Thunderclap Dojo Master (Please Bookmark and Vote)

Shu Tong looked at the shop numbers and searched them one by one.

He finally found No. 356, a storefront tucked away in the farthest corner of the Underground Market. It looked terribly run-down, with an old-fashioned slatted door. The shop was filled with carvings and dust-covered stones.

A short, thin old man in his fifties was already packing up, clearly preparing to close for the day.

Shu Tong checked the time. It was not even three o'clock yet. Who closed this early? He quickly walked over.

"Boss, why are you closing so early? I still want to buy something," Shu Tong said.

The old man continued tidying up his things and said, "Hurry up and look. I'm going home at three."

Shu Tong swept his eyes around the shop. The shelf on the left held Pokémon carvings made of stone. It seemed the old man's main trade was stone carving. Compared to ordinary carvings, these were outrageously expensive. No wonder they were covered in dust without anyone buying them. The shelf on the right held some very ordinary-looking stones.

"Boss, are these stones for gambling?" Shu Tong asked.

The old man said, "These stones were indeed brought out of a Mystery Realm, but I stopped doing the stone-gambling business long ago. These were leftovers that no one picked when I still did it, so they're worthless. Fortunately, stones from Mystery Realms are of better quality and more suitable for carving."

Hearing that, Shu Tong began to panic. He had no way of telling which stone contained the Pristine Thunder Stone. He only had eight thousand left on him. It would not be enough to buy all these stones and carvings.

What should I do? It'll be three soon. If the old man closes up, then if I come back tomorrow, this opportunity won't be mine anymore. Shu Tong was frantic inside, but he remained calm on the surface. He stroked the stones, pretending to be choosing one.

He felt every stone on the shelf to the right, yet felt nothing at all. There was nothing else he could do. Deep down, he felt helpless.

He then looked toward the shelf on the left. Seeing the lifelike carvings, Shu Tong began to think. This place no longer deals in stone gambling. That means even if that grandfather and granddaughter came here, they couldn't simply discover which one contained the Pristine Thunder Stone. So what in this shabby shop could attract that proud-looking girl?

At that thought, Shu Tong suddenly understood. His eyes lit up as he spotted a Jolteon carving on the shelf.

There was no mistake. From the conversation between the grandfather and granddaughter earlier, they wanted Eevee to evolve into Jolteon. If there was one thing in this shop that could attract that girl, it was this Jolteon carving.

Shu Tong placed his hand on the Jolteon carving. Suddenly, the Viridian Force within him surged. He could clearly sense a wild, violent energy inside responding to the Viridian Force, and even his hand felt a little numb.

There was no mistake.

"Boss, I'll buy this Jolteon carving," Shu Tong said.

"The price is listed. Scan the code and pay, then take it," the old man said without even looking up. There was not the slightest room for bargaining. His attitude practically said, Buy it if you want. Get lost if you don't.

No wonder he had no business. This old man did not seem like someone who wanted to do business at all. Maybe he had come here just to pass his retirement years.

Five thousand yuan made Shu Tong's heart ache. After scanning the code, he took the Jolteon carving.

What he needed to do now was find somewhere to cut the carving open. He needed specialized precision equipment to slowly peel away the Rock type layer by layer, ensuring that the item inside remained undamaged.

Only those stone-gambling shops had that kind of equipment.

Shu Tong could not wait any longer. He casually picked a stone-gambling shop and walked in. The moment he entered, the owner came up to greet him.

"Young man, are you here to gamble on stones? Our shop has produced plenty of good stuff. Look, the big screen shows all the successful cases from gambling on stones here," the owner said.

Shu Tong looked at the large screen directly ahead.

December 12: Wang Qiang uncovered a Mid-grade Water Stone at this shop.

January 7: Li Fang uncovered a Mid-grade Hard Stone at this shop.

"What do you think? Our shop has a high chance of uncovering treasure, right? Come take a look at these stones of mine. The luster, the feel—tsk, tsk," the owner began boasting.

"Help me open this carving in my hand. How much?" Shu Tong asked bluntly.

The owner's smile immediately froze. "Opening something that wasn't bought from our shop only costs eight hundred yuan, cheaper than anywhere else. But there's one requirement. If something comes out, you have to let us register it on the big screen for free. We'll also provide a free appraisal service."

"Fine," Shu Tong agreed. This could be considered a win-win situation. The owner truly had a talent for sales. It seemed the successful cases on that screen were not necessarily from stones purchased at this shop. Shu Tong also needed some people to know that he had uncovered a Thunder Stone—but only a Thunder Stone. If they learned it was a Pristine Thunder Stone, it might cause unnecessary trouble.

After Shu Tong paid, the owner stepped up to the workbench. As the machine operated, the Jolteon carving was slowly peeled away layer by layer.

"Holy shit!" the owner cried out.

A dark green stone was gradually revealed, until it was completely exposed before them.

The dark green stone was crystal clear, and at its core was a golden lightning rune.

"This is a Thunder Stone! Kid, your luck is incredible. Let me appraise it for you," the owner said.

"No need. Your lousy machine isn't accurate," Shu Tong said.

"Who are you looking down on? My machine is foolproof."

"I want something that's ten-out-of-ten foolproof." As he spoke, Shu Tong picked up the Thunder Stone and put it away. He knew this was a Pristine Thunder Stone. The Underground Market was nowhere near as reliable as the department stores under the Trainers Association. The difference between an ordinary Thunder Stone and a Pristine Thunder Stone was like heaven and earth. In a place crawling with all sorts of people, he had to beware of bringing disaster upon himself by possessing treasure.

Just as he was about to leave—

"Hey, you haven't told me your name yet."

"Shu Tong."

Shu Tong put away the Thunder Stone. As he was leaving the Underground Market, he happened to see the grandfather and granddaughter entering it through the department store.

He had already left his name behind. Now it depended on whether that grandfather and granddaughter truly had fate with this Pristine Thunder Stone. Judging by the way they looked, they had clearly come to Apricot City to try their luck at stone gambling in the Underground Market. Why else would they have come all this way?

Not long after Shu Tong left the Underground Market—

The white-haired old man was the first to catch up. He moved like the wind, swift and vigorous on his feet, calling out, "Young man, wait for me! Little Brother Shu Tong, wait for me!"

Shu Tong feigned confusion and turned around. The old man had sounded far away just moments ago, but in the blink of an eye, he was already standing before him.

"Sir, were you calling for me?"

"Yes. Are you Shu Tong?" Though the old man was slightly out of breath, his imposing presence remained impossible to conceal. His granddaughter had long since been left far behind, unable to keep up.

"How did you know?"

The old man smiled and took out a business card. "I'm Ling Zhen, master of the Thunderclap Dojo in Auspicious City. Little brother, did you just uncover a Thunder Stone from stone gambling in the Underground Market?"

Shu Tong stared at the old man in surprise. He had not expected him to be a dojo master. No wonder he had such a powerful aura.