The Gambit

Day turned to night, and as the bitter winter reached its end, everything unfolded exactly as Xu Xian had envisioned—every piece of the puzzle falling perfectly into place.

At the gates of Demon-Slaying City...

The price of fifth-grade demon beasts rose by a hundred spirit stones every single day.

In the blink of an eye, it had broken through the two-thousand spirit stone mark and was charging toward three thousand.

Those who held demon beasts in their possession became even more reluctant to sell.

The demon hunters within the city were all grinning from ear to ear. Even in the dead of winter, elite hunting teams ventured into the Demon Suppression Abyss one after another.

Rumor had it that some of the bolder ones had even reached the very foundations of the city walls on the borders of the East Desolation to slay demons.

Fortune favors the bold, as they say.

And their boldness was truly of no ordinary scale.

Demon-Slaying City was not the only place in turmoil; Spirit Elixir City was equally restless.

While Xu Xian’s forging workshop wasn't exactly a bustling marketplace, the orders were coming in like an unending tide.

More and more people came to place their commissions.

The numbers on that wooden board grew larger by the day.

Naturally, the number of fifth-grade demon beast corpses in his possession also increased. He now controlled the stock of nearly half the city.

Yao Xiaoxiao’s supply of medicinal pills had run dry. After raiding her uncle’s small treasury and finding it insufficient, she had no choice but to write a letter to her sect, seeking reinforcements from her ancestor.

Xu Xian asked her, "Is it really okay to fleece your ancestor like this?"

Yao Xiaoxiao replied with righteous indignation, "It’s true he’s my ancestor, but it’s also true that I’m his little ancestor! How can you call it fleecing?"

"When it’s your own family’s things, you should say I’m 'taking' them."

Xu Xian was speechless. He had to admit, her logic held some merit.

As for the Seven Great Forging Workshops, saying they were in a pathetic state would be an understatement; they were utterly deserted. For nearly half a month, they hadn't seen a single coin of profit, and the shame felt like a stinging slap to the face.

This was especially true for the two workshops overseen by seventh-rank spirit forgers. The humiliation was unbearable.

As time passed, they could no longer sit still. From their initial offensive to their subsequent period of observation, they had now begun to respond actively, attempting to counter Xu Xian.

They started to imitate him, hanging boards at their entrances with numbers that increased day by day. They also made public declarations: orders could be returned or exchanged after a month, and the gifts did not need to be returned.

But...

Though the previous refund incident had eventually been resolved, there had been a fair share of unpleasantness in the process. Demon-Slaying City was only so large; the news had long since spread everywhere.

Furthermore, those who had managed to hold out until now without buying were all shrewd individuals. They weren't so easily fooled. One look at the numbers on those boards, and they knew they were fake.

After all, there were seven workshops. To go days without business and then suddenly display so many orders simultaneously? Even a ghost wouldn't believe it.

Where would those orders have come from?

Xu Xian’s situation was different. At the very least, his business was visibly genuine. The sound of hammers in his forging workshop never ceased day or night, and one earth weapon after another could be seen being quenched. These were things people could see with their own eyes.

Taking everything into account, the customers preferred Wendao Sword Sect’s workshop. The people of the seven workshops had merely made a joke of themselves with their clumsy imitations.

A group of forging masters met to discuss the situation. The previous atmosphere of harmony and pleasantries was gone, replaced by thick hostility. Sarcasm and mockery flew back and forth.

When partners do business together and there is profit, everyone is calm. When there is no profit, no one shows any restraint.

Seeing that their imitation strategy had failed, they had no choice but to increase the number of gifts, trying to regain a price advantage. However, the effect was negligible.

Instead, their frequent, inconsistent changes to their policies gave those waiting on the sidelines a sense of hope. It convinced them that the Seven Great Forging Workshops would definitely lower their prices again. And soon.

Rumors began to fly everywhere. Winter was ending, yet their situation was only growing more dire. Restlessness began to brew within the Seven Great Forging Workshops.

To stabilize the situation, the spirit forgers Zhou and Li held small meetings daily and large ones every three days. They were so worried they couldn't sleep.

"Everyone, do not panic. Stay steady. Trust me, that brat’s success won't last long. Once winter passes and people start returning those orders, he’ll be the one crying."

Voices of complaint rose from the hall.

"Forget it. I don't know if his success will last, but I don't even know if I can survive this winter."

"Exactly. Over this past month, with labor and overhead, I've lost thousands of spirit stones without earning a single cent. I traveled all the way to this godforsaken place and got nothing out of it. On top of that, people back in the sect are criticizing me behind my back. What am I even doing this for?"

"It's humiliating! It's so damn humiliating!"

"Master Zhou, Master Li, I'm not just being a pessimist, but even if people do return their orders, can you guarantee those customers will come to us?"

"Indeed. The price of fifth-grade demon beasts has hit the sky. We can't keep going like this..."

"Sigh... the price of fifth-grade demon beasts in the Central Plains is also rising daily, and supply can't meet demand. Don't forget, we didn't come all the way to this bitter cold Northern Borders just to fight with that brat. We all came for the business of fifth-grade demon beast materials..."

The crowd spoke all at once, their voices filled with resentment. Though their words were harsh, they weren't without reason.

The price of demon beasts in Demon-Slaying City had soared. The hunters were unwilling to sell, and many had even deposited their stock with Xu Xian.

This led to a further spike in the prices of fifth-grade demon beast bone, hide, and meat in the Central Plains. Before, one could buy them from the Wendao Sword Sect by paying a bit extra. Now, even the Wendao Sword Sect had no stock left.

This indirectly impacted the core industries of their respective sects. As that person had said, they hadn't traveled thousands of miles to open workshops just to suppress the Wendao Sword Sect or to win a petty argument. They came for profit.

They wanted to drive down the price of fifth-grade demon beasts while ensuring a steady supply of materials for their sects. But now, not only was there no supply, but the prices had also skyrocketed. After all that effort, they had gained nothing and suffered heavy losses.

The meeting ended in another sour stalemate. Only Li Xun and Zhou Yashan remained, staring at each other.

Zhou Yashan asked, "Brother Li, I noticed you remained silent throughout the meeting. Have you already thought of a counter-strategy?"

Li Xun sipped his tea, appearing calm and composed. "Brother Zhou, do not be anxious. I have two strategies that can resolve our current predicament."

"Quickly, let's hear them!"

Li Xun kept him in suspense. "I told you not to be anxious, Brother Zhou. The time is not yet right."

"How can you still be playing games at a time like this?"

Li Xun said with confidence, "In a few days, all will be revealed."

Zhou Yashan: "..."

A few days later...

The price of fifth-grade demon beasts was driven up to 2,500 spirit stones per head. That same night, the masters of the Seven Great Forging Workshops met once more.

This time, the usually silent Li Xun spoke up.

His eyes were sharp, and he looked revitalized. "Everyone, I have a plan that can turn the tide."

The others looked at each other, half-skeptical. "Please enlighten us, Master Li."

Li Xun curled his lips into a meaningful smile. "Isn't the Wendao Sword Sect constantly driving up the price of fifth-grade demon beasts? Then let's give them what they want. If he wants to eat, let him. We'll stuff him until he chokes to death."

Zhou Yashan took a sharp breath. "Brother Li, do you mean...?"

Li Xun confirmed, "Exactly. The time has come. Everyone, it is time to strike back."

Zhou Yashan suddenly understood. "I see!"

The other spirit forgers also began to catch on.

"As expected of Master Li! Let's get them!"

"Let's do it!"

"Hahaha!"