The Ten Thousand Immortals Island and even the entire Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance was gloomy in the following period.
Every cultivator Li Fan saw appeared dispirited.
In fact, Li Fan heard that many cultivators, after losing their fortunes, chose to end their lives in despair.
Every now and then, death announcements could be seen in the sky, a sign of those who took extreme measures.
Some gamblers who had leveraged heavily and intended to take a risk found themselves deeply in debt after the drastic drop in Spirit Mist Grass prices.
Their debt was so insurmountable that even a lifetime of labor couldn't repay.
In order to escape debt, some chose to resist forcefully, while others directly defected from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, seeking refuge with the Five Elders Association.
Apparently, there were so many defectors that the manpower of the Martial Hall was insufficient.
The Tianxuan Mirror broke the norm and issued numerous assassination missions in succession as merit tasks.
Furthermore, there were no limits on the number of times these missions could be accepted.
For a while, the entire Xuanhuang Realm was in turmoil and unrest.
It was evident how significant the impact of the Spirit Mist Grass incident was.
Li Fan also followed suit, completing several assassination missions and raising his permission level to Eight.
Strangely enough, just a little over a month later, the turmoil spontaneously subsided.
The sorrow on the faces of cultivators slowly dissipated, and they returned to their former lively appearances.
It seemed as if they had forgotten the recent Spirit Mist Grass incident, rarely mentioning it in their conversations.
Even if brought up occasionally, people didn't show signs of deep distress but instead added a touch of mockery and banter.
"You only lost fifty thousand contribution points? Are you kidding?"
"Hehe, look at us, who hasn't lost eighty or a hundred thousand?"
Conversations like these could be heard everywhere.
Gradually, the collective memory of the cultivators about the Spirit Mist Grass incident faded away.
In the end, only the lamentation of "It's really hard to earn contribution points" remained.
However, Li Fan's memory did not weaken, partially because he was a complete beneficiary in this upheaval, devoid of painful and anxious memories.
Additionally, his 650,000 contribution points reminded him constantly.
"It seems like I don't have to worry about contribution points for a long time."
Thinking so, Li Fan sent another message to He Zhenghao.
In the meantime, Li Fan had visited He Zhenghao once.
In this life, he seemed to have suffered even greater losses than in the twelfth life.
He looked as if he had been severely traumatized, his eyes vacant and dull.
Calling his name only prompted an instinctive response.
It wasn't until recently, under the influence of the Immortal Ancestor, that he slowly recovered.
He regretted not heeding Li Fan's advice.
Upon learning that Li Fan had successfully pulled out before the bubble burst, he was even more envious.
"Ah, fellow Daoist Li Fan, it would have been so much better if I had listened to your advice back then."
This was probably the umpteenth time Li Fan had heard He Zhenghao say something like this.
"Investing is all about talent. Fellow Daoist He, you obviously aren't suited for it. Listen to my advice, and from now on, focus on doing missions honestly to accumulate contribution points!"
"As long as your life is safe and your cultivation is intact, you can always start anew!"
Li Fan said with a serious tone.
"Yes, yes, fellow Daoist, you're right." He Zhenghao nodded repeatedly, then tentatively asked, "I wonder how much profit fellow Daoist made this time?"
"Hehe, a lot. A whole lot." Li Fan said with a cheerful tone.
He Zhenghao's face showed envy, and he seemed to want to say something but hesitated, his mouth opening and closing several times without speaking.
Li Fan didn't rush to reveal it and decided to let him simmer a bit longer.
It was evident that He Zhenghao was not the only one who had lost a lifetime's savings due to an unwise investment.
After putting away the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance communication talisman, Li Fan's attention shifted to Zhou Qingang on Taian Island.
He appeared restless, carrying a frown, pacing back and forth as if contemplating something but unable to make up his mind.
Suddenly, his expression changed, and he took out a talisman, saying with resentment, "Ok, ok, ok! It's just fifty thousand contribution points. I'm the island guardian; rest assured, by the end of this month, I will definitely pay it back!"
Putting away the communication talisman, Zhou Qingang's face became gloomy.
It seemed that he had finally made a decision. Activating a Concealing Form Talisman, he flew out of the Taian Island's guardian formation.
Arriving in a desolate, uninhabited sea area, he lingered for a moment, and his aura suddenly changed.
Furthermore, Li Fan saw from the Vision of Heaven and Earth that Zhou Qingang's appearance had undergone a complete change in an instant.
It wasn't a mere illusion or disguise; he had fundamentally transformed into another person.
The original Zhou Qingang was a quiet young scholar.
Now, he had become a thin, inconspicuous middle-aged man.
After this transformation, Zhou Qingang continued to fly discreetly in a certain direction.
"He finally showed his true colors." A glint flashed in Li Fan's eyes.
He bought a recording stone from the Tianxuan Mirror and held it in his hand.
Adjusting the monitoring angle slightly, he began recording the scenes he observed with his divine sense.
After flying for a whole day, as night fell, Zhou Qingang arrived at a remote and uninhabited small island.
The island was desolate to the extreme, lacking even a single tree. A glance revealed nothing but scattered rocks on the ground.
Zhou Qingang landed on the small island and surveyed his surroundings.
After carefully observing for a long time and confirming that there was no one tracking him, he began searching the island.
After a while, he seemed to have found his target.
With a happy expression, he held a stone in his hand.
The stone was completely ordinary, with no special symbols or markings. It was pockmarked, with a few small holes in specific locations.
Zhou Qingang scrutinized the stone for a long time, memorizing the positions of the small holes.
He then exerted force and crushed the stone.
He flew northwest of the small island.
After another half day, in an uninhabited sea area, Zhou Qingang suddenly stopped.
Then he plunged into the sea.
At the bottom of the sea, there was a ruin. Zhou Qingang searched for a long time in the ruin, finally stopping in front of an inconspicuous broken stone.
A golden light appeared on his hands, and Zhou Qingang pressed his palms on the broken stone.
The palm prints matched.
A light emerged from the broken stone, sweeping over Zhou Qingang's body.
Then it returned to the broken stone.
On the smooth, mirror-like surface of the broken stone, a human face image suddenly appeared.
"Hmm? Why are you contacting me so early this time? Isn't there still six years left?" The face, whose specific features couldn't be clearly seen, observed Zhou Qingang with a puzzled expression.
Zhou Qingang hesitated with a somewhat awkward expression. "Head, the funds are running low. Can you allocate a little more to me?"
The face was slightly surprised. "How did you use up everything so quickly? Hasn't it been a short time since we last communicated?"
Then, as if recalling something, the tone changed. "You fool, did you also get involved in the Spirit Mist Grass speculation?"