Chapter 982: God of Investment, Proceed With a Free Hand in All Matters
Within the Myriad Laws Sect.
Fa Liuyuan glanced at the price of Zhang Yu’s Tribulation Bond, which had already risen to 6234.
“It’s rising too fast.”
Knowing that the two Immortals of the Reformist Faction were shorting this bond, Fa Liuyuan frequently observed the bond market and paid attention to the related news.
Upon noticing that an anomaly had occurred during Zhang Yu’s sixth thunder tribulation, Fa Liuyuan immediately sent a message to the two Immortals.
But even now, he had still not received a reply from either of them.
Fa Liuyuan’s figure flickered repeatedly, arriving before an Immortal Abode, seeking an audience with Immortal Roujia and Immortal Yi Xuan.
At the same time, he once again sent a message to the two Immortals and requested a voice call, but he still received no response.
“What exactly is going on? Why have both Immortals become unreachable?”
Fa Liuyuan stood before the Immortal Abode, only to find the main gates tightly shut. No matter how he called out, there was no reaction at all. Just as a growing sense of foreboding welled up in his heart, a voice came from behind him.
“Immortal Roujia and Immortal Yi Xuan have already accepted the Immortal Emperor’s invitation and gone to attend a research conference on the Supreme Immortal Artifact. That place is a closed environment, and they cannot be contacted from the outside.”
Fa Liuyuan suddenly turned his head, only to see Dugu Ming looking at him with a smile.
“Research the Supreme Immortal Artifact?” Fa Liuyuan’s heart sank. “No, how could the Immortal Emperor pull them in to research a Supreme Immortal Artifact for no reason? There must be a catch…”
He sighed, thinking in his mind: “But driven by their aspiration for the Immortal Dao, the two teachers couldn’t escape being blinded by greed. They still wanted to risk it all on a gamble, and ultimately fell for the trap.”
“Alas, and this tactic of pulling people into meetings… it really is a tried-and-true trick since ancient times.”
Fa Liuyuan understood in his heart that this was an unavoidable matter. After all, when faced with the opportunity to research a Supreme Immortal Artifact, how many Immortals in this world could give it up? Who could resist this temptation to sprint toward the apex of the Immortal Dao?
At the same time, Dugu Ming held up a finger, and streaks of Zhang Yu’s Tribulation Bonds surfaced around it.
“As for these bonds, they were bought from the hands of the two Immortals…”
Fa Liuyuan knew that the two Immortals had been shorting Zhang Yu’s Tribulation Bonds, which meant borrowing the bonds at a high price, selling them, and then buying them back at a low price to return them, thereby earning the price difference.
And this final step of returning the bonds, completing the short trade to fully lock in the profit and secure the gains, was called to liquidate.
And hearing Dugu Ming’s words about buying them up at this very moment… Fa Liuyuan’s heart trembled: “Could it be that every time the two teachers shorted, every time they borrowed bonds and sold them, they were all bought by him? No… with Dugu Ming’s level, he absolutely couldn’t do this.”
He only heard Dugu Ming continue: “The two Immortals sold from 1000 down to 500, and then they were invited to attend the meeting… Calculating it from start to finish, the average buying price of these bonds in my hands is about 700.”
Heavenly Monarch Fa trembled slightly, glancing at the bonds that had already risen to 7000, a trace of helplessness appearing on his face.
“If the two Immortals haven’t closed out their positions yet because they were stuck in a meeting… then this wave of losses must already be ten times their initial principal, wouldn’t it?”
“The key is that this is only the beginning…”
Glancing at the bonds that were still continuing to rise, Fa Liuyuan understood that the loss figures from this short selling were still soaring.
Fa Liuyuan didn’t know what the exact loss figures for the two Immortals would be, but any pool of capital that warranted personal execution by two Immortals was bound to be astronomical. Suffering a loss over ten times that base amount, if leverage was involved as well…
Dugu Ming continued, “The higher-ups hope to use this batch of bonds in exchange for the Feather Book you possess, Heavenly Monarch Fa.”
Hearing this, countless pieces of information rapidly flashed and connected in Fa Liuyuan’s mind.
“Who else could be above Dugu Ming? It is none other than the Myriad Laws Immortal Emperor.”
“The Immortal Emperor… has been keeping a close watch on the two Immortals, even getting his hands on every single bond they sold.”
At this moment, Fa Liuyuan felt as if he could see the two high and mighty Reformist Faction Immortals acting like marionettes, completely controlled by the Myriad Laws Immortal Emperor. Even every single movement and every transaction they made was fully seen through by him.
“The Myriad Laws Immortal Emperor… wants to use a financial strangulation to effortlessly buy our Feather Book using the bonds sold by the two Immortals, leveraging this wave of losses…”
“What a brilliant scheme, truly a brilliant scheme.”
More information surfaced in his mind, causing Fa Liuyuan’s heart to sink continuously: “This was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but a targeted, premeditated plot.”
“Since when did it start? The moment they decided to demand the Feather Book? When the Heavenly Sword Sect came to visit?”
Thinking of the Heavenly Sword Sect’s visit, Fa Liuyuan could not help but fall into deeper thought.
“Could it be that during that visit… both sides were discussing this matter? Were the two Immortal Emperors, Myriad Laws and Heavenly Sword, joining forces to set up a trap?”
“Even in this bond market, the Immortal Emperors have already invested funds, disguising themselves as retail cultivators to buy up a large number of bonds at low prices…”
But the next moment, new thoughts surged in Fa Liuyuan’s mind.
“The two great Immortal Emperors joining forces couldn’t possibly be just for this small matter. Therefore, setting a trap for the two Teachers and demanding the Feather Book is probably just a part of the plan, or perhaps even just a convenient addition…”
“This scheme by the two Immortal Emperors must have a greater goal.”
Just as Fa Liuyuan’s mind was racing, Dugu Ming spoke up again to ask, “Heavenly Monarch Fa, what have you decided?”
Within the Vajra Sect, reading report after report about the thunder tribulation and observing the super-massive thunder tribulation breaking through layer after layer of Kunxu, a trace of lingering fear flashed through Ye Heng’s heart.
He recalled the previous incident where the address for the thunder strike was mistaken.
“Thank goodness my thunder tribulation was mistakenly struck upon Zhang Yu.”
“If Zhang Yu’s sixth thunder tribulation had struck me instead…”
At this thought, the vital energy around Ye Heng’s body twitched slightly.
On the other side, under Heavenly Monarch Overdrive’s social media account in the Spirit Realm, various voices of praise had already filled the entire comment section.
“Heavenly Monarch Overdrive! You are truly divine! The super-large-scale thunder disaster really broke out.”
“Heavenly Monarch, Heavenly Monarch, the price is about to hit 8000 now. How high do you think it can go in the end?”
“I beg you to sell courses, Heavenly Monarch. Your prediction for this wave was the most accurate inside and outside the Ten Sects.”
Looking at these comments one by one, Heavenly Monarch Overdrive then looked at his account in the securities market, seeing the amount that had already turned negative and was still continuously plummeting… A wave of sorrow surged in his heart.
“How did things turn out like this?”
“With such obvious market manipulation, harvesting the retail cultivators, is no one going to do something about it?”
Heavenly Monarch Overdrive thought to himself, “Backroom deals! There must be backroom deals involved! They set up a trap for us retail cultivators and harvested the hard-earned money we made our entire lives!”
Inside the Former Days Graveyard.
After Lu Hengzhang exited the market with a 60% loss, he had also been observing the market and reading the news.
He just wanted to see exactly how low Zhang Yu’s Tribulation Bond would eventually fall.
And every time he watched the bond prices drop another round, and every time he heard the wails of numerous Soul Cultivators echoing in the Spirit Realm, he felt as if he were drinking immortal wine. His mood lightened considerably, and it seemed that his 60% loss was no longer so conspicuous. Even his risk of experiencing a Mental Meltdown as a Soul Cultivator had decreased a bit, making him increasingly glad that he had gotten out early.
But immediately after, the livestream went black, the thunder tribulation pierced through several layers of Kunxu, and the relevant departments released an investigation report…
Regarding this series of events, although the higher-ups did not conceal them from the Former Days Graveyard on the 11th layer, and even though they released these messages simultaneously across all layers of Kunxu, the effects were vastly different.
The primary reason was that the differing Immortal Dao environments, immortal aura concentrations, and sun and moon blessings on each layer… would all result in different computing power bonuses for each layer.
Within just 1 second after the lower-tier cultivators of the 11th layer received the news… for the upper-tier cultivators on the 16th layer, this 1 second was enough to be used as 100 seconds.
The huge gap in time resources meant that before the lower-tier cultivators could even react, the upper-tier cultivators had already done everything that needed to be done.
And this was only in the scenario where the lower-tier cultivators were actually able to receive the news at the very first moment.
In fact, the vast majority of lower-tier cultivators failed to read the information in the investigation report the moment it was released.
In Lu Hengzhang’s case, because he didn’t read the investigation report immediately, he was instead puzzled by the sudden increase in bond prices.
“It rebounded to 400? It must be the upper-tier cultivators intentionally pumping the price again to lure us in to take over their positions.”
Having lost money all the way from 1000 down to 400, Lu Hengzhang was already full of experience with this and confidently made his judgment: “Don’t even think about tricking me again this time!”
But the next moment, the bond sharply skyrocketed, jumping from 400 to 1000 in almost an instant. “What?!”
Looking at this scene in shock, Lu Hengzhang only then discovered the investigation report that had begun to spread wildly in the Spirit Realm.
By the time he finished reading the investigation report, interpreted its analysis, and looked back up at the bond price… it had already risen to 2000.
“No! I haven’t gotten on board yet!”
Lu Hengzhang let out a miserable cry, continuously placing orders to buy the bond, only to find that no matter what, he couldn’t buy it anymore.
16th layer of Kunxu.
Ban Jinchen and Si Shian looked at the skyrocketing bond and sighed inwardly.
As rational Void Refinement Realm investors, although the two respected Zhang Yu, they understood even better that the Tribulation Bond market carried countless risks.
After all, the power of the Heavenly Sword Sect was controlling this market behind the scenes. No matter how much Zhang Yu could summon the wind and rain in the Myriad Laws Sect, his influence in the bond market was limited.
Therefore, just like before, they set a stop-loss limit for themselves after buying Zhang Yu’s bonds.
Right after the bonds dropped by 10%, they chose to sell off immediately.
When the investigation report came out, the two also instantly started sweeping the market, wanting to buy the bonds.
Ban Jinchen said, “I managed to buy 10 lots, how about you?”
Si Shian said, “5 lots. There are upper-tier cultivators sweeping the market. If we aren’t fast enough, we simply can’t grab any.”
Ban Jinchen understood that the lack of speed the other party mentioned referred to the Spirit Realm connection speed not being fast enough, as well as their operation speed. And obviously, only higher-level cultivators possessed such conditions, making them better equipped to seize the opportunity of this sudden surge.
Ban Jinchen sighed, “First a plummet, then a surge. This is clearly an upper-tier cultivator stirring up the market. If one didn’t know the inside information in advance, who could operate so precisely and make money from this surge?”
Si Shian looked up at the sky and said lightly, “Even if one knows the inside information in advance, they must have enough dao heart to hold onto it. Ordinary low-tier cultivators are constantly disturbed by various data and news, so I’m afraid there aren’t many who can firmly hold on.”
“God of Investment!”
In the Lower Realm Mutual Aid Group, Tian Shengong’s voice full of admiration came through: “Teacher Shi, you are the God of Investment! Teach us how to buy bonds and stocks!”
Shi Huaiyu didn’t say anything, only posting a screenshot of her position’s profit.
“[Daily Profit and Loss: +712.58%]”
Seeing this screenshot, rows of messages immediately flooded the entire mutual aid group.
Ying Mingduan: “[Daily Profit and Loss: -66.37%] Teacher, I regret not listening to you so much! [Cracked] I shouldn’t have sold.”
Tian Shengong: “Boss, I will listen to you from now on [Crying] I will buy whatever you tell me to buy, and hold it for as long as you tell me to hold it.”
Wang Yin: “Teacher Shi, did you know the inside information in advance?”
Looking at the rows of messages, Shi Huaiyu responded lightly: “I don’t know any inside information, I only know… if you aren’t willing to own a stock for ten years, then don’t even think about owning it for ten minutes.”
In an instant, the group chat was filled with a chorus of praise once again.
Shi Huaiyu looked up at the sky, watching the gradually shrinking and vanishing thunder tribulation, her heart still reeling from the shock.
At the very moment the bond price dropped to its lowest, the possibility of a severe loss had also flashed through her mind.
But at this moment, looking toward the sky, Shi Huaiyu sighed in her heart, “Minister Zhang’s foundation is truly unfathomable. This is probably already the foundation for Immortality, isn’t it?”
Myriad Laws Sect, inside the Grotto-Heaven of the Myriad Laws Immortal Clan.
Just as the bonds were continuing to plummet, Bu Yingshu was asking for help from Bu Zhenting beside her.
“Brother, lend me some money. This has already hit the bottom. As long as I buy the dip now and absorb more bonds, I can earn even more when they go back up.”
Bu Zhenting sighed, “My foolish sister, do you think this is the bottom?”
He shook his head and instructed, “When bonds rise, they can reach a premium due to market irrationality. When they fall, they can similarly crash straight through due to market panic.”
“You think it has dropped to the floor? But below the floor is a basement, below the basement is an underground river, and below the underground river, there might even be the earth’s core…”
Looking at the aloof and superior Bu Zhenting, Bu Yingshu felt a surge of anger in her heart, but amidst the continuously plummeting market, she could only force herself to endure it.
It wasn’t until the overwhelming thunder tribulation spread out, and until the price of Tribulation Bonds skyrocketed continuously to the point where rogue cultivators couldn’t even buy them…
Bu Yingshu slammed the table and stood up, shouting excitedly, “Bu Zhenting! Did you see that?!”
Bu Zhenting looked at this scene in disbelief, thinking to himself, “How is this possible? A thunder tribulation of this magnitude…”
He quickly pulled up historical thunder tribulation data, thinking to himself, “Setting ancient cultivators aside, ever since the Thunder Tribulation System has operated in the modern era, a thunder tribulation of this scale has never appeared.”
“Zhang Yu’s sixth thunder tribulation has already broken all records.”
Bu Zhenting abruptly turned his head, looked at Bu Yingshu, and said, “You knew all along?”
Bu Yingshu said with a proud face, “I told you I had inside information, but you didn’t believe me. If you hadn’t refused to lend me money, I could have earned even more!”
She looked at the power of the thunder tribulation surging straight toward the 1st Layer of Kunxu, also feeling a wave of shock in her heart.
Although Zhang Yu had told her that his thunder tribulation would be massive, Bu Yingshu never expected it to be this huge.
Bu Zhenting, however, was no longer paying attention to Bu Yingshu’s emotional changes. Instead, he quickly observed the market and sighed, “From the market open until now, I’m afraid large amounts of capital have been manipulating the market behind the scenes.”
He looked at Bu Yuangui and asked, “Is it the Immortals? Are Immortals setting up a scheme?”
Bu Yuangui did not speak, but was instead browsing through various news regarding the Heavenly Sword Sect.
He understood in his heart that to reach this extent… there must be the Heavenly Sword Immortal Emperor’s authorization behind it.
“I think Heavenly Sword Sect will definitely have a big move next.”
“And it’s a big move that involves at least the Immortal level.”
Thinking of this, Bu Yuangui had already begun collecting various recent news regarding the Immortals of the Heavenly Sword Sect.
Amidst the surging thunder, Zhang Yu continuously tempered his physical body, integrating the mysteries of the microscopic and macroscopic.
And just as Zhang Yu slightly adapted to the ferocity of this sixth Void Refinement Thunder Tribulation, with his entire body hovering between a state of near-death and impending death, a notification sent by Hong Shanlang had already appeared before him.
“Profound Monarch Zhang, the Immortal Emperor has given special approval to allow the opening of the seventh thunder tribulation for you.”
“Just notify me whenever you feel you are ready to start it.”
Attached below the message was an official document, which was the very resolution of the Heavenly Sword Immortal Emperor approving Zhang Yu’s seventh thunder tribulation.
Seeing this, Zhang Yu felt a jolt in his heart: “The seventh thunder tribulation?”
“Didn’t they say that the seventh thunder tribulation is too destructive, completely a death sentence for whoever undergoes it, lacks utilization value, and will also damage the Immortal Dao environment? Now they want me to undergo it?”
At the same time, looking at the document sent down by the Heavenly Sword Immortal Emperor, he was even more shaken: “Heavenly Sword Immortal Emperor, why did you specifically approve the seventh thunder tribulation for me?”
He recalled the previous visit from the Heavenly Sword Sect and thought to himself: “Could it be…”
Thinking of this, Zhang Yu said in his mind: “Sect Examination Clone, I want to send a message to the Immortal Emperor, and I need you to draft it for me.”
Zhang Yu then spoke out loud: “First, greet and thank the Immortal Emperor, then report the current situation, and ask for the Immortal Emperor’s opinion…”
A moment later, the message had been sent out.
In the blink of an eye, Zhang Yu received a reply from the other party.
Myriad Laws Immortal Emperor: “Proceed with a free hand in all matters. You are my Myriad Laws Divine Sword; why would I ever break my own blade?”