With Zhao Xuhe's guarantee, Lü Yang successfully borrowed 2,000 contribution points from the "Sanhe Society" and poured them all into Substitute Death Puppets.
Meanwhile, Zhao Xuhe was pacing excitedly in his cave abode.
"The news is actually true!"
After receiving confirmation from his master, excitement surged through him. "The Jiangnan Corpse-Grounds of the Sacred Sect were actually seized by the Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion. The one who made the move was their Third Elder, the 'Demon-Slaying True Person.' Taking it back will be impossible in the short term."
"With the source of puppet materials cut off, the price of Substitute Death Puppets is bound to skyrocket. This… is a golden opportunity!"
"I'm going to get rich!"
As an established disciple of the Good Deeds Pavilion, Zhao Xuhe was no fool. He had connections, insight, and greed in spades. The moment Lü Yang's tip was confirmed, he mobilized all his capital and plunged headfirst into hoarding puppets.
And just as he predicted, the market exploded.
As whispers about the lost corpse-grounds spread, more and more people "spotted the opportunity" and began snapping up Substitute Puppets, driving prices up.
In every speculative bubble, the early birds feast.
But as the frenzy grew, people noticed something strange—the puppet prices weren't falling. Buy high, sell higher. Money seemed to grow on trees.
Earning contribution points, which once required risking one's life on dozens of missions, became as easy as a few trades.
The madness spread.
More disciples poured their life savings into the market. They profited, which lured in even more.
Even the cautious ones, seeing their former peers get rich overnight, gritted their teeth and jumped in.
Under this collective delirium, puppet prices soared.
Starting at 200 points, they climbed to 300—a 50% surge that drove the speculators wild.
If it rose today, it would rise tomorrow. If it rose tomorrow, why wouldn't it keep rising? Not buying now was leaving money on the table!
The herd stampeded in.
300… 400… 500…
When prices hit 500 contribution points, a sliver of sanity returned. Surely, this was the peak.
"Time to cash out."
Zhao Xuhe was among the first to sense the turning tide. He began secretly offloading his stockpile in batches, ready to exit the market with his profits.
Other shrewd players followed suit.
If this continued, the bubble would deflate in days, and prices would normalize.
But then, overnight, news erupted from the upper echelons of the Sacred Sect:
"The Sacred Sect is preparing a counterattack!"
"The loss of the Jiangnan Corpse-Grounds has enraged a True Person of the sect. He will personally lead a force to strike back against the Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion!"
"War is coming!"
In wartime, the value of all battle-related resources inflates.
And what was more precious in the bloody conflict between righteous and demonic sects than a Substitute Death Puppet—a literal second life?
That very night, the declining puppet prices reversed course.
Not only did they rebound to 500 points—they kept climbing.
By dawn, 500 had become 1,000. A fivefold increase from the original price.
"Hahahaha!"
In the Library Pavilion, Wang Bairong stood on his prized rocking chair, limbs waving excitedly, his aged face flushed with exhilaration.
"Rise! Keep rising!"
"No, I can't sell yet. This isn't enough. If I hold a little longer… I could afford a spirit cave!"
Across the sect, ordinary disciples rejoiced.
Lacking connections and insider knowledge, they had been late to the game. While the early players sold, they bought.
Now, they were rich.
Countless outer disciples saw their wealth double overnight, surpassing even some connected inner disciples.
Miraculous tales spread like wildfire:
A down-and-out youth, publicly humiliated by his fiancée, doubles his fortune and divorces her in scorn, leaving behind the phrase: "Never underestimate a young man's potential."
A young girl, orphaned and abused by her stepmother, uses her meager inheritance to buy a puppet. Now, her wealth multiplied, she buys a luxurious cave dwelling outright.
Do you have dreams? Do you want to defy the heavens?
Buy Substitute Death Puppets!
The frenzy reached its zenith when a Qi Refining peak-stage disciple publicly broke through to Foundation Establishment.
He confessed: his success was entirely funded by profits from trading Substitute Death Puppets, which allowed him to purchase a Foundation Establishment Pill.
"My gratitude to the Substitute Death Puppet," he declared. "Without it, I could never have defied fate."
The madness was complete.
Prices soared from 1,000 to 2,000… then to 3,000.
Some were ecstatic. Others were heartsick.
Among the ecstatic was Lü Yang.
He sold without hesitation when the price hit 2,000.
Ten puppets, bought at 200, sold at 2,000. A tenfold profit—20,000 contribution points in total.
Among the heartsick was Zhao Xuhe.
Regret ate at him when he saw prices rebound, especially seeing Wang Bairong—whom he had always looked down upon—now thriving.
From what he knew, that mediocre, half-buried old man had hoarded over twenty puppets. When Zhao Xuhe had quietly sold earlier, he'd even mocked Wang Bairong as a fool chasing the peak.
Now? That "fool" was about to net over 100,000 contribution points.
If he alone had missed out, it might have been bearable.
But watching Wang Bairong gleefully counting his future riches day after day… Zhao Xuhe felt a sting sharper than any loss.
Watching puppet prices climb relentlessly, Zhao Xuhe wrestled with himself for an entire night.
Finally, he jumped back into the market.
He poured the contribution points he'd earned from his earlier exit back into Substitute Death Puppets.
At first, he was cautious, not going all-in.
But as prices kept rising, every moment of hesitation felt like a loss.
"Opportunity rarely knocks twice. I've already missed it once… how can I miss it again?"
"It will keep rising. Buying now is better than buying later."
Many who had cashed out early shared his thoughts.
And when this wave of "smart money" returned, it poured gasoline on the already raging fire, pushing puppet prices to even more dizzying heights and cementing the belief that this time was different.
The bubble grew larger, brighter, and far more fragile.
And Lü Yang, watching from the shadows, quietly counted his points and prepared his next move.