The Yu family announced that they had reached a long-term partnership with Myriad Blossom Pavilion to supply perfume.
This news surprised the higher-ups.
Everyone had a general idea of what Myriad Blossom Pavilion was capable of. For the Yu family, who had just gone through a period of suppression, to connect with such a power meant they were rising again.
And at the center of it all was Xu Luoshui.
Many sighed with regret. They had once looked down on her, relying on their Foundation Establishment status, and missed the chance to get involved. Now, just a single product, perfume, was bringing the Yu family a steady flow of spirit stones and widespread recognition.
Their own perfume workshop in the inner sect expanded its operations once again. If they wanted to catch this wave of wealth, they had to increase production.
The situation even caught the attention of the current clan leader and their Golden Core grandmaster. They were pleased with Yu Dazhi's recent decisions and encouraged him to quickly secure Xu Luoshui. She was a talented young woman who could not only earn massive profits but also help the Yu family take the sect leader's seat.
...
In the outer sect, Lin Yi received word from his senior brother in the inner sect.
The Immortal Fragrance Project had also secured a deal with Myriad Blossom Pavilion, and they had now started buying back Lingyun Immortal Fragrance from the 'family members' at a price of 70 spirit stones per bottle.
He was thrilled. What had once seemed like a waste of money was now something he could sell for a profit. For the first time, he saw a real return.
Without much hesitation, instead of spreading the news, he first sold all the perfume he had to that inner sect senior.
"You got any more?"
"I only have a few bottles left. You still want more, Senior Brother?"
"Help me look for more. As many as you can find."
Lin Yi was confused.
"What are you buying so many for?" He had originally thought this was just part of a mission, but now it felt like there was more to it.
Then a thought hit him. Could Myriad Blossom Pavilion be paying even more for it?
"Don't worry about it. Just go find me more bottles."
Lin Yi started to get suspicious.
Inner sect disciples were known for not doing anything unless there was a profit involved. Why would they be so eager to buy perfume from outer sect disciples?
He casually helped him find two more bottles.
Before leaving, the senior brother reminded him several times to keep looking and not to worry about the money. He'd buy whatever Lin Yi could get.
Now he was even more doubtful.
What he didn't know was that Liu Xingzhi had given some quiet hints to a few junior disciples he trusted. They were told to start stockpiling perfume. The man himself would also keep a share, though not all of it—about thirty percent at least.
Lin Yi wasn't part of this inner circle, and no one would bother explaining it to him. But recently, he had picked up a useful habit. Whenever he had a bit of spare change, he liked to visit the sect marketplace.
It wasn't just to buy things. In tea houses and taverns, you could hear all kinds of rumors.
So, instead of immediately helping that senior brother, Lin Yi decided to gather more information. If there was profit to be made, why share it?
After wandering the market for a while, he didn't get any clear answers but did notice two things.
First, all inner sect disciples involved in the Immortal Fragrance Project were secretly buying up perfume.
Second, the Yu family's perfume store had started limiting how much could be sold per customer.
******
Back in his cave-dwelling, Lin Yi sat and thought hard about what this might mean.
He recalled how some sect families used to operate in the marketplace. Every time spiritual rice went on limited sale, the price would go up soon after.
If his instincts were right, he had one conclusion: perfume prices were going to rise.
And Lingyun Immortal Fragrance?
It might go up too. The inner sect disciples were stockpiling it!
Lin Yi burst out laughing.
He was certain his guess was right. Finally, he had managed to grab hold of some inside information that only inner sect disciples usually had access to.
He decided to invest half of his savings into stocking up on the perfume. Even if it ended up being a loss, it wouldn't hurt too much.
******
The next morning, he started visiting outer sect disciples to buy up their bottles of Lingyun Immortal Fragrance.
Unfortunately, he wasn't the only smart one around. Not all outer sect disciples were out of the loop either.
Very soon, most of the remaining bottles had already been bought up by others who were thinking the same way.
More than a week passed in uncertainty. Then, someone from the inner sect came to the outer sect specifically to buy back the perfume.
The price had gone up to 80 spirit stones!
That was the original price they paid when they joined the Immortal Fragrance Project. Some of the cultivators who lacked patience gave in and sold all the bottles they had stocked.
Which meant, the spirit stones in their hands were now pure profit, earned since joining the project. They hadn't spent any new stones at all.
Their faces lit up with joy.
But those who had sold theirs earlier at lower prices were upset. Still, there was nothing they could do. They couldn't exactly ask their senior brothers and sisters to pay them the difference.
Then they discovered what seemed like a loophole. When bringing in new recruits, the purchase price was still 80 spirit stones. If they bought more using the new member's quota, they could make a profit from the membership discount.
Because of that, everyone started inviting new people into the project. After watching their seniors buy a few extra bottles under someone else's name and pocket dozens of spirit stones from reselling, they joined in too.
Gradually, the entire outer sect—and even some members of families in the sect marketplace—joined in the Lingyun Immortal Fragrance resale craze.
But where did all the perfume come from?
In truth, it was the same thing being bought and resold over and over. Xu Luoshui was quietly covering the extra cost.
Was she doing it out of kindness?
Of course not. If you want to take, you must first give.
By the second week, the buyback price rose again.
This time, it was 90 spirit stones!
So now, anyone who brought in a new recruit and used up their first-time purchase quota could easily earn over 100 spirit stones.
And now, confirmed news from the inner sect came out.
Lingyun Immortal Fragrance, along with the Yu family's perfume, would be bought long-term by Myriad Blossom Pavilion.
With the inner sect buyback price at 90, many outer sect disciples and families started offering 92, 93, even 95 spirit stones for bottles.
As family cultivators in the marketplace joined in like crazy, the third week's price came out—exactly what everyone had been waiting for.
100 spirit stones!
Those who had stocked up early began to hesitate.
Those who had bought at 92 or 93 were grinning from ear to ear.
At 100 spirit stones per bottle, Lin Yi sold everything he had.
Since he'd bought at various prices, his profit wasn't huge.
"Didn't make much, didn't make much. Only around 1,500 spirit stones in two weeks." That's what he said while holding a sharing session with the 'family.'
At the same time, a new announcement came out. Because of some oversight by the inner sect, a few people had taken advantage of a loophole.
So the inner sect managers patched it. The membership fee was raised, but the price of Lingyun Immortal Fragrance stayed the same.
The first-time membership fee was now ten times higher: 100 spirit stones.
Many cultivators groaned, but once they did the math, they realized something. Even though the new entry fee now canceled out any early profit on the fragrance price difference, there was one important catch.
That catch was: the buyback price must not go up again.
So most people started watching and waiting, except for a few bold ones who kept buying at 102 or 103 spirit stones per bottle.
Then the fourth week's price came out.
110 spirit stones!
Everyone panicked, thinking the inner sect leaders might shut things down. They began dragging new people in from the marketplace, even paying the 100 spirit stones membership fee themselves, just to buy under someone else's name.
In no time, Lingyun Immortal Fragrance and the Immortal Fragrance Project were no longer limited to a small circle. Everyone knew about it.
In the middle of this frenzy, the delivery speed changed too. The perfume was no longer handed out immediately. Now, buyers received a special token and had to wait a day or two to get their order.