Living in the Holy City is no easy feat.
This place is incredibly valuable, where laws intertwine and fortune converges.
The stone workshops established by Great Saint and Desolate Ancient Family occupy spiritual vein nodes, are large in scale, and are like independent small worlds, demonstrating the profound foundation of the forces behind them.
Li Qingshan's first choice was not the stone archway belonging to Jade Pool's own residence, but rather the " Dao Yi Stone Workshop," located not far from Jade Pool's villa and renowned for its ancient and rare stone materials.
In the original novel, Ye Fan obtained the Dragon-Marked Black Gold Sword and the incomplete body of the Humanoid Immortal Medicine here, which was truly extraordinary.
Dao Yi Stone Workshop, with its continuous rows of halls and pavilions, is shrouded in a hazy, spiritual mist.
Li Qingshan, his purple robes fluttering, walked with ease. As soon as he stepped into the outer area of the stone archway, his identity and the recent rumors of his tribulation attracted many curious glances.
However, most people did not associate him with a master of Source Arts, but simply thought that this newly promoted Jade Pool Holy Son had come to see the world.
An elderly man with a gaunt face, dressed in a black Daoist robe, appeared silently at the entrance of the corridor leading to the inner courtyard.
He is a senior steward at Dao Yi Stone Workshop, with the Daoist name " Qingchen," and is mainly responsible for receiving important guests.
Upon seeing Li Qingshan, he stepped forward and bowed respectfully. "The arrival of the Jade Pool Holy Son brings great honor to Dao Yi Stone Workshop Archway. Does the Holy Son wish to admire the wondrous stones?"
The outer courtyard's offerings are nothing special; it's the inner courtyard that's truly worth seeing.
Li Qingshan nodded slightly. "Thank you for showing me the way." His expression was calm, and his gaze swept over the mountain of Source Stone in the outer courtyard without lingering, as if he were really just taking a cursory look.
Qingchen Daoren felt somewhat relieved and led Li Qingshan towards the inner courtyard, explaining the rules of the stone archway and some famous rare stones, without regarding Li Qingshan as a potential "threat."
After all, talent for cultivation and mastery of Source Arts are two different things. Such a young Immortal Platform cultivator must have devoted all his time and energy to cultivation. It would be rare for him to even have a rudimentary understanding of Source Arts.
Upon entering the inner courtyard, the atmosphere immediately changed.
The rocks are arranged in various shapes and sizes, some even emitting a faint glow and Daoist charm.
Many cultivators have already stopped here to observe, including some who are dressed in fine clothes and have an extraordinary aura, clearly regulars or enthusiasts of Source Arts.
Li Qingshan did not rush to the most heavily guarded and most precious Heaven-Class Stone Garden, but instead walked slowly through the inner courtyard accompanied by Qingchen.
He casually observed the expensive Source Stone, occasionally extending a finger to gently touch the surface, sensing the veins and energy beneath.
He did not use the Great Dao Heavenly Eye, but relied solely on the inheritance of the Source Heaven Book, combined with his own keen spiritual sense at the Immortal Platform Realm and his natural sensitivity to the primordial energy of heaven and earth and the trend of the earth's veins to make his judgment.
Qingchen Daoist followed beside him and saw that Li Qingshan's movements were clumsy and there was nothing special about them. The wariness he had felt because of the other party's identity dissipated a bit, and he simply assumed that it was just the curiosity of a young prodigy.
However, when Li Qingshan stopped in front of a stone about the height of a person, grayish-brown in color, with natural holes all over its surface, and priced at eight thousand catties of Yuan, Qingchen Daoist's heart still tightened subconsciously.
This stone has been a "long-standing problem" in the inner courtyard. Several Source Arts masters have different opinions, but most believe that its internal structure is messy and the hope of it being outstanding is slim. Therefore, the price was not set too high.
"Is the Holy Son interested in this stone?" Daoist Qingchen asked tentatively.
Li Qingshan didn't answer. Instead, he walked around the stone, his fingers tracing the key holes again. After a moment's thought, he said, "I want this stone."
Qingchen was slightly taken aback, then smiled and said, "Holy Son, you have a good eye. This stone has an ancient and simple shape; perhaps there is an opportunity for you."
He said this aloud, but in his heart he disagreed, thinking that this holy son had probably chosen randomly based on his feelings.
After paying the eight thousand catties of source, Li Qingshan did not borrow the stone-cutting knife from the stone workshop. Instead, he held his fingers together like a sword, with imperceptible chaotic Dao patterns flowing at his fingertips, and directly used Dao power to slowly peel away the stone skin.
His movements were slightly awkward at first, as if he was trying to find the right force and angle, but they quickly became smooth, the stone skin fell off in a flurry, and the cut was as smooth as a mirror.
The commotion attracted the attention of some people who were selecting stones nearby, and they all turned to look.
Seeing that it was the Jade Pool Holy Son personally cutting the stone, everyone showed interest, but that was all. No one thought that this stone, which was not favored by many experienced masters, could yield anything of value.
However, when nearly half of the stone's outer layer was peeled away, a ray of pure crimson light suddenly shone through the stone's core, and everyone was stunned!
"It's glowing? Crimson clouds like flames, this is... the Fiery Source? Judging by the purity of this glow, it's probably quite large!"
An experienced old monk exclaimed in surprise.
The smile on Qingchen Daoist's face froze, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Li Qingshan continued peeling away the layers without stopping.
Finally, a foreign source, as large as a washbasin, fiery red in color and radiating scorching energy, was presented to everyone!
Its purity is extremely high, and its value far exceeds that of 8,000 kilograms of ordinary minerals!
"This... how is this possible?"
Qingchen muttered to himself, his gaze towards Li Qingshan completely changing.
One instance could be attributed to luck, but finding a stone containing a high-level alien source with such precision cannot be explained by luck alone!
"Continue."
Li Qingshan spoke calmly, waving his hand to put away the fiery red source material, which was worth hundreds of thousands of kilograms of ordinary source material.
He did not stop and continued walking in the inner courtyard.
Next, he selected two more Source Stone.
A piece of white molten metal, the size of a fist, containing the energy of Geng metal, was unearthed;
The other one was rather unremarkable, yielding only a few kilograms of ordinary Pure Source, which was a small loss.
However, this "win-lose" performance made those around him think that he might just have keen spiritual senses, rather than being a true master of Source Arts, and that the surge in fiery red source was mostly due to luck.
Master Qingchen breathed a slight sigh of relief, thinking that he might have just been overthinking things.
However, when Li Qingshan seemingly casually stopped in front of an inconspicuous "stubborn stone" with a cracked surface and a price tag of only five thousand catties of source, and decisively bought it again, Qingchen Daoist's heart jumped again.
This time, Li Qingshan's stone-cutting technique was noticeably more skillful.
The lines between his fingers were subtly visible, demonstrating exquisite control over his strength. As the outer layer of stone peeled away, a soft and pure moon-white radiance flowed out, accompanied by a faint fragrance!
" Ice-Snow Source! And it contains spiritual treasures!"
Someone screamed.
Within a crystal-clear Ice-Snow Source the size of a bowl, a small grass with three leaves, its entire body carved from white jade, was preserved, with specks of starlight shimmering on its leaves.
"It's Starlight Grass! A rare spiritual herb that can nourish the soul and be used to refine precious pills!"
Those who knew its value immediately called out its name.
The combination of this piece of Ice-Snow Source and Starlight Grass instantly increased its value many times over!
Two consecutive surges, each more astonishing than the last, cannot be dismissed as mere "luck"!
All eyes in the inner courtyard were focused on Li Qingshan, filled with shock and disbelief.
Qingchen Daoist's face had turned somewhat pale. He finally realized that this Jade Pool Holy Son's mastery of Source Arts was probably far beyond his imagination!
His keen insight and accurate judgment are simply astonishing!
The news spread like wildfire from the inner courtyard.
" The Jade Pool Holy Son possesses astonishing Source Arts, opening treasures one after another!"
The calls for this began to spread among the various stone archway courtyards.
Li Qingshan seemed oblivious to the surrounding discussions. His gaze finally fell upon the moon gate, shrouded in even denser spiritual energy and the radiance of the array, the entrance to the Heaven-Class Stone Garden.
Qingchen opened his mouth, wanting to say something to persuade or dissuade him, but under Li Qingshan's calm yet unquestionable gaze, he ultimately couldn't utter a word and could only watch helplessly as he stepped into the Heaven-Class Stone Garden.
"Does the Holy Son intend to enter the Heaven-Class Stone Garden?"
"Exactly."
Li Qingshan nodded slightly, his tone indifferent. His gaze had already passed over Daoist Xuancheng and was now fixed on the Heaven-Class Stone Garden, which was shrouded by a triple Spirit-Gathering Array. The spiritual energy inside the garden was so dense that it was almost liquefied. The outline of a towering ancient vine could be vaguely seen. The Daoist charm flowing through it was even more refined than that of the Qingwei Blessed Land of Jade Pool.
Daoist Xuancheng stepped aside to make way, but sighed inwardly.
The original purpose of opening the stone shop was to make a profit, but encountering a cultivator like Li Qingshan, who possessed Source Arts and a powerful background, was like a "money-giving boy" coming to their door.
He had already heard about the extraordinary phenomena that occurred when the other party underwent tribulation, even triggering the Great Emperor's mark. In addition, his mastery of Source Arts was probably no less than that of the Source Arts masters from the Source Earth Master families in the Holy City. Today, Shi Fang was likely to suffer a huge loss.
The scenery Heaven-Class Stone Garden is completely different from that outside.
An ancient stone vine, with a diameter of over ten meters, is perched in the center of the garden. Its tendrils meander like a dragon, covering most of the garden. Each Yezi gleams with a faint jade-like light, as if it were carved from Source Stone.
Beside the stone vine, an ancient well built with " Starfall Source Stone " emits wisps of white mist. The rope marks at the wellhead are deeply embedded several inches deep, clearly indicating that it has existed for thousands of years.
Legend has it that the stone vine and the ancient well are treasures that existed when the Dao Yi Holy Land was established. The stone vine can nourish the Source Stone, and the ancient well can Spirit Transformation. It is thanks to these two treasures that the Dao Yi Stone Workshop has been able to repeatedly cut out ancient treasures.
Five elderly men with profound auras were already examining the Source Stone in the garden. They were all famous figures from the Northern Region, including the " Golden-Robed Old Freak " from the Immortal Dynasty of the Central Continent, who only had ten years left to live and was here to find a treasure to prolong his life.
There was a " Master Kuchan " of the Western Desert Buddhist sect, holding prayer beads, but his gaze was fixed on a Source Stone inlaid with Buddhist light;
There was also Elder Huang Tian of the Northern Plains Golden Family, surrounded by golden energy, marveling at a humanoid Source Stone.
Upon seeing Li Qingshan enter, the five elders were all taken aback, and their expressions immediately became complicated.
A burning desire flashed in the Golden-Robed Old Freak's eyes. If Li Qingshan could extract the longevity elixir, he would be willing to swallow his pride and buy it.
Master Kuchan clasped his hands together, silently reciting scriptures, but couldn't help glancing at Li Qingshan a few more times;
Elder Huang Tian snorted coldly and turned his face away, clearly displeased with the Jade Pool Holy Son who had "stole the limelight from the prodigy."
Li Qingshan ignored the stares around him, strolling through the Source Stone as if he were walking in a courtyard.
He sensed the internal structure of each Source Stone; some of them contained ordinary, heterogenous Source Stone with sparse spiritual energy.
Some contain fragments of ancient magical artifacts, their Daoist essence incomplete;
There were also a few seemingly ordinary Source Stone that contained a faint divine aura, clearly indicating that they had once coexisted with divine medicine.
His steps finally stopped in front of a grayish-brown Source Stone as tall as a person.
This Source Stone has a surface covered with natural holes, like a honeycomb, and its texture is loose. Priced at only 30,000 jin of source stone, it can be considered "cheap" in the Heaven-Class Stone Garden.
Three masters of Source Arts had previously appraised it, all of whom determined that it had "thin inner potential and no hope of excelling," and it had been sitting here for years without anyone paying attention to it.
"Holy Son, this Source Stone."
The old master Originium Master, who was in charge of guarding the Source Stone, couldn't help but remind him, fearing that Li Qingshan had misjudged it, "The stone inside is porous; it probably can't even produce a different type of Originium."
The Golden-Robed Old Freak scoffed, "If Saint Li wants to dabble in this, he should choose a better Source Stone. This piece of junk is beneath his notice."
Li Qingshan, however, didn't seem to care and said calmly, "This will do." He raised his hand and took out 30,000 catties of Source Stone, which shone with a pure white light and were piled up to the side, dazzling like a small mountain.
Daoist Xuancheng stood to the side, his eyes twitching almost imperceptibly.
He had a deep impression of this Source Stone. He had personally used Source Arts to explore it back then, but he had not found any rare treasures. However, Li Qingshan's choice made him feel uneasy for some reason.
Amidst the curious, mocking, or gloating gazes of the crowd, Li Qingshan pointed his fingers like knives, and faint chaotic Dao patterns appeared at his fingertips.
He still didn't use any stone-cutting tools, but instead used the "Entering the Subtle" principle of the " Western Emperor Scripture " to cut the stone directly. His Dao power was like a fine stream of water, slowly seeping into the holes of the Source Stone. The stone skin peeled off layer by layer under his fingers, without a single piece of stone flying. His movements were as elegant as carving a work of art.
As the outer layer of stone peels away, a pale blue luster gradually appears inside the Source Stone.
The Golden-Robed Old Freak stopped mockingly, and Elder Huang Tian also came over, his eyes full of surprise and doubt.
"Snap!"
A soft sound, not the sound of stone breaking, but the sound of some invisible barrier being shattered!
Immediately afterwards, a dazzling seven-colored divine light shot into the sky from the crack in the Source Stone, accompanied by a blurry humanoid figure. The figure was pure white, like a fairy, hovering in mid-air and emitting a clear and melodious sound, as if trying to break through the restrictions of the stone garden and fly away!
" Flying Immortal in the Stone Flying Immortal in the Stone phenomenon!"
"My God! How many years has it been since such a phenomenon has occurred? This piece of waste rock actually hides a rare treasure!"
" The Jade Pool Holy Son's Source Arts is too amazing! Even Dao Yi, the Source Arts Master, misjudged the stone, yet he was able to cut out an extraordinary phenomenon!"
The crowd outside the park erupted in excitement. Some jumped up in adrenaline, while others pushed their way forward, eager to catch a glimpse of the treasure within the divine light.
Daoist Xuancheng had anticipated this. With a wave of his hand, a clear Dao pattern spread out, transforming into a transparent light curtain that enveloped the entire stone garden. This was the " Spirit-Sealing Array " of the Dao Yi Holy Land, which could firmly lock the aura and escape route of divine objects.
Li Qingshan continued his work, the patterns on his fingertips becoming increasingly intricate, as he carefully peeled away the last layer of stone.
Finally, a " Ice-Snow Source " the size of a washbasin, crystal clear like ancient ice, was revealed. Inside the source, there was a section of sapphire-like root and a pair of silvery-white tubers, only an inch long and shaped like human ankles.
A sacred aura emanated from the Source Stone, carrying a refreshing and unique fragrance. Taking a breath of it made one feel refreshed and invigorated, and even the Daoist energy within the body became smoother.
"This is... the remnant of an ancient divine medicine!"
The Golden-Robed Old Freak exclaimed in shock, staggering forward a step, his eyes filled with fanaticism, "What a pity. Only the roots and stems are left," missing the most important parts: the stem and the stamen.
Master Kuchan sighed, his tone tinged with regret, "If it were the complete divine medicine, it would be enough to allow a Saint Lord-level figure to break through to a higher realm, but this remnant root can at most prolong their lifespan."
Even a broken root is priceless!
Elder Huang Tian stepped forward, staring at the Ice-Snow Source, his voice trembling, "My Golden Family is willing to offer 150,000 jin of source, begging the Holy Son to part with it!"
"150,000 jin? You think you can give me a beggar's money?!"
The Golden-Robed Old Freak immediately retorted, "I am willing to offer 200,000 jin of source material, plus the imperial dynasty's 'Life-Extending Elixir Formula'!"
"What's two hundred thousand catties? Our Western Desert Buddhist Sect is willing to offer three hundred thousand catties of source material, and also bestow upon the Holy Son a Buddha relic!"
Master Kuchan couldn't help but speak up, explaining that a high-ranking monk in his Buddhist sect was nearing the end of his life and desperately needed the remaining medicine to prolong his life.
The old monsters vied for the bids, driving the price up to 500,000 jin of source material, creating an atmosphere as lively as an auction.
Li Qingshan remained calm, as if he hadn't heard the bidding around him. They might not know, but Li Qingshan certainly did. This wasn't an ordinary life-extending elixir; it was the remains of a humanoid Immortal Medicine, complete enough to allow Great Emperor to live another Lifetime.
He took out a cold jade box, a " Divinity-Sealing Box " specially made by Jade Pool, which could isolate all prying eyes and auras. He carefully placed the Ice-Snow Source into it and set it with three restrictions.
Although the remnant of the humanoid Immortal Medicine is incomplete, it contains divine essence and is faintly compatible with his Innate Immortal Fetus Dao Body. If he can find the Chaos Soil in the future, perhaps the remnant can regain its vitality, and then it will become a true Immortal Divine Medicine.
Given such an opportunity, why would he sell it?