivation Realm (Qi Refinement Stage) is insufficient to withstand the Karma backlash of this transaction. Forcibly purchasing will result in a 99% probability of your Dao foundation collapsing and your Divine Soul being annihilated.”

Lu Yuan silently stared at these words, unmoving.

At this moment, two Systems, operating under different Laws yet equally cold, gave him the same answer.

His capital was insufficient.

His Qi Refinement Stage Cultivation Realm was his biggest weakness.

This weakness was not only a limitation on his combat power but also the fundamental shackles on his “capital operations.”

He had identified countless investment opportunities that could bring hundreds or thousands of times the return, yet he found that his account didn't even have enough money to pay the transaction fees.

High-return options, he couldn't afford.

Even if he could afford them, he couldn't bear the risk of failure, nor did he have enough power to personally intervene and strategize to ensure the final settlement of the contract.

Inside the Immortal Cave, there was a deathly silence.

After a long while, Lu Yuan slowly raised his hand, and a warm jade bottle appeared in his palm.

foundation establishment pill.

He gazed at this Medicinal Pill, which could drive countless Qi Refinement Stage Cultivators mad, his eyes becoming incredibly resolute.

He must Foundation Establishment immediately.

This was not a choice.

This was the only path to survival.

Only by stepping into the Foundation Establishment Stage would he be qualified to truly sit at the poker table of this “Cloud Mist Secret Realm.”

But he did not want, nor could he, simply achieve ordinary Foundation Establishment.

Every Breakthrough in Realm, for him, was an investment.

What he pursued was always the maximization of profit under controllable risk.

What he wanted was the most perfect beginning that would allow him to go further in the future.

Lu Yuan’s profound gaze once again turned to the Void Realm light screen before him.

On the interface of the Great Dao Options Exchange, he deleted Ye Chen's name.

Then, he slowly and deliberately typed in a few words.

“Perfect Dao Foundation Investment Plan.”