Inside the Earth-Ranked Stone Garden.
Stones priced at hundreds or thousands of pounds of Source were cut open one after another, like wheat being harvested.
Luo Yue showed no mercy whatsoever. The onlookers had their eyes opened and cried out in delight.
After cutting open several dozen stones in the Earth-Ranked Stone Garden, she still did not stop. Instead, she led the others straight to the Human-Ranked and Yellow-Ranked Stone Gardens!
After all, even the Yellow-Ranked Stone Garden could hold plenty of overlooked bargains.
An unremarkable rock split open, and a Water-Avoidance Pearl the size of a longan popped out.
A weathered stone priced at only ten pounds of Source concealed a small piece of lustrous "Soul-Nourishing Jade."
Even a stepping stone was singled out by Luo Yue. When cut open, it turned out to contain dozens of grains of precious divine star sand.
Throughout the Great Evolution Stone Workshop, only the stones emitting chaotic Primordial Qi, which made even deductions through the Yellow River Chart and Lo Shu sluggish and indistinct, remained untouched.
Every other stone containing treasure, regardless of its price, was precisely identified and purchased by Luo Yue, then cut open and auctioned off in turn!
The radiance of treasures scarcely ceased, and cries of astonishment rose in wave after wave.
"She's absolutely running wild!"
"Heavens, I've never enjoyed myself this much in my life! Plundering a holy land's stone workshop-that's something only the Source Heavenly Master dared to do back in the day!"
"To think I'd live to see a little girl robbing a holy land's stone workshop! Am I dreaming? Someone slap me awake!"
The onlookers cried out in delight at the spectacle.
By now, their envy had vanished completely. All that remained was an almost fanatical adoration.
That was how reality worked. When you won a million, those around you grew envious; when you had ten million, others whispered behind your back that you had stumbled into a fortune through sheer dumb luck; when you had a hundred million, everyone came to curry favor with you.
But if you commanded hundreds of billions, or even trillions in wealth, you would be crowned a god!
Some veteran gamblers were exactly like that. They practically prostrated themselves before Luo Yue, secretly bestowing on her the title of Source God and treating her as their founding patriarch.
On the other side, however,
The stewards and disciples of the Great Evolution Stone Workshop were ashen-faced and slumped on the ground. Watching their stock being emptied at a speed visible to the naked eye, their hearts bled.
They wanted to stop her, but when they saw Luo Qingying's cold, fierce gaze and the unfathomable smile of Jiang Wei in his cloud-patterned robe, then remembered the terrifying presence hidden in the shadows that had burned an Immortal Platform cultivator to death, they lacked even the courage to move a finger.
When Luo Yue casually cut open the last ordinary Yellow-Ranked stone containing a small piece of gold essence, multiplying its value several times over before pocketing it,
The entire Great Evolution Stone Workshop had truly been emptied, apart from the raw stones from the Primordial Ancient Mine whose inscrutable auras left them unwanted, and a pile of stones verified to be worthless!
The workshop was a complete mess. Shards from the cut stones piled up like mountains, and the treasures' radiance had dissipated, leaving only desolation and deathly silence. Luo Yue stood in the center, her small figure especially striking amid the ruin-like scene.
She patted her little hands together as though brushing away nonexistent dust. Her ice-blue eyes swept around before settling on the few raw stones from the Primordial Ancient Mine that radiated ominous auras. She frowned slightly, then looked away.
"All done. Time to wrap up."
Luo Yue spoke.
This workshop had nothing more of value to offer her. She had no desire to gamble on those raw stones from the Primordial Ancient Mine, for every primordial raw stone in the Northern Region carried a frighteningly high price.
She had come to pick a fight, determined to carve a chunk of flesh off Great Evolution. If she tried her luck and cut open a worthless stone, wouldn't she just be handing those people a free windfall?
"That was thrilling!"
"Little miss, there are several other stone workshops in Luo City run by the Eastern Wasteland's holy lands and Desolate Ancient Families. Why don't we take a look around those too?"
A cultivator who still had not had his fill shouted loudly.
Little did he know that his words nearly got him strangled on the spot, for quite a few elders and venerable figures from the Eastern Wasteland's holy lands and Desolate Ancient Families were present.
If that little terror really went to their workshops, wouldn't they end up just like Great Evolution?!
Just look at the Great Evolution Sacred Land's sorry state now.
Almost everything good inside had been packed up and carried away. Who would come here to gamble on stones in the future?
Not to mention the counterfeit filled stones made by that old monster Ghost Eye, which had utterly buried the workshop's reputation. It was easy to imagine what punishment awaited Yanlong when he returned to the Great Evolution Sacred Land. In any case, that old monster Ghost Eye certainly would not survive.
Seeing the worried elders and venerable figures from the Eastern Wasteland's holy lands and Desolate Ancient Families around her, seemingly terrified that she might visit their workshops, Luo Yue could not help smiling. Something suddenly occurred to her, and she said to Luo Qingying:
"Third Uncle, as far as I know, among the powers that came to our Qingyun Province to open stone workshops, almost none have made a special visit to our Luo Family apart from the fairies of the [Jade Pool Holy Land], right?"
The Luo Family's third uncle paused briefly, then caught on and smiled. "The Jade Pool fairies have always kept clear of worldly strife, and their friendship with our Luo Family goes back generations. They opened a stone workshop in Luo City only to earn some money. Little Yue, don't go making trouble for them."
Luo Yue nodded in understanding, then said with a very serious little face:
"Then let's go to the next one. The Wanchu Holy Land's stone workshop looks like it's doing pretty good business too."
"Not quite, little Yue. I think the Ji Family's stone workshop is rather nice as well. Why don't we go there and help support their business while we're at it?" Jiang Wei chimed in from the side.
As a member of the other of the Eastern Wasteland's two leading Desolate Ancient Families, Jiang Wei had been annoyed with the Ji Family for a long time.
Everyone: "..."
This had to be deliberate!
The way they played off one another-weren't they hinting that it was time to pay protection money? There was no question about it. They absolutely were!
One venerable figure from the Ji Family, in particular, turned green when he heard Jiang Wei offering to support their business! Who wants you supporting our business?!
A gray-robed elder from the Wanchu Holy Land reacted fastest. He gave a dry cough and hurriedly stepped forward, his wrinkled face blooming into a chrysanthemum-like smile as he said:
"To witness your godlike Source Arts today, young friend, has truly opened my eyes. Our Wanchu Stone Workshop was indeed remiss in its courtesies before. Later, I shall personally lead our workshop's steward to the Luo Residence with lavish gifts to pay our respects!"
His words were like opening the floodgates.
"Indeed, indeed!"
A venerable figure from another Desolate Ancient Family hurriedly joined in, his face crammed with smiles.
"Our workshop has enjoyed the Luo Family's protection in Luo City, yet we failed to visit promptly to express our gratitude. That was truly improper. I shall visit later to discuss our friendship as neighbors."
"The Purple Mansion Holy Land shares that intention!"
"The Yaoguang Holy
Land will certainly visit later!"
For a time, promises rang out one after another within the Heaven-Class Stone Garden.
The once lofty elders and venerable figures of the holy lands and families now spoke with utmost sincerity, as though none of the earlier unpleasantness had ever occurred. One after another, they declared that they would personally visit the Luo Residence later.
Anyone with discerning eyes could tell that the Luo Family's little terror looked innocent, but cut her open and she was wicked through and through. She clearly held grudges. Outwardly cool and aloof, she was really a little demoness to the bone.
A mighty expert secretly protected her, and even an Immortal Platform Realm cultivator had fallen. How could they dare cling to even the slightest hope of getting lucky?
If they still failed to take the hint, the Great Evolution Stone Workshop's today would be their tomorrow!
They were genuinely afraid that Luo Yue might take a stroll through their workshops too. If she did, they would have no business left to run.
Watching these powerful figures turn from arrogance to deference and scramble to make their positions clear, the onlookers marveled. These holy lands and Desolate Ancient Families of the Eastern Wasteland were infamous for looking at others down their noses, and their disciples were arrogant beyond measure.
It was rare to see them bow their heads...
Perhaps only the legendary [Source Heavenly Master] of years past had ever made these people lower their noble heads.
"Very good."
Luo Qingying's expression remained stern, but a barely perceptible smile flickered in his eyes. In a deep voice, he said, "The Luo Family's doors are open to guests. We shall await you all."
Their goal achieved, the Luo Family's party had no reason to linger.
Luo Qingying swept his hand, and the guards gathered the mountain of wondrous treasures and unusual Source acquired that day. Most had already been auctioned off or promised in trades, but Luo Yue had left untouched some treasures she intended to keep and others whose transactions had yet to be completed.
Luo Yue left with them.
All that remained were onlookers still savoring the spectacle, along with the Great Evolution disciples and stewards, every one of them looking as though their mother had died, wanting to cry but finding no tears...
This stone workshop was thoroughly finished!
Although the Luo Family had spent an enormous quantity of pure Source here, allowing them to make a huge profit today, it was a one-time transaction!
The Luo Family's little demoness had bought every stone containing treasure, while the counterfeit filled stones had left their reputation stinking to high heaven. From now on, who within tens of thousands of miles around Qingyun Province would dare come here to buy stones?
"Could she really be the Source God reincarnated?"
The steward of the Great Evolution Stone Workshop muttered to himself, his face utterly ashen.