The stone materials produced by Source Veins were exceptionally special. Neither divine power nor divine sense could probe their interiors; only by truly cutting them open could one discover what lay within.
The stone gambling trade was immensely prosperous in this land, and every service related to it was of the highest quality.
It was said that in Sacred City, the most flourishing city in the Eastern Wilderness, even the young women who cut stones were fairy-like beauties whom others envied.
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 some other ideas as well.
"Thank you, husband." Xia Weier happily hugged Jiang Yun's arm.
"Go buy some. Pick a few more." Jiang Yun fondly rubbed Xia Weier's head.
"Fairy, these stones came from an ancient mining area. They're a little pricier, but not long ago, someone cut out a segment of saint bone from one and earned several thousand jin of Pure Source."
"The ones over there are even more remarkable. They were mined from the Primordial Ancient Mine."
"Last year, a cultivator cut out a fist-sized piece of Divine Source from among them."
Though Xia Weier was interested and seemed to feel an unusual resonance with several Source Stones over there, she immediately shook her head upon hearing that they were more expensive.
Within the Violet Tenuity Sect's stone workshop, there were stones worth hundreds of thousands of jin of Source, as well as ones worth only a few or a dozen jin.
Xia Weier quickly selected two bluish-red stones from a pile of materials.
One was as large as a basketball, while the other Source Stone was two and a half times larger than the first.
Jiang Yun and Xia Weier were dressed in luxurious robes, and formations of Dao Texts occasionally manifested around them.
These were ceremonial robes Jiang Yun had refined with precious materials. Naturally, no one would dare look down on them.
A sharp-eyed attendant stepped forward and gathered the two stones into his arms.
Each stone was worth ten jin of Pure Source. Jiang Yun could afford to waste that much Source.
After selecting two, Xia Weier stopped choosing and happily said to Jiang Yun,
"The big one is yours, and I want this smaller one. Let's see who cuts out more Source."
Seeing Xia Weier's excited expression, Jiang Yun was delighted as well and nodded along.
He did not truly believe Source could be cut out through luck, 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 was already growing impatient.
In the Big Dipper, there was no shortage of people who loved watching excitement and claimed to know everything.
"Little girl, 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 chuckled. "People buying stone materials for the first time all share a trait."
Xia Weier grew even more curious. She did not know how the old man had seen through her and 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 buyers only pick the big ones, not the right ones."
Several cultivators nearby gave soft chuckles as well. Their smiles were kind-hearted, as they too recalled their first time buying stone materials.
Xia Weier's face instantly turned bright red with embarrassment.
"These stones buried underground contain not only Source, but even rarer treasures. You can't judge them by size alone," someone beside them added.
The old man spoke again. "Stone gambling is not merely about gambling on Source. There are plenty of tricks to it."
"Source is the rarest spiritual substance in the world. It can give birth to anything," a middle-aged cultivator said solemnly.
Xia Weier listened as the cultivators chatted back and forth, becoming somewhat lost in thought.
She had not expected selecting stone materials to involve so many considerations.
"When buying something, of course you should buy what catches your eye. Don't forget your original intention because of all sorts of temptations."
Jiang Yun stood beside Xia Weier, comforting her as she began to waver.
"Young man, you have a good head on your shoulders. You can't let these stones blind you. Other than a Source Heavenly Master, who would dare say the stones they choose won't be duds? The lucky ones are few, after all."
A middle-aged female cultivator nearby looked at Jiang Yun approvingly.
Xia Weier stopped thinking about other things. She settled on those two stones and decided to have the Source Master cut them open.
Though they were merely stones worth ten jin of Source, quite a few people gathered around to watch.
That was because those who enjoyed excitement always gathered around Source Masters.
After respectfully worshipping the Source God, the Source Master took up his tools and stepped forward. His blade moved like a dragon and serpent as he first cut open the basketball-sized stone. The old outer skin fell away in flakes, and more than half the stone layer was soon stripped off.
Xia Weier held her breath and stared, her heart pounding.
When all the stone skin fell away, nothing remained in the end.
Xia Weier's heart immediately ached. She felt somewhat guilty—ten jin of precious Source could have been used for so many things, so why had she bought these worthless stones?
The people nearby also let out sighs of regret.
"Master, cut this stone as well." Jiang Yun handed over the other, larger bluish stone.
This time, the Source Master's blade rose and fell rapidly. In his experience, such stone materials could not possibly contain 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 within the stone layer.
"Ah, it really produced Source!"
"Though this piece only weighs around a dozen jin, it still counts as a gain."
Although they had suffered a small loss, Xia Weier was still very happy to see that they had cut out Source.
Xia Weier immediately stepped forward with delight and collected the Source. She carefully cradled it in her palms and presented it to Jiang Yun as though offering a treasure.
"You picked this stone for me. This piece of Source that came out can be yours, as a memento 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 try? They're only a hundred jin of Source each. Maybe your luck will let you cut out Divine Source."
They were called derivative products, but they were actually just scraps from Divine Source stones.
Jiang Yun looked at the scattered stone materials on the nearby rack. It was obvious they had previously been cut, and he had initially assumed they were being sold as half-gambled stones.
He had not expected them to have such an origin. No wonder they had been placed beside the stone-cutting master.
"Give it a rest. Stop trying to fool this young fellow. If those scraps can produce Divine Source, I'll eat all these stone skins."
An older man nearby angrily exposed them, looking as though he had suffered a loss 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 there was an opportunity here.
One of those scraps contained Divine Source, and within that Divine Source was a rare treasure.
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