Chapter 326: Alien Purple Crystal

A magnificent spectacle unfolded at the Eighty-One Estate.

Moss greened the steps, and the verdant grass seemed to seep into the curtains. Vast swathes of ancient trees obscured the Taoist temple, creating a scene of serene seclusion and pristine purity.

Many people frequented the Dao Yi Stone Workshop, yet there was no clamor, only a quiet, natural atmosphere that evoked a sense of returning to pristine simplicity.

Someone from Wu Ziming's group scoffed, "Never seen a Holy Land Stone Workshop before, have you, youngsters? It’s a good opportunity to broaden your horizons. Just stick close behind us later and pick up the 'watermelon stones.'"

"Haha..." A group of people burst into laughter.

"A bunch of sheep waiting to be slaughtered," Li Heishui retorted disdainfully.

"Darkie, who are you calling that?" These people were all of considerable standing, and being scorned by the dark-faced Li Heishui, many shot him a sharp look.

"Of course I'm talking about you. Is there anyone else who wants to gamble on stones with us?" Li Heishui challenged. With his dark skin and unassuming appearance, his provocation was surprisingly cutting.

"Darkie, are you serious about challenging us? How many source stones do you have to bet with us?" Up until now, these people had merely been teasing and hadn't taken the two seriously at all.

"Of course I have plenty of source stones. I'm just afraid you can't afford to lose," Li Heishui said, adopting a simple, honest look.

Someone nearby sneered, "How much is 'a lot' of source stones?"

"A full fifty jin!" Li Heishui declared, head held high.

The group roared with laughter, and many shook their heads, finding him endearingly naive and excessively simple.

"With only fifty jin of source stones, how dare you even set foot in Dao Yi Holy Land? I suggest you go back where you came from and stop embarrassing yourself."

"Darkie, you seem quite simple and adorably foolish, so we won't pick on you. Just leave quickly."

"Telling them to leave? That's too much fun! This darkie is a real treasure. Don't you think letting them follow would add more amusement?"

"Exactly, this darkie is quite amusing. Having him for entertainment would be great."

"For your entertainment, can you afford to lose?" Li Heishui continued to challenge, maintaining his simple facade.

"Darkie, you're deliberately looking for trouble, aren't you? Fine, we'll all bet with you."

Wu Ziming scoffed further, "These two silly youngsters are quite amusing. We have nothing to do anyway, so we'll humor them for a bit later."

Ye Fan whispered to Li Heishui, "You're going to drag everyone into this. Aren't you afraid of making a huge scene?"

Originally, Ye Fan had only intended to fleece a few 'fat sheep,' but Li Heishui, with his simple appearance and 'honest' provocations, seemed set on ensnaring everyone.

Li Heishui replied, "It's fine. As long as your source technique is strong, we'll be alright. We're destined for a big gamble in the Divine City; we'll attract attention sooner or later. We might as well suppress some people early on."

"What will you use to suppress them?" Ye Fan asked.

Li Heishui wasn't using his true appearance, as being the descendant of a great bandit would otherwise cause trouble. He was very confident. "Don't worry," he said, "I have a black iron token. If I show it, it's enough to scare that bunch away. After today, no one like them will cause us trouble. We'll take this chance to fleece them."

They passed through five stone gardens in a row. The outer areas contained no precious stones, and their prices were naturally very low. This group of people couldn't be bothered to stop; they didn't even spare them a glance.

The small pebble-paved path was tranquil. After traversing a large ancient forest, they arrived at a lush area, where the garden scenery was beautiful and verdant.

"Yao Yuekong, the young master of the Heavenly Demon Palace, is up ahead. Should we go say hello?"

"Forget it. I believe Jin Chixiao of the Golden Family is also nearby, and those two are like fire and water. They're probably competing here. Going to join the fun now would just be asking for trouble."

Ahead, by a gurgling spring pool, Yao Yuekong was selecting stones, accompanied by a few individuals.

"Darkie, here's a 'watermelon stone' for you, want it?" someone jeered, kicking a head-sized stone out of the grass.

"Gambling on stones with the two of us, you won't welch on the deal, will you?" Li Heishui asked earnestly.

"What a joke, would we welch on a deal? What good is your meager amount of source stones anyway?"

They stopped here. This part of the garden was very quiet, filled with divine blue trees whose dense branches bore sky-blue leaves, creating a dreamy hue. Even their trunks shimmered like blue crystal.

Additionally, it was covered in vines with small but exquisitely fragrant flowers, lending a poetic charm to the place.

"I still don't believe it. No, I need to call some witnesses," Li Heishui suddenly yelled at the top of his lungs, "Stone gambling! A peak showdown! Come quick and watch!"

"Darkie, what are you yelling about?"

"Don't yell indiscriminately in the Dao Yi Stone Workshop!"

"Foolish boy, you actually took us seriously? How can someone like you gamble on stones with us?"

The dozen or so people had varied expressions. They hadn't taken it seriously; they just wanted to tease the two. They didn't expect Li Heishui to pull such a stunt.

In the Dao Yi Stone Workshop, where all who came and went were cultivators, many looked over, wondering what was happening.

"The Prince and Princess of the Great Xia Immortal Dynasty of Zhongzhou!" someone exclaimed in surprise, instantly recognizing the valiant Great Xia Prince and the pure little nun in white among the crowd.

The Great Xia Imperial Family regularly had members purchasing rare and precious stone materials in the Divine City, so people were quite familiar with them.

"And also Wu Ziming, the chief disciple of the Five Elements Palace Master, and Li Chongtian, the son of the Illusion Extinction Palace Master."

Many were surprised. The people around the Great Xia Prince all had significant backgrounds, being disciples from major sects. A considerable number of people began to approach.

"Peak stone gambling showdown! Please, everyone, be our witnesses!" Li Heishui shouted with all his might.

People from the adjacent stone gardens, knowing the Great Xia Prince and others were present, all gathered around.

"Darkie, you're truly asking for it. You just can't be comfortable without making a fool of yourself," Li Chongtian and the others said, feeling a surge of irritation.

Everyone gathered around, and soon even Yao Yuekong, the young master of the Heavenly Demon Palace, approached, his purple robes fluttering. People around him involuntarily parted to create a path.

"It's really about to begin..." Li Heishui mumbled.

"Who is this darkie, daring to gamble on stones with this group?" the surrounding people wondered in surprise.

Wu Ziming scoffed, "Go ahead and cut them. Whatever you manage to cut out, each of us here will double the amount for you."

"Is that what you said?" Li Heishui asked seriously. "You're not gambling on stones with us, but if we cut out source stones, you'll just double the amount and give it to us?"

Wu Ziming sneered, "That's excessively foolish. Go cut the stones already. Fifty jin of source stones will be used up buying just one stone material."

"Haha, Darkie, here's a 'watermelon stone' for you," one of them laughed, kicking a basin-sized stone over.

"Youngster, there's more over here. Come quickly and move it," another person also teased.

"Here's another excellent 'watermelon stone,' your favorite, hahaha..." The others also burst into laughter, kicking over a third 'watermelon stone.'

The bystanders, understanding what was happening, also began to laugh.

"Are you sure there's really source stone in these rotten stones?" Li Heishui secretly transmitted, fearing they would end up as a complete joke.

Ye Fan secretly replied, "I originally planned to check out other stone gardens, but among the stones they kicked over, one truly contains a large amount of source stone. I don't even need to pick it myself. They deserve this bad luck."

"This is great! Later, I'm going to thoroughly enjoy their expressions." Li Heishui chuckled.

"Darkie, why are you grinning foolishly? Hurry up and cut your watermelons!"

"Look, here's another 'watermelon stone,' just enough to give you nine pieces, an auspicious number."

Wu Ziming, Li Chongtian, and the others looked at the nine 'watermelon stones' on the ground, their faces full of disdain, yet they couldn't help but burst into laughter.

The surrounding people all shook their heads. "How could they pick 'watermelon stones'? They really don't understand source stones at all."

After Ye Fan purchased these stone materials, he stepped forward. He simply picked up the stones and smashed them on the ground, not cutting them at all, leaving many people dumbfounded.

"Smash," "smash"... Six 'watermelon stones' shattered one after another. Inside, they were all white, containing nothing.

"They're asking for trouble, trying to cut out source stones from 'watermelon stones.' Such people coming here truly disgrace the Dao Yi Holy Land," Li Chongtian sneered.

"Smash!"

When the seventh stone was smashed to the ground, a ray of green light shot out, vibrant and fresh, as if dripping with life, filling the air with a sparkling vitality.

"A Green Leaf Stone!"

Someone exclaimed in surprise, "He really cut out a source stone! And it's a rare variant! One such piece is enough to equal ten jin of pure source stone."

It was a green stone, shaped like a leaf, just over an inch long, glistening green and softly luminous, truly resembling a living green leaf.

"Haha..." Li Heishui burst out laughing. "A rare variant source stone! Twenty jin per person, hand it over!"

He stretched out a hand, demanding payment from the group.

The dozen or so people felt deeply uncomfortable. They hadn't expected them to actually cut out a source stone. While twenty jin of source stone was nothing to them, having to hand it over like this was highly unpleasant.

"Even 'watermelon stones' yielded rare variant source stones. It's truly a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse," someone grumbled.

"Talking about anything else is useless. You wouldn't want to welch on your promise, would you?" Li Heishui said, extending his hand.

Wu Ziming, holding his nose in disgust, gave him two hundred eighty jin of source stones, paying for the dozen or so people.

"Crack!"

Ye Fan smashed the eighth stone material, but there was nothing inside.

"Smash out another source stone for me to see. I refuse to believe that rotten 'watermelon stones' can produce good source stones," one of them sneered.

"Smash!"

The ninth stone material was smashed to the ground by Ye Fan, shattering into pieces. In an instant, a brilliant purple light burst forth, a misty purple aura, with spiritual energy so dense it seemed to solidify.

"A rare variant purple crystal source!" someone exclaimed.

Ye Fan squatted down, peeling away layers of stone skin. The purple brilliance intensified, making the ground dazzling as light radiated in all directions.

"So many 'watermelon seeds'!" everyone exclaimed in astonishment.

Each piece of purple crystal source stone was only as big as a fingernail, truly like watermelon seeds, embedded in the stone material. There were over forty of them in total.

"Purple crystal is a rare variant source stone. One such piece is enough to equal thirty jin of pure source stone. To find so many inside a head-sized stone... calculated together, it's equivalent to fifteen hundred jin of pure source stone!"

Beside them, many people's expressions changed, all feeling it was incredible.

"Hahahaha..." Li Heishui roared with laughter.

Wu Ziming's face was clouded with ill fortune, feeling as though he had swallowed a dead toad. The other dozen or so people also looked crestfallen.

"It's truly beautiful, a genuine top-grade 'watermelon stone'," someone nearby exclaimed in admiration. "To produce nearly fifty purple crystal 'melon seeds' is astonishing."

When Ye Fan finished peeling it, there were exactly forty-nine purple crystal 'melon seeds,' an auspicious number. Held in his palm, they formed a considerable handful, shimmering with purple light, dazzling and making his hand appear crystal clear, enveloped in a violet mist.

"Gentlemen, there's nothing more to say. Three thousand jin of source stones per person, for you fourteen people, that's a total of forty-two thousand jin!" Li Heishui roared with delight.

At that moment, everyone was stunned. Over forty thousand jin of source stones—this was an incredibly vast sum, enough to make many of those present faint.

"Heavens! Over forty thousand jin! This darkie and that delicate-looking young man's luck is truly unbelievable! They smashed nine 'watermelon stones' and instantly obtained over forty thousand jin of source stones. There's no justice!"

"When luck arrives, you can't stop it, even if you try. Did you see just now? All nine of those 'watermelon stones' were kicked over by Wu Ziming and Li Chongtian themselves. Those two didn't even go select stones!"

"Exactly, I saw it too. Wu Ziming and Li Chongtian kicked them over themselves. When luck comes, you just can't stop it!"

Upon hearing these remarks, Wu Ziming felt an urge to spit blood. Li Chongtian wasn't much better; he wanted to punch someone. This was just too much of a raw deal!

Li Heishui, in stark contrast, wore a broad smile as he stepped forward to collect, carefully observing the dozen or so faces before bursting into hearty laughter.

"Haha!"