Chapter 131 – Windfall Profits

Chapter 131 – Windfall Profits

Two minutes passed before someone finally made a bid – 3,000 spirit energy points.

*How stingy!* Cheng Yang thought to himself. *Barely above the minimum price.*

Once the first bid was placed, the floodgates opened. The price quickly climbed:

3,500…

4,000…

5,000…

When the ten-minute auction ended, the Return Stone sold for 9,000 spirit energy points. Cheng Yang was quite satisfied – after all, it was just a consumable item. But for combatants, such an item could mean the difference between life and death in critical situations, hence the willingness to pay premium prices.

The main reason for the high price was that others didn’t know the shop’s selling price. Once Return Stones became more common and their true value was known, prices would stabilize.

After deducting 1,000 points in fees, Cheng Yang’s account gained 8,000 points – a sevenfold profit. His remaining 20,000 points would multiply rapidly as he auctioned off the hundred Return Stones in his possession, not to mention the hundred more waiting in the shop.

Cheng Yang listed another Return Stone, this time with a 30-minute auction and a 10,000-point ceiling price to test the market. This time, bidding started immediately, reaching the maximum price within five minutes.

*The buyer must have regretted missing the first one,* Cheng Yang mused as another 9,000 points rolled in.

Rather than manually auctioning each stone, Cheng Yang set up automatic auctions through the Treasure Pavilion’s system. After arranging everything with the shopkeeper, he headed out to hunt monsters.

Though the spirit energy from hunting paled in comparison to his auction profits, Cheng Yang knew that true strength came from both cultivation and combat experience. He collected Liu Xiyue, who had grown into a capable mid-level apprentice under his guidance.

As they set out, Cheng Yang couldn’t help checking his spirit energy balance every few minutes, watching it climb by thousands with each successful auction. Though prices eventually stabilized around 6,000 points, the fourfold profit margin still brought a constant smile to his face.

“Lord Cheng, you seem particularly happy today,” Liu Xiyue observed.

“Indeed,” Cheng Yang replied. “With today’s earnings, you’ll be able to activate eightfold cultivation speed tonight. You’ve been earning over a thousand points daily, right?”

Liu Xiyue’s eyes sparkled. “More than enough! In fact, I could even manage sixteenfold speed!”

Cheng Yang chuckled. “Dream on! Do you know how much spirit energy sixteenfold speed requires?”

“A billion points, if the pattern holds,” Liu Xiyue said playfully, then sighed. “I’ll focus on improving my strength first.”

Meanwhile, across the world, many city leaders were facing their own challenges. The post-apocalyptic power reshuffle had placed military leaders in control of nearly half the cities. However, recent divine rule changes had led to the expulsion of several corrupt leaders, forcing others to reform their ways.

While order improved under the new rules, the world remained a place where the strong preyed on the weak. The struggle for survival and power continued, even as some leaders began redistributing their ill-gotten spirit energy to maintain their positions.

As Cheng Yang reveled in his growing wealth, the world continued its tumultuous transformation, with power dynamics shifting daily in this new, harsh reality.