Chapter 976 The Best Summer in Kunxu
“There is video footage as well?”
“Makes sense. The betting agreement bets on the size of the thunder tribulation triggered by a Tribulation Transcendence cultivator. Only the larger the scale of the thunder tribulation, the higher the returns.”
“After being packaged into a financial product like a bond, countless buyers will inevitably have a strong desire to observe the thunder tribulation.”
Various thoughts flashed through Zhang Yu’s mind. The next moment, with a mere thought, Bu Yingshu’s Tribulation Transcendence video appeared before his eyes.
Bu Yingshu could be seen standing in the void, treading high in the sky. She stood at the lightning-strike location assigned by the tribulation company, waiting for the thunder tribulation to descend.
At the same time, all sorts of promotional advertisements about Bu Yingshu continuously popped up around her — recommendations from upper-tier cultivators, slogans from lower-tier cultivators…
“An Immortal Scion with a profound background! The owner of the strongest foundation in history!”
“Once looked down upon by her father and bullied by her older brother, she now returns as a queen with world-shaking talents! She is about to soar into the sky!”
“In a short period of time, Bu Yingshu went from an ordinary, marginalized senior Void Refinement cultivator to suddenly establishing a Law Edict and advancing to Tribulation Transcendence. This was clearly premeditated. She was a piece the Immortal Clan had laid out early on, secretly and heavily grooming her… to carry out the third-generation law establishment!”
“Even Immortals get fined when they encounter her. With such a heaven-reaching background, just how deep is her foundation? How massive will the thunder tribulation she triggers be? It’s simply unimaginable.”
Zhang Yu could see that before Bu Yingshu’s Tribulation Transcendence, she had already been promoted in the market as a bond with a heaven-reaching background and a profound foundation, triggering the fervent pursuit of countless cultivators. The issue price reached as high as 10 Immortal Coins per lot.
And on the day of the Tribulation Transcendence, as rogue cultivators entered the market, the opening price went straight to 30 Immortal Coins, instantly skyrocketing by 200%!
Immediately after, the first stage of the thunder tribulation began.
Zhang Yu looked at the flashing thunderlight in the video and thought to himself, “During ancient Tribulation Transcendence, numerous thunder tribulations would erupt all at once. In modern times, after detailed subdivision, it was not only discovered that the eruption of the thunder tribulation originates from the backlash of one’s own Immortal Dao Technology in the microscopic domain, but also that this backlash can be layered.”
“From Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, to Nascent Soul, Spirit Transformation, and Void Refinement. The thunder tribulation of the Tribulation Transcendence Realm… is altogether the simultaneous activation of these six levels of technological backlash.”
“But in modern times, after taking charge of the Heavenly Tribulation Dao Lineage, for the sake of safety and convenience… this thunder tribulation was divided into six batches from simple to difficult, erupting in succession. Namely, the Qi Refining Thunder Tribulation, the Foundation Establishment Thunder Tribulation… all the way to the final thunder tribulation.
“The first five tiers are all backlashes based on the foundation the cultivator accumulated in the past… across various cultivation realms. As for the final tier…”
Zhang Yu looked at Bu Yingshu in the video, knowing that she was currently undergoing the first tier, the Qi Refining Thunder Tribulation, a thunder tribulation born from the technological backlash of her own Qi Refining Realm.
A burst of blinding, dazzling thunderlight lit up as streaks of electricity exploded from within Bu Yingshu’s body.
The piercing thunder covered a radius of one li, scattering between heaven and earth like a torrential downpour.
But in the next moment, the thunderlight began to rapidly retract, gradually converging inside and outside Bu Yingshu’s body.
Zhang Yu thought to himself, “The thunderlight covers a radius of one li. If graded by the scale of the thunder tribulation, this should be considered a medium-tier thunder tribulation, right?”
At the same time, Zhang Yu could see Bu Yingshu’s Tribulation Bond plummeting in response, suddenly dropping from 30 to 20, and it was still continuing to fall.
Zhang Yu’s gaze then swept across, and countless comments and arguments from cultivators of that time surfaced before him.
“Profound Monarch Bu only lacks a solid foundation in Qi Refining! Don’t you know she’s a late bloomer? Her next five thunder tribulations will definitely be fiercer one after another!”
“Someone is crashing the market to accumulate shares! Everyone, don’t be scared off! Profound Monarch Bu will definitely bounce back!”
“The excess trading in the securities market comes from the blind cutting of losses by you independent cultivators. Everyone, hold steady!”
“It will definitely skyrocket once the second thunder tribulation begins! Everyone, go all in and push hard!”
Zhang Yu then saw the price fluctuating up and down after that, until it recently stabilized around 16.
Zhang Yu thought to himself, “The opening price was so high, but it ended up dropping by half. This expected price created by the hype was far higher than the actual value. This is just harvesting the leeks, isn’t it?”
Feeling Zhang Yu’s gaze on her, Bu Yingshu said, “What are you looking at me for?”
Seemingly guessing something, Bu Yingshu continued, “Are you looking at my Tribulation Bond? A bunch of independent cultivators overestimated it themselves when the market opened, and then they couldn’t hold onto it. If they could have just persisted a little longer until I passed the next few thunder tribulations, they wouldn’t have lost so miserably.”
Zhang Yu did not speak, but turned his gaze toward Lie Jinghong and Tai Yuebai.
As the representative figure of the Dharma Realm Dao Lineage and the creator of the third-generation Law Edict, Lie Jinghong clearly conducted a fierce promotional campaign before issuing his Tribulation Bond.
He touted the Dharma Realm investments, his status as the Ten Sects’ first Dharma Realm Obligation manager, and his role as the controller of the key technology connecting the Dharma Realms of the upper and lower realms.
Along with Lie Jinghong’s consistently excellent track record, his investment background from childhood to adulthood, from Qi Refining to Tribulation Transcendence, and the massive financial backing from various upper-tier cultivators and sect enterprises behind him — all of it was listed out.
“The Dharma Realm Sect Enterprise of the Myriad Laws Sect has already entered the market; it’s just that they can’t make a public announcement. Lie Jinghong is definitely going to rise this time!”
“With the patents for Law Realm Technology, who among the Ten Great Sects can bypass them? In the future, everyone will be held by the throat; this wave will definitely rise so high it’ll make you dizzy.”
“Those badmouthing it should just go do their outsourcing work properly. Don’t disturb morale here and get in the way of everyone making a fortune.”
Afterward, as Lie Jinghong initiated his first thunder tribulation, the opening price was 15. Following a slight pullback, it zigzagged its way upward until it reached 18.8 today.
“Lie Jinghong’s upward trend isn’t bad at all.”
Just as this thought flashed through Zhang Yu’s mind, a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes when he looked at the trend of Tai Yuebai’s bond, and he asked, “Big Brother Tai… Profound Monarch Tai Yuebai is this formidable?”
Hearing Zhang Yu’s words, the manager of the securities company in front of him, Lu Jingsong, laughed heartily and said with a face full of confidence, “I was the one responsible for guiding Profound Monarch Tai’s Tribulation Bond back then.”
“After all, it is the first Dual Rest Concept Tribulation Bond in the history of Kunxu, something that has never existed since the opening of heaven.”
“Dual Rest, what lower-tier cultivator of the great sects doesn’t like it?”
Zhang Yu then saw that before Tai Yuebai’s Tribulation Bond opened, all sorts of fake news were spreading everywhere.
Things like the Myriad Laws Immortal Emperor having already signed, and that next year the entire sect from top to bottom would start Dual Rest.
There were also people swearing that after the Dual Rest Law Edict was initiated, the cultivation growth rate within the pilot zone soared all the way, looking extremely promising.
There were even more rumors saying that the Dual Rest techniques of other sects were being brutally suppressed, and that Tai Yuebai would monopolize the Dual Rest Law Edict for a long time.
Lu Jingsong introduced, “The opening price of 50 was the result of Profound Monarch Tai’s past efforts, as well as our assistance… working together.”
“But to be able to skyrocket all the way after the market opened, this is because Profound Monarch Tai’s own foundation is truly too profound.”
On the screen, at the very instant the first thunder tribulation began, the entire video was reduced to an expanse of white light.
Then the camera adjusted, continuously pulling up, and one could see… centered around the location where Tai Yuebai was being struck, surging thunderlight rampaged in all directions, directly covering a radius of several miles.
Lu Jingsong commented, “The thunder tribulation envelops a territory of several miles, with thunderbolts falling like a heavenly river, shaking heaven and earth, causing mountains and rivers to sway, spiritual energy to pour backward, and immortal aura to flutter. And this is only the first thunder tribulation. If this were in ancient times, the sixfold thunder tribulation striking simultaneously would likely be a disaster that destroys a sect and wipes out its members.”
“To be able to trigger such a thunder tribulation is something rarely seen in a century. Profound Monarch Tai is indeed a cultivator heavily nurtured by the Reformist Faction; the profoundness of his foundation is rare in this world.”
“It is exactly this kind of phenomenon that caused the price of his subsequent Tribulation Securities to climb all the way, having already broken through 100 Immortal Coins per lot.”
Zhang Yu thought to himself, “Big Brother Tai, this guy… Heaven knows how many Dao Seeds he stole. Could his foundation not be profound? Speaking of which, my foundation shouldn’t be weak either.”
“But looking at it now, before the thunder tribulation begins, all kinds of publicity, hype, and concepts can extremely push up the price. But once the thunder tribulation truly begins, a cultivator’s true colors will be completely revealed.”
Zhang Yu looked at Tai Yuebai’s initial issue price: “20? So, rising to its current level, that’s an increase of 400%.”
He looked at Lu Jingsong and said, “You guys really made a lot.”
Lu Jingsong smiled slightly and said, “Profound Monarch Tai also obtained huge profits through the betting agreement. We are never stingy with cultivators who have potential.”
In the eyes of the securities company, the current Myriad Laws Divine Sword, Zhang Yu, and his Tribulation Transcendence project were obviously also a big piece of fat meat.
“Zhang Yu’s fame is great, and to be able to reach this stage, his foundation will definitely not be bad.”
Lu Jingsong secretly thought in his heart: “This project… will definitely make a lot of money.”
And after Zhang Yu consulted for a bit, understanding the various materials regarding the Tribulation Loan, the betting agreement, and the relevant bond market, he ended today’s conversation with Lu Jingsong.
This time was just a simple meeting. To truly push the project forward, matters such as the specific agreement details, loan amount, the company’s data entry for Zhang Yu, and his foundation assessment would all require a considerable amount of time.
However, Zhang Yu merely sent out a clone to follow up, dedicating the majority of his mental effort to cultivating and working.
After all, he knew what the outcome of the Tribulation Transcendence would be; ultimately, it all depended on his own foundational strength.
In the following days, Zhang Yu polished his cultivation daily, advanced his cultivation arts, and purchased a large amount of Immortal Crystals to continue increasing his Immortalization Degree.
A few days later, a flash appeared before Zhang Yu’s eyes, revealing a message from Yun Zhiguang.
Ever since their last meeting, Yun Zhiguang had been pondering Zhang Yu’s words.
“Should I join under Minister Zhang?”
To answer this question, upon returning, Yun Zhiguang frantically gathered relevant information on Zhang Yu, digging through various news reports about him.
From Kunxu Hero to Former Days Salary King, and then to the Myriad Laws Divine Sword… After repeatedly studying, observing, memorizing, and finally uploading the data to her exclusive High-Intelligence Artifact Spirit, Yun Zhiguang knew Zhang Yu’s past experiences like the back of her hand.
Looking back at Zhang Yu’s path of a meteoric rise, Yun Zhiguang already had an answer in her heart.
“Almost one rank a year. In less than seven years since joining, he is already about to undergo Tribulation Transcendence. Zhang Yu’s rise is simply astronomical!”
“Furthermore, the Immortal Emperor is going to push for legal reform next. If I can follow Minister Zhang and participate in this major trend, I’m sure there will be plenty of opportunities to make meritorious contributions and get promoted.”
Having made her decision, Yun Zhiguang began to ponder how to join his camp.
“I must demonstrate my sincerity, determination, and value…”
The first thing Yun Zhiguang thought of was Immortal Coins.
However, scenes from Zhang Yu’s past experiences immediately flashed through her mind.
“No, when Minister Zhang was in the Development Zone, he was famously known for not accepting money. Later, when he held the Salary Raise Authority in the Former Days Graveyard, he also didn’t take a single penny and never raised his own salary by a cent. And recently, when dealing with Supreme Truth’s legacy, everything was done legally and compliantly.”
Yun Zhiguang thought to herself, “Minister Zhang is not someone who covets small, immediate financial gains. Giving him money won’t work.”
“As for the Dao of Yin-Yang Harmony…” Yun Zhiguang said worriedly, “I heard that even Profound Monarch Bu has to line up outside his door now, so how could it possibly be my turn?”
After much thought, Yun Zhiguang finally made a decision: “Minister Zhang wants to push for a law system reform, so I must demonstrate my abilities in this area.”
Thus, Yun Zhiguang began to study Zhang Yu’s Law Edict Expiration Date, research his process for freezing Law Edicts, and investigate the spirit of law system reform contained within.
Every word and deed of Zhang Yu that could be found in public records was taken out and carefully studied by her.
“I need to figure out Minister Zhang’s propositions, align my perspective with his, grasp his spirit, and then combine it with my own advantages.”
At this moment, Zhang Yu was looking at the message Yun Zhiguang had sent.
Yun Zhiguang: “Leader, I have repeatedly studied the reform work you are primarily promoting and found it to be profound and indescribably wonderful. I have written a study reflection combining my grassroots work experience, along with some immature ideas on promoting the Law Edict Expiration Date to the lower layers, for you to browse and correct at your leisure…”
Zhang Yu’s gaze swept over it slightly, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes: “This one… didn’t make a trip down there in vain. If the Law Edict Expiration Date is to be promoted to the lower realm in the future, she could be put in charge of a portion of the work.”
Thinking of this, Zhang Yu asked, “Little Yun, do you have any ideas for your own Void Refinement Law Edict?”
When Yun Zhiguang saw the message sent by Zhang Yu, the magic power in her body instantly surged, and her Primordial Spirit slightly leaped out of her body as she thought to herself, “Here it comes!”
She hurriedly expressed her loyalty, stating that she was at Minister Zhang’s disposal and only wanted to do her part for the legal reform of the Myriad Laws Sect.
A moment later, Zhang Yu replied, “It’s too late for this year. Design a few versions of the Law Edict for me to look at first, and I’ll help you ask around to see if there’s a chance next year or the year after.”
Yun Zhiguang was overjoyed. In the following days, she began to design the content of the Law Edict based on the Law Edict Expiration Date and the environment of Kunxu.
In the blink of an eye, the time came to May.
Driven jointly by Zhang Yu himself, as well as Yu Xinghan, Le Mulan, Magnetic Pole, and Bai Zhenzhen, the Void Refinement Dao Body skyrocketed. Zhang Yu’s Immortalization Degree also climbed steadily along with it, having already broken through 70%.
And during this period of time, the cultivators who were promoted this year like Zhang Yu and obtained the Tribulation Certificate also began to trigger their thunder tribulations one after another.
Zhang Yu didn’t pay much attention to this before, but now, because he was also about to undergo Tribulation Transcendence, more and more relevant information kept appearing before his eyes.
For example, right now, there was a lot of promotional material about Yue Qinglan appearing.
This cultivator from the Myriad Laws Sect’s pharmaceutical company had previously gained significant profits with the help of Le Mulan’s Profound Cold Meridian. Later, she completed law establishment in the same term as Zhang Yu, establishing the Minimum Lifespan Law Edict.
Now that she was preparing for Tribulation Transcendence, her relevant resume was being repeatedly promoted.
“Yue Qinglan’s longevity technology is unique to Kunxu. The Pill Cauldron Sect begged on their knees for cooperation, but we ignored them.”
“I’ve seen the longevity extension effects; it crushes all current therapies. The Celestial Evolution Award is already a given.”
Afterward, the thunder tribulation began. The lightning triggered by Yue Qinglan spanned over 200 meters across the sky, and the price of her Tribulation Securities soared from 1 to 2.8 Immortal Coins.
Watching this scene, Zhang Yu thought to himself: “As a key cultivation target of the pharmaceutical company, Yue Qinglan’s foundation is absolutely not weak. A thunder tribulation of over 200 meters might have been a sect-exterminating disaster in ancient times. Only in modern Kunxu can one unscrupulously consolidate their foundation, enhance their underlying strength, fear no thunder tribulation, and even view the completion of a thunder tribulation as a kind of profit.”
A few weeks later, Cang Juehuan of the Artifact Spirit Faction and Kuang Zhiqian of the Heavenly Luck Dao Lineage also began their Tribulation Transcendence one after another.
“The owner of Kunxu’s first Artifact Spirit Human Rights Law Edict! Unique technology, strongly supported by sect policy! Long-term lock-up and holding is recommended.”
“High-Intelligence Artifact Spirits are not just a trend, they are a tsunami, the core track!”
“The future is an era of gambling! If you don’t take a gamble now, how will you ever rise?”
The thunder tribulation triggered by the two of them was also much more surging than Yue Qinglan’s, and their Tribulation Securities successively rose to the level of 5 and 6 Immortal Coins per lot.
Although the Tribulation Transcendence results of these few people were quite eye-catching, the most spectacular figure in the entire Tribulation Securities market right now was still Ye Heng from the Vajra Sect.
This Heavenly Chosen of the Vajra Sect held the Law Edict of the Law Establishment Attainment Level within the sect, and similar to Zhang Yu… both had been gradually promoting legal reforms over the past two years.
Especially within the Vajra Sect, the Buddha Emperor held immense power, making the advancement of reforms increasingly smooth. The entire 15th and 16th layers of the Vajra Sector had already been covered by the Law Establishment Attainment Level.
And Ye Heng’s Tribulation Transcendence this time received great attention from all sides. Whether it was the issuance of the Tribulation Transcendence Certificate or the preparation work for the Tribulation Transcendence, it was unprecedentedly fast.
Furthermore, a Buddha Immortal of the Vajra Sect personally stepped in to cast the Empowerment Technique on Ye Heng to speed up the efficiency of the Tribulation Transcendence, claiming that he would pass the sixfold thunder tribulation within three years.
After that, eight Ascension Realm cultivators even stepped forward to endorse him together, each chopping off a part of Ye Heng’s body to personally refine it for him. This not only improved Ye Heng’s foundation but also increased his ability to withstand the thunder tribulation.
Waves of attention and endorsements directly pushed Ye Heng’s issue price to 100.
On the day the thunder tribulation began, lightning stretching across dozens of miles shot into the sky, seemingly about to blast a hole right through the entire minor realm.
Several Ascension Realm cultivators from the Heavenly Sword Sect took action together, joining forces to stabilize the minor realm.
Meanwhile, the opening price of Ye Heng’s Tribulation Securities skyrocketed all the way to 800 coins! It caused a sensation across the ten sects!
“A once-in-a-millennium opportunity to get rich is here! Commit suicide and sell yourselves! Go all in!”
“This is the number one foundation among the ten sects in Kunxu for the past hundred years!”
This wave of skyrocketing securities directly triggered a massive suicide tide, leading countless lower-tier cultivators to commit suicide and sell themselves, going all in with everything they had to buy the bonds.
“The target price has no ceiling! First we look at 1000, then 5000! To ascend and become an Immortal depends entirely on this wave!”
Even Shi Huaiyu, who originally paid no attention to Tribulation Securities, was drawn in by this and constantly asked Zhang Yu for his opinion.
Shi Huaiyu asked, “Minister Zhang, with this Ye Heng’s foundation, will his future thunder tribulations be even fiercer? Can the Tribulation Bond still go up?”
Zhang Yu did not answer. He just cultivated silently, continuing to advance his Immortalization Degree in preparation for his subsequent thunder tribulation.
He sighed in his heart, “Has the competition to get on the dining table already started from Tribulation Transcendence?”
Meanwhile, inside the securities company, it was already bustling with activity.
“Ye Heng’s bond price has exploded!”
Lu Jingsong looked at Zhang Yu’s avatar. “Zhang Yu is also a pioneer general of the Law Edict reform, as well as the promoter of the Myriad Laws Sect’s Law Edict reform. If he is going to undergo Tribulation Transcendence next…”
Just as Lu Jingsong was imagining Zhang Yu’s Tribulation Securities price skyrocketing all the way, a report was delivered right in front of him.
At the same time, his superior leader, an Ascension Realm cultivator from the Heavenly Sword Sect named He Zhaisheng, was also one of the participants in the next Ascension Selection.
It was said that the Shock Sword Dao he mastered had already reached the mortal zenith. A single full-powered strike from him could shake the entire internet, catching the eyes of all cultivators from the 1st to the 20th layer and creating world-shocking news.
There were also rumors that he was a key executive of the Instant Sword Network, able to secretly influence the public opinion trends of the major sects, constantly absorbing Shock Sword Intent from them at every moment.
At this very moment, He Zhaisheng said coldly, “Look at this report.”
Lu Jingsong flipped through the report and saw that the document’s content was an assessment of Zhang Yu’s bond price.
The first half of the article detailed Zhang Yu’s identity as the Myriad Laws Divine Sword, stating that he had repeatedly earned Merit Points for the Myriad Laws Sect over the years, and that every entry in his resume was highly valuable…
Lu Jingsong nodded slightly. Reading up to this point, he felt it matched his own thoughts. Just publicizing Zhang Yu’s experiences over these past few years would be enough to push his issue price to over 500.
However, the subsequent analysis in the article made Lu Jingsong frown slightly.
“Zhang Yu’s cultivation time is too short, and his time researching Immortal Dao Technology is even shorter. In particular, a lack of sufficient background in Immortal Dao Technology research and development will lead to an insufficient foundation?”
Lu Jingsong said, “I remember Zhang Yu has quite a lot of registered cultivation arts, right?”
He Zhaisheng said indifferently, “Haven’t you checked his cultivation art copyright list? Almost ninety-nine percent of them are highly repetitive basic cultivation arts with low technological thresholds. Their effect on consolidating a foundation is negligible.”
Lu Jingsong added, “In several major incidents, the work performance and combat performance he demonstrated were both quite good…”
He Zhaisheng said, “Those are all inheritances from seniors and rewards from upper-tier cultivators. Or do you think he could open a Grotto-Heaven by himself? That he could design the Law Edict Freezing technology on his own? He has merely applied a lot of Immortal Dao Technology; as for his own understanding, I’m afraid… he knows very little.”
“After all, Zhang Yu’s growth time is too short. He is not like Ye Heng, a cultivator who progressed steadily step by step and has experienced hundreds of years of Immortal Dao research.”
“In the end, he is just an Administrative Cultivator, relying on doing tasks, making contributions, and opportunism in exchange for promotion opportunities. He is just like a medicinal plant forcibly inflated by being continuously watered with Immortal Dao resources…”
Lu Jingsong knew in his heart that the company was accustomed to classifying cultivators into Administrative Cultivators and Technical Cultivators during evaluations.
Unlike Administrative Cultivators who rose through the ranks by making contributions, Technical Cultivators often advanced step by step through Immortal Dao research and technological innovation. Every promotion in rank represented a profound foundation.
For such cultivators, once they triggered a backlash from Immortal Dao Technology, the scale of the thunder tribulation would naturally be larger.
And in Kunxu, a world under the tyranny of Immortal Dao Technology, whether in the bond market or the major sects, the potential of Technical Cultivators… was generally considered to be higher than that of Administrative Cultivators. They would be highly regarded wherever they went.
This was evident from the fact that over eighty percent of past Ascension Realm cultivators were Technical Cultivators.
And in the intelligence currently compiled on Zhang Yu, he was a standard Administrative Cultivator.
Lu Jingsong kept flipping through the information, frowning as he said, “I thought Zhang Yu, like Ye Heng and Tai Yuebai, hadn’t stopped exploring technology while doing things, but now it seems he’s really weak in Immortal Dao research.”
Perhaps the other party was hiding something, or maybe there were some Immortal Dao technologies that weren’t registered in the materials.
But from the assessment report in front of him, Lu Jingsong really couldn’t see much of Zhang Yu’s research background, let alone conclude that he had a deep foundation.
Lu Jingsong asked, “Then what do we do next?”
He Zhaisheng said indifferently, “What else can we do? We only recognize money, not people. Different types of cultivators undergoing Tribulation Transcendence naturally mean we use different methods to make money.”
“You guys immediately modify the plan with the others. Fortunately, we have Ye Heng’s example. Once we push up the price of Zhang Yu’s Tribulation Bonds, we can let those who take over pay the bill…”
Lu Jingsong nodded slightly. Ultimately, their current discussion, although evaluating Zhang Yu, had nothing to do with underestimating or valuing him. They were just objectively assessing him in their own way, and then choosing the most suitable method to make money.