When Others Are Afraid, I Double Down

Zhao Xuhe actually understood that by now, the Death Substitute Puppet had completely turned into a bubble, one that could burst at any moment and come crashing down for good.

But he believed that with his sharp instincts, he would definitely be able to get out in time.

So when Lu Yang contacted him, saying that he had already exited and wanted to repay the 2,000 Contribution Points loan he had borrowed earlier, Zhao Xuhe even felt sorry for him.

"Reckless! Junior Brother, you're being far too reckless!"

"Don't you see that the price of Death Substitute Puppets is still rising? The war hasn't even started yet. Once it truly begins, that will be when demand outstrips supply!"

"Before the price rises too outrageously, I suggest you hurry up and buy back in."

Faced with Zhao Xuhe's fervent persuasion, Lu Yang remained rational.

Though he too was green with envy at the soaring Death Substitute Puppet prices, and even regretted selling so early, he understood even better why Zhao Xuhe was urging him now.

He cared about him?

Don't be stupid. He wanted to drag more people into the market!

After all, the more people entered, the better his chances of cashing out and getting away.

Hold back. I'm not in a hurry.

I'll first watch how things unfold in this life and confirm the peak price. Then, in the next life, I'll repeat the operation. That will be my perfect chance to make a killing.

With the Hundred Lives Book, I would only profit and never lose!

At that thought, Lu Yang instantly felt much better. He settled the loan with Zhao Xuhe, then went directly into seclusion and stopped paying attention to the outside world.

While Lu Yang was in seclusion, the price of Death Substitute Puppets continued to skyrocket.

Because the First Saint Sect had truly begun making preparations for war!

Large numbers of disciples received deployment orders and left the sect one after another, their destinations unknown. Under such circumstances, there was naturally no way the price of Death Substitute Puppets could fall in the slightest.

No matter how expensive they became, those about to head into the Righteous-Demonic War could only grit their teeth and buy them.

After all, Money could be earned again, but one only had a single life.

Under such circumstances, more and more people chose to enter the market. Most of them were not even ordinary disciples, but genuine scions of great clans.

Compared to ordinary disciples, these clan disciples came from powerful families, and their weakest elders were Foundation Establishment True Persons. The Contribution Points they could mobilize naturally far surpassed those of ordinary disciples. Thus, after they entered the market, the Death Substitute Puppet prices, which had already shown signs of slowing, took off once more.

Three thousand, four thousand, five thousand.

Clearly, this price was no longer on the same level as the Death Substitute Puppet's actual value. Some people had even begun exiting out of fear.

Under such circumstances, the price of Death Substitute Puppets naturally began to fall.

Similar panic gradually spread, yet even more people—especially those who had experienced the first drop—remained full of confidence.

"Don't panic! This is only a technical correction!"

"Sell? It's still far too early for that!"

This time, Zhao Xuhe believed he had learned his lesson.

Previously, he had exited too early. When he entered again for the second time, not only had he failed to profit, he had even suffered a small loss. How could he possibly swallow the same loss twice?

"The Righteous-Demonic War hasn't begun yet, and there are still plenty of Death Substitute Puppets on the market, so right now it may seem as if the price has reached its ceiling. But once the fighting begins, Death Substitute Puppets will inevitably be consumed in massive quantities, and there are no equivalent replacements. When that happens, everyone will still have to come back and buy!"

"When that time comes, the price will definitely usher in a third surge!"

"What are a mere five thousand Contribution Points? Seven thousand, even ten thousand, are possible! There will be a price but no supply. This concerns their lives—everyone will have to sell pots and pans, strip the roof beams, whatever it takes to buy one!"

Zhao Xuhe felt that his analysis was simply flawless.

"So while those idiots are selling out of fear, I'm going to increase my position!"

At that thought, Zhao Xuhe not only poured in all his savings, but even took out loans, borrowing a huge sum on the credit of the Three Rivers Society.

He went all in.

Of course, Zhao Xuhe was not the only "smart person." Others reached the same conclusion as he did and began sweeping up goods across the market.

Affected by this, the price, which had only recently fallen, began to rise again.

At the sight of this, Zhao Xuhe, who had still felt somewhat uncertain, immediately felt as though he had swallowed a calming pill. He thought his decision to go all in had been truly wise.

Then, early the next morning.

A voice rang out from Sacred Fire Cliff and instantly spread throughout the First Saint Sect and beyond.

"In recent days, our Sect Master True Lord personally arranged matters. Openly, he mobilized disciples and assumed a stance of preparing for war; secretly, he dispatched people to launch a surprise attack on the Jiangnan Ten Thousand Man Pit."

"Therefore, we are delighted to announce to all disciples."

"Just yesterday, the Jiangnan Ten Thousand Man Pit was personally recaptured by the Sect Master True Lord. At the same time, the Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion has contacted the Sect Master and expressed its willingness to negotiate peace with the Sacred Sect."

It exploded.

Literally. The instant the news spread, an explosion sounded from within a certain cave abode, as if someone had suffered a cultivation deviation and self-destructed.

Immediately afterward, all sounds fell silent.

The vast First Saint Sect, which yesterday had still brimmed with vigorous life, a scene where all things raced forth, was now left only with a deathly stillness so terrifying it made one suffocate.

Because everyone understood that the recapture of the Jiangnan Ten Thousand Man Pit meant Death Substitute Puppets would no longer be in short supply. The Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion's initiative in seeking peace meant the Righteous-Demonic War was nowhere in sight. More importantly, this news had been released through the disciples' Tokens, equivalent to an official announcement.

So it could not possibly be false.

The bubble called Death Substitute Puppets burst with a thunderous crash at that moment. As a result, its price began a cliff-diving collapse from its peak of seven thousand.

Five thousand, three thousand, one thousand, two hundred.

The price that had taken over a month to climb now crashed back to its original level in only a quarter of an hour, and it was still falling!

Everyone wanted to sell, yet no one was willing to buy.

Especially those who had hoarded large quantities of Death Substitute Puppets. They could now only watch helplessly as the price broke through the floor and their wealth evaporated without end.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

That night, a deafening explosion rang out from somewhere within the First Saint Sect almost every so often. No one knew how many people had their Dao Hearts shattered because of it.

Inside his cave abode, Zhao Xuhe had long since fainted.

When he opened his eyes, his expression was still dazed, as though he were dreaming. "How terrifying. I actually dreamed that the price of Death Substitute Puppets fell, hahaha."

Then he looked once more at the price of Death Substitute Puppets.

One hundred Contribution Points per puppet.

".I must have seen it wrong."

After a moment of silence, Zhao Xuhe closed his disciple Token, took a deep breath, then reopened it with trembling hands and checked the price of Death Substitute Puppets again.

Fifty Contribution Points per puppet.

"Puh!!!"

Zhao Xuhe spat out a mouthful of old blood on the spot. His face flushed the color of pig liver, and his Aura, like the price of Death Substitute Puppets, instantly plunged to rock bottom.

"I hate...!"

Zhao Xuhe had no time to think further. He desperately suppressed the impulse to go berserk in his heart, regulated his breathing and circulated his cultivation, sorting through his true qi. By a hair's breadth, he avoided truly suffering a cultivation deviation.

Just then, a voice suddenly sounded outside the cave abode.

"Senior Brother Zhao, Lu Yang has come to visit."

"Lu Yang?"

Zhao Xuhe was stunned for a long while before remembering this junior brother of his. Then he thought of how Lu Yang had exited early and repaid his loan, while he himself had now lost everything.

"Puh!"

Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Zhao Xuhe walked out with a trembling gait. There, he saw Lu Yang standing at the entrance, looking refreshed and full of spirit as he enthusiastically waved at him.

"Senior Brother, how much did you make today?"

Bang!

With an explosive sound, Zhao Xuhe clenched his steel teeth tight. Cracks appeared all over his body where his rampaging true qi slammed against his flesh, seeping threads of blood.

Lu Yang immediately looked horrified. "Senior Brother!? Are you all right?"

".I'm fine."

Zhao Xuhe barely forced out a smile. "By the way, Junior Brother Lu, I recently discovered an ancient cave abode. There seem to be quite a few good things inside."

As his words fell, a vicious glint immediately surfaced in Zhao Xuhe's eyes. He squeezed out through clenched teeth, "I wonder if Junior Brother would be interested?"