Chapter 330: Mutant Purple Crystal
Moss crept up the steps, their green tinting the stone, while the lush grass cast an emerald hue through the window screens. Rows of ancient trees shaded the Daoist temple, creating an atmosphere of serene purity and quiet elegance.
Many people passed through the Dao Yi Stone Pavilion, yet there was no clamor—only tranquility and naturalness, giving one a sense of returning to simplicity.
Among Wu Ziming's group, someone teased, "Young lad, you've never seen a Holy Land's stone pavilion before, have you? Take a good look and broaden your horizons. Later, just follow behind us and pick up some watermelon stones."
"Haha..." A group of people laughed heartily.
"A flock of sheep waiting to be fleeced," Li Heishui replied contemptuously.
"Dark boy, who are you talking about?" These people all had significant status and were displeased at being looked down upon by the dark-skinned Li Heishui. Many shot him sidelong glances.
"Of course I'm talking about you. Is there anyone else who wants to gamble on stones with us?" Li Heishui issued a challenge. With his dark complexion and simple appearance, his provocation was especially cutting.
"Dark boy, are you picking a fight? How much Source do you have to dare gamble with us?" This group had only been teasing earlier, never taking the two seriously.
"Of course I have plenty of Source. I'm just afraid you can't afford to lose," Li Heishui said with a look of honest simplicity.
Someone nearby sneered, "Plenty of Source—how much is plenty?"
"Fifty jin!" Li Heishui said, lifting his head.
The group burst into laughter, many shaking their heads, finding him endearingly naive and excessively simple.
"Fifty jin of Source and you dare enter the Dao Yi Holy Land? I suggest you go back where you came from and stop embarrassing yourself."
"Dark boy, you seem honest and adorably foolish, so we won't bully you. Just leave now."
"Why persuade them to leave? This is too entertaining. This dark boy is a treasure. Let them follow—don't you think it adds a bit of fun?"
"Exactly, this dark boy is quite amusing. He'll be good for relieving boredom."
...
"Relieving your boredom? Can you afford to lose?" Li Heishui continued his simple-minded challenge.
"Dark boy, are you deliberately asking for trouble? Fine, we'll gamble with you."
Wu Ziming added mockingly, "These two silly lads are quite interesting. Since we have nothing better to do, let's play with them for a while."
Ye Fan transmitted a message to Li Heishui, "By dragging everyone in, aren't you afraid of stirring up a big mess?"
Originally, he had only planned to fleece a few fat sheep, but Li Heishui, with his simple appearance and honest provocations, intended to rope everyone in.
Li Heishui replied, "No problem, as long as your Source Art is solid. We're destined to gamble big in the Divine City anyway, and we'll attract attention sooner or later. Might as well suppress certain people early."
"How will you suppress them?" Ye Fan asked.
Li Heishui hadn't come with his true appearance, as being a descendant of the Great Bandits would cause trouble. He said confidently, "Don't worry. I have a Black Iron Token in hand. If I show it, it'll scare those people off, and no one like them will bother us in the future. Today, we'll take them for all they're worth."
They passed through five stone gardens in succession. The outer areas had no precious stones, and the prices were naturally low. This group wouldn't stop there—they didn't even bother looking.
A cobblestone path led quietly through a large ancient forest, bringing them to a lush, verdant area with beautiful garden scenery, thick with greenery.
"The Heavenly Demon Palace's young master, Yao Yuekong, is up ahead. Should we go say hello?"
"Forget it. I'm sure Golden Clan's Jin Chixiao is nearby too. Those two are at odds like fire and water, probably locked in a contest here. Going to join the fun now would just be asking for trouble."
Ahead, beside a bubbling spring pool, Yao Yuekong, accompanied by some attendants, was selecting stones.
"Dark boy, here's a watermelon stone for you. Want it?" someone teased, kicking a head-sized stone out of the grass.
"If we gamble on stones with you two, you won't renege on the deal, will you?" Li Heishui asked seriously.
"Ridiculous! Would we renege? Your little bit of Source isn't worth anything."
They stopped here. This garden was very quiet, filled with divine blue trees with dense branches and sky-blue leaves, creating a dreamy color. Even the trunks sparkled like blue crystal.
Additionally, vines covered everything, with small, fragrant flowers adding a poetic charm to the place.
"I still don't trust you. No, I need to call some witnesses." Li Heishui suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs, "Stone gambling! Peak showdown! Come watch!"
"Dark boy, what are you yelling about?"
"Don't shout in the Dao Yi Stone Pavilion!"
"Silly boy, are you serious? You think you can gamble on stones with us?"
...
The expressions of the dozen or so people varied. They hadn't taken it seriously, originally just wanting to tease the two. They didn't expect Li Heishui to pull such a stunt.
In the Dao Yi Stone Pavilion, cultivators came and went. Many looked over, wondering what was happening.
"The Great Xia Prince of the Central Province's Immortal Dynasty, and the Princess!" someone exclaimed, recognizing the heroic Great Xia Prince and the pure White-Robed Little Nun among the crowd.
The Great Xia Imperial Clan had people in the Divine City buying rare stone materials year-round, so they were familiar figures.
"And Wu Ziming, the chief disciple of the Five Elements Palace, and Li Chongtian, the son of the Illusory Destruction Palace's master."
Many were surprised. The people around the Great Xia Prince all had significant backgrounds, being disciples of various great sects. Many began moving toward them.
"Peak stone gambling showdown! Everyone, please bear witness!" Li Heishui shouted energetically.
People from neighboring stone gardens, knowing the Great Xia Prince and others were there, all gathered around.
"Dark boy, you're asking for a beating. We won't feel right unless we bully you," Li Chongtian and the others said angrily.
The crowd surrounded them. Soon, even Yao Yuekong, the young master of the Heavenly Demon Palace, walked over, his purple robes fluttering. The people around him instinctively made way.
"It's really starting..." Li Heishui muttered.
"Who is this dark boy, daring to gamble on stones with this group?" the onlookers wondered in surprise.
Wu Ziming taunted, "Go ahead and cut your stones. Whatever you cut out, we'll each give you double the amount."
"Is that what you said?" Li Heishui asked seriously. "You won't gamble with us, but if we cut out Source, you'll give us double?"
Wu Ziming sneered, "Too foolish. Go cut your stones. Fifty jin of Source will be gone after buying one piece of material."
"Haha, dark boy, here's a watermelon stone for you." One of them laughed mockingly, kicking a basin-sized stone over.
"Young lad, here's another one. Come carry it away," another teased.
"Here's another top-quality watermelon stone, your favorite, hahaha..." Others also laughed, kicking a third watermelon stone over.
The onlookers, understanding what was happening, also laughed.
"Do you have confidence? Is there really Source in these rotten stones?" Li Heishui transmitted secretly, afraid they'd end up as a joke.
Ye Fan replied secretly, "I was planning to check out other stone gardens, but among the stones they kicked over, one actually has a lot of Source. I don't need to choose myself—they're asking for it."
"That's great. I'll enjoy watching their expressions later," Li Heishui chuckled.
"Dark boy, what are you grinning about? Go ahead and cut your watermelons."
"Here, another watermelon stone. That makes nine, a perfect number."
Looking at the nine watermelon stones on the ground, Wu Ziming and Li Chongtian were full of contempt and couldn't help laughing loudly.
The surrounding people shook their heads. Choosing watermelon stones? They really didn't understand Source at all.
Ye Fan bought these materials and stepped forward. He directly picked up the stones and smashed them on the ground, not cutting them at all. Many were dumbfounded.
"Crack," "crack"...
Six watermelon stones in a row shattered, revealing nothing but white inside.
"Asking for trouble. Trying to cut Source from watermelon stones—people like this disgrace the Dao Yi Holy Land," Li Chongtian sneered.
"Crack"
When the seventh stone hit the ground, a flash of green light shot out, fresh and vibrant, making everyone's eyes feel a crystalline clarity, full of life's energy.
"Green Leaf Stone!"
Someone exclaimed in surprise, "They really cut out Source! And it's a mutant type. One piece like this is worth ten jin of pure Source."
It was a leaf-shaped green stone, just over an inch long, green and glossy, warm and radiant, very much like a leaf.
"Haha..." Li Heishui laughed loudly. "Mutant Source! Twenty jin per person! Hand it over!" He stretched out his big hand, demanding payment from the group.
The dozen or so people were all disgusted. They hadn't expected them to actually cut out Source. Twenty jin of Source was nothing to them, but paying it out felt awful.
"Cutting mutant Source from watermelon stones—even a blind cat finds a dead mouse sometimes," someone muttered.
"Talk is cheap. You're not going to renege, are you?" Li Heishui extended his hand.
Wu Ziming pinched his nose and paid him 280 jin of Source, covering for the dozen people.
"Crack"
Ye Fan smashed the eighth stone. There was nothing inside.
"Smash another one and show me. I don't believe rotten watermelon stones can produce good Source," one of them sneered.
"Crack"
The ninth stone hit the ground, shattering into pieces. In an instant, purple light burst forth, a hazy purple aura filling the air, the spiritual energy so dense it was almost tangible.
"Mutant Purple Crystal Source!" someone cried out in shock.
Ye Fan crouched down and peeled away layers of stone skin. The purple light grew stronger, the ground sparkling and radiating in all directions.
"So many watermelon seeds!" the crowd exclaimed in astonishment.
Each grain of Purple Crystal Source was only the size of a fingernail, truly like watermelon seeds embedded in the stone. There were over forty of them.
"Purple Crystal is a mutant Source. Each grain like this is worth thirty jin of pure Source. For a stone no bigger than a human head to contain so many, that adds up to 1,500 jin of pure Source!"
Many nearby showed strange expressions, all finding it unbelievable.
"Haha..." Li Heishui laughed heartily.
Wu Ziming looked utterly disgusted, as if he'd swallowed a dead toad. The other dozen people also had grim expressions.
"So beautiful! This is a true top-quality watermelon stone," someone nearby marveled. "Nearly fifty grains of Purple Crystal seeds—amazing."
Ye Fan peeled them off. There were exactly forty-nine grains of Purple Crystal seeds—a wonderful number. He held them in his palm, a large handful, purple light flashing, brilliant and dazzling, making his hand look crystalline, wrapped in purple mist.
"Everyone, there's nothing more to say. Three thousand jin per person. For you fourteen, that's 42,000 jin!" Li Heishui laughed heartily.
At that moment, everyone was stunned. Over 40,000 jin of Source—that was an astronomically huge number. For many present, it was enough to make them faint.
"Heavens, over 40,000 jin! This dark boy and this handsome young man have incredible luck! Smashing nine watermelon stones and getting over 40,000 jin of Source—there's no justice!"
"When luck comes, you can't stop it. Did you see that? All nine watermelon stones were kicked over by Wu Ziming and Li Chongtian themselves. These two didn't even choose the stones!"
"That's right, I saw it too. Wu Ziming and Li Chongtian kicked them over themselves. When luck comes, you can't stop it!"
...
Hearing these words, Wu Ziming felt like vomiting blood. Li Chongtian wasn't much better, wanting to punch someone. This was too damn unfair.
Li Heishui was the complete opposite, all smiles. He stepped forward, carefully observing the expressions of the dozen people, then burst into laughter.
"Haha..."