"Easy, you're going to crush me! Don't be so violent!"
In the Hundred Herb Garden, a stubborn stone the size of a human head grimaced and howled. It felt anything but safe in the hands of this person whose sex it could not discern, as though it might crack at any moment.
"A God-Striking Stone?" Shi Zhao suddenly said.
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"What God-Striking Stone? I dunno anything about that!" the stone hastily denied. It had a mouth and eyes, and could move, making cracking noises. Looking utterly miserable, it said:
"I just live in this divine garden and happened to get dusted with powder from a Spirit-Connecting Divine Flower. That was how I got lucky enough to awaken my intelligence and learn to speak. I'm pretty much like those plants that gained sentience!"
Shi Zhao smiled without confirming or denying anything. Still holding the stone, she gradually lit up her palm and fingers, performing several fragments of the God-Striking Stone's Precious Technique that she had obtained deep within the Stone Kingdom's Imperial Palace.
Though called a Precious Technique, it was really just a few disconnected runes, not enough to piece together even a single move. Yet now they seemed to produce a wondrous effect, causing some sort of change in the stone in her hand.
"Hey, hey, why am I turning transparent? And glowing?" Even the God-Striking Stone was startled. It could not make heads or tails of what was happening.
Of course, it was only a stone, so it could not scratch its head anyway.
Every God-Striking Stone was unique, a naturally born embryo of an ultimate treasure. Only a handful had existed since ancient times, and they evolved entirely by eating dirt. They were truly miraculous.
Shi Zhao had arrived very early and headed