39: Finding the best stocks among junk stocks

Three days later, at the Qingyun Sect mountain gate.

The mountain gate was very old.

Hundreds of stone steps had been smoothed of all their edges by time, presenting a warm, grayish-white hue, with stubborn specks of moss peeking out from the cracks.

The guiding Disciple, an Elder, wore an expression of indifference formed over many years, with a nearly extinguished spark of weariness hidden deep in his eyes.

In the mountain gate plaza, hundreds of young men and women gathered, awaiting the assessment.

Nervousness, excitement, feigned composure—the emotions on their young faces were almost transparent.

Lu Yuan stood in a corner of the crowd, his presence thin.

He wore the most ordinary blue cloth clothes, his fabricated identity making him appear to be just a common Loose Cultivator who had stumbled upon the immortal Sect's threshold by sheer luck.

His gaze calmly swept over everything.

The sparse Spiritual Qi concentration in the air, the mottled runes on the stone pillars, the slightly unsteady footsteps and pallid complexions of the guiding Disciples.

All the details confirmed the cold assessment given by the Exchange.

This was a Sect slowly heading towards its demise.

Perfect.

His gaze did not linger on any single spot; deep within his consciousness, the cold screen visible only to him had already unfolded.

All things are data.

A young man dressed in Inner Sect Disciple attire walked onto the high platform, surrounded by a group of Elders.

He had a handsome face, his chin slightly raised, arrogantly enjoying the gazes of reverence and envy from the crowd below.

"Senior Brother Lin Fan."

"I heard he's Elder Zhang's nephew; the top spot in this assessment is already decided for him."

Discussions like the buzzing of mosquitoes came from around them.

In Lu Yuan's eyes, a clear label flickered above Lin Fan's head.

"Target: Lin Fan, Qingyun Sect Outer Sect Disciple."

"Call option price for 'achieving first place in this assessment': 10 karma points."

The price was high.

It indicated extreme market optimism, almost a foregone conclusion.

In Lu Yuan's eyes, this was an overhyped "hot stock" full of immense bubbles.

Risk, not opportunity.

His gaze shifted to the other side of the plaza.

A young girl.

She was thin and frail, her clothes washed until they were faded, with finely stitched patches at the elbows.

She kept her head down, her hands tightly clutching the hem of her clothes, as if trying to shrink into a ball and hide in the shadows.

The girl's complexion was abnormally pale, a typical sign of prolonged Spiritual Qi deficiency and a weakened Physical Body.

"Target: Su Qing, Qingyun Sect Utility Disciple."

"Call option price for 'passing this assessment': 0.01 karma points."

A price that almost declared her doomed by the market.

But Lu Yuan caught an unextinguished spark from beneath her lowered eyelids, almost covered by her long hair.

It was a stubbornness that, even if trampled into the mud by the world, would struggle to raise its head.

On his Exchange interface, below Su Qing's dust-low price tag, there was a line of hidden data, visible only to him, glowing a faint golden color.

"Hidden value assessment: Extremely high future potential."

Lu Yuan calmly made his decision.

He mobilized his karma points and quickly completed two transactions in his consciousness.

"Buy 'Lin Fan assessment failure' put option, quantity: 100. Cost: 10 karma points."

"Buy 'Su Qing enters top ten' call option, quantity: 1000. Cost: 10 karma points."

A silent, two-way gamble.

On the high platform, a white-bearded Elder appeared, his voice booming like a bell, making the plaza hum.

"The Heart-Questioning Staircase has ninety-nine steps, testing your Dao Heart and perseverance."

"Those who reach the top within the time it takes for one stick of incense to burn are of the highest grade; those who pass sixty steps are of a moderate grade; the rest are eliminated."

As the Elder's voice fell, a faint spiritual light appeared on the stone steps ahead, rippling like water.

An invisible pressure enveloped the entire plaza.

Lin Fan was the first to step out; he walked with his head held high, his chest out, his steps firm, brimming with confidence, and easily ascended the first step.

A low gasp escaped the crowd.

The young men and women followed closely, their hearts uneasy, as they stepped onto the Heart-Questioning Staircase.

Lu Yuan mingled with the crowd, neither fast nor slow, keeping his performance at a slightly below-average level.

Pressure surged from all directions, not affecting the Physical Body, but directly piercing the Divine Soul.

Illusions proliferated, and Heart Demons whispered.

People constantly let out short screams, their bodies going limp as they fell, their faces pale as they were eliminated.

Su Qing was also climbing.

Every step she took was extremely difficult; her frail body swayed precariously, and cold sweat quickly soaked the wisps of hair on her forehead.

Her cultivation was too low, her Foundation unstable, and under the pressure of the Heart-Questioning Staircase, she almost immediately reached her physical limit.

Malicious jeers came from beside her, clearly piercing her ears.

"A Utility Disciple dares to participate in the assessment? She truly overestimates herself."

"Look, she's about to roll down, hahaha."

Su Qing bit her lip, the taste of blood spreading in her mouth.

She stubbornly lifted her right foot, heavy as iron, trembling, and stepped onto the next stair.

Lu Yuan was diagonally behind her, two steps away.

His body stumbled on the step.

A dull, inconspicuous Medicinal Pill rolled out from his wide sleeve.

The trajectory of the Medicinal Pill's roll stopped precisely at Su Qing's foot, where she was about to land.

The lowest-grade "Spirit-Calming Pill."

In the market, a single Low-Grade Spirit Stone could buy a large handful.

For Lu Yuan, this was the cheapest and most effective "angel investment" he could make.

Su Qing noticed the dust-covered Medicinal Pill at her feet.

She froze.

She looked back, only seeing the young man in blue, also climbing "with difficulty," leaning on the steps and panting heavily.

Intense struggle flashed in her eyes.

But the brink of physical collapse, combined with the deep-seated unwillingness to give up, made her ultimately choose.

She quickly bent down, picked up the Medicinal Pill, and without even looking, threw it directly into her mouth.

The cool Medicinal Pill's power diffused through her nearly scattered Divine Soul.

Her spirit invigorated.

She took a deep breath and started walking again, much more steadily than before.

Meanwhile, Lin Fan was already far ahead.

The ninetieth step.

He looked back at the crowd he had left far behind, an uncontrollable smug smile on his face.

First place was within his grasp.

Just as he was about to step onto the last stair, to enjoy the spotlight and receive glory.

A very faint fluctuation, undetectable by any Divine Sense, flashed from Lu Yuan, who was diagonally behind him.

It was a trivial amount of Karma power.

It had no offensive capability.

It precisely and accurately opened a lock named "fear" deep within Lin Fan's memory, one he had deliberately forgotten.

That was the deep-seated despair and powerlessness he felt in his childhood when he made a mistake and was punished by a Golden Core Stage Family Elder with oppressive pressure.

Lin Fan's pupils suddenly contracted to pinprick size.

The white-bearded Elder before him merged with the image of that cold-faced Elder from his memory.

He was alone, facing that terrifying, irresistible heavenly might named "Golden Core."

"No!"

Lin Fan let out a heart-wrenching scream, his mind completely losing control.

His legs gave out, and he tumbled down from the ninety-eighth step, looking utterly disheveled.

The entire plaza was silent.

One stick of incense burned out.

The Elder expressionlessly announced the results.

Su Qing, final score, sixty-one steps, barely passing.

Lin Fan, due to loss of mental control, his score was invalid and recorded as moderate.

Lu Yuan, seventy-two steps, a score that would be lost in a crowd.

He and Su Qing both officially became Outer Sect Disciples of the Qingyun Sect.

"Transaction completed, 'Lin Fan assessment failure' put option delivered, profit: 50 karma points."

"Transaction completed, 'Su Qing enters top ten' call option delivered, profit: 50 karma points."

Lu Yuan's first internal transaction netted him eighty karma points.

He was about to turn and blend into the ranks of the newly admitted Disciples.

Suddenly, he felt the air around him seem to freeze for a tenth of a second.

An invisible pressure descended like a mountain, then receded like a tide.

Lu Yuan's heart slightly tensed, but he did not look up.

He knew it was a gaze from the high platform above.

It was that white-bearded Elder.

Lu Yuan maintained the slightly reverent and bewildered expression appropriate for an ordinary young man, lowered his head, and quickly walked away.

The first step in acquiring a company seemed to have a small, unexpected variable, more than he had anticipated.