Chapter 367: Coin Speculation
“It’s rising! It’s rising! It’s still rising!”
Yu Xinghan watched the Seven Emotions Coin surge again today, his face beaming with satisfaction.
While his classmates envied Bai Zhenzhen, worshiped Divine Monarch Seven Emotions, and showered them with praise, Yu Xinghan had chosen to go all-in on the Seven Emotions Coin.
“Bai Zhenzhen may be formidable, but the Flying Sword Tournament is teeming with powerful competitors. There are even super-talented university students who have mastered military-grade cultivation techniques, wield Military-Grade Flying Swords, and achieved Foundation Establishment with Divine Spirit Roots. Why is Bai Zhenzhen’s popularity skyrocketing above all others?”
“Someone must be manipulating the market!”
“It might even be Divine Monarch Seven Emotions herself orchestrating the hype.”
Yu Xinghan recalled True Person Starfire’s teachings…
True Person Starfire: “Xinghan, how does a true master demonstrate their strength? How do they make others aware of their power?”
Yu Xinghan pondered for a moment and replied, “By defeating formidable opponents?”
“By displaying astonishing destructive force?”
“By passing the most difficult trials?”
True Person Starfire shook his head at each suggestion. “All these methods are effective,” he said, “but for true experts at the peak of their cultivation realm, having others sing their praises is the most cost-effective approach.”
“Combat carries risks, and using power always incurs a cost. The stronger the expert and the more formidable their martial arts or daoist arts, the greater the consumption and the higher the cost.”
“In comparison, having others promote you — building hype and spreading rumors — is the most cost-effective strategy.”
“Especially in this era, the strength, assets, and reputation of a high-cultivation realm expert directly influence the stock price of their companies and the value of the currencies they create.”
“Promoting one’s own strength, assets, and abilities… that becomes even more valuable.”
Yu Xinghan nodded in satisfaction as the profit numbers flashed across his Bionic Eye.
Normally, he wouldn’t easily jump into trading based on news about other Spirit Transformation Divine Monarchs, as he lacked sufficient understanding of their situations.
But Bai Zhenzhen’s case was different, he genuinely understood her situation.
“Bai Zhenzhen’s Divine Spirit Root must be innate,” he mused.
“Her rapid growth and seamless rise through the military ranks are undoubtedly due to the Divine Monarch’s influence, but her innate Divine Spirit Root plays an equally crucial role.”
“Still, no matter how skilled Bai Zhenzhen is, I doubt she can crack the top ten.”
“Once she loses, the Seven Emotions Coin will likely fluctuate… but when will that happen?”
“Besides her Divine Spirit Root, does she have any other trump cards? Perhaps a military-grade flying sword or a military-grade cultivation technique?”
These thoughts left Yu Xinghan feeling conflicted.
He wanted to secure his profits, yet feared missing out on even greater gains. In the end, he decided to probe Zhang Yu for intelligence.
“Even though Zhang Yu’s relationship with Bai Zhenzhen isn’t what it used to be, they still communicate regularly. He must know some insider information, right?” Yu Xinghan thought.
He recalled how he had once gone all-in on the Seven Emotions Coin, urging his dormitory mates to join him in getting rich.
Yu Xinghan remembered telling Zhang Yu back then, “Coin trading is a crucial step on the Immortal Dao. It’s a celestial opportunity accessible to every Immortal Cultivator, one you can’t afford to miss.”
Now, Yu Xinghan secretly thought: “If Zhang Yu is also making money now, he’ll definitely be concerned about when to sell.”
Yu Xinghan: “Zhang Yu, how high do you think Bai Zhenzhen will place in this tournament?”
Bai Zhenzhen: “Mmm…”
Feeling Bai Zhenzhen trembling slightly in his arms, Zhang Yu glanced at the messages popping up in his Bionic Eye and asked, “A-Zhen, what place do you think you’ll get this time?”
Bai Zhenzhen felt the Divine Spirit Root throbbing rhythmically in her Dantian. After catching her breath, she replied, “My goal this time is to make it into the top 20.”
“In this Flying Sword Competition, the most formidable students will undoubtedly be those who possess a Military-Grade Flying Sword, have mastered a military-grade cultivation technique, and possess a Divine Spirit Root.”
“Among these, obtaining a Divine Spirit Root is the most challenging. It typically requires an extraordinary background, with a Spirit Transformation Divine Monarch personally intervening during their initial Foundation Establishment to grant them eligibility for it. Those with slightly less prestigious backgrounds must first achieve Foundation Establishment, then obtain permission to use a Divine Spirit Root, and finally abandon their cultivation to restart Foundation Establishment from scratch.”
“However, mastering all three military-grade powers simultaneously… Such individuals are exceedingly rare, invariably possessing both an unparalleled background and peerless talent. Only two participants in this competition meet these criteria.”
“Next come the students who have mastered two military-grade powers.”
“Finally, there are those who have mastered only one military-grade power.”
“Based on the intelligence I’ve gathered, there are probably around twenty-odd participants in this competition who possess military-grade power.”
Zhang Yu recalled the formidable students from various universities who had emerged during the competition and marveled, “Military-grade power… I’ve been at this university for so long, and I’ve only ever seen one person demonstrate it. Yet we’re seeing so many here in a single competition.”
Fu Ji replied matter-of-factly, “Of course. You rarely have the opportunity to interact with the most elite students at Myriad Laws University. Even if you did encounter them, you wouldn’t know what cultivation arts they’ve mastered or what Spirit Roots they possess.”
“Take Mo Shangjin, for example. You only know he wields the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power, but you have no idea if he possesses military-grade Bionics or magical artifacts.”
Zhang Yu nodded slightly, his thoughts drifting to the Civil Engineering Competition.
In their Civil Engineering Department, besides Mo Shangjin, who was now a eighth-year student, there was also a tenth-year senior who had mastered the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power.
These two would undoubtedly represent the university in the Civil Engineering Competition.
If the other nine universities among the Ten Greats each sent two students wielding military-grade cultivation techniques, the inter-university rounds of the Civil Engineering Competition would feature twenty students wielding military-grade power.
“And this is just the Civil Engineering Department — a poor man’s department,” Zhang Yu murmured to himself.
Zhang Yu thought to himself, “The Flying Sword Department is a rich man’s domain, so there are bound to be even more formidable figures there. Twenty-odd individuals wielding military-grade Power might seem like a lot at first glance, but when you consider the sheer number of university students… they’re actually incredibly rare, the elite of the elite.”
“Ultimately, Kunxu is brimming with talent. Even after rigorous selection processes year after year, a significant number of exceptional individuals still emerge.”
At the same time, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but feel a surge of gratitude. It was fortunate that Wang Yin hadn’t possessed military-grade power back then.
Fu Ji analyzed the situation, “During the conflict on the First Layer, two opposing factions were clearly vying for dominance while consciously limiting the intensity of the conflict. Had Wang Yin possessed overwhelming power, he likely wouldn’t have even been allowed to participate.”
“Moreover, since he failed to secure a Divine Spirit Root before his first Foundation Establishment attempt and planned to re-establish his foundation after obtaining one, his subsequent plans would naturally involve obtaining the Divine Spirit Root, then taking the Military Certificate exam, and finally cultivating a military-grade cultivation technique — a perfectly logical progression.”
Meanwhile, Bai Zhenzhen continued, “I currently only possess a Divine Spirit Root. Among these twenty-odd individuals, my strength ranks near the bottom. If I can even crack the top 20, that would be a remarkable achievement.”
“If you’ve purchased Seven Emotions Coins, you’ll definitely need to dump them by the day after tomorrow at the latest.”
On the street, Wen Wuya thought to himself, “She vanished the moment she entered the 100th floor, deliberately concealing her tracks.”
Just then, the top student from the Civil Engineering Department Foundation Establishment Class walked past him.
Wen Wuya raised his hand to stop him. “Excuse me, have you seen this person before?”
Zhang Yu glanced at the projected image of Bai Zhenzhen and froze momentarily before quickly shaking his head. “No, I haven’t.”
Wen Wuya, suspecting nothing, let him go. After all, what connection could a Civil Engineering student possibly have with Bai Zhenzhen?
Moments later, Wen Wuya stared at Bai Zhenzhen, who stood before her. “Zhenzhen, where on earth did you go? The competition is about to start!”
Bai Zhenzhen waved dismissively. “Alright, alright, let’s go.”
The pair headed toward the exit of University City, preparing to fly to the arena on their swords.
They soon encountered a crowd of students gathered, waiting for Bai Zhenzhen.
Monsterfolk students offered to sell her meat to eat.
Vajra University students tried to sell her Relics for her use.
A Junior College Students offered themselves as a slave.
A nearby monsterfolk student scoffed, “You, a Junior College Student, want to sell yourself as a slave with room and board? Who would buy a Junior College Student as a slave?”
The surrounding students joined in the jeering, driving away the Junior College Student.
A few days later, when Bai Zhenzhen reappeared, many of the students who had previously been enthusiastically following her had vanished, now furiously venting online.
“Eliminated in 18th place! Who said Bai Zhenzhen would make it into the top 10?”
“She lost already? I just borrowed money to buy Seven Emotions Coins!”
“Divine Monarch Seven Emotions has terrible judgment. Bai Zhenzhen is a total failure. Cultivating her is a waste, they should have cultivated me instead!”
Wen Wuya scanned the Spirit Realm Network and noticed that Bai Zhenzhen’s reputation had completely reversed from the overwhelmingly positive sentiment of the past few days. Many were now criticizing her due to her recent defeat.
Wen Wuya turned to Bai Zhenzhen beside him and said, “Zhenzhen, don’t worry about the online comments. We’ll hype you up again later, get some Soul Cultivator students to promote you, and the tide will turn back in your favor.”
Bai Zhenzhen stretched lazily, dismissing the matter with a shrug. “Alright, let’s hurry to the banquet. I’m starving.”
Upon arriving at the post-competition banquet, Wen Wuya observed that students from many participating teams had already gathered, along with numerous students from various departments of Myriad Laws University.
Wen Wuya and Bai Zhenzhen immediately drew considerable attention.
Wen Wuya had just exchanged a few words with someone when he turned to find Bai Zhenzhen already at the buffet area, devouring the food with gusto.
Suddenly, Wen Wuya’s gaze flickered as he noticed a familiar-looking student also dining there.
A brief mental nudge brought the memory to mind: it was the Civil Engineering Department student he had questioned during his search for Bai Zhenzhen earlier.
Dismissing the matter, Wen Wuya resumed his conversation.
Moments later, his Bionic Eye flickered, signaling a message from Divine Monarch Seven Emotions.
In truth, he had sent Divine Monarch Seven Emotions a message several days prior, but it was common for Spirit Transformation Divine Monarchs to take their time replying.
Wen Wuya’s inquiry concerned Bai Zhenzhen.
He believed that without spending lavishly, any relationship was doomed, especially now that they were at Myriad Laws University. The distance between him and Bai Zhenzhen seemed to have grown even wider.
He wanted to ask Divine Monarch Seven Emotions if they could renegotiate their agreement.
But when he read the Divine Monarch’s reply, Wen Wuya was momentarily stunned.
Divine Monarch Seven Emotions: “There’s someone at Myriad Laws University who has a very close relationship with Bai Zhenzhen. Not only did he not spend a single Spirit Coin on her, but he even managed to get 5 Spirit Coins from her.”
Divine Monarch Seven Emotions: “His name is Zhang Yu. You might want to learn from him.”