Late-night takeout orders and the flickering trading screen witnessed my most down-and-out days. Who could have imagined that just a few years ago, I was hesitating over whether to add meat to my fast food, and now I can remain calm and composed amid the storms of the crypto world?

Counting on my fingers, I’ve been in the crypto market for a full seven years. The first three? Textbook examples of what not to do. My 50,000 yuan in starting capital evaporated completely. I stepped on landmines, fell into pits, and lost until I was battered and bruised. At my lowest, my partner of three years left me with the words, “This isn’t investing, it’s outright gambling,” and walked away. I spent an entire night alone on the rooftop in the cold wind, but by pure accident, I managed to avoid the “3.12” crash that left so many people in despair.

The next morning when I woke up and checked the market, I thought I was still dreaming—some people were so devastated by liquidation that they uninstalled their apps, some leveraged up and became overnight millionaires, and I was left with nothing but the smell of alcohol and a cold midnight snack. Later, I realized the crypto market was never about rolling the dice. Those so-called “1000x from a small bankroll” legends are mostly survivorship bias spun into dreams, with a sickle flashing behind the scenes ready to cut down the next victim. Making it to eight figures in my account today wasn’t about luck—it was about four blood-soaked “rules of survival,” each paid for in real money.

**Rule 1: After every surge comes a trap—don’t fall into it**

I’ve seen too many newbies chase so-called “rocket coins.” They see the price suddenly shoot up 20%, get hyped, and jump in, only to get trapped at the peak. What does a real uptrend look like? Steady progress with increasing volume. If the price spikes and then starts to decline slowly, with trading volume dropping