Chapter 403: Betting on Flame Stone

Night fell, plunging the entire Black Flame Mountain Range into darkness. However, Black Fire City, situated at the edge of the range, remained brightly lit and bustling with activity.

Currently, all prominent forces in Black Flame Province have dispatched their elite disciples to Black Fire City. Their purpose, naturally, is the Flame Marrow Vein, which has yet to find a master.

Although they knew that the lion's share of the Flame Marrow Vein would undoubtedly fall into the hands of the four major giant sects, even a small portion of such a high-grade ore vein would be a significant gain for them.

Consequently, numerous forces flocked to the city, making Black Fire City, on the outskirts of the Black Flame Mountain Range, exceptionally lively and complex.

Creak.

Zhou Yuan pushed open his door and stepped onto the corridor. He looked down, observing the bustling activity within the vast building.

He leaned against the railing, intrigued. He realized that despite having been on the Saint Continent for so long, he had never ventured out, always remaining within the Cangxuan Sect to cultivate.

So, this was his first true glimpse of the Saint Continent's charm and atmosphere.

As Zhou Yuan observed the various people in the building, a faint whooshing sound suddenly emerged. A sharp gust of wind seemed to pierce directly towards Zhou Yuan's back.

Zhou Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly at that instant. His body suddenly became illusory. With a shift of his feet, the gust of wind grazed past him. Zhou Yuan immediately turned and struck backward with his palm. Source Qi surged, and a faint sound of air tearing could be heard.

However, to Zhou Yuan's slight surprise, his powerful strike landed on empty air. Then, he caught a whiff of a faint, pleasant fragrance.

“Not bad, we haven't seen each other in over half a year, and your strength has improved significantly,” a sweet, bell-like laugh resounded. Zhou Yuan looked up to see a girl in a black dress sitting on the nearby railing, her slender, fair legs dangling gently, dazzling to the eye.

It was Zuoqiu Qingyu.

“Your speed... is impressive,” Zhou Yuan said, a hint of surprise also flashing in his eyes. Zuoqiu Qingyu's speed in evading his palm strike was no slower than his own perfected Void Transformation Art.

Evidently, Zuoqiu Qingyu had also encountered fortunate opportunities after entering the Hundred Flowers Immortal Palace.

“My combat power isn't as monstrous as yours, so I have to master some life-saving skills,” Zuoqiu Qingyu said with a smile. With a light leap, her lithe figure appeared beside Zhou Yuan.

“It seems you're doing quite well in the Cangxuan Sect. You even managed to get assigned to a mission like this?”

Although she wasn't clear about the Cangxuan Sect's rules, missions like contending for the Flame Marrow Vein in Black Flame Province undoubtedly involved the sect's elites. For Zhou Yuan to reach this level in just over half a year since joining the Cangxuan Sect, he must clearly be thriving there.

“It's alright,” Zhou Yuan said with a smile. “For this mission... they're all just treating me as a slacker.”

Zuoqiu Qingyu rested her arm on the railing, her fair hand propping up her chin. Her delicate body leaned slightly forward, revealing strikingly slender and long legs. She smiled sweetly and said, “Then it seems you'll once again surprise everyone in the end.”

“You trust me that much?” Zhou Yuan couldn't help but find it amusing. Others, perhaps even Li Qingchan, probably didn't have high expectations for him, merely hoping he wouldn't hold them back. He hadn't expected Zuoqiu Qingyu, whom he hadn't seen in over half a year, to say such a thing.

“I'm just cheering you on, did you really believe it?” Zuoqiu Qingyu, however, said with a playful smile.

Zhou Yuan could only roll his eyes.

“How are you and Luluo doing in the Hundred Flowers Immortal Palace?” he asked.

“Quite well. That girl Luluo is very popular in the sect,” Zuoqiu Qingyu said, her red lips curling slightly as she looked at Zhou Yuan with a hint of pride. “Although you took the lead in the Saint Remains Domain, don't get too complacent. Perhaps on this Saint Continent, we might surpass you.”

Zhou Yuan nodded with a smile, knowing that the girl before him harbored immense pride.

“Oh, by the way, how is Yaoyao doing in the Cangxuan Sect?” Zuoqiu Qingyu pressed.

Zhou Yuan sighed and said, “Of course, she's ten thousand times better off than me.”

Yaoyao's current standing in the Cangxuan Sect, though not that of a Saint Son, is likely no worse than one. It's far better than his own situation, where he's repeatedly looked down upon even when participating in a Heavenly-grade mission.

Zuoqiu Qingyu patted Zhou Yuan's shoulder, comforting him, “Don't be sad. Isn't this perfectly normal? Do you really want to compare yourself to Yaoyao? Have you lost your mind?”

Zhou Yuan's mouth twitched. “Is that how you comfort someone...?”

However, after some conversation, the two grew more familiar with each other, and the awkwardness from not seeing each other for over half a year completely vanished.

Zuoqiu Qingyu stretched, her figure quite captivating. She tilted her head slightly and said, “There's a trade fair downstairs. Want to check it out? You might find something good.”

Seeing the excitement sparkling in her glistening eyes, Zhou Yuan gave a wry smile. This woman, even if she was a “little enchantress,” apparently couldn't escape such mundane desires.

“Let's go.”

Knowing Zuoqiu Qingyu's love for lively places, he naturally didn't refuse and nodded.

As the two walked together, glances continuously converged on them. This was mainly because Zuoqiu Qingyu, the “little enchantress,” was too eye-catching. Charming and alluring, she was truly an unparalleled beauty, making it difficult for people to look away.

Below the building, the space was extremely spacious. Countless figures moved about, and various stalls were set up casually. From time to time, exclamations would erupt, as if something good had been discovered.

Overall, the atmosphere here was quite vibrant.

Zuoqiu Qingyu wandered around with keen interest, like a nimble fish, while Zhou Yuan helplessly followed behind her.

The two walked on, eventually stopping before a particularly crowded area. Here, countless black stones, roughly the size of a human head, were displayed. Faintly, the stones seemed to radiate heat.

“What are these?” Zhou Yuan asked curiously.

“It's a form of 'stone gambling',” she explained. “You buy a stone, then crack it open to see the grade of the Flame Marrow inside. As you know, Flame Marrow is categorized by age: ten-year, hundred-year, thousand-year, or even ten-thousand-year grades...”

“If you're lucky, even finding hundred-year-grade Flame Marrow means a huge profit.”

“However, it's said that these black stones are Flame Marrow Stones excavated from deep within the Black Flame Mountain Range. These stones naturally block spiritual perception, so no one can discern what's inside.”

“Only extremely experienced masters can discern clues from the stone's texture,” Zuoqiu Qingyu said.

Zhou Yuan nodded. No wonder this place was so popular; everyone was looking to make a big gain from a small investment. After all, if one could uncover hundred-year or thousand-year-grade Flame Marrow, its value would multiply by a hundred or even a thousand times.

If such a source material were sold, it would be worth at least tens of millions of Source Crystals.

He observed for a while. Many stones were being opened, but most contained only ordinary Flame Marrow. Occasionally, someone would unearth a ten-year-grade one, which was enough to draw gasps of surprise.

“I wonder if the Spirit Breaking Saint Rune can discern anything?”

Zhou Yuan's heart stirred as he watched this scene, recalling the Saint Rune in his eyes.

However, just as he was about to try, an abrupt laugh came from the side, and a figure directly inserted themselves between Zhou Yuan and Zuoqiu Qingyu.

“Heh heh, Miss Qingyu, are you interested in Flame Stone gambling?” he said. “Had I known, I would have brought you here to play earlier. In Black Flame Province, almost all of the Flame Stone gambling industry is under our Blazing Cauldron Sect.”

Zhou Yuan frowned slightly and glanced over. The newcomer was a young man dressed in purplish-red robes, accompanied by many followers, exuding an imposing aura.

The young man smiled, but his gaze was fixed intently on Zuoqiu Qingyu. As for Zhou Yuan, standing beside her, he paid him no mind.

Zuoqiu Qingyu's slender eyebrows also furrowed slightly. She recognized the young man before her as one of the persistent admirers who had pursued her since she arrived in Black Flame Province. However, this person had a significant background: he was Su Duan, the Young Sect Master of the Blazing Cauldron Sect.

And the Blazing Cauldron Sect was one of the top local forces in Black Flame Province.

“Do you want to leave?” Zhou Yuan asked Zuoqiu Qingyu.

Hearing Zhou Yuan's voice, the young man in purplish-red robes finally turned around and smiled slightly at Zhou Yuan. “So, you're a friend from the Cangxuan Sect,” he said. “I am Su Duan, Young Sect Master of the Blazing Cauldron Sect. My apologies for overlooking you just now... But may I ask, which Saint Son of the Cangxuan Sect are you, my friend?”

His gaze at Zhou Yuan held a hidden hostility, clearly stemming from Zuoqiu Qingyu. After all, he had been persistently pursuing Zuoqiu Qingyu for days without making any progress. Seeing her familiar interaction with Zhou Yuan earlier naturally made him wary, prompting him to quickly step forward.

Su Duan wore a smile, his seemingly polite words carrying a deeper meaning. He clearly knew that Zhou Yuan was not a Saint Son of the Cangxuan Sect, yet he deliberately pointed it out. The underlying message was that since Zhou Yuan wasn't a Saint Son, there was no need for him, the Young Sect Master of the Blazing Cauldron Sect, to pay him much attention.

After all, the Cangxuan Sect had numerous disciples. While the Blazing Cauldron Sect couldn't compare to the Cangxuan Sect, he was still a Young Sect Master. Unless there was a grudge, he wouldn't need to fear an ordinary disciple.

Zhou Yuan glanced at Su Duan, his eyes narrowing slightly.

However, Su Duan paid no mind to his gaze. Instead, he met Zhou Yuan's eyes defiantly, then pointed to the stone gambling area before them, a sly smile on his face, like a smiling tiger.

“Is this friend also interested in Flame Stone gambling?”

“Do you have the interest and courage to play a couple of rounds?”

He clasped his hands in front of him, and as his sleeve was gently pulled back, it revealed a bracelet.

The bracelet appeared to be made of wood, though of an unknown type, and was covered in mottled marks, looking extremely ancient.

Zhou Yuan's expression had remained calm, even when facing Su Duan's hostile gaze, his eyes showing no ripple of emotion. However, as his gaze swept over the bracelet, which seemed neither wood nor metal, his eyes suddenly focused.

Because in that instant, he felt the incomplete “Great Yi Rune” within him tremble, as if emitting a wave of craving...

A sharp glint flashed in Zhou Yuan's downward-cast eyes.

What potent Yi Wood Qi! This guy's bracelet must be made of rare ancient wood, at least a thousand years old...

This is truly... just what I needed.