Stepping out of the securities company, Li Baolong strolled to the newsstand by the entrance. His eyes swept over the dazzling array of publications, and he casually picked out two books on stock and futures trading techniques. After saying goodbye to Sister Honghong, he hurried home, his heart filled with a thirst for new knowledge.

Since beginning his cultivation of Taoist arts, Li Baolong felt as if he had been endowed with extraordinary abilities. His ears became exceptionally sensitive, able to detect the faintest sounds, and his eyes became brighter and sharper, as if he could see through the fog of the world. His memory, too, had improved by leaps and bounds; when he read, the words seemed to actively enter his mind, and he could remember them after just one glance. In just one day, he had digested and absorbed most of the content of the book, understanding it thoroughly.

He was well aware of the unique allure of futures trading: the flexibility of same-day trading and the leverage of up to ten times—a double-edged sword, full of temptation and risk. Li Baolong calculated his savings; his 30,000 yuan could instantly transform into a substantial 300,000 yuan under the magical rules of futures trading. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel secretly delighted: "Futures trading is really great! The speed at which money comes in is faster than a rocket. In a couple of days, when I go to the exchange, I'll use my mind-control spell to secretly probe into the depths of that young master Hong's brother-in-law's mind and uncover his secrets. Then, following their trades will definitely guarantee profits. The path to wealth seems to be unfolding right before my eyes."

Because she lacked understanding of the stock and futures trading process, and out of trust in Li Baolong, Sister Honghong decided to entrust him with all related trading matters, while she stayed home to rest and wait for the trading results.

Two days later, Li Baolong arrived at the Dafeng Stock Exchange as scheduled. Upon entering, he saw Brother Zhang, Young Master Hong, and others gathered together, chatting animatedly, their expressions suggesting they had already made a considerable profit from trading. When Young Master Hong noticed that Li Baolong had arrived alone and Sister Hong was not present, a barely perceptible look of disappointment flashed across his face. Seeing this, Li Baolong politely greeted everyone, then went straight to the VIP room on the second floor. He chose a relatively secluded spot in the VIP room and sat down, his gaze fixed on the computer in front of him. Thanks to his background in computer science, Li Baolong was no stranger to such equipment, and he was quite adept at its basic operations. He mastered the stock trading software in just about half an hour. This scene greatly surprised Wu Yue, the account manager standing nearby. She couldn't help but sincerely praise, "You are truly amazing. You have mastered buying and selling operations in such a short time. When I first entered the exchange, it took me a full three months just to learn how to operate a computer." At this moment, Li Baolong sat in the VIP room, already planning his upcoming trading strategy. In this stock and futures market full of opportunities and challenges, an economic battle without gunpowder was about to begin.

During the exchange's two-hour lunch break, Li Baolong strolled downstairs into the bustling lobby. The lobby was teeming with people, their voices rising and falling in a cacophony of conversation as everyone enthusiastically discussed stock trading. The recent market rally had brought considerable profits to some, but Li Baolong, focused on futures trading, showed no interest in stocks. After wandering around the lobby for a while, he went into a small restaurant near the entrance for a quick meal before returning to the exchange.

He then went to the restroom on the third floor. As he finished his business and was about to leave, Hong Gongzi's brother-in-law and a bespectacled man entered. The two whispered amongst themselves, and although their voices were low, Li Baolong, standing at the door, caught the key information: they planned to buy wheat futures contract 001 at the afternoon opening, accumulate a large number of shares the next morning to drive up the price, and then quickly sell off their holdings half an hour before the afternoon close, expecting a 200% profit that day—millions of yuan seemed within easy reach.

Li Baolong walked calmly to the sink, pretending to wash his hands while secretly activating his telepathic abilities. He used his spiritual power to envelop Hong Gongzi's brother-in-law, who was ten meters away, and delved into his inner thoughts, ultimately confirming that what he said was true and not just empty talk. After confirming the information was correct, Li Baolong quickly withdrew his spiritual power and turned to leave. At this moment, Hong Gongzi's brother-in-law seemed to have been suddenly struck by something, standing there frozen for several seconds, even splashing urine on his pants due to his momentary daze.

As the opening bell rang for the afternoon trading session, the door to the VIP room opened, and Mr. Hong and the bespectacled man strode in. Mr. Hong surveyed the room and announced loudly to the crowd, "Gentlemen, once futures trading officially begins, you can all go all out to buy soybean futures contract 002. Tomorrow we will begin to drive up its price." Upon hearing this, the crowd immediately began whispering and discussing amongst themselves. Seeing their hesitation, Mr. Hong added, "This is extremely reliable insider information. If you have any reservations, you might as well put in a few tens of thousands of yuan to test the waters, consider it a trial." The crowd exchanged glances, weighing their options, and considering Mr. Hong's identity and words, ultimately decided to invest some funds in this transaction to test the waters.

Li Baolong sat calmly to the side. He opened Honghong's trading account and logged in successfully. After careful consideration, he bought 10,000 yuan worth of soybean futures (002 contract) for Honghong's account. For him, the profit or loss of this transaction was not the key point; what he was truly concerned about was the development of the wheat futures (001 contract) that he had heard about before. After completing this transaction, he waited quietly, closely monitoring the subtle changes in the market.

As expected, after an hour of trading, a significant influx of funds into the No. 001 wheat futures trading interface became apparent. Seeing this, Li Baolong made his decision. He calmly operated his account, gently entering the command to buy 30,000 yuan worth of No. 001 wheat futures, decisively adding ten times leverage to maximize capital efficiency. After completing this series of operations, he let out a long sigh, shut down his computer, quietly rose, and slowly left the VIP room, leaving behind only a mysterious and resolute silhouette.

Li Baolong went home and fell into a deep sleep. At midnight, his pager rang; it was Honghong inviting him for a late-night snack. He took a taxi to the food stall, where they ate and talked. Li Baolong told Honghong that he had bought 10,000 yuan worth of soybean futures for her that day, but Honghong didn't seem to care. After finishing their meal, they went back to Honghong's house together. After showering, their feelings deepened, and they engaged in intimate conversation. Honghong fell asleep, exhausted, but Li Baolong was wide awake, eagerly anticipating a successful futures trade the next day so he could make a small profit.