I Have a Cultivation Simulator

[As the masters of the market, was the Ouyang family actively 'shorting' it? Harvesting the cultivators?]

[It sounded utterly unbelievable, but on closer thought, it was entirely possible.]

[First, why had Wushan Market become the primary gathering hub for cultivators in the surrounding region?]

[First, it was built on a Tier Two spirit vein that provided an environment rich in spiritual energy. Its cave dwellings, for example? Its inns?]

[Second, the market had a Foundation Establishment cultivator holding down the fort and the protection of a Tier Two formation, giving rogue cultivators a massive sense of security.]

[Furthermore, over the past hundred years, Market Head Ouyang had frequently swept out the bandit cultivators lurking around the periphery, forging a stable trading environment inside.]

[As long as those two advantages remained, what did it matter if they purged the shops and properties inside and out?]

[Masses of cultivators would still flock there.]

[The cultivation world lacked many things, but never bottom-tier cultivators.]

[It was only because you possessed the experience and memories from your previous simulation, and paid special attention to this intel this time around, that you managed to detect it in advance.]

[As for the other cultivators? Caught in the middle of it and blind to future developments, it was incredibly difficult for them to notice anything amiss.]

[Several years ago, the market's Alchemy Alliance began selling off its shops. The leader of the Alchemy Alliance was a Foundation Establishment cultivator and a Tier Two Alchemist.]

[If even the Alliance Leader failed to notice anything strange, what hope did the other cultivators have?]

["However..."]

[You fell into deep thought.]

[Ordinary cultivators, limited by their narrow horizons and lack of intel, would find it incredibly difficult to grasp the truth of the matter, whether as it happened or long after.]

[But those high-level cultivators—like the Foundation Establishment Alliance Leader—would still uncover clues after the fact, even if they hadn't caught on while it was happening.]

[Mere clues were enough; they didn't need evidence. In the cultivation world, no one needed to speak of evidence.]

[You were curious how the Ouyang family would deal with those high-level cultivators once they finally caught on.]

[Year 61. You were 76 years old. Upon realizing that the Ouyang family might be the masterminds orchestrating the market's decline, you reduced the volume of properties and shops you were acquiring at rock-bottom prices.]

[You worried that scooping up too many assets would attract the Ouyang family's attention. After all, they had plotted for decades, sitting back and watching the market wither away just for this day.]

[Taking advantage of the situation to buy things up now was tantamount to snatching food from a tiger's jaws.]

[In the end, you promptly stopped your acquisitions once your properties and shops reached ten percent of the market's total.]

[Ten percent was not a massive share compared to the entire market, and it wouldn't force the Ouyang family into any drastic measures.]

[After all, daring to invest spirit stones into buying shops at a time like this meant that, in the eyes of the Ouyang family, you definitely knew the inside story. You weren't willing to back them into a corner, and likewise, they weren't willing to push you.]

[If they forced your hand and made you expose the truth, it would be a mutually destructive outcome for the Ouyang family as well.]

[Of course, your real confidence in continuing these acquisitions stemmed from the fact that you had already left Wushan Market the moment you realized the Ouyang family was behind it all.]

[As for the subsequent property acquisitions, you handed the task entirely over to your apprentices.]

[As a High-Grade Alchemist, you had taken in a few apprentices over the years specifically to handle such trivial matters.]

[Since you weren't physically in the market, you could guarantee your own safety even if the Ouyang family made a move.]

[Year 62. You were 77 years old. While cultivating the Shanhai Body Tempering Art, you suddenly sensed a wave of spiritual energy rolling in from afar.]

[You knew exactly what this meant. Market Head Ouyang Shen had brought out his Foundation Establishment successor to sweep away the bandit cultivators lurking around the market's perimeter.]

[The appearance of Market Head Ouyang Shen and his Foundation Establishment successor caused quite a stir, leaving the countless bottom-tier rogue cultivators incredibly excited.]

[The sheer number of bandit cultivators posed a mortal threat to the bottom-tier rogues. Now that Market Head Ouyang was clearing them out, the previously stable cultivation environment had returned.]

[A few days later, Market Head Ouyang Shen publicly announced the restoration of order in the market and solemnly unveiled his successor.]

[It was none other than the female Foundation Establishment cultivator, Ouyang Qian.]

[Furthermore, Market Head Ouyang Shen announced that Wushan Market would host an auction in one month's time.]

[This auction would be the grandest event held in Wushan Market in over a century. Market Head Ouyang Shen even proactively revealed the finale item: a Foundation Establishment Pill.]

[A Foundation Establishment Pill was an object that countless Qi Refining cultivators yearned for but could never obtain—a crucial auxiliary treasure for breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm.]

[News of the Foundation Establishment Pill's appearance at the auction thoroughly detonated the cultivator circles in the surrounding region. An untold number of cultivators immediately set off for Wushan Market.]

["Using a Foundation Establishment Pill to restore the market's popularity... perhaps even to elevate it..."]

[Hiding outside the market, you secretly observed the Ouyang family's maneuvers and marveled inwardly.]

[The Ouyang family truly had prepared well in advance. Over the past few decades, the lack of a public Foundation Establishment successor had allowed the market to descend into chaos, causing the surrounding bandit cultivators to multiply.]

[This had caused the volume of cultivators entering and leaving the market to plummet. Wushan Market wasn't the only cultivator gathering hub in the region; there were others, such as Tingyu Market.]

[But now, thanks to the Foundation Establishment Pill, Wushan Market's reputation had skyrocketed. At least until the auction a month from now, a massive, unending influx of cultivators would pour in.]

[Coupled with the fact that Wushan Market had just unveiled a new Foundation Establishment successor—meaning a Foundation Establishment cultivator would be holding down the fort for the next hundred-plus years—it was practically guaranteed that many rogue cultivators would choose to settle permanently in the market.]

[You had no intention of attending Wushan Market's auction.]

[First, you currently held the deeds to multiple properties and shops within the market. The Ouyang family definitely knew this, and you worried that if you went, you wouldn't make it back alive.]

[You had absolutely no trust in the Ouyang family.]

[Second, it didn't take a genius to figure out just how many Qi Refining Late Stage cultivators would be bidding for that Foundation Establishment Pill next month.]

[It wouldn't just be Qi Refining cultivators, either; even Foundation Establishment cultivators would likely make a move.]

[Naturally, Foundation Establishment cultivators wouldn't buy the pill for themselves, but rather for their descendants and younger generations.]

[You were different from those rogue cultivators. You had other channels to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill.]

[Before Alchemist Yun passed away, he had handed you a token. With it, you could visit Alchemist Zhao Kan in Biyue Immortal City.]

[Alchemist Zhao Kan was a Tier Two Mid-Grade Alchemist fully capable of independently refining Foundation Establishment Pills.]

[Furthermore, as a High-Grade Alchemist yourself, you could come into contact with Tier Two Alchemists as long as you were willing to pay the price.]

[Compared to those rogue cultivators, you had many more options.]

[Time flowed by. In the blink of an eye, a month passed.]

[Over this month, you sensed one Foundation Establishment aura after another entering Wushan Market.]

[Then, on this day, you sensed an aura far surpassing that of an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator rapidly approaching Wushan Market from high in the sky.]

[To be exact, it was two auras.]

["A Dark Magic Eagle! It's Senior Ruan Hu of Beast Taming Mountain!"]

[A Qi Refining rogue cultivator recognized the newcomer's identity, a look of awe washing over his face.]

[Beast Taming Mountain was an overlord-level faction within the surrounding hundred thousand li, boasting a False Core Master holding down the fort.]

[And Ruan Hu was a core Foundation Establishment disciple of Beast Taming Mountain. Not only did he possess a Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivation base, but his natal spirit pet—the Dark Magic Eagle—even boasted an Earth-grade bloodline.]

[With human and beast joining forces, they could even contend against a late-stage Foundation Establishment grand cultivator.]

["Ruan Hu..."]

[You gazed up at the distant clouds.]

[According to the intel you had gathered, Ruan Hu's natal spirit pet—that Dark Magic Eagle with its Earth-grade bloodline—was actually something he had picked up for a bargain at a Wushan Market auction decades ago.]

[Given Beast Taming Mountain's sheer power, a core disciple like Ruan Hu shouldn't have much interest in an auction hosted by Wushan Market.]

[The most valuable item at this auction was merely that Foundation Establishment Pill.]

[And Beast Taming Mountain cultivated its own Tier Two Alchemists who could provide a stable supply of Foundation Establishment Pills. They had no need to purchase them from the outside.]

[You deduced that Ruan Hu hadn't come specifically to attend the auction, but rather to stand in support of the Ouyang family.]

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!