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Chapter 326: The Initiation of the Heaven\'s Collapse Plan

"Long live His Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"

Zhongshan accepted the imperial edict from a eunuch\'s hands. Standing beside the eunuch was a scholar, none other than the chief strategist who had been present in the Great Xu King\'s study.

"Congratulations, Eastern Marquis!" The chief strategist smiled warmly.

"Who might this be?" Zhongshan looked at the chief strategist, puzzled.

"My name is Fan Yipin. Eastern Marquis may simply call me Yipin," the chief strategist introduced himself with a smile.

"Fan Yipin?" Zhongshan recognized the name.

"Greetings, Mr. Fan!" Zhongshan respectfully bowed.

"I have also had the honor of reading the Heaven\'s Collapse Plan. It is a magnificent masterpiece! I am truly impressed. This time, the Emperor and the Great Xu King have entrusted me with delivering the six hundred million top-grade spirit stones to you and assisting you in implementing this plan," Fan Yipin explained.

Upon hearing this, Zhongshan\'s pupils contracted slightly. The Heaven\'s Collapse Plan was a highly classified and valuable strategy. The fact that Fan Yipin had access to it indicated a significant level of trust from the Great Xu King.

"Mr. Fan, you flatter me! It\'s merely a small stratagem, unworthy of your attention," Zhongshan responded courteously.

"A small stratagem involving six hundred million top-grade spirit stones? Eastern Marquis, there is no need for humility or concern. I am here purely to assist and will not interfere with any of your decisions, not a single one," Fan Yipin assured him.

"Then I\'ll be relying on your support!" Zhongshan nodded, smiling.

"Now that the decree has been issued, the eunuch should quickly return to report to the Great Xu King and the Emperor," Fan Yipin suggested to the eunuch.

"Farewell!" The eunuch promptly turned and flew off.

Once only Fan Yipin and Zhongshan were left, Fan Yipin spoke again, "In addition to the six hundred million top-grade spirit stones, I have brought fifteen hundred capable and loyal individuals to serve under your command. They are reliable and will not betray you, ready to help you accomplish the Heaven\'s Collapse Plan!"

"Excellent!" Zhongshan nodded in approval.

Fifteen hundred people? Likely spies, but that was acceptable since he hadn\'t planned to expose the Daren Trading Association anyway.

"Would you like to inspect them?" Fan Yipin asked.

"Of course. These fifteen hundred individuals will be crucial to the Heaven\'s Collapse Plan. They will disperse five billion top-grade spirit stones across one hundred and fifty cities in the Da Yu Empire. Since you assure me of their loyalty, I can entrust them with the funds without worry," Zhongshan said with a smile.

"Good! When do you plan to start?" Fan Yipin inquired.

"It will take at least six months of training. The Heaven\'s Collapse Plan allows no room for error. Even the most capable minds can make mistakes without proper training. A single mistake could ruin everything," Zhongshan explained.

"Absolutely. We shall wait to see how Eastern Marquis executes it," Fan Yipin responded with a smile.

Eight months later!

In Radiant City, within a secluded pavilion, three individuals sat together: Zhongshan, Princess Qianyou, and Fan Yipin.

"Eastern Marquis, when will it begin?" Fan Yipin asked.

"Yes, the war in Da Yu territory has been raging non-stop for two months now. How much longer until the Heaven\'s Collapse Plan is set in motion?" Princess Qianyou added with a smile.

"Yi Yan is a cunning old fox. If we don\'t keep him occupied with constant battles, he\'ll turn his attention to both the grander schemes of the world and the minor matters of people\'s livelihoods. We must keep him distracted for a while," Zhongshan said with conviction.

"But it\'s already been two months. When exactly will you start?" Princess Qianyou asked again.

"On the fifteenth of August, the night of the full moon," Zhongshan replied with a smile.

"Really?" Princess Qianyou was momentarily taken aback, glancing up at the sky.

"Right now?" Fan Yipin asked, puzzled.

"Yes, right now. In the Da Yu Empire, across one hundred and fifty cities, we have already begun. It starts with \'Flowing Flame Copper.\' We are hoarding it, hoarding it all. Within three days, I want every shop in need of Flowing Flame Copper for crafting to face severe shortages. I want most people to know that starting now, Flowing Flame Copper is in high demand, and everyone will scramble to buy it. Merchants will rush to hoard it!" Zhongshan declared.

As Zhongshan had said, on the night of the fifteenth of August, groups of about ten people in each city began sweeping through the major commercial districts, buying up all the Flowing Flame Copper they could find.

In less than two days, the market began to feel the strain. Some clever merchants saw the opportunity for profit and started hoarding. Scarcity drives up prices.

Although Zhongshan\'s five hundred million spirit stones alone couldn\'t buy up all the Flowing Flame Copper, the \'clever\' merchants joining in ensured that the copper became extremely scarce. This led to shortages in many crafting shops, which in turn reduced the availability of certain popular magical artifacts.

The price of Flowing Flame Copper soared, rising to five times its usual value. People began to panic and bought it up frantically. Newly mined Flowing Flame Copper was snatched up as soon as it arrived in the market, and some people even rushed to other cities to procure more supplies.

Ten days later, for some inexplicable reason, the price of Flowing Flame Copper suddenly dropped. As if by prior agreement, the market was suddenly flooded with the copper again, although it was mostly being bought up by people from other cities.

The dramatic rise and fall of Flowing Flame Copper left some people with substantial profits, but many others lost heavily by buying high and selling low. More importantly, many magical artifact shops lost a significant number of customers, and their reputations suffered greatly.

Although the price of Flowing Flame Copper fell, another commodity suddenly became highly sought after.

Liugu Grass. This herb, used in alchemy, wasn\'t very expensive, and there wasn\'t much of it on the market because it wasn\'t particularly difficult to find in the mountains and forests.

The price of Liugu Grass began to climb, no, it skyrocketed, reaching eight times its usual value in just four days.

The prospect of enormous profits drove people into a frenzy.

But it wasn\'t long before people started dumping their stocks of Liugu Grass, leading to the financial ruin of many who had bought in at high prices, while others sighed in relief that they had avoided such losses.

A strange phenomenon was observed across all the cities in the Da Yu Empire.

Raw materials, crafting materials, and alchemical ingredients underwent wild fluctuations in price. This caused chaos in the magical artifact and alchemical shops.

Stores began to run out of stock, either missing one thing or another.

A month of turbulence saw prices rising and falling unpredictably. The market became increasingly unstable, and shopkeepers grew anxious. However, many merchants began to engage in reckless speculation, treating the market like a gambling den.

After two months, the market in the Da Yu Empire was in turmoil. Speculative trading became rampant. People entered the market blindly, buying without considering the quality of the goods and selling just as indiscriminately. The focus was solely on hoarding and selling.

Market order began to break down, but it seemed that this chaos was confined to the commercial districts and had no direct impact on the government. The officials\' only concern was that taxes were paid on time. As long as taxes were collected, the merchants were free to buy and sell as they pleased.

As the market trembled in chaos, transactions surged, leading to increased tax revenues for the government officials, who reveled in their unexpected windfall. Little did they realize the lurking menace, the impending catastrophe, and the sinister conspiracy festering beneath the surface.

The Da Yu Empire found itself embroiled in a storm of speculation. The initial frenzied buying and selling had laid the groundwork for an even more rampant and reckless investment climate.

Three months into this financial tempest, the ranks of gamblers swelled. Many had amassed fortunes through the volatile market fluctuations, yet an even greater number found themselves destitute, stripped of their wealth and left with scant options: endure harsh cultivation, borrow money, or abandon the city in search of new opportunities.

In the midst of this turmoil, Zhongshan and Fan Yipin sat in a pavilion in Guanghui City, engrossed in a game of Go. Yet neither of them paid any attention to the board. They played a game of blind chess, mirroring the chaotic and uncertain market conditions in the Da Yu Empire.

"How does it look now, Eastern Marquis?" Fan Yipin inquired, his gaze fixed on Zhongshan.

"I\'ve been using Guanghui City as a microcosm to simulate the conditions of all the cities in the Da Yu Empire. The market behavior here reflects what\'s happening across the empire. Over the past three months, I\'ve noticed that some cultivators are surprisingly shrewd. Initially reactive, they have begun to mount a counter-offensive," Zhongshan remarked with a deep breath.

"Oh?" Fan Yipin turned his attention to Zhongshan, intrigued.

"Our ability to influence the market hinges primarily on our substantial capital. With five billion spirit stones at our disposal, we\'ve been able to steer the market. Although the amount allocated to each city isn\'t large, it\'s sufficient to make a significant impact. Over these three months, we\'ve accumulated even more wealth. However, certain major families and prominent merchants within the cities have also wised up. They\'ve started to band together, pooling their resources and beginning to play their own game, attempting to disrupt our rhythm," Zhongshan mused.

"Disrupt the rhythm? If they manage to throw off our timing, the Heaven\'s Collapse Plan might become ineffective, and we\'ll end up merely profiting from the chaos," Fan Yipin observed, his tone calm but with a hint of curiosity rather than anxiety.

"It\'s of no concern. I\'ve anticipated this development. However, we have just three days left. During this time, let them enjoy their profits. In three days, I will show these major financial groups, who think they\'ve ascended to the level of strategists, how they can be reduced to mere pawns once more," Zhongshan declared with unwavering confidence.

Fan Yipin\'s eyes narrowed at Zhongshan\'s words, his brow furrowing briefly before relaxing into a slight smile.

"Three days, huh? So, the first phase of the Heaven\'s Collapse Plan is complete?" Fan Yipin asked, a knowing smile playing on his lips.

"Yes, the first phase is complete. Now, the real devastation begins. The initial three months were merely preparatory. What follows is the first major collapse of the Da Yu market. This collapse will deliver a crippling blow to the Da Yu economy," Zhongshan stated with supreme confidence.