Ziwei Sect Stone Workshop

The stone materials produced by source veins were exceedingly special. Neither divine power nor divine sense could probe their interiors; only by truly cutting them open could one learn what lay within.

The stone-gambling trade was already immensely prosperous in this land, and every related service was of the highest standard.

Legend had it that in Sacred City, the most prosperous city in the Eastern Wilderness, even the young women who cut stones were fairy-like beauties, the envy of all.

Xia Weier usually had little contact with people and worldly affairs, and her nature was simple.

It was only natural for her to be drawn to such things. Jiang Yun intended to let her give it a try, and he had a few other ideas as well.

"Thank you, husband." Xia Weier happily hugged Jiang Yun's arm.

"Go ahead and buy some. Buy a few more." Jiang Yun fondly stroked Xia Weier's head.

"Fairy, these stones came from an ancient mining region. They're a little expensive, but not long ago, someone cut out a fragment of saint bone from one and earned several thousand catties of Pure Source."

"Those over there are even more extraordinary. They were mined from the Primordial Beginning Ancient Mine."

"Last year, a cultivator cut out a fist-sized piece of Divine Source from one of them."

Though Xia Weier was interested and seemed to feel a strange connection to several Source Stones over there, the moment she heard they were more expensive, she immediately shook her head.

Within Ziwei Sect's stone workshop, there were stones worth hundreds of thousands of catties of Source at the high end, and stones worth only a few or a dozen catties of Source at the low end.

Xia Weier quickly picked out two bluish-red stones from among a pile of materials.

One was as large as a basketball, while the other Source Stone was two and a half times larger.

Jiang Yun and Xia Weier were dressed lavishly, and Dao Text formations occasionally manifested around them.

These were ceremonial robes Jiang Yun had refined using precious materials. Naturally, no one would dare judge them by their appearance.

The attendant beside them had a sharp eye and promptly stepped forward, gathering the two stones into his arms.

Each stone was worth ten catties of Pure Source. Jiang Yun could afford to waste that much Source.

After picking two stones, Xia Weier chose no more. She happily said to Jiang Yun,

"The big one is yours, and I'll take this small one. Let's see who cuts out more Source."

Seeing Xia Weier's excited expression, Jiang Yun was happy as well and nodded in agreement.

He did not really believe that Source could be cut out through luck alone, but since Xia Weier was happy, he naturally would not say anything to spoil her mood.

Xia Weier called for the attendant to find a Source Master to cut the stones. She could barely wait.

On the Big Dipper, there was no shortage of nosy passersby who loved a spectacle and acted as though they knew everything.

"Young lady, this is your first time choosing stone materials, isn't it? You probably haven't dealt with them before," an old man nearby said.

"Grandpa, how did you know?" Xia Weier asked curiously.

The old man stroked his beard and said with a chuckle, "People buying stone materials for the first time all share one trait."

Xia Weier was curious and had no idea how the old man had seen through her. She quietly waited for him to reveal the answer.

When she did not take the bait, the old man found it a little less amusing. "First-time stone buyers only choose the big ones, not the right ones."

Several cultivators nearby immediately laughed softly as well. Their smiles were kind; they had remembered the first time they had bought stone materials.

Xia Weier's face instantly turned red with embarrassment.

"These stones buried underground contain not only Source, but even rarer treasures. You can't judge them by size alone," someone nearby added.

The old man spoke again. "Stone gambling is not merely about gambling for Source. There are many tricks to it."

"Source is the rarest spiritual treasure in the world. It can nurture anything," a middle-aged cultivator said solemnly.

Xia Weier listened as the cultivators chatted back and forth, growing somewhat absorbed.

She had never expected there to be so much to consider when selecting stone materials.

"When buying something, of course you should buy what catches your eye. Don't let all sorts of temptations make you forget your original intentions."

Jiang Yun comforted Xia Weier from the side as she began to waver.

"Young man, you have good sense. You can't let these stones blind you. Other than a Source Heavenly Master, who would dare claim the stones they choose won't turn out worthless? The lucky ones are few, after all."

A middle-aged female cultivator nearby praised Jiang Yun.

Xia Weier stopped thinking about anything else. She settled on those two stones and decided to have the Source Master cut them open.

Though they were only stones worth ten catties of Source, quite a few people gathered around to watch.

That was because the spectacle-seekers were always gathered around the Source Master.

After ceremoniously paying respects to the Source God, the Source Master finally stepped forward with his tools. His blade moved like a dragon and serpent, first slicing open the basketball-sized stone. Old stone skin fell away in flurries, and soon more than half the stone layer had been stripped off.

Xia Weier held her breath and stared, her heart pounding.

When all the stone skin had fallen away, nothing remained in the end.

Xia Weier's heart immediately ached. She blamed herself a little—what couldn't ten catties of precious Source have been used for? Why had she bought these worthless stones?

The people around them also let out a wave of regretful sighs.

"Master, cut this stone too," Jiang Yun said, handing over the other, larger bluish stone.

This time, the Source Master's blade rose and fell swiftly. Based on his experience, a stone like this could not possibly yield any rare treasure.

As the Source Stone was gradually opened, a soft glow shone out.

A palm-sized piece of Source, crystalline and translucent, was embedded in the stone layer.

"Ah, it really produced Source!"

"Though it only weighs around a dozen catties, it still counts as a gain."

Though they had suffered a small loss, Xia Weier was still very happy to see that Source had been cut out.

Xia Weier immediately stepped forward in delight and collected the Source. Carefully holding it in her palms, she presented it to Jiang Yun as if offering a treasure.

"This stone was chosen for me by you. I'll give you the Source it produced as a keepsake of our first time gambling on stones."

Jiang Yun handed the Source back to Xia Weier.

"Young master, you're truly lucky today. Look here—these are all derivative stones from materials that once produced Divine Source."

"Why not buy one and give it a try? They only cost one hundred catties of Source. Maybe your luck will let you cut out Divine Source?"

Calling them derivative products was merely a fancy way of saying they were scraps from Divine Source stones.

Jiang Yun looked at the haphazardly placed stones on the shelf beside him. He could clearly see marks where they had been cut before, and had initially assumed they were being sold as partially gambled stones.

He had not expected them to have such an origin. No wonder they were displayed beside the stone-cutting master.

"Give it a rest. Stop fooling this young fellow. If these scraps can yield Divine Source, I'll eat every bit of this stone skin."

An older man nearby angrily exposed the scam. He looked like someone who had suffered losses before.

"Exactly. These things haven't sold for years, and you're still using them to fool newcomers."

Though Jiang Yun did not believe the attendant's sales pitch, he knew that an opportunity lay here.

One of those scraps contained Divine Source, and an extraordinary treasure was sealed within that Divine Source.