6: : The snipe and the clam are fighting, I am opening the market next door

Wang Kun's figure was like an enraged lion, Spiritual Pressure surging, like a raging tide pressing down, as he boomed to block Zhao Tian's path.

His eyes were blood-red, locked onto Zhao Tian.

That gaze was not like someone looking at a mortal enemy who had dug up his ancestral grave.

"Zhao Tian!"

Wang Kun's voice was hoarse.

"Why did you resort to such a vicious hand!"

He fiercely threw out a Jade Pendant, which arced through the air and fell at Zhao Tian's feet.

The ancient character "Wang" on the Jade Pendant was extremely dazzling.

Zhao Tian looked down, his brow furrowed into a knot.

His heart was filled with annoyance at having lost track of Lu Yuan, and the greed of a great secret about to slip away. Now, blocked by Wang Kun, his irritation reached its peak.

"Wang Kun, what are you going crazy about?"

"I'm going crazy?"

Wang Kun was so angry he laughed instead, pointing at the Jade Pendant, his voice suddenly rising.

"Why is my Disciple Sun Hao's identity Jade Pendant here, and why is it stained with your Qi! You killed him, stole the token, and now you still want to deny it!"

Zhao Tian was stunned.

He didn't know anyone named Sun Hao, let alone kill someone and steal their belongings.

This was simply an unprovoked disaster.

"Nonsense!" Zhao Tian reprimanded sharply, "I've been pursuing a runaway handyman all this time, I've never even seen your Disciple!"

This explanation, when it reached Wang Kun's ears, only confirmed Zhao Tian's hypocrisy.

In his opinion, there was only one truth: Zhao Tian killed Sun Hao, stole the Secret Realm token that his faction had painstakingly obtained, and now wanted to frame an irrelevant handyman to escape.

New hatred and old grievances were completely ignited at this moment.

Wang Kun stopped talking nonsense, and the spiritual energy around him exploded.

"More words are useless, give me your life!"

A green Flying Sword broke through the air, its sword cry sharp, piercing directly towards Zhao Tian's face.

Zhao Tian was both shocked and angry; he finally understood that he was beyond washing himself clean.

The other party simply wouldn't give him a chance to explain.

Overwhelmed by fury, he also brought out his Magical Artifact.

"Mad dog!"

Two streaks of light violently collided in mid-air, a loud bang tearing through the night sky.

The violent spiritual energy impact swept out in all directions with the two as its center, uprooting trees along the way and shredding them into pieces in mid-air... Dozens of miles away.

In an inconspicuous mountain hollow, Lu Yuan sat cross-legged.

He didn't look at the soaring spiritual light in the distance, nor did he listen to the faintly audible roars.

His consciousness was completely immersed in the illusory Exchange screen in his mind.

"Purchase 'Spectator View', cost 0.1 karma points."

The screen flickered, and a clear image appeared.

The clash of Flying Swords and Spells; each impact caused rocks to shatter.

The full-force struggle of Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators, its power causing Lu Yuan's Divine Soul to feel a stinging pain like countless needles.

Before this, he might have felt fear.

But now, there was only a cold calm in his heart.

Outsmarting, not overpowering.

Rules, crushing brute force.

This was his Dao.

Just then, his innate trader's instinct was triggered.

Such intense conflict, such an uncertain outcome... this itself was a volatile, excellent trading market.

With a thought, the Exchange interface unfolded in the corner of the spectator view.

A new, flickering list of tradable assets was prominently displayed.

"Asset: The Battle of Zhao Tian and Wang Kun."

"Call Option (Zhao Tian wins): Price 1.5 karma points."

"Call Option (Wang Kun wins): Price 2.0 karma points."

"Call Option (Both Suffer): Price 0.2 karma points."

The price was a reflection of market consensus.

Zhao Tian's cultivation was slightly higher than Wang Kun's, so the market generally believed he would win after paying some price.

The "Both Suffer" option had extremely high odds, but the market judged its probability to be the lowest.

However, in Lu Yuan's mind, a piece of information clearly emerged.

It was an inconspicuous piece of idle chatter he had seen in a Jade Slip from Li Mo's Storage Pouch that recorded Sect trivia.

— Elder Zhao Tian failed to break through to the Golden Core Stage in his early years, damaging his Origin. Although his cultivation was preserved, he suffered hidden injuries that made him unable to endure prolonged battles.

This was "insider information" that the market didn't know.

Lu Yuan's gaze fell on the number "0.2."

This wasn't gambling.

This was precise arbitrage based on information asymmetry.

With a slight thought, he bought the "Both Suffer" call option.

The battle on the screen grew increasingly fierce.

Zhao Tian, relying on his deeper cultivation, once suppressed Wang Kun, but Wang Kun fought like a madman, completely risking his life, trading injuries for injuries.

Half an hour passed.

Zhao Tian's spiritual energy circulation showed a subtle, almost imperceptible stagnation.

His old injury had relapsed.

This flaw, like a firefly in the dark night, was caught by Wang Kun.

Wang Kun roared, enduring the cost of having his shoulder blade pierced by Zhao Tian's Magical Artifact, and slashed his sword at Zhao Tian's vital Dantian.

Zhao Tian let out a muffled groan, flying backwards like a kite with a broken string, spitting blood profusely.

And Wang Kun, too, was severely wounded by Zhao Tian's desperate counterattack, his aura weak.

Neither of them could do anything to the other; they glared at each other with venom, then dragged their heavily injured bodies and fled in different directions in disarray.

"Contract has expired."

"Asset 'The Battle of Zhao Tian and Wang Kun, both suffer after half an hour' has been achieved."

"Contract settlement..."

"Congratulations, you have gained 3 Karma."

A cold voice sounded, and the number on Lu Yuan's panel changed from 2.7 to 5.7.

The crisis was resolved, and he even made a small profit.

Just as he was about to close the screen, a new prompt popped up.

"New tradable asset discovered."

"Asset: A bottle of 'Coagulating Jade Pills' dropped by Zhao Tian during his escape."

"Call Option Price: 0.1 karma points."

"Strike Price: None."

This was war profiteering.

Lu Yuan didn't hesitate for a moment and immediately bought it.

Only after confirming that the auras of both Elders had gone far away did he emerge from his hiding place and unhurriedly walk towards the center of the battlefield.

Under a chaotic pile of rubble, he easily found the small white jade bottle that Zhao Tian had dropped.

Opening the cap, a fresh medicinal fragrance wafted out.

It was the sacred healing medicine, Coagulating Jade Pills.

He put the Jade Bottle into his Storage Pouch and looked at his panel.

"karma points: 5.6"

A potentially fatal pursuit was resolved by him with a mere few Karma, using minimal effort to achieve a great effect, and he even gained Medicinal Pills and capital.

Lu Yuan looked up, gazing in the direction of Danyang City.

The crisis had been averted.

Now, it was time to meet the first competitor for the "nine revolutions soul returning grass."

The Golden Core Cultivator named "Medicine Obsessive."

There was no awe in his eyes, only the calm scrutiny of a trader looking at his next prey.

At the same time, in a corner of the Exchange, an inconspicuous piece of information flashed by.

"Information Notification: Due to internal strife among Qingyun Sect's Foundation Establishment Elders, a fatal vulnerability has appeared in the Black Wind Cliff area's defenses, which has been detected by the hostile Sect, 'Blood Fiend Sect'..."