Shrouding the Heavens: Starting by joining the Holy Land of Yao Guang

Chapter 35 (Reserved Program)
The price of source stones in the second courtyard was much higher. A thousand catties of source stone required thirty catties of source stone. Li Yao picked out a thousand catties of source stone and eight hundred catties of source stone, spending about fifty catties of source stone.

The first thousand-pound stone yielded no source, but the second eight-hundred-pound stone yielded forty pounds of source.

By this calculation, Li Yao was actually at a loss of ten jin of source, but he didn't care and continued walking towards the third courtyard.

Upon reaching the third courtyard, the quality of the source stones here was significantly better. There were all sorts of source stones, and some of them were quite extraordinary just by looking at them.

Such as a piece of source stone that is entirely blue and has a slightly shimmering surface, or one that is entirely red and radiates heat, or even one with complex and mysterious patterns on its surface...

The source stones here are of better quality and more expensive. Of course, they are also more difficult to identify. Even cultivators with good source techniques may encounter problems here.

Li Yao walked around the third courtyard, stopping frequently to carefully examine each source stone. He used his source techniques to carefully identify them, analyzing the texture of the stones. However, the results were often ambiguous, with the probability of finding a treasure remaining between 60% and 80%.

Of course, there were also many source stones that Li Yao directly determined were useless stones, or even if they were not useless stones, the gains from them were very small.

The price of Originium in the third courtyard has reached an alarming level. A single Originium weighing a hundred pounds requires more than a hundred pounds of Originium. That translates to almost one pound of Originium for every pound of Originium, and the average weight of an Originium is around a hundred pounds.

Once here, even Li Yao had to get serious. Hundreds or even thousands of catties of source material were not a small amount for him. If he cut out waste stone, he would feel bad.

After a long search, he finally chose an ugly stone that looked like a misshapen melon or a cracked date. It was about the size of a washbasin and had a dark gray color, but it was covered with mysterious patterns.

Li Yao used his Source Technique to examine the stone and found that it looked inconspicuous, as if all its essence had been drained away.

However, Li Yao used the Source Technique to deduce that the appearance of the Source Stone, which was completely devoid of essence, was just an illusion. Although the exterior was devoid of essence, the interior contained extraordinary Daoist charm.

After paying for 100 jin of raw materials, Li Yao stopped the raw material cutter and started cutting them himself.

With a swift stroke, the Originium's old skin peeled off, and it quickly shrank in size.

At this moment, others also noticed the commotion and gathered around to watch Li Yao cut the stone.

Snap!

Stone chips flew everywhere, and the Originium that was the size of a washbasin was now only the size of a human head. Just then, a dazzling light shone out.

The rich spiritual energy felt like a gentle breeze or a hot spring bath, making one feel relaxed and comfortable.

A fiery red glow overflowed, carrying a wisp of smoke, gently spreading out like fiery clouds, or like blood-soaked celestial aura.

Everyone was astonished; it was obvious that they had unearthed a source of extremely high quality, far surpassing the quality of similar stones.

"This is the Fiery Source!" someone who was knowledgeable couldn't help but exclaim, but quickly fell silent.

Li Yao instantly realized that although this source was small, its value was equivalent to several thousand kilograms of source; it was a different kind.

"The third courtyard actually yielded a rare alien source. Although the fiery red source is not a rare alien species, this piece of fiery red source is the size of a human head and is worth at least several thousand kilograms of source. We've struck it rich."

"What incredible luck! Sometimes you really have to believe in fate when it comes to gamble on a piece of land. With such a piece of land, you can live a life of comfort for generations to come."

In the world of jade gambling, occasionally a rare gem is unearthed, possessing unpredictable and extraordinary powers, its value immeasurable. However, such occurrences are uncommon. But this is precisely the allure of jade gambling—when luck strikes, it truly can turn your fortune around.

Li Yao was also pleasantly surprised; he had invested a hundred jin of jadeite, but his return was dozens of times greater. It has to be said, jade gambling is truly an industry that makes money incredibly fast.

This is even faster than robbery!

He only gets a few coins from robbery. With his current cultivation level, he can only rob a cultivator at the Other Shore Realm at most. And a cultivator at the Other Shore Realm would probably have trouble even taking out ten or so kilograms of Origin.

To obtain several thousand kilograms of source material, one would need to rob hundreds of cultivators at the Other Shore Realm. It would be time-consuming and laborious, and it's definitely not as fast as gambling on stones.

"Fellow Daoist, would you like to gamble on stones?" At this moment, a middle-aged man next to him spoke up. He regarded Li Yao as a big fat sheep, and he would take advantage of him if he didn't. His luck couldn't last forever.

This is a staple of the jade gambling industry. Jade gambling has a long history and has developed many ways to play.

For example, one person cuts a stone, and others participate. The purchase price of the source stone is used as the standard. For instance, if the purchase price of the source stone is 500 catties of source stone, then if the cut item is worth more than 500 catties of source stone, the person who cuts the stone wins; otherwise, the participants win. Or, two people gamble on stones together, comparing the value of the source stone cut by each other.

Li Yao had crammed on the rules of jade gambling and naturally knew them. Now that someone wanted to gamble with him, he readily agreed.

"Coming to the stone gambling den is naturally for gambling on stones. Which type do you prefer, fellow Daoist?"

Without hesitation, the middle-aged man said directly, "You open the stone, and I'll gamble."

The people around got excited; no one who came to the gambling stone market would miss such a lively event.

Li Yao nodded and agreed to the bet, then continued his search in the third courtyard.

He had already taken a quick look around and had some understanding of the source stones here, but since this was now gambling on stones, he was naturally more cautious.

The essence of Origin Arts flowed through his mind. To ensure absolute success, he also activated a secret technique, a method of sensing the connection between heaven and man. This technique is relatively common in Origin Arts and can help the user sense the aura flowing within the Origin Stone.

The third courtyard gave Li Yao a completely different feeling. The stones exuded a strange aura, some ancient and desolate, some sacred and radiant, and some eerie and ominous.

Finally, Li Yao's gaze settled on a source stone. It was a blue stone with light yellow veins on it. The stone wasn't very big, but it still weighed about a hundred pounds.

The crowd was speechless. At first, they thought the young man might know some source techniques, but seeing the source stone he chose, they immediately dismissed their guesses and thought that the source stone that produced the fiery red source was probably just the young man's good luck.

"Fellow Daoist, is it still possible to place bets now? If so, please include this old man." The onlookers couldn't contain themselves and wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to get a share of the profits when they saw Li Yao choose a famous watermelon stone.

“Indeed, fellow Daoist’s source techniques are extraordinary. I am also willing to risk my life to accompany you. Why not add me to the list?”

"It seems everyone is very interested. I wonder if I'll have a chance to play a round too."

Once someone took the lead, the others who were watching immediately joined in.

"Senior brother, don't agree to them. This is a watermelon stone. At most, it will produce some source particles the size of watermelon seeds. It's impossible for it to produce large pieces of source material," Liu Shi said to Li Yao in a low voice.

(End of this chapter)