Chapter 164 Cutting Stone

Zhong Cai recognized the small tree immediately and exclaimed, "Azure Frost Immortal Plant! A seventh-grade rare herb!"

Wu Shaogan flipped the foot-long "board" over and said confidently, "A talisman. A natural treasure formed from the natural evolution and upgrading of talismans. A level seven resource."

Sang Yunchu laughed and said, "You two have about the same luck."

A level seven rare medicine is worth at least one hundred mid-grade Xuan stones, while a level seven talisman is worth at least one thousand mid-grade Xuan stones. Compared to ordinary rare medicines of the same level, talismans are naturally more precious.

However, the Azure Frost Immortal Plant is a very precious medicinal herb, and although the talisman is far more valuable than the talisman and comparable to a high-quality mystic artifact, after valuation, the two are ultimately at roughly the same value level.

Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan exchanged a glance, both looking quite pleased.

Then, Zhong Cai gave the Azure Frost Immortal Plant to Sang Yunchu, while Wu Shaogan handed the talisman secret to Jiang Chongguang.

Sang Yunchu accepted the Azure Frost Immortal Plant and said with a smile, "When you need it in the future, just pick it yourself from my herb garden."

Zhong Cai replied without any hesitation, "Thank you, Master!"

Jiang Chongguang picked up the talisman and glanced at it, then grasped its essence and said, "It requires too much profound energy; it's useless for you to hold onto it."

Wu Shaogan nodded: "Yes, please accept it, Master."

The two of them opened the stones this time because Zhong Cai was itching to play around. He said he would let the masters choose the stones, and the stones that were opened were meant for the masters.

There was no formality among the master and his disciples.

·

Both of them offered decent resources, which attracted the attention of some cultivators.

However, since there were two Spirit Transformation cultivators present, those with lower cultivation levels didn't dare to approach. The unfamiliar Spirit Transformation cultivators mostly just scanned the area from afar with their soul senses, taking in all the sights.

·

Zhong Cai quickly pulled out another stone, and Wu Shaogan did the same.

The two men opened the stone again.

This time, Zhong Cai got nothing, while Wu Shaogan got a level 6 refining material, both of them losing big time—but compared to each other, Wu Shaogan naturally won a small victory this time.

Jiang Chongguang accepted the refining materials handed to him by his disciple and put them away.

Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan opened the third stone.

Both of them obtained a level 7 ordinary refining material—as expected, the resources contained in the giant rock beast's stones frequently yielded refining materials.

Luck tied.

Open the fourth, fifth, sixth...

Both of them surprisingly got an empty stone and two level-seven ordinary refining materials, taking turns having the upper hand, and their luck was always about the same.

These resources were also given to the two masters respectively.

Zhong Cai pulled out the seventh piece, deliberately sighed, and said, "We two are really destined to be with the black gold mine. We've mined six level-seven refining materials, and half of them are this stuff."

Wu Shaogan reassured him, "Black gold ore is more expensive than the other types."

Zhong Cai couldn't help but laugh out loud.

·

Seeing this, Sang Yunchu found it somewhat amusing. He casually started a conversation with Jiang Chongguang, saying, "Senior Brother Jiang, do you think they still remember they wanted to have a contest to determine a winner?"

Jiang Chongguang didn't care and casually replied, "If I forgot, I forgot."

Sang Yunchu smiled and said, "Senior Brother Jiang is right."

·

Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan continued quarrying.

This time, both of them took out the largest stone they had chosen.

The one Wu Shaogan found was exactly ten feet tall. Zhong Cai was not far behind and followed Wu Shaogan's lead in choosing one, but since she couldn't find one that was the same height, she had to find one that was a foot shorter.

Now the two stones stand side by side, creating a rather spectacular sight.

Zhong Cai looked at Wu Shaogan.

Wu Shaogan also looked at Zhong Cai.

The two quickly began to split the stone, and in just a moment, they cut off the outermost layer of stone!

Zhong Cai used some force when cutting it open, but strangely, as soon as the outer layer of stone fell off, the remaining stone core also peeled off very smoothly, just like peeling off an eggshell—and there was even a thin membrane under the "shell," making it even more like an eggshell!

On Wu Shaogan's side, however, it was still solid stone, completely impermeable to the air.

Zhong Cai immediately said smugly, "Old Wu, I'm afraid I've won this time."

Wu Shaogan said, "I've only cut less than 20% of the stone; it's too early to judge who won or lost."

Zhong Cai snorted, took out a small knife, aimed it at the membrane, and cut it open.

The membrane ruptured, releasing a burst of rich energy.

Zhong Cai immediately jumped aside, giving up her seat.

The energy surged violently, producing a muffled "thump."

Wu Shaogan flashed and arrived beside Zhong Cai, placing one hand on her chest.

Zhong Cai clung to his arm and secretly peeked over there.

After that powerful energy was released, the membrane shattered into several pieces, and the energy spread almost like a mist.

After a short while, the fog dissipated, and something appeared.

Zhong Cai, accompanied by Wu Shaogan, then walked over and squatted down to observe.

Huh, is that a heart?

The scarlet heart, with several rings of bright red patterns wrapped around it, felt quite fresh, as if it could continue beating at any moment.

But upon closer inspection, one can see that the heart has a faint, translucent quality, and a faint golden light can be seen inside, as if it is about to overflow.

Zhong Cai counted: "One, two...it seems there are five drops of essence blood in total?"

After hesitating for a moment, Zhong Cai turned to her master and exclaimed, "Master! Master Jiang! I don't recognize this one!"

Sang Yunchu smiled gently and walked over.

Jiang Chongguang readily followed suit.

The two also examined the heart.

Their size and shape have relatively obvious characteristics, but since they were stored inside stones, it is unknown what changes have occurred over time. We still need to analyze them carefully.

The two masters discussed and compared their findings.

After a while, Sang Yunchu said with some surprise, "This should be the crystallized heart of the Golden Flood Dragon."

Zhong Cai was taken aback: "Golden Flood Dragon?" After thinking for a moment, he recalled, "It seems to be a descendant of the true dragon's bloodline. It is said to have a slight potential to transform into a dragon, but if the bloodline cannot be activated, it can only reach the seventh rank at most..."

Sang Yunchu nodded and praised, "Cai'er has good insight."

Zhong Cai smiled a little embarrassedly: "I've only heard a little about it, but I've never actually seen it, and I couldn't remember it for a moment. I need Master to remind me."

Wu Shaogan chimed in from the side, "I'll hunt some later and butcher it for you."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Cai immediately beamed and nodded vigorously at him.

·

If it were an ordinary rare animal, because it might develop sentience or even intelligence, Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan would usually not harm it unless the animal attacked them first—at most, they would capture it and sell it.

But the Golden Flood Dragon is different. This creature likes to eat people, especially when it encounters a lone cultivator. Several of them will attack together and compete to devour him.

To human cultivators, the Golden Flood Dragon was no different from a savage beast.

They are the enemy.

·

Sang Yunchu smiled, not trying to dampen his enthusiasm—although he didn't know Wu Shaogan very well, he still had confidence in him.

Jiang Chongguang felt it was only natural, and immediately patted Wu Shaogan on the shoulder, suggesting, "Hunt a few more!"

Wu Shaogan replied, "Yes."

Zhong Cai recalled what her master had said before and asked again, "What are heart crystals?"

Sang Yunchu explained to him, "It is unknown what strength this golden python possessed in its lifetime. After its death, its heart was sealed and nurtured within a giant rock, refining into this crystal. If it were in its original form, this heart would be more than ten times larger."

Zhong Cai suddenly realized, looked at the thing, and said, "Isn't the essence blood inside the most valuable part? And the grade is different too?"

Sang Yunchu nodded: "The refined blood that was tempered carried a golden light, so it should already be dragon blood."

Zhong Cai astutely said, "Dragon blood, but not the essence of a true dragon."

Sang Yunchu smiled and said, "That's right. Seventh-order dragon blood."

Zhong Cai smiled and said, "No matter what, it's still dragon blood. It's always good for Master to use it to refine pills."

Sang Yunchu casually instructed his disciple, "I have an eighth-level pill formula, which uses dragon blood as an auxiliary ingredient. This will allow me to practice several times."

Zhong Cai immediately said, "Congratulations, Master!" He then asked in a low voice, "But what if it's true dragon blood essence..."

Sang Yunchu chuckled: "I also have a corresponding prescription."

Zhong Cai lowered her voice even further: "Will Master teach me in the future?"

Sang Yunchu said lovingly, "Whatever Cai'er wants to learn about alchemy, I will teach her."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Cai smiled brightly.

Wu Shaogan took Zhong Cai's hand.

Zhong Cai immediately snapped out of his daze and said with a smile, "Old Wu, I've unearthed something good! You haven't even finished cutting through your rock yet!"

Wu Shaogan met Zhong Cai's eyes and smiled gently: "I might not necessarily lose."

Zhong Cai immediately raised her eyebrows.

·

Sang Yunchu carefully put away the golden python's heart crystal, and watched with a smile as her disciple was noisily lured over to watch her husband open the stone.

So Sang Yunchu didn't go over and shine, but just stood quietly in place, and even pulled Jiang Chongguang, who was about to walk over, along with her.

Jiang Chongguang was puzzled.

Sang Yunchu smiled and said, "This place is spacious, so don't disturb the two children."

Jiang Chongguang thought about it and agreed: "Oh."

However, the two disciples have always been lucky, and there is a high probability that they will continue to obtain level 7 resources. In that case, they may still encounter energy shocks or the like... As their master, they still need to keep an eye on them.

Remembering how his two disciples were affected by the Nirvana's aura at the auction, Sang Yunchu reminded them, "Cai'er, be careful and wear protective gear."

Since the two were with their masters and the auction house was their territory, they didn't equip themselves with any defensive treasures.

Now that she'd been reminded, Zhong Cai was startled and quickly replied, "I know, Master!"

At the same time, he subconsciously tugged at his old man's sleeve.

Currently, among the defensive items they have acquired through the open road, the highest level is naturally the gold and silver robes and defensive armbands given to them by their two masters.

When you're out and about, wearing a baby outfit isn't very convenient...

Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan tacitly took out their armbands and quickly equipped themselves with them.

The two masters over there were also somewhat relieved.

Of course, the armlet was only a mid-grade level seven, so they would still keep an eye on their disciple.

·

At this moment, Wu Shaogan continued cutting the stone.

Wu Shaogan had already peeled away a lot of the stone, and now he was peeling it away layer by layer, like peeling an onion.

There were still no gaps to be seen.

Wu Shaogan remained calm and composed, his technique consistently sharp and steady.

In this way, at least three or four layers were cut off.

Zhong Cai forgot that they were actually competing for luck, and instead excitedly pointed to a spot on the rock and shouted, "Old Wu, look! It's over there!"

Wu Shaogan looked in that direction and, sure enough, there was a small hole there—not drilled out, but naturally formed, like a breathing vent.

Could it be that there is some living thing inside this stone?

Probably not, since the area outside these pores is covered by a very solid layer of stone.

Without hesitation, Wu Shaogan plunged the short sword in his hand into the air hole and thrust it forcefully—

The stone made a loud popping sound.

Zhong Cai instinctively reached out to pull Wu Shaogan, and Wu Shaogan did the same to grab Zhong Cai.

The two immediately held hands—

Then, without any resistance, they used their movement techniques together to retreat quickly.

The stone shattered into many fragments, but it seemed that there wasn't much energy inside the stone, so it simply broke the stone without causing a significant impact.

However, the spot where the stone was originally located now exudes a powerful pressure that spreads in all directions, as if asserting its presence.

Zhong Cai looked over curiously.

There stood a large spear enveloped in a rich yellow light.

Zhong Cai blinked and exclaimed in surprise: "A level 7 mid-grade earth-attribute spear?"

Getting a level 7 Xuan weapon is already considered very lucky, and while gun-type Xuan weapons are relatively common, earth-attribute ones are extremely rare.

Most earth-attribute mystic weapons are defensive or power-based... The spear is an offensive mystic weapon, so most of the time, weapon makers won't refine earth-attribute weapons.

This big gun can fetch a high price!

Zhong Cai was very happy for Master Jiang.

Wu Shaogan pointed at it, then turned and smiled, "Master, quickly put it away!"

The spear was now overflowing with power, and its residual force continued to spread. Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan, whose cultivation levels were too low, absolutely dared not touch it. Instead, they simply retreated again.

Jiang Chongguang strode over, reached out and grasped the gun barrel, pulling it out effortlessly.

He exclaimed, "Great stuff!"

After praising it, Jiang Chongguang was about to put it away.

Just then, a voice suddenly rang in their ears.

"Brother Jiang, wait!"

Jiang Chongguang looked in the direction from which the sound came.

About several dozen feet away, a powerful Spirit Transformation cultivator revealed himself and strode towards them.

In just two steps, he was already standing opposite Jiang Chongguang.

The cultivator remained calm, a smile on his face: "Brother Jiang, I have searched for this item for a long time without success. I never expected your disciple to be so lucky as to find it in a stone. Although it was presumptuous... I urge you to part with it. If you have anything you wish to exchange it for, just say the word, and I will certainly give you a satisfactory price."

Jiang Chongguang recognized the man and said, "Brother Wei? You really want this."

·

This physically powerful cultivator is named Wei Xiong Ying. He is a rogue cultivator at the Spirit Transformation level. His journey has not been easy, but because he is daring and has had some fortuitous encounters, he is still considered to be in his prime at the Spirit Transformation level.

Naturally, he needed a suitable weapon.

Wei Xiong Ying's greatest adventure back then was a special technique that combined with a special spear skill. After each realm advancement, he needed a suitable earth-attribute spear.

The earlier levels were manageable, but after reaching the Spirit Transformation stage, he not only searched everywhere himself but also tried his best to collect refining materials and ask weapon masters for help in refining... Unfortunately, not only did he fail to find any, but the weapon masters also failed to refine the materials several times.

Wei Xiong Ying had been troubled for a long time. He really didn't expect that he would come here just to have some fun playing with stones and then watch the lucky junior open the door to the thing he had been longing for!

He didn't dare hesitate and rushed over to make the decision first!

·

Wei Xiong Ying realized that Jiang Chong Guang didn't really need the spear, and thought there was potential in the matter, so his attitude immediately became even more polite.

"So, Brother Jiang means..."

Jiang Chongguang himself didn't have any special needs and originally wanted to directly accept Xuan Stones, but when he caught sight of Sang Yunchu out of the corner of his eye, he readily said, "Brother Wei, how many rare herbs do you have? Give me some that are of similar value. If you don't have enough rare herbs, make up the difference with Xuan Stones."

Upon hearing this, Wei Xiong Ying's gaze immediately fell on Sang Yun Chu.

Jiang Chongguang said directly, "Junior Brother Sang, if there's anything you want, you can ask Brother Wei first."

Sang Yunchu was surprised that this Senior Brother Jiang would remember him. Although he was a little surprised, he didn't stand on ceremony and began to recite the names of several seventh-grade rare medicines.

Wei Xiong Ying listened carefully and took out whatever matched his savings... There were four or five kinds in total.

Next, they selected the rarer ones from the other precious medicines and added a large amount of black stones.

Jiang Chongguang swept his sleeves down and casually raised his hand.

In an instant, the large gun he was holding flew out with a "whoosh" and was caught by Wei Xiong Ying.

Wei Xiong Ying quickly sensed it and revealed a satisfied smile.

Just as he had thought, it was a weapon that suited him perfectly!

Then, the two, who had no prior relationship, parted ways amicably.

·

Zhong Cai never expected that the treasure he unearthed would be so readily chosen and immediately sold for a high price.

He asked with great interest, "Master, which is more valuable, the Golden Python Heart Crystal I obtained or Old Wu's spear?"

Sang Yunchu smiled and said, "If there are only two or three drops of dragon blood, the value will be less, but if there are five drops, it will be slightly more valuable than that spear."

Zhong Cai cheered, "I won!"

Wu Shaogan smiled and said, "All things considered, we're pretty much even. Three more rounds, shall we continue cutting stones?"

Zhong Cai said confidently, "Continue!"

Then, the two quickly took out their eighth stones and split them again.

·

The three sons of the Fan family never got close.

They stood a little further away, but much closer than the other cultivators, to "try their luck."

Meanwhile, the group occasionally whispered a few words to each other.

"Brother Wu and Master Zhong are indeed very lucky..."

"He was very pleased with himself."

"I thought Brother Jiming was joking, but now seeing what those two got from opening the stones... Brother Jiming, could it be that your talk about getting lucky is actually true?"

"That's right. Let's save up our luck now. Maybe we'll find something even better when we cut open the stone later."

"yes……"

Fan Jiming honestly said, "I wasn't even thinking about getting a better one; I just hoped that neither of them would be empty."

Fan Liukong and Fan Zhongyang couldn't help but laugh.

Fan Zhongyang suddenly said, "Look, those two have opened their eighth stones too!"

Fan Liukong and Fan Jiming both looked over immediately.

Because of the great spear, the golden dragon's heart, and other such items, more souls were drawn to Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan... and not just the two of them, but all the cultivators who found good things here would also be "looked at" several times.

·

The eighth stone Zhong Cai found contained a lump of curdled milk—formed from spiritual milk accumulated over countless years.

Looking at its ingredients, besides stalactite, there are many other kinds of spiritual milk mixed together, but they are all mild in medicinal properties. After being mixed together, there was no violent conflict. Instead, they blended together due to the passage of time and achieved a subtle but stable balance.

It's something new now.

It's not even easy to guess what its purpose is, or what methods it should be processed or used given its current medicinal properties.

However, this is quite interesting for alchemists.

Zhong Cai happily presented the "stone bowl" to her master.

Sang Yunchu noticed his youngest disciple's excitement, so he took out a small bottle, separated some curdled milk, and handed it to Zhong Cai.

Zhong Cai quickly put it away, not wanting to refuse it!

·

Wu Shaogan's eighth piece yielded a relatively rare level seven refining material, but it was very large and heavy.

Naturally, its overall value is also considerable.

Zhong Cai's side also features a significant amount of rare and precious materials, definitely at the seventh level, and also commanding a high price.

After calculating the quantity and unit price, Zhong Cai slightly won.

·

The ninth stone for both of them was an empty stone.

Undeterred, they began to work harder on the tenth stone.

The two sides consciously picked up the stone; it was about the same height as an arm's length and about the same width, and it was short and stocky overall.

Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan quickly cut stones.

They were very efficient, and the stone was still of good quality. Once cut open, it was pure white, and the scene was immediately clear.

The two finished quickly.

This time, there's something inside.

Moreover, there was no energy overflow.

·

Zhong Cai reached out his arm and took something out of the jar-like stone container.

It's really small... and looks very familiar.

Zhong Cai blinked and blurted out, "Mustard Seed Ring?"

Yes, although its shape is already very rough, and it is even a whole size bigger than usual, it doesn't match any of the fingers at all—even the fingers of a cultivator like Master Jiang, whose physique has increased, look thinner than the ring's size.

However, no one present could be mistaken; this thing really was a mustard seed ring.

Zhong Cai was eager to try.

Or, could we probe into his soul to take a look?

Wu Shaogan knew Zhong Cai would be curious, so he reluctantly pulled him back.

Zhong Cai immediately looked at Wu Shaogan, her eyes bright.

Wu Shaogan looked at him with even more helplessness.

Zhong Cai relented, saying sullenly, "Fine, I won't act impulsively..."

·

At this moment, Sang Yunchu took the mustard seed ring from Zhong Cai's hand.

Zhong Cai released her grip and looked at her master with expectant eyes.

Jiang Chongguang then took the mustard seed ring from Sang Yunchu's hand.

Zhong Cai looked at Jiang Chongguang expectantly again.

Jiang Chongguang met Zhong Cai's gaze and patted his shoulder.

Zhong Cai: "..." What incredible strength!

Jiang Chongguang laughed a few times, and then, after carefully setting up various defenses, he cautiously sent in his soul thoughts.

The next moment, he returned the mustard seed ring to Sang Yunchu.

Sang Yunchu understood, and after quickly checking it, handed it to Zhong Cai.

Zhong Cai was excited to go and check, and Wu Shaogan went with him.

The contents of the mustard seed ring became clearly visible.

Many mysterious stones.

They're all black stones!

The quantity and quality...

There are probably over five hundred high-grade Xuan stones.