Chapter 74: Inner Courtyard Stone Gambling; Chen Changsheng My Name is Zuo Xinghe
Chapter 74 – Inner Courtyard Stone Gambling; Chen Changsheng My Name is Zuo Xinghe
Having settled his debt with the Saintess of the Purple Mansion, Chen Changsheng casually tossed the remaining Fire Dragon Source into a beast-skin pouch and tossed it into Wang Defa’s hands.
This beast-skin pouch was uniquely forged to contain God Source. Its internal spatial capacity was small, but the array carved within it perfectly neutralized the terrifying weight of the crystal.
Otherwise, accumulating a massive hoard of God Source would instantly shatter the spatial boundary of an ordinary Storage Ring under the sheer, oppressive gravity.
“Overseer Wang, if my memory serves, crossing the threshold into the inner courtyard of the Kunlun Stone Workshop requires an absolute guarantee of ten thousand pounds of God Source.”
“My collateral should be more than sufficient now. May I enter?”
Witnessing Chen Changsheng violently extract top-tier God Source from an ordinary waste boulder, Wang Defa’s previously arrogant demeanor vanished instantly.
The Kunlun Holy Land was currently hosting the Heavenly Talent Assembly, drawing monstrous prodigies from the far corners of the world.
For this youth to wield such ruthless methods and unfathomable insight, his origins had to be deeply terrifying.
How could a mere overseer like Wang Defa dare to offend such a hidden dragon?
“Of course, esteemed guest. Please, follow me.”
Escorted by a deeply bowing Wang Defa, Chen Changsheng strode into the inner courtyard of the Kunlun Stone Workshop.
Observing his confident stride, the Saintess of the Purple Mansion silently drifted after him.
Yet, while these two possessed the qualifications to cross the threshold, the rabble outside did not.
In the time it takes an incense stick to burn, rumors flooded the Kunlun Holy Land that an unnamed, monstrous Heavenly Talent was participating in high-stakes Stone Gambling within the inner courtyard.
Such a chaotic spectacle naturally lured a swarm of other peerless youths eager to witness the carnage.
……
The Inner Courtyard of the Kunlun Stone Workshop.
Unlike the sprawling outer courts, the selection of raw stones in this sanctum was pitifully sparse.
Across the vast courtyard, only a dozen or so boulders rested upon jade pedestals, yet each emitted an aura of profound antiquity.
One jagged rock twisted into the shape of a welcoming pine tree; when the wind brushed against it, the stone actually swayed in response.
Another stone was tragically small, no larger than a mortal’s fist.
Yet its surface was perfectly smooth, autonomously rolling across its jade platter as if possessed by a living soul.
Sweeping his Divine Sense over the inner courtyard’s offerings, Chen Changsheng’s brows knitted together.
The archaic Qi seeping from these stones was suffocatingly dense. If his instincts held true, they had been dragged from the deepest abysses of the Sacred Ruins.
Even with his unfathomable experience, he could not predict what horrors or treasures lay sealed within such ancient crusts.
“Young master, I wonder which ancient stone has resonated with your Dao?”
“I believe that ‘Welcoming Pine’ is a peerless treasure. To speak plainly, this lowly one has personally heard the rustle of autumn leaves whispering from its core!”
Facing Wang Defa’s shameless peddling, Chen Changsheng rolled his eyes.
“I comprehend the profound mysteries of the Sacred Ruins far better than you, but I also know the brutal truth of the forbidden lands: nine out of ten stones are hollow tombs.”
“The cheapest ore here demands five thousand pounds of God Source per pound of weight. A single boulder could easily cost hundreds of thousands, or even over a million pounds of God Source.”
“If your establishment allows debt, I might entertain the thought of smashing open three or five of them.”
Hearing this, Wang Defa rubbed his hands together, a greasy, apologetic smile plastered across his face.
“You jest, esteemed guest. We are but a humble enterprise; naturally, establishing credit is strictly forbidden.”
“But for a supreme talent like yourself, a mere million pounds of God Source is but a drop in the ocean.”
“Enough.”
“Summon the elders hiding behind the curtain. The collateral I am about to offer far exceeds your miserable authority.”
“Hundreds of thousands, even a million pounds of God Source? I do not carry such pocket change. I will use artifacts as collateral.”
Hearing this, Wang Defa instantly bowed. “As you command, esteemed guest. Please wait here; I will return in the blink of an eye.”
Barking an order for attendants to brew top-tier spirit tea, Wang Defa hastily withdrew.
Seated within the jade pavilion, Chen Changsheng sipped his spiritual tea while his eyes calmly dissected the surrounding ancient stones.
He remained entirely unbothered by the peerless beauty and icy aura of the Saintess sitting across from him.
After a long, suffocating silence, Zi Ning finally spoke.
“With your unfathomable methods, the sheer volume of God Source should not matter to you.”
“You are hunting for the secrets sealed within.”
Chen Changsheng shifted his gaze to the Saintess.
“Why would the Saintess make such an assumption?”
“As the ancient proverb goes: ‘Wealth, Companions, Methods, Land.’ On the path of cultivation, resources are absolute.”
“I walked into the Kunlun Stone Workshop for God Source. What else?”
“After all, who would ever complain about possessing too much wealth?”
Unmoved by his deflection, the Saintess’s voice remained a placid pool. “The mortal rabble comes to gamble for God Source. You are different.”
“Oh? How so?”
“Because your eyes are dead. That chunk of Fire Dragon Source weighed no less than fifty pounds.”
“Converted, that equates to a terrifying twenty-five thousand pounds of ordinary God Source. Such an ocean of resources would make even the most arrogant Heavenly Talent breathe heavily.”
“Yet when you shattered the crust and beheld the Fire Dragon Source, your eyelashes did not even tremble.”
“Which proves that twenty-five thousand pounds of God Source is utterly meaningless to you.”
“Everyone breathing the air in the Kunlun Holy Land knows the inner courtyard’s stones demand a blood price.”
“Even if you strip out the purest grade of God Source, you will never recoup the cost.”
“The only path to profit is to carve out a crystal sealing a primordial artifact. Therefore, you are hunting the forgotten relics entombed within.”
Listening to the Saintess’s flawless logic, Chen Changsheng nodded in genuine appreciation. “A perfectly reasoned deduction.”
“I am indeed aiming for the dormant treasures sealed within the source.”
“As you are aware, ores dredged from the forbidden lands possess a high chance of bearing God Source, and these crystals occasionally entomb heaven-defying anomalies.”
“Ancient spiritual herbs, for instance. Roots that command the tyrannical power to snatch life back from the jaws of death.”
“I require such a medicine. Hence, my presence here.”
“By the way, we have shared tea and conversation for quite some time, yet I remain ignorant of this young miss’s esteemed name.”
“Zi Ning.”
The two syllables drifted coldly from beneath the Saintess’s silken veil.
“Zi Ning. A formidable name.”
“I am Zuo Xinghe. I offer my thanks to Miss Zi Ning for your previous intervention.”
Crack!
A violent fissure spiderwebbed across the jade teacup in Zi Ning’s grasp, and a suffocating, murderous aura erupted from her delicate frame.
“Zuo Xinghe is the sovereign title of the current Emperor Zuo ruling the Xuanwu Kingdom in the Eastern Wasteland.”
“Though I cultivate in the Middle Heavens, I am not so sheltered as to be blind to the world’s rulers. Does the young master take me for a fool?”
“Hahaha!”
“Miss Zi Ning possesses eyes that see Mount Tai. Su Tian offers you his deepest apologies.”
Boom!
Without a fraction of a second’s hesitation, Zi Ning unleashed a ruthless strike.
The bastard was still brazenly lying to her face. Su Tian was the widely recognized vanguard of the Xuanwu Kingdom’s delegation at this assembly.
After witnessing this enigmatic man at the teleportation array, she had dispatched shadows to sweep his background.
The results of her meticulous probe had unearthed a chilling anomaly within the Eastern Wasteland’s roster.
In brutal truth, an unaccounted ghost had infiltrated the ranks of the Eastern Wasteland’s prodigies.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Chen Changsheng and Zi Ning brutally exchanged over a hundred blows in the span of a breath. Neither ignited their Spirit Qi, relying entirely on the pure, tyrannical force of their flesh and bones.
Yet, the terrifying reality unfolded on the one hundred and thirty-sixth exchange. Chen Changsheng dismantled her guard with terrifying ease.
His left hand clamped over her slender arm like an iron vice, while his right hand ruthlessly seized Zi Ning’s swan-like throat.
Pinning her in place, Chen Changsheng let out an exasperated sigh. “You’re a proper young lady. Why is your head so full of violence?”
Despite having her life utterly suppressed by Chen Changsheng’s grip, Zi Ning’s eyes remained devoid of panic.
“The Xuanwu Kingdom tempers the flesh as their Dao, yet your physical tyranny eclipses every single Heavenly Talent within their borders.”
“Why is your name scrubbed from the assembly’s registry? Who exactly are you?”
Just as Zi Ning aggressively interrogated him, the horde of Heavenly Talents rushing to witness the high-stakes gambling crashed into the courtyard.
Upon entering, they immediately laid eyes upon the intimately dominating posture of the duo.
Everyone: (͡°͜ʖ͡°)✧
So bold?