Cultivation: When you take things to the extreme

Chapter 1037: Chapter 633: Calculations_3 Chapter 1037: Chapter 633: Calculations_3 Could there be a mastermind behind this, intending to stir up trouble?

Everyone fell silent, their thoughts in turmoil.

A group of Independent Lords seized the opportunity quickly, with the Star Sword Order finally falling into their hands for the price of thirty million Tao Points.

Although the final price was three times the starting bid, for these Independent Lords it was still more than worth it. Had it not been for their meager funds and limited number of exchangeable Ten Thousand Dao Points, the competition might have driven the price up to four times as much.

All parties watched with detached interest as the Independent Lords competed, even Zhou Tianqi, the “sufferer,” stayed out of the fray.

It wasn’t that they didn’t want to join the bidding, but rather they couldn’t.

Yes, they had the capital and could dominate over the Independent Lords, clinching the Star Sword Order with their substantial financial resources.

But what benefit would that bring them? They didn’t need the item; at most, they would just maintain a monopoly.

Yet, to engage in monopolization at this time would be playing right into the hands of the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion, jumping into the very pit they had dug.

He had already calculated it all, just waiting for these major powers to make that move!

Once they did, the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion would reap the benefits in both fame and profit, presenting themselves as a merchant favorable to the public and offering deals to the civilians while these major powers would have to play the role of the monopolists, blocking routes and preventing the public from rising up.

Although they were already playing such roles, some scenarios are made worse by comparison.

Now it was the same. Once they acted, the contrast with the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion would be stark, the divide would be clear, swaying public sentiment and leading more Independent Lords and Civilian Lords to join the commercial system of Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion.

As a result, the reputation of the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion and the value of Ten Thousand Dao Points would continuously rise, creating a virtuous cycle, growing larger and becoming a colossal entity, a gold-devouring beast.

Therefore, they couldn’t fall into this trap; they could only watch as the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion wooed the masses and profited in both fame and fortune.

Water can float a boat but it can also capsize it. These major powers stood tall atop the Sky-reaching Tower, yet the countless Independent Lords and Civilian Lords were its foundation.

After all, the mechanism of the Heaven Reaching Tower was there, with countless opportunities and endless possibilities; it was not impossible for Independent Lords and Civilian Lords to make a breakthrough.

The Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion was aiming to use this fact, standing on these major powers as stepping stones to gain public trust and then use the power of the people to strengthen themselves.

Continuing this way, it wouldn’t be long before the impression of Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion offering good value for money and breaking the monopoly firmly took root in people’s hearts, and the commercial system of Ten Thousand Dao Points would inevitably grow stronger, impacting the market and encroaching upon profits…

What he was doing was not hosting an auction at all; it was a clear attempt to undermine the foundations of these major forces!

What to do?

Should they compete internally, engage in price dumping, and squeeze him out?

This wasn’t a normal commercial battle, no matter how low you drove the prices, at worst he just wouldn’t make a profit but couldn’t be wiped out because if he couldn’t earn, he could always seize. With so many Demon Abyss Territories serving as his supply channels and his strength, he could easily engage in commerce with no capital at all; there was no way he could be squeezed to death.

On the contrary, for them, as major powers with such massive size and a market that was a bottomless pit never to be filled, engaging in a price war would mean that massive numbers of Independent Lords and Civilian Lords would flock to them, resulting in less profit for every item they sold.

Quantitative changes would cause qualitative changes, and in the end, the losses would likely be more than they were willing to bear.

The most important point being, could you keep up with a price war indefinitely?

You would have to raise the prices eventually, right?

After they raised prices, the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion would simply step back in, and, lo and behold, everything would be back to square one—with them reaping fame and profit, and you being notoriously infamous.

Normally, such an issue was easy to resolve; similar cunning characters had appeared before, and the major powers had used a simple method to solve the problem.

However, this simple method couldn’t be used against the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion, at least not now, because the method was too straightforward, so simple it was encapsulated in a single word—kill!

Without killing, there was no resolution!

So now…

Watching the Independent Lord who won the Star Sword Order and then observing the second civilization item sold consecutively on stage, everyone finally understood the metaphorical stone in the latrine pit.

This auction, these Ten Thousand Dao Points, and this Orphan Lord were utterly disgusting!