38: Buy the bottom and destroy the clan, and become a shareholder at the beginning

Inside the Immortal Cave, the air was thick.

A faint scent of blood, almost imperceptible, mingled with the Spiritual Qi dissipating from the collapsing Formation, twisting into a strange sweetness.

Lu Yuan sat cross-legged on the cold stone bed, his eyes tightly shut.

He was not in a hurry to touch the spoils of war.

Instead, he first circulated his spiritual power completely through his Meridians for three cycles.

Each breath carried away the almost imperceptible emotional fluctuations remaining from the ambush.

He needed absolute calm.

For a trader, the euphoria after a profit was no different from the frustration during a loss.

They were both Impurities that had to be removed.

Emotion was the greatest enemy in trading.

After a long while, Lu Yuan opened his eyes.

His gaze had returned to the tranquility of a deep pool, without the slightest ripple.

With a wave of his hand.

Three crude beast-skin fragments, and three Storage Pouches of varying styles, lay quietly on the stone ground before him.

Zhao Qian's pouch was embroidered with blood-colored cloud patterns, exuding an unrestrained evil aura.

The Black-Robed Man's pouch was entirely black, without any insignia.

And Ye Chen's was the most ordinary gray cloth bag, unremarkable, but Lu Yuan had placed it separately to one side.

He first picked up Zhao Qian's and the Black-Robed Man's Storage Pouches.

His Divine Sense probed in like mercury, without any politeness.

Spirit Stones, Medicinal Pills, a few Magical Artifacts of decent quality, and some Jade Slips containing Demonic Path Cultivation Techniques were categorized and piled up.

The entire wealth of two Golden Core Cultivators.

This fortune was enough to drive any Foundation Establishment Cultivator mad.

However, not even a muscle twitched on Lu Yuan's face.

These were merely complimentary gifts next to the main course, not even appetizers.

His gaze fell upon the three beast-skin fragments.

He stretched out his fingers, his fingertips steady and un Tremor, slowly piecing the three fragments together according to their interlocking edges.

When the last gap was seamlessly mended.

A vast and ancient aura emanated from the map.

On the surface of the beast skin, a faint glow circulated, and the lines, originally blurred by time, became distinct at this moment.

In Lu Yuan's mind, a cold notification sounded on time.

【Ancient fragment map is complete, unlocking the final coordinates and guardian information for the ‘nine revolutions soul returning grass’.】

A three-dimensional holographic map unfolded in his consciousness.

Coordinates: Burial God Abyss.

A place that, just by hearing its name, exuded ill omens and an aura of an ending.

What made Lu Yuan's eyelids twitch slightly more was the line of small golden characters below.

Guardian: Peak Nascent Soul Stage Yao Beast, Qilin subspecies, Bloodline unknown.

Habitat: Core of Burial God Abyss, protected by an ancient remnant Formation.

Forcing entry meant a near-certain death.

Peak Nascent Soul Stage.

These five characters were not just words, but five towering mountains projected into his mind, exuding a suffocating pressure.

That was the true pinnacle of this Human Realm.

It was a legend capable of overturning mountains and rivers with a mere gesture, possessing an almost endless Lifespan.

And he, Lu Yuan, was merely a Cultivator who had just entered the Foundation Establishment Stage.

The gap between them was not that of an ant and a Dragon, but of dust and stars.

Not to mention, there was also an ancient remnant Formation of unknown depth.

Lu Yuan's fingers tapped rhythmically on his knee.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

His brain was furiously processing all variables at a speed beyond normal comprehension.

Strength, not enough.

Equipment, not enough.

Information, severely insufficient.

Going now was not an adventure, it was suicide.

He slowly exhaled a turbid breath, putting away the complete map.

He was never impatient.

One must eat a meal one bite at a time, and a project must be advanced step by step.

Acquiring the nine revolutions soul returning grass was a long-term, ultimate goal requiring precise planning, and it was far from the time for delivery.

He had more urgent matters to attend to.

Danyang City.

This place had become a whirlpool.

The Young Lord of the Blood Fiend Sect had died here, and the commotion in Black Wind Valley could certainly not remain a secret forever.

Lingering here would be tantamount to exposing himself to the spotlight, awaiting an unknown judgment.

He needed a new stronghold.

One that would allow him to steadily accumulate strength, one that could serve as a springboard for future plans regarding the "Burial God Abyss."

A Sect was the best choice.

Protection, resources, and a legitimate identity to conceal the prehistoric leviathan lurking beneath the surface.

Lu Yuan closed his eyes, his mind sinking into his thoughts.

“Initiate market scan.”

“Range, a thousand li radius.”

“Target type, Cultivation Sects.”

【Command confirmed.】

【Market scan initiated...】

An invisible ripple, centered on him, swept across a thousand li of mountains and rivers.

Cities, Spiritual Veins, desolate plains, dense forests... everything transformed into basic data streams in his eyes.

And deep within those mountains shrouded in Spiritual Qi, various sized points of light lit up one after another.

Each point of light represented a Cultivation Sect, a "target" available for trading.

Lu Yuan's "gaze" first turned to the northwest.

There, a thick golden pillar of light shot into the sky, its aura the most potent, like the midday sun.

【Target: Heavenly Sword Sect.】

【Sect Luck (ten-year) call option price: 1200 karma points.】

【Risk assessment: Extremely low. The Sect has a profound foundation, produces Geniuses in abundance, and will steadily rise in the next ten years.】

Blue-chip stock.

Lu Yuan's gaze lingered for only a moment before moving on.

Stable, safe, but expensive, with growth potential almost locked.

Buying it would not maximize his profits.

His "gaze" swept like a radar, and data from various Sects flashed before his eyes.

Some shone brightly, others flickered precariously, and their prices varied wildly accordingly.

Finally, his gaze stopped at the true east.

On a seemingly unremarkable mountain range, an extremely dim light flickered unsteadily, like a candle in the wind.

That light even presented a sickly, grayish-green hue, on the verge of extinguishing.

【Target: Qingyun Sect.】

【Sect Luck (one-year) call option price: 0.1 karma points.】

This price was so low it was almost a giveaway.

It represented that, in the Exchange's evaluation system, the value of this Sect after one year was close to zero.

Immediately after, a line of blood-red risk assessment popped up like a sharp sword.

【Risk assessment: Extremely high. Severe internal corruption, inaction by high-level officials, no Geniuses among Disciples, Spiritual Veins facing depletion. Expected to be completely annexed by its old enemy, the remnants of the Blood Fiend Sect, in three years, with its Dao lineage severed.】

A cold arc slowly curled at the corner of Lu Yuan's mouth.

There was not the slightest sympathy in his eyes for this Sect on the verge of collapse.

Instead, a look of extreme excitement, like a hunter discovering perfect prey, lit up.

Junk stock.

A junk stock with one foot already in the delisting process.

For others, this was a deadly poison to be avoided.

But for Lu Yuan, who possessed an information advantage and could personally intervene in the "fundamentals"... this was simply the most perfect investment target under heaven.

Risk meant opportunity.

And the "risk" assessed by the Exchange, in his eyes, was merely an examination paper filled with standard answers.

A clear and unmistakable roadmap for manipulation.

“Internal corruption? Then cut out the rot.”

“No Geniuses? Then cultivate a Genius.”

“Surrounded by enemies? Then let the enemies... vanish into thin air.”

Lu Yuan muttered calmly to himself.

He unhesitatingly mobilized his karma points.

Buy, Qingyun Sect call options.

Quantity, ten thousand shares.

Total cost, one thousand karma points.

When the transaction was completed, in his perception, a extremely subtle yet incredibly resilient golden thread was forcibly injected into that grayish-green light, which could extinguish at any moment.

That was his stake.

Having done all this, Lu Yuan stood up.

He took out the Heavenly Secret Pavilion's "Scribe" token and injected spiritual power into it.

A blue light screen silently unfolded before him.

He quickly entered instructions, forging a brand new, spotless identity as a Loose Cultivator for himself.

Pure family background, parents died young.

Accidentally obtained a Senior's Immortal Cave, cultivated alone to the Late Stage of Qi Refining.

Solitary personality, not good with words.

A perfect, ordinary persona that would be lost in a crowd.

All preparations were complete.

Lu Yuan took one last look at this temporary Immortal Cave.

A fire incinerated all traces of his existence, leaving nothing behind.

He walked out of the Immortal Cave, his figure silently merging into the twilight.

In the distance, the outline of Qingyun Sect's mountain gate was faintly visible under the afterglow of the setting sun.

A "hostile takeover" targeting the fate of a Sect was about to begin.