Cultivation: When you take things to the extreme

Half a month later, the Sky-reaching Tower, the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion.

The Sky-reaching Tower, the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion.

"The third Ten Thousand Dao Conference hereby concludes, thank you all for your support!"

"The fourth Ten Thousand Dao Conference will be convened ten years from now…"

The grand event once again drew to a close, and the crowd rose to leave, feeling as if a century had passed just like yesterday, a terrifying familiarity.

"Demon Abyss… lost again!"

"I heard that a Demon God had gone all out, not only dispatching an exceptional Demon Spirit Hero but also gathered all the lords in the top 100 of the third-order reputation list, with millions of troops, vast and mighty, only to be crushed in the battle."

"Now, the third-order reputation list of the Demon Abyss is rapidly changing blood; many Demon Abyss Lords fled as if seeking refuge, advancing to the fourth tier, or frantically attacking our Tower of Heaven Lords to buy a safety period and evade this man's forces."

"Even a Demon Spirit Hero couldn't control him?"

"I heard that just as his safety period ended, he topped the third-order reputation list, undefeated in battle."

"Double King Four Crowns, too deep in accumulation, having profited from frequent conflicts before, it's natural that he has such a burst of success."

"That Zhou Family youngster got so scared that he broke through immediately, not daring to stay in the third tier."

"Hmph, he ran away pretty fast, leaving behind this mess—who will clean it up?"

"He brings ruin upon himself and still involves others, truly deserving of a thousand deaths!"

"If I were that old ancestor from the Zhou Family, I would have killed all those worthless descendants, each one, nothing but wine bags and rice bags, rice moths!"

"That Ten Thousand Demon Abyss is also useless. So many Demon Gods couldn't take down one lower-tier youngster; they sent just one Demon Spirit. If there were ten or eight of them, even if they couldn't defeat him, they wouldn't have suffered such a terrible defeat, right?"

"Ten or eight, do you think Demon Spirit Heroes are like cabbages, common and everywhere?"

"Both Demon Spirits and Immortal Spirits are one in ten million; given this time it was limited to the third tier, it was good enough to have one deployed."

"In the end, they haven't been pushed to the brink; even if they couldn't match him, they could still advance and escape, letting them harbor hopes and not giving their all."

"Hmpf, wait until that person grows step by step, ascends to a higher order. I want to see how they can run, how they can hide…"

Whispering privately, undercurrents surge.

Yet such is the great trend, and the human hearts are hard to control.

The lords participating in the auction mostly dispersed.

A small portion, however, turned to the front desk of the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion. Many others swarmed into the outside of the Pavilion.

"I want to redeem Ten Thousand Dao Points!"

"Don't push, don't push!"

"The auction is over, what are you pushing for?"

"Then why don't you go ahead, why are you still pushing with the crowd here?"

"Exactly, damn it, you bastard dare to cut in line before me!"

"This Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion has made so much money; can't it afford to expand the store a bit, hire more staff, and open a few more counters?"

"Shall we go to the first and second tier zones then? There are branches of the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion there."

"Are you stupid? Think, which has more lords, the third tier or the first and second tiers?"

"Exactly. The first and second tier zones are even more crowded than this, and my kid queued for half a month without reaching the front."

"Who told you not to enter earlier? Skimping and saving on investments, regretting it now?"

"That Pavilion Master, having ascended to the third tier with an invincible stance and sweeping over a hundred Demon Abyss lords and millions in alliance armies, is certainly aiming for the Dual Crown King of the third tier next."

"The third-tier rank list settles once every hundred years. Within this century, the Pavilion Master will be an invincible presence, and the value of Ten Thousand Dao Points will not only not collapse but will continue to appreciate, lifting everyone along with it."

"Exchange a point now, earn a point later; don't miss out on such a good opportunity, everyone."

"Cryptocurrency speculators will be speculators; tell me, how many Ten Thousand Dao Points have you hoarded?"

The auction concluded, the conference dispersed, but still, a large number of lords crowded inside the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion, hustling to redeem Dao Points.

Such fervor not only occurred in the third-layer zone where third-tier lords gathered but also unfolded in the first and second-layer zones, and was even more explosive.

Lin Dong, who was one of them, a second tier lord, had queued in the second layer zone for over half a month and finally managed to enter the store of the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion.

But that was just entering; inside the store, long lines still formed, and the slow progression of the queue caused anxiety, leaving him helpless.

There was no choice; the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion had become a crucial point for making a fortune.

As the news that the Pavilion Master had ascended to the third tier and with an invincible manner swept through the Demon Abyss armies, and that he was waiting for the top spot on the third tier list to be announced, the value of the Ten Thousand Dao Points rocketed like a missile.

This allowed those lords who had previously made a resolute decision to invest heavily at a low price to enormously profit, with some even increasing their fortunes by several times, becoming the model of "grassroots counterattack, overnight success" as mentioned by the civilian lords.

Such incentives, such temptations, attracted a large number of lords to join the market, further boosting the value of Ten Thousand Dao Points, growing every moment.

Therefore, it's no wonder there's a long queue in front of the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion, and it's no wonder those waiting are anxious, as on this cusp of trends, time is equivalent to money.

Even a minute delay means the value of Ten Thousand Dao Points will increase, reducing the profits one can exchange, and the loss is not in time but money, benefits, strength, and future hopes.

As an ordinary, background-less civilian lord, Lin Dong understood he had to seize this opportunity. Only by seizing it and earning enough capital would he hope to step into the halls of high-tier lords in the future.

"If you miss this village, there won't be this store anymore, as in all the millennia, there hasn't been another establishment like the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion that dares to compete with the major powers for profits.

Not to mention where it came from, but it's truly unprecedented!

Thus, I must seize this opportunity!

Regrettably, many people share my thoughts, and the progress of the queue is increasingly worrisome.

"Move it!"

"What is going on up front?"

"Decide to exchange or get lost, don't waste everyone's time!"

"Quiet down, my Great Ye is significant, so naturally selling takes longer because I have more items, if you're not satisfied, come and fight me to death!"

"Damn, aren't those people up front Fourth Rank Lords, are they also competing with us?"

"Nonsense, the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion isn't on the fourth floor, where else can they go if they don't come down here?"

"But this is the First Layer Zone, right?"

"The crowd in the Third Layer Zone is even larger, lining up is slower, after all, a large group of Fourth Rank Lords has come down, each wealthier than the next, making exchanges indefinitely drawn out."

"These guys are bold, not afraid that the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion Master won't be able to bear it when the Tao Points collapse post Fourth Rank?"

"Shut your negative mouth, say something positive, what can we do if it collapses?"

"Don't worry, these days people are craftier than ghosts, if these Tao Points were so easy to collapse, would these Fourth Rank Lords come and compete with us?"

"Not just Fourth Rank Lords, look at the ones up front, aren't they from Netherworld Tao Mansion and Kunlun Immortal Realm? When such major forces step in, do you think the Tao Points will collapse?"

"I dare not say anything else, but before Sixth Rank, no, before Fifth Rank, there is definitely some safeguard!"

"Damn, had I known earlier, I would have invested everything, now I still have to come here and jostle with others."

"It's not too late now, everyone's coming to exchange, the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion Master will definitely sweep the Demon Abyss heavily, various spoils of war will emerge, added to the Ten Thousand Dao Conference auction, the Tao Points value will surely increase!"

"…"

Amidst the tumultuous voices and noisy clamor, people's fervor was in no way diminished, with the endless queue only growing longer.

In this manner, after who knows how long, Lin Dong suddenly saw an opening ahead.

"Welcome to the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion, what services do you need?"

Upon entering the trading room and approaching the counter, he saw a radiant young woman, not sure if she was a Lord or a commercial Hero, Lin Dong's spirits lifted and he promptly said, "I want to exchange for Tao Points!"

"Very well!"

The young lady nodded, handed him a menu, and explained in detail, "This is the current exchange rate between Tao Points and Heaven-Connecting Coins, and we offer two types of exchanges, one is a demand exchange, the other is fixed-term exchange."

"This…"

Lin Dong took the menu and immediately frowned, "Did the price increase again?"

The young lady nodded and chuckled, "Due to the recent market boom, the exchange price of Tao Points shall be adjusted in real-time according to the market, updated every two hours, and the increment is natural."

"…"

Lin Dong sighed in silence, deeply regretting why he hadn't come earlier, given this rate of appreciation, how many Heaven-Connecting Coins could he have earned by coming a day earlier?

However, what's done is done, regret is useless, Lin Dong put down the menu, "What's the difference between demand exchange and fixed-term exchange?"

The young lady smiled, "Demand exchange, as the name suggests, is flexible exchange, available for immediate use, but the exchange price increases by thirty percent."

"…"

Lin Dong silently pondered, then asked, "What about fixed-term exchange?"

The young lady explained with a smile, "Fixed-term exchange locks the period, for example, after exchanging, it takes ten years before you can use these Tao Points for trading or exchange them into Heaven-Connecting Coins and various resources."

"Because this is an investment for us, fixed-term exchange will receive a certain amount of discount, the longer the term, the greater the discount."

"Additionally, if you urgently need, you can forcibly withdraw fixed-term exchanged Tao Points, but we will deduce a portion of the amount based on market prices as your breach fee."

The young lady lightly chuckled, "If you plan to treat Tao Points as an investment, we recommend you opt for fixed-term exchange to maximize profits, if you want short-term gains, or need Tao Points for immediate trading, then we suggest you opt for demand exchange."

"This…"

Lin Dong hesitated for a moment, "Can I do both types of exchange?"

"It is possible!"

The young lady replied with a light chuckle, "Please tell me how much you want to exchange, we accept direct exchange of Heaven-Connecting Coins, as well as resources, items, equipment, and even the value of Hero troops."

Hearing this, Lin Dong immediately laid out all his Heaven-Connecting Coins and various items he had brought on the counter, "How much can these be exchanged for?"

The young lady nodded, took the items, and began the appraisal, "Your resources and items can be exchanged for 30 million Tao Points, how would you like to allocate it?"

"Half demand, half fixed-term!"

"Very well, for the fixed-term duration, we currently have options of ten years, fifty years, and one hundred years, with discounts of five percent, twenty percent, and forty percent respectively!"

"…"

After a moment of silence, Lin Dong clenched his teeth and firmly said, "One hundred years!"

"Alright, thank you for supporting the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion, and welcome back!"